I think goals and targets for the year are all very personal. I have approached it a few ways over the years with varying results.
One trend I am seeing a lot of, that I have done before is taking consistency too far. Setting a goal of X hours or km a week every week, or the stupidest thing of the Strava 20mins a day every day. Everyone needs an off season. You can't grind every day for years on end, you need to step back and rest and recover both physically and mentally. Same reason everyone has leave from work. You need the break. Training and keeping fit is work, so you need the break, end of story.
In terms of setting goals and deciding what to chase the usual approach has always worked for me.
Goals need to be realistic/achievable
Goals need exact cut off dates and need to be broken down into short, middle and long term.
Goals need to be measurable- This is a tough one because with training they can be measurable and useless at the same time. Someone doing a structured program of 7 hours a week might be feeling inept hearing about someone else doing 14 hours a week mostly junk miles. SO in his mind his measurement is short, but in reality his output is far more refined and better in many ways. This is why I hate a km or hour based goal for a year. You will resort to junk miles to achieve it. You will be tired and grumpy sitting there on a bike just to get hours or km. You won't feel better, you won't enjoy it you won't get as much return for your time and then at the end of the year you will sit going should I be chasing a goal for next year or am I over this?
My last big one on goals is that they need to scare you to a certain extent. While I said above goals need to be realistic/achievable, you actually want something as close to the limit there as possible. An easy goal like a 947/CTCT that you have done 20 times before is not really going to inspire you. Unless you up the pressure and give yourself a time/ftp output/pace goal for it. With 10k km this year and 20 of the various races under the belt. Just finishing them is more a tick box exercise than an actual challenge... Maybe set a time goal, or set an FTP test for 2 weeks before the tour and aim for a specific power goal for that and then you know with a taper from there you should smash the race.
On a personal front all fitness goals last year were an absolute stuff up. Broke my toe 5 days before my first road run marathon. Managed an ok time but far from what I was hoping for. Sat on the couch for nearly 4 months when I broke the same toe on the same step in the shower a few weeks after the first incident. That one required some panel beating. I walked away from another goal that was just so lackluster and not a serious challenge in my mind I was never really committed. Ended the year fat, unfit, unhealthy and burnt out at work. I did the least km and least hours I have done in about 17 years. But it has me in the right frame of mind to get focused again. I needed the second half of the year just taking a gap from training. A big off season, in 2023 I had a really really big year and I honestly think I was not totally recovered from that and needed the gap.
This year I have entered silk road mountain race so I have a big one to chase and a lot of work to do. But I am in the right frame of mind now and the progress is good so far because I am in the right frame of mind having rested.
