Setting Realistic Goals

Finn Melanson [00:00:14]: Hello, fellow runners. I'm your host, Finn Milanson, and this is the Run to the Top podcast, the podcast dedicated to making you a better runner. With each and every episode, we are created and produced by the expert team of coaches@runnersconnect.net, where you can find the best running information on the Internet, as well as training plans to fit every runner and every budget.

Finn Melanson [00:00:41]: Yes, it's only May, but many of you are likely starting to plan out your training and goals for your big summer and fall races. So before training really starts to ramp up in earnest, we thought it would be helpful to have an in depth discussion on setting realistic goals. Today we'll be hearing from Dr. Grayson Kimball, a sports psychology consultant in the Boston area who is also a big runner himself. Dr. Grayson is a member of the United States Olympic Sports Psychology and teaches undergraduate sports psychology classes at Northeastern University in Boston. In this episode, you'll learn how to know if your goals are realistic and why this is so important, how to combine setting long term and short term goals, resetting your goals after an injury or period of missed running, and how to exceed your limits with mental preparation. There are a lot of great insights.

Finn Melanson [00:01:32]: From this interview that are going to.

Finn Melanson [00:01:33]: Help you plan and prepare for your upcoming fall races.

Finn Melanson [00:01:36]: So let's get to it. Today's episode is sponsored by Magnesium Breakthrough from Bioptimizers. Their industry leading magnesium supplement helps you sleep better and reduce stress. Head to Magbrakethrough.com run to the Top to learn more in Save 10%. If you're looking for the most effectively dosed electrolyte drink for runners, check out Element. It's loaded with everything you need to replenish your electrolyte balance, and you can get a free sample pack by going to drinklmnt.com RunnersConnect.

Finn Melanson [00:02:20]: Hi, Grayson. So let's start by giving the audience a brief insight into the type of athletes you work with and what you work on with them.

Guest [00:02:28]: Yeah, so I'm a sports psychology consultant, mental conditioning coach. People have a whole bunch of different names for what sports psychology is, but I work with all different types of athletes, from professional athletes down to your recreational marathon runners to recreational youth tennis players. So I kind of COVID the spectrum, and I basically work with all the athletes from the shoulders up and get their heads ready to go.

Finn Melanson [00:02:56]: So what do you consider to be.

Finn Melanson [00:02:58]: A realistic goal for a runner, and how do they know if it's realistic?

Guest [00:03:02]: Well, if you give it towards, let's say, a marathon or half marathon training, the first thing is you want to make sure that realistically, you're physically capable of running the half or running the full. And when I say physically capable, you don't have any injuries or anything like that. You don't have to be elite athlete to say, I'm going to run a half or I'm going to run a full. I've trained people that have been on the couch for eight months and then just decided that they wanted to do it. And three months later or six months later, they're running a half or they're running a full. But in terms of the realistic goals, that's more about, some people will say, well, I'm going to run seven days a week. That's not realistic. And then as soon as you miss that first day, you've now failed at your goals. And then it happens again, and it happens again, and then you actually start to feel like a failure because you're not achieving what you set out to do. So that would be an example of an unrealistic goal that somebody would set that can have a negative influence on how they perceive themselves and obviously on their performance. In the sports psych world, there's an acronym that we use for goal setting, setting smart goals. So specific measurable adjustable. And that ties into your flexible there and then realistic and then timely. So with the adjustable goals is to understand that whatever your training program is, it's not written in stone. And so if you're supposed to be running 14 miles today, and if you're just not feeling great or the weather is kind of crummy and you only get in 12 miles or twelve and a half, you still did something pretty special that day. But that's different than just skipping the run. And so if you don't necessarily hit the actual mileage that you want, be flexible with it adjustable. And you might say, you know something, next week the weather is supposed to be better, I might feel a little bit better. Maybe I'm dealing with a small little injury. Another week, that should feel better and perhaps I can kind of make up and have a much better run that following weekend.

Finn Melanson [00:05:09]: So what's the difference between long term versus short term goals as a runner and overall athlete?

Guest [00:05:16]: Yeah. So I think long term goals could be something like run the marathon or run the half so that's four months from now and you kind of take that goal, keep it in the bank. That's four months from now. But then short term isn't just over the next month. Short term is today. What do I want to accomplish today? And that might be something like change my diet, start eating healthier. Because that's going to help me a week from now, three weeks from now, two months from now. It could be, let's start by riding the bike three days this week. Let's try to run twice this week. Maybe try to at least maybe inquire about going to a yoga class, maybe not actually participating. So finding the short term, what can I do today, what can I do this week that's going to help me get even better for next week and then the following week, the following week. And then next thing you know, it's been a month. It's been two months. And then that marathon is coming up. Most goals are not just for runners, but for any athletes. Most goals can unfortunately be phrased in a negative way and most goals can also tend to be outcome based. And in the outcome based examples, you don't have any control over that goal. So you might say, okay, I want to run 15 miles today. And again, that's an outcome based goal, 15 miles. To me the bigger part is how are you going to run the 15 miles? What's your strategy today? I want to start my run a little bit slower today between miles four and eight, I really want to kind of pick up the pace, maybe miles ten to twelve, I really want to push it, or I want to be able to push miles 13 to 15. So yeah, you have that outcome goal, but it's more of a process mindset that here's the goal and here's what I want to do. And you know something, maybe I'm going to try taking pretzels with me on my run or jelly beans, just because I tend to get a little tired, I tend to get a little fatigued, so I'm going to see how that helps me. So again, little details that you want to do to kind of help get to that outcome as opposed to 15 miles, that's it, I don't care how I do it. That's too outcome based. The outcome is essentially out of your control. I mean, yes, you can force yourself to run the 15 miles and actually finish it, but you might have a pretty crummy 15 miles because you're just focused on the outcome, focus on the process, the little things you want to do. So that's the outcome versus process goals.

Finn Melanson [00:07:52]: How does changing the perspective on how you train either by setting realistic goals or processes or mindsetting affect you as a runner and as an overall athlete?

Guest [00:08:04]: Many times when I'm working with runners, we'll give a whole discussion on positive self talk and how that ties into goal setting and stuff. And then at the very end I'll just randomly pick out a runner and I'll say, what's your goal today? And she'll say, I don't want to get tired running up the hills. I said, that's a negative goal. I didn't ask you what you don't want to do, I asked you what you do want to do. But you told me the exact opposite. They all start laughing. But the reality is when you go into your run and the goal is to not have something happen, you're running to avoid rather than running to achieve. And that avoidance mindset over the long term can really be problematic, as opposed to the runner that says my goal today is to really run from my hips and really focus on my stride today, make sure my hands are loose or not clenched up. And that's about achieving something on the run. It also gets into more of that process oriented mindset. And so that positive, process oriented mindset is really the way that runners should set their goals. Anytime you set an unrealistic goal that's going to be nearly impossible to achieve, chances are you're going to fail at it, or chances are you're going to struggle during that, and that's going to raise your anxiety. You're going to be anxious, you're going to be nervous about it. So again, setting goals that are process based, that are realistic, and that will make you feel good. So again, setting a goal, that's too easy. You're not going to get anything from that because you know you can do it. And then also just incorporating some basic stuff, like some deep breathing, again, that positive self talk and even a little imagery kind of set the goal. Say what you want to do, write it down, but then picture yourself actually achieving it lowers that anxiety, because in your mind, you've seen yourself do it. Okay, if I've seen it, I'm a little more calm. I'm a little more relaxed. Now let me get out there, run and see what happens.

Finn Melanson [00:10:18]: Can you explain more about what mental imagery is?

Guest [00:10:21]: So without getting into it, too much imagery is a very powerful mental skill, and it's something that we use all the time. I mean, I'm sure just in our discussion right now, when I've described, like, a type of run, you've probably pictured yourself in that situation. So runners are people, but runners are constantly visualizing what they're going to be doing. And so when you tie that into your goal setting, you can be visualizing 100 times throughout the day. Now, some runners might want to take ten or 15 minutes for, like, a very structured imagery program where they dim the lights, they lay down, they put on their favorite music, and they know, I got a ten mile run coming up tomorrow. This is the route that I'm going to be running. And again, what are my goals for that run? Again, I'm going to see myself starting out slow. I'm going to see myself pushing it a little bit with proper stride, good form. And then they basically put themselves through that for 1015 minutes. And then again, that can help kind of decrease that anxiety and give them the confidence that they can achieve the goal for that day.

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Finn Melanson [00:13:49]: When it comes to uncertainty?

Guest [00:13:51]: Yeah, so preparing for the problems is how I phrase it. And the reality is, and again, with the work that I do, mental conditioning, everything is positive, positive, positive. But the reality is, things don't always work out the way you want them to work out. And so if you're going to be running tomorrow and you check the weather and it's supposed to be 75, 80 degrees, that's kind of hot. It's kind of warm. The last time I did, let's say a double digit training run in that type of weather, I noticed at mile seven, mile eight, I started to dehydrate a little bit. So let me plan for that potential problem. So again, maybe I want to hydrate a little bit more today, hydrate more tonight, drink a little bit more tomorrow morning and see how my body handles that. So whatever situation you're going in, when you've been in a similar type of situation, what have been some issues that have popped up? Why weren't you able to cope with it? And now looking back at it, should it happen again, what would be your strategy? Perhaps it's a mental strategy. I just have to have more of that achievement mindset as I'm running up the hill, because I'm telling myself, I hate hills, I hate hills, I need a more positive mindset or it just needs to be, I need to drink more, I need to do this. And so again, having that plan on how to deal with a potential problem. Because it's happened before, the likelihood is it might happen again. But now I have a coping strategy. And again, it could be a mental strategy, it could be a physical strategy, it could be a technique based strategy. But you identified what could go wrong and then what your plan is to overcome it. Should it actually happen?

Finn Melanson [00:15:42]: What are the expectations after an injury and how you should approach recovery?

Guest [00:15:47]: Yeah, so injuries are really tough. I mean, I'm just coming off of about eight to ten weeks of Achilles tendinitis, so I was basically on the shelf all summer. So I've been back about seven weeks. And when you're kind of cleared to run, you're excited to go out and you want to be right back into where you were eight weeks ago. But there's that little apprehension of, is my body actually ready to handle this? And again, setting more realistic goals and to go out if you haven't run in eight weeks or ten weeks because of injury, to go out and run 3 miles to you might sound like nothing. Well, I used to run 13 miles at a pop and it didn't bother me. So 3 miles. But 3 miles today, take a couple of days off, maybe 3 miles the next day, the following week, maybe bump it up to 5 miles, maybe the following week bump, and then before you know it, three to four weeks have gone by and you're back up to comfortably running eight to 10 miles. And you're obviously maintaining and icing and doing everything you need to do for whatever injury you have, but that mileage is going to start to creep back up. And so instead of trying to get it all back at once, you're running the risk of re injury. I had a friend who just two weeks ago, there was a half marathon here in Boston, ran that the fenway, ran the Baa half a couple of weeks ago and 6 miles in, she felt this unbelievably sharp pain in her calf and had to drop out. And she never dropped out, but it's only been two weeks, and she was going to a certain type of therapist who said, trust me, I'll get you running again in two weeks. Forget that. The doctor said four to six, I'll get you back in two weeks. She went out for her run on Sunday, two weeks later and just had a mile in. Her calf was still killing her. And so, yes, you want to come back as quickly as possible. And again, I've had my fair share of injuries during marathon training. You got to wait. If they say four to six weeks, give it the four to six weeks because you'd rather wait the four weeks. And again, in those four weeks, set realistic goals for yourself. Like, what's my rehab like? Your rehab becomes your goals, and it's like you're almost training to start training again. And that's the mindset that you have to get into. And then next thing you know, three, four, five weeks of rehab have gone by. You're now like a week or two away from actually running again and again. It just helps with the whole mindset, and then you feel ready to go out and start running. It's funny that you mentioned that topic, because I'm in the process of editing my book and having it come out with a second edition. And part of it is how runners age. And for years, and not just runners for any sport, when you hit 35 years old, take a professional athlete the age of 30, 35, their performance tends to decrease. But then being here in Boston, you look at a guy like Tom Brady, who's 40, and he's playing better than he's ever played. And so it got me thinking, just because you're a runner and when you hit 40, I mean, I just hit 45 the other day. When you hit that age, does your performance have to decrease? And I think a lot of that is mindset. And as you get older, yes, your body does not recover as quickly as it did when you were 25 or 30, but all that to me means is you just have to train smarter. And for me, just with the Achilles and the other injuries that I've had, it's all right. I just need to cut back right now to two days a week of running, but getting some decent eight to ten mile runs on those two days and then do a lot of cycling and a lot of strength. Training and just you're kind of compensating because I can't run, let's say three or four days a week, but I can still be a very efficient runner. And just over the last, whatever, four or five years, some of my half marathon times have been PRS compared to when I was in my late twenty s and early thirty s. And how does that work? And again, to me, it's mindset. So, yes, you might have to adjust your running schedule, your training, but you can still train effectively, efficiently, fewer days per week, and actually become a much better and a much smarter runner.

Finn Melanson [00:20:18]: How does gratitude and appreciation for your goal affect your performance?

Guest [00:20:22]: Yeah, so I think it really becomes all about the experience. The title of my book is Grateful Running. And you should really be grateful that you're 60 years old and you can actually still go out and run if it's 5 miles, if it's 10 miles, if it's a half marathon, if it's a full marathon, and just really appreciating what you're capable of. And yeah, you may not hit a PR, but again, kind of modify that goal. Well, let me run a PR for my 60s, let me run a PR for my 50s. Can I PR now for just my 40 year old age. And again, so that way you're still pushing yourself. And again, if you end up running four or five half marathons or a marathon or two in your 50s, it's about trying to better your performance as you're turning 45 than when you were 44, not comparing yourself to when you were 24, but again, maybe within that five year age gap. Again, it pushes you, it challenges you, and it still helps to keep things fresh. As I mentioned before, you have the process based versus the outcome based, but the process based can also be broken down into performance based. And so that's essentially you comparing yourself to yourself. And again, not from ten years ago or five years ago, but from last week. Can I be a better runner today than I was last week? And if so, how and why? Again, perhaps if I start foam rolling a little bit more, if I continue to ice a little bit more, my little nagging injuries won't be bothering me so much. And it's all about improving from what I did the last time I went out there. And again, if you only run, let's say, one half marathon a year, okay, I'm 45 this year. I was 44 last year. That was my time last year, something I think I could train more efficiently, smarter, more effectively, and let's see if I can be better than I was last year. Again, not three years ago, but last year. And that drives you. And that pushes you something you might beat your time from last year. You may not, but if you don't, that can also then be the impetus, the motivation to push you. I got to clean my diet a little bit more, and I really want to spend the next six months really pushing myself realistically, but pushing myself, training myself to see if I can beat that performance from the last time I went on. So it's not about beating my friend. It's about beating myself.

Finn Melanson [00:22:57]: What inspired you to write the book and where can we read it?

Guest [00:23:01]: Yeah, sure. So back in 2004, 2005, I was doing some sports psychology coaching for a couple of the charity marathon programs in the Boston area, and I'd have these little worksheets and stuff to give to the runners. And then when I was training for the Chicago Marathon in 2006, on my runs, it just dawned on me that I should put all of this into a book. So on my runs, as a way to pleasantly distract myself, I would think about a particular chapter and what's going to go in that chapter, and I'd go home from the run and I'd just start typing things out. And it's all from the mental side of things. And then as the title of the book, Grateful Running. I've been a fan of the Grateful Dead for 30 something years, and I listen to them on every single run that I go on and something about their lyrics, their music, that just gets me in that zone. I mean, every runner has their own music that gets them in that zone. And to me, it's a good old Grateful Dead, and I would be listening to songs and there would be lyrics that are speaking to running or to the mental side of it. So even that chapter on goal setting that you referenced, there's a song that they have called Althea, and a line in the song is, I told Althea I was feeling lost, lacking in some direction, and it's like, well, that's goal setting right there. Throughout the book, there are lines from Grateful Dead songs that set the theme for that particular chapter. So I try to take my two passions in life, the Grateful Dead and Running, and mix it with my professional work of sports psychology and out came Grateful Running. And that's kind of how it all happened. I have the website Gratefulrunning.com where you can find the book. It's on itunes. You can get it. You can download it through Nook, I believe. And then the book is self published through a company called Lulu. L-U-L-U So, Lulu.com.

Finn Melanson [00:25:23]: Thanks for listening to the Run to the Top podcast. I'm your host. Finn milanson. As always, our mission here is to help you become a better runner with every episode. Please consider connecting with me on Instagram at Wasatch, Finn and the rest of our team at Runners Connect. Also consider supporting our show for free with a rating on the Spotify and Apple podcast players. And lastly, if you love the show and want bonus content behind the scenes experiences with our guests and pre me your access to contests and giveaways, then subscribe to our newsletter by going to RunnersConnect. Net podcast. Until next time, happy trading.