Running or Racing Goals

Written by Lacey Liebert, Licensed Mental Health Counselor.

Today’s tip – Running or Racing Goals

There are many ways to think and talk about goals. We have already had a few tips on this expansive topic! Today, I’ll mention one way to think about goals. Some people like the “A, B, C” approach to goal-setting. This can be helpful to challenge an all-or-nothing mindset.

“A” goals are the #1 target. This is the most desired outcome. “Shoot for the moon.”

“B” goals are the #2 target. This is an outcome that is next most desired. “Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”

“C” goals are the #3 target. If challenges interfere with reaching Goal A or Goal B, the C goal is the next thing to focus on. This might be getting to the finish line (if it is safe to do so), or listening to your body to prevent an injury. “The silver lining.”

There are all kinds of things to set goals around:

· Target times

· Target distances

· Fueling strategies

· Specific approaches to racing (e.g. finish faster than you started)

· Completing a series (e.g. the HCS race series, all 50 states, all the towns in MA etc.)

Setting goals can bring up all sorts of feelings and experiences. To name a few:

· Excitement

· Nervousness

· Dread

· Motivation

· Competitiveness

· Fear… (…of failure, of success, of commitment, of the unknown, of other feelings…)

Goals are fascinating things we set out to achieve. Some self-reflection questions:

1. Stop and think for a moment about your relationship to goals and goal setting. How might this have developed? What are some of your early or formative experiences in this area?

2. Do you set running or racing goals? Why or why not?

3. What is your approach to goal setting?

4. How do you define success and failure? Where do these ideas come from?

5. What feelings do you notice when you set running or racing goals?

6. What scares you when it comes to running or racing?

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Disclaimer: The therapeutic relationship and process is unique and unable to be reproduced in a social media post. The advice here represents a generalization of material and ideas. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly. Laceyliebert.lmhc@gmail.com

To connect with a therapist, here are some resources: https://bpsi.org/find-a-therapist/ or https://www.psychologytoday.com/us