Setting Goals

For some time now, I've been casually stating that my 'plan' is to run one full marathon and several half marathons each year. To that end, after running my first marathon in Philadelphia in November 2011, I set my sites on running the Marine Corps Marathon in October of this year. And, I recently committed to somewhat of an aggressive schedule to run a half marathon each month, beginning in June, leading up to the Marine Corps race.

Now, I am beginning to think that I need to really get serious and set some loftier goals. I'm not getting any younger (I'll be 58 on May 26) and I realize that I want to stay in top shape for as long as I am able to do so.

I was reading a recent issue of Runner's World and a photo caught my eye. A smiling young man had just finished a race and he was signalling a 'V' for victory with his fingers. And, his tee-shirt read, "50 State Finishes Today".

The picture of that young man made me think for a moment... What if I set a goal to finish either a half or full marathon in the 48 mainland states by the time I am 65? Hmmm....

Let's see. By the end of this year, I will have finished half marathons in 5 states (Florida, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Illinois, Rhode Island) and marathons in 2 states (Pennsylvania, Virginia). That means I would need to run, on average, 6 races a year over the next 7 years.

Sound crazy? Perhaps. Achievable goal? Very likely.

Stay tuned for more thoughts on how I'd be able to achieve this crazy objective!

John