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Motivation - Goal Setting

Last Friday, TriAttic posted a discussion concerning motivation and goal setting on the Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=177446268982515&topic=114:

"Don't show up to prove. Show up to improve."
We all have heard sayings like this, and it is very easy to agree with the philosophy. Putting it into practice is entirely different. Pursuing personal goals is a one effective method. Finding and setting personal goals can be hard, and it is even more difficult to make them attainable. Please share your thoughts on how to set personal goals and achieve them!




I wanted to share my philosophy for setting goals.

Regardless of the level of competitiveness among different athletes, the commitment required to achieve success is very high for the sport of triathlon.

Goal setting is one way of staying committed to the sport. Their are three different goal sets to develop; Long-term goals, Daily training goals, and Competition goals.

Long-term Goals:
When setting the long-term goal, it is important to remind yourself why you enjoy this sport. Long-term goal setting needs to have both intrinsic and extrinsic elements, but long-term goals without the intrinsic components makes goals hard to achieve.

Example questions to ask yourselves:
- What do you enjoy about the sport?
- What is your dream goal, what do you want to achieve?
- What do you need to do in order to achieve your dream goal?
- Which athletic abilities do you need to improve in order to achieve this goal?
- How committed are you to this goal?
- What is your overall goal for the season?

Daily training goals:
After the long-term goal is set, focus on setting daily training goals that will lead to achieving your dream or end of season goal.

When setting daily training goals be SMART about it.

S – Is it Specific?
M – Is it Measurable?
A – Is it Agreeable?
R – Is it Realistic?
T – Is it Time Limited?

When you are setting SMART daily training goals this helps guide behavior and attention and it helps foster confidence.

Competition goals:
Just like training goals, each competition needs goals. Setting different goals for competition can include outcome goals, performance goals, and process goals.

Outcome goals can involve your placement in the race (winning the race, finishing top 3). These goals are great for your long term motivation but can cause pre-performance distractions and anxiety. Performance goals (running a sub-30 minute 5K) and process goals (maintaining form on the run) help to achieve proper focus in competition. Process goals can be set for each discipline and help to keep your mind from wondering to distractions.



Join in the descussion: share your goals, your failures..........

GVT Race Report and Marathon Training Update


Last Saturday at Georgia Veterans Triathlon in Cordele, GA - Laura Register, Charlie Johnson and I represented TriAttic well and had a lot of fun along the way.
   













The swim: 400 yds

This swim was held in Lake Blackshear, it was a rectangular shaped swim with a turn about 150 yd into the swim. Needless to say the first turn was quite crowded. Charlie Johnson was second out of the water in his wave. He passed the lead male in T1 and never looked back. I had one of my best swims to date in a triathlon. I have been swimming with two different maters groups 2-3 times a week. The intensity I hit during maters swims prepared me for starting fast during the swim. I was 3rd out of the water and passed one girl in T1.


The bike: 13.6 miles

The bike course was very flat for what I expected to get in GA. The route bordered Lake Blackshear for 6 miles or so before heading up County Roads back to the park. The road winding around the lake had a lot of hair pin turns but beautiful views. Charlie had an open course with no one in sight the entire time. His blistering bike split of 32:23 for a 25.2 mph average. This was Charlie's fastest bike split to date!! For Laura and I, we started behind the entire men's field, it was hard to pass on some of those windy roads by the lake but it opened up once onto the county road. I was lucky enough to have the second fastest women's bike split of 36:47 for a 22.2 mph average. I was still in second place getting off of the bike. Leaving T2 I saw the leader and I was on a mission....

   

The run: 3.1 miles

August 13 in the south, nothing more to say than........it was HOT! There were two well needed aid stations on the run. Again Charlie let his true colors shine, posting the third fasted 5k time in the race of 17:29 for a 5:38/mile average. Little did Charlie know (due to wave starts) he had someone on his tail. The second place male finished 4 seconds behind Charlie but because of the different waves there was no sprint to the finish between the two. From the first few steps into the run I knew I had to give it all I had if I wanted any shot at winning this race. I could see the women's leader ahead and found myself catching her faster than I thought. Within 1/2 mile I was on her heals. Knowing who she was from prior races and knowing my 5k PR (23:06) I thought to myself, "slow down".......but then thought....."why"??? So I went for it, I went around the leader and pushed ahead. I could see at certain turn arounds on the course that I was gaining a lead. This was the first time I chose to run without a watch or HR monitor. To say it was liberating is an understatement! I am very happy to say I had the second fastest 5k time for women and a new 5k PR of 21:41 for a 6:59/mile pace!





 









Congratulations to all finishers!!

My marathon training update (Base 1 - complete):

Week 1: 28 miles
Week 2: 37 miles
Week 3: 41 miles
Week 4: 44 miles
Week 5: 24 miles - recovery and race week

I have made it through the first part of my marathon training plan. Last weekend at GVT I had my first test since I started run training. I was nervous for the Triathlon simply because I had shifted my training focus and was only riding once per week but I was looking forward to the run. This race couldn't have gone better and I came out with a new 5k PR and a boost of confidence for my run training.

Over the past month I have put in more running miles than I ever have even when I was was preparing for Ironman. The groups and training partners have made the time and miles go by with ease. Thank you to Chuck Davis and his weekly group sessions. I have joining his group at Leon track on Tuesday afternoons for intervals and running Wednesday mornings with his group at Betton hills. On the weekend I have joined in with the Imitation Adults for varying distances, I've gone on a jaunt through the woods with Brian Corbin and even had the pleasure of being escorted by a 2 year old lab in Grady County.

I have enjoyed every step of this training and can't wait to add more on.




Georgia Veterans Sprint Triathlon

This Saturday, August 13, 2011 two TRIATTIC members and me (the coach....) will be competeing in the Georgia Veterans Triathlon in Cordele, GA, along with family and friends from Gulf Winds Triathlon Club.

The race is held at Lake Blackshear Resort and is known to be a fast and flat course.

Race information:
1/4 mile swim / 13.6 mile bike / 3.1 mile run

KEY PRE-RACE TIPS TO FOLLOW:

1. Make sure to hydrate very well, as it takes only hours to dehydrate but days to rehydrate. Drink plenty of water and minimize caffeine.

2. It does not really matter how well you sleep the night before the race but it does matter how you sleep on two nights before - so make sure this night you sleep well.

3. Make sure you bike is working 100%, check it over before you leave for the race venue.

4. Make sure that you are 100% understanding of the transition setup. This, as always, can save you seconds to minutes off your time. On race morning make sure you have found the best route to getting in and out of transition.

5. Remember to be flexible where needed dependent upon conditions on race morning. Do not let anything fluster you - remain focused. If it is raining, be prepared for it. 

6. Finally, remember that where people most fall apart is loss of focus. When you are getting fatigued or tired FOCUS on technique and form - this will not only occupy your mind but also increase your efficiency.

Best of Luck to TRIATTIC members Laura Register, her daughter Anna Register, and Charlie Johnson.