Goal Setting: When to stay the Course and when to shift

Goal setting is something I teach in my coach training classes, help clients use, and use myself during this ongoing journey of living a life of flourishing and thriving.

I know how helpful goal setting can be in the process of fulfilling a vision, once created. The vision provides the bigger picture, but it’s the process of defining goals that makes it clearer — and it’s the tinier goals in the form of small action steps that bring that vision alive.

For me, like most, this process works quite well. For instance, at the beginning of this year, I set a goal to run a half marathon in under 2 hours and 15 minutes (truth be told, I actually thought that under 2 hours was realistic for me). This goal ‘felt’ good to me. I love running, including how the rhythmic cadence feels in my body and learning what I am capable of. The bonus was that my goal race was the Cherry Festival Half Marathon in Traverse City, a place high on my ‘happiest places’ list!

Knowing the value of coaching, I approached my goal full-on and signed up for the ‘Faster Beyond 50’ program with Coach Perry and other elite coaches, with training plans targeting runners my age. This met all my marks and helped me train smarter and get stronger in the process.

With my clear vision, big goal, defined and measurable small steps, and way to track my progress, I rolled through the six-month training program with enthusiasm and commitment.

And then. Ten days before Race Day. When all the hard training work was done… 

I pulled a hamstring during a workout! It was bad enough that after I hobbled back to my car, I consulted a physical therapist who works with athletes (side note: Nic Kyle with Move Right Performance and Recovery Center is great!). Over the next week, I concluded that I was not doing this race.

Was I disappointed? Absolutely! But though frustrated, I immediately began to see the learning value of this injury. In coaching language, my small steps towards my goal hit a pivot. Instead of moving forward in the action stage of change, I cycled back to the contemplation stage. Did I really want to keep my goal? Deciding that I did, I then moved into the preparation stage, exploring practices that would help me heal fully.

I am simply starting the small steps towards action again. I’m back to running slowly and appreciating Nic’s wisdom that “it’s better to load a hamstring injury (within pain tolerance) than to completely rest it…You’ll come back stronger and the likelihood of reinjury is much lower”.

Reflecting on my goal, this process affirmed my belief in the value of intuitive goal setting and pivoting. Intuitive because it feels value-aligned to me. Many of my friends have heard me proclaim that this is the “joy decade”; for me, running is joyful. Even though I won’t run another half marathon until 2025, I have no regrets about my running journey this year. I’ve learned so much about strength, healing, smarter training, and acceptance, and I look forward to sharing what I’ve learned with others.

None of us follows through with every goal we set. Yet learning along the way of working towards a goal is often as rewarding as achieving it. Accepting ourselves as humans, who have normal human experiences, allows us to follow our curiosity and explore hidden ambitions and possibilities. Trusting that curious voice is never a waste of time.