26:49
Last night, I reached a goal I have been chasing after for 7 years. Let me give you some context so you understand why I am so excited about this.
It was a Saturday morning, about 7 years ago, and I ran a small 5k at a park near my parents' house where I was living at the time. I had just moved home from South America and was getting back into the habit of running. I wasn't able to do it in Ecuador because it wasn't safe to run the streets of my neighborhood alone, so I was happy to be back at it. The course was small, and flat, and it was ideal conditions. When I was rounding the corner toward the end, I found myself at the finish line staring at a clock that said 27:05. I finished at 27 minutes and 5 seconds. Now, at the time, I wasn't aiming for under 27 minutes, it wasn't even on my mind at all. I was just running to run. But getting so close was frustrating and so ever since that day, finishing a 5K in under 27 minutes was something I wanted to reach. Every race after that the following years I never even came close to 27 minutes, most of my times finishing around or above 30 - or not running at all.
It makes me laugh how for the 6 years that followed, I had this goal in my head, this thing that I wanted to accomplish but I never actually did anything to get there. I ran the occasional 5K, but I didn't do any of the real training in-between to help me improve my speed. And yet, when I would get to that start line, for some reason I still thought those 27 minutes were achievable.
Do you ever do this? You have a goal in your head, something you want to accomplish, and you keep getting disappointed that you're not reaching it but, if you really sat down and thought about it, you're not actually putting in the work to get there?
Almost exactly 2 years ago to the day, July 26, 2017, I ran my first 5K in a couple years. I had been injured for two and hadn't run at all. Zero. And yet, those 27 minutes were still there. I can be so arrogant sometimes. To think I can just roll out of bed and set a personal record after having done nothing. Needless to say, I did not reach my goal that day, but I did start running again. The following year I brushed of the dust; I didn't set any records, but I showed up for myself. Then, last year, I showed up even more. I started running with friends and getting good advice on how to improve, which brings us to this year. For the first time, that goal of 27 minutes was in the forefront of my mind. I knew where I was going, and I knew what it would cost me. I did interval training, I pushed myself on practice runs, and I actually stuck to my training schedule.
During the race last night, I pushed myself. I wanted to give up at times, but I made myself keep going. I kept at a faster pace than I normally run for my longer runs and it hurt. The best part about it though, was that it didn't hurt that much. I remember looking down at my legs, seeing them go faster than they ever had before, knowing around mile 2 that my goal was well within reach, I was already celebrating not because I pushed myself that one day, but because the last 2 years of training was showing. I could feel it in my stomach and chest that I was going faster than I normally do, that I was trying hard, but my legs… they were flying.
Afterwards, I looked up my official clock time, and saw that I came in at 26 minutes and 49 seconds. 11 seconds. Two years of building up my endurance and 4 months of solid training got me 11 seconds under my goal. Seems silly when you look at it as just 11 seconds. Who cares?! It's just running right? But in this life, we have the choice to chase after goals that will keep us getting stronger and faster, or we can slowly fall in the other direction.
You may not be able to relate to running at all, and so please insert any goal here that you have. Maybe you have career goals? Or you've always talked about all the books you want to read but never actually pick one up? Maybe it's not running but there's a hobby you have where you want to improve. Whatever it is, don't just set goals for yourself, chase after them with everything you have and hang tight. You may not see results for a while but keep at it.
My personal record of 26:49 wasn't achieved last night, it was achieved every time I chose to get out of bed when I wanted to keep sleeping, every time I ran even though it was too hot, too cold, too wet, too whatever. It's the small steps, the little things, that add up to big miles. Take a small step for yourself today. There may be one day when you look back on it with gratitude knowing it was that step - along with a million others - that got you to where you are.
