I'm a person who's pretty "goal-oriented" in the sense that I need challenging, quantifiable goals laid out before me, in writing, at all times. So, ever since my goal of annihilating the Highlanders in the GMCR3 was attained on Sunday (which happened a
lot sooner than expected) I've been floundering around aimlessly in my running world, desperately seeking a nice, solid goal to latch on to.
Well, now I have one and I even came up with a catchy name: "40 by 40". The goal is to have 40 marathon finishes under my belt by 8/10/2012 when I turn 40. And right now my marathon count stands at 30. So I'll need 10 more marathons in less then 3 years.
I have to say, I like this goal a lot. There's clearly a physical and psychological challenge to it. There's also a hefty administrative/logistical challenge with 3 young boys, a law practice and extensive soccer coaching duties to factor in.
But, what's nice is that this goal does not create any pressure to clock earth-shattering times. Sure, I'll give it the old college-try in every race like I always do, and if I end up with a slow time for some reason then it will still be frustrating, but the blow will be softened by the fact that it would still count toward the 40/40 goal. Whether my finishing time is 2:40 or 5:40, it's still a marathon finish!
One obvious issue with this goal is that it will trigger a shift in focus from "quality" to "quantity" meaning that, in all liklihood, my marathon PR of 2:43 will stay as-is for the rest of my running career. But after plenty of meditation time, I've decided that I'm good with that. Hey, that's a solid time. I'll be more than happy to boast to my grandkids someday about my 2:43 at Albany, NY way back in the winter of 2008.
Also, I guess I've decided that I'm no longer interested in spending the time and effort (physical and mental) that would be required to lower that time. That's a huge investment when there are so many other things going on in life.
And maybe the best thing about 40/40 is that it will lay a nice foundation for my entry into the world of Masters running! Hey, us runners look forward to hitting 40, right?
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