Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Milestones

Milestones aren’t always personal records or huge significant events. What constitutes a one persons milestone is a very personal thing. Actually, how we define forward movement along any given path we travel says a lot about what’s important to us, how we feel about our journey, and sometimes, what we see as points of no return. None the less, milestones, like mile markers in a race, break life into digestible pieces. Some miles are good, others maybe not so much.

Here are my milestones at the middle of week 4 in my 20 week half iron distance training program:

I made it this far.
I got through my first real brick workout with minimal discomfort
I ran my first double digit LSD 2 weeks earlier than planned
I missed my first workout due to overdoing a previous one and frying my legs (See above for reference)
I had my first back/neck strain from my swim form collapsing during a longish set
I paid my money and locked in entry for the Tupper Lake Tinman ½ Iron man, NYC marathon, and Gold Coast Triathlon

There they are. Some good, some not so good, some points-of –no-return, all represent forward motion of my goals.

There have been times in a race, especially early on in long ones, when I barely notice the mile markers. I have often thought to myself that was a good thing. It meant that I was doing my thing and not obsessing about where I was at any given moment. Towards the end though, I am waiting (maybe praying) to see the markers on the horizon. As in, “Where the hell is mile 23!!!!” I’m a triathlete, a marathoner! I crave the passing of mile markers. It’s like a drug. When they don’t come on the schedule I want, I begin withdrawal symptoms; restlessness, slight panic, and despair. Then boom, my mile marks shows up and all is well with the world.

When you do something for a long time and you don’t see forward motion or progress as quickly as you want, you can get pretty desperate in your thinking. I have recently found this applies to everything thing in life; including work. It takes a funny mix of drive and patience not to make yourself crazy trying to balance forward movement of your career (or project, or department) and the delay we often encounter in meeting self imposed milestones. It’s like getting yourself to put one foot in front of the other at mile 20-something with no sign of a mile marker anywhere. You just have to trust it’s out there ahead of you. You have to trust the route you have chosen. You have to be in the moment of the journey, where you are. In life, business, relationships, and races, each step can be a milestone. Some good, some not so good, some points-of –no-return, all represent forward motion.