Get SMART
One of the many things I love about running with others is sharing goals, ambitions and what motivates us to lace up our running shoes and get ourselves out of the door. Everyone has their own story to tell and idea of what they'd like to achieve, whether it's to be able to get into a good habit of exercising regularly, run 5k without stopping, push for a PB, complete a marathon, improve overall health and well-being, lose weight...
Whatever your goal, it's easy to start out with good intentions but lose focus along the way, which in turn can lead to despondency, frustration, and even giving up altogether. While setbacks are often part and parcel of any journey, there is a really simple way of helping yourself to stay on track.
Get SMART
Think of your personal goals - what is the biggest focus for you right now?
For the sake of this example, let's say that you've been running 10k fairly regularly, always around the same kind of time - about 1 hour and 5 minutes, give or take a couple of minutes - but you want to give it that little bit more.
S - Specific. 'Being able to run faster' is great, but having a definitive target to work towards will give you much more of a sense of purpose.
M - Measurable. Will you be able to see your improvements and know when you've reached your goal? (With so many gadgets and apps available, the answer to this is most likely yes!)
A - Achievable. Is there any reason why you shouldn't be able to achieve your goal? If so, it might be worth reassessing so that you're not setting yourself up for a failure before you've even started.
R - Realistic and relevant. Are you able and willing to work towards your goal?
T - Timely. Make sure that your goal has a timescale associated with it to give yourself a date to work towards, but remember to keep it achievable and realistic; saying that you want to take 10 minutes off your 10k PB in a week is probably a little TOO ambitious!
By using SMART objectives, you're giving yourself a positive sense of purpose and setting yourself up for a greater chance of success. "I want to be able to run 10k faster" becomes "I want to be able to complete a 10k in under an hour, which means taking 3 minutes and 29 seconds off my current PB. I'd like to be able to do this within six months and here's what I can do to achieve it".
Of course, it doesn't have to be about running times or distances; SMART objectives can work for weight loss ("I'd like to lose a stone by my birthday in July"), diet ("I'd like to incorporate five pieces of fresh fruit or vegetables into my diet") or anything else. If your goal seems daunting, for example "I'd like to be able to run a marathon without stopping in 12 months' time and I've just finished Couch to 5k", then set yourself interim goals - using SMART - to break your journey down into manageable chunks.
As always, please grab me for a chat if you'd like any more info or if you want any help setting up your own objectives and remember - you are awesome!
Whatever your goal, it's easy to start out with good intentions but lose focus along the way, which in turn can lead to despondency, frustration, and even giving up altogether. While setbacks are often part and parcel of any journey, there is a really simple way of helping yourself to stay on track.
Get SMART
Think of your personal goals - what is the biggest focus for you right now?
For the sake of this example, let's say that you've been running 10k fairly regularly, always around the same kind of time - about 1 hour and 5 minutes, give or take a couple of minutes - but you want to give it that little bit more.
S - Specific. 'Being able to run faster' is great, but having a definitive target to work towards will give you much more of a sense of purpose.
M - Measurable. Will you be able to see your improvements and know when you've reached your goal? (With so many gadgets and apps available, the answer to this is most likely yes!)
A - Achievable. Is there any reason why you shouldn't be able to achieve your goal? If so, it might be worth reassessing so that you're not setting yourself up for a failure before you've even started.
R - Realistic and relevant. Are you able and willing to work towards your goal?
T - Timely. Make sure that your goal has a timescale associated with it to give yourself a date to work towards, but remember to keep it achievable and realistic; saying that you want to take 10 minutes off your 10k PB in a week is probably a little TOO ambitious!
By using SMART objectives, you're giving yourself a positive sense of purpose and setting yourself up for a greater chance of success. "I want to be able to run 10k faster" becomes "I want to be able to complete a 10k in under an hour, which means taking 3 minutes and 29 seconds off my current PB. I'd like to be able to do this within six months and here's what I can do to achieve it".
Of course, it doesn't have to be about running times or distances; SMART objectives can work for weight loss ("I'd like to lose a stone by my birthday in July"), diet ("I'd like to incorporate five pieces of fresh fruit or vegetables into my diet") or anything else. If your goal seems daunting, for example "I'd like to be able to run a marathon without stopping in 12 months' time and I've just finished Couch to 5k", then set yourself interim goals - using SMART - to break your journey down into manageable chunks.
As always, please grab me for a chat if you'd like any more info or if you want any help setting up your own objectives and remember - you are awesome!
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