Sheba’s Training Blog

Well it is that time again, close to the end of the month (and year), time to reflect, reevaluate and set new goals.

First of all, I am not making New Year’s Resolutions… I am continuing to set personal SMART Goals. I (and many people) seem to quit resolutions before the end of January, but I have a much better track record with completing goals. Perhaps a small play with linguistics, but you gotta do what works, right? 

Goals that I set in the year 2008? I tried to be SMART with my goals, but I sometimes over-extended and did not reach my goals. But I learned a lot about myself in the process. Life can get in the way, but it doesn’t mean throwing in the towel. I reflected on my accomplishments,  I set goals, I got sick and didn’t meet those goals, so I set new ones. I tried to lessen the number of times I allowed illness, injury or excuses in general to impact my efforts towards my goals. AND I accomplished more for my health than in any previous year or effort. I completed my first Triathlon! I joined a running class and learned to exercise in bad weather! I actually went to the gym! I created a home workout space and used it! I made plans to workout with friends and family and I followed through. I even went on a few longer rides by myself! I greatly improved my body measurements (with still more room for improvement.) I participated in some training and learning workshops with Luna Chicks. These are all great accomplishments, with only a few set-backs. But I still consider them feedback not failure.

First a refresher of SMART GOALS (there are many sites that describe this method of goal setting, some even have different versions of what the letters stand for, but the basics are the same.)

Specific - Your SMART goal statement should be a clear and specific statement of what you want. OR it can be Significant - Significant goals are the ones that will make a positive difference in your life.

I definitely feel that my goal needs to be significant to even bother with setting it in the first place. Being healthy will make a positive difference in my life, so it is worth setting this as a goal.

Measurable - Making your goal measurable helps you see your progress, recognize if you are moving in the right direction, and see how far you still need to go.

With sports and exercise this is actually pretty easy, BUT I am still learning to refine what my measurements are, in order to make them achievable. Having this blog and logbook has been a great tool in measuring my progress.

Achievable - the goal should be achievable. It doesn’t mean easy, just that you can have a reasonable expectation of achieving it. For short-term targets, your probability of achieving the goal should be 80% of higher. Longer term targets could be more of a stretch and have less probability of success.

I still need to work on this part… finding the balance between pushing myself and setting something that I can actually achieve. But it has been great to look back to see what I actually DID achieve in 2008. I really need to be proud of what I did and use that as a measure of what MORE I can achieve next year.

Realistic - Realistic is another word for achievable. Again, this doesn’t mean that the goal needs to be easy. Mostly, It needs to be something that is workable given your present situation and lifestyle, finances and schedule.

OK, I am not really sure how to differentiate Achievable from Realistic, but this is how I see it… realistic is what you can work into your schedule and achievable is what you can physically accomplish. Or at least that fits for exercise type goals.

Time-Bound - establishing a clear deadline for them adds an element of urgency and motivation. OR Trackable - so you can see what your progress is, either in terms of results you are experiencing, or actions you are taking. Tracking your goals helps you determine if you are going in the right direction and make any necessary adjustments along the way.

Tracking is really a valuable part of the goal process and you have to have a time frame to know when to stop and reevaluate.

SO what’s up for 2009? First of all I have some big (aka long-range or over sweeping type goals), medium (more specific but longer to reach than the small goals) and small (very specific and/or short term) goals.

BIG:

1. TRI: Continue to participate in the multi-sports world by completing (measurable)  2-5 events this season. I will do a May, June and August SPRINT Triathlon and a couple of 5K races. (specific and timebound) with the goal of improving my overall times each event.
2. BIKE: Work up to a 50 mile bike ride (realistic) to complete one lake loop by end of the summer. (achievable)  (Brad thinks that if you can do 50 you can do 100, but I will stick with 50 for now)

MEDIUM:

1. RUN: Continue working with my running coach (achievable) to improve my running pace and endurance (specific) with the goal of running 5K in 30 minutes or less (measurable) by the end of the summer. (timebound)
2. Strength: Continue working with my Strength Training Coach weekly (achievable) with a goal of improving measurements (specific) by another 2 inches(smaller) (measurable) in each category by summer. (timebound)
3. SWIM: Continue improving swim technique and endurance, with more specifics to be set in March.

SMALL:

1. RUN: Running weekly (3X) (specific)  through January, February and March (timebound) and completing the St. Paddy’s Day Dash in March in 40 minutes or under. (measurable)
2. BIKE: Using my indoor trainer weekly (2x) work up to completing a Spinervals 60 min workout by adding 5 minutes each time until reaching the full 60 mins and then increasing intensity until at the pace and intensity of the DVD by MARCH.

2008 NUMBERS to beat!

So what’s YOUR Goals for the new year?

Filed under: Goals, Personal Record