let’s qualify for boston.
(but in like 42,627 little teeny tiny steps, ok?)
I love audacious goals. The idea of achieving something big — something to marvel at — is what gets me out of bed. Audacity has served me with opportunity and curiosity and learning and also overcommitment and failure.
If we’re being honest, it’s because I get in my own way. The loop goes like this:
1. Set audacious goal.
2. Get intimidated by the magnitude of what’s ahead.
3. Avoid the hardest work needed to achieve the goal.
4. Miss the finish line, and blame some outside factor like an achilles tendon.
5. Get super frustrated and set even bigger goals in order to compensate for the earlier failure. (Can I call this Revenge Audacity?)
6. Repeat.
This is a very healthy and highly recommended way to achieve big things. Nope, nope, no it is not.
This year, I set a goal to qualify for the Boston Marathon. I need to run 42,627 steps in 3 hours and 36 minutes. We’re 16 weeks and 700 training miles — it’s time to re-engineer that feedback loop.
It’s time to win small.
In the next 107 days leading up to the Chicago Marathon, I’ll have an opportunity to win (or lose) every day, but to win small or lose small. One workout, one coaching review, one meal, one early bed time each day to win or lose.
My hope is that the feedback loop resets to this: Audacious Goal → Atomized Training → Win or Lose Small → Learn → Adjust → Improve → Win big.
Audacity in the day, not the year. Audacity in the mile, not the race.
