Realistic Goals

Running in Washington D.C. yesterday was somewhat of an eye opener.  I managed to run 400’s and 500’s @ ~6:40-7:00 pace.  But I couldn’t really pull it together to go further at that pace.  Hmmm. Either I’m still not mentally there, or I’m not actually physically there yet.  Ironically, my 7:20 pace at the beginning of my 5K’s seems to be in perspective.  I’ve got some improving to do.  This is pretty much typical me.  I always set the bar higher than what I can do.  It gives me something to strive for.  That’s who I am.  Realistic expectations don’t really capture how I roll.  

My goal for 2020 is to do a 5K in 20:20. I don’t know if I’ll achieve that.  I don’t know if I’ll come close to it.  But, I’ll love trying!  Fortunately, I don’t get down on myself when I don’t get to my somewhat lofty goals.  Not only have I always been like this in sport, but in other aspects of my life.  Did I expect responses to my letters to Manachem Begin, Ronald Reagan or Bill Clinton?  Well, I hoped that I might get a response, and I don’t think that I really considered not getting a response.  I only considered trying.  I guess I was following Yoda’s advice.

On the other hand, as I try to decide what to focus on and how to prioritize my life, I might want to actually try being realistic.  Being a workaholic doesn’t necessarily lend itself well to setting somewhat lofty goals.  That might actually be a prescription for reaching too far and setting myself up for getting overwhelmed.  Realistic expectations might actually be a good idea.  

When it comes to the 5K, however, I’ll stick with my lofty goal. I find the reaching for that high bar is a little more invigorating.  It’s easier to get the adrenaline flowing.  Waking up in the morning and putting on my running shoes to go out for that workout is just a little bit easier when the goal is higher.  That’s probably also the reason I set lofty goals for other things, but I may have to settle for using my 5K goal for that purpose.