How to Set Goals & Stay Motivated
This is a summary of things I learned from Dr. Maya Shankar as a guest expert on the Huberman Lab Podcast. You can listen to the whole show here or watch it on YouTube here.
Goals for Runners
While most runners have a good idea of what interests them, it can be hard to decide what distance to focus on, or what race event to choose.
Even after the decision is made, there are always some days where we’d rather do anything else than run. So here are some tips I learned from Dr. Maya Shankar about goals and sustaining motivation that I hope will be helpful!
There Are 2 Parts to a Goal
1) How we define the goal
2) How we pursue the goal
How to define the goal is often overlooked because goals usually seem pretty obvious. For example, “run a PR” is a goal that many runners have by default.
But Dr. Shankar says that “small tweaks to the way we frame our goal have a big impact on whether or not we achieve the goal.”
Framing with an Approach Orientation:
For example: I want to eat healthier foods OR I want to run a PR.
Our emotional response from success of an approach orientation goal is pride and a sense of accomplishment, and we have a boost of endurance and motivation.
VS.
Framing with an Avoidance Orientation:
For example: I want to stop eating fast food OR I don’t want to bonk.
Our emotional response from success of an avoidance orientation goal is a sense of calm and relief, phewf!
Dr. Shankar noted that while avoidance goals are okay (some people are more driven by fear), the approach orientated goals were on average more motivating.
Approach Goals in a Race
When I was a professional runner working with a sports psychologist, she taught me to set several approach oriented goals for every race. Things like: explode off the start line (so I could avoid being pushed to the back of the pack) and position myself in the top 1/2 of the field in the first lap. These were specific goals which I would work through during the race, mentally giving myself a little pat on the back and a “good job” for each one. They gave me something to focus on, and as I achieved them one by one, I could benefit from that boost of endurance and motivation even while running the race.
YOU Must Set Your Goal
Dr. Shankar explained that a sense of control is a huge source of motivation. So it’s important that we choose goals for ourselves rather than deciding on a goal someone else chose for us. As a coach, I often have specific hopes of what race someone will choose to pursue, but I always defer to the runner to choose a goal race. The questions I ask are “what interests you most?” and “what kind of training do you enjoy doing?” which can help guide a decision.
Pursuing Your Goal
Dr. Shankar explained that we have a higher chance of success if we commit to a goal while we are actually in the environment required to pursue the goal. For example, don’t commit to running your first marathon while laying on the couch watching the elites on TV, finishing the Boston Marathon. A better strategy would be to consider your commitment to running a marathon when you’re in the middle of a long run and feeling tired.
Every time I watch a marathon on TV I feel inspired to sign up. But when I think about what would be required to pursue that goal, it becomes a lot less appealing.
Nicole Sifuentes is a full-time Running Coach for adults of all ages and abilities. She is a former professional runner and 2-time Olympian, and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Read more about her services, and schedule your free coaching consultation.