Pregúntele a un entrenador: Cómo mantener su objetivo de carrera

“I’ve set a running goal but I’m having a hard time sticking to it. Any tips?” – Ian M., Brooklyn, NY

Thanks for the question, Ian! The likelihood of achieving your running goal is proportional to the amount of time and effort you put toward it. If you create a goal—even a SMART goal—and then never think of it again, you’re not likely to alter your life to achieve it. However, if you constantly tweak and evaluate your running goal, then you are more likely to build your life in such a way to achieve it.

While I was racing professionally, I taped a Rainer Maria Rilke quote to my wall. It read, “Build your life in accordance with this necessity; your whole life, even into its humblest and most indifferent hour, must become a sign and witness to this impulse.” Rilke was talking about his passion of writing but the message stands: You need to build your life in accordance with your goal.

Now as a coach, I help runners “build their lives in accordance with necessity.” Some of my runners have all the time in the world and most have only a few hours a week to train but these four rules apply to all and should help you stick to your goal, Ian. 

Rule 1: Build Your Roadmap

It’s not enough to tape your goal to a wall and just look at it (although I do recommend that!). You must plot out how your running will look day to day. If your goal is to run three times a week for two months, sit down with a calendar and choose which days you will run and how much time you’ll spend on these workouts. Committing to a goal is not one big commitment but actually a hundred smaller commitments that add up to the big picture.

Rule 2: Check for Potholes

Anticipate problems and solve for them! If you know you’ll lose motivation to stick to your goal, plan a small reward halfway through. If you know you’re injury-prone, build healthy habits like stretching and yoga into your training plan. If you know you lack time, place your longest runs on your least busy days.

Rule 3: Find an Alternate Route

Life happens. Training takes a backseat. It is not if your plan will have to change, it’s only a matter of when it will change. When life happens—be it injury, illness, or a shift in focus—alter your roadmap. It won’t take you to your original goal but recovering from injury or learning a new cross training routine are all impressive new goals.

Rule 4: Enjoy the Scenery

Goals are exciting but they’re often hard to sustain because they can feel too future oriented. By focusing on the here and now you can enjoy the process more and stick with the road map. Find ways to enjoy your runs—add music, call a friend, run a favorite route—and you’ll find the secret to goal setting is enjoying the journey to get there.

Good luck, Ian!