So Now What?

It's a confusing time for a lot of people when they reach the point in time that they've set for any specific goal. There's a huge buildup that culminates in some kind of event, and once the event passes there's a huge emotional and physical release. There can be elation from having crushed the goal, satisfaction from having achieved the goal, or dissapointment from having come up short. Regardless, you have come to a point where the question is there... Now what?

Doesn't matter what the goal was, this will always be the case. You could have set a goal to be able to do an unassisted pullup or lose 2 inches off your waist or be able to fit into that bathing suit that's been sitting in your drawer for 5 years and is sooo out of style by now :) Or it could be to climb your bike up Mt Washington in 1:10. The date that you set for yourself to achieve this goal will come and go and you will be faced with a "what's next" scenario.

I've set many goals for myself over the years. It's what keeps me focused. It drives me. It's a huge part of who I am. This last goal for me was a big one and I ended up coming up way short of where I had initially hoped. I'm OK with this for a number of reasons. First, I put everything I had into the race and could not have gotten a better time on that particular day under those particular conditions. Second, there were several positives to come out of the race. I achieved a top notch time and will start with the elite field next time I do the race, I ended up 16th out of 106 finishers in my field (there were many DNF's that day), I came in ahead of almost 20% of this year's elite field. These are all positives. There are also several negatives that I need to learn from. My training needs to be better. I need to be even more focused than I have been in the past. I need to get stronger both physically and mentally.

When I reach this point in time when I'm asking myself "what's next?" I already have a list of things I want to work towards. I don't rest. I don't take it easy for a while. Why should I? I've reached a certain point and it's time to work to get better. I will always be able to improve on something until the day I die. I raced my bike up Mt Washington on Saturday. At 10:00am on Saturday morning that race was in the past and it was time to look forward. Sunday I hiked up Mt Jefferson. Monday I rested because my body was beat to shit. Tuesday I was in the gym doing an intense bodyweight workout and on the bike doing sprints. Yesterday I was in the gym doing kettlebell work and on the bike doing threshold and high tempo work. My immediate goal is to have a good cyclocross season in the elite Masters field. "Good" can mean many things, one guage I have for "good" will be whether or not I can finish in the top half in points in the Verge New England Championship series. This is a lofty goal. But I'm going to work my ass off to do it. It's what I do. In the back of my mind is the Mt Washington race next August. I'll be back again and I'll be shooting for 1:10 again.

I guess my point is this... If you reach a goal that you've set it doesn't mean you've come to the end. It means you've reached a new beginning. If you've lost the two inches you wanted to lose it doesn't mean you can let up on the workouts and start eating ice cream every night. It means you have to up the ante and decide you're going to run a 5k... If you can finally do an unassisted pullup, it doesn't mean you can stop training. It means you have to shoot for 5. Maybe set a goal of being able to do a handstand.. Why not? Handstands are fun, they require great functional, full body strength, and a super strong core.. It's an awesome goal. You've been placing top 10 in your sprint triathlons. Time to go to the Olympic distance.. There's always another level to take it. That's what it's all about. Strive for excellence. Dedicate yourself to continued improvement in all aspects of your life.

My first cross race is Sept 19.. My first Verge series weekend is Sept 26-27. I am going to be as ready as I can possibly be. Oh yeah, and I'm going to have a ton of fun doing it :)

Best,
Kevin