The point of the journey is not to arrive

So is it worth setting a goal for your running or walking? Personally, I've decided that for me, I'm going to set a goal for this year's running that is probably the most challenging that I've attempted in a long time. 

I've wanted to run a faster half marathon for a while and a friend and I were talking about races we'd always wanted to run and the NYC Marathon came up.  As everyone knows, it's hard to get selected because it's a true destination race and popular with every level of runner.  Poking around on their website, we noticed that there is a non-NYRR time qualifier guaranteed entry that will let you skip the lottery drawing.  Sounds great, right?  Until reality sets in and you see the time that you have to run.  For me at 61, it's 1:40 even.  Faster than I've done in a long time but not so much faster than I ran in 2020 that it's impossible.  It's just barely possible and that's if everything I can control like running, core work, lifting, yoga, recovery, and diet go right.  Then the other variable that I can't like weather also has to be right as well.  

I think that I've discovered the reason that lots of people don't set goals for many things in life.  Not hard to figure out that the chance of failure can make one only set achievable goals.  But as my favorite lyricist Neil Peart wrote "From the point of ignition to the final drive, the point of the journey is not to arrive."
So, I'm willing to set out on this journey with knowing in advance that it's going to be tough and somewhat tougher because I'm letting everyone know what I'm doing!
But I'd rather set a goal that I might not get to than set an easier one that I know I'll meet.  I figure at the worst I'll learn what not to do in the future which would actually be good and at the best I'll run faster than I have before even if I don't hit the 1:41:00 time.  Only time will tell.  Literally and figuratively.

Want to follow how I'm doing?  I'm on Strava as mike t.  You can also join the Jenkintown Running Company Strava as well. 
 
Hope to see you out there and that you'll set some harder goal as well whether it's faster times, slower times, more mileage, losing weight, getting stronger, building friendships with others, or anything else.