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Last Updated: December 18th, 2024 at 11:19 pm
The Shamrock Shuffle, Lakefront 10 miler, and now the Boston Marathon are all in the past
2024 races are underway and runners are running them
Some are racing to finish
Some are racing to earn CARA points
Some are racing to beat their personal best times
Some are racing for a reason to exercise and lose weight
Regardless, most people have some sort of goal when they sign up for a race
One trap that many athletes fall in is deflating their accomplishment by setting “false goals”
False goals are changes in the definition of success after you see the result of something
For example:
When I signed up to race an Ironman, my goal was always just to finish.
I only wanted to complete the race and I didn’t have any sort of time goal.
I successfully completed Ironman Arizona in November of 2022 with a time of 14 hours and 7 minutes
After I saw my time, my first thought was…
“Aw I didn’t do it in under 14 hours 🙁 “
Completing the Ironman in under 14 hours was a FALSE goal
The idea of completing the Ironman in less than 14 hours was never a thought in my mind until AFTER I saw my time
Robbing me of the satisfaction of completing a race that I dreamed of completing for multiple years
Instead of being proud of myself for completing an Ironman, I was partially disappointed about my time
All because of a false goal
My goal was never related to time. Just completion
After completing the race, I immediately judged my performance based on time
That’s stupid
Don’t be like me
When you set your goal before your race, focus on THAT goal
When you finish your race, judge your performance on the initial goal you set
Don’t be a thief of your own joy
Set a goal, train for it, achieve it, and be proud of yourself
You deserve to be happy when you accomplish your goals
Happy runnin
Michael
