What is your measuring stick?

Most people who know me understand my dislike for weight scales. The reason is that they don't always give an accurate picture of overall health. However, that doesn't mean that I don't believe in using some tool to measure progress. Whether it is a measuring tape, an increase in strength, speed or endurance, you must use something to determine whether you are going forwards or backwards. I don't believe in staying still.

In the case of my running, this week has been a real eye opener for me. I've talked about this with several of my running friends and the more I think about it the more I realize my fear. It goes back to my attempt at trying to get a 3:30 at the Mississauga Marathon. In some ways, because I had such a bad experience there (suffering from cramps, hypothermia) I've been reluctant to try again. That doesn't mean that I don't enjoy trail running because it really is the best place to run in, it does mean that I need to face my fears head on. The memory of that race still upsets me because I had trained for 4 long months for that race and was on target with everything that I was doing. Instead of attempting another fall marathon, I opted to go back to my familiar territory of the trails. I understand now that I have unfinished business so once my season is over, I will focus my attention on trying to improve on my 3:39 marathon time.

This morning I had one of the fastest runs I've had in probably a year and I know that I can do even better. Tracking my progress, as I've been doing for about a month now, I can see where I need to make improvements. It's too late to switch gears right now as I'm doing so many ultra marathons, which require more endurance than speed, but every week I'm going to start doing a tempo run, hill training or speed work on the track, just to keep my speed up.

Whatever your goals are, don't sell yourself short and be prepared to face tough challenges everyday. It's not easy to reach goals but that's what separates those that "do" and those that "talk about doing." Don't be a talker!