Goal-setting is the process of identifying something you want to accomplish and establishing measurable and specific objectives to achieve it. Goals are your desired results that you are committed to achieving within a specific time frame.
This year, I set myself a goal of completing a 100-mile race around the amazing lakes of Rotorua. My goal was to complete the race, and although I did not set myself a time frame in the back of my mind, I hoped for something under 30 hours. The course measured 168.36 km with an elevation gain and loss of 4407 meters. It is a mixture of surfaces with the majority of the course being forest single tracks and fire trails. The race began at 4:00 am and finished for me the following day at 9:19 am. It is permissible to have a pacer with you towards the end of the race to help you safely navigate throughout the night. I was very fortunate to have my daughter Maddy by my side for the last 47 km of the event, and she provided me with excellent support.
Setting goals is an interesting process, as we often spend too much time concerned about the desired outcome – neglecting to focus on the incremental steps needed along the journey. My advice to all student athletes is to concentrate on the process, and the outcome will take care of itself. In the lead up to this event, I committed myself to over 1000 km of training with a very specific focus on the type of training that assist me with the challenges that I would encounter in the race. I ran day and night, rain, hail, or shine 🙂
During the race, I broke the distance down into smaller chunks of 5 to 10 km, and whenever I reached a milestone, whether it be the marathon distance, the ultramarathon distance, or the halfway point in the race, I took time to celebrate that achievement and to reset myself for the next part of the goal.
At one point in the race (92K), I had a very dark patch, nearly succumbing to the heat exhaustion and dehydration. Thankfully my support crew is very experienced and got me back out on the course and running.
Student athletes, I encourage you to set your goals high and to chase after them with measured and planned focus.
Don’t be afraid to do hard things!
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