Running Goals

As I continue working on my other posts. I figured I would post a short blog describing my running goals. When I established these goals, it was important to have objectives which varied both in time and in type (Outcome Vs Performance). There are multitudes of goal-setting and motivational theories which establish appropriate ways to set goals and the best way to achieve those goals. This topic is fascinating to me, so I will definitely post a more in-depth blog about goal-setting and motivation, but for now let’s scrutinizes my goals!

Voilà:
1) Becoming a member of the Seven Continent Club
2) Running the five major Marathons
3) Qualifying for the Boston Marathon

When I started running I immediately was attracted to the lure of the Boston Marathon, the oldest annual marathon which is a very prestigious event for the everyday runner. There is something special about The Boston Marathon, as there are not many sports where you can refer to an event by only mentioning the name of the city it’s held in... (ei. Have you done Boston?) Therefore, setting Boston as a goal to keep me motivated was a ‘’no-brainer’’. (Performance goal)

As I became a more serious runner and started completing marathons, I found out that qualifying for Boston would not be an easy task and that I should start setting outcome goals to counter the inevitable defeat of not qualifying for Boston on a short term basis. Hence, I decided that I wanted to run the five Major Marathon (This is an ironic goal... you’ll find out as I name the Major Marathons). Therefore, by setting this goal, I am relying less on performance (time) and more on outcome (completing the marathon). So, even if I don’t run a PR in a Major Marathon (or BQ), I am still one step closer to attaining a goal. Therefore, my self-efficacy remains intact and I am still motivated to run, as I am still achieving my objectives. By the way the five majors are:

• Berlin Marathon
• London Marathon (Done)
• Chicago Marathon (October 2010)
• New-York Marathon (Nov. 2011)
• Boston Marathon!!!

My last goal is a long term goal, maybe even a lifetime goal. I set this ‘’outcome’’ goal, so I will be motivated to run for the rest of my life. The reality of ‘’growing’’ (as Dr George Sheehan would say) is that my times are going to get slower as I get older, so setting a long term goal with a performance standard, would be setting me up for serious disappointment. So, basically my lifetime running goal is an outcome goal and it’s to run on all Seven Continents! In case you were wondering here are the seven continents:

• Europe (Done)
• North-America (Done)
• South-America
• Asia
• Africa
• Oceania
• Antarctica

In July 2010, I met Julius Winkler, a 79 year old marathoner, who has been a member of the Seven Continent Club for years, and he’s presently training for the Athens Marathon in October 2010! Amazing! As he raddled off tales of his exploits, I realized that this person is now a role model for me... for life!

Moral of the story: Even though goal setting is an amazing tool, it should constantly be self-monitored, altered if necessary and renewed.

Run long!