Season review and goal setting

***Elevate Your Game: Reflect, Set, and Achieve***

Are you ready to take your athletic journey to new heights?
As you prepare for the upcoming season, it's time to reflect on your past achievements and set your sights on what lies ahead. This introspective process is more than just a routine; it's the cornerstone of your success as an athlete.

Learn from the past
Prepare for the future
Perform in the present

The Power of Goal Setting

Goal setting is the compass that guides you through your athletic journey. It challenges you, fuels your progress, and keeps your passion burning. Goals are not just waypoints; they are the very essence of your training and competition. Short-term and medium-term goals are the stepping stones which pave the path to your ultimate objectives. Successes and setbacks serve as your navigational feedback, allowing you to refine your long-term ambitions. Flexibility is key; sometimes, you'll need to recalibrate your goals as circumstances evolve– perhaps you are going to surpass your initial goal and you need to set the bar higher, or perhaps work or family commitments mean you need to dial it down a touch.

Reflecting on Your Journey

Before you leap into the future, take a moment to look back. Reflect on your past seasons; this is where the wisdom lies. By analyzing your training and competition experiences, you gain a deeper understanding of what works and what doesn't. It's a chance to seize control of your development and find meaning in your pursuits. This reflection bridges the gap between theory and practice, showing how training principles apply to YOUR unique journey.

Reflect back before moving forward

Set your new goals

The Art of Goal Setting

Setting goals for the upcoming season involves two key elements: general goals and specific training goals. General goals encompass overarching principles that significantly influence your journey's outcome and consistency. Specific training goals dive into the nitty-gritty of how your efforts will pave the way to success. Start by mastering your 'generals' before delving into the 'specifics.'

Uncover Your 'Why'
Beyond the 'what' and 'how,' it's essential to uncover the 'why.' Why have you set these goals for yourself? Understanding your 'why' gives you the resilience to tackle the 'how.' Take time to ponder why you aspire to achieve these goals; it's the core of your motivation. If you understand your why, you can withstand the ‘how’. So spend some time asking yourself ‘why’ you want to achieve these goals.

Balancing Your Race Calendar

As you plan for specific events, categorize them into A, B, and C races. A races represent your primary goals, pushing your limits and facilitating personal growth. B races are your testing grounds, challenging yet attainable. C races are training days, well within your capabilities. Balance is key; aim for an even mix of all three types. Remember, you can only peak 2-3 times per season, so select no more than three A races.

Beyond Sport: Deep Health and Personal Growth

As you embark on this journey, don't forget to reflect on your 'deep health.' Additionally, set at least one non-sporting goal for the season, something that will enrich your life beyond the sporting life.

Only complete this form if you are coached by Team HP3 - a copy of your responses is emailed to the coaching staff.

Name

First Name

Last Name

Looking back at this season, what were your biggest accomplishments or achievements as an athlete?

Reflect on the past season, what went well? (and why)

Were there any moments during the season that were particularly challenging or frustrating for you? Can you describe them?

Reflect on the past season, what didn't go to plan? (and why) - Is there anything you could do differently to prevent it happening again? - How might you cope with the situation differently if it were to happen again? - What did you learn from it?

How do you feel about your overall performance this season in comparison to your initial goals and expectations?

What aspects of your training or racing experience did you find most fulfilling and enjoyable during the season?

Were there any specific goals you set at the beginning of the season that you did not achieve? What do you think contributed to that outcome?

Can you describe any key lessons or insights you gained about yourself as an athlete over the course of the season?

What were your primary motivations for participating in your sport this season, and have they evolved or changed in any way?

General goal for next season- write your goal and explain how it is inspiring, realistic but will challenge you, and why it will be FUN to achieve.

1. Inspiring. You will need for your goal to be genuinely inspiring – something that really gets to you in the pit of your stomach and makes your heart beat just a bit faster. The amount of discipline, will power and effort you’re going to deploy this year will be SO much more consistent if you get this right. Too many people do things to impress their friends or parents, to make their social media look good or to satisfy their coach. Do this for you! Internalise your goals. 2. Realistic. If you’re going to have a goal and achieve it, it must be realistic. There’s no denying this one. Yes, you can really stretch the boundaries and yes you can make it on the limit of what’s possible, but it does need to be realistic. Think hard about this one and make sure it fits your abilities. 3. Demanding. Goals appear to be more consistently followed, more rewarding and achieved more when clients make them demanding. What we mean by that, is that it needs to push you into a zone of discomfort. This can be physically, mentally or technically. Athletes respond well to this… although it’s a fine line on HOW hard you push it. 4. Fun. Yep! It must be fun to be in the process of the goal! For sure, not every day can be fun and silly, but the human mind (no matter how great an athlete you are) needs an up-lifting feeling to stay in the goal-process for a long time. Our most successful clients and professional athletes regularly have an element of fun in their goal chasing. You’ll see the occasional ‘fun’ session on your plan, it’s there for a reason. Don’t ignore this factor!

Specificity

Sport specificity. To excel in your chosen sport, your training regimen must align with the specific demands of your goal. While group rides and general gym workouts have their place, achieving your goals requires focused sport-specific training. Begin the year with a broad approach, we will then gradually tailor your training to align with your ultimate event. What specifics will you need to achieve your goal. Eg. your race is somewhere hot / cold you will need to replicate those environmental conditions, if on very technical ground you will need to prepare for that, is it altitude? Is the swim in the sea or fresh water? Is it a flat or hilly/ mountainous course?

Volume and Intensity

Your goal dictates the necessary training volume and intensity. For example, if your aim is to run a marathon in under 3 hours, your training will differ from someone aiming to break a 60-minutes for 10k or conquer 100-mile mountain races. Regardless of the distance, strive to keep 80-90% of your training intensity in the easy zones to prevent excessive fatigue and maintain a balanced approach. Consider how much time you have available to train now; after family, work, life.... what is left for training? Does this training time availability match what is required to meet your goal?

What will become your super power?

Super power. This one is a cool one! The essence of building your super power into your training is to identify WHAT exactly is it that’s holding you back from your goal right now. Is it strength, aerobic power, flexibility or something else? Once you've pinpointed your 'superpower' focus area, attack it relentlessly. Remind yourself daily, if possible, to stay committed to your superpower development; it will be a game-changer.

Outcome goals

List (no more than) 3 outcome goals for the next season These specify an outcome in relation to other performers. Often people state things such as: To qualify for the Worlds in your Age group , to medal or to finish in the top 10. Unfortunately these results/ outcomes are things we don’t have complete control over. Pick just one outcome goal, multiple goals risk splitting your focus and resulting in none of them being achieved. An outcome goal needs to be: Stretching – enough to make you really focus and work hard Realistic – so you don’t feel out of your depth and that it isn’t even worth trying Exciting – something you really really want to achieve and feel is worth the investment Controllable – so you can achieve it despite others Positive – because we are more likely to stick to goals if they are things we can proactively do rather than try to avoid. Outcome goals don’t always need to be a time, personal best or race position. There are a number of more intrinsic goals which can inspire you – such as to compete in a new environment, as a fulfilment goal – using sport to help others or convey a message, and development of long term mastery.

Performance goals

Identify the Performance goals needed to achieve your outcome goals. These specify a time improvement on previous performances .eg take 5 mins off 40k bike Time trial or get under 2hrs 30 mins for an Olympic distance triathlon, run a sub3 marathon, sub 30hr 100mile, etc. Performance goals provide the staging posts so you can see if you are on track towards your outcome goal. These also need to be a mixture of short, medium and long term elements to help you stay motivated. You must keep these very specific and measurable, and positive – highlight what you need to do rather than not do.

Process goals

Identify the process goals needed to achieve these. These give us the building blocks, and are the behaviours, actions, strategies and tactics that you need in place to achieve each performance. They might specify a change in the technique / mechanisms of performance. eg improve stroke count to less than 20 strokes per 25 metres, rehydrate regularly on the bike section in races, address fuelling strategies to avoid cramp or fatigue on long runs, get more sleep! Make sure your goals fit the SMARTER framework Specific – they set a very purposeful direction and target Meaningful – so when training gets tough you have a ‘WHY’ to keep you focussed. Accountable – tell other people your goals, they will help you stay on track Recorded – write your goals down and keep them visable Timed – set yourself deadlines to achieve them to focus the mind and prevent drifting Evaluate – keep track of the goals and boost them if you are doing well or make changes if you have a set back Realistic – your goals will only work if they are not too much or a stretch Now write down your process goals for the upcoming season, thinking about Short term ( monthly ) Medium term ( 3 months ) and Long term 6 months / season ). Some of you will even be thinking about longer training cycles of 3-4years, build this into your goal setting.

Bonus goal

We a need life outside of sport! So write down a 2-3 extra goals for something not to do with your sporting self you want to achieve over the next season. This could be 1 work goal and 1 non-work goal. Try to get some balance across all aspects of your life with your goal setting. Use the same principles as above to ensure these goals are SMARTER.

How can I, as your coach, best support you in achieving these goals for the next season?

Can you identify any potential obstacles or challenges you may face as you work toward your goals for the next season? How can we address them together?

How do you envision your athletic journey progressing in the next few years, and how do these goals fit into that larger picture?