You finished your first 5k/10k/half marathon/marathon.
You trained and competed in a Crossfit competition.
You raised money and trained for the Komen 3 Day Walk.
You committed and completed T25/Insanity/30 Day Shred/P90X.
You finished your first 6 week boot camp session.
You set a goal and reached it- NOW WHAT?
We have all experienced this at some time- setting a goal, reaching that goal and then left floundering, trying to figure out *what’s next”. For me personally, after completing my first (2nd, 3rd, 4th and on) half marathons, I experienced a let-down of sort. I felt lost, now that my training plan was over, I was left wondering what the heck I was supposed to do with myself. The first few races, I found myself a little depressed I wasn’t training for anything anymore. I felt lost and a little overwhelmed. I had concentrated so long to reaching one goal that once I reached that goal, I didn’t quite know what to do with myself.
It doesn’t have to be about running- that is just MY experience.
What do YOU do after you reach that goal you se for yourself?
- Set a NEW goal. Is it to go faster? Higher? Longer? More reps?
- Sign up for another race/class. Choose a race of the same distance you just completed or reach higher. Repeat the boot camp you finished or choose another class that focuses on something different.
- Run for a cause. My first half marathon was for a cause and I couldn’t think of a better way to train for something. Find a cause near and dear to your hear and chances are, there is a way to become involved with it- raising money, completing an event or volunteering. Team in Training, Charity Miles, Girls on the Run, and Susan B. Komen 3 Day Walk are but a few that come to mind.
- Watch a motivational video. Youtube is your friend and you can find everything there. When seeking inspiration, I watch this video, or this one. There are many to choose from. Or check out TedTalk or Upworthy, all kinds of good stuff there, too.
- Find a training buddy. Rope in a friend or family member to join you for the fun!
- Volunteer at a race or event, or just attend a marathon and stand near the finish line and cheer others on. You will be amazed and inspired- I dare you not to be.
- Commit to trying something new. Are you a runner? Then go cycling? Are you a swimmer? Then go lift weights? Love Zumba? Then go run. You get the drift!
- Run with someone who is faster than you. Lift weights with someone who can lift more than you. Swim with someone who swims better. They raise the bar and you will too.
- Ditch the GPS watch, heart rate monitor, ipod and any other electronic device. Work out on *feel* alone, instead of being consumed by pace, calories burned and heart rate.
The one thing you DON’T want to do is to do NOTHING. Been there, done that and it isn’t pretty. If you flounder, skip workouts, don’t exercise at all- you will lose what you built up all too quickly. Keep moving, keep exercising, commit to YOU and just do it. You can thank me later!
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