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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