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I set goals.

That's what keeps me motivated to do things. I don't compete against other people, but I definitely compete against myself.

I started running not because I enjoyed it (I hadn't done it in 20 years) but because I wanted to get into better shape. Running would help with that, but I needed something to keep me going. And so, the goal of running a marathon was set.

OK, I did that. But now the goal is to run faster.

I have a goal of beating 4hrs, 30min, in the marathon this weekend, and the reason that came about is simply because my first marathon was run in 4:36, and 4:30 seems like the closest round number. I've come close -- 4:34 in the Hong Kong marathon -- and near the end of that race, when I realized I wasn't in a position to beat 4:30, I thought "that's OK, I'd rather break that on my home turf, with my friends." Well, that opportunity is this weekend, so it's time to cowboy up and do it, right?

Still, I need to take it easy with the goals, and I know that now. Setting an arbitrary time is...well, pretty arbitrary. There's nothing magical about 4:30. I have a goal of beating 80 minutes in the 10-mile race, and earlier this month I came within 36 seconds of that...and I was mad!!! I mean REALLY mad, to the point that my friends couldn't understand why. But I got over it after a few days.

What IS important (to me, anyway) is to do each race faster until I can't anymore. After all, there will come a point where my body simply isn't able to run any faster. I'd prefer that time not be now. The reason I was so upset after the 10-mile race was that I thought I'd run slower than in my last one, and that was pissing me off because I couldn't accept that after all the work I've done I'd actually be running more slowly. Fortunately, I realized later that I'd misread my past times, and I had in fact improved by 21 seconds.

I need these goals because it will help me keep running. I don't want to stop, because I know how good this is for me. I have some friends who run, and who inspired me to do it myself, but this year they chose not to run in 2 of the 3 races we did last year, and after this year they're not planning to do marathons anymore. Their only goal was to finish, and they've done that, so it's getting boring. That works for them, but I don't want to get bored with this myself, so I keep setting the timing goals and keep working to beat them.

So I'll set my goal, but chill out a bit. If I beat 4:30, I'll be ecstatic. If I miss that goal but still set a new personal record, I'll be happy and I'll still have something to shoot for in Hong Kong next February. If I run slower than before, I'll be disappointed, but I'll take pride in the fact that I finished the race.

And of course, the primary goal is to finish the race without an injury. So far, I've managed to meet that goal each time.

(Oh, who am I kidding? I'm going to run my ass off and beat that clock. Get out of my way!!!!!!)

Labels: Running