In this article, Mike Kramer points out the ultimate truth in any success story: the #1 indicator of success is to set goals. JD Roth of Get Rich Slowly relates goal-setting in fitness to goal-setting in finance, which I find just as applicable. In my end-of-the-year meme, I talked about finding the beauty in between the lines of the goals, and it’s an idea, I still believe in: I set the goals to become a better person when I accomplish them. But when it comes to motivation to complete the goals, ultimately, I’m not motivated by the means of a process so much as the end.
I say this because even though I’ve become such a better person about getting fit (I joined SparkPeople, and I cannot stop recommending it to people), I need a reason to get fit to stay motivated. To quote W.H. Murray, “Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back.” I found out that Hale Farm is having their “Opening Weekend” 5K run through the farms of Bath, OH. I said, “Shit, why not?” and signed both The Boy and I up for it. And now, I can’t shut up about it: about training, the excitement, how proud I am of myself for taking this huge step in fitness….
I’m training using the C25K program, and my goal is to make it through the Hale Farm’s run jogging the entire time. If I can peg a time for completion, that’s good too – it will be great for comparison for the future. I have had a hard time being a “runner” in the past, but I really want to be, and I have the physique, the energy, and the drive to do it this time.
By setting the goal of running a 5K in June, not only am I committed to actually doing the training for running, I am committed to the strength training that accompanies training for a 5K.When I had re-started horseback riding again at 20, I rode for the summer at a high-caliber training stable which had an actual gym on the ground, so the equestrians that were training for multi-state competition could engage in cardio and strength-training programs to complement training on horseback. The concept had a major impact on me since that day, which is why I’m so committed to not be singularly-focused on just running as part of training.
Once I complete the C25K program, I’m assuming that I will graduate to a more intense program for more accomplished runners (my logic is that actually running in a 5K at the end of C25K means that I am not allowed to call myself a n00b anymore). My plan is to find another 5K to run in, and using the time I clocked for the Hale Farm 5K, train and clock in at a shorter time.
Who knows: maybe I’ll want to do a half-marathon next spring?
The Blog of JulZ 