Goals

Goals.  Most of us have them.  Sometimes we meet them, sometimes we don't.  Sometimes we forget we even set goals days later.
That used to be me.  I would be like, hey here's my goal, lets do it.  Then I would rock that shit for a few days until life happened and it slipped away until I forgot I had even set the goal.  Then when I would remember, if I did at all, I would reset and push the goal date out farther and farther.  I would always have a justification for myself of why I got sidetracked and of why it was ok to push the date off farther and farther.

Finally I said enough.  This cycle had to stop.  I was simply setting myself up for failure over and over again.

I joined a monthly mileage group, I started posting every single mile on a document for my online running group to see.  I started telling people what my goals were.
I decided what I needed to do to accomplish that goal and I made it manageable, a month at a time.  Each month I stair stepped it up a bit from the month before.
I held myself accountable, and the public posting helped others hold me accountable as well.

I'm not saying setting a goal has made it easy, I'm not saying it's brought perfection.  I am saying though that for the first time I'm really truly reaching my fitness goals, sometimes even smashing them.

This month I won't reach my utmost goal.
July my goal was 75 miles.  I reached 98.  For August I joined the 80 mile goal group, but set my own personal goal for 100.
My goal was also to continue my running streak.
Today is RSD (run streak day) 60.  My streak is alive and thriving.  My mileage goal is struggling.  I am currently at 75 miles for the month, with only 6 days remaining.

My fall Sunday has really affected my hip.  Today was my doc recheck.  My head is still struggling some with lingering dizziness and pain.  My hip is the worst.  She said there has been trauma too it and it's going to take time to recover.  She gave me a pain/anti-inflammatory shot and will be putting me on meds the next 2 wks to help with hip recovery.

I'm struggling with the feelings of failure for not reaching my goal for August.  I KNOW that this isn't an excuse, I know that I didn't just get busy or lazy and put it off.  I KNOW that this is beyond my control.  I KNOW but it doesn't make it easier for someone who has failed so many times, for someone who knows what it feels like to fall short.

I will reach 80 miles for August.  I will keep my streak alive.  I will rock September and my triple digit goal isn't lost, just postponed.
This isn't a failure.  This isn't a loss.  This is an athlete with an injury and NOTHING will sideline my goals, my dreams, my successes.

What are your goals?  What have you found to hold yourself accountable?