What My Dog Taught Me About Goals

With Gracie

2010 New Year’s Resolution No. 5: Run a marathon.

It wasn’t the first time running a marathon was on my list. I’ve been an avid runner for years. I used to coach a running group every year. I’ve run one full marathon and 10 half-marathons.

My first and only marathon was a miserable experience. Well, the last half of it anyway. Plagued with an excruciatingly painful IT band, it took me all day to run it. I like to say:

If you think running a marathon in 2 hours and 45 minutes is hard, try 6 hours and 20 minutes! Now that’s hard!

Finally recovered, I commit to train and run a Spring marathon in 2010. I follow the prescribed training regimen – long runs, tempo run & speed workouts. I even cross train.

Then the now-familiar pain returns. I am limping. Guess the 15 mile training run on concrete wasn’t such a good idea. The pain stops me cold.

I see a chiropractor and masseuse. I think time and a respite from running will heal me.

I’m wrong. It’s Gracie, my dog, who shows me how to run again. On our morning walk, she starts into a run. Without thinking I follow along with her, then realize, “it’s not hurting!” What’s different? I notice that my stride is significantly shorter. Short and quick — just like Gracie.

I drop Gracie at home and go for a 6 mile run – Gracie style. Short and quick. It’s counter intuitive — my legs are quite long. It’s not my style. But it works!

While I don’t run a Spring marathon, I complete The Gusher Half Marathon on a very hot and humid May morning in Beaumont, Texas.

The Gusher Half Marathon Medal

What did Gracie teach me?

• Sometimes things happen, and you need to amend your goals. That’s just life.
• Changing goals isn’t ‘cheating.’ You’re just adjusting with the flow.
• If you don’t make adjustments from time to time, you could easily give up on the goal completely.
• Look for and accept inspiration from all sorts of places. Your dog just might teach you something.

What goals have you set that might need some adjusting?

Tagged as: 2010 New Year's Resolution, adjusting goals, setting goals