Process Goals vs Outcome Goals: Why Most Runners Set Goals Wrong (And How to Fix It)

Gang!

Let's talk about something that most runners get wrong from day one.

You set a goal. Maybe it's breaking 2 hours in the half marathon. Maybe it's finishing your first 10K. Maybe it's finally running that sub-40-minute 5K.

You get excited. You download a training plan. You start running. And everything you do is focused on ONE thing: that finish line, that time, that outcome.

And then life happens.

Maybe you get injured three weeks before race day. Maybe work or life explodes and you miss training runs. Maybe race day is hot, humid, or miserable and you don't hit your time goal even though you gave it everything you had.

And suddenly, all those weeks of training feel like they were for nothing. You're sad. Possibly heartbroken. And you feel like you were cheated.

THAT'S WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN WE PUT ALL OF OUR EGGS INTO THE RACE DAY BASKET. When we only define success by an outcome we can't fully control.

Outcome goals are exciting. They give us focus and a framework to play within. But they're fragile as hell.

I want to talk about why process goals matter much, much more than outcome goals—and how shifting your focus can completely transform your relationship with running (and honestly, with yourself).

What Are Process Goals in Running? (And Why They Matter More Than PRs)

Outcome goals are the big, shiny, measurable results (that often perform very well on social media):

• Run a sub-2-hour half marathon

• Finish your first marathon

• Break 25 minutes in the 5K

• Qualify for Boston (know anyone who has been screaming about this for a decade? OOP. It's me.)

Outcome goals are black and white. Very easy to qualify and cross off a list. DEEPLY satisfying because they're so simple to wrap your brain around. And they give you direction and motivation when you're starting out.

But here's the problem: Though they can feel like it's the only way to measure "success" or growth and improvement, outcome goals depend on things you can't always control.

The weather. Your health. Your hormones. A surprise work crisis the week before your race. A twisted ankle from running in the rain on a boardwalk (it's me again). Race day conditions. How your body feels that specific day. How you sleep. What you do the week before. The list can go on and on.

You can train perfectly and still not hit your outcome goal because of factors completely outside your control. And this is something that takes a very long time to accept. RACE DAY AND OUTCOMES ARE NEVER PROMISED.

Process goals are different. They're about HOW and WHY you show up every single day:

• Develop a mindfulness practice

• Practice accurate self-talk when things get hard

• Do your strength training twice a week

• Run slow, strong and steady on easy days (even when your ego wants you to push)

• Celebrate small wins along the way

• Go to physical therapy

• Give your personal best effort instead of focusing on executing times or workouts "perfectly"

• Work on catching and working through pre-defined limits

• Develop a warm up ritual to help make getting out the door easier

Process goals are about who you're becoming, not just what you're achieving.

And here's the magic: Process goals are bulletproof. They don't disappear when life throws curveballs. They don't vanish when you get injured or when race day doesn't go as planned.

The Problem With Outcome-Only Goal Setting for Runners (A Real Example)

I feel like a broken record but I've spent the last 2 years of my life working at my fourth attempt at qualifying for Boston. Publicly.

I'd failed to run a sub 3 hour 30 minute marathon (and one 3 hour 35 minute marathon once because when I started, that was my BQ standard). This time around, I wasn't afraid of failing because of how I approached my training.

My outcome goal was still there: Run a 3 hour 29 minute and 59 second marathon. That is what I was working towards.

But my WHY—my process goals—looked like this:

• Work on confidence at race pace during long runs

• Build self-efficacy racing the half-marathon

• Approach challenges with curiosity and excitement instead of dread and self-doubt

• Define success in terms of personal best effort and personal best effort only

• Become a smarter runner

• Approach my strength work the same way I do my running

• Ask for help when I need it (This was actually the hardest one of the bunch)

Those process goals? I could work on them almost every single day. Rain or shine. Good run or bad run. They weren't dependent on the finish line.

And honestly? Even though I didn't qualify, I still felt proud. If I'm being honest, I learned that before this time around, I was using my outcome goal to prove that I was good enough. Now, I understood that the only person I needed to make proud was me. And because I showed up, continued to build my mental strength and give myself my best, I learned to trust myself. I became a different runner—and a better person—because of the process.

The outcome didn't define my success. The process did.

How to Set Process Goals for Marathon Training (That Actually Work)

Process goals aren't vague feel-good statements. They should be specific, actionable, and meaningful to YOU.

Here are some examples of how to reframe your running goals:

Instead of: "I want to PR in the half marathon"
Try: "I want to practice staying calm and confident when my legs start to feel tired during long runs"

Instead of: "I want to get faster"
Try: "I want to start to work on how I talk to myself when I see certain paces in training and speed play days"

Instead of: "I want to finish my first marathon"
Try: "I want to show up for myself consistently, even on days when motivation is low"

Instead of JUST: "I want to run a sub 6 hour marathon"
Try: "I want to ask questions about my training plan so I can start to see the paces I'm running in training so I can feel confident on race day"

See the difference? Process goals focus on effort, mindset, and choices you can control TODAY.

What to Do When You Miss Your Race Goal

Here's what I see all the time:

Runners train for months with their eyes locked on one specific goal. And when race day doesn't go as planned—because of weather, injury, life stress, or just a bad day—they feel like failures.

They forget about:

• The mental strength they built

• The early mornings they conquered

• The hard workouts they pushed through

• The confidence they developed

• The community they found

• The fun they had

• The person they became along the way

All of that growth? It still happened. It still counts. It still matters.

But if you only measure success by an outcome, you miss it entirely.

The Real Question: Is Running Worth It If You Never Make It to Race Day?

Life is unpredictable. Training plans get derailed. Races get canceled. Injuries happen. Work explodes. Family emergencies pop up.

So here's my question: If you never make it to race day, was your training still worth it?

If your only goal is the outcome? Probably not.

But if you've been focused on the process—on showing up for yourself, building mental strength, proving you can do hard things, becoming more resilient—then hell yes, it was worth it.

Because those lessons don't disappear when a race gets canceled. That growth doesn't vanish when you don't hit your time goal.

Process goals build a version of you that's stronger, more confident, and more capable—regardless of what happens on race day.

Building Mental Strength Through Process-Focused Running

Here's what I want you to do this week:

1. Name your outcome goal. What's the big shiny thing you're chasing? Write it down.

2. Now ask yourself: If I accomplish this goal, what will it say about me? (Be honest. Is it that you're strong? Committed? Capable? Brave?)

3. Why is that important to you in your life right now? (Why does this matter beyond running?)

4. Set 2-3 process goals that focus on HOW you're showing up every day, not just WHAT you're trying to achieve.

When you shift your focus from "Did I hit my time goal?" to "Did I give my best effort? Did I show up with intention? Did I talk to myself with kindness?"—everything changes.

You stop measuring your worth by a finish line. You start measuring it by who you're becoming.

(This is an exercise straight from week 1 of our training journals. When you join a Training Experience or the BALG Training Team, you get access to our training journals to help you develop mental strength and resilience which make you a smarter and stronger runner)

The Bottom Line

Outcome goals are fun. They're motivating. They give you something to chase. I'm not saying DON'T set outcome goals. You can, I just want you to focus even more on process goals.

Because process goals? Process goals are what actually transform you.

They're what keep you going when motivation fades. They're what make training feel meaningful even on the hard days. They're what build a relationship with running (and with yourself) that lasts way beyond race day.

So yes, chase your outcome goals. Dream big. Sign up for that race.

But don't put all your eggs in that basket.

Focus on the process. Focus on who you're becoming. Focus on giving your personal best effort every single day.

Because that? That's something you can control. And that's where the real magic happens.

Need Support Building Process Goals and Mental Strength?

This is exactly the kind of work we do in every BALG training experience and on the Training Team.

We don't just hand you a training plan and say "good luck." We help you understand WHY you're doing each workout, HOW to adapt when life gets messy, and WHAT to do when your brain starts spiraling.

We work on mental game training. We practice accurate self-talk. We celebrate process wins. We build the kind of confidence that doesn't disappear when things don't go perfectly.

The BALG Training Team gives you daily access to Coach Kelly via live coaching calls Monday-Friday as well as by email, customized training plans, mental game tools, strength videos, and a community that gets it—all for $89.99/month or $599.99/year. If you're looking for affordable running coaching, this is for you.

Or check out our affordable self-guided running plans for affordable, expert training with mental game support built in.

Running is hard enough. You don't have to figure out the mental side alone.

Keep putting those coins in the coin jar, Gang.

-Coach Kelly