The SMART acronym, used by many goal-setters,
states that our goals must be specific, measurable,
achievable, realistic and time-related.
Phil Olley explains: “This system is good in that
it encourages people to take action within a
certain time, and they will be clear as to whether
they have achieved their goal because it was a
specific one.”
Lisa, who took part in the Ironman World
Championships in Kona and Clearwater last
autumn, favours the SMART system when
formulating her goals.
“I believe in SMART goals. My goals are
long-term, short-term and personal to me. I
approach each training session with an idea of
what I want to achieve and I know how important
it is to stick to the programme.”
LEARN AS YOU GO ALONG
GET A VISION
According to ‘focus’ expert Phil Olley (www.
PhilOlley.com), we must begin by looking at
our life vision and working backwards.
“When we look at the big picture, our goals
become clearer,” says Phil, founder of The Focus
Gym. “One person might see themselves on a
podium collecting a medal for their country, while
another might see themselves raising thousands
of pounds for charity.
“When you have a goal that compels you, you
will take the action necessary to make it happen.
Having that goal in your mind will give you
purpose, especially on those cold, dark, wet
mornings when it’s much easier to stay at home.”
WORK BACKWARDS
As triathlete and clinical sports psychologist
Dr Victor Thompson says, once the goal is set, we
can then work backwards and break our goal up
into smaller steps.
“If you live in London and want to climb a
mountain, your goal is to get to the top of the
mountain,” says London-based Dr Thompson
(www.SportsPsychologist.com).
“You need to work out how you’re going to get
to the mountain, and then get started on a training
schedule. Otherwise, climbing that mountain
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will remain a dream that’s never fulfilled.
“Once we achieve some goals, we feel great
pride. We get a buzz out of organising something
and completing it, as well as the physical buzz of
the actual event. We get the endorphins from
exercise and achievement, and we can share
our stories with other competitiors.”
ATHLETES SETTING GOALS
Many serious athletes can trace their success
down to the goals they set at the start. Ironman
triathlete Lisa Picton says setting goals gives her
instant focus and helped her achieve far more.
Without goals, Lisa, 36, who was first in her age
group at Ironman UK in 2010, says it’s easy to
“bumble on”. Russell Cox, who got third at
Ironman UK last year, agrees – for him, having
goals is an instant motivator.
“It’s harder to train and keep fit when you don’t
have something to work towards,” says Russell,
also a coach (www.coachcox.co.uk). “Your goal
should be challenging, but not impossible.”
“When we
have a goal
that compels
us, we take
action and
make it
happen”
Often, a challenging goal can take years to
achieve. When Russell Cox set a goal in 2008 to
qualify for Ironman Hawaii, it took him three years
to achieve it.
“It can be hard to pitch your goals just right,”
explains Russell. “There are no guarantees,
especially with racing. During the three years it
took me to qualify for Ironman Hawaii, I trained
hard and raced hard but I kept missing out. I
knew it wasn’t going to be easy. It was a real test.
“But I learnt from each failure and tried to use
those lessons to guide my training in the right
direction. Remaining confident can be hard, but if
you want to achieve your goals, you may have to
overcome adversity.”
Goal-setting appeals to the more driven,
self-reliant personality – yet setting impossible
goals or unrealistic deadlines can set a person up
for failure.
Phil Olley says: “If you’ve never run before and
you decide to set a goal of running a marathon
next week, you’re setting yourself up for failure.
On the flipside, many people make goals which
don’t stretch them enough. Timing is vital. If
you’re 14 and you want to become a world-class
athlete, you can work at that. If you’re in your 40s
and you’ve never run before, follow a realistic
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GET SMART
he ability to set – and work towards –
goals is often the difference between
the serious runner and someone who’s
“having a go” at running. We all know
people who, on the spur of the moment,
blurt out that they’re going to do a fun run or run
a 1:30 half-marathon, and often they never get
round to it. But the serious runner does their
research, decides what they want to achieve and
formulates a plan to get them there.
Having a goal gives us a sense of purpose, and
when we really want something we will pull out
all the stops to make it happen. The place to start
is deciding what we want to achieve. For many of
us, this first hurdle is the hardest, and we soon
find that if our heart isn’t in our goal, we’ll fail to
follow through.
Tried &
Tested
d
Setting goals helps to order your mind, fine-tune your
training and perform at your best. But what to aim for –
and how to set your goal – is a skill in itself.
By Christine Fieldhouse
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goal setting
“Keep the language you use positive,” advises
Phil Olley. “Many people write down that they
want to lose weight, but that just concentrates
their minds on weight. Instead, think of the
benefits – feeling toned, being more alert, having
more energy. Write your goals in the present
tense and imagine how you’ll feel achieving
them. For example, you could write down: “I feel
fantastic now I have run a marathon in four hours.”
“Next, visualisation is key. Picture people being
amazed by your brilliant marathon time, or
people clapping and cheering as you cross the
finishing line. Creating these mental images will
drive you towards your goal.”
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SETTING THE GOALS
Our editor Fiona Bugler, a keen runner with
a long term goal of running a sub-three
marathon, has been looking for ways to help
her achieve this goal
THE HYPNOTIST
“In April I visited Tom Barber, a hypnotist at the
Lifehouse Spa (www.lifehouse.co.uk). Tom has spent
two decades in full-time practice as an Analytical and
Cognitive Hypnotherapist, Psychotherapist and
Integrative Counsellor, and is the co-author of the
widely acclaimed book Thinking Therapeutically: Hypnotic Skills &
Strategies Explored.
“Tom first told me to get rid of my ‘B’ goals – as these provided a
way out. The first technique used was the ‘classic swish’, visualising
and swapping between two images, one a positive colourful, light
image where I see myself achieving my goal, the other a black and
white image where I haven’t quite made it. Eventually the black and
white one is dispersed. And the positive, successful, good feelings are
held. To ‘anchor’ these feelings, Tom gets me to clench my fist. Tom
also points out smiling is important – it’s ‘modelling’ success. So if you
spot a smiling woman with clenched fists at a race in the South East
over the summer don’t panic, I’m not deranged, just anchoring!”
THE SPORTING MIND COACH
“In May I met David Brown, from the Academy of the
Sporting Mind. David and his partner, Martin Maynard,
provide ‘motivational and transformational coaching to
aid sports people to perform at their peak when they
choose, rather than just waiting for it to happen.’ I met
David in a coffee shop in Reigate. The session was relaxed and
deliberately unstructured. David got me to focus on how I wanted to
feel when I reached my goal of 2:59. He first asked me what I felt
about running now, then plotted how I’d like to feel when I reached
my goal and at points in time along the way. David got me focused on
the power of words, and with positive words floating around in my
subconscious, great things will happen. Watch this space, or follow my
progress at www.sherunsshewrites.com.” Find out more about The
Academy of the Sporting Mind at www.academysportmind.com.
training schedule and you can easily get to
half-marathon and marathon level. ”
BITESIZE GOALS
“Keep the
language
positive –
imagine how
you’ll feel
achieving
your goals”
Lisa avoids the pressure of enormous goals by
setting smaller bite-sized ones.
“I would get stressed if my goals were
outcome-related, such as winning my age group
or achieving a specific time, so I set smaller goals
that will amount to a desirable outcome. I’ve
never had to change any long-term goals but I
have changed session goals, to accommodate
other factors, such as weather or fatigue.”
For many athletes, distance and time
challenges come easier than the self-care that
goes with exercise. Phil Olley suggests other
goals might be to be in bed by 10pm every night,
or to take in a certain amount of fluids every day.
Lisa jokes that she aims to eat fewer crisps, but
adds: “Health and wellbeing goals are just as
important. Rest and recovery, good nutrition and
flexibility are always at the forefront of my mind.”
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