2017 - Just Three Words
A new year is here, how exciting! An opportunity for a fresh start, a time to set new goals or refocus on prior ones. As some of you might recall last year I posted “Just Three Words”, a post focused on simplifying what you wish to accomplish in the following year. It is a simple way to help keep those goals attainable. With that said, let’s recap on last year…For 2016 my three words were Life, Health and Focus.
Life: My goal was to be present and recognize my wife for what she brings to our relationship. As some of you know this year we made a drastic change in our life, not only did we move to Mexico, but we left our careers to focus on the passions which fuels our life. 2016 has been a year of change and challenges… which have all tested and strengthened our marriage and friendship. The key element has been respect, trust and support which I believe will continue to get stronger as we take on future adventures.
Health: In 2016 I adjusted my training, incorporated more running specific strength training and flexibility work, using myself as a test subject. The results; an injury free year with even more volume than ever before. This year I’m incorporating what I have learned into my coaching. I will be creating videos showcasing the fundamental strength work which I feel we as runners need to become faster athletes.
Focus: All the changes really took an impact on my routine which quickly created a bit of chaos. Now that the dust has settled it's comforting to see that we never lost sight of our main focus. The results speak for themselves as the athletes I coached in 2016 who were diligent with their training have reached new Personal Best and push themselves like never before. I can’t even begin to explain how gratifying this is.
As we enter 2017 I will use the same process to shape the year. So... for 2017 my three words are Community, Strength, and Tranquility.
I find it critical to my life to build a strong community of positive, driven and accepting people. This is not only important in my day to day life, but also in the athletes I coach. I have found that the athletes who are able to embrace the difference styles of training we do are the ones who benefit the most. Seeing how much strength has allowed me to progress in my running as I have committed myself to share what has worked for me and my athletes, stay tune for more on this. Finally tranquility, life gets hectic even for us living on the beach… so I’m committing myself to remove the external noise from my life and focus on the important things, be present.
So what are your three words for 2017?
A word of advice, when setting your goals, think about setting goals which will yield tangible and attainable outcomes. For example, perhaps your goal should not be all about qualifying for Boston (don’t get me wrong, that would be great). However, try focusing your intentions more on becoming a stronger more efficient athlete. By taking the pressure off a time oriented goal you will be able to focus more on the engine which will create a Boston Qualifier.