In our sport, we have the luxury of defining our own mountaintop. For some of us, it might be to make the varsity team. For others, it might be to simply complete 20 minutes of running without stopping. For a few of us, goals such as winning a section or a state title might be realistic. I am a huge fan of goal setting....in other words, defining what our own personal mountaintop looks like.
In setting these goals, we need to understand the difference between Process Goals and Outcome Goals
- Outcome goals are the ones we all understand well. "I want to win a league title". "I want to make a varsity team".
- Process goals are the goals that help lead us to the outcome goals. If the outcome goals are the mountaintop, the process goals are the pathway that leads upward. Accomplishing process goals is a pre-requisite for accomplishing outcome goals. Please see the Attached Goal Sheet for some examples of goals we have for Hughson Cross Country.
I encourage all of you to set your own process goals. Make a copy of the list I've provided and add your own goals to it. Your attainment of these goals will make your summer training far more enjoyable. Being able to work toward short term, tangible goals is a huge motivator to keep going when you really don't feel like it.
Each one of you needs to be able to find reason behind what you are doing out here. The reason is what will get you going when you don't want to leave your bed or keep you going when you are tired and want to stop. For me, my outcome goal is just to stay fit as I approach 50. In the pursuit of fitness, I enjoy setting and achieving short term process goals along the way. Right now, its to do 100 push ups a day for 30 days. Later it might be to get back to 25 miles per week without becoming injured.
Trust me on this, once you start setting and achieving realistic goals, you will feel really good about yourself and about your running.
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