I will start training to get #RichmondReady next week. This weekend, I’ll be preparing my training plan and looking over my calendar for the next three months or so to identify the problematic spots of the training cycle. I’m ready to #RunRichmond, but I have to get over my fear of failure before I’ll be willing to set a goal.
On my birthday last week, I was reflecting on the fact that I’ve never stuck with an athletic training plan all the way through. Last week, however, I was writing a note of encouragement to myself in my training journal because I have been able to stick with the Armstrong Pullup Program for 10 weeks now! My goal is to make it to 20 dead-hang pullups, and the fact that I’ve been able to stay consistent with this program all the way through is such a blessing. I am now up to a max set of 13, so I’d say I’ve got probably a couple months minimum to meet my objective. Although I started out able to do a set of 13, I had an injury and had to start back at 8. Over the last 5 weeks, I’ve made it all the way back to 13, and my upper body physique has been completely transformed. I haven’t missed a workout, and I’ve been able to stick with it.
Now, compared with a marathon training cycle, the pullup training program is a baby’s first step. Not because the pullup plan is easy–it is very difficult. I often feel tired and sluggish because the back is such a large muscle group. However, training for a marathon time goal doesn’t quite have a weight room analogy, in my opinion. Nonetheless, as I said, I’ve never followed through on a workout program so success here has been an unexpected pleasure. I believe that faithfulness in keeping the pullup program will help to transfer discipline over to the marathon. I’m hoping it will, because my biggest fear of the marathon is that I won’t be able to complete the training. I’m afraid of being too tired to do my job, or being too tired to put one foot in front of the other on those midweek runs. I’m afraid of being too tired to wake up and do my weekend early morning long runs. Since my last marathon flamed out in cramps at mile 15, leading to 11 miles of pain, I’m truly afraid of not preparing well enough to meet my time goal, again.
I’m afraid of the lifestyle changes I’ll have to make. I’ll have to lose some weight before the marathon specific phase starts since I’ve been weightlifting, and changing my diet to lose the weight will be demanding. I’m afraid that I don’t have the discipline and perseverance to lose the weight.
I think most of all, I’m afraid of picking a goal and failing to meet that goal. On the last two marathons I ran, I feel like I failed to meet attainable, realistic goals I set for myself and I’m afraid to miss the mark again. While the marathon hurts physically, a lot, I have to find the mental strength to set another goal and put in the work.
Have you ever set goals but failed to meet them? How did you bounce back? What helped you move past the disappointment of failing to achieve a goal you had set?