The journey

One of the aspects of running that I appreciate is the sheer number and variety of goals that are available to aim for - no matter what level you're at, or your level of experience in running, there's always something to achieve, whether that's further, faster, more challenging, putting together a running streak, trying to set a record, or simply getting out the door and running.  It's easy to go too far with this, though, and get to the point where achieving that goal seems like the only thing that matters - that's not a healthy position to be in, as there are really only two ways this can go:

• You achieve the goal that you've set for yourself and, once the euphoria of the moment wears off, need to face up to the question 'What's next?'  (Going off on a bit of a tangent - golfer David Duval is a perfect example of this, as described in this article.)
• After investing so much time and effort into attempting to reach your goal, you realise that it's not going to be possible, leading to feeling down and a lack of motivation to run.

My feeling on this is that it's good to have goals (and I have quite a few that I'm working towards!), but the important thing is the journey, and making the most of the experience each time you run - enjoying the uniqueness of every run, the people you meet, the opportunity to travel and see places that you wouldn't otherwise have visited, giving back where you can (in my experience, volunteering is really rewarding, and a great way to stay involved in running when you're injured or otherwise unable to run).

A little bit of Tolkien seems appropriate here:

The Road goes ever on and on,
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.
(Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring)


It's also worth remembering that you're the only person that matters when it comes to measuring your progress.  There will always be someone who's faster than you, or can run further, or completes more races, or any number of other potential ways of 'judging' a runner (unless you're one of those rare people who lives on the bleeding edge of some aspect of running, setting records and being the standard that others are measured by).  Never think that you're a failure or 'not a runner' because you don't live up to someone else's standards - be proud of what you've achieved, whether that's completing a couch to 5k program, finishing the West Highland Way race or the Race Across Scotland ultra, or anything in between.