Setting Race Goals

Setting Race Goals

Disclaimer: I received entry to the Milwaukee Marathon to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find and write race reviews!

Race goals can be a tricky thing. We may have some big overarching goals; qualify for Boston, run sub 2 hours in the half marathon, complete an Ultra race, however each course brings it's own set of unique challenges and conditions. Let's say you want to qualify for Boston. That's awesome but what kind of course are you going to use to qualify? Is that a goal that is an "all the stars aligned" goal or one that is easily within your training? These are all questions I've been thinking over as I'm training for the Milwaukee Half Marathon.

Last year I set a big goal. I was reaching for an almost 15 minute PR in my marathon entering in a realm of times I once thought would be absolutely impossible. I put together a training plan and powered through a challenging winter of training. I knew the course would be challenging but I failed to grasp HOW challenging or which parts of the course I could expect to take advantage of and which I should hold back on. As I got halfway I remember thinking that my effort at my goal pace was not where it should have been; I was working a lot harder than I should have been. I was on pace for 3:20 but the second half chewed me up and spit me out and I finished in a respectable time of 3:24. After setting my sights on 3:15 I was a little bitter and left with a drive to try again. With that, I reflected on my plan - I didn't account for the second half being more variable than the first half, I didn't factor in large buildings affecting my GPS watch and I could've done a lot more with playing around with my fueling strategy. In hindsight those were all pretty big factors to overlook and I knew better, but hindsight is 20/20.  So with that, here are my steps for goal setting and my personal goal for the half marathon this spring.

1. Make sure to study the course

I'm not going to lie, I really struggle to look at a course elevation chart and get a feel for the level of difficulty. Some people can place themselves on the course and imagine it exactly. I'm not there yet. Ask people. Not just one person but multiple (One time I asked a coworker if a marathon was hilly. He said no it's a good course. Well, he spent time in Colorado so to him not hilly meant not mountainous...all about perspective). Ask what others experienced - bathrooms, gear check, course elevation, aid stations  etc. The more familiar with how you will react to those situations the more you can plan for.

2. Put your numbers into a race predictor calculator

Put in a recent race time or realistic race estimate and have the calculator spit out a predictor for your race. You have to be careful as these don't 100% align. If you are the type of runner who typically has a good kick, maybe you were a good 800/1600 runner or you find yourself crushing speed workouts then you may have a lot of fast twitch muscle fibers and tend to perform best in shorter races. If you are looking for a goal marathon or half marathon time you may have to go on the conservative side or add a few minutes as you increase distance as those races are dominated by your slow twitch fibers. If the opposite is true and your more of a grinder (not a very good kick, look forward to tempos over 200 m repeats) then you can expect to thrive in more of the marathon or half marathon events.

3. Set Multiple Goals

A Goal 
All the stars align, you have the best conditions, weather and fueling go perfectly. Have a range you want to hit. Running a specific time is very challenging so give yourself a margin of error. Set your training plan to match the faster end of that range.
B Goal
Secondary to your A goal. Things go wrong in races; nutrition, bathroom stop, water stations, big hill, etc. Have a secondary goal that is within your reach but also gives you some buffer zone outside your margin of error for unexpected occurrences.
C Goal
Your still able to hold it together but know that some expectations are just out of reach. Maybe it's not a day where anything is coming together so have a third goal ready.
Just finish 
Exactly what it sounds like. If something vastly goes wrong or you're just mentally defeated then collect yourself, learn from the experience and just finish. Also, don't be stupid. If you're injured and hobbling around then just pull from the race. It's better to recover from your bruised ego then from an injury that you majorly aggravated or made worse.

4. Share your goal with others.

This is the scariest part but if you aren't able to tell anyone your goal then how are you going to believe that it is something you can accomplish? Not telling anyone is like telling yourself that it's impossible. Put yourself out there and share it with someone. We all fail sometimes and that doesn't make you a lesser person.

5. Remember that the outcome isn't the most important thing.

Defining your success based on a race time is something that many of us are guilty of. I didn't qualify for Boston therefore I failed, right? No. WRONG. There's so much more to it. Think of the entire process you are committing to. That's a huge success all on its own. Put yourself in the moment and take it one day at a time. You will learn so much about yourself throughout the process and that's a win in itself.

Now that I have shared with you my goal making process I will share my goals for Milwaukee (where I'll be representing BibRave for the first time in a race!!). It's a challenging course that will build a lot of character however it is very manageable with the proper preparation. I've been in the weight room more than ever this winter so I'm building strength and durability to help me towards a successful Spring. My A goal for the Milwaukee half marathon is to run a sub 1 hour and 40 minute race with negative splits (first half of the race is run slower than the second half). I have a problem with going out too fast and finishing a race with people passing me in the last few miles. I want to finish strong and overemphasize the negative split factor rather than focusing 100% on a time goal or PR. My B Goal is to run even splits and stay in the moment if things are starting to fall apart. My C Goal is to just finish with a smile on my face.

There you go, keep me accountable.