New year, new you!

We are one week into 2011 - so how's it going?

At Marathon Makeover, we are getting ready to kick off a new season of marathon training.  It is a very exciting time of year, as we get to meet all of those who will be such a big part of our lives for the next 40 weeks.  Most of those who will show up will have made a commitment to themselves and/or to others to get healthy.  They are choosing to train for a marathon as a way to accomplish their goal.

A marathon is a big goal - a very big goal.  A frequent question we receive is, "Why run a marathon?"  The answer is that sometimes you need a big goal to get you moving.  The first year I trained for a marathon, I was afraid to miss any of my training, so I did every single bit of it.  I changed the way I ate and what I drank.  I was consistent and faithful to my training and I arrived at the starting line ready for my first marathon.

That marathon changed my life!  When I crossed that finish line, I did it on my own strength - no one did it for me and no one could take it away.  It didn't matter how slowly I did it, the goal was to finish and I did it.  I finished 26.2 miles!  It was a huge challenge and I tackled it.

Something happens inside of you when you achieve a goal, especially a big one.  Marathoning brings a lot of health benefits - but I am talking about other benefits, such as removing "can't" from your vocabulary.  I have pushed through an extraordinarily difficult physical challenge.  Looking back on that, I can draw strength for other challenges in my life.

If you haven't set a goal for yourself for 2011, I encourage you to do so!  It doesn't have to be running a marathon (although it could be).  

Achieving a goal can move you on to greater things in your life.  Big or small, accomplishing a goal will show you what you are made of and where your strengths lie.  We all have strengths, but if we are not sharpening those strengths, like knives, they will become dull.  Being able to look back on past success, helps you achieve future success.

Give it some thought and think about how you want to improve and grow this year.  Then, sit down and write it out.  Share your goal with others and get going.  It's going to be a great year in 2011!