We’ve all heard of how fitness club membership numbers skyrocket after the New Year’s holiday and then plummet by February or March. To be honest, that kind of disappoints me because it means there are a lot of discouraged people out there who have let go of their resolutions and may have fallen back into their old habits.

I believe that this is usually the result of setting an unattainable goal in the first place.  For example, a goal such as “This year I’m going to exercise four days a week every week, no matter what,” in my opinion is incredibly difficult to maintain. Some weeks we will not have time to exercise four times a week. Some weeks we may not feel well. Some weeks we might be injured. Some weeks we may decide to exercise five or more times. Then, having failed at our goal, we stop trying, and don’t go to the gym again all year.

I recommend setting a goal that sets a target out at one year, and I think the best goals include a component that goes out 10 years or more. One of my fitness goals is to make it a habit to walk as far as I can in 30 minutes as many times a week as I can, even when I’m 80 years old.  Another fitness goal is to fit into the same size jeans for my whole life no matter what. It might sound crazy, but setting these more general, long-term goals seems to work for me.  Even if I am unable to exercise, I can still control the portions of how much and what type of food I eat and make sure that I’m drinking plenty of water.  Let’s just hope that I don’t have to eat those words.

Adding intermediate checkpoints into an annual goal can also really help. If I would like to finish 2012 at a certain weight, be able to bench press a certain amount of weight, be able to run a 10K in a certain amount of time, I should set intermediate goals in each of these areas at monthly or at least quarterly intervals to help keep me on track.

Then, I recommend making sure that your annual goal fits into your 10-year goal and your overall life goal. There is nothing more satisfying than spending your time working toward a long-term goal that is worth your best effort.

Whether your fitness quest involves golfing, gardening, fishing, tennis, running, or whatever else you do, it is so important to maintain overall health and wellness in order to achieve your goals.  Visiting your doctors regularly for check-ups, establishing healthy eating habits, taking the proper steps to care for your eyes and your skin are all key parts of achieving a healthy, active lifestyle.

Keep in mind that fitness is a process – slowly building on your short-term goals to reach an overall healthy lifestyle. To become obsessive or reckless is not usually the best road to health and fitness. Take the long view, set intermediate goals, safeguard yourself against injury and burnout, and enjoy the process. That will keep you on track.

A few weekends ago, I ran the St. Louis Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon.  Between the ideal weather, the great attractions in St. Louis, and the town all fired up about baseball, the weekend was extremely memorable.   

From my previous post, you can see that I’ve been preparing for this marathon for quite a while and this event certainly did not disappoint. In fact, they even had different bands playing music of all styles including rock, funk, reggae, country, and jazz at just about every mile along the course through downtown St. Louis and several of the city’s parks, and a free concert after the race for the more than 21,000 registrants who participated along with their family and friends.

One of the pleasures of traveling the country running marathons is the opportunity to appreciate the unique culture of each area.  St. Louis being the “Gateway to the West” during the pioneer days still influences the city today.  And the connection north and south with the Mississippi River made it quite a hub for travel.  Between the iconic arch and the riverboat that still runs along the Mississippi, the movement of people through the area over the last two hundred years can still be felt.  The city shares a great connection to New Orleans, and that brought back fond memories of the honeymoon my wife and I spent there over 20 years ago.

One of the hardest things for me during the entire weekend was that everywhere I went, I had to walk by a place called Maggie O’Brien’s, which serves Louisiana style ribs that are slow cooked in an outdoor smoker that lets off the most wonderful aroma.  My willpower was most certainly put to the test.

My goal for marathon training has historically been to reach a 22 mile long run four weeks before the event , then gradually taper the length of the run in the final weeks leading up to the event.  Everyone has a different point of view on the subject of marathon training and preparation, and there is merit to each one, but this tapering approach seems to be the one that works best for me. I encourage you to find the training regimen that works best for you, whether you are training for a marathon or any other sport you enjoy. Staying in shape requires everything ranging from exercise and training to your diet and nutrition to your overall health, including the health and comfort of your eyes both in the short- and long-term, and having the right gear, such as proper eyewear, the right clothing and sunscreen – and can play an important role in improving your game.

My longest training run in advance of St. Louis was significantly less than the 22 miles I had anticipated, and the taper was only going to be for a few weeks, so I made some adjustments to my expectations for the event.  Before I went, I wrote down how I thought the race would go.  I was pretty sure I could run through 16 miles continuously, and I knew that the last ten miles would be challenging.  I projected finishing the first 16 miles in 2 hours and 40 minutes, and the last ten miles in 2 hours and 10 minutes, for a total of 4 hours and 50 minutes.  That is a disappointing  analysis for me, because it seems like only last year that I was crossing the finish line at close to about 3 hours overall.  

The way it went, the pace that felt comfortable was a bit slower than I had expected.  The good news is that I ran comfortably through 18 miles.  I finished in 5 hours and 23 minutes.  I was right in my planning –the last part was a lot of work.  But I knew that I needed to take it easy to avoid injury and to prevent getting too run-down. 

After the marathon was done, I had gathered my things and checked out of the hotel, there was only one more thing that needed to be taken care of – a delicious meal from Maggie O’Brien’s.

Thank you for following my marathon journey so far – I am looking forward to sharing the outcome of my next marathon with you in just a few weeks.