Do you want to achieve your sporting ambitions? Here’s how to get started

Have you written a list of goals and ambitions that includes successfully finishing an ultra marathon event or race. Maybe it’s ultra running, cycling, kayaking or rowing that is your passion but how do you make it a reality. How do you move it from a “To do list” to a “Done list” ?

Last week I wrote a post on this blog 10 ultra marathon endurance events I want to complete before I die. This got me thinking. OK so I have written the list. But what was I really doing about turning them into reality. This list was nothing new for me, since it’s contents have been bouncing around inside my head for the last few years.

This time I decided to tackle it slightly differently and would like to illustrate my actions in the hope that it may help you in your own quest to achievable a big goal or target.

I going to illustrate the points with reference to one of my big goals “running the marathon des Sables”. This event is way outside my comfort zone and experience. Some background first, I don’t like running, nor too have I ever done much running. I have never run a marathon or been to the Sahara dessert.

So I think it justifiably counts as a BIG GOAL !!

The attraction for me in this event is the fear factor and the level of the challenge involved. But the question is “How to move beyond those and turn it into reality?”

Define your big goal

The first thing I did was to write it down. Nothing new there but I think it is so important that i will restate it. If you want to achieve a big goal, it is much more likely to happen if you make a personal commitment by writing it down. If possible include as much detail about the big goal and what it looks like.

In my case – Complete Marathon des Sables in 2012

What need to happen to make big goal possible

By thinking through what needs to happen to make the big goal possible I’m forcing myself to consider the possibilities and the factors that influence my projects successful outcome. So I list out these things to help me get started. At this stage not too much detail I concentrating on an overall framework.

When can I get a place? How will I pay for my entry? How fit do I need to be? What other race experience do I need? What other survival / dessert experience do I need? Who can I talk too that has completed the event? What books can I read about running the race? etc etc

Set a short term Mini Goal

I think this is the single most important thing to do. I suffer very badly from a short term attention span. My family and friends joke that the longest I last on one activity is 13 weeks. I get bored very quickly. When this happens my enthusiasm get side tracked and I leap off in a new and exciting direction. This is lots of fun BUT NOT VERY USEFUL FOR ACHIEVING BIG GOAL.

So one solution is to set a mini goal that is an exciting goal in itself and that can be completed within 2-6 weeks. This means that I can focus all my attention and enthusiasm on this small project without becoming to distracted / overwhelmed by the big goal.

By setting it at 2-6 weeks I give myself some margin for error in terms of my personal attention span. So that even if it takes longer than I expect, maybe even double the time to achieve say for example 12 weeks I’m, still inside my personal 13 week window.

So in my personal case. I have set a mini goal of running a marathon before Christmas. I haven’t set a speed or anything else simply that I will run 26 miles and that will be my first milestone in my BIG GOAL of running Marathon des Sables.

Concentrate on the mini goals

Concentrating and achieving the mini goals is the key to successfully completing the BIG GOAL’s. It’s a cliche but so true,”you climb Everest one step at a time!” The big goal is only possible and achievable by completing 10′s and maybe 100′s of mini goals.

Within these mini goals lies the “journey”. the “experience” that we will always remember. They give us the skills, knowledge and ability to achieve the big goal but most importantly they shape our everyday lives so that we live in the moment. Here and now rather than hoping that we will find fulfillment through achieving the one BIG GOAL.

My journey towards running th Marathon des Sables has begun. I started training today for my first marathon which I will run before the end of 2009. (I’m looking for a marathon to run. Do you know of one in late December 2009 ??)

Join the Conversation

Has your journey begun ? Have you got a BIG GOAL, what about some mini goals? Have you started? Are you already on the path? Share your experiences and join the conversation.

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