Looking Forward To Big Things In 2014

Not going to lie, I've really struggled with what my goals for the new year would be.

If you remember back to November, I shared with you how at a loss I am in this. And really, here on Jan. 3, I still am in a bit of wonder.

I've had some lofty goals in the past. Well, lofty for me. Some I've reached. Some it took me a while to accomplish. Some I need to work on. While I love running and want to run every day, I still need goals to keep me motivated.

"Motivated for what?" you ask.

Motivated for life.

Gel-Bot: My Secret Weapon To Help Get Me To A Sub-2

I've made it no secret I'm shooting for a sub-2 hour half marathon. Additionally, I've made it no secret I'm gunning for this sub-2 at the Iron Horse Half on Oct. 13.

Consequently, I'm doing and looking for any advantage I can get to help cut and save time. I'm upping my speed work. But anything that can help me maintain my pace and not slow me down, I want to employ it.

Enter the Gel-Bot.

I first heard about the Gel-Bot on a post by Scott on his blog iRunnerBlog, and I wanted one. My lovely bride then bought it for me for my birthday last November. (The actual post I first read about the Gel-Bot is here.)

However, I really haven't figured out how to incorporate the Gel-Bot into my running because it did not have a pocket/handle for me to better carry it during my runs. This is important to me because of comfort and since I always carry my cell phone with me for safety purposes.

But then I had a stroke of genius to hit me.

I Think I Can! I Think I Can! I Think I Can!

Not going to lie, when I first studied the training plan I found to help me shoot for a sub-2 hour half marathon, I was a wee bit apprehensive. I mean, I've never been confused with being a speed demon ...

Like ever. (To borrow a phrase from Taylor Swift)

But being one to set goals for myself, I figured why don't shoot for the sub-2. After all, my current half marathon PR is 2:05:13 and I set that without really trying to. (True story! Check out the recap here.)

That all said, the thoughts of averaging 9:10/mile for 13.1 miles seems very daunting to me. For a plodder like me, that's a lot of speedy consistency.

Yet, as Thomas Jefferson once said, "Anything worth having is worth fighting for." I'm sure he was referring to our nation's freedom, but it aptly applies to anything that's worth having - even a simple running goal. If I am to hit that sub-2 mark, I'm going to have to work for it.

Especially since speed does not come easy for me.

Time To Up The Ante: Seeking The Sub-2 Half

"You can't hit a home run unless you step up to the plate. You can't catch a fish unless you put your line in the water. You can't reach your goals unless you try." ~ Kathy Seligman 

I love setting goals for myself. They give me something to shoot and strive for. No matter the area of life, you need goals to give you direction and drive. Otherwise, you end up going about life aimlessly.

Early in my running, I saw the importance of have a goal out there to keep me motivated, to keep me going, to keep me getting up early and hit the pavement.

At first, signing up for a race was enough motivation. I had to run and train in order to be able to finish. Then it was to PR, to try a new distance and so on and so forth.

But with each goal achieved, a new one must replace it.

And the ante must be upped.