Get SMART

The official Greater Boston Track Club newsletter, the Wingfoot Express, highlights club members' performances, provides nutritional and training advice, and updates club members of upcoming events. The Wingfoot Express features a regular column by HPC's Laura Hayden, called The Other 90%, focused on sport psychology, mental preparation and peak performance. Below is this issue's article.

We all know that old adage ―sport performance is 10% physical, 90% mental, but have we really thought about the implications of such a statement? I don’t know the actual ratio of physical to mental preparation for peak performance. I’m sure the ratio is different depending on your sport, genetics, disposition, and style of competition. What I do know is the power the mind has over performance, regardless of who you are and what you do.

You’ve covered hundreds of miles, clocked repeated intervals, and spent many early mornings in the weight room. Your feet are blistered, quads are stacked, and time is drawing near. Whether you’re training for the next Grand Prix event, the upcoming cross country season, or Indoor Track, chances are you’re experiencing a bundle of feelings: excitement, nervousness, anxiety. Regardless of your event, you all know that feeling when you think about performing – palms begin to sweat and heart rate accelerates like my husband’s did when Kara Goucher flew past at mile 24 of the Boston Marathon.

If we know we’re prepared, why are we so nervous? We spend so much time physically training for an event and so little time mentally training for an event that the realization we might underperform hits us as we anticipate performing to the standard we set for ourselves. This realization is scary – we haven’t prepared for such a thought. Here, you’ll find one very simple way to minimize these thoughts and set yourself up for success.

The concept of goal setting is familiar to us as competitors. But this simple act, when done deliberately, can radically alter both our control over our performances and how we feel about our performances.

One approach to goal setting is setting SMART goals - clearly, we hope we are always setting goals that are smart, but this definition is not what I mean. I mean goals that are specific, measurable, adjustable, realistic, and time sensitive.

Rather than hold yourself to lofty, uninformed standards, set 2 types of SMART goals that realistically represent your current fitness and ability level:

1. Process Goals. Used to identify what part of your performance you’d like to focus on during practice or competition and what steps you must take to focus on your identified goal.

One non-SMART process goal might be, "I’m going to focus on lifting my knees when racing." As a SMART process goal, that statement will look a little different: "I’m going to focus on lifting my knees for the last 100 yards of the 400 at Club Nationals but, if I’m tired, I’ll drop down to 75 yards of high knees. I know this is possible because I tried it in practice." You’ll notice the goal is specific, measurable (last 100 yards), adjustable (allows for modification if tired), realistic (you’ve practiced high knees), and time sensitive (at Club Nationals).

2. Outcome Goals. Used to identify an end goal. We athletes are quick to choose outcome goals.

One non-SMART outcome goal might be "I’m going to break 5 minutes in the mile." While this goal is better than "I’m going to run really fast today", its not good enough to produce tangible results that accurately reflect our ability levels and allow for game-day circumstances to rear their ugly heads. As a SMART outcome goal, the above goal might look like this: "Since I’ve run 5:04, I’m going to try to break 5 minutes in the mile at Club Nationals if all the conditions come together for me but I’m going to reassess during the race and allow myself to speed up or slow down by 2-5 second at the 1k mark if I feel particularly good or bad." You’ll notice the goal is specific, measurable (5 minutes), adjustable (builds in 2-5 seconds of variation), realistic (you’ve run close to this time in the past), and time sensitive (at Club Nationals).

Why set SMART goals? By setting SMART process goals, you’ll find yourself focusing on process throughout your competition, which is often an overlooked part of competing. Runners often try to zone out to pass the time when racing, hoping that the race will unfold without too much drama until the last 50 meters. Focusing on process centers your mind on the task at hand, the present goal, and allows you to make adjustments to your technique during performance. Setting SMART outcome goals allows you to feel you have control over your performance. By setting goals that are specific to you, you place less emphasis on your competitors’ performances and more emphasis on your own abilities. You build into your
performance the possibility of needing to readjust your expectations and, therefore, reduce the disappointment you experience if your race doesn’t unfold according to plan (which is often the case).

This very simple step can help you jump to success, hurl into the winner’s circle, get on the right track, or perhaps, expedite the road to recovery. Allow your mental strength to guide your physical strength as you reach toward peak performance. In the words of Victor Hugo, "People do not lack strength, they lack will."