Getting SMART with goal setting for first time IRONMAN or TRIATHLETES As well as novice athletes

Have you decided you want to complete a Triathlon? Or you think you can improve on previous attempts? You have seen the Brownlee brothers winning Olympic medals, you may have seen the IRONMAN race in Hawaii, so how do you go about getting to your first start, your first finish or just improving on your early attempts at triathlon? Read on to find out more.

Goal setting is something that we should, and most people do, every day of our lives:

I need to get out of bed at 0700 to get to work for 0800
I want to buy a new phone for my sons/daughters birthday.
I have to renew my car insurance before it expires.
I need to be able to swim 400-750m to complete a Sprint Distance Triathlon (plus 20km on the bike and a 5 km run!)
I need to complete an Ironman Triathlon in under 10 hours to qualify to race in Hawaii (Depending on your age and gender!)

All of these goals have something in common…they are SMART goals but for different people, with different parameters, different aims and with an end result desired by the person who set the goal.

They are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely.

So what do we mean by SMART

Specific

The aim of making goals specific is so that you know what the ulterior motive is for doing what you are doing. As a first time triathlete, or novice, what do you want to do? This is your goal, not your partner’s goal, not your boss’ goal and certainly not your “mates’ in a bar after a few drinks” goal.

Do you want to “just finish”, to go faster than a previous time, to beat another person or to qualify for the World Championships? It could be all or none of these, but it needs to be your goal and specific to you and your circumstances.

Measurable

Do you want to finish in a specific time, do you want to compete by a certain date, do you want to complete a certain distance? Do you have set times to train, do you have time to train for your chosen distance?

Set training targets as well as race targets and break it down into manageable chunks.

Use the technology that is available to you to ensure you keep to those goals. That could be a calendar, a stop-watch, pedometer, a heart rate monitor, cycling power meter or regular physiological tests to monitor progress, you need a method of measuring it and, where possible, recording it.

Agreed

This goal can be agreed with whoever you want. Yes, the family are happy that you are going to race on the second Sunday in July. Yes, you are delighted that you are going to finish your first Olympic Distance race in 6 months. Yes, you and your coach agree to have a set training programme to get you to the end of a certain Sprint Distance race.

Write it down, tell people about it, and even enter the race early (almost essential now that the popularity of triathlon has led to races being oversubscribed). Make yourself a countdown chart, seeing the goal approaching focuses the mind, and then you are less likely to lose interest or lose motivation and not complete your agreed goal.

Realistic

You have to be honest with yourself. Not everyone is going to be a world champion, so be realistic and set your goals accordingly. Is it likely that you could finish an Olympic Distance Triathlon when you have never competed before? Is it sensible to try and complete a Sprint Distance triathlon in 90 minutes if it takes you 30 minutes to swim 750m? If you are still learning to swim should you be thinking about an IRONMAN Distance race, these goals are not impossible (we have seen all of them achieved before), but you need to be reasonable and honest about your ability and the time you have to achieve your goal. If your training is limited, then you need to take that into account and set your goal accordingly.

Timely

If you can already swim bike and run the distance you want to compete at, then you can set yourself a target of a finish time. But as we said above, be realistic.

If you have 12 months to get ready for a Sprint Distance race, then you should have plenty of time to practice each of the disciplines and string a few of them together without actually racing.

If the race is next weekend and you haven’t even got a bike yet, then you need to have a rethink!

Don’t put unnecessary pressure on yourself at this early time in your triathlon journey. You should be looking forward to your first races, each one will teach you better timings whether it is the fact that you need longer to train, or simply get to the venue earlier to avoid the long queues at the portaloos, all timings are essential.

Conclusion

SMART Goals will lead to smarter results, whether that is finishing your first ever triathlon or getting onto the podium in a race.

As in any sport, goals mean prizes and prizes come in many forms: financial or pride. Make all of your goals SMART, and you will reap the rewards at all levels of training, racing, and just taking part in a great sport.

We’re here to help

Tri Training Harder are one of the leading Triathlon coaching providers in the UK, using our wealth of experience to unite scientific and technological research with already well-established and successful best practices, to create a formula for triathlon and endurance coaching that works.

The result is an honest, dynamic, yet simple new way of constructing an athlete’s training to allow them to reach their potential.

If you’re planning your next season, just starting out in the sport or are looking for extra guidance at the very top end of the field, we are here to help, and our coaches would be delighted to hear from you. You can contact us via the website, and one of the team will be in touch.

Dougal GowJune 30, 2020Dougal Gow, Triathlon, Rac, Coaching, 1sttriComment

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