Goals and participation trophies

Goals are important. I know that’s not exactly a monumental revelation, but it’s true. Not in a “you can do whatever you set your mind to” idealistic way, but in a “if there’s a risk that you’ll fail at something, it might help you get your ass in gear” motivational way.

When I was a real runner, my overarching goal was to qualify for nationals. It was ambitious yet achievable. I still enjoyed running at the time, but a motivating factor to keep me out the door and suffer just a little bit longer and train just a little bit harder was knowing that I only had a finite amount of time to get my body ready to run as fast as it possible could.

My new goal is somewhat laughable and reeks of mediocrity, but it still helps motivate the hopelessly competitive part of me to stick with this silly training regimen of mine. Previously (post-running career), my workout schedule went something like this: I'd do no physically demanding activities for a couple weeks until I felt especially fat and useless. Then I'd run for a couple days in a row, maybe four or five times over the course of two weeks until I was sufficiently convinced that I was no longer at risk of obesity. Then I’d go back to sitting around doing nothing until I hit rock bottom again. Now that I’ve set a measurable and achievable goal -- one that requires a consistent commitment to something besides playing video games and eating pizza -- I’m getting out (and staying out) the door on a much more regular basis. Good job me.

But that’s enough self-reflective patting on the back for now. The more important point I wanted to make was wishing good luck to Drew Polley and the Hansons-Brooks team at the Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston this weekend. I ran with Drew in college and whereas I wussed out after achieving mediocre collegiate success, he decided to continue living the dream and see how far this whole running thing could take him. And for the record, there's a difference between truly racing a marathon and simply completing one.

Anyone who's ever run competitively at any level has probably experienced that awkward conversation when someone discovers that you're a runner, immediately asks how fast you can run a mile and whether or not you've ever run a marathon. Then they go on to explain that their neighbor's uncle's brother-in-law has run like six marathons -- you should talk to him. Listen, I'm sure I painted some pretty finger paintings in kindergarten, but that doesn't mean I should compare notes with Michelangelo if another chapel needs its ceiling painted. Running a marathon is great, it's a hell of a lot better than if your idea of daily workout is opting to take the stairs instead of the elevator. But it's not the same as racing one. Drew and those guys work their asses off to do something more than just finish marathons.

Weekly mileage update:

Sunday: 5.4
Monday: 3.16
Tuesday: 0
Wednesday: 3.61
Thursday: 4.55