It’s amazing what happens when you set yourself a goal and commit to it. About 10 weeks ago I committed to running the Calgary half-marathon on May 31st. It’s been 10 years since I last ran further than a couple of blocks to the bus stop because I could see my bus coming. I’m a 190lb man with a body (so I thought) that was built for short bursts of strength. Running distances in the hundreds of metres, not thousands!
This afternoon I just completed another 10km mid-week, lunch-time run. This is after running 13.5km on Sunday. Week after week I have been consistently building my stamina by running a “long run” on Sundays that keep getting longer and longer. My first run back on February 1st, was a mere 4.67km and that exhausted me. Now I run almost three times the distance and I’m 15% faster over the whole distance. Some days it feels like I could run for ever!
My primary goal for May 31st is to finish the race. I’d love to run the 1/2 marathon in under 2 hours and right now that’s an achievable goal.
What have I done to keep myself in the right frame of mind?
I look in the mirror when I get out of the shower and I say “I have the body of a runner.” Now I believe it. That belief spurs me on to run when I’m not feeling 100% like I want to. That belief allows me to stretch my long runs each week and it gives me a “can-do attitude”.
I have also been telling myself the next goal is a marathon, and it sounds achievable for me now… and who knows… maybe an iron man triathlon is next! (That’s a 2.4-mile (3.86 km) swim, a 112-mile (180.25 km) bike ride followed by a marathon (26 miles 385 yards, 42.195 km) run, raced in that order and without a break).
It’s all about changing what you believe in yourself. Setting stretch goals, pushing yourself and being consistent in application and results follow.
