While there is plenty of focus on the physical side of activity, RunWalk participants must also con-sider the psychological aspect. This includes setting goals .

There are three types of goals: outcome, performance and process.

1) Outcome goals focus on the results of an activity and usually involve a sense of winning, losing and crossing the finish line. In this context, very few individuals ultimately win. This means that we can perform to the best of our ability and we still lose in outcome terms. We need to be careful to not focus too much attention on outcome goals, as they can undermine our sense of confidence and belief in our abilities as we do not have complete control over the outcome.

2) Performance goals relate to "how we compete." We can have performance goals in all domains - technical, physical and psychological. The importance of performance goals is that they are essentially under our control and are independent of the outcome. Performance goals help us develop a sense of confidence and belief in our skills.

3) Process goals relate to how we prepare to perform. These goals are very much under our control: sleep, nutrition, equipment, training behaviour, travel, etc. It's important to have process goals as they also help develop our confidence and belief in our skills.

As we establish performance and process goals rather than outcome goals, our focus shifts to competence: how we feel about ourselves rather than competition.

David Cox is a sport psychologist.

. Do you have any questions or thoughts for topics? Send your ideas to info@sportmedbc.com.

Next week: What comes after the Sun Run?

RUN OF THE WEEK

MARTHY MERIT-CAPRIOLE, VANCOUVER

Bio: I am very lucky to be the coordinator of the Dunbar Sun Run InTraining clinic. It's exciting to get together with our clinic each week, enjoying the numerous trails in our neighbourhood as we prepare for the Sun Run.

Run: From the Dunbar Community Centre, we head to the nearby Pacific Spirit Regional Park. A typical route on clinic day begins at 33rd Avenue at the wide-open Sasamat trail. Majestic old growth trees and thick bushes surround us and the variety of terrain engages our muscles and our brains, helping us become better runners and making for a more interesting place to run. The trails have a unique feel: some are wide, others narrow and windy; some have steep hills while others are flat. They challenge us to improve our running form, technique and fitness level.