My Jerry McGuire Manifesto Post...

I want to talk about something that comes up quite abit this time of year. You can find it is the topic of blogs across the Internet and it is something that I  have a love/hate feeling about. I am speaking of setting goals for the upcoming year. What are my goals for 2012?  What do I want to accomplish?  What do I have to do to make me feel good about 2012? This is the question I am asking myself.

And I am not talking about life goals, (those are easy, and I will share those if you really want to know) but more specifically about race goals. See, I have found out that I am a much better trainer than I am a racer. I honestly do not think I hit a single race time goal in 2011. So I wonder if I just set to high of a goal for myself, or am I that blind to my abilities? I know that when I am running, I picture my self looking like Crowie running down the street all stoic and fierce, but in my race photos, it ain't even close. I look more like Sgt Pyle from Full Metal Jacket! So maybe I am delusional...

Now according to this statement I found on the Internet to the left, goal setting has to start out as a dream right? I mean, if I dream it, I can achieve it or some crap like that. Well, I am not sure this is Internet gold. I mean I have had some great dreams regarding my races, and I have taken actions only to have that goal explode in my face. So I think it takes more than just action. I do not really have dreams of being on the podium of the races I run, but I do want to say I bettered my time from last year. And that is something I have not been able to do in 2011. I honestly think I do not know how to realistically set a goal for a race. I tend to take a race and break it down something like this. I know I can run a 25 minute 5K, I biked 25 miles the other in 1:10 and I swam 1500 yards in 28 minutes, so my goal for this race is 2:03. Race time comes around and I am crossing the finish line in 2:15, which is way off. I know, I am simplifying things to much when it comes to making a race goal, but going into the race, why can't I finish in 2:03? Nothing is stopping me but myself. I tend to  become a math major in the middle of the race and I start calculating just how far off pace I am to hit my goal and I want to just say screw it, just finish, and then comes the walking part. I hate the walking part!

So what is the answer?  No clue actually. Maybe this year I set no goals when it comes to a race. Maybe I do not even wear a watch!  (I know this sounds crazy because we all love the gadgets don't we?) Maybe I run the races just for the fun of it. Maybe I should be happy that the simple fact of the matter is I did finish my first marathon, maybe I should just be happy that I had zero flats at Ironman Branson 70.3 this year and I finished. Maybe I shouldn't worry about being embarrassed about a 6 hour marathon (which I am )...

I do not think I am wired the right way to say I am going to run these races for fun. I like to compete. I like to compete against myself. I have to be willing to push myself to the point of it hurting. I do not care where the other guys finish, but I have to care about me giving it 100% at the end of the race. I can't not let all the early morning swims and runs be for nothing. I want my wife and kids to talk proudly about me and how I tried my hardest and competed. I am no longer racing to complete, but I am there to compete. (Cue theme music). I am ready to make this year a great one. I am ready to run more than last year, ride more than last year and swim further than last year, but most important, I am ready to push it harder than I did last year. That's my goal for my 2012 race season. I will bring it!