SETTING THE GOALS “Keep the language you use positive,” advises Phil Olley. “Many people write down that they want to lose weight, but that just concentrates their minds on weight. Instead, think of the benefits – feeling toned, being more alert, having more energy. Write your goals in the present tense and imagine how you’ll feel achieving them. For example, you could write down: “I feel fantastic now I have run a marathon in four hours.” “Next, visualisation is key. Picture people being
amazed by your brilliant marathon time, or people clapping and cheering as you cross the finishing line. Creating these mental images will drive you towards your goal.”
GET SMART The SMART acronym, used by many goal-setters, states that our goals must be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-related. Phil Olley explains: “This system is good in that it encourages people to take action within a certain time, and they will be clear as to whether they have achieved their goal because it was a specific one.” Lisa, who took part in the Ironman World Championships in Kona and Clearwater last autumn, favours the SMART system when formulating her goals. “I believe in SMART goals. My goals are long-term, short-term and personal to me. I approach each training session with an idea of what I want to achieve and I know how important it is to stick to the programme.”
LEARN AS YOU GO ALONG Often, a challenging goal can take years to achieve. When Russell Cox set a goal in 2008 to qualify for Ironman Hawaii, it took him three years to achieve it. “It can be hard to pitch your goals just right,”
explains Russell. “There are no guarantees, especially with racing. During the three years it took me to qualify for Ironman Hawaii, I trained hard and raced hard but I kept missing out. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. It was a real test. “But I learnt from each failure and tried to use those lessons to guide my training in the right direction. Remaining confident can be hard, but if you want to achieve your goals, you may have to overcome adversity.”
Goal-setting appeals to the more driven,
self-reliant personality – yet setting impossible goals or unrealistic deadlines can set a person up for failure. Phil Olley says: “If you’ve never run before and
you decide to set a goal of running a marathon next week, you’re setting yourself up for failure. On the flipside, many people make goals which don’t stretch them enough. Timing is vital. If you’re 14 and you want to become a world-class athlete, you can work at that. If you’re in your 40s and you’ve never run before, follow a realistic
“Keep the language positive – imagine how you’ll feel achieving your goals”
t
Our editor Fiona Bugler, a keen runner with a long term goal of running a sub-three marathon, has been looking for ways to help her achieve this goal
THE HYPNOTIST “In April I visited Tom Barber, a hypnotist at the Lifehouse Spa (
www.lifehouse.co.uk). Tom has spent two decades in full-time practice as an Analytical and Cognitive Hypnotherapist, Psychotherapist and Integrative Counsellor, and is the co-author of the
widely acclaimed book Thinking Therapeutically: Hypnotic Skills & Strategies Explored. “Tom first told me to get rid of my ‘B’ goals – as these provided a
way out. The first technique used was the ‘classic swish’, visualising and swapping between two images, one a positive colourful, light image where I see myself achieving my goal, the other a black and white image where I haven’t quite made it. Eventually the black and white one is dispersed. And the positive, successful, good feelings are held. To ‘anchor’ these feelings, Tom gets me to clench my fist. Tom also points out smiling is important – it’s ‘modelling’ success. So if you spot a smiling woman with clenched fists at a race in the South East over the summer don’t panic, I’m not deranged, just anchoring!”
THE SPORTING MIND COACH “In May I met David Brown, from the Academy of the Sporting Mind. David and his partner, Martin Maynard, provide ‘motivational and transformational coaching to aid sports people to perform at their peak when they choose, rather than just waiting for it to happen.’ I met
David in a coffee shop in Reigate. The session was relaxed and deliberately unstructured. David got me to focus on how I wanted to feel when I reached my goal of 2:59. He first asked me what I felt about running now, then plotted how I’d like to feel when I reached my goal and at points in time along the way. David got me focused on the power of words, and with positive words floating around in my subconscious, great things will happen. Watch this space, or follow my progress at
www.sherunsshewrites.com.” Find out more about The Academy of the Sporting Mind at
www.academysportmind.com.
training schedule and you can easily get to half-marathon and marathon level. ”
BITESIZE GOALS Lisa avoids the pressure of enormous goals by setting smaller bite-sized ones. “I would get stressed if my goals were outcome-related, such as winning my age group or achieving a specific time, so I set smaller goals that will amount to a desirable outcome. I’ve never had to change any long-term goals but I have changed session goals, to accommodate other factors, such as weather or fatigue.” For many athletes, distance and time challenges come easier than the self-care that goes with exercise. Phil Olley suggests other goals might be to be in bed by 10pm every night, or to take in a certain amount of fluids every day. Lisa jokes that she aims to eat fewer crisps, but
adds: “Health and wellbeing goals are just as important. Rest and recovery, good nutrition and flexibility are always at the forefront of my mind.”
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