Goal Setting with Abby Reckinger
Hi - and welcome back!
Happy November.
This year, Team Birkie has had the pleasure of engaging with a wide range of professionals to help support the team. Not only will this new crew of supporting specialists from all over the Midwest help bring our athletes help in key areas, but also help educate our community and be a resource to some from afar. We are so lucky to have them close by and we want to bring some of their knowledge out to the community so we can focus on important topics that might make you (and all of us) just a little bit more focused, better, faster, stronger, or tougher. We’re excited to feature these people on the blog and also in other forms as we develop our communication methods.
A few times a month, we will dig into different topics, some of which may even be a topic you have questions on or could be interested in learning more about.
Our first highlight is Mental Performance Coach Abby Reckinger. Abby works at Champion Mind (Website) and is specialized in mental performance training for athletes and coaches. We wanted to start this series with goals and goal setting.
Goals are crucial in every aspect of you life, yet most people don’t put nearly enough emphasis on them.
Goals are a helpful tool for many, as they can stimulate emotions, feelings and gratitude towards what you’re doing. This is especially important now that winter is fast approaching.
The fall can be a challenging time for a lot of people as it brings darkness, cold weather, challenging training conditions, increased stress from school, etc. — all on top of increasingly intense ski training designed to set you up for the races you will soon be doing.
Typically, coaches recommend setting goals for the upcoming race season in the spring, right after your previous season has wrapped up.
We want to challenge you to take some time to reflect on your goals now. Are they making you excited, or maybe even a little bit nervous?
If so, great! Good goals are often slightly intimidating, but also motivating and stimulating.
That said, here are a few questions we asked Abby on the how’s and why’s of goals!
How do I set realistic and motivating goals for myself and my athletic career?
Abby: Spend some time reflecting on your values and past performances so you can work towards what is most important and relevant to you. Goals help map out what you want to do and how you’ll get there so you can more effectively focus your attention and efforts. They also allow you to track your progress. Using baseline data can help you set a realistic goal that increases your performance/skill by 10%-15% at a time which can help you progress toward your outcome. It’s like Goldilocks, not too easy, not too hard, but just right. Keep your language positive by focusing on what you want to do, “I will V2 the first hill” vs “I will not V1 on the first hill”.
It can be more motivating and helpful to set different types of goals that are all connected. These goals help athletes value both the process of reaching the level they desire but also help them work toward big, often external achievements:
Outcome goals - a long-term goal that is out of your control. Example: A top 15 finish at a World Cup/Super Tour/Birkie race in the 2024 season.
Performance goals - focus on your personal performance and are centered on behaviors in your control such as a section of the course you want to double pole or V2 or a mental skill you want to use during the race. These goals are probably different for each type of race and race course. Example: I will V2 the entire last hill of the sprint course and use self-talk of, “1-2,1-2” to keep my rhythm.
Process goals - day to day behaviors that you have control over, these help you achieve your performance goals and guide you to your desired outcome. Example: I will do 1 focused V2 session each week including roller skiing with no poles focusing on weight transfer then adding poles and progressing to a V2 hop on a slight hill through the end of November 2023.
Lifestyle goals- are essentially process goals that are centered around our day-to-day wellness such as sleep, nutrition, stress management, etc. Example: Get 8 hours of sleep each weeknight over the next three months.
What steps can I take to stay motivated and committed to my goals in the face of challenges?
Abby: Any time you set a goal it’s important to be specific. Utilizing SMART goals helps you set a very clear path to what you want to achieve along with how and why you can do it.
S- Specific, What will you do?
M- Measurable, How will you track your progress?
A- Action, What will help me reach this goal?
R- Realistic, Why do I think this goal is within reach?
T- Time-Based, When will I reach this goal?
Self-Determination Theory includes three components that help one feel motivated: autonomy, competency, and relatedness. Setting goals gives athletes autonomy by defining what is important to them and creating their own roadmap to reach those goals. Athletes also need to feel that they have the competency or knowledge to perform and train at the level they choose. In addition, this means having a support team who can provide feedback, guidance and assessment based on athletes’ training and performance. When challenges arise, because they will, athletes can use this team to help identify what may be getting in the way. A mental performance coach can be a part of this team and help athletes develop strategies to overcome barriers so that they can determine what works best for them. It can also be helpful to identify the people who they can go to for advice, support, or accountability. Teammates also play a role in helping athletes feel relatedness or connection as it helps when others can understand what it takes to reach your goals and are working alongside you.
One other thing that can be helpful for motivation or sticking to goals is the use of an external reward that is ideally tied back to an athlete’s goal. For example, an athlete might treat themselves to a smoothie bowl or more expensive, organic meat if they have been working on a nutrition goal or get a new workout shirt after they reach a process goal regarding their training.
Stay tough in the fall, give yourself grace and the best time of the year is soon here with lots of white gold and the races we have been waiting on for the past seven-ish months!
Stay tuned for more mental gems from Abby supporting and guiding us and maybe you toward peak performance on the Nordic trails.
Reach out to Abby if you have questions or could use some tips and tricks on our strongest asset (the brain) as well!
You can find her at her Website and on Facebook!
