Focus

Focus. Anyone who is successful in whatever endeavor they choose to pursue will tell you that one of the keys to success is focus.

You have to be able to set goals, to plan steps to help you achieve your goals, and to stay on track even when that track becomes difficult.

This is not easy. This requires patience, mental strength, and a deep belief in yourself and your abilites.

Anyone who is successful will also tell you that occasionally they falter when it comes to maintaining that high level of focus.

So then what?

2014 has been a big year for me. The majority of the year was spent focusing on 2 main athletic goals (we aren't even going to talk about personal or professional goals): breaking 1:30 in the half marathon and qualifying for the Boston Marathon. All of my focus led up to September. After achieving those goals, I was mentally and physically ready for a break. Well, sometimes even the best laid plans go astray.

Without realizing it, I had entered a few difficult trail races as well as a half marathon at the end of the year. And again, big goals materialized: place first among female teams at the North Face Endurance Challenge San Francisco and break 1:27 at the Holiday Half Marathon.

But something different happened this time. I couldn't focus. Yes, I wrote a training program. And yes, I showed up (physically) to my workouts. But my brain wasn't behind it. Not to mention fighting a chest cold for the 3 weeks leading up to the Endurance Challenge.

So Saturday we showed up and despite achieving our overall goal, I left San Francisco feeling disappointed in my performance. And as the photo above shows, feeling pretty rough during the race. I knew I needed to re-focus, especially with Boston 2015 training starting in January.

Each person is different, and what they do that helps them clear their mind and prepare to tackle another challenge is also different. Here's what works for me:

1. Acknowledge where shortcomings were/are that are inhibiting your progress. For me this was diet and prioritization.

2. Do something nice for yourself. I slept in, allowed myself a day off, and got a massage. All without feeling guilty.

3. Look towards the next big goal that EXCITES you. The EXCITE part is hugely important. Breaking 1:27 in a half marathon excites me, but doing it at the Holiday Half in less than a month causes me stress. That goal needs to be adjusted. Focusing on Boston 2015 clearly excites me, so planning my training program for January-April brings that goal into focus and priorty for me.

So with the main goal in big, bold writing (3:05-3:10 at Boston 2015), the training program in place, and the mental state clear, the focus has come back. And that's when things get fun again.

LP

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