Goal Time

Understanding Goal Setting

Well into the New Year many of us may have hopes and dreams for our running.  However, to prevent these aspirations from never leaving the dream world and instead to enter the real world we have to set appropriate goals.  This is not always easy because most do not know how to set goals or some people struggle to achieve the goals they set.  My Morning Jacket once wrote in their song Bermuda Highway, “Don’t let your silly dreams fall in between the crack of the bed in the wall.”  If we do not set goals and work to reach our dreams they will simply fall between our bed and our wall never to be reached.

Whether you are an individual runner or you run for a team, to be successful we all need to have goals.  Goal setting keeps athletes motivated throughout long seasons because it gives them something to strive for.  However, the goals we set must be attainable because if an athlete cannot reach their goal they cannot improve.  A lack of improvement may result in loss of motivation and perhaps lead you to give up on a goal or even running.  Due to this fact, try to set goals that will promote you or your team and not inhibit them.

Goal Types

            In sports there are four types of goals that can occur within a team:

1. The first is an athlete’s personal goal for themselves (Carron & Eys, 2012).  These goals may include a starting position or reaching a personal best. 
2. The second is an athlete’s goals for the team.  For example, the athlete may want the team to win the championship or make it to the playoffs. 
3. The third goal is the team’s goals for themselves.  An example of this type of goal could be to pack together better in races. 
4. The final goal is the team’s goals for the athlete.  For instance, the team might want the athlete to stick to the race plan better or be more committed to practice.

Process and Outcome Goals

            In addition, goals can also be categorized as process and outcome goals.  Process goals are often short term and focus on specific skills.  These types of goals may be used as stepping stones toward you or the team’s ultimate goals, so there might be several of them throughout the season.  Some examples of process goals might be improving hand-offs in a relay, improving form, improving your start, practicing your pre-race routine, or working hard in practice.  Process goals can be used to improve the skills of a particular athlete so that they are more likely to achieve their outcome goals.

            Outcome goals are often goals that are reached at the end of the season or year.  These goals are more long term and require several process goals before they can be reached.  If an athlete simply has an outcome goal and no process goals along the way they may have trouble focusing on their outcome goal.  When it comes to long term goals it is important that an athlete can see their progress, so they know if they are on track.  An example of possible outcome goals might be winning the championship, running a personal best, or qualifying for a prestigious team.  Without process goals outcome goals might just be silly dreams.

Mastery and Performance Goals

            This next section is important for coaches and individuals as they plan out goals for themselves or the team.  In athletics, a coach or individual may either promote mastery or performance goals.  Mastery goals focus on the mastering of skill.  Success is based on an athlete learning a new skill and the process that took place for them to do so (Ames & Archer, 1988).  Mastery goals are not based on winning and losing, therefore a runner can be successful even if he does not outperform the competition.  Performance goals focus on the actual performance of an athlete (Ames & Archer, 1988).  Winning or outperforming others is the only way to judge success.  Because of this those who are performing best feel like winners and those who are not, feel like losers. 

            Using a mastery approach as opposed to a performance approach may also be better.  For instance, it promotes a willingness to pursue challenges, a positive attitude toward sport, and athlete’s ability to adapt (Ames & Archer, 1988).  Furthermore, a runner who uses mastery goals is more likely to take on a challenging task because they now put importance on the process not on whether they win or lose (Ames & Archer, 1988).  On the other hand athletes who were given performance based goals were not as motivated.  For example, they avoided harder tasks and saw their ability level as low (Ames & Archer, 1988).  They did this because they did not want to risk failing.

            When it comes to sports, using mastery goals may be contusive to an all around better sport experience.  For example, mastery goals focus on learning a skill.  Therefore an athlete will be successful if they master a skill not if they perform the best.  This fact could lessen the negative effects of losing.  In addition, focusing on the process of mastering a skill can lead to better performance because being more skilled may mean you can perform better.  Lastly, an athlete who has mastery goals may approach his or her sport in a better way.  For instance, they will not shy away from a challenge because they know success is not based on winning or losing.  They may have a more positive attitude because they know success is not just a result of winning (Ames & Archer, 1988).

 Conclusion

           It is possible to see that goals can be broken down into several parts.  First of all, goals can be either the individuals or for the team.  Then goals can be either process or outcome.  Process goals are the short term goals that are needed to achieve the outcome goals.  Next, goals can be mastery or performance.  Mastery goals focus on achieving a task and the process that it takes to do so.  In addition, success of a mastery task is based on learning new skills.  Performance goals are based on winning and losing.  Therefore, the only way to be successful is to win.

References

Ames, C. & Archer, J. (1988). Achievement goals in the classroom: Students learning strategies and motivational process. Journal of Educational Psychology,80(3), 260-267.

Carron, A. & Eys, M. (2012). Group dynamics in sport (4th ed.). Morgantown, WV: Fitness Information Technology.

winter running

You don’t have to be a Fair Weather Runner

Almost midway into January it is safe to say winter has returned.  With this past weeks arctic front hitting most of the USA many cities have set record lows.  Although it may feel like an ice box outside this does not mean our future races and fitness goals are to be cancelled due to inclement weather.  No, they will come just the same and therefore to reach our goals and succeed in our races we must train throughout the winter months.  This may seem like a daunting task, but I assure you by heeding this advice you can shed your fair weather runner skin and be a true runner.

To begin let’s start with some facts.  In order to function, a person’s core body temperature needs to stay at 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.  Lucky for us the human body is pretty good at maintaining this temperature thanks to our friend homeostasis.  However, cold winter days do make it hard for our bodies to maintain, thus posing the threat of hypothermia if our core temperature drops to 94 degrees.  Now that we know what we do not want to happen let’s talk about what we can do to prevent it.

To stay warm we have to dress warm, but even more so than that we have to dress smart.  One can’t simply put on unplanned layer after layer just to hide from the cold as this may lead to an unwanted result such as overheating.  Instead your layers need to be planned as well as understood if one is to make it on a winter long run.

            First off, it is important realize that cotton should not be worn while running.  But, it’s the fabric of our lives right??  Sure maybe, but not of our running lives.  Now that we have given up on cotton let me explain why this breakup is important.  Cotton, though it may be soft it does not wick away moisture very well, in actuality it does the opposite and absorbs sweat.  This absorption of sweat is especially bad in the winter because it means we are running in wet clothes in the cold making it much harder for our body to maintain its core temperature.    Another negative to this is running in wet clothes in the cold may lead to chafing and irritating of the skin (ie. bloody or raw nipples).

Base Layer

To properly dress for the winter one should start by making sure they are wearing either a merino wool or polyester/nylon/licra blend because these materials are designed to wick away sweat.  Next, one should understand winter running wear is broken down into three layers.  The first layer or the base layer is the first defense against the cold.  This layer is tight to the skin allowing it to trap heat close to the body.  This layer is also moisture wicking to keep you dry (and therefore warm). 

The second layer worn in the winter is the mid layer.  The function of this layer is to add more warmth when a base layer alone is not enough.  The mid layer is a bit thicker than the base layer and not as snug.  A pull over or fitted fleece would be considered mid layers.  Again this layer should also be made of materials that wick away moisture.

Mid Layer

The final layer worn is often called the outer layer or the shell.  This layer is meant to block wind and precipitation.  Wind chill plays a major factor in how cold it actually is making this layer important on those painfully cold days.  This layer is often lighter and the material will make a sound when you rub your fingers across it.  Keep in mind that some mid layers have shells built into them making it both a second and third layer.

Pants or tights are another article of clothing vital to cold weather running.  These garments should be fleece lined to be considered cold weather appropriate.  If they are not then they are more appropriate for the fall or early spring.  Of the two, tights will be warmer because they keep heat close to the body.  Some pants/tights may have a wind and water resistant shell built in to them making them even warmer.  Furthermore, the tights or pants need to be made of moisture wicking materials. 

Outer Layer (Shell)

Finally, because much of our body heat is lost through our extremities it is important that one has a good pair of socks and gloves as well as a hat.  Smart wool is a great choice for any of these items, especially socks because they add warmth to often poorly insulated running shows.  As for gloves, these too may have a built in shell for the extra cold days.  They also come as mittens, five finger gloves or lobster claws.  The mittens or lobster claws will be warmer than a regular glove because they allow more of the fingers to touch, which will generate more heat.

Okay runners, hopefully this information has given you the confidence to take on the cold and train smart all winter, so when spring comes you are ready to PR.  But before you go, let’s discuss a few more factors that can affect how you dress.  First, because you will heat up while running, dress as if it is 20 degrees warmer than it actually is.  Using layers with zippers that can be pulled down can be useful in regulating heat also.  Second, figure out whether you run hot or cold.  In other words do you heat up quick on runs or do you stay cold?  Someone who runs cold may need more layers at 30 degrees than a person that runs hot.

Coach Hammond

MA Sports and Performance Psychology

Assistant Coach Stevens Institute of Technology