What’s Your Everest?

I’ve heard it said that “running a marathon is now everyman’s Everest.” Well, I am actually living that right now. I’ll be climbing my Everest 6 weeks from today. On March 21st, I will run all 26.2 miles of the LA Marathon. I’m right on track with my training schedule. Over these last 11 weeks, I’ve figured out my ideal pre-run food, the right drink mix and fuel for long runs, what to wear and what not to wear, how to deal with my left calf, my left hip, and all sorts of little other odds and ends.

My excitement is building with each day. I feel my confidence growing as I move through my runs. I’ve got the single-minded focus of the Olympians who will begin their competitions at the end of this week in Vancouver. I feel purposeful and single-minded in my pursuit.

There’s just nothing like setting a physical goal for yourself, then working toward it with determination and focus like a professional athlete does. I have set new Personal Bests and Personal Records almost weekly in my marathon training. Before this, the longest distance I’d ever run was 13.1 miles. Now I’m up to 18 miles. Every time I reach new heights I feel invincible, capable of anything, and super-heroish through and through.

Finishing my 13 run yesterday - in the rain!

What’s your Everest? What’s your Olympics? I’m not interested in climbing a freezing, icy mountain, but I am passionate about running a marathon – so that becomes my Everest. What’s yours? We should all set some physical goal to reach at least once in our lives. It can be something as big as climbing a mountina, competing in an ironman, a triathlon, a 5K run, a multi-sport adventure race, a distance walk, or a century bike ride. Or it can be something like learning a new sport, joining a sports team, bowling, swimming, kayaking, skiing, etc.

It doesn’t have to be something of Olympic caliber. The question is: What are you passionate about?

What are you willing to devote yourself to for weeks or months? What will your Everest be? What will you train like an Olympian for?

Set a goal and go after.  As Dr. Sebelski, assistant professor of physical therapy at Saint Louis University said:

“Regardless of the scale of your goal, you should have the experience, at least once, of training for and accomplishing a physical goal you set for yourself. Crossing that finish line is a feeling unlike any other.”  

[Via http://frealfitness.wordpress.com]