I have been having second and third and fourth thoughts about my decision to do a marathon. It is a topic I have gone back and forth on for quite some time and I thought I was ready for it. But after committing, I am second guessing myself.
What if I don’t have the commitment to train for 26.2 miles? I struggled with my half training. I started off great, had some problems but finished strong. I didn’t meet my time goal but was quite close. I always think, “If my training had gone better I could have made my goal”.
What if I am not fast enough? I am trying to increase my speed but what if I don’t make the 5 hour course limit? I want to finish. I don’t want to be the last person across the line. I don’t want the trailer vehicle to pick me up because I am too slow.
And about a million other what ifs are constantly running through my head. I need to keep talking about it, writing about it and banishing the negative thoughts. I don’t want to run from the things that scare me (no pun intended).
I would say my biggest concern is being too slow. I am going to focus on increasing my speed. I am working on a sub-30 5k program right now and keep skipping workouts. I can’t do that any more. I am committing myself to completing this program and then my next program and so forth.
I am planning three half marathons to do this fall/winter/spring to keep me going and I hope to achieve sub-2:30 in each of them. There will be a few shorter distances as well. Mostly because I have done these races the last couple of years.
What do you do to motivate yourself to achieve a goal? What rewards, if any, do you give yourself for meeting your goal? How do you overcome your fears to complete a goal?