A Goal Without a Plan is Like a Unicorn Without a Horn

A goal without a plan is like a unicorn without a horn- it has no point and doesn't exist...

My Runner's World desk calendar had some advice on it today about starting to run again as winter starts to come to a close.  I thought to myself, Oh, yeah, some people take the winter off.   The real irony is that just as I start to taper (the 2-3 week period before a marathon where a runner backs off in intensity and miles to prepare for the race) I'm getting advice on starting back up.

So, while I was doing my 6 mile tempo run tonight, I got to thinking about my marathon goal and how hard and very specific I've trained to reach that goal.  I have been following a plan that I've developed and modified over the course of the last three marathons I've run based on good advice, what I've read in Runner's World and books, and personal experience.  I've been committed to following the plan... in fact, while not every workout has gone exactly as I hoped, I've generally gotten all my goal runs.  I've even developed a plan for the race.  Run the first 16 miles at a 8:30 pace, then see how I feel.  If I can go a little faster, then I will increase my pace to 8:20, I'll reassess at mile 22, then again at mile 25.  If I'm not feelin' it, I'm keep the pace as is, otherwise, I'm going for it.

My goal is to finish the marathon in 3 hours and 45 minutes.  In order to run a 3:45 marathon, I know my pace must average 8:35 per mile for all 26.2 miles.  I've worked on my goal pace for races by running tempo runs.  These runs are simulations of the actual race so that I can train my body to run at the correct pace, not too fast, not too slow.  Too fast and I run the risk of tiring out early, too slow and I, well, don't reach my goal.  So, if I have a goal pace then I must have a plan to learn that pace.

The point is, if you have a goal, then you need a plan.  Here's an example:  through the years many people have told me that their goal was to learn how to play guitar.  I've learned to stop offering to teach them, because more often than not, it has become a waste of my and their time.  Not that I'm not a patient teacher, it's just that they had a goal without a plan.  To learn to play an instrument you must commit to a training plan and then you must follow it, or your teacher (me) can tell you haven't touched your instrument since the last lesson.  There's no progress, no development, no growth.  The goal was not accompanied by a plan, so the goal was not met.

The same happens for you when you say your goal is to lose weight.  If all you say is, Hey, I want to lose weight, you've done nothing more than sprinkled pixie dust on a frog and called it a prince.  Your goal needs to be something that is reasonable, measurable and attainable.  Your goal needs to have a plan that has checkpoints built in to measure progress so that you can adjust your plan and/or your goal depending on how it is going.  Without a plan, you have no direction on how you are going to achieve your goal.  When you don't meet your goal, you risk the negative emotions that accompany this sense of failure and despair sets in.

So, instead of saying, I want to lose weight, pick an amount of weight you want to lose.  Research suggests that losing just 10% of your body weight significantly reduces your risk of heart disease, certain cancers, diabetes, and many other weight-related diseases.  Maybe you can start there.  Say, I want to lose 10% of my current body weight.  Great!  Now, weigh yourself and multiply that number by 0.10.  That's how many pounds you want to lose.  Now, set a start date and a due date.  Say, In 3 months, I want to have lost x number of pounds.  Now we're getting somewhere!  Now, set some checkpoint dates to see how you're doing and whether you need to adjust your plan and/or your goal.  Say, In 3 months, I want to have lost x pounds- I will measure my progress every Saturday at 9 AM.  Oh, this is getting exciting!

Now you've got specific goals and specific measurable benchmarks.  But how are you going to get there?  Well, I've put a lot of advice in many posts about how to limit calories by making fresh food, limiting your serving size, exercising, and choosing the right food.  I've posted about how to find your ideal caloric intake.  I have also posted some advice on who else you can consult- I gave you four people:  your doctor (who can help you set your goal), a nutritionist (who can work with you on the food/nutrition part of your plan), a personal trainer (who can help you with the exercise part of the plan), and a therapist (who can help you on the psychological/emotional aspects of your plan).  If you don't have the money for all these people, then at LEAST see your doctor.

You can easily develop a food and exercise plan by just following some of the advice I've given on these posts.  You can also Google some good ideas too... but be careful of fad diets, etc.  The most important part, though, is to write down your plan and don't keep it a secret.  Tell people what your plan is and try to get others to come alongside you... it will benefit them every bit as much as it does you.  But you need to develop a plan if you want to achieve your goal, because I haven't seen any hornless unicorns in a while.