Goals for 2014

I wrote my goals down in late December on the white board, see picture below. 
I have been keeping my goals on a white board for a number of years.  I hope if I see the goals everyday, or at least a few times a week, it can help remind me what I am working toward, and embed it in my head. 
The white board  is now in our new "training room.", so I see it almost everyday, either when I go in there to get stuff or ride my bike. 
Also, I write down why I have the goals.  I give reasons.  I heard\read once that if you have goals, you should have reasons, so I have reasons.  I think they are good reasons.

Here are my goals:

• Ave Speed 23.5 MPH for 10+ miles
• 10K faster than 48 minutes off the bike.
• Open 10K faster than 46:30
• Faster than 2.5 hours for an Olympic distance triathlon
• Faster than 21:30 for a 5K/3mi
• Faster at 40 than I was in my 30s
• Do a back-to-back race weekend

Reasons:

• Sunrises
• Feeling of accomplishment you can only get from racing
• The challenge
• It is fun
• Get faster as I get older
• Because I can

Some of my goals are similar to previous years. I think the goals are set are doable for me.  I think I have missed my goals in previous years because I have not  been able to put in the training time. 
I think if I went back to being coached, and really focused, I could hit my goals.  Since I am not a pro, and I have other things going on in my life, I will probably not get a coach again, and I probably will not be able to put in the time.  This is fine, I don't want triathlon to be my life.  It is my hobby, I like doing it, and it helps keep me healthy and it fun, most of the time.
I don't think these goals are physically impossible for me to reach.  I think they are possible if I train properly.  I have confidence that this year, I might get close to my bike goal.  I have gone over 23MPH (23.2 or 23.3 MPH), so I should be able to get to 23.5MPH+.  I have started off this year with a lot of biking and biking hard.  
My run goal, I am not so sure about.  I think I can hit the 5K/3mi goal.  The 10K goal is going to be more difficult.  I was close to both in 2008, but have not been close since.  Basically, I am trying to get back to my 2008 10K time.  On the treadmill recently, I did a 5K and I was a bit over 23 minutes, with tired legs, and I have been running 4+mile treadmill workouts with intervals that should help me hit my goal.  My early year test, the 8K (~5 miles) Irish for a Day race in St. Paul is my early season test.  I have a goal for this race of going under 38 minutes. I don't write this goal down because it is so early in the year and mainly I do the race to see where I am at.
I really, really want to get under 2.5 hours for an Olympic distance triathlon.  I have gone 2:31 I in the St. Croix Valley Oly, so I just need to drop that minute.  I think it going to hinge on me going close to or under 48 minutes for a 10K.
I have registered for two triathlons in a weekend.  Two sprints in one weekend.  See how that goes....I would like to do better than just to do the two triathlons.  I want to be able to do them both at about the same time.  They are both similar distance races, so it will be a good test.
Going faster at 40, in my 40s, than in my 30s, is more a matter of staying in shape and not getting injured. 
So, those are my goals for the year.  I really doing like seeing the sun rise as I am getting in ready in transition, or driving to a race.  I think it is really cool.

 

2013 Goals - Triathlon, Running, and Biking

I have had these written up for awhile, but I forgot to post them.  I write them on a white board, in the bedroom, with the reasons that I want to do these things that I do.  I have them on the board so that I can see them everyday.  My reasons are pretty similar from year-to-year, and are listed right next to my goals on the board.

2013 Goals
23.5MPH+ Ave Bike Speed for 10+miles
10K off the bike less than 48min
Open 10K in under 46:30
3mi\5K open or off bike less than 21:30min
Olympic Tri in under 2.5 hours

Reasons
Sunrises
Feeling of accomplishment you can only get from racing
The challenge
It is fun!

I had to adjust my 5K/3mi running goal for the year.  Originally, my goal was less than 22:00min, but I did my first 5K in 22:03, so I decide to move it down to 21:30.  I am not sure I will be running an open 10K this year, but I decide to put a goal for it right now.  I think that I am doing a better job with my run intensity than I did last year.
I don't think I did the running last year to meet my goals, so I was not even close to my goals last year. 
At the moment, I am not sure about the bike.  Last year I did not hit this goal, not sure about this year.  I tried some different training earlier in the year, more intensity, not sure I did enough. Hopefully, I have done enough, and the Tuesday Night TTs help me out.
Still trying to bust that elusive 2.5 hour mark at the Olympic Distance.  I think it all comes down to the run for me.  I have been close.  If I can get a solid swim and bike, with a run around my goal time, I can get under 2.5.  I only have a couple chances this year, and they are back-to-back Maple Grove, which has a slightly longer bike and a challenging run, and St. Croix Valley, which has run that is not as bad as Maple Grove, but I would say the bike has more hills.  Last year, St. Croix Valley was my worst race of the year.  I am hoping to make a comeback this year.
  

2011 Goals Completed and Goals for 2012

Below is the table of my 2011 goals and my actual results.  The goals I completed are in green, no color indicates I missed the goal.

Getting that T1 time under 1:50 is tough, I struggle to get my wetsuit off fast enough.  I need to practice stripping my wetsuit and getting on my bike faster.  I have gotten much faster in T2.  Into T2 I have been performing flying dismounts and I am able to quickly get in to my running shoes.  Finishing goals are tough, because some of it will depend on the race and competition, so I am very happy to accomplish these goals.  The cyclecross was pure hell.

Two of the goals I "missed", biking 10+ miles at 24+MPH and a 10K <45min have been around for awhile.  Since my stress fracture in 2009, I have not put in the run time/intensity and I have not done an open 10K.  The 10k goal is back in 2012, and will be a goal forever, or until I complete it, whichever comes first.  My closest time is in 2008, when I went 46:36, so I think going sub-45 is a possibility, I just have to put the running time/intensity in to get there.    The closest I have come to my bike goal was in 2008 was 23.5MPH at T'N'T, in 2011 I posted a 23.1MPH at a T'N'T, so I am not that far away.  I adjusted this goal down slightly, much like running, I think I am capable, I just need to get the time/intensity in when training.

Below are my 2012 goals, very similar to 2011. I try to set goals that challenge me, but are doable based on the amount of racing and training that I will be doing.  The new goal is for an Olympic Distance race under 2.5hrs.  I will not count the Twin Cities Triathlon towards this goal since the swim is so ridiculously fast.  I have knocked the 24MPH goal down to 23.5MPH for 2012.  See if I can pull that off.

I typically try to put reasons for my goals.  I read somewhere that having goals without reasons, is pointless.  I agree with this.  The reasons for my goals have typically been very global and much the same from year-to-year.  I love racing, because I like to push myself, the feeling of accomplishment, the rush from racing, the way that racing allows you to quantify your performance like nothing else in life, and waking up to watch the sunset and start a race is always an amazing feeling.