“Goals. There’s no telling what you can do when you get inspired by them. There’s no telling what you can do when you believe in them. There’s no telling what will happen when you act upon them.” ~Jim Rohn

Success in anything – whether it’s in running or in life – starts with having a goal and making a plan to achieve it. To me, goals seem to become real when I tell at least 1 other person about them … because I’m now accountable to someone else in addition to myself. So, what better way to make my goals super-duper official than posting them on the Internet for the world to see. No pressure, right?

I have 2 big race goals for fall 2012 (in order of importance to me):

1.  Run a personal best at the Marine Corp Marathon with a time of 3:48. Yes, 3:48:59 counts. That equates to a pace between 8:42 and 8:44 per mile for the 26.2 miles. I have to admit, that number scares me a little. But, like one of my readers, Sara, recently shared: “Doubt whom you will, but never doubt yourself.” This will be my fifth marathon, and my current marathon PR is 3:52:37 (8:53 per mile). I’m following Sara’s advice and am shooting for 4 minutes faster than my personal best. The race is in Washington D.C. on October 28, 2012.

2. Finish my first half-Ironman at the ESi Ironman 70.3 Augusta. I’ve done a number of sprint triathlons and 1 Olympic-distance triathlon, but never a race at this distance. I’m less worried about meeting a certain time for this race and am more focused on finishing, feeling good and enjoying every mile. For the swim, my goal is just to finish. I’m not the strongest swimmer in the world, and I’m sure there are plenty of swimming coaches out there who would cringe in horror at my form and technique. For the bike, I would love to average 17 mph or higher. For the run, I’d like to finish under 2:10. That means I’d be running under 10-minute miles. The race is in Augusta, Georgia, on September 30, 2012.

Big Goals Require Big Plans

“People with goals succeed because they know where they’re going.” ~Earl Nightingale

And knowing where we’re going is all about having a strong plan. Here are the highlights of my training philosophy and plan to get me to where I want to go this season.

• Do what I say I’m going to do. It might sound simple, but we all know this can get challenging with everything that life, family and work throw at us during any given week. I have a weekly training plan that consists of running 4 times a week, biking 3 times a week and swimming twice a week. My commitment is to do what is in my plan. That doesn’t mean just doing 1 of my workouts on a day I have 2 scheduled. It doesn’t mean not going for a run after a long day when I “don’t feel like it.” It means following through with the plan that is designed to make my goals become a reality. It means shifting things around, making some sacrifices and making time for what I have decided is important.
• Be smarter about my run pacing. Each week, I do a fast speed day, an easy mid-week run, a tempo run and a long weekend run. I will also be doing some bricks (short runs immediately following long bike rides to simulate how your legs will feel during a triathlon). In the past, I’ve had goal race times but not goal training paces. (Hell-oooo!?!) Additionally, I’ve gotten caught up in the past with how fast my friends are running – allowing what they think is a good or bad run to influence my opinion of my own run. Well, I’m here to tell you, running is about doing what’s right for YOU! You make your rules of what good runs and bad runs are. What’s slow for 1 person might be fast for another. That’s why we should all celebrate every runner at every pace. This season, I’m sticking to the paces recommended by the McMillan Running Calculator to achieve my goal time at the Marine Corp Marathon. I’m training at a 3:45 goal time with the hopes of running a 3:48. Here’s what my optimal training paces look like:

• Do more weekday workouts in the morning. I’ve long been known for choosing sleep over morning workouts. As a result, I often find myself stressed after a long day at work – dreading the hard workout still ahead of me. Not to mention all the other things I have to get done at home. Achieving our goals takes discipline. And I need to be more disciplined to get up at 5:30 a.m. and make my workouts happen first. This season I’m meeting friends for more morning workouts. Knowing someone else is counting on me to show up bright and early will prevent me from hitting the snooze button (again, and again and again … sorry Mr. rUnladylike!).
• Figure out my nutrition strategy. Eating and drinking the right fuel to help your body perform at its best is just as important as all the miles you log. This season, I’d like to master (if that’s even possible) my optimal training nutrition plan (what I eat before and during my long workouts that are more than 1 hour in duration). I’ve experimented with a lot of different things – PowerBar chews, Sports Beans, Swedish Fish, Sharkies, Honey Stinger chews and waffles, etc., but don’t feel that anything has ever felt just right. More to come on this. Suggestions welcome.
• Learn more about bike maintenance. I’m going to admit something I’m VERY embarrassed about. I’m riding 50+ miles at a time and don’t know how to make basic repairs to my bike or change my tire. I know, this is not good. All of you out there, do as I say, not as I do *wink.* My goal is to take a bike maintenance class ASAP so that I can be as safe as possible out on the road.
• Incorporate more strength and yoga. I believe that strengthening targeted muscles and doing more stretching that focuses on core parts of the body used for endurance sports makes a huge difference in preventing injuries. I do strength and yoga workouts. Just not consistently. I’d like to incorporate 1 strength day and 1 yoga day into my weekly training schedule. I don’t know where I’m going to fit them in either, but I’m telling you so you can hold me to it.

So that’s it. Piece of cake right? *She said sarcastically*

I hope you’ll follow me along my journey and share yours too. We can keep each other accountable. Here’s how to connect with me:

• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Runladylike
• Twitter: @rUnladylike
• Email: info@runladylike.com

What are your fitness, running and/or training goals for this year? What strategies do you have for achieving them?