Tag Archives: Personal Best

No Failure – Only Pending Personal Bests

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A few days ago I wrote about my 2007 personal best running goal to break 7 minutes for the mile.

Alas I had 2 attempts before 31st December and did not make it. My first time trial on a windy and cold day ended in running 7 minutes and 20 seconds.

running goal

(My daughter took this photo while I was warming up.)

The second one was a little better at 7 minutes and 17 seconds.

Of course I was disappointed at not breaking the 7 minute barrier but at least I have improved my personal best by 3 seconds.

And I’m sufficiently motivated to make my 2008 personal best goal a very doable sub-7 minutes.

Even if you have little interest in running, here are some goal setting lessons I learned from my running in 2007:

  • My ‘dumb’ goal of “running in the zone” remains valid every time I do a run.
  • I need to buy a sports watch with split times so I can track my progress with some ‘smart’ goals in my training diary.
  • I have been training to run the first 1/2 mile at sub 7 minute speeds – but neglecting the stamina work necessary to run the full distance.
  • I love running – it’s impossible to worry while running :-)

This post has a touch of public accountability in that I sense a (motivating) pyschological driver to ‘close’ the goal out.

It doesn’t feel like pressure in the sense of a time bound limit with dire consequences for failing.

More like an encouraging warmth from the thoughts of those who may read these words and wish me well – as I do you!

- Mark McClure

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The 6 minute Mile Personal Best Goal

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Some really big goals are best experienced as a journey towards and beyond your own personal best in a given field.

For example, I like to go running – although I am probably classed as a jogger these days in the eyes of most club runners.

And I no longer have much desire to compete against others (except for the odd power walker!) though I do enjoy challenging myself.

My really big challenge – something I call an OG (or “olympic goal’) is to run 5 miles in 30 minutes.

Cough..splutter. Considering I was a 400 metres hurdler many moons ago, achieving that OG in middle age is a tall order indeed.

I also enjoy running for its own sake and (most times) get tremendous enjoyment and peace of mind while doing so. That alone is a worthy endeavour (to me) and justifies the time and effort.

There are currently no detailed training plans and deadlines for my OG goal – but I did set a 2007 goal to run a mile in 6 minutes – where anything less than 7 minutes will qualify.
So, 6 minutes and 59 seconds would be enough.

I call these types of goals, “personal best goals” (or ‘PB’ for short) as they go beyond my current best performance. In addition to PB goals for running, I use them in most areas of my life as targets to aim at.

There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with “healthy competition” (that term deserves a post all to itself) but some goals can be deliciously personal. And this is one of them.

Now that the year is almost over, what I think I’ll do is ask my daughter to be both timekeeper and cheerleader – and just go do a time trial.

Hmm… I guess that means I’m making myself publicly accountable for this running goal.

Fine by me.

Expect an update when the deed is done.

“There is no failure – only pending PBs”!

– Mark McClure

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