STOP MAKING EXCUSES - Let's Talk Goals and Mindset

[@EverythingIsPhotogenic]

This one is on the longer side and more like a podcast, so if you have KZbin premium or need to set your phone off to the side, this can be something you can listen to and not miss anything. In this video, I talk about why many of you aren't where you want to be in terms of your athletic performance. I know I talk a lot about proper planning, recovery, periodization, etc. on this channel, and while all of those things are exceptionally important, none of them will get you where you want to be without a proper mindset and goals. I talk about the things that hold people back and how we often delude ourselves into thinking we are victims of circumstance and genetics. The truth is, most people leave out one very important word when they are evaluating themselves, and that is the word "YET." You might say, "I'm not very fast" or "I can't get through a race without getting dropped," or "I can't finish without stopping or taking a break." You need to understand that on a long enough timeline and with the *right* effort, you can add "yet" to the end of any of those sentences. Don't let the fears hold you back from dreaming big - fear of judgment by your peers, fear of not being quite sure of the path forward, or fear of just plain failure. Nothing is set in stone, life is a series of cycles and so are your goals: action, feedback, response, adjust, repeat. If you are setting goals that will force you to grow as a person, you WILL fail. There's no doubt about it. Don't fear it, embrace it as the opportunity to learn and recalibrate. Live your life as the learner and the ultimate adaptation machine, not someone who is defined by a single metric. If you want 20% off your first order of Lactigo, use my discount here (Coupon code EIP 20 if you don't follow the direct link): www.lactigo.com/EIP20 Books Mentioned and Honorable Mentions: Mindset By Carol S. Dweck: amzn.to/3GA9ZVL Grit By Angela Duckworth: amzn.to/3tG9xl8 Atomic Habits By James Clear: amzn.to/3IeyBDR The Power Of Habit By Charles Duhigg: amzn.to/3tsjClQ Mastery By Robert Greene: amzn.to/3Fyv0PA Principles By Ray Dalio: amzn.to/3fxjER2

[@andreasmorin2633]

I think Laozi said it quite good: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" I just turned 55 and train for a 1200km brevet in 2023 - I will get there, one step after another....thx for your videos - keep it up and good luck for the exams

[@EverythingIsPhotogenic]

It really is an excellent quote. That's a killer goal and something you can really get excited about. It helps when you have something that is just so outrageous and cool as a goal to make those hard decisions sometimes to take those steps. 💪

[@keitmo]

PBP 2023? I plan to be there!

[@andreasmorin2633]

@keith moore - yup, that's the one, hopefully Covid will be over then...

[@keitmo]

@@andreasmorin2633 I hear ya. I'm training/planning to attend, but COVID is the big wildcard.

[@mocat4]

This is an awesome and helpful video, Sarah, and just what I needed. I'm 3 months into a Trainer Road program and have let it completely slide this past week telling myself that maybe I'm just bored with indoor training (my work hours don't allow for much outdoor riding) or maybe I'm just bored with the bike (I really don't think so), and why bother because I'm never going be good enough to compete in a D category Zwift race (after gaining back 15 of the 50 pounds I had lost last year and sliding back to a 1.8 wkg FTP). The truth is I'm lacking a clear goal. I'm reading Atomic Habits right now and starting to understand that I need to think of my goals more in terms of identity rather than having a specific marker that I'm trying to reach. My goal was to get all the Zwift badges, get the Tron bike, and win a Cat D women's race. And once I did all that I lost my motivation to ride. So I switched to Trainer Road, and once the workouts got a bit harder I lost interest as well. The challenge for me is that I find event/task goals to be very motivating, but once I accomplish the task I struggle to set a "what's next" goal. I really do want to be fitter and faster. I want to be someone who can compete in D cat races, and maybe move up to C. But with an "identity" goal I don't seem to be as motivated. :::Sigh:::: THANK YOU for the book recommendations. I will check out Mindset and see if it helps!

[@valiantabello]

MY MAN TEDDY!!!

[@EverythingIsPhotogenic]

And he showed everyone his ass... Again... He's lucky he's cute 😆

[@gioiazucchero]

Thanks!💪🏽 Reach for the stars✨2023

[@edszwiftingchronicles3877]

I’m fired up after watching this. Watching your channel has helped me drop from 250lbs to 215lbs while increasing my FTP from 225w to 284w. You’ve helped me with several comments over the last year and I appreciate your responsiveness to your subscribers! But I’ve stalled on reducing my weight further to maximize my nominally good FTP. This video helps me realize that nutrition and the systems surrounding my calorie intake is the current constraint that I need to set goals against (or for). Keep up the great work and when you decide to go into coaching I’ll be your first client (not even joking I’d hire you tomorrow :-).

[@tonywinterton6878]

Hi great talk I am that 60year old been running since I started high school raced motocross in my twentys set myself a goal to be world champion in 3years didn't do it but had some success at club and national level moved to New zealand to start a new life at 55years old it turned out to be the best thing I have ever done I compete in the national off road championship triathlon in the age group category but turns out I have always been to heavy so really got hold of the nutrition and all of a sudden I have started to get podium finishes it is a mind set and a life style losing weight as a older athlete is very hard but my God it is satisfying when it happens I truly believe I will qualify for a world championship this year if covid ever let's us get racing again. I am running faster than I was 30years ago the mind is so important age is not a barrier to winning the will and the mind set is .

[@coreyreeder3549]

Atomic habits really was a great book. And I appreciate your nudge to really set some challenging goals. Michael Hyatt calls it the discomfort zone.

[@theswanguy]

Thank you for this. You have just given me access to regenerating and rejuvenating my life, and for this I am grateful. Now I'm getting to work!

[@rockhopper01]

Good to see you again and I wish you the best for your examinations! So much truth here. I got my lovely bride into cycling a good 15 years after I had been doing century rides and multi-day cycling tours. I bought her a $2000 bike, spent about another $1000 on cycling clothes, and she pretty much gave up on our first ride when she couldn’t do 10 miles. But she was happy just to be doing something with me that she stuck with it. In 5 months we rode the California Coast Classic together, an 8-day 535mile ride down Highway 1 from SF to LA, which included one 101 mile day. That goal of the ride and and just doing it together was enough to get us going!

[@peterkempf8975]

Honestly why you don’t have a million subs I’ll never understand. Keep up the great work.

[@GingerWarriorCyclingClub]

My last feedback was during content. This is post content, and just have one word - epic! 💪

[@rollandjoeseph]

Really enjoyed this vlog! Thx for posting it ..i agree with your assumptions . I was that guy, ok with mediocre gains while still getting loaded throughout the week wondering why i wasnt getting anywhere. Years later, I'm now going headfirst into my own goals and am constantly excited to reach new levels of fitness . At 54 , im tuning in my eating habits , my workouts and making strides with my cycling and eager for the new cycling season in a few months to put myself to the test. I bought my first cycling trainer this winter and am seeing gains already. I'm coming up on my 1 year a/f anniversary and couldn't be happier making that decision as it helped me physically and mostly mentally. Thank for the book suggestions, and the extra fire under my ass, ill rewatch this for motivation, cheers!

[@LHS427]

I was feeling unmotivated to get out of bed this morning when I remembered this video. I listened to it as I got up for the day. From time to time, I come back to this video when I need a little “push” again. I absolutely love this talk and would love to see more like this from you (obviously, no pressure). You’re a natural motivator.

[@EverythingIsPhotogenic]

I'm glad to hear it! It's not the most "popular" content I do, but I know there is a solid core of people on the channel that resonate with some "real talk." Often when I do these, I am talking to my past or future self 😉

[@Unplugged_Bits]

You Just touched on some of the itching areas in my 2022 Sport and Career goal plans. Thank you!

[@GingerWarriorCyclingClub]

Sarah. You are incredibly brilliant. The public take structures for granted. Check out the exam for being a chartered structural engineer. You’ll love it 😅

[@elyschnee]

And again: spot on! It's easier to stay in the comfort zone and be lazy than being accountable and taking responsibility! I do this with learning new languages that will ultimately give me & make me more confident in my current environment (country). Thank you for reminding me that I just have to be specific and do it!! So, this doesn't only apply to sports ! 💓 Thank you.

[@robb1267]

Thank you for your honesty, experience, motivation, and expertise! Best wishes for your work certs. I have 3 goals for 2022. They are stretch goals, but you're right: what's the point of gimmies?!? -complete the 28 week training program I've already started -complete a century in June 2022 and beat my time from my only previous century (8 years ago) -increase my FTP from 231 to 300 (through #1 above) It's gonna take a lot of work, but I can do it!

[@EverythingIsPhotogenic]

Those are solid goals! Specific, actionable, and pushing your limits. They also connect really well to each other so you'll really appreciate the impact of all your hard work 💪

[@MrAttilaabri]

You are legit good at what you do; keep going! 100% bang on.

[@nihalhirani4105]

What great points. The race is against yourself, and internal dialogue has a huge impact…

[@saintuk70]

Morning from Scotland, and happy new year. I'm the fat old guy, but I know I can do better and already on the journey.... I'm here to learn more. You're absolutely right about what it takes to become good at what you do, it is hard work and lots of it. I only learnt to swim at the age of 11, but by the age of 14 I was swimming for Scotland.... it took training 7 days a week, most days twice a day, long hours in the pool whilst still trying to do school work. Getting up at 5am to travel across the city to train, then getting home usually by 9pm. Now, yeah, I'm realistic regarding current outcomes....but I know I will get out what I put in.

[@EverythingIsPhotogenic]

Awesome! We all are where we are today, but we can always learn and move closer to our goals 😃

[@cherylmcmurray383]

Great video and glad to see you sharing some really good advice.

[@thebluebell89]

Stoked to see a new video, and one that stays so applicable. I'll have a lot of planned time out this year for surgeries, so having to be a little less out there, a little more realistic what I'll be able to accomplish. To be honest the first task will be working out how to still get some exercise in to minimise losses. But I'm sure the surgical team will fill me in on that when I go in

[@paulmcneil7468]

Wow. This video was exactly what I needed. I have a a very vague set of goals and you have given me to courage to be very honest and specific with myself and my goals. I have been in acceptance mode for the last year and I’m honestly tired of it. Thanks so much for the direct and thoughtful conversation.

[@leonardlee9874]

Ok. Time for another video please 🤘

[@harryschuurman7026]

Excellent Presentation. I see myself falling into the traps you mentioned. I watched your heart rate video but I’am confused about max heart. My Strava uses a the 220 method 🚴🚴

[@samdudno]

Excellent video. My takeaways are... Targets I've just set: 1. Run Conwy Half Marathon 19th Nov 2023 in under 3 hours (I've never run more than 10km). 2. Run Nick Beer 10km 11th Feb 2024 in under 70 minutes (last attempt 81 minutes 31 seconds). 3. Run any 5km training or Parkrun (to be evidenced on Strava) in under 30 minutes by 11th Feb 2024 (current 5km are circa 34 minutes). I feel these are challenging targets for me. Previously, I just wanted to complete target No.1 (my first half marathon) in the 3 hours 30 minutes cut-off time. The least specific target is no.3 (5k under 30 minutes) as I haven't set a specific event for this, but I feel it will allow me to push on any days I feel in a good place. Also, working towards these goals should help me with weight loss, which in turn should help me with achieve the goals. In any event, to achieve these goals, I will need to change my identity to begin thinking of myself more in terms of being an athlete and making better choices accordingly: Better nutrition, improved sleep routines, more regular and focused training with better self-care to avoid injury. I am willing and able to prioritise my life to achieve the above goals. I plan to check back in November 2023 and February 2024 with updates. In the meantime, I am very grateful for this video. It feels like the nudge I needed right now! Thanks.

[@harrygrey1625]

Nice to see you gain, but that Bills jersey, well, Go Pats🙂. So much to talk about here. I’m goal oriented but not goal obsessed. For example, I’ve set a mileage goal in the saddle. Each year I’ve bumped it to make progress, but there is a limit to how much I am willing to give to it because I enjoy many other activities. With CVD, I could not ski as much last year, so I did much more time in the saddle. The result, 4700 miles., my original goal was 3000, which would have been my best yet. This year, I’m sticking to 4000 miles as I am also expecting to ski 60 days. Either way, I’ll work hard to get to these, but I’m not going to be upset if I don’t, because the goals don’t own me and there are times when I need to make other items the priority. I find it an interesting journey on how does one balance life demands and still strive to achieve the goals. I’ll check back in at the end of the year to see how we did. I’m on target for miles, I’m behind on ski days as I’ve had to prioritize family obligations. Great to see you on the screen and love the topic.

[@alanmajors9100]

So glad to see a fresh post from Teddy and Sarah. All I need to know is you were out because 'Life' is more than the time we spend on YT. Looking forward to using your content to grow in 22. Upgraded from basic wheel on trainer to a smart trainer. GOAL- Establish FTP and improve by 20 percent. Path will require more training and better specific training.

[@EverythingIsPhotogenic]

Oooh congratulations on the upgrade! You'll love it and never look back! It will come in handy toward your goal too, much more precision and better inertial feedback to work those power zones!

[@matt.eggleton]

Love this vid! Shared it on my coaching FB page -- I hope all the folks I reach connect to you too. BTW, I'm a displaced Buffalonian, now in Virginia. Go Bills!!!

[@EverythingIsPhotogenic]

Thank you so much for the support! Once from Buffalo, always from Buffalo 😁

[@tedchamberlain7560]

Love the Bills jersey

[@levesquenath444gm2]

Thanks for that very accurate and true video! What you're bringing in it is so true, setting myself some vague goals make my excuses for not meeting them more realistic and dilutes my deception. It will made me rethink my approach for this upcoming season...

[@EverythingIsPhotogenic]

We've all done it, and will probably do it again, but the aha moment really helps to avoid that trap. 🙂

[@axessdenyd]

That was good to hear, and kinda the sort of thing I've known all along while not really wanting to follow it to its conclusion. I've let myself go quite a bit over the past...many years, and I'm trying to work myself into better shape, and taking it more seriously this time (the new smart trainer I just got should help, Zwift is fun). I'm at the point where I think the most realistic goals for the year *are* things like "Finish this enduro" or "stay near the pack on the slow group ride", though....even under ideal conditions I think I'm at least a year from "middle of the pack finish", because that extra hundred pounds will take time.

[@EverythingIsPhotogenic]

I think its shifting your frame of reference. For lack of a better phrase "fuck realistic." I get what you're saying, 100%. But is the reason you're not targeting a mid pack finish now because you can't deal with the disappointment of failing? It's ok if that is the case, but imagine the progress you'd make by pushing yourself to that end each time. So what if you fail halfway and limp yourself through the rest or have to shut it down. The next time, you might make it 5 minutes longer, the next another 5... It's what you do with that failure that counts. Don't feel bad about it, reach for it, and if you truly gave it everything you had, praise the process, learn from it, and come back to fight another day. We are all where we are, a byproduct of our choices and actions. No reason to lament that, just push forward. Maybe it will take you a year, but what if... It takes you 8 months instead of 12 because you weren't afraid to fail? I bet you'd be pretty damn proud 🙂 Just something to think about.

[@Brian-fn8vc]

Nice to see you back after a little break. Good luck on the certification exams! What you say is very true, although in yesterday's TdZ ride, my goal was honestly just to finish. I hate climbs, still suck horribly at them. Couple that with having just recovered from 3 weeks of COVID, and a total lack of stamina ensues. I was very happy to manage to finish middle of the pack. As much as I would like to think I am a victim of genetics or something of the like, I know I am a victim of the fridge. That is a life-long battle, but running/cycling and other activities help keep that in balance at least. By the way, my kitten Bruce perks up when he sees Teddy at the start of your videos. I will have to try to catch that on camera one of these times. Cute and funny.

[@EverythingIsPhotogenic]

I don't think making a proximate goal to "just finish" is problematic if you're pursuing a stretch goal, or Jesus... Coming back from the scourge of the earth...not at all. Especially when its a mountain 😅 it's when people hover there in perpetuity. It's those incremental and iterative changes to your goals as you learn more. You know you can finish now, and do so respectably. If you wanted to attack the alpe again (no one is saying that has to be the goal lol) now you have a bench mark. You know what your challenges were/are and you could say something like by the end of the winter season I want to finish in X time, or finish a group event in the first third. Then you can deconstruct how to get there, sustained workouts, holding x W/kg for increasing periods of time for the climb, etc. As long as you're growing, thats the key. Could you have set some lofty goal to not only finish but be above the lower quartile? You could have, and if you still fell short, you gave it everything you had... But illnesses are tough like that, you could overdo it and that's not a failing thing, thats a set back your training thing. You'll be building back for a bit, I think in your case, goals can be temporarily more conservative to preserve your ability to aim high in the long term. You're pushing the system, that's good, but don't set yourself up for discouragement over physiological damage. It will come. Great job finishing well, that must have been a huge boost to your confidence post-covid. Teddy says hi to Bruce 😁

[@Brian-fn8vc]

@@EverythingIsPhotogenic At my age and physical ability as well as other priorities, I have no illusions of grandeur as to my athletic abilities. I do have goals that I believe are attainable, however. Will they take work? yep. Will there be set-backs? you betcha. Was it painful watching your video having to look at that Bills jersey as a Miami fan? 110% Contracting the plague has set my stamina back to levels that feel like the start of 2021 levels, but I will get there again I know. Great discussion points though! That's what I am loving about your videos, great insight and thoughtful! Keep up the great work :)

[@JibbaJabber]

Where were you in the early 90s?? This pep talk would have been far more useful back then. Anyway, ignoring your top, love the 'home truth' chat. Setting healthy challenging (realistic) goals will help attain and retain a positive mindset. We should also remember to enjoy the journey, and not just the destination. Nice to see you and Teddy 'the a-hole' back:)

[@EverythingIsPhotogenic]

🤣 don't hate... It's been over two decades, its about time... And Teddy never disappoints 😁

[@michaelhardie9193]

Carol Dweck Mindset. Do you and I have the same personal library? I read that book and the Ryan Holiday books every year. I find it helps me set my year.

[@nickyleary6005]

Guilty as charged although in my defence, your honour, I *am* British so not taking the p*** out of myself at every opportunity is going to be a hard habit to break. I rode my first imperial century in August 2021 and was training for that for a few months and was totally focused but after I completed it I didn't set another goal so I just pottered around a bit on the bike and my fitness has slid back and, you're right, I need a new goal! Thinking about doing the Rapha 500 next year as that seemed way out of reach in 2021 so could be something concrete to aim for... hmm, need to put some thought into this.

[@EverythingIsPhotogenic]

😅 Definitely! Something to aim for helps tremendously. You could really break down something like the Rapha 500 - how many days will you ride, how will you break down the mileage, fueling strategies, etc. You can practice and train toward all if those things and know along the way if you're on track. We've all been in that place where we don't plan for what's next and often regress to the mean. Being aware of it is half the battle 🙂

[@xuzadem]

Great video

[@EverythingIsPhotogenic]

Thank you! 🙏

[@minibigs5259]

There's he is!!!!

[@EverythingIsPhotogenic]

😆 showing everyone his favorite body part.

[@ZwiftingWithGranny]

Convicted.

[@EverythingIsPhotogenic]

What?? 😆

[@ZwiftingWithGranny]

@@EverythingIsPhotogenic You nailed it. It was like you were talking to me. I limit myself mentally because I know I can't physically ride well, and never have been a fast or very strong cyclist. But the difference is now I give myself excuses because of age and weight. I'm giving myself excuses to fail. I am still an opponent of "just finish", but I could be doing so much more to be a better cyclist. I bet if I really focused on more of my life along these lines, there would be a drastic improvement.

[@EverythingIsPhotogenic]

@@ZwiftingWithGranny I think Morgan and Brian need to step up their motivational skills. Leaving the room during a ride.... bad form, Brian!

[@ZwiftingWithGranny]

@@EverythingIsPhotogenic you tell him!🤣

[@backofthepack4553]

I am probably at the extreme end of your goal setting spectrum! I have a 5 year plan to get me up to 60 that will get me achieving some specific events and uk races as well as personal goals such as weight and performance stuff. For 2022 I have a set of yearly goals on training peaks and Garmin connect that are broken down to monthly goals and targets. These are all aligned to my race plan for the year. My big ones this year is an Olympic triathlon and a 5k river swim in the summer, I also have some other such as doing a solo 100 mile mtb ride to the coast and back on a trail we have in the uk called the downs link, have ridden one way down but not a down and back. I’m also going to learn how to SUP this year. I have a very detailed spreadsheet which supplements TP and Garmin where I do a lot of detailed analysis and comparison and digs deeper for me to keep on top of everything. Some might call it overkill but I’m a very structured person who needs to rigour and detail to keep me motivated

[@EverythingIsPhotogenic]

People would call that overkill because they are afraid of that level of granularity, but it really is the way people should treat their most important goals. If people choose goals for themselves and not for someone else, it doesn't feel like a chore. 💪

[@NathanLipkeEvilN8]

One of the things you touched on here that may deserve it’s own video is setting priorities. My HS track coach said: You only have enough time to be great at two things. You need to decide what those two are. When I went to college and ran track I quickly realized I was not willing to prioritize D3 athletics over my schoolwork and social life (as my teammates were changing their major and only hanging out with other track team members). It was a signal for me to quit the track team. However, I kept running and eventually moved into cycling. It’s ok to realize it’s not a top priority, but it’s still important and set appropriate goals based on the priority you give it.

[@EverythingIsPhotogenic]

You can do anything you want in life, but you can't do everything, that's for sure. People will bump into competing priorities, it's an inevitability. If they have not created that rank prioritization, they will either be paralyzed by indecision or sub-optimize between two or more tasks. For sure my top two priorities are my kill switch. If something competes with them, they win, no question. Between the two, they will typically follow the prioritization save for an emergency situation with either that might create a debilitating event or at extreme risk.

[@MrIanD1]

What is the book on your desk?

[@sandygross7823]

Thanks a great video! I checked out the workout plan because I want to increase my power. I have no idea how to do that, so I chose the 6 week Beginner FTP Builder. My current FTP is 114. I noticed my bias is set at 50%. What should it be? What is a realistic 6 week goal? I'm female, 59, 5'9", and 190 lbs. I ride pretty consistently during the warm weather, but I'm just not gaining power. Now I have a smart trainer and watched many of your videos. You explain things how I can understand. Thanks for your time.

[@EverythingIsPhotogenic]

Ask and you shall receive 😉 I think your plan choice is fine, its mostly about consistency. Continuing to put in the workouts and get proper recovery will yield results. It's tough to say what a good 6 week goal would be, it could be a 20 watt increase it could be 5. A lot depends on history and the earlier you are in training, the more aggressive those increases are. What you should feel, is that the efforts should be at a lower RPE and heart rate as you progress. Your repeatability (ability to recover faster and go back to hard efforts more often) will increase. Breathing rate, comfort, all of those things should improve by going through a 6 week plan of consistency. Perhaps sprinkling in some easier endurance rides between the workouts if time permits will yield better results, but beware of adding too much too soon. Depending on the intensity of the workouts in the plan, they could take more out of you than the duration would have you believe. Some of that might have to be by feel. If you're thinking of adding in an hour of endurance but your legs are heavy and you're feeling tired, scrap it. Make sure your sleep and nutrition are optimized - especially on training days. Lastly, don't be afraid to extend your warmup and cooldown. It can make a huge difference in performing during the workout and clearing lactate to recover before the next one. I know you said you have seen many videos, these are three I would recommend if you haven't yet seen them: Workouts 101 (zones explained): m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/pp-uZ5Jpp7isnpo Fitness Explained (talks about ramp rates and how fitness and fatigue are balanced): m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/m6O1ppmPbphja5I Workout Mode Explained (Talks about getting the most out of using the workout function in Zwift): m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/gYjWnpVtnq6fhJY Hope this helps 🙂

[@sandygross7823]

@@EverythingIsPhotogenic thanks so much!

[@NathanLipkeEvilN8]

Finally beat the Pats!

[@EverythingIsPhotogenic]

Bout effin time!!! 😅 and in such an epic fashion. I think the word "spanked" is appropriate here

[@GregoryNash]

Bill Belichick should have listened to this last summer ;)

[@EverythingIsPhotogenic]

Comment of the day! 😅

[@Roberto-Escobar]

I love your video. I disagree with working hard and being able to be the best. I personally believe there is a genetic part to athletics. At least in the running, I do see this. I used to train way more in HS than some of my peers, and they would run 1/4 of what I would run, and they didn't enjoy running and would do it for their parents, they would crush me on every run. They were just fast. They themselves didn't know why but they were faster than many on the team. I ran with really fast HS sprinters and they said they were all fast since they were young. Fastest runners coming out of Africa, Americans can't touch them even with all the training and technology in the world. I know about these two twin (Americans or austrialians) and then went to kenya to train to get faster. Despite getting very good they said these kenyans were on another level, despite themselves training really hard. Maybe this is all a limiting belief for me but that's what I'm perceiving.

[@SignorLuigi]

Here's my goal. I want to achieve an average power output over a 12 kilometer Zwift ride given by the formula, Power (avg) = 2("generic" max heart rate). For me, this formula yields 304 Watts. (Could I be your oldest subscriber???). But that's not all! To fulfill this goal, I also need to get a RIDE ON from Sarah sometime during the ride. I believe the 2nd condition might be the hardest to fulfill. But there was no way I was going to let you drop this goal setting pep talk on us without having you accept some responsibility for your actions. 🤣🤣🤣

[@EverythingIsPhotogenic]

🤣 Love this, I'll have to keep an eye out. I turned off notifactions so I'll have to crack open the companion app a little more 😉

[@SignorLuigi]

@@EverythingIsPhotogenic I have a way to go, so you have time. ⏳ I think I could avg. 250-260 Watts over 12 km right now. Having said that, getting Ride Ons from you is always special. 😁

[@MrIanD1]

Scratch that texted to soon.

[@keitmo]

SMART goals sound like a bunch of BS, but it actually works. SMART = Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. Your race goal is a perfect example -- "I'm going to win a race" is not SMART, but "I'm going to win XYZ race on June 15" is.

[@madiantin]

HOORAY! I've missed your face. And Teddy's face. So happy to see a video. Love the intro! My issue is the goals I have are more suited to the body I had about 10-15 years ago...and I don't have that body anymore. It's really irritating. Because, dammit, just as I have my life slowly coming to the point where I'm able to bike tour, my knees are getting sore when I cycle hills. Sigh. It just means I have to adjust. Maybe I go 30 miles a day rather than 50-70, and choose flatter routes.

[@EverythingIsPhotogenic]

It's all a process and you can find the right timeline to do what you want to do. It may take longer, it may take some research on ways to help your knees (KneesOverToesGuy is an exceptional resource and is highly recommended), but you'll get there. Sounds like you're already finding ways to get creative 🙂