Set Challenging Goals

So what role does goal setting play in the success of “doing stuff’? Well, anecdotally, pretty darn big (from the great-great aunt who lived long enough to see the first child in the family graduate high school to the knock-out story of the double amputee completing a marathon). And you probably intuited that without reading it here. Turns out, though, that the type of goal matters too. (Locke, E.A., et al (Goal setting and task performance; 1969-1980. Psychological Bulletin 90(10), 125-152.) ) Locke and his colleagues found that specific, challenging goals led more often to higher performance than easy goals. From where you sit what looks do-able but difficult? What have you thought, I could do that . . . but never put to the test?

As a West Point graduate one of the comments I often heard when I was younger was, “I could have gone to West Point.” And I’ll tell you, having worked hard to graduate and earn my commission, the line used to rankle me. Under my breath I’d respond, “Well, why didn’t you?” The whole business of it made me a “money-where-my-mouth-is” thinker. If I thought I could do it, I’d put myself to the test. It’s how I ended up at the start line of the oldest Iron Distance triathlon in the Continental US in 2009. I found myself thinking I could complete an Ironman – and so I set it as a goal. At that point I really didn’t consider myself a triathlete. It was only my third triathlon – my other two races being one sprint and one international distance.

So, what is that thing you think/know you can do, but haven’t? What’s holding you back from setting it as a goal? Can you define that thing as a specific goal? Is it challenging enough to offer an intrinsic reward in achievement? Name that goal. Say it out loud. Add it as a comment to this blog and take it from pre-decisional to intentional.

Tomorrow we’ll talk about how to make it a SMART goal.

Snowman Training Notes: We’re already five weeks into a deliberate training plan. Cliff and I use the four month, high mountain expedition training plan from Clyde Soles’ “Climbing: Training for Peak Performance” book (1st ed., 2002; Mountaineer Books, Seattle, WA). Past performance using the plan as a guideline has increased our confidence in it (Killi and Choque). The training includes aerobic workouts, strength training, climb endurance workouts, lactate threshold training and lactate tolerance training. I’ll define each of these on the day of the workout.

Today is a strength-training day. Soles discusses strength conditioning and resistance exercises in his book. My training for today will include a long warm-up on the versa-climber at the gym (30-35 minutes at high intensity) followed by weight training. Because our goal is to complete a high-altitude endurance trek, I am focusing on leg strength and muscle endurance. My sets today include hip abduction and adduction, leg press, extension and curls, squats and lunges. I also spend time every strength day on core exercises (critical to balance, muscle efficiency and form (matters even in walking)). I finish every strength-training day with a two-minute plank -- (good for core and for mental toughness!). Cliff’s workout nearly parallels mine. He starts on the stair climber and focuses on weight training for legs. Cliff is a big guy who is thinking about every ounce he has to carry across 216 miles of high-altitude terrain – so he’s really minimalizing upper body development. I’ve already nicknamed him “Slim” as the transformation in training is starting to show.

All for now, I'm off to the gym!

Thought for the day:
“If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.” ~Frank A. Clark