"The goal is not to run a marathon, the goal is to become a runner."
- James Clear, Atomic Habits
That caused me to reflect. For over five months, I'd been super committed to running the Chicago Marathon and I did that. Then, two weekends later, I ran a local 10K. And I set a PR. That caused me to do some reflecting...
The race that you are preparing to run should not be the ultimate goal. The race that you are preparing to run is an outcome/results oriented goal. Setting outcome/results oriented goals can be problematic; they don't take into account all of the things that have to happen in-order for the goal to be accomplished. I am a steadfast believer that goals should be set with a focus on the process. Do the little things (the process) extremely well, and the big things (the results) have a way of working themselves out.
The goal should be centered around the training that you're doing. Most of us are probably familiar with the Trust the Process cliche. Although less common, a frequently shared sentiment in running communities is to Trust your Training. Ideally, the race becomes an opportunity to show-off all of the hard work that you've done through your training.
I love running. And there are many reasons why I love running. The fitness and health benefits are obvious and they are certainly a factor for why I love running. But I also love the real life example it provides for how committing to the process enhances the results. When you commit to the process, there is no end; everything becomes preparation for what's next because there is always something that's coming next.
