Smart Running Goals
By David Tiefenthaler
Running can be tough. You need to be a goal orientated person to stay on top of your game. What does it take to set a good goal and keep yourself on track? S. M. A. R. T. Goals. Get smart, stay motivated, get out that door and run.
Smart is an acronym that helps you set smart goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and have a Timetable. You can use this style of goal setting for anything from running to your personal life. An example of a great running smart goal would be, "I'm going to run three times for 25-30 minutes this week." Let's see how you can make a general goal into a smart goal.
Most people when they set a goal start with something like this, "I'm going to run." That isn't a bad idea, but it isn't smart. We should break this goal down by running it through the smart goal gauntlet.
S - Specific. This goal is far from specific. We need to add a number of specific times to run. How about change, "I'm going to run," to, "I'm going to run four times."
M - Measurable. Now the goal is measurable, but we can make it even better. Let's add how long each run should be. "I'm going to run four times," now becomes, "Run four times for 20 minutes."
A - Achievable. Is it possible to attain this goal? Maybe, but let's say your schedule doesn't allow you to get out the door four times. You could alter the goal to make it "Run three times for 25-30 minutes." This adds more time to the run because you had to remove one run from your schedule.
R - Realistic. Don't set goals too high. Nothing is worse than setting yourself up for disappointment. Don't set off to run a marathon if you haven't run at all the past three years. Right now our goal looks pretty realistic, so we won't change anything on this step.
T - Timetable. This is a very important final step. A goal can't truly be achieved without a timetable. We have times for the distance of our run, but not when we should be running them. I think it was inferred that we would do this in a weeks time.
Now the final smart goal reads, "Run three times for 25-30 minutes this week."
There you have it. A smart goal that you can feel good about. Goals keep me focused. Smart goals keep me on track. You can always have that ultimate goal of running five miles, or completing a marathon. Start small. Make weekly goals that push you closer and closer to your ultimate prize.
Don't be afraid to use this style of goal setting for your finances, work, and personal life. Sometimes I set a smart goal for when I am at home. My wife's favorite was to not go on the computer when the kids are awake. I should set that goal again this week. She would be happy about that, and so would the kids.
Anyway you look at it, get smart! Set your goals, and get out that door for a run.
tips4running.com is my personal website dedicated to helping any runner. I coach cross country and track at a high school. The site helps me organize my thoughts and ideas about all things running. Need beginner running programs, looking for running shoes, gear, famous running quotes, a running log, racing strategies, preseason tips, or anything else about running? Find all this information and more at http://www.tips4running.com
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