Taking on the Irish Life Dublin Marathon? Remember Small Targets Help You Hit Big Goals

Taking on the Irish Life Dublin Marathon? Remember Small Targets Help You Hit Big Goals by Sports Performance Psychologist Jessie Barr

Have you ever set a goal for yourself, felt really motivated by it initially, only to lose interest and motivation before ever achieving it? Or were you so overwhelmed by the goal that you didn’t even know how or where to start? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then fear not, this can happen to anyone, even elite athletes! When we set a big goal for ourselves, it can be easy to get carried away with the thought of achieving the goal, jumping in two feet first, that we overlook making a proper plan of how to get there. As the saying goes, “a goal without a plan is just a wish”. Keeping this is mind, if you have a big goal in mind, for example completing your first ever full marathon or setting a personal best time for a 10k, it is important to consider the steps that will help you to get there.

In sport psychology, we refer to the overall, long-term goal, such as completing the Irish Life Dublin Marathon, as the “Outcome Goal”, and the steps taken towards achieving this outcome goal are the “Process Goals”. When thinking about process goals you could think about them as stepping stones to cross a river; the more there are the easier the journey will be and the more likely you will be to get to the other side. Process goals could refer to specific aspects of training such as your weekly mileage or your strength sessions in the gym, which are easy to track and measure progress in. Other process goals could focus on other important aspects such as nutrition, recovery and sleep. Although these processes may not be as easy to measure to progress in terms of numerical values, improvements in them will all contribute to the overall goal. Setting process goals can help maintain motivation long-term because it provides a variety of opportunities for little wins and achievements along the way, rather than the only sense of achievement being tied to the eventual outcome.

If completing the Irish Life Dublin Marathon is your Outcome Goal, then an example your weekly Process Goals could be:

• Increasing pace of my long run by going 5 seconds faster for every kilometre.
• Increasing weekly mileage by 5km
• Lifting 5kg heavier in weighted calf raises
• Getting to bed by 11pm each night this week
• Do two 30-minute stretching sessions
• Get a recovery snack in within 20 minutes of finishing each training session

Having smaller process goals like these are beneficial when attempting a big goal because they are in your control and they are easier to plan for. Achieving these process goals on a weekly basis will also help boost confidence by helping you mark the little wins along the way to the main goal. So why not try setting some process goals this week and track your progress; you could be surprised how much you can accomplish!

Jessie Barr is a member of the Irish Life Dublin Marathon Runners’ Support Squad, helping you to harness the power of support to achieve your goals. Olympians Catherina McKiernan and Mick Clohisey who have developed training plans for all races in the series and the marathon using their vast expertise and knowledge. They are joined by nutritionist, Olivia Keenan, and physiotherapist Mark Kenneally. To find out more follow the Irish Life Dublin Marathon social media channels.