What do you do when you’re beyond “just finishing” an event, but aren’t anywhere near the top of your age group? What do you do when you’re competitive but have other priorities (e.g. family) that have to come first?
Some people work out just for the love of it – for them, the training is its own reward. I respect these people, but unfortunately, I’m of the other type. I love to compete!
An example of this was when I had the chance to compete in a parents’ relay at the regional competition for my kids’ swim team. I knew that there were other parents who had been on a swim team themselves as kids. Those parents’ swimming technique and experience far outweighed my own. However, for many adults, the idea of donning a swimsuit in front of a large crowd is unthinkable. I haven’t ever been on a swim team, but I’m a decent ocean swimmer, and I love to compete. So I jumped at the opportunity to stand on the blocks. I couldn’t wait to dive in and experience the magic of the moment. I’m not saying that I wasn’t nervous – I was! I’m not saying that I didn’t feel self conscious in my swimsuit, but I LOVED the experience. Maybe you can relate?
Another way to tell if this is you is if you are one of those people who obsess over the details on race day. Some might write it off as being over-the-top or geeky, but in my opinion, if you show up on race day with specific clothes, specific shoes, know the course and the schedule and have numbers in mind, you are a competitor.
Competitors Need Some Kind of Competition
If you are a competitor, you need a competition in order to thrive. People with any measure of competitive streak need an achievable “win” that they have to work for. It can be tricky because simply participating doesn’t count if you feel like you’re just going through the motions. If it’s too easy, there’s no magic, but if striving for an age group win isn’t feasible, or if a PR isn’t reasonable in this season, you need something in between. If life is likely to get in the way, it can help to have multiple goals. Setting these types of goals requires thought, and benchmarking and tracking are key. Maybe this will help.
It’s best to set goals that don’t depend on anyone else – that is, setting goals that aren’t about how you place in relation to others. There are several types of these kind of goals, but I will discuss three here: Milestone Achievement, Professionalism, and Cumulative Statistics.
Milestone Achievement Goals
Milestone achievement goals can be very satisfying to meet; there is something about the solidity of numbers that feels like a strong accomplishment, and they are often easily understood and respected by others. They involve beating a time record, attaining a certain score or amount of weight loss or gain, executing a new skill, or completing a race or event.
In order to set the right milestone achievement goals and achieve them, though, one needs to do preparation, analysis, and tracking. This requires documenting measurements at the beginning and throughout training. The most common measurements to document are the numbers related to times and scores. However, there are other things commonly documented to show progress and provide motivation. These include: weight, progress photos, body measurements, sets and reps, number of workouts.
Milestone Achievement Goals vs. Cumulative Statistics Goals
Milestone achievement goals can be similar to cumulative statistics goals (see below), and there can be overlap between these two. The key difference, however, is what determines whether the goal has been met. If the goal is met by crossing a threshold (be it a finish line, beating a certain time, or passing a specific number on the scale), it is a milestone achievement goal. If the goal is met incrementally by accumulating tallies (each workout day contributes to a total, each day of eating according to a plan) where each day/session is a piece of the goal, it is a cumulative statistics goal.
These two goals often go hand in hand, and often are two sides of the same coin. If using a milestone achievement goal, I would recommend also having a corresponding cumulative statistics goal. You can choose either the one that naturally correlates, or create one that relates.
Setting a milestone achievement goal can mean research to determine a feasible number to strive for. It can also mean intermittent testing and measuring to determine progress.
College coach who had the statistics of another team he had worked with – a team at a higher level, who we wouldn’t be competing with. “Pick someone your size and go after her scores,” he said. The profiles encompassed a range of heights and weights and scores, but most of the scores were better than mine. It did help having a couple of girls that were my height and weight. It helped me see what was possible. “If she can do it, so can I,” I thought.
Cumulative Statistics Goals
Cumulative statistics goals are sort of like milestone achievement goals, and there can be some overlap between these two categories. Some examples of cumulative statistics goals include: showing up to train a certain number of times over a certain number of weeks, completing a certain number of miles or meters or calories over a period of weeks.
The overlap between the milestone achievement category and this one can be sorted in one direction or the other depending on perspective. An example of this is the goal of weight loss/gain: if the goal is to hit a certain target, then it is a milestone achievement goal (and the number on the scale is the determinant to whether the goal is met). If the goal is to eat and train daily for weight loss/gain, then it becomes a cumulative statistics goal (and a check-off sheet or daily log becomes as, if not more, important in determining if goal has been met as the numbers on the scale.)
It feels silly to admit it, but I really like digital workout badges – e.g. the ones that are unlocked via workouts tracked in the iWatch activity app. I know that they are just pixels, but they are motivational, and have been a tool to help me push harder and farther and be more consistent with exercise and movement. If pixels aren’t your thing, but you think that some kind of tangible “badge” would be helpful, you can make your own. (I have done something like this when I realized that I needed it.) You can also buy a reward item for yourself and give it to someone else to hold for you until you “earn” it. (I have done something like this too.)
Professionalism Goals
Attaining professionalism goals is accomplished by executing in a certain way. This is not so much about what score or time you achieved, but whether you did other things that demonstrate athletic professionalism. For example: showing up at an event site early, with all of your gear. Executing your warmup and being at the right place at the right time. Knowing the course and/or schedule. Pacing your effort well and being mentally strong and calm throughout. Showing sportsmanship in how you interact with others at the event.
Crossfit coach Ben Bergeron talks about setting goals by thinking about what kind of attributes you want to display as a competitor. He suggests finishing the sentence “I am the type of person who…” with these attributes. Here are some examples that I am thinking of:
I am the type of person who…
- Paces my race well.
- Puts whining aside when I show up to train.
- Is courteous to my fellow competitors, event officials, and anyone else I encounter on competition day.
- Makes the most of five minutes if that’s all I have that day.
- Is grateful for what my body is physically capable of, even if I come in last.
Conclusion
Finding your “win” and working towards it is important for competitors, because the “itch to race” doesn’t go away – even when you’re middle-aged with kids and being top isn’t possible. Medals and winning aren’t the be all end all, it’s true, and they’re not good to stake your life on. But the feeling of winning and the drive to achieve that feeling isn’t something that you have to give up for good by the time you are 35. Recognizing that you need a competitive goal and figuring out how to set aggressive and achievable goals can be important for training.