Hey there, Meredith taking over the blog here. If you’re feeling anything like me, motivation to run this winter without our regular H+P team practices and group runs is dropping faster than the temperatures!
Well, what’s a better way to get up a little motivation than participating in a team challenge? We may not be able to train together but we can still TEAM together (cheesy!).
Enter the H+P Goal Getter Challenge!
Setting goals helps to give you a long term vision of where you’d like to go as well as short term motivation to work towards that vision. The idea behind the H+P Goal Getter challenge is that by setting goals and sharing these publicly we can help to motivate ourselves, support each other, and celebrate our successes along the way. Over the coming weeks, we’re inviting you to set yourself a goal, any goal, that will motivate you through these dark winter months and set you up for a great running year in 2021.
The great thing about this challenge is that its all about what motivates you – you don’t have to be the fastest, or running the furthest, or even doing something you’ve never done before. Been running less this year and want to return to your normal volume – GREAT GOAL! Want to set an 8k PB because you haven’t run that distance in 3 years – GREAT GOAL! Want to complete a challenging Zwift route – GREAT GOAL!
Rules:
- Your Goal must be SMART
- Specific (what are you going to achieve)
- Measurable (how much, how often, quantity, speed etc.)
- Achievable (attainable for your current fitness, the timeline you choose, and other life factors)
- Relevant/Realistic/Results based (why the goal is important to you)
- Time bound (by when will you achieve this)
- Set yourself 1 – 3 steps that you will achieve in progress towards your goal (* see below for ideas)
- Running and Cycling (Zwift!) are eligible
- Completion date should be by May 31 2021
- Remember that your final goal should be measurable – GPS/Strava/Zwift – especially if you’re going for a PB focussed goal.
Next steps:
- Submit your goals to Meredith before the end of January 2021 by either FB messenger or email: meredithandlucky [at] gmail [dot] com
- Start working towards your goal!
- We will post goals as well as follow-ups on progress and achievements to the blog!
Additional thoughts:
Goals should take a bit of time and effort to achieve, if you can go out and do it tomorrow maybe that would be a better step towards a larger goal
Set yourself up for success – pick steps and a timeline that give you sufficient flexibility to succeed
Steps can be directly related to your goal (i.e. I want to run 235km so I should build up to 50+km/wk) or they can be complimentary (i.e. my running and lifestyle would benefit from additional strength training). Pick steps that have meaning to you for success!
You might need a bigger action plan or additional step goals beyond what you share with us. Consider writing them down. Need help with a training plan? Consider booking coaching with Sean or Mark.
We may not be training together but we can still cheer each other on! Touch base with a teammate and ask them how their progress is going!
Ideas for Goals/Steps:
Quality
- Do you need to do workouts to achieve your goal? How many/how often?
- Is there a particular workout that you enjoyed(or not so much) that you’d like to do again?
Quantity/Distance
- How much? Per week, per month?
- Are there specific distances you’d like to run?
Frequency/Timing/Consistency
- How often? How often is realistic and achievable?
- When?
- Would greater consistency benefit your goal? What does greater consistency mean in a measurable way (i.e. 2x/wk instead of “more”)
Speed
- Pace goals for a specific run/workout?
- Set a new PB?
Fun/Lifestyle
- Do you want to crush a bunch of Strava segments or steal the Local Legend badge?
- Bring the dog for a run?
- Cross training that fits with your fitness goals?
Happy goal setting!
