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After running my first marathon, I expected to be really sore...
I wasn't.
(In fact, I squatted and deadlifted just 48 hours after crossing the finish line)
I expected to gasp "never again" and throw away my running shoes...
I didn't.
(In fact, I ran my fastest ever 10km/6.2 miles just 6 days post-race)
What I didn't expect was to feel totally bummed out...
Not because my time was really slow (it was) or that I didn't enjoy it - I did!
Hey, here's proof :)
No, I was bummed out because something was missing...
...and I couldn't figure out what the hell it was.
Then it hit me:
In the 4 hours 50 minutes it took me to run the marathon (yep, I told you I was slow) the thing I'd been focusing on for the past five months was now over.
You know what it's like when you return home after an awesome vacation?
That's pretty much how it felt.
Then I realized what I was lacking:
A goal to work towards.
"But Tim," I hear you say, "You just completed your first marathon - how about kicking back and enjoying that for a while?"
Unfortunately, that's not how we're wired.
Here's how Dr Maxwell Maltz put it in his classic book Psycho-Cybernetics way back in 1960:
Functionally, a man is......like a bicycle. A bicycle maintains its poise and equilibrium only so long as it is going forward towards something
The bottom line is if we don't have a worthwhile goal to shoot for, we're just drifting along.
Caught in the current, going with the flow.
And that tends to have the nasty habit of biting us in the ass.
Ultimately, we need a goal that makes us feel excited to be alive, whether that's:
• Losing a whole bunch of weight
• Building a global business empire
• Nailing a 315-lb squat and a 405-lb deadlift
• Doing a 100-km/62-mile endurance race
Or any of a million and one other things.
How important is having a worthwhile goal to work towards?
It's right up there alongside oxygen and water!
Why?
Well, it isn't about checking items off on some ultimate fantasy Amazon wish list...
Listen, goals are about way more than simply accumulating stuff.
The ultimate reason for setting goals is to entice us to become the person it takes to achieve them
– Jim Rohn
So, here's the upshot:
I was missing a goal (and it gave me a glimpse of just how gray life can be when that happens).
That's not a place I'm prepared to spend time in.
OK, so what would be a good goal?
Well, after coming soooo close this year, I finally want to nail a 2x bodyweight squat and a 2.5x bodyweight deadlift.
But d'you know what?
As tough as those are (I'm not strong either), they don't scare me enough - I know that if I put the work in, I'll achieve them.
Then I remembered this line from Richard Branson's autobiography, Losing My Virginity:
My interest in life comes from setting myself huge, apparently unachievable challenges and trying to rise above them
Now that's the kind of thing I'm talking about!
So, activity-wise, here's what I've decided to shoot for:
A 16-km/10-mile cross-country skiing race in January, then another one in February (which is half as long again).
Now, that doesn't sound like such a big deal, right?
After all, compared to running 26 miles, how hard can it be to slide along on snow?
Well, first off I suck at skiing even more than I suck at running.
And beyond wobbling a few hundred yards on a flat course one time last winter, I'm a total cross-country skiing newb.
But if you don't think it's really that tough a sport...
Keep in mind that cross-country skiers have some of the highest VO2 max figures ever recorded.
(VO2 max being "...widely accepted as the single best measure of cardiovascular fitness and maximal aerobic power")
And I'll be completely honest with you:
Right now, even the thought of attempting those races makes me feel slightly nauseous.
Which is precisely why I figure it's a challenge worth taking on.
Plus it will be a ton of fun!
And as for feeling bummed after the marathon?
I don't have time for that anymore - there's work to be done.
It's time to get strong before the snow starts falling, then get some cross-country skiing lessons from a good coach.
That's where it begins...
But that's enough about me - how about you?
• What goal are you going to commit to?
• What's your strategy for making sure you follow through?
• What can Superfitdads do to support you?
Whether you're a lifelong athlete or you're taking your first few steps towards getting in shape.
We're all on the same team.
- Tim
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