Fall is here (ok technically a few more days) which means a couple things:

-- You’ve been doing a lot of hard training that is about to pay off
-- You need to get ready to race!

Aside from all the physical preparation, running your best race requires you come into the race with a good plan -- and that means having multiple goals decided on ahead of time.

Why multiple goals?
Well, as any runner will tell you, it’s tough to know what kind of day you’re going to have before you get out there. If you only have one goal, and it’s not your day (because of weather, stomach issues, or a thousand other reasons) then ... what?

No fall back position can make the last few miles of the race feel VERY long.

That’s why I recommend having three different race goals. Here’s how that should breakdown:

Tier 1 (Gold, A, whatever naming convention works for you)
This is your perfect day goal. It’s a big goal -- maybe one that you’re a little scared to tell other people -- but it’s not a wild, pie in the sky goal. It’s one you feel confident (and your training backs up) that you are ready to accomplish if the stars align, the weather is good, and your legs feel fresh.

Tier 2
This is your “real” goal -- the one you tell people when they ask what your goal is. You don’t need a perfect day, just a good or average one. This is a goal that is very well supported by your training and that you feel confident in even if it’s not your best day.

Tier 3
This is your goal if things are not going well. A lot of times I encourage people to not make this one a time goal (although it still can be) and more based around the experience. 

Whatever you choose, the important thing is that it HAS to be something that you would still be excited and proud to accomplish.

If it’s not, then you won’t care about reaching it during the race (especially a race where things are not going well) and it’ll be too easy to give up.

How do you put these goal tiers into practice on race day?

Well, going out at your Tier 1 goal pace is risky, mostly because most days are not perfect days. But what if today is?? You don’t want to miss that opportunity.

So I recommend going out at roughly Tier 1.5 pace.

That will not be so fast that you’re digging yourself into a big hole if it’s not a perfect day and you start keying in on your Tier 2 goal. But it’s also close enough to Tier 1 that as you get farther into the race, if it feels like you’re really clicking, you can push ahead and close the gap.

I’d love to know your thoughts -- and here’s to as many Tier 1 days in your future this fall as possible!

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About Coach Carl
Coach Carl is a USA Track & Field Level 2 Endurance, Emerging Elite, and Marathon Specialist running coach who works with runners of all ability levels to reach their goals. He has been featured in Runner’s World, Women’s Health, Men’s Fitness, and Competitor. For information on his coaching services, click here.

Let's test if I can add line breaks here

Seriously?

This shouldn't be too hard.

Right??

Right??