Setting Goals

Setting a goal is an important component to doing your best in running, and in life in general. Having a goal allows you to focus your attention on what you are striving to accomplish. It can be as grand as wanting to run a marathon on every continent, or as simple as making it to the gym this afternoon. Regardless of the challenge, there is no greater feeling than checking something off of your to do list. You did it! Often, I find that many people fail to challenge themselves, or live up to their full potential. We all are filled with incredible talent, no matter what it may be in, but it gets swept beneath our fast paced, technology driven lives. Ask yourself, in the time it takes you to text your friends, watch youtube videos, comment on your friend's wall, pin countless pictures of clothing you cannot afford, a wedding that will only occur in your mind, and recipes you may never cook, and making sure not to miss the latest episode of any of the Real Housewives on Bravo, could I be doing something more productive with my time? Okay, I know what you are thinking, and I would be lying if I said I was not guilty of doing any of these things. It causes me to wonder, am I making the best of my time? Am I reaching my potential? Currently, the answer is no to both. I find myself tangled in other people's lives through social networking, crumbling my self-esteem by looking at sculpted bodies on pintrest, and feel inferior by comparing my life to the glamorous women of reality television. Why do we do this to ourselves? Why do we constantly compete with, and compare ourselves to others? Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are. In the time it takes to fill your mind with negative thoughts and doubt, you could have your plan mapped out for your next great accomplishment. It is time to deactivate, logoff, and tune into ourselves.

One of my favorite questions I get asked by others when they hear that I am a runner is how I run so many miles, for so many hours, and how they could never do it. Ding ding ding, red light, there is the problem right there. If you do not believe in yourself, you cannot achieve anything. It does not matter who you are today, it matters who you will become in the future. If we do not change the path we are heading on, we cannot expect to travel on a different road. Each time I lace up my sneaks, pin on my bib, and head to the starting line of another race I think of where I started my running career. It was on the soccer fields of my middle school, during gym class, when we were expected to run the dreaded one mile run. As an overweight, grease food filled sixth grader, this was the worst day to come to school. I remember the awful feeling finishing the fourth lap, last in my class, with a time of 14:38. Although it could have been far worse, it felt like an eternity to the other students who had finished more than five minutes ahead of me. That is a time I will never forget. As I dragged my weighted feet along the finish line, I carried defeat, shame, and embarrassment. I was tired of being tormented over my weight, appearance, and not being athletic. Without setting a goal, I am almost positive I would not be training for my third marathon.

Now, I fully understand that it is not as simple as saying I am going to do this, do it, and check it off of your list. In fact, achievement is rarely ever a straight line. For me, it took years of running middle and high school track to gain the speed, endurance, and confidence to power me through my first half marathon. It is important to set a realistic goal, and not one that is effortless, because there certainly is no satisfaction in that. Remember, "Nothing is impossible, the word itself says I'm possible!" Currently, my goal is to follow this training guide, and finish my next marathon in a much quicker time than the last. I also plan to eat much cleaner. What is your goal?

Marathon Training Schedule: Intermediate 1

	MON	TUE	WED	THU	FRI	SAT	Sun
1	Cross	3 m run	5 m run	3 m run	Rest	5 m pace	8
2	Cross	3 m run	5 m run	3 m run	Rest	5 m run	9
3	Cross	3 m run	5 m run	3 m run	Rest	5 m pace	6
4	Cross	3 m run	6 m run	3 m run	Rest	6 m pace	11
5	Cross	3 m run	6 m run	3 m run	Rest	6 m run	12
6	Cross	3 m run	5 m run	3 m run	Rest	6 m pace	9
7	Cross	4 m run	7 m run	4 m run	Rest	7 m pace	14
8	Cross	4 m run	7 m run	4 m run	Rest	7 m run	15
9	Cross	4 m run	5 m run	4 m run	Rest	Rest	Half Marathon
10	Cross	4 m run	8 m run	4 m run	Rest	8 m pace	17
11	Cross	5 m run	8 m run	5 m run	Rest	8 m run	18
12	Cross	5 m run	5 m run	5 m run	Rest	8 m pace	13
13	Cross	5 m run	8 m run	5 m run	Rest	5 m pace	20
14	Cross	5 m run	5 m run	5 m run	Rest	8 m run	12
15	Cross	5 m run	8 m run	5 m run	Rest	5 m pace	20
16	Cross	5 m run	6 m run	5 m run	Rest	4 m pace	12
17	Cross	4 m run	5 m run	4 m run	Rest	3 m run	8
18	Cross	3 m run	4 m run	Rest	Rest	2 m run	Marathon