Half Marathon? Here I Come!

For the past 17 weeks, I’ve been in a Marathon Training Class. A few weeks ago, we talked about goals. I’ve always been a goal-setter. I enjoy the feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction when I achieve a goal. But a few weeks ago, I learned to think about goals in a different way.

Our marathon teacher asked us to set not one, but three goals for the race. The first goal is a base goal, a goal that will be “acceptable” to you, no matter what happens. Lots of things can happen on the day of the race. I could wake up with a cold. It could rain. A thunderstorm or tornado could pass through town. Or the weather could be brutally hot. Many things beyond my control may happen on race day, and so my “acceptable” goal, my base goal for the Half Marathon, is to finish the race, whether I run it, walk it, or crawl it.

Then our teacher asked us to set a second type of goal, a “moderately challenging” one. This is the goal that will make us really happy to achieve. So my “moderately challenging” goal is to run the entire course. No walking, no crawling. Running all the way!

And then the third type of goal is a “very challenging” goal--the kind of goal you achieve on a perfect day--where the stars align, the weather conditions are pristine, you feel great, and all is well in your world. And so my “very challenging” goal is to complete the race in 2 hours, 38 minutes (which is about a 12-minute mile).

Throughout much of my life, I’ve been single-minded in my approach to goals: I’ve looked at goals as black or white, hit or miss, as something to succeed at or something to fail at. But training for the Half Marathon has not only shifted how I view my body, it has shifted how I view my goals. Now I see goals in three ways: “acceptable,” “moderately challenging,” and “very challenging.” That way, no matter what happens the day of the race, I’ll be happy!

And no matter what happens in life, I’ll be happy, too!

Up Next: Before and After