How Realistic Goals Limit Your Potential (And What To Do About It)

When it comes to setting a race goal, it’s easy to choose one that’s “realistic.”

We believe being realistic is the best way to ensure we’ll finish. Realistic = finishing.

The opposite of realistic is aiming high. It will lead to a DNF, disappointing yourself and others, and looking foolish. Aiming high = aiming too high = irresponsible.

Our brains evolved to watch for threats and protect us from them, and aiming too high becomes a threat to avoid.

So you fret over what’s really realistic, pick something, and call that your goal.

But this sets you up for a disappointing race because a goal that’s realistic is defined as, “Based on what is real rather than on what is wanted or hoped for: not impractical or visionary,” and, “Having or showing a sensible and practical idea of what can be achieved or expected.”

In other words, you can’t have what you want. You can have real, sensible and practical.

On top of that, your brain is a predicting machine that determines what’s realistic by looking at your past and present for goals you've reached.

So realistic goals repeat the results you already have, not the results you want.

They keep you in a rut.

You never see what’s possible, use your full potential, or learn how well you can run. You don’t stretch or evolve as an ultrarunner. You keep carefully repeating the same level over and over, because it’s safe.

When that gets boring, you set a secondary or stretch goal. It’s the one you really want but think is unrealistic so you don’t commit to it and therefore don’t reach it. Then you think that proves you should stick with realistic goals.

So when you’re setting your race goal and notice you’re trying to be realistic, catch yourself and think intentionally about what more is possible.

It doesn’t have to be unrealistic, like running 100 miles in an hour.

Set a goal that’s slightly out of reach, yet possible.

Use what would you’d normally add as your secondary or stretch goal.

A possible goal might seem scary but it will get you better results than a realistic goal.

You reach goals you commit to, and you commit all-in to goals you want because they excite you in a way realistic goals can’t.

Possible goals are more energizing and motivating.

Committing to a possible goal gives you permission to train for it, design a race plan to achieve it, and execute the plan with the single-minded determination that makes it happen.

You may have to plan the race to commit to the goal. That’s ok.

I often do that with a client - talk it through or draft the plan enough to see the goal is a stretch but reachable, then they commit and start training for it. Once they commit, go back and add the details that make the plan come to life and tell the story of how they’ll do it.

Every time you choose a race goal that’s possible but slightly out of reach, you grow more experienced, become more confident taking risks and learn exactly how to make the next race better.

You keep ultrarunning fresh.

And you create a new tomorrow instead of repeating yesterday.