What’s in a Goal?
I remember when I first started running how excited I was by running. I started off with a couch-to-5K program because it was free (bless the internet) and it was a program I could follow and do while pushing two kids along in a stroller. After my first 5K in September 2012, I wanted more distance and community. I looked into and eventually joined a Jeff Galloway group here in Miami that focused on training for a half marathon using his signature run-walk-run method. In the first years of my running adventure, I faithfully followed the run-walk-run method and raced every distance up to 50K with my 90-seconds run/30-seconds walk interval. The switch to running almost non-stop happened during the 2016 Chicago Marathon where I not only set my marathon PR but, out of curiosity, also challenged myself to only take walk breaks at the water stops. After that race, I let go of the run-walk-run method in favor of running for as long as possible without stopping. Once I figured out how to run long non-stop, I focused on achieving a specific state of being and feeling in my runs, which is where I’m at now with running.
It's subtle, but did you catch the evolution of goals there? If not, here’s a breakdown of how my goals as a runner have evolved:
Goal 1: Start running.
After having my second daughter I wanted to be active. Running was the thing that was the easiest and most accessible for me.
Goal 2: Complete a couch-to-5K program.
First comes the desire to run, then comes to desire to complete a race. I followed a 4-week couch-to-5K plan and remember August 2012 as a month of figuring out how to run with a stroller and around nap times.
Goal 3: Run a half marathon using the run-walk-method.
Next up, complete a 5K and get hooked on running! Looking back, I don’t think my brain fully registered the difference between a 5K and a half marathon; I just wanted to run all the miles surrounded by great people. The run-walk-run method was a continuation of wanting a program that was both easy for and accessible to me.
Goal 4: Run a 50K using the run-walk-method.
Before the 50K in 2015, however, there were two full marathons. In this period of life, I wanted to see what I could do and how far I could go. Without a time goal attached to the efforts, I was curious as to what I could accomplish. For someone who did not consider herself a runner prior to 2012, I was curious about my ability to set a goal to do something hard and actually get it done.
Goal 5: Run a marathon with little walk breaks.
The 2016 Chicago Marathon will forever be remembered as the race where things came together in an effortless way. I positive split the crap out of this race, but I had so much freaking fun. I ran by feeling and, because I felt great, I challenged myself to only walk during the water stops.
Goal 6: Run a PR.
Again, 2016. A PR in the marathon distance led me to wanting a PR in every distance. After Chicago, I was highly motivated to run hard and fast.
Goal 7: Run without walk breaks aka run-straight.
First though, I wanted to change my approach to running and learn how to run hard and fast without using the run-walk-run method. I had been self-training since 2014 and made the decision to start working with a run coach after the 2017 edition of the Chicago Marathon because (a) that race was a disaster and (b) I was ready to relinquish control over planning my training. Yes, I was running without taking walk breaks, but I needed some distance between my planning and race results. Working with a coach allowed me to “just show up” for the runs and gave me permission to fully trust the process.
Goal 8: Run for feeling.
I am still going after PRs, but something fundamentally changed in me after the 2017 Chicago race. I felt the sting of disappointment of working hard for a PR and not getting a PR. That is hugely motivating for some runners, but for me it highlighted that something was deeply missing from my relationship with running. Surely, running meant more than fast times? If every race meant a faster time than the previous race, would I ever stop thinking about the numbers? Probably not. This led to a period of reflection on why I started running in the first place, why I was going after certain goals, and what it is I hoped to get out of running. I’m still in this space of reflecting (at this point, it’s a perpetual state of assessment and reassessment), but what I realized is that what initially drew me to running was a feeling of possibility:
Can I possibly run? Yes.
Can I possibly run a 5K? Yes.
Can I possibly run a half marathon? Yes.
Can I possibly run all the distances with the run-walk-run method? Yes.
Can I possibly run with little-to-no walk breaks? Yes.
Can I possibly run PRs? Yes.
Can I possibly run for more than time? Absolutely and you must.
What I have learned as a runner over the past almost-10 years is that I can run for distance and I can run for time, but focusing solely on those two factors isn’t enough for me and leaves me wanting more. I run because I love the process of being and becoming a strong runner. I run because I love the process of discovering and pushing past my limits. I run after a feeling because chasing the feeling leaves me more fulfilled than any time or distance can ever leave me. I’d rather run long to feel strong than run long for 26.2 miles and I’d rather run “fast” because it’s fun than run fast to set a PR.
It almost feels backwards because, for some, chasing the feeling is more abstract than chasing distances or times. But, for me, chasing times and distances feels limiting, while chasing feelings feels expansive. Ultimately, the only distance I want is the one that leads me back to me and the only time I want is the time on my feet to just be me.
My goals may be different than yours and that’s ok. My goals may be like yours and that’s also ok. What really matters, and it took me a while to get here, is that your goals are meant to be what motivates YOU. Let the pack be the pack, you are here to do more than just follow.
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