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"Just finish" as a goal
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 2009-08-13 1:36 PM |
Champion  7547     Albuquerque, New Mexico Bronze member |  Subject: "Just finish" as a goalI started to post this in one of the Ironman forum threads, but the more I typed, the more I realized it merits broader perspective. The premise is IM-specific, but the points are applicable to lots of things: races of any distance, education, financial goals, etc. I am amazed at the number of people giving it the
but... 2) this is how fast I think I should be" (removing the doubt of finishing) For the novice as well as the experienced IM'er, there are a lot of unknowns and so we try to eliminate the risk of not achieving our goals, but in doing so, also lose the reward. Even in an Ironman, 80-90% of the people who sign up for the race finish it, so the risk of not "just finishing" is pretty low. Ever hear someone give it the "just finish" then "XX:XX" and finally the "super-secret XX:YY" progression of goals? (Why is it "super secret?" Because the risk of not achieving it is pretty high... ) If your goal is to "just finish" 140.6 miles, save yourself the $550 entry fee plus travel expenses and put together your own 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and 26.2 mile run. You will have covered the distance which is more than most people would even consider trying. Ahhh...you want the validation that comes with an "official finish in a real race" which is why you aren't dreaming of finishing the race in 19 hours and 34 minutes (but hey! you "just finished" the distance in a real race). There is some external validation to getting that "official finish" which means you want to finish in <16:59. Other people can ohh and ahh over your hardware and your name and finish time are recorded for all time on the internet. Now is 16:59 going to satisfy that internal validation? If you dream of finishing in 16:59 and perfectly execute your race plan and achieve that 16:59 finish time, you'll probably be happy (internally validated) and can move on to another goal. But if that perfectly executed 16:59 doesn't really scratch that internal itch, you'll be left with a nagging feeling of "unfinished business" and "just finish" is a cop-out. More likely, the race doesn't play out the way you've dreamed and there's a good chance it doesn't play out the way you planned. Maybe there was some specific cause for you to miss the finish of your dreams/plans. In my case, I wasn't expecting a bike crash, but it happened. Maybe the cause is known or expected, like an ITB pain that limits your late-race run capability. Great, what we've done is agree that there really is a finishing goal more restrictive than "just finish" that should satisfy some internal itch (the internal validation). It does make sense to re-evaluate your willingness to achieve your finishing goals as the race unfolds. It is foolish to risk your health holding to an optimistic (or even realistic) time goal when things change relative to your plan (e.g. believing <10:00 is possible even though it's 105F with a 30 mph wind). It may be rewarding to push a little harder to hit your time goal after losing 3 minutes for a flat tire. In the seconds between getting too close to the sign and getting up off the ground, my race goals changed from "<12 hours is a great day, 12-13 is satisfying" to "just finish." I'll offer that my mental faculties got really (REALLY) distorted right then. I knew my collarbone was toast as soon as I stood up, my shoulder hurt, and my arm didn't want to work. The volunteers asked if I hit my head (I didn't think so) and when I saw the cracks in my helmet my first thought was "I guess I did smack my head!" and my second thought was "I don't want them to see the cracks because they won't let me continue with a cracked helmet." While my shoulder hurt, I knew what they would likely do for it (a sling/brace to imobilize it) and figured if it didn't hurt more to keep going than it did to stand there, I might as well keep going. **Stupidity alert** Did it make sense to keep going? I'm not nearly as agile or focused because of the shoulder--making me more likely to crash again--and I've compromised my helmet and haven't even checked out the bike, yet I get back on and pedal away. Another crash could have been catastrophic! I'm also risking potential internal injuries (internal bleeding or nerve damage) because of the bone fragments. I significantly underestimated the risks (though these thoughts came up at the time). Along with my 12-13 hour goal, I jettisoned my nutrition plan (no appetite), my 6-hour bike split (unlikely even without the crash) and went into survival mode. Even with the significance of my injury, I had (OK...have) some mental issues with my run. Certainly the shoulder kept me from running as fast as I'd planned, but I walked more than I consider (or considered) "acceptable" given the injury didn't affect my legs and I could run slowly even with the broken wing. If you've read through to the end, thank you. My hope is that you can use these thoughts in your own life and realize that "just finishing" (a race, college, a job) isn't going to leave you satisfied the way achieving specific goals will. |
| 2009-08-13 1:47 PM in reply to: #2346740 |
| Subject: RE: "Just finish" as a goal Sorry, didn't read it all, but just from my experience, I don't think having twin goals of just finishing and also having time goals is inconsistent. I was happy with my IM finish. I would have been happy with a 16:59 finish if, on that day, it was as fast as I could go. I hit my swim goal within 2 mnutes, about hit my bike goal right on. I don't feel that I was any less satisfied because I didn't hit my best case scenario run goal But everyone is different ETA - I should also add that I DNF'd the prior IM for medical reasons, so I may have had a different perspective |
| 2009-08-13 1:47 PM in reply to: #2346740 |
Extreme Veteran 887 Lake Placid, NY | Subject: RE: "Just finish" as a goal Wow...well written, McFuzz. This is something I've been struggling with lately myself. My boyfriend and I are doing a 3-day 90 mile canoe race next month. He wants to "just finish" while I want to set a tough but realistic time goal. I'm not sure if it's because he's afraid he'll start obsessing over our times each day or if he just honestly doesn't care how we do. (Which he really has nothing to prove, having taken second place the other time he's done the race.) On the other hand, I've set a goal of "just finishing" for IMLP 2012. However, I'm more looking at it as a time goal of 16:00 (a little leeway left over just in case) that is realistic since I'm pretty much starting from scratch. If in the next three years I turn out to be half decent at this thing, I will adjust my goal accordingly. |
| 2009-08-13 1:57 PM in reply to: #2346740 |
Champion 9600 Fountain Hills, AZ | Subject: RE: "Just finish" as a goal Maybe it just depends on one's perspective regarding the difficulty of the task. I never doubted I could finish an IM, so I raced for time. Now, if I was to try an Ultraman, I would likely be looking to complete the event in the time allowed. Something that extreme would call into question my personal belief in my ability to complete it. |
| 2009-08-13 2:05 PM in reply to: #2346740 |
Champion 7821 Brooklyn, NY | Subject: RE: "Just finish" as a goal It’s an interesting question. When I did my first 70.3 last month, I had a goal of “just finishing”, mostly because I’d struggled with injuries recently and wasn’t 100% sure my legs would hold up over the distance. What I said to myself and others was, “I’ll be really happy if I can finish in around 6h, but mostly, I just want to finish.” Well, I made it to the finish line in 6:04. I’m proud of this achievement and I’m not in any way disappointed with the fact that I finished a 70.3 race in the MOP after being injured for over a year. But, as trivial as the distinction might sound, to be honest, I’d have been a little happier if I’d finished in 5:59 vs 6:04 and, in retrospect, if I’d focused more on finishing under 6h and less on “just finishing”, I probably would have been able to do so. Before I started the race, I didn’t think I had it in me to go faster than that; only in retrospect did I realize that I had more in the tank. |
| 2009-08-13 2:09 PM in reply to: #2346740 |
Expert 2555 Colorado Springs, Colorado | Subject: RE: "Just finish" as a goal I've never gone into a race to "just finish". I set a realistic time goal at the beginning of my training and work toward achieving the goal. I don't always hit it and can be quite dissatisfied when I don't. In my very first marathon various factors combined to cause me to miss my goal by such a big margin I didn't get any satisfaction out of completing the race. While perhaps other people would have been thrilled with my time, by my standards it was mediocre and I could not enjoy it at all. I'm also not so focused on getting to the finish line that I would risk permanent injury to do so. I haven't had to bailon a race yet, but I've experienced pulling the plug in other things. I've spent many hours climbing a mountain only to turn around short of the summit for safety reasons. Disappointed? Sure. But still able to go at it again another day. I doubt very many people do IM with the thought of just barely making the cutoffs in all the events. If they do it doesn't leave much room for margin of error. Everyone is different though and for some people all they want to do is finish regardless of how long it takes. |
| 2009-08-13 2:10 PM in reply to: #2346767 |
Sensei Sin City | Subject: RE: "Just finish" as a goal I agree with Chris. For my first IM, I had a very basic goal to just finish. I wanted to complete an official race. That meant that even if I had to make adjustments to my pace, walk the marathon, fix mechanical issues, whatever, I wanted to cross that line by midnight. HOWEVER, I knew based on my training pace, I felt I could reasonably achieve a certain time if things went correctly. So, without jeapordizing the chances of my over all finish, I was going to shoot that for that time. Then I even had the thought that if things went even better than hoped, I might even be able to get a 'dream' time. (that was probably more of a hope/dream than a goal). As it stands, the weather didn't cooperate, so my goal time was missed by just a few minutes. I can specifically recall during the bike when it was raining, telling myself to slow down and take it easy on occasion. I figured trying to push for my goal time on slick roads could easily jeapordize my fundimental goal of "just finish". I can also recall the sense of relief when I got off the bike. I realized that a HUGE hurdle to my overall finish was behind me - the bike. Not because I wasn't fit enough to ride, but the fact that no longer would a mechanical issue cause me to DNF. After it was done, I can say that I was a tad disapointed with my time, but realized that it was the best I could do that day. That disapointment went away quickly as I took joy in the fact I finished my first IM that I had trained so hard for. I think the priorities of my next IM will be a little different. I may be more focused on the time than just finishing. I may take more risks even if it costs me a finish. I already finished one, so it's not as important is beating my previous time. I'm not sure if it's inconsistant or not to have more than one goal, but I know I can sleep well at night with how I view it. |
| 2009-08-13 2:19 PM in reply to: #2346740 |
Champion 5781 Northridge, California | Subject: RE: "Just finish" as a goal Good food for thought and timely for me. I've never really been interested in taking a "just finish" approach...even though I understood intellectually prior to every race that things may happen that might make just finishing a challenge (or an impossibility). Knowing that possibility is different from operating and planning based on that knowledge. Last year I went into Malibu wanting to get under 1:50 and knowing I was ready to do so. Then I broke a spoke somewhere in the first 5 miles of the bike and spent the last three miles at under 14 mph. Goal then became to at least not finish with a worse total time than in 2007. For my first IM (earlier this month), I was realistically targeting a sub-12 finish. (I say realistic based on training times...on race day, it was pretty clear that I was more likely to have been around 12:10-12:15.) Then I got hit with a freak injury...tripped in the sand on the beach after my last long swim and popped my hamstring trying to avoid a faceplant. Three weeks before the IM. "Just finish" was now actually an optimistic goal...I was now just hoping to avoid the DNS. I did the race...with a 4:20-pace run that blew up into 5:32 when the hamstring finally quit at mile 16. And I went in knowing I'd have to take 3 or 4 minutes in T1 to wrap my thigh just to be able to ride...that was a "just finish" tactic in itself. But I never really thought about "finishing" as the goal, even as things were going south...I was recalibrating my goals constantly through the run as the injury got harder and harder to push through. When I walked through the finish area at the end of the 2nd of 3 run loops, I told my wife and sister I was still hoping to run most of the third lap and have a shot at a sub-5 run. That was actually completely unrealistic, but that's what my brain (ego?) needed to tell itself to keep pushing when I really should have dropped out. (Which I say as I sit here de-training after 2 1/2 weeks of rehabbing the hamstring, which I made worse by racing.) All of which is to say that even though I *factually* was in "survival"/"just finish" mode all day, my *brain* had to operate in "finish as fast as you can" mode. Definitely still thinking about what it all meant. |
| 2009-08-13 2:20 PM in reply to: #2346740 |
Champion 5376 PA | Subject: RE: "Just finish" as a goal I was having a similar discussion with a fellow BT'er as we biked. I set my goal to finish, then started thinking about competing, and what time, etc. It seemed as though I was thinking about it way too much and I just needed to quit setting a time goal and just enjoy it with my max effort (let the cards/time fall where it may) Still, I would be lying if I said that I wouldn't be excited about completing my first Olympic (first tri) in under 3 hours. haha |
| 2009-08-13 2:22 PM in reply to: #2346740 |
| New user 476 | Subject: RE: "Just finish" as a goal McFuzz - 2009-08-13 2:36 PM I My hope is that you can use these thoughts in your own life and realize that "just finishing" (a race, college, a job) isn't going to leave you satisfied the way achieving specific goals will. Why can't "just finishing" be as specific of a goal as a certain time limit? I'm fat and until a couple months ago sat on a couch watching tv and eating chips most of the day. "just finishing" any sort of event is a huge and specific goal. My goal is to "just finish a sprint". For a 270 pound guy who never ran a step until a couple months a go, just finishing will be quite satisfying. If hitting a specific time goal is so satisfying how come people keep doing it again with a different time? Were they not "satisfied" with the achievement they made? Why do people do 5K's? They know they can run it yet have fun entering them? Why? Probably because a race is much different then just doing the challenge on your own. "Just finishing" is a great goal for many. Maybe not for you. Maybe some runners think a time of a 5 minute mile goal is silly because they can run a 4 minute. Don't knock and criticize what goals people set for themselves. Just because it's not for you doesn't mean its not a worthy goal for others. Edited by JC5066 2009-08-13 2:25 PM |
| 2009-08-13 2:25 PM in reply to: #2346740 |
Master 4118 Toronto Bronze member | Subject: RE: "Just finish" as a goal Thanks for sharing it. You are one tough dude!!! It is interesting. But I am not sure I agree with you. there are folks out there who can be at peace with the result they achieve. An IM certainly is a HUGE goal and a lot of time is spent training, analyzing, and visualizing what race day will be like. I've had a few road races definitely not go the way I planned. And although I was disappointed at the time I have come to just let them be. they are what they are. I can't change them. I still did what I did and I will race another day. (An IM is a different story as it is hard for a lot of people to race them repeatedly.) For you, your day just turned out way differently than you thought. And I know the perfect day is still there in your mind .... that 'if only' is there. Go ahead and chase it if you can but please let your race be what it is - you have every reason to be proud. I have an interesting one. this is a where do you fall and I didn't know until it happened to me. Last fall I was gunning for a sub-4 marathon. Trained hard but caught a cold the week before the race. I pretended I wasn't sick but by 16k in the race it was clear that my body was unhappy with me. For some reason I stuck with it and walked the second half of the race. Very humbling to have just about all of the race pass me ... anyway, I didn't injure myself further but i finished it and took home a medal. I was pretty upset but i sucked it up. I had a coworked do the same race and he was going for 3:30. He made it to km 36 and woke up in an ambulance. He's not sure what happened but said it was 3:30 or nothing. I am pretty sure I wouldn't want to wake up in an ambulance but i did think about quitting many times. That race is definitely a personal worst but there's something to be said for sticking it out ... but I did the training, I worked hard and I did it - even though it didn't turn out the way I wanted. (my running buddy did finish sub 4 so I do have comfort that if i had been 100% i might have been with her). Now I am training for my 5th marathon but I am not sure that my coworker has ventured out again ... |
| 2009-08-13 2:31 PM in reply to: #2346740 |
Master 1572 PA | Subject: RE: "Just finish" as a goal Wow. Well first off, goals & motivations are extremely individual. So I think the point was just to challenge people to think if 'just finish' is enough for them, rather than judge them if that's what it is. Though talking about saving yourself the $$ and going to do your own IM sounded a bit judgemental to me. My goal for IMLP was not to JUST finish. It was to finish & finish happy. *Just* finish makes it smaller. For me, I honestly had no idea if I would be able to do. I wanted to enjoy the day and soak it all in. Had I had a time goal, I don't think I'd have enjoyed the day nearly as much, b/c I'd have been so fixed on the time. When I stopped to go to the bathroom at an aid station I spent a few minutes talking to these ~ 10 yr old girls who were soooo excited to hold my bike, and freaking out when I told them they could put sunscreen on my back b/c i was a 'racer'. At one point in the run there was a tent of people playing music and I stopped to dance for 30 seconds. I truly had a blast out there. Had I had a time goal I don't think I'd have been nearly as relaxed, i think I may have pushed the bike too hard, all kinds of stuff. Instead, my only goal of finish and finish happy allowed me to chill out and enjoy it....and what ended up happening....I far exceeded my expectations. I finished in 14:09 and I was completely shocked. Jorge told me later he thought i'd prob do 14-14:30ish, but had I known that, that's all i'd have been thinking about. So for me, having a goal to finish & finish happy allowed me to race the race of my dreams. If I do another IM, I'm pretty sure my goal will be the same, and whatever finish time my fitness results in, so be it. |
| 2009-08-13 2:32 PM in reply to: #2346740 |
Elite 4564 Boise | Subject: RE: "Just finish" as a goal I think one of the reasons for having a just finish goal is the uncertainty of doing an event that large. For instance I might think to myself I can run 12 minute miles easily and so I should be able to do the marathon in under 5.5 hours. Now when it comes to actually doing the race, 12 minute miles may or may not be as easy to do as I thought it was. I think just finish is a good goal to have for the first time you do a HIM or an IM because at least for me the distance involved was a lot more than I had ever tried in a single workout. |
| 2009-08-13 2:38 PM in reply to: #2346740 |
| Subject: RE: "Just finish" as a goal couple other points... I think it's madcow that's done 4 or 5 IMs, and he posted somewhere that the one that gave him the most satisfaction was his (i believe) slowest. Second, I have a hard time talking to some triathletes after races, since they are always disappointed because they didn't meet this goal or that goal, and denigrate their whole race. Rather than celebrating having the ability to be out there doing more than a huge percentage of the population. I know, I used to define myself by my results as well (coming back into competetive sports later in life). Sure, I like to do well and try to get on the podium, but if I don't, being disappointed in myself isn't the answer (for me). Anyway, l it is an interesting topic for discussion. However, I guess my issue with it is I'd try to avoid saying how "you" would feel if "you" just change your perspective, the goal of "just finishing" is a laudable goal for many of us, and not one to be diminished. That may be the way you feel, that's not how others feel And last, if it's not fun it's not worth doing IMO |
| 2009-08-13 2:40 PM in reply to: #2346901 |
Champion 10471 Dallas, TX | Subject: RE: "Just finish" as a goal Yeah, what she said! I completely agree! I had fun at my IM. I told myself to stay positive. To enjoy the day! Before the swim ended, I just popped up and did a breaststroke so I could SOAK in the finish line... the experience... the moment. Did I add time? Sure. Did it matter? Nope. I still have that great memory in my head. During the run I stopped to pet two dogs. Again, it's a memory that stick out in my head. It made me happy. While I had goal times in my head... I wasn't holding myself to them. Meaning: if I didn't REACH those goal times I was NOT going to let disappointment in myself ruin my day or my memories of my first IM. So many people get wrapped up in "I MUST finsh in X time" they lose sight of the day, the moment. They come out of the water slower... don't meet their goal time on the bike... walk the run... and they start beating themselves up mentally. The negativety kicks in and they are having a horrible day! AND when they look back on that day, all they remember is it being horrible because they were slow. You know what... WHO CARES? SO WHAT! Yeah, I said it. Let's get real here... most of us are doing this for FUN... to keep fit... to challenge ourselves. SO WHAT if we miss our goal time by 5 minutes... an hour? The world isn't going to end! Our family and friends won't hate us, we won't lose our jobs... it doesn't matter all that much at the end of the day. Yes, having goals are great! Challenging yourself is great! That keeps a person motivated to improve. But WHY make a great experience a miserable one all because you didn't do X time wise? I finished my IM. I'm happy about that. I did the best I could with what I had to work with that day. I don't have one regret. I don't think I could have done anything better. And knowing that one of my friends was pulled off the course on mile 18 of the run... which is heartbreaking... you better bet I was VERY HAPPY to JUST FINISH! gopennstate - 2009-08-13 2:31 PM Wow. Well first off, goals & motivations are extremely individual. So I think the point was just to challenge people to think if 'just finish' is enough for them, rather than judge them if that's what it is. Though talking about saving yourself the $$ and going to do your own IM sounded a bit judgemental to me. My goal for IMLP was not to JUST finish. It was to finish & finish happy. *Just* finish makes it smaller. For me, I honestly had no idea if I would be able to do. I wanted to enjoy the day and soak it all in. Had I had a time goal, I don't think I'd have enjoyed the day nearly as much, b/c I'd have been so fixed on the time. When I stopped to go to the bathroom at an aid station I spent a few minutes talking to these ~ 10 yr old girls who were soooo excited to hold my bike, and freaking out when I told them they could put sunscreen on my back b/c i was a 'racer'. At one point in the run there was a tent of people playing music and I stopped to dance for 30 seconds. I truly had a blast out there. Had I had a time goal I don't think I'd have been nearly as relaxed, i think I may have pushed the bike too hard, all kinds of stuff. Instead, my only goal of finish and finish happy allowed me to chill out and enjoy it....and what ended up happening....I far exceeded my expectations. I finished in 14:09 and I was completely shocked. Jorge told me later he thought i'd prob do 14-14:30ish, but had I known that, that's all i'd have been thinking about. So for me, having a goal to finish & finish happy allowed me to race the race of my dreams. If I do another IM, I'm pretty sure my goal will be the same, and whatever finish time my fitness results in, so be it. Edited by KSH 2009-08-13 2:42 PM |
| 2009-08-13 2:41 PM in reply to: #2346740 |
Coach 10487 Boston, MA | Subject: RE: "Just finish" as a goal Next year it I hope to get to LP to complete my 1ts IM. My main goal is going to be finish, execute well and have fun. Of course I also would like to finish in 9:30ish hrs (there I said it) but that will be the icing on the cake. So yes I think it is possible to have the "just to finsh" goal and a time goal at the same time. One is the implied goal, the other one is on top of it *if* things work out as planned but if it doesn't it is ok. Goals for me are motivators and my when I start training for LP that's going to be my part of my drive. Still, enjoying the ride and the day will be the main goal all along; next year I might accomplish my time goal or not, but when I can accomplish my main goal I'll be one happy dude! |
| 2009-08-13 3:14 PM in reply to: #2346901 |
Expert 1773 San Gabriel Valley, California | Subject: RE: "Just finish" as a goal gopennstate - 2009-08-13 12:31 PM Wow. Well first off, goals & motivations are extremely individual. So I think the point was just to challenge people to think if 'just finish' is enough for them, rather than judge them if that's what it is. Though talking about saving yourself the $$ and going to do your own IM sounded a bit judgemental to me. My goal for IMLP was not to JUST finish. It was to finish & finish happy. *Just* finish makes it smaller. . My thoughts exactly. I race "to finish and finish happy" although I had never thought of it in those terms. Thank you for that. I am never going to be FOP and probably will never be MOP (although I do entertain fantasies in that direction). So a couple minutes difference here and there, as long as I make the cutoff times, doesn't really matter. I love doing these things. I love that I am able to do triathlons. I push myself to do races that I have no "business" doing. Who cares? I pay my money and I have a good time (I hope) and try to beat last year's time. |
| 2009-08-13 3:20 PM in reply to: #2346740 |
Pro 4277 Parker, CO | Subject: RE: "Just finish" as a goal Wow mcfuzz...finishing with a broken clavicle had to hurt. When I broke mine (along with a couple ribs) my ride stopped right there! I would have quit the race after that crash. I'm impressed you carried on. I somewhat agree with you but goals are all individual. I will be doing my first 140.6 next month and I am pretty confident I can finish...so I do have a goal time in mind. But should something happen that causes me to miss that time I'll be happy to finish. I have put alot of time and effort to go the distance and I won't walk away just because I might fall short of my goal time. Sometimes I might use a race for training but I still will have a goal time in mind...that's how I really test myself. For a lot of triathletes the goal is to finish. I have a neighbor that has a goal of completing a sprint before the end of the summer. he doesn't care if he is DFL...he's 40 years old and just wants to finish one. I admire him that he is going from the coach to training for a sprint! Your analogy of going out and completing 140.6 alone if your goal is just to finsh...well, that might work for a few but I think most people want to celebrate that accomplishment in a group. Even if it takes 17 hours! Besides, Mdot could not support the many IM sanctioned events if it were not for the triathletes that just want the experience of finishing. Anyway, this is an indivudual thing for sure. Personally when I go out there I am going to do the best I possibly can. It's going to hurt and I don't really care if I have fun or not! The fun is the training. But if a person just wants to soak up the entire experience and just finish...I don't turn my nose at those individuals at all. |
| 2009-08-13 3:34 PM in reply to: #2346740 |
Champion 7547 Albuquerque, New Mexico Bronze member | Subject: RE: "Just finish" as a goal Thanks all, you have definitely enriched the discussion. I'll admit I chose some provocative language to start (I wanted some good discussion on this). I've also been around people so hung up on a specific goal that they lose sight of the bigger picture and that isn't fun either. (Hopefully, I haven't been that person, but if I have, please PM me. ) While not explicit, the intent of the post is to get people thinking about the satisfaction (or lack thereof) in fulfilling our own dreams/goals. We may have conflicting goals (go fast versus soak it in) and things beyond our control may disrupt our ability to achive a goal. For me, it was the crash during the race. For someone else, it was coming down sick a week before the big day. Others are balancing the "go fast" and "soak it in" goals. I don't want to dictate what your personal priorities/goals are. The healthy thing to do is realize when to stop pursuing a goal and let it go and when to dig deep (or nurture) to make it happen. |
| 2009-08-13 3:53 PM in reply to: #2346740 |
Champion 7704 Williamston, Michigan | Subject: RE: "Just finish" as a goal This is a very broad topic. We all bring a different set of experiences to the starting line. We ALL should be grateful that we are heathly and fit enough to toe the line. You have no idea what demons and challenges the person next to you had to overcome to make it to the starting line. Are you really arrogant enough to deny someone the ironman experience because their goal is less lofty than yours? We all have different talents and gifts. My dream race is someone elses disaster and would leave them feeling like a failure. For me it would be fantastic. EVERYONES first goal should be FINISH at an IM. Not JUST finish, FINISH. IM is a scary thing to face. Is the next suggestion going to be you shouldn't try if you can't go sub 12 hours? A Million things could go wrong as you experienced. Do your very best with what you are given on that day and have great race everytime. I just don't undestand why fast people feel like they have to belittle those of us who are not as talented. We should celebrate everyone who dares to toe the line and puts in the training. In a country that is eating itself to death where obesity is a huge public health threat WHY tell people that they shouldn't not try because they are not fast enough not good enough not thin enough goals are not lofty enough. I think you all at the front of the pack have a lot to learn from those of us at the back of the pack. |
| 2009-08-13 3:53 PM in reply to: #2347081 |
Champion 5376 PA | Subject: RE: "Just finish" as a goal McFuzz - 2009-08-13 4:34 PM I've also been around people so hung up on a specific goal that they lose sight of the bigger picture and that isn't fun either. I swear I was just saying the same thing last night. I compared it to when I was so passionate about being a sports fan that it ruined it for me. I enjoy watching football much more now that I don't really care as much who wins. |
| 2009-08-13 4:27 PM in reply to: #2346740 |
| Iron Donkey 38643 , Wisconsin | Subject: RE: "Just finish" as a goal I thought it was finishing AT or BELOW 16 hours 59 minutes and 59.9 (the last nine repeats infinitum). |
| 2009-08-13 4:39 PM in reply to: #2347132 |
Champion 5781 Northridge, California | Subject: RE: "Just finish" as a goal Socks - 2009-08-13 1:53 PM This is a very broad topic. We all bring a different set of experiences to the starting line. We ALL should be grateful that we are heathly and fit enough to toe the line. You have no idea what demons and challenges the person next to you had to overcome to make it to the starting line. Are you really arrogant enough to deny someone the ironman experience because their goal is less lofty than yours? We all have different talents and gifts. My dream race is someone elses disaster and would leave them feeling like a failure. For me it would be fantastic. EVERYONES first goal should be FINISH at an IM. Not JUST finish, FINISH. IM is a scary thing to face. Is the next suggestion going to be you shouldn't try if you can't go sub 12 hours? A Million things could go wrong as you experienced. Do your very best with what you are given on that day and have great race everytime. I just don't undestand why fast people feel like they have to belittle those of us who are not as talented. We should celebrate everyone who dares to toe the line and puts in the training. In a country that is eating itself to death where obesity is a huge public health threat WHY tell people that they shouldn't not try because they are not fast enough not good enough not thin enough goals are not lofty enough. I think you all at the front of the pack have a lot to learn from those of us at the back of the pack. Really? "Everyone"? IM wasn't "scary" to me. I knew that...barring an injury or a crash or a mechanical on the bike...I'd almost certainly finish. (And I did...even though I lined up at the starting line with a significant injury.) I trained for 10 months for it and had a handle on all the distances. I knew I had no control over the possible disasters that might happen during the race (or, in my case, 3 weeks before it)...but I certainly wouldn't advocate going in expecting them, either. Respecting the distance isn't the same thing as fearing it. It really is interesting to me how people project their own issues with going long onto others. I.e., if it feels a certain way to me, it must also feel that way to others. Honestly not trying to be critical there, but just trying to get at why people so often go beyond just explaining how they train or race to advocating (or defending) it. (I know I'm guilty of that in talking about run training in particular, so I'm absolutely including myself in that, btw.) Edited by tcovert 2009-08-13 4:41 PM |
| 2009-08-13 4:44 PM in reply to: #2347132 |
Champion 7547 Albuquerque, New Mexico Bronze member | Subject: RE: "Just finish" as a goal Socks - 2009-08-13 3:53 PM This is a very broad topic. We all bring a different set of experiences to the starting line. We ALL should be grateful that we are heathly and fit enough to toe the line. Yes, we should be grateful. You have no idea what demons and challenges the person next to you had to overcome to make it to the starting line. I agree. I have no idea what others have done to get there, and that isn't the point of my post. Are you really arrogant enough to deny someone the ironman experience because their goal is less lofty than yours? Reread my original post. Did I EVER suggest that someone should NOT sign up for a race? Did I ever suggest that someone should not come to the start line of the race? Did I EVER suggest that someone isn't worthy? No, my challenge is to the "just finish" mentality and whether that's going to scratch that internal itch, especially when the "but XX:XX would be nice" is appended. My hypothesis is that people who put these two elements together are rarely satisfied when they miss XX:XX for no obvious reason. Take a look at your own sig line "she who does attempt the absurd cannot achieve the impossible." Setting a safe-but-lukewarm goal usually results in lukewarm satisfaction (because you're not really acknowleging the true goal for fear of failure). We all have different talents and gifts. My dream race is someone elses disaster and would leave them feeling like a failure. For me it would be fantastic. EVERYONES first goal should be FINISH at an IM. Not JUST finish, FINISH. IM is a scary thing to face. Again, what prompted me to start this thread is the frequency that I see "Just finish" thrown about. Is the next suggestion going to be you shouldn't try if you can't go sub 12 hours? A Million things could go wrong as you experienced. Do your very best with what you are given on that day and have great race everytime. I just don't undestand why fast people feel like they have to belittle those of us who are not as talented. We should celebrate everyone who dares to toe the line and puts in the training. In a country that is eating itself to death where obesity is a huge public health threat WHY tell people that they shouldn't not try because they are not fast enough not good enough not thin enough goals are not lofty enough. I think you all at the front of the pack have a lot to learn from those of us at the back of the pack. Absolutely not! Hey, I'm usually somewhere between the 50th and 70th percentile (MOP/BOMOP) in my races. I'm out to enjoy the day. I'm likely to be the one encouraging you as we try to get through the day. I'm also the one willing to thank volunteers and stop to offer assistance if needed because that's more important to me than the absolute fastest finishing time. |
| 2009-08-13 4:47 PM in reply to: #2346740 |
Champion 19812 MA | Subject: RE: "Just finish" as a goal I posted this on the other thread and I'm reposting it here: Let's face it most of us that toe the line at an IM want to do our best. Clearly everyone's possible best time is vastly different. My secret goal is what someone's worst possible day might be...but so be it. Keep it fun! All that above doesn't mean I have no time targets..I do. I want to do my best that I can with what I have that day given the training I have done within my abilities. The journey to an IM is amazing as we learn a lot about ourselves if we allow it to happen. |
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