4.05.2011

I'm soooo SMART!

With the start of a new month, I think it's time to re-evaluate my goals...

While ringing in the New Year a few months ago, I thought it would be a grand idea to run a 5K.  Not just participate, but to finish in under 30 minutes.

I created a training schedule based on what I knew of my athletic abilities and what I was able to Google.  Last night I found that training schedule, tucked in the back of my calendar.

As of now, I should be able to run over 3.5 miles in 45 minutes.

As of now, I have yet to run over 3 miles.

As of now, I have 4 weeks and 3 days until my first 5K.



My goal for that race? To run 3.1 miles without stopping.

Since I'm not really running over 3 miles yet, I decided to scrap that training schedule and create a new one for the next 4 weeks.  Basically my goal is to increase my mileage first, then focus on my pace/speed.

When I run during the week, it's usually a little over 2 miles in about 32 minutes. I use the approximate values because when I run, I use this tracker GPS thing on my phone that maps out where I've been and how long it took me.  It's not completely scientific because I waste a few precious seconds trying to get to the application on my phone, but it's good enough for now.


My goals for this week are pretty simple: Run at least 3 times, at least 2 miles each time, with a day off in between. This comes out to a 2 mile run on Tuesday (today), Thursday, and Saturday.

How did I come up with my goals? I make sure that they are S.M.A.R.T.



S- Specific.  Running 2 miles at least 3 times a week is pretty specific.

M-Measurable. I can measure my success by asking myself how many times did I run this week? How far did I go?

A- Achievable. I can definitely run 2 miles.  I may have to push myself to run 3 times this week but hey, that's what training goals are all about!

R- Realistic. Will I have the time to do this?  Is 3 times a week too much? Nah, I don't have any appointments scheduled on Tuesday or Thursday so my time after work is wide open.  And I usually work out on Saturday anyway.

T- Timely.  My deadline? Saturday.  I will need to achieve my specific benchmarks by Saturday in order to achieve my goals.

I was taught this acronym when I was in college earning my accounting degree.  Yes, this was actually on a test.  We had to apply this concept to numerous business strategies.  I also learned it when working for a public accounting firm.  We had to set annual performance goals for ourselves using this concept.  So it's been ingrained into my brain for quite a few years now.  And whaddya know? It still comes in handy!

How to you set your goals?  Do you prefer to set smaller goals or just big goals or both?

4 comments:

  1. It's definitely smart to focus on mileage/building a base as opposed to speed. If you work on consistent miles, the speed will come.

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  2. I agree with Kimberly about focus on mielage and not speed. Once you get the milage you can get the speed but I think it's harder the other way around. Don't worry about it... you'll totally be able to dominate that 5k!

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  3. I like that SMART stuff! I could use that with my students!

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  4. I'm definitely going to be utilizing SMART when I get my training cert and start working with clients on setting goals. You have plenty of time to reach your 5k goal, you are going to rock it!!

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