Goal Setting as a Seasonal Athlete

Shifting Mindset from Winter to Summer

I’m a skier. While that singular word doesn’t define the entirety of me, it is a core part of my identity. I’m a skier more than I am a runner, more than I am a biker. 

Being a seasonal athlete can be exciting, exhausting, challenging, and incredibly rewarding. But context switching can be hard. The shoulder seasons can feel like void space, your ‘off-season’ can feel like dead time. If you let it.

As seasons change I try and set up a goal structure that keeps me directed through the summer and fall, specifically. This summer I’m giving myself month-by-month goals to keep me motivated throughout the ‘off-season’. This year I’m focusing on three core concepts:

1. Lean into Seasonality
2. Establish a Structure for the Off-Season
3. Identify ‘Challenge Zone’ Opportunities

Lean Into Seasonality

I live for winter. The darkness, cold, and wet feels calming. Here in the PNW summer feels like endless sunshine, blue skies, and opportunity. It’s somewhat ironic that the lovely weather stresses me out but it does. I feel a pressure to take advantage of every single moment as I would in the wintertime when a weather window rolls around.

I’ve had to learn to embrace the seasonality of summer. The long days provide ample opportunity to lounge by the river, take evening bike rides, and generally ease off the gas pedal a bit. So what’s the takeaway here? Whatever your season is, embrace the opposite when it comes. It gives your body, and especially mind, a chance to cross-train. 

Tip: I like to set objectives and reflect on them at the start and end of each season. I wrote another reflective piece that’s got some good tidbits!

Establish a Structure for the Off-Season

Two summers ago I struggled with feeling in the ‘void’ between ski seasons. Each day brought sunny skies, perfect weather, and blended together. I lacked motivation to put together any sort of adventure plans because ‘why not just do it tomorrow’? This year I’m structuring my time more to combat this. 

This summer I’ve set up month-by-month goals to break up the months between snowflakes. Each month has a primary, secondary, and tertiary ‘goal’ or objective; it’s not intended as a ‘tick list’ but rather an intentional exercise of identifying experiences that would feel meaningful at the end of the summer looking back. If I get to each of these, great! If not, that’s fine…they will always be there.

This ‘framework’ can be adapted beyond mountain running or biking, to any sport really. If you’re a mountain runner and winter is your off-season, what are novel experiences that you could have each month of the winter? 

Tip: If you’re not super comfortable with spreadsheets, read my previous piece on how to use Google Sheets to organize your outdoor pursuits!

Identify ‘Challenge Zone’ Opportunities

This past year I’ve reflected a lot on the idea of challenge. There’s a visual of concentric circles I like to imagine, a Venn diagram of sorts. There’s your comfort zone, your challenge zone, and your panic zone. Your comfort zone lies comfortably within your limits; your panic zone outside of your limits, too far beyond. 

Before goal setting I like to ask myself which zone do I want to be in? What kind of challenge am I seeking? I find this very important because it also leads to how friends and adventure partners may fit into the goal. 

For me, if it’s a challenge zone goal it becomes a more complex calculus. I’ve found, recently, that depending on the level of challenge or ‘stretch’ it can be difficult to have space for other people. Sometimes you need to consume all the air around you to stay focused and dedicated to your goal. It’s not a knock against the people you care about, it’s part of the focus in the moment. For me, at least. But that’s not true for everyone, some people really benefit and level up when they have their partner-in-crime right beside them.

The reflection is important here. I like to sit with my thoughts for a bit, in the safety of my home on my couch, thinking ahead on what level of challenge I am going for. It anchors me in the mindset for the day.

What Do I Need to Get There?

This is where training and dedicated practice comes in. Assess your current state, whether that is fitness or technical skill or head game. Where are you at now? Then establish your future state: where do you need to be for success? What is success?

Lots of leading questions here but think of it as a simple mathematical exercise: plot one point, call it ‘A’, and make it your now; plot another point, call it ‘B’, and make it your ‘then’. There’s not necessarily a line between them, but maybe a funky, curious curve that represents your journey. 

Wrapping It Up…

Seasons are nature’s way of forcing change, forcing plantlife to adapt just as much as humans. Globetrotting in pursuit of year-round snow or sun can be exhilarating, but hanging up your shoes or putting storage wax on your skis can make those months you do have with your sport feel special. 

When the rains come in November, it’s time to watch those ski stoke movies, get that strength routine going, and do your snow dance! And when the flowers start to bloom in April and May it’s time to get your Crocs, sunglasses, and tan lines going! When you look at seasons in this manner, the fun really never ends…