Thrive wherever life takes you #9
The Power of Process Goals: Rethinking How We Measure Success
Over the past two decades I have stood at the starting line of over 100 running races. My identity as a runner and my goals and expectations for races have varied over the years, ranging from have a good experience, to I just want to finish this thing, to setting a new PR, or more recently, winning or placing in the top 3. I believe that all these goals have contributed to success- which as a competitive but amateur athlete I’ll define as improving my capabilities as a runner while continuing to find joy in running.
Sometimes though, if I’m being completely honest with myself, performance goals have felt detrimental to my success. Earlier this year I found myself at the starting line of a race where my primary goal was my finish time. It wasn’t the type of course I was going to set a PR on, and I didn’t expect to win, yet I spent a lot of energy before the race studying the course, making a spreadsheet, determining splits, and thinking about the finish time I was capable of running on a good day. Then, as ultra races often do, the race unfolded differently than I had planned. The heat spiked, my stomach turned, I felt dizzy, my legs didn’t respond the way I wanted. Instead of adjusting, I doubled down on chasing the outcome. I convinced myself this is what a tough, mentally resilient athlete would do. But as I stayed committed (stuck) in my (overly rigid, outcome-oriented) goal I spiraled into frustration as the minutes slipped away making my goal less and less likely.
By the second half, my head wasn’t in it anymore. The mental chatter was loud and self-critical. The race had stopped feeling like an opportunity and had started feeling like a failure. I had fixated too exclusively on my finish time. I had not dedicated enough time to define alternative ways the day could feel successful, meaningful, and worth the pain and discomfort. I couldn’t reframe the race as an opportunity to stay present, to work through difficulty, to overcome setbacks, or to demonstrate resilience in the way ultra races demand. And because the only reason I had given myself to push through the pain and discomfort was no longer feasible, I had no reason to keep going. Dangerous headspace for any ultra runner.
With a 100-mile race one month away I’ve been reflecting on what went wrong and I’ve committed to doing the mental work to show up ready.
Performance Goals vs. Process Goals
In sports psychology, we can distinguish between two types of goals:
Performance (or outcome) goals: Results-based and measurable. They’re external, like running a marathon under 3:00, finishing top 10, or hitting a PR. These goals are motivating because they give us a tangible benchmark. But they’re also vulnerable to factors outside our control- weather, competition, getting a cold the week before the race, tweaking your knee, among plenty of other things!
Process goals: Focused on the how. They’re about the behaviors, strategies, and mindset we bring to racing. Examples include finishing strong, working through problems as they arise, using self-talk to reset during tough moments, showing gratitude toward crew and race volunteers, fueling even if I don’t feel like it, or accepting and moving through the lows. These goals are actionable and always within our control, which makes them powerful anchors when performance metrics start to wobble.
Research suggests that both are important. Performance goals stretch us by giving us something to aim for. Process goals build the foundation beneath our feet. Athletes who use both types are more consistent and more resilient when things don’t go to plan (Hardy et al., 2001; Burton & Weiss, 2008). Process goals don’t lower the bar. They build a sturdier ladder.
Why Process Goals Matter (Especially in Ultras)
The longer and harder the event, the more variables we can’t control. In a 100-mile race, performance goals can feel like sand slipping through your fingers. Temperature, terrain, blisters, GI distress- any one of these can derail a finish time target. But process goals give us something steady to return to.
They also help us stay mentally engaged. Research on attentional focus shows that athletes who anchor their attention on controllable actions (like breathing rhythm, stride form, or repeating mantras) are more likely to sustain effort under fatigue. This isn’t just a psychological trick- it can directly influence performance by keeping arousal levels balanced and preventing cognitive overload.
What I’m Doing Differently
With my 100-miler on the horizon, I’ve been asking myself- how do I want to show up when things get hard? How do I want to define success, regardless of the outcome? Here are the process goals I’m carrying with me into this race:
Be present for the experience. Remind myself that this will include moments of enjoyment and moments of discomfort. This is exactly where I am meant to be. Moments of discomfort are not something “bad” to be avoided at all costs, working through the lows and the moments of discomfort are part of why I signed up for this adventure.
Be curious in discomfort. Instead of labeling these moments as “bad” or “failures” try asking What do I need right now? What will it feel like to come out the other side of this? Remind myself of the training runs I’ve been on where discomfort comes up but then goes away. It’s not linear. It doesn’t always get worse.
Be grateful. For my body and it’s ability to do hard things, for the chance to explore a beautiful place on foot, for my crew taking time of out busy lives to support me. Really it’s just a day where all I have to worry about is running. It’s an opportunity to do something I love in a place that I love surrounded by people who I love.
Visualize. What would these miles feel like if I knew with 100% certainty that I would finish this race strong.
Have an anchor word. One word that I’ve been using lately in running and in life is maybe. Maybe you wont be able to hold this pace in 20 miles, but maybe you can. Maybe the ache in my knee wont go away. But maybe it will. Maybe this will hurt really bad. But maybe it wont feel as bad as my brain is anticipating. Hold loosely.
If this post resonates with you, whether you’re an athlete, a professional, or simply someone navigating a big transition, try this: Take 10 minutes this week to write about a current goal you’re working toward. First, name the performance goal- what’s the outcome you hope for? Then, list 3–5 process goals that will help guide you there, focusing on actions, habits, or mindsets fully within your control. How might committing to these process goals change the way you experience the journey?