Goal Setting to Make
Every Minute Count

By TERRY LAUGHLIN


My Dream Goals keep me focused on effective action for every precious minute I spend in the water. I can’t control what any of my competitors may do today in training or how they’ll swim on race day, but I can control how thoroughly I prepare.

How many of you regularly use goals to maximize the motivation and purposefulness in your swimming – and the fulfillment you gain from it? During 30+ years of coaching, I always required my athletes to set detailed and declarative goals for each season, and to review them regularly to ensure their daily actions were appropriate to their goals.

I recently took stock of my own swimming and realized that I was instinctively doing the same thing and that this habit had become instrumental in helping me achieve satisfaction and fulfillment. As I thought about my current goals I realized they fell into three distinct categories – Dream Goals, Physical Preparation Goals, and Action Goals. Dream Goals are a fairly recent addition for me but have turned out to be the goal-setting category that makes the greatest difference. As I reflected on this I realized that few people set Dream Goals; most of us are intimidated by thinking on a really grand scale – but by failing to stretch the boundaries of “the possible,” we may be limiting our opportunities for accomplishment, and satisfaction. So here are the three categories of goals I use and how they relate to each other and motivate me to effective action.

Dream Goals: These should be ambitious enough that they may well exceed your grasp, but not so outlandish that lightning would have to strike. They should require you to take some actions that you’ve not done before. Last winter I set a Dream Goal of winning the 1650 Freestyle at Masters Nationals in May. I fell a bit short, placing third, but swam faster than I had as a college freshman 37 years ago. So even falling short was good for me and I had no sense of disappointment. For the Open Water season I set three Dream Goals: (1) to win one or more US Masters Long Distance Championships. I’ve already achieved that by winning the 3 Kilometer championship on June 17. (2) To break the USMS 55-59 age group records in the 1-mile and/or 2-mile open water cable swim. I’ll swim those on July 15 and Aug 5. (3) To medal at the Masters World Championships in the 3K Open Water event on Aug 11.

Physical Preparation Goals: These should be realistic and achievable, but lofty enough to give you a fighting chance to reach your Dream Goals. In my case – because years of practice has made my stroke extremely efficient – I had more opportunity for improving the fitness side of my preparation. I’ve been 20 to 30 lbs. above optimum weight for over 20 years. While that didn’t stop me from winning my age group in most of my OW races in recent years, I knew I needed to transform myself into an athlete to have a realistic shot at a national championship or national record. So I resolved to lose 25 to 30 lbs. And this is where Dream Goals have made a difference. While I’ve wished for that kind of weight loss for several decades, it never happened. My Dream Goals provided the motivation I’d lacked. I’ve lost 16 lbs in three months and feel much fitter. I also set a second Prep goal of swimming an average of 25,000 meters per week from June through August, compared to my normal weekly training volume of 16,000 yards. However, I never lose sight of the TI rationale for swimming more yardage – not just to be fitter, but for more opportunities to imprint perfect form. This goal will both sharpen my stroke and hone my cardiovascular system to levels I’ve not reached as an adult. And the extra physical activity, combined with my greater dietary discipline have been instrumental in my weight loss.

Action Goals: These goals represent the immediate challenges you focus on each day in the pool. I’m swimming 3200 meters each morning in a 50-meter pool, and another 2000 meters most evenings in Lake Minnewaska. My current goal is to feel a strong, firm sweeping catch that captures a large volume of water on each stroke – synchronized with a perfectly timed hip-and-leg drive. I never lose this focus for a single stroke. In an average 50-meter length, I take about 36 strokes. At a 70% effort level I can achieve this sensation on every stroke. At an 80% effort I may feel it on 30 strokes but slip just a bit on perhaps six strokes. At a 90% effort, it’s more of a hit or miss proposition. I’ll work tirelessly on it until I feel that sensation on every stroke at all speeds. Because there are no pace clocks at the pool or lake, all of my summer training has to be measured by “feeling goals” rather than time goals. But no clock can make my stroke more effective. I do know that if I can maintain those sensations for an entire 2-mile or 3K open water race, mainly at a 90% effort, my chances of breaking a national record or winning a World Championship medal are far greater than if I don’t. Thus I consider this kind of training more functional and effective than simply racing the second hand on a pace clock.

As you can see, the effect of my Dream Goals is to keep me focused on effective action for every precious minute I spend in the water. I can’t control what any of my competitors may do today in training or how they’ll swim on race day, but I can control how thoroughly I prepare. And the bottom line is that I’m fully engaged every minute I’m in the water, which makes that the most satisfying part of my day.

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