USOC Mental Training Skill 1: Goal Setting Exercise 3

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Setting Challenging But Possible Goals

Research has shown that challenging goals push you further, but we also know that athletes will struggle to believe in goals that are too unrealistic. Try the following exercise to see if your goals are both challenging and realistic.

1. Choose a goal that you would love to be able to attain, but is just too hard to achieve. For example, a new runner who has just begun racing 5Ks might set a goal of, “I have 10 5Ks scheduled for this coming year. I will set a PR in every single one.” What is YOUR great but unrealistic goal?

2. Choose a goal that is similar to #1, but that you are 99% sure that you will be able to achieve. For example, the same new runner might say, “I will set a new PR in some of this year’s 5Ks.” This goal is too easy, because she just began racing 5Ks, and is bound to set new PR at some point(s) this year. What is YOUR realistic but too achievable goal?

3. Choose a goal that lives somewhere in-between the two goals listed above. A goal that will be challenging to achieve, but at the same time possible if you train hard and smart, remain healthy, with conditions that are favorable. For example, this new runner decides that she will aim to decrease her 5K time by about 20 seconds, over the course of the year. What is YOUR hard but realistic goal?

USOC Mental Training Skill #1: Goal Setting Exercise 3