Goal Without A Plan

This weekend I was reminded once again why having a goal will simply not work without a plan. Or maybe I should say I was reminded why having a plan to meet your goal is so effective. This weekend Blaise ran the Shamrock Virginia Beach Marathon and completed it within a one and a half minutes of his goal time. Two days before the race he and Coach Jeffhad created a race plan that would get him to that goal on race day. But in reality, their planning really began months ago.

What I love about both Coach Jeff and Blaise goes beyond their initial planning sessions. I love their ability to adjust as the training season goes on. This season was particularly difficult for our family as so many crises kept arising and taking our attention off every other aspect of our lives. Blaise could have decided to drop the marathon all together since his original hope was to run a sub-three-hour marathon and his training time was being significantly altered. Instead he chose to adjust his goal and his plan, allowing him more time with his family but continuing on a path to the finish line.

Once he adjusted his goal he was able to train just a little less, miss some workouts without worrying about that tougher goal and aim for a time that would still qualify him for Boston by almost ten minutes.

Having a plan is far different than working a plan. I have had plenty of plans/training schedules, many times in the past which I treated mostly as a guideline. When I have done this I have had to throw the goal right out the window. Unless you get extremely lucky, there is no way to meet a goal without a plan. But with a plan, with a detailed training schedule, a nutrition plan and a plan that helps you get the rest you need, you can almost guarantee your goal (unless of course you are a five hour marathoner and decide to win Boston. I mean, we have to keep it real, right?) This is exactly what Blaise did this training season.

He started with a goal, worked with Coach Jeff’s plan, adjusted the goal and the plan and crossed the finish line within a minute and a half of his goal even with an unbelievable wind trying to derail him much of the race. And I was there counting my blessings in being lucky enough to live with this man who continues to inspire and motivate me every day. I was there to witness his plan morphing into the goal he had hoped for. I was there to witness exactly why a goal without a plan is just a wish.