You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. –Zig Ziglar

As the dog days of my marathon training roll on, the goal is becoming more and more daunting.  The speed workouts are more demanding, the weekend runs are longer, and my split times are slower.  In addition, I have a series of nagging injuries I have been powering through in order to keep up with the highly structured training regimen.  With the race a mere six weeks away, it feels as though the sand is slipping ever more quickly through the hourglass.

On my latest long run, I felt a sharp pain in my leg halfway through the journey.  Wanting to keep up with my pace, and believing that walking was NOT an option, I listened to the training app on my phone rather than my body.  I grimaced through the final five miles and lumbered back toward home with a noticeable limp.  I finally completed the arduous trek and gathered myself just outside my house.

As I cooled down, my neighbor came out of his house and noticed my debilitated condition.  Having completed several marathons in his lifetime, he had seen this movie before.

“Looks like it was a rough day out there today. “

That felt like an understatement.  Medic!

He studied my halting gait and pained expression and shook his head.

“You know, I’m not worried about you getting to the finish line of the marathon.  The crowds will spur you on and the adrenaline will take over.”

He paused again and offered a sympathetic look.

“I’m worried about you getting to the start line!”

He was absolutely right.  I was overtraining and overly obsessed with my goal.  I wasn’t listening to the cues all around me and was in danger of never STARTING the race if I didn’t take better care of myself and focus on my health.

And isn’t that true of many of us when vigorously attacking our own goals in life.

Health Matters

We all have goals and dreams in life, and we need to push through pain and uncertainty to make them a reality.  Nothing worthwhile in life is easy and we cannot expect a smooth path in our quest for greatness.  Working long hours, making sacrifices, and dealing with painful personalities are often required to “get ahead” in our careers.  But we also have to keep the larger picture in mind.  Is the grind sapping our joy and motivation?  Are we burning out and becoming less resilient?  Do we need a vacation, a different perspective, or a break in order to replenish and our reservoir of energy?

We are in the training stage of our careers.  The finish line is not the promotion or bump in salary or increased perks and prestige.    The real race starts when we accomplish our goals and have to dig deep to STAY on top so we can mentor others to follow our path.  If we don’t take care of ourselves during the journey, we will never even make to the start line!  And we will miss out on an opportunity to spread our positive energy and enthusiasm with the world.

We Have to Run Multiple Races

And getting to the start line is not just about getting ahead in our careers.  Our goals will change over time.  We will discover new interests, seek new adventures, and embark on new stages in our lives.  We can’t be single minded and obsessed with a solitary goal at the expense of all the other possible accomplishments in our lives.  We need to stay fresh and open to change. We need to seek new perspectives that can point out our blind spots.  We need to recognize that sacrifice can have a negative effect if it hinders our ability to grow.

We need to stay healthy enough to start MULTIPLE races.  Don’t we want to be there for our children as they grow?  Don’t we want to walk our daughter down the aisle?  Don’t we want to grow old with the one we love?  Tomorrow is promised to no one.  We can never settle, but we have to balance our long-term goals with our short-term approach.  Sometimes we have to take a step back in order to move forward.

Focus on the Larger Picture

This week will be a week of rest and recovery.  It’s all about getting to the START LINE of the marathon to give myself a chance at achieving my goal.  As such, we see a slight but important shift in perspective.  We see the upside of focusing on our long-term goals. We see the importance of balancing health with determination.  We see the value in asking for help and giving ourselves a break when life becomes overwhelming.

And, perhaps most importantly, we see life as a series of start lines rather than a series of finish lines.