Misplaced Focus

While thumbing through a copy of the "Tao te Ching" today I came across a passage that jumped out at me. "If you are as concerned about the outcome as you are about the beginning, then it is hard to do things wrong".

Goals are good and necessary, but equal focus needs to be placed on the start point and steps to obtain that goal. Too much focus on the goal and you can become discouraged and lose your way. When I was training for the Chicago Marathon my first "long run" was eight miles. At the six mile mark I was struggling. "How will I ever get to 26.2 miles?" There it was - misplaced focus. I was focusing on the endpoint instead of my current point. At that point in my training eight miles was double the longest distance I was running during the week. It was supposed to be difficult. Over the weeks the mileage went higher and higher. Soon an eight mile run was equivalent to a walk in the park. After a while I learned to not focus so much on the goal and instead place my focus on what I was doing now.

It's sometimes very easy to get stuck on focusing on the goal, instead of focusing on the steps to get you there. Some goals loom so large (Ironman!) that it doesn't seem possible that you'll achieve it. When this happens make sure you're not placing too much emphasis on that endpoint. If your training plan is well thought out and is realistic you will succeed. Focus on what you're doing now and you will get there.

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Workout Summary

5.5 mile zone 3 run