Running has always not been my strongest physical attribute. I would run endlessly right when I first joined the army, and do miles on miles.

40 Minutes has always been the gold standard to me as far as a 5 mile run time that I felt like once I achieved it, would boost my confidence make me feel like a true runner.

While going through my training pipeline for my job, We would do 5 mile time trials or "Gates" as we called it periodically once a month.

These gates would stress me out.

I could feel the anxiety building up in me.

I would think about how if I failed I would be dropped from the program, or if I didn't run fast enough I wouldn't be considered good enough.

So I made a decision to get help.

I got a coach.

We initially sat down and came up with a game plan.

He showed how I needed to breakdown the 5 miles into little half mile increments, little chunks that I could chew on and crush before hitting the next half mile.

We developed a self check system where every time I would cross a half mile check point.

I would run through my checks and assess things like my pace, how much fatigue I felt, how many miles left, and make a decision to either run faster or slower based of our overall strategy.

This process of checking in enabled me to go run a 39:44 five mile on test day that to this day I am super proud of, not because of the fact it was a sub 40 minute 5 mile run, but because I did the physical and mental prep work to crush that goal.

No matter what your goal is, you need three things to be successful:

1. Game Plan

2. Someone to hold you accountable guide you along the way

3. Timeline

Sometimes these three things interfere with each other, and aren't in balance.

So you need to do an honest assessment and ask yourself is all three of those things nested and supporting you in achieving your goal.

Sure you could try and hit your goal with out a plan, by just "working hard"every day, but how will you know what you're doing is getting you closer to your goal?

And you might say "I don't need a support from someone else".

But having someone who can be honest with you about your progress when you may have hard time being honest with yourself helps you stay focused.

And while not setting a timeline may be tempting so you don't feel pressured, its only going to delay you from taking action.

Let me know in the comments what else you think is necessary this year to achieve your goal! ⚔️♠️

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