Thought for the day:
Goals allow me to transcend the mundane.

I have a goal to run a sub-6 minute mile. If I achieve this goal will I win a medal? No. Get public accolades? No. Change the world? No. Nobody will notice, no one will care. It’s not even an official race. So why even bother? Because I care. It is my goal.

Goals allow me to move beyond the self, to feel the striving and passion of pursuing something outside of my known comfort zone. They force me to evolve and adapt, to become something more than I am.

Having a goal is the difference between having a job and having a career. It is the difference between living like a zombie, simply putting one foot in front of the other, day after day, and being a person with a full life, complete with triumphs and failures, joys and sorrows. It is the difference between simply covering territory and having an experience. The goal can be about anything. One can have a goal to become an artist, chef, Olympian, writer, or a better runner.

I’ve wanted to run a sub-6 minute mile for a good part of my life. I tried when I was in high school. I was in football and karate, working out 3-4 hours every day. I could do 300 push ups in a row, 1000 sit-ups in a row, run a 13 second 100, and a 70 second 440. But I couldn’t run a 6-minute mile. Sure, I came close. The problem was ignorance. I thought I had to run as fast as I could to meet the goal. The pattern would unfold something like this: I would run 70 seconds in the first lap, 80 in the second, 100 in the third, and 120 in the fourth. In high school I remember finishing with a 6:10 or 6:15 mile. Later, when I was in college, I tried again. I was still in karate and at that point I was lifting weights regularly. I was in pretty good shape but I was a bit heavier. I remember running a 6:30 minute mile or something like that. Now I’m trying again to achieve my decades old goal, but this time it is even more challenging. I’m running it on a course with nearly half a mile of uphill at the beginning. Why this course? Because it is my goal.

I really want to do this. Is my goal any less important, any less pure, than an Olympian’s quest for a gold medal? I say it is not. My goal is at least as pure. I pursue it for the development, advancement, and satisfaction of myself, not anyone else.

I’m going to try with all my heart to break a 6-minute mile. The day after I set the goal I discovered I had an injured foot. I continued training by altering my workouts and allowed my foot to heal. For weeks I’ve been training while sleep deprived, often waking at 5:30 am to run after less than 5 hours sleep. R and T have been sick. I’m burdened by work and work stress keeps me up too. I have caught the cold that T, R, and J all have. Yet, last Tuesday I ran 6.4 miles including a 6:20 mile on a day that I felt tired and ill. Thursday I ran 6.4 miles including a 6:30 mile while doing quarter mile intervals. Intervals slow my pace considerably because of the recovery periods included in the pace. Friday I ran 5.3 miles at a mostly even pace but it included a 6:30 mile. Today I ran 7 miles, including 4 miles in heavy hills. The first two miles of the four miles in hills I ran easily and comfortably at a 6:45 pace. I’m not sure if I’m ready. The pattern for today was 2.9 @ 10.4, plus 2@6:45, plus 2.1@8.5 or 9.

Will I break the 6 minute mile on Friday? I’m facing many challenges right now but I’m going to give it a try anyway. I’ve beaten my previous performances from my youth by running a 6:07 mile. Eventually I believe I will achieve my goal. If not, then I’m still healthier and happier for my efforts. Whether I succeed or fail I have already become more than I was before.

Oh, I finally managed to put 700 miles on that pair of shoes I considered retiring. I wanted to make 700 miles. Now I can retire them.