Great post - I think about these things all the time, and I also love the river analogy. Running is a great teacher, 'if we pay attention'! Thanks for writing!
I love it when you give a river analogy. The last one I remember is about starting running blog. You wrote jump into that river; where you get in won’t be where you come out. Jump and see where it leads you.
Thank YOU for reading! I guess rivers speak to me in some way. I spent a great deal of time on the Missouri River in Montana growing up. Skipping rocks for hours and watching the water roll slowly by made even a young boy conscious of the parallels to life.
It was one of my design professors at UW that first introduced my to Bucky. A name like that sticks with you. And I have always loved this quote. We're forever and ever a process, and I'm thankful to be one with you.
This is an excellent post. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to think and be creative.
I find myself pushing against the tide of rapid rising. Maybe I just want to be contrarian or I have a lifetime of experience that tells me the faster I go the more I screw up and that slowing down is the fast path.
A long, slow goal is to gain perspective on a daily basis. I wrote about perspective on LinkedIn today and think that the more perspective I can have the better my path toward my goals will be.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Jason. I like that idea of a daily "perspective refresh." That's the approach I've been taking with training... Daily check-ins (often several times) to see if the plan aligns with how I'm feeling, and what adjustments I should make.
It’s something that I am working on but instead of trying, I need to be more specific and write down a lesson, if one occurred, so that I can see that daily perspective versus believing that I’ll remember it some day.
Great post Mike. "Think execution, not results, and you will not fail". I can't seem to find who said that. I usually say the key to success lies in doing the work, not just dreaming about the desired outcome. I love the work and the process, and the work is specifically to attain the goals. Goals are important, but they don't have to define us. But as you said, its hard not to wrap yourself up in it.
As far as pace, I am there with you, I have to remind myself: "today is not race day" all the time. Trust the process, enjoy the process.
Sometimes you do all the work, and still not achieve the goal. So many things have to come together, on that ONE day to make it happen.
I run long distance, like 50K and 50 mile races. I tried twice last year to break my USATF age group (65-69) record for 50 miles (7:27), and both times, I didn't. Nutritional failure (1), and a last minute injury (2). I'll try again this year, with two attempts lined up. During this phase, I did manage to PR my trail 50K in 4:31 (and the course was 32 miles), which was not even a goal but showed I was well on my way and developing. I was trusting the process, doing the work. I also ran a 20 year best marathon (Lakefront, 3:26) at the end of a 75 mile week during the build up phase.
People often ask me "How do you run 50 miles"? My reply is usually, "50 miles, that's nothing, compared to the 3000 miles I put in just to get to the start line". And that doesn't even include all the support work, strength training, diet management, massages, PT, Chiro and naps.
Goals for 2025, turn 66 in April. Should be an easy goal to hit.
1) Match my life time best of 3000 miles (that was 2024).
2) In May, run a 50K track race and set the USATF AG record (4:09, that's just under an 8 minute pace, one that I was well under at my last marathon, 3:26).
3) In June, run a 50 mile distance during a 12 hour race and break my USATF AG record (7:27, I was in shape before the injury to run a 7:05).
4) November will be a back up race to June, for the 50 mile, or to go a little faster and break it again.
5) Somewhere in the fall leading up to the November 50 mile race, I would love to take a shot at my personal Marathon PR, which is 3:19, set back in 2006.
to answer the subtitle question: Goals, and PR's are like prom dresses, no one really cares but you. And that's really great. Bon chance! To live, to run, and to have the ability is such a gift. And that's enough.
I, for one, care about your prom dress... Those are some inspirational goals. Thank you for sharing! And I love the notion of the hundreds (or thousands) of miles being the real work. On race day, if we've respected those miles, we can often cruise through. I look forward to following your journey. Subscribed!
One of my long/slow goals is to keep improving my systems — simplify them, make them better, automate (or eliminate) the things I don't enjoy so I have more time for the things I do enjoy... I think specific goals become secondary if you have good systems and have them pointed in the right direction (and I think that's one way to answer "yes" to your subtitle question).
You're right. We can maintain good (and sustainable) forward motion with the right systems. That's a very apt description of my training mindset. I can't be thinking for 16 weeks, "This one's critical for the marathon!" That would be a sure-fire way to flame out. Systems put the focus on the day at hand. Dig it.
Great post - I think about these things all the time, and I also love the river analogy. Running is a great teacher, 'if we pay attention'! Thanks for writing!
Thanks so much for reading. My list of "What running taught me about _____" just keeps growing!
I love it when you give a river analogy. The last one I remember is about starting running blog. You wrote jump into that river; where you get in won’t be where you come out. Jump and see where it leads you.
Thank you for writing!
Thank YOU for reading! I guess rivers speak to me in some way. I spent a great deal of time on the Missouri River in Montana growing up. Skipping rocks for hours and watching the water roll slowly by made even a young boy conscious of the parallels to life.
Great article! We’re of like minds. 😉
This I know! Thanks for reading and I appreciate the comment 😊
Shout out to Bucky Fuller for having a rad name AND being so dang insightful. And to you, my love, who never ceases to inspire or amaze me. *smooch*
It was one of my design professors at UW that first introduced my to Bucky. A name like that sticks with you. And I have always loved this quote. We're forever and ever a process, and I'm thankful to be one with you.
This is an excellent post. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to think and be creative.
I find myself pushing against the tide of rapid rising. Maybe I just want to be contrarian or I have a lifetime of experience that tells me the faster I go the more I screw up and that slowing down is the fast path.
A long, slow goal is to gain perspective on a daily basis. I wrote about perspective on LinkedIn today and think that the more perspective I can have the better my path toward my goals will be.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Jason. I like that idea of a daily "perspective refresh." That's the approach I've been taking with training... Daily check-ins (often several times) to see if the plan aligns with how I'm feeling, and what adjustments I should make.
It’s something that I am working on but instead of trying, I need to be more specific and write down a lesson, if one occurred, so that I can see that daily perspective versus believing that I’ll remember it some day.
Great post Mike. "Think execution, not results, and you will not fail". I can't seem to find who said that. I usually say the key to success lies in doing the work, not just dreaming about the desired outcome. I love the work and the process, and the work is specifically to attain the goals. Goals are important, but they don't have to define us. But as you said, its hard not to wrap yourself up in it.
As far as pace, I am there with you, I have to remind myself: "today is not race day" all the time. Trust the process, enjoy the process.
Sometimes you do all the work, and still not achieve the goal. So many things have to come together, on that ONE day to make it happen.
I run long distance, like 50K and 50 mile races. I tried twice last year to break my USATF age group (65-69) record for 50 miles (7:27), and both times, I didn't. Nutritional failure (1), and a last minute injury (2). I'll try again this year, with two attempts lined up. During this phase, I did manage to PR my trail 50K in 4:31 (and the course was 32 miles), which was not even a goal but showed I was well on my way and developing. I was trusting the process, doing the work. I also ran a 20 year best marathon (Lakefront, 3:26) at the end of a 75 mile week during the build up phase.
People often ask me "How do you run 50 miles"? My reply is usually, "50 miles, that's nothing, compared to the 3000 miles I put in just to get to the start line". And that doesn't even include all the support work, strength training, diet management, massages, PT, Chiro and naps.
Goals for 2025, turn 66 in April. Should be an easy goal to hit.
1) Match my life time best of 3000 miles (that was 2024).
2) In May, run a 50K track race and set the USATF AG record (4:09, that's just under an 8 minute pace, one that I was well under at my last marathon, 3:26).
3) In June, run a 50 mile distance during a 12 hour race and break my USATF AG record (7:27, I was in shape before the injury to run a 7:05).
4) November will be a back up race to June, for the 50 mile, or to go a little faster and break it again.
5) Somewhere in the fall leading up to the November 50 mile race, I would love to take a shot at my personal Marathon PR, which is 3:19, set back in 2006.
to answer the subtitle question: Goals, and PR's are like prom dresses, no one really cares but you. And that's really great. Bon chance! To live, to run, and to have the ability is such a gift. And that's enough.
I, for one, care about your prom dress... Those are some inspirational goals. Thank you for sharing! And I love the notion of the hundreds (or thousands) of miles being the real work. On race day, if we've respected those miles, we can often cruise through. I look forward to following your journey. Subscribed!
What a great quote — "I seem to be a verb...".
One of my long/slow goals is to keep improving my systems — simplify them, make them better, automate (or eliminate) the things I don't enjoy so I have more time for the things I do enjoy... I think specific goals become secondary if you have good systems and have them pointed in the right direction (and I think that's one way to answer "yes" to your subtitle question).
You're right. We can maintain good (and sustainable) forward motion with the right systems. That's a very apt description of my training mindset. I can't be thinking for 16 weeks, "This one's critical for the marathon!" That would be a sure-fire way to flame out. Systems put the focus on the day at hand. Dig it.