How is that resolution working for you? With one month down it is a good time to revisit your goal setting for 2018. Many resolutions and goals can be saved with a timely tuneup. Let's examine your progress and determine where you can adjust to maintain your momentum, get back on track, or get started.
Nothing is better than the moment you know the mission is accomplished!
Are you still as excited about your goal as when it was set? It is rare to accomplish anything meaningful without enthusiasm. If you are not excited not only by your goal, but the process it requires, it is time to either examine and regain your lost excitement or scrap this one on the mountain of unrealized resolutions.
Is your goal still important to you? Some days you will look forward to your training and others you will be on the auto pilot of habit and commitment. For the days you pause to ask and ponder, "Why am I doing this?", you better have an answer why this goal is important to you. Better yet, have a few reasons why it is important because the most meaningful motivations may shift from time to time.
Have you made progress towards your goal? Consider it a urgent alarm if you have not yet started towards your goal. If you are still excited and it is still important, the time is now to start doing something to move you closer. Build some momentum with the investment of time and effort. If nothing else, careful planning and learning now will prove valuable when it is time to start.
Have you come to terms with imperfection? Frustration and doubt are likely to creep in at the first sign of a setback or small failure. They will come flooding in with the second and third. Expect these along the way. As a matter of fact, plan for them. Know your flow-chart for a missed day or aches or pains or the interference of real life. If there are any guarantees in life, imperfection is one of them. Don't expect your training to be any different.
Have you accepted non-linear progress? It sure would be comforting and encouraging if you could chart some measure of progress each week. But we know some weeks it will come easy and other weeks you will feel you have gone backwards. It is all part of the process of stress, rest, and adaptation. Learn to welcome the plateaus and even the valleys because they are just building blocks of the next ascension.
Does your goal still seem reasonable? Did you learn something you did not know you did not know or have you had a cold dose of reality? If so, your goal may need a slight adjustment or a complete overhaul. This should not be confused with failure. It is simply mixing in the reality of your limitations to make your goal no less challenging, but within your reach.
Is your support team in place? Do you have someone or a team of people that are helping you stay on track? They can be a training partner, a coach, a mentor, or just a sounding block. The important part is that someone else is checking on you and cheering for you.
Do you need help clarifying your running purpose for 2018? Contact Coach Matt Ebersole to set up a goal setting or review session today!