Goalsetting series Part 2: My active goals

Being realistic - balance between comtiment and focus

The questions I wrote in Part 1 about goalsetting considerations makes perfect sense in knowing how realistic my goals are. How high is my bar set? Am I capable of reaching these kinds of goals in days or months? The better judgement of mine knows I'm not a professional athlete with 100% fulltime focus, I need to find a good balance and the right amount of comitment, time and energy. An injury may force me to modify my goals. If my goals are to run a certain marathon and I'm injured, I may need to change my goals accordingly and do a half marathon, or some other event. An injury doesn't need to mean I abandon all my plans. At the same time, I may find myself progressing quickly and need to raise my goals.

My active goals and journaling comitment

Patience and persistence is key in my goalsetting process, they're like a muscle, the more I practice them the more they develop. With this blog I'm making it a good habit of journaling my workouts, revising and re-evaluating my goals on a monthly basis and rewarding myself after completed workouts and races. Lets have a look at my goalsetting plan:

• reduce average running time and keeping it under 6 min 30 s /km
• run 5km-10km weekly, longterm complete my first 20km marathon
• improve my walking pace and keeping it under 10 min 10 s /km
• make time to work out 3 times weekly and maintain a compelling variety
• journal my workouts, revise my goals, blog activities on a monthly basis
• engage in races, mini marathons, other activites to remain motivated
• enjoy being active, reward myself after completed workout and races

While 20km marathons may be my long-term goal, I want to shoot for the 5km and 10km short term and half marathon on the way to my marathon goal. I'd like to take the time and comit to my workouts, on a weekly practise I want to stay active 3 times a week, team up with friends and retain a good crosstraining variety, powerwalking, running, core strength training at the gym, playing badminton or perhaps try a new workout activitiy. This sort of progression in my goalsetting feels to me very motivating, healthy and realistic. Each month I'd like to compare, revise and summarise my workouts to see how I'm doing according to my goalsetting plan.