10 Ways To Stick To Goal

By Laura Tuttle, DPT
As the summer race season ramps up, it’s important to reflect on goals that are both meaningful and realistic. It’s easy to get caught up in what others are doing for training and feel overwhelmed.
However, when creating goals I like to keep these 10 things in mind, to keep myself on track when preparing for a big effort or races.

1. Find out your why. While race prizes and Strava kudos are nice, at the end of the day what will get you through the tough times of an effort is remembering the reasons of why you like to run and push yourself beyond your comfort zone.

2. Get into a routine. As a physical therapist and athlete, it can sometimes be challenging to find the balance between training and work. However, I have found creating a plan and setting a specific time aside for my workout sets me up for success. If you’re more of a morning person, like myself, try to plan your training when you feel the most energized.

3. Meet up with friends. Whether it’s an interval day or a long run, there is a lot to gain from training with other people. Training with someone else/group can help you stay consistent and accountable. Not only will this help in taking your mind off of the challenge of the workout itself, but it can help your fitness reach the next level.

4. Have an intention and a focus. When creating a training plan, try to build meaningful workouts, rather than mindless miles in order to help you be prepared. For instance, if your race includes a lot of climbing, try to find terrain that simulates the race course as best as possible.

5. Be realistic. With racing and PR goals, it’s important to set your sites on something that’s an optimal challenge. Setting a goal too high may lead to frustration and disappointment, setting something too low may be selling yourself short of your abilities and limiting your potential.

6. Don’t compare. The quote “comparison is the thief of joy,” comes to mind. It’s better to set goals and objectives that are individual to you, rather than trying to create them based off of someone else’s fitness or performance.

7. Be flexible. Everyone has days where they feel unmotivated to get out the door or not 100% for a hard workout. Give yourself grace in adjusting your training plan and tune into how your body is feeling. This might mean skipping an interval day and including an easy day of cross training instead. 2 July 19, 2021

8. Vary your training environment. Sometimes running on the same trail or road can feel monotonous. Picking different running routes and exploring new locations, can keep your focused training fun.

9. Be patient in the process. It’s easy to get impatient and want results right away. Try to focus on how you can make each workout a building block into your main objective and enjoy the steps along the way.

10. Be Consistent. Being able to put in the work each day takes discipline and in the end being able to consistently show up pays big dividends.