Marathon By 40

It was just over three months ago that I got frustrated with my old workout routine (or lack thereof). I had been jogging in fits and spurts for the past two years. I would go for about a month running 3 times a week, and then get sick, bored, or just plain lazy and stop for days or weeks. I knew I needed to get off my rear and start exercising, but that ambiguous goal wasn’t enough to get me out of bed at 5:30 in the morning when I would rather hit the snooze button.

I tried smaller goals (like to goal meter posted at the top right of this page) and I attained a few of them. I would complete one goal, take a well deserved break, and be be left flat-footed without direction on what to try next. Those small goals were certainly attainable, but they weren’t tightly coupled to keep me going from one to the next.

TV shows like 24 and LOST are masters at holding an audience, making them anticipate the next show. The writers do this by extending the story arcs between episodes. The plot rises through the hour and reaches the climax just before the hour’s end. The conflict isn’t resolved, however, until the next episode. That’s why many of my friends and I have similar stories about watching these series on DVD. We’ll watch the first episode, and we’re left squirming for what next, so we start watching the proceeding installment. The chain continues, and before we know it, we’ve spent 3 hours watching the entire DVD.

I needed that same anticipation of “what’s next” for my fitness routine. I needed to fit what I was doing on a daily basis into a picture that was more clear and easier to measure than just “be healthier.”

So, I decided to choose an audacious goal to pursue. How about run a marathon? That’s kind of the pinnacle achievement in running for the common man. Why not?

It’s been drilled into my head in my corporate career that worthwhile goals and objectives need to be “S.M.A.R.T.” It’s not just HR fluff; I’ve found it a useful nemonic for making progress at work.

• S: Specific
• M: Measurable
• A: Attainable
• R: Realistic
• T: Timely

So, how does my ambition to run a marathon stack up?

Specific - “I want to get in shape” was my original goal. With great zeal I started jogging. But as I explained above, it wasn’t specific enough to keep me focused. “I want to run a marathon” is much more specific. The question “how will I know when I have completed this” can be easily and clearly answered.

Measurable - I (and my family and friends) can easily measure if I run (and complete) a race or not. It will be easy to tell when I have accomplished this goal.

Attainable -  Is “running a marathon” something that a guy like me can do? Sure it is! My brother-in-law (a two-time marathon runner himself) turned me on to the book “First Marathons: Personal Encounters With the 26.2-Mile Monster”. It’s a compilation of stories from folks of all ages and sizes who took on the challenge. If they can do it, I should be able to as well.

Realistic - So, it is attainable, but is it realistic that I can do it? Am I motivated? I certainly am. I have the desire, ability, physical potential and financial capability to make this happen. It’s a realistic possibility that with the logistical (and emotional) support of my family, I can make this happen.

Timely - Timely is an awkward word to make the acronym work. The idea expresses that there’s a timeframe involved. Have I decided when I was going to get this done. “Someday, maybe” isn’t going to get me out of bed an hour early in the morning. But if I have a deadline “by the time I turn 40″, then I have something to be accountable for on a date in the future.

With that framework in mind, I have a big-picture to focus on an pull me through all the little steps I’ll take to get there.

An what are those little steps? I’ll explain in my next post.

Until then, let’s go run!