Goal setting

I have been working with a coach for the last four years in an effort to improve my fitness and cycling ability.  Every year, even before we start working on the racing schedule, he has me fill out a goal sheet.  There are three sets of goals that I fill out.

The first set are the three goals that you want to accomplish for the season.  For me, this included 1) Podium at Elite Track Nationals, 2) Upgrade to Cat 1, and 3) Become a dominant M123 rider.  This established my main focus for the year.  As the season progressed, Elite Track Nationals didn't fit well in the schedule and got skipped over.  However, I was able to make good on the other two.

The second set of goals are process goals.  It is fine to want to win something, but how are you actually going to accomplish it?  Things on my goal sheet included 1) Maintain 10-12 h/week of training, 2) Continue to improve on descending, 3) Work on communication to execute team tactics, 4) Post a sub 17 min climb on Old La Honda, etc.  These gave me clear, tangible goals that I could work on throughout the season.  If I was starting to hit some of these process goals, I knew that obtaining my season goals were within reach.

The last goal is your dream goal.  For the last two years, my dream goal was to win a world championship. Honestly I though that would be my dream goal for years to come, or at least until I started to outlast my competition.  However, I put it down as a reminder of what I wanted to aspire to.

As it turned out, I took my first shot at a world title this year and it paid off.  The experience was unbelievable, but I had confidence in myself knowing that I had been able to hit most of my process and primary goals.

The point is, make sure that you are thoughtful of your goals this season, Make sure they are clear and the processes are defined, but also don't forget to be a little bit bold.  You might just hit them.

Now to figure out next years goals...