What if you could make every race feel like a successful race? What if you could finish each training run feeling satisfied? What if you could start that process today?
As runners we’re familiar with goals: time goals, distance goals, results goals, pace goals. These are called outcome or performance goals and are influenced by many external variables – the weather, your body on the day, other competitors; which are not under our control. You might have your fastest day but someone else’s is just…faster. You might be aiming for a qualifying time but the weather is incredibly hot, trails are slippery in a rainstorm, your drop bag isn’t transported, the aid station doesn’t have the gels you like or your stomach goes south.
So how great would it be if you had goals that were fully under your control?!
Well, the good news is you do!
Process goals, by definition, are goals that are under our control, every single day. They are the choices we make, the habits we create and value and priorities we give to running, both before and during the run itself. Focusing on process goals gives you a way of measuring success that doesn’t depend on external factors – so you can look back at every race result and say ‘I smashed that!’
Technical execution
Racing is about making smart decisions, even when you’re tired or hungry, even when things don’t feel like they’re going as planned. Having these written down and practising them before will help you make the right decisions when times are hard.
Example process goals – I will:
- Walk/hike with purpose when tired – focus on my stride. Am I moving efficiently?
- Sort out hotspots or chaffing immediately
- Fuel every 30 minutes (even when I don’t want to)
- Stop for 5 minutes at each aid station to restock, refuel and check in with myself
- Leave the aid station with both bottles full
- Use poles on the uphills
- Start slow and not get caught up in the pace of others – run my own race
- Stay within 2-4 RPE for the first half of the race
Show your values as a runner and human
Perhaps my favourite part. Races can get hard. Ultras can get very (very) hard. Who do you want to show up as during the race when it gets tough? A grateful runner, an appreciative runner or a runner feeling kind of sorry for themselves and grumpy? (and yes, we’ve all been there!) We can control how we interact with others, our attitude and what we choose to put our attention on.
Example process goals – I will:
- Thank all volunteers – (you can race because they are there through rain, cold and dark!)
- Smile at supporters and high five kids – be a role model
- Thank my crew (David Roche does an amazing job at this!)
- Note the scenery around me and take at least one photo
- Encourage other runners
- Acknowledge other runners when I’m out training, even with headphones
- If something goes wrong, I will take a minute to evaluate options before acting
- Finish with a smile!
Develop consistency
Success doesn’t come from one amazing workout but adding bricks, day after day. Creating habits will put you in the best place to become stronger over time.
Example process goals – I will:
- Exit the door 5 times a week in my running gear. (You might not do the full workout, or keep the pace you wanted, but you will develop the habit.)
- Do my warm-up before each workout.
- Foam roll areas I need to after a workout
- Be in bed by 22:00
- Journal after each run – what felt good? What challenges did you have? This will help you spot patterns.
If you follow your process goals you can look back at every race knowing that you did your best and were successful. They will help reduce anxiety by building confidence in your preparation and help you build automatic procedures when faced with difficulty, rather than panicking! What’s more, successfully using process goals will also put you, as a result, in the best position possible to achieve outcome goals.
Lauren Irwin is a coach with Team RunRun, to learn more about her, check out her coach profile here.