Sport is somewhat like politics these days in that competitions that capture all of our attention and are the only topic of conversation are suddenly just…not. Perhaps we have a short attention span, because it wasn’t so long ago when the UK was inundated by coverage of the Men’s Euro 2024. But by the time the leagues of England supporters sobered up to face that football was not ‘coming home’, the public had already moved on. And what better place to focus our attention on than the Paris Olympics. After all, the Olympics never disappoint in showcasing a mix of incredible talent, record-breaking feats, and a touch of high drama and controversy that guarantees to entertain the masses…for at least the next two weeks. All eyes are now focused on Team GB, as they battle it out against the rest of the world’s greatest athletes and try to make it to an exclusive podium. Brutally, all of the attention is on the medal winners, and the athletes who don’t quite make it there are almost overlooked.

It may be harsh but in the Olympics (and the Euros) you’re either winning or losing, and no one is as interested in hearing about a fourth place’s journey. The winners not only inspire the rest of us to get fit, take up sport and achieve, they also make it very easy to believe that winning is everything. But maybe it’s a human instinct to zone in entirely on the prize, especially when you see others try to do something almost superhuman. However, as mere mortals, life and reality often get in the way of any overly ambitious goals to make a podium. And by only ever focusing on getting a result, you are guaranteed to be sometimes disappointed. It makes much more sense to put winning into perspective by shifting the focus onto how to get there.

Although this is not to say that you shouldn’t have success (or reaching a podium) in mind whenever you decide to take on some new sporting challenge. But it is more effective to set a number of different goals that will work like steps towards it. Having more steps to work on will help keep you going rather than giving up when things get tough. You will also be more able to recognise your winning efforts and the accomplishments you made, even if ultimately you don’t succeed. And finding success and enjoyment by triumphing in other ways than winning can only encourage you to keep participating in sport.

So if the Olympics have inspired you to sign up for a running event, then try to set yourself several goals from the start. Rather than just training with the sole podium aim of running a new distance or trying smash your PB, think about the steps you need to take to get there. Some goals could include completing all of the training you have planned, staying injury-free throughout, keeping healthy, feeling mentally prepared and finally, making it to the start-line feeling ready. Next, set some more goals as steps for the actual event but remember to keep them broad. Realistically, no matter how prepared you are, you can never predict what will happen on the day and a slight change in weather or course alteration can wreak havoc. Which means that even if you have trained for weeks and months to run for a certain time in a race, you should set some more modest goals for when things wrong. By all means, set yourself that podium goal of the event, but decide what other shorter or slower benchmarks you would also be happy to achieve. Fundamentally, running a race involves a lot more than just trying to bag a time, so also include some other goals that you wouldn’t normally consider. They could include getting your nutrition and drinking strategies right during the race, not getting injured, not getting blisters, not walking, enjoying the event and lastly, making it to the finish, avoiding a DNF. This way, whether or not you achieve your podium goal, you will still be able to see it in terms of what went right.

Changing your perspective away from reaching the podium and towards the steps that get you there is not just useful for sport. It can help with another contentious area that’s often seen in terms of success or failure: eating a healthy diet. Setting several goals as steps towards changing your diet is practically a recipe for success, because it helps you avoid making any radical changes and giving up when it gets too hard. For example, if you are a longtime meat-eater and serial salad-dodger, it would be very difficult to take on the challenge of eating a vegetarian diet. However, focusing on some goals that will lead like steps towards success will help to get you far.

Your goals could include trying to cut down on the animal sources you already consume, trying to eat a broader range of fruits and vegetables, trying to eat more types of pulses, beans and vegetarian protein sources, trying to eat more wholegrains and fibre-rich sources of carbohydrates, and finally, trying to resist reaching for the many ultra-processed vegetarian alternatives. As you accomplish these steps, it will be easier to recognise the changes you made even if you don’t finally reach the vegetarian podium. Of course, it goes without saying that eating a healthy diet is not exclusive to vegetarians. There are just as many healthy diets that include some meat, as there are unhealthy vegetarian and vegan diets.

As another sporting competition continues to keep us transfixed to the tv there is a lot we can learn from these Olympians. Firstly, that dedication, sacrifice and pure hard graft can lead you to the highest accolades. But maybe there is something else that we can also take on from those who are often overlooked. We may not hear much about the thousands of other athletes that don’t make the podium but they are at least as inspirational by not giving up. It is worth considering this whenever you take on any new challenge especially if you live a life less Olympian. Whether you are inspired to get fit, enter an event or change your diet, remember that winning or reaching a podium isn’t everything. But setting more goals as steps will keep you going and this can only help you triumph.

With the weather in Paris and the UK absolutely sweltering, I thought a recipe for something thirst quenching was in order. This Watermelon smoothie really hits the spot after a long run in the heat.