But I Don't Feel Like It Anymore - Commitment vs Feelings and Why You Should Do It Anyway

"Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable (of becoming)."
-Coach John Wooden

My first career (1995-2001) was inside and outside sales for a technology firm in Silicon Valley during the dot.com boom/bubble years.  That's a fancy way of saying that right out of high school I got a job working for my father's business partner Paul on business development of a new territory.  The new territory?  Southern California.

From 1995-1997 I went to school full time and worked part time developing new business making cold calls from a business guide.  This is prior to major & minor companies having robust websites and prior to Google telling me how to find any information on any company, product or person that has a public presence.  I had only an encyclopedia sized book, a company name, their product line and a phone number.  It was my job to call the receptionist, and somehow talk my way through the web of that company to get to someone who purchased electronic components from other companies to make the product that they sold.  Simple enough, right?  Only problem was that the bigger the company, the more intricate the web of people who didn't know what anyone else did, not to mention the bulldog receptionists and personal assistants that were hired and trained to be a firewall against calls like mine.

Paul, my mentor/boss, has completed many endurance rides/runs.

In 1997, Paul (co-founder of the company, Signet Technical Sales, later Signet LCD and then IDS) offered me a full time position.  I accepted and stepped full tilt into the corporate world, which included 10-15 hours a week of commuting (to and from San Jose) and 40-60 hour weeks.  "Salesmen have no hours!" Paul used to say, much like Alec Baldwin's character from my favorite movie about sales, "Glengary Glen Ross."  Back then, I would spend most of my day dialing up strangers and asking for a favor, "please tell me who I need to talk to who makes the decision on purchasing these parts for your products."  I got really clear that there were going to be good days and bad days.  Days I felt inspired to do it and days I didn't want to pick up the phone to encounter 43 more rejections in 44 calls (and the 1 other call was a voicemail).

My last full year at Signet (2001), I stopped commuting.  I moved from San Francisco to San Jose, and cut my 3 hours of daily driving to 15 minutes each way.  I suddenly had 2 to 2.5 hours per day I didn't even know what to do with.  I was inspired, energized and ready to train for my first marathon, something I had put off for 5-6 years.  I committed to run my first 26.2, which was actually the second time I made that commitment (it was first a New Year's Resolution in 2000, until I didn't feel like training anymore, about maybe 19 days later).

I had signed up for the San Diego Rock'n'Roll Marathon, I also booked the round trip flight from San Jose to San Diego for early June and I hired a coach to help guide me (shout out to Coach Kaley, the first coach I ever hired).  Problem was, I was overeager.  I trained myself right into an overuse injury (ITBS) within about 2-3 weeks.  I wanted to run, but I couldn't.  So Coach Kaley (a very talented triathlete) started working with me on swimming and biking (as much as sitting on a spin bike can be considered biking).

I cross trained for a full month, until I just didn't feel like it anymore.  My knee hadn't improved, and I still had pain after mile 2 on basically every run I'd go on to test it out, about every 2 weeks.  I stopped training altogether.  That was mid-February.  Late-May came up on me fast and I realized I had a trip to San Diego (flights booked, accommodations made) and suddenly I was feeling inspired again.  So I went for a few runs to shake off the rust, determined my knee didn't hurt at mile 2 anymore and flew to San Diego.

*Note: this is NOT my bib # from 2001

Along the way I had raised maybe $500-$900 for the NCCF, but it was all in $1-$2 per mile sponsorship donation checks.  I was certainly not fit for 26.2 miles straight, on roads.  But I also felt a sense of obligation to finish what I started since I couldn't donate checks for the amounts they were written out for if they were based on the miles I had committed to doing.  I was in a quandary: do I run a marathon and put myself at risk of re-aggravation of this injury that put me down for 3-4 months?  Do I not run it, yet send in the checks anyway?  Do I not run it and send the checks back to their donors?

I went into the marathon expo on Saturday and again was inspired by all the fit, healthy people. There were many charities there with teams, and coaches, and team colors.  I knew I had to send these checks in.  I also knew I needed to run the distance.  I also didn't want to spend another 4 months not being able to run.  I decided to walk 13-14 miles, Saturday.  I got the course map and followed it until I got to a freeway entrance (94 out of downtown SD) and elected to do another lap around Balboa Park.  I wrapped it up in about 4 hours (about 17-minute mile pace) and went to visit my sister for dinner in La Jolla.  Sunday morning I caught a cab to Sea World, and at about the mile 14 mark I waited for the race to come by.  I watched the elites, the sub-3 national class athletes, the age groupers, and somewhere about an hour later jumped into the fray.  Again, I walked more than I ran, but I was coming up against my feelings of failure, the disappointment I wasn't an official participant (it was a chip race, and I'd never show up in the results).  But on the other side of those negative feelings, I was doing something maybe for the first time in my life, that wasn't going the way I envisioned it, and I was finishing it anyway.  My watch read 6-hours, 17-minutes when I hit the 26.2 mile mark, and based on when I started the day prior, my unofficial time would have read 22-hours, 17-minutes.  By all measures of marathon finishes, I was a DNS (on Sunday) or a DNF (on Saturday).  Two half marathons in back-to-back days is not a marathon.  But I sent in those checks and wrote a letter to everyone who donated, "I am happy to reimburse you if you object to the way I completed this marathon, and here's why you won't find me in any official results...".  It was a huge turning point in my life.

Officially finished my 1st marathon 16 months later.

Even today, I still come up against the feelings of "I don't want to train today, I just don't feel inspired or motivated to do it." and some days, those feelings win out.  But more often than not over the past 13 years, I cast my feelings and lack of motivation aside, and ask myself, "what am I committed to?" and often, the answer is pretty simple.  When you ask yourself what you're committed to, and weigh it against what you're feeling, whatever is bigger wins.  So my commitments have become huge, 'larger than me' type challenges, such that my fickle and ever-shifting feelings can be good, bad or ugly, but rarely are they bigger than my commitment to the goal.

You won't win this battle every day.  But the more you play this game, the stronger at "being your commitment" which is essentially "adhering to ones principles" instead of empowering your feelings which can change moment to moment, day to day and are as unpredictable as the weather.

What are you committed to?
*post a comment below and declare what you're committed to!

Overemphasis on Training in 100 Mile Trail Run Prep - Angeles Crest 100 Lessons 2006-2014

"Nothing on Earth can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on Earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude."
-Thomas Jefferson

BAD ATTITUDE 101 - Angeles Crest 2006 at Eagle's Roost

I am not the most qualified person to be telling you how to train for a 100 mile mountain race.  I am not fast, and am lucky to crack the Top 25 of a deep race field.  I don't even log high mileage all that often (number of weeks in 2013 over 70 miles = 6, number of 100+ mile weeks not including a week with a 100 mile race in 2013 = 0).  I have even coached runners for Angeles Crest (and various other 100 milers) that have failed to finish their respective races (don't ask about my Dave 'Comet' Chan story, please).  There are many more qualified AC experts out there.

All that aside, you have found this blog entry (so pull up a chair and stay a moment).  I'm here to present a perspective that I've been chewing on for a few years now, something I've struggled to fully grasp or articulate, but it crystallized in a conversation with a fellow student of 100 milers, and someone far more credible than I (who will likely blog on this very topic in the near future *nudge, nudge* ).

Okay, I lied, look how pretty I am here.

Running 100 miles (or "migrating 100 miles", to quote my fellow blogger Ashley) in a single day is a brutal challenge.  It tests us physically and psychologically, sometimes to the very fabric of our being.  It strips us of all excess energy, to the point where all facades fall away and we're left raw and emotive, just a primal being often going off of pure grit and gut instinct.  In my case this is often not a pretty sight.  For some of my closest friends it is a time to fully enjoy the show, as I behave in ways I might not want to be seen behaving at any other time (at least publicly).  I might throw a tantrum or two. I sometimes complain. I often puke. Sometimes I even cry like a baby.  And hold on to your seat for this one, there are instances I am dead quiet for extended periods of time.  *GASP!*

Chamoun leads Gleason up Williamson - AC 2012

I'd estimate in all of the training programs I've personally executed over the last 12 years preparing for marathons and longer races, my two most dedicated, high mileage, most focused training programs were in 2006 training for my first Angeles Crest 100 Miler and in 2008/2009 training for the Western States 100.  Interestingly enough, until I tried to run my 2nd hundred miler in a 2 week period (AC/Leadville back-to-back in 2013), both AC '06 and States '09 were my two most difficult 100 milers (see: most frequent low points, most death marching, and highest cumulative time in aid stations).  I don't care if you finish these races in 18 hours (or faster) or 30 hours, to me, speed is relative and it is an impressive feat of courage (and foolishness) to even toe the line of one of these monster mountain endurance runs.  Conversely, two races I probably had the least consistent training for, AC '13 and Rocky Raccoon '10, I had some of my better times.  Yes, those are wildly different events. I suffered tremendously at AC last year due to my lack of training (and other influencing factors), but I ran times I consider to be good for me at those two events (with less than ideal training).  This had me examining some of the finer points of 100 mile race prep with many friends of mine who have a depth of personal experience at 100 miles.  Leading up to a conversation between Pam, Kate and I, about interesting and notable performances on less than ideal training earlier this week.

As far as I'm concerned, this hypothesis could apply to the Pam Smith's (see: runners who win races) just as much as it does athletes who are fighting cutoffs for a high percentage of the race, and everyone in between.  Granted, the athlete who has less than ideal training might not be competitive for a win in today's deeper fields of competitors since most elites I've read up on now consider every element of what I'm about to talk to you about.

DISCLAIMER: I do not intend to insinuate that an athlete does not have to train very much to finish a 100 mile race.  Training up to this distance is essential.  Doing so intelligently, patiently (over an extended period of time), and consistently over race specific terrain is ideal.  The goal should be arriving at the starting line healthy, rather than "how many times can I run 100 miles in my weekly training" no matter the consequences.

HYPOTHESIS:  a great many athletes, especially first timers, place a dramatic overemphasis on training in prep for a 100 mile mountain race

To say this another way: many of us focus so much on cumulative weekly miles, running fast, running up steep terrain, tempo runs, speed work, stair repeats, strength training and getting physically ready that we overlook some pretty essential aspects of 100 mile racing (not to say we're all racing, but 100 miles in an event is distinct from just going out to do 100 miles on your own with no time constraints).

What often gets overlooked when training is overemphasized:

Checklists of everything I could possibly anticipate: AC 2012 edition

*Nutrition - both day-to-day diet influencing metabolic efficiency and effective race day nutrition strategies
*Mental Strategies - conditioning ourselves to think in a way that empowers and inspires our best effort, learning to deal with the inevitable and often devastating lows of a 100 mile run.  This can include mantras, anticipation of difficulty and acceptance of certain problematic scenarios.
*Hydration/Electrolyte Replenishment - there are many schools of thought here, but often athletes don't even consider how little (or how much) they're drinking or how an electrolyte imbalance might affect their race
*Pacing Plan vs Exertion Plan - you might think to yourself here, "nope, I always have a pacing plan" and that's one of my key points: we are often more focused on some target race time than actually adjusting to the effort/exertion level that is appropriate at that moment based on the signals our body is sending us, which can be greatly affected by conditions (heat, altitude, wind, terrain, humidity, etc.).  This doesn't just mean running too fast, it's sometimes being too conservative.
*Attitude - I hold this one slightly distinct from "mental strategies" although it is closely related.  A positive mentality can sometimes help us look at the same (sometimes ugly) circumstances and instead of panicking or having an emotional breakdown, we can smile and laugh about it.

"Do as I say, not as I do." -  IPA & a donut???

I'm the last person who can tell you what you should be doing for nutrition, but for many athletes, it seems to be almost an afterthought.  Fueling strategies implemented on race day aren't tried-and-true for most.  Sometimes, athletes that have something they've practiced a ton in training goes haywire on race day because of aid station grazing (those candies and cookies look great, I'll have a couple).

Hydration and electrolyte replacement is really personal.  There are some diametrically opposed schools of thought here on how much one should drink and whether one should supplement with electrolytes or not.  Again, if you've given no thought to it, it's just guesswork.  It's amazing that so many athletes spend a year planning to run 100 miles, pouring hours into physical training each week, many more hours just thinking about it, without consideration for anything specific here.

Pacing plans: here's the thing, if you are seeking to finish your first 100 mile race, finishing will be a PR.  Some athletes get so caught up in buckling, going for sub-24's, and completely ignoring the redline signals because of pace splits for a goal time that they sacrifice the finish.  And it has proven to be a grotesque oxymoron for me (and dozens of the athletes I train) that when I focus on everything but my splits, I run my fastest time.  When I focus on my time splits, I fall off them pretty quickly and then have to deal with my negative emotions around that early failure.

"Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference."
-Winston Churchill

Hurting: Mile 52 at AC in 2011. Attitude shift necessary.

Attitude/Mentality: I remember a few years back being too sick to start the Lake Sonoma 50 Miler, on race day I ended up working race check in and helping build the finish line area.  I got to cheer a few Coyotes and a few other friends across the finish line.  I remember one girl in particular who finished mid-pack and threw a tantrum to her friends, "That was the worst day of my life!" she sobbed.  I sat there awestruck.  Wait, didn't you just finish 50 miles?  What about the people still out there, behind you?  What about the people who DNF'd today?  I will never know this girl's name, but she taught me an amazing lesson that day: embrace the hurt locker.  I went on to Angeles Crest that summer (four months later) and every time I felt miserable, I thought to myself "I'm still moving forward at a decent clip, it could be worse, I'm so grateful to be out here doing this..." and it changed my race.  Without very much race specific training that summer, I ran my fastest AC100 time.  A huge part of that was my perspective shifting.  I put a lot of thought into it beforehand.  How am I going to feel out there?  Probably pretty crappy at some point, but that's what I signed up for.

In summary, there are so many pieces to traveling 100 miles on foot, in a single go.  Training may be a key piece of that, but if you don't consider every other piece, you might just be throwing a lot of that training down the drain.

Another parting shot, a clip of the conversation between Pam, Kate and I:
Pam - "So, how fast do you have to run to go sub-24 in 100 miles?"
JDF - "You gotta run 12-13 minute miles, depending on how much time is wasted in aid. Overall 14:30-ish average."
Pam - "Right. So really, how fit does one have to be to maintain 12-13 minute pace?"
JDF - "Depends on the course, I guess?"
Pam - "Sure, but don't you think it's not often the pace that sabotages one's sub-24 goal, but rather, poor nutrition plans, sour stomachs, and not being ready for the low points (mentally)?"
JDF - "Interesting point, Pam..."

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (photobomb by yours truly)

There's a good chance you'll see Pam on the starting line at Angeles Crest this year with a personal vendetta against AC.  I met Pam in 2010 at AC, at Mile 42.  She was trying to drop out and her husband Mac persuaded me to convince Pam to continue.  So she dropped out at the first aid station that was crew inaccessible.  Coincidentally, it was the aid station where I branded myself with my first ever DNF too, Mile 49, the Mt. Hillyer checkpoint.  Whether there in 2014 or not, I'm betting on Pam to finish her next AC...

My Angeles Crest 100 History in finishing (or DNF) photos:

2006 - Finish, 26:27

2007 - DNF at Mile 49

2011 - Finish,   23:51  (first AC silver)

2012 - Finish, 22:38

2013 - Finish, 23:39

2014 - ????

No idea what this year holds in store, but I know Angeles Crest will hypothetically be my 4th 100 mile race inside of 2 months (June 7 - August 2).  I'm ready to be schooled again by one of my favorite mountain ranges anywhere... and I'll be hitting the starting line leaving no stone unturned...

Overcome Your Biggest Fears - Commitment vs Fear Exercise

"The hero is no braver than an ordinary man - but he is brave five minutes longer."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

More than a decade ago (1996-2000 time frame), I was consumed by my fear of things not turning out in my life.  I was hesitant, apprehensive, and worrisome.  I had been telling myself for 5 years that I would make the move from the San Francisco Bay Area to Los Angeles, and hoped I'd run a marathon someday (yes, my first marathon).  I was also in a holding pattern in my romantic relationships.  One day I woke up sick and tired of being stopped by my fear.  Not long after having these thoughts 9/11/01 happened providing me a defining moment of courage.  Sometime between then and now, many people started relating to me as fearless.  That perception couldn't be further from the truth, as I am as terrified as I always was.

Sometimes fear seems so much bigger than we are.

So, an ostrich walks into a bar...

While I am indeed someone who routinely runs extreme mountain and desert races, I took a 6 year turn as a stand up comic (not that I was ever really funny), married the girl of my dreams after 7 years of trying to convince her I was the guy of her dreams (I guess I'm still trying to convince her), and I willingly get up in front of large groups of strangers to give speeches (check out this awesome USA Today Money article on taming public speaking fears), the one thing that is a constant is that I am still very much afraid.

I fear failing at the things most important to me.  I fear people not liking me.  I fear those not liking me being vocal in their disapproval (the cliche unhappy cool kids at school talking behind your back in a mean spirited way).  I fear trying to inspire people (and having them walk away uninspired).  I fear being judged (harshly).  I fear running 100 miles (and not finishing or worse, walking away not able to run due to injury).  I fear the failure of my relationship.  I fear sadness, due to my past battles with depression.  I have a lot more to lose today than I did in the late 90's and early 2000's.  Being older (maybe wiser) I understand the consequences of my actions (and not following through on things).  I feel the emotional impact of letting people down a lot deeper than before.  My anxiousness and fears have only escalated.

The very serpent that helped me overcome my fear of snakes in 2006.

I turned a corner in my life in late 2000, where I realized that there may be no place where I feel more alive, than when confronting my greatest fears, and when facing my darkest demons. When facing one's fear, there arises a sense of power you can not experience while armchair quarterbacking your favorite reality TV show. When you are out in life doing (rather than thinking about doing) you are experiencing life real time, you are more present, more alive and turned on, plugged in and vital. This, my friends, is what life could be about.  It is what I've made my life about.

It took me years to learn the tough lessons of what ignoring my fear (especially of failure) creates in my life.  I still experience breakthroughs in this area from time to time.  Last Sunday was another example of this for me.  It's interesting how having your life flash before your eyes brings crystal clarity about what's important to you and how precious and fragile life really is.  It can all change in a second.  A single moment can bring us to our knees.

Together 12 years, married for 5 so far!

What fear is presently holding you back? Are you not asking for a promotion? Are you wanting to switch jobs or even careers?  Are you not signing up for your dream race (the one that terrifies you)? Are you not telling a special friend how you really feel about them? Are you not taking calculated risks towards what your soul desires, what you crave to feel fully alive???

**Imagine me shaking you by the shoulders right now, SHAKING YOU VIGOROUSLY**

WAKE UP, MY FRIEND!!! Your life is right now, today, happening this very moment. Why are you wasting it empowering your fears!?!?

I have a little game I remind myself of when I realize I've become complacent.  Sometimes I over think and rationalize my inaction.  It is a simple mental reframing of commitment vs fear.  We are either more committed to what we want to create in life, or we are hiding behind our fear.  It's an either or thing.  There comes an aha moment when you realize that overcoming our fear doesn't mean being fearless, as courage is really defined by acting in the face of our greatest fears.  The larger and deeper the fear runs, the more courageous the act.  We all have more courage than we can possibly imagine.

So, are you going to be committed to your dreams and desires, or will you empower your fears?  The choice seems simple, but only action solidifies that commitment.

"There are those of us who are always about to live. We are waiting until things change, until there is more time, until we are less tired, until we get a promotion, until we settle down / until, until, until. It always seems as if there is some major event that must occur in our lives before we begin living."
-George Sheehan


I invite you to do something today that scares you.  Yes, even that very thing you've been avoiding.  The thing you are hiding out from.  Life is shorter than we relate to it being.  Fear puts the soul to sleep, except when we are facing it.  If you're reading this, I love you. I believe in you.  It will feel really good to no longer be captive to that fear.  Do it.  Come on, you can, I promise you can.

Now go take on some dragons.

Each accomplishment  is merely the starting point of another dream.

New Year Does Not Equal New You - We Require a New Outlook

"Ambition is enthusiasm with a purpose."
-Frank Tyger

Speaker Kevin Bracy does what he does best

#NewYearNewViewNewYOU
One of my mentors, heroes and all around favorite dudes inspired the title of this blog post.  Speaker Kevin Bracy posted an amazing little series of videos about how most people relate to the calendar turn of year as new hope, new promise and a new me/you!  He cautions us, that the reason most people fail in their resolve to do something is they fail to adopt a new outlook.  I realized that the reason I have been really successful the past half decade in what I call my "New Year's Promises" is a game of 3 questions that helps shift my outlook.  I missed this conversational empowerment exercise this year for the first time in as long as I can remember.  I didn't go for a NYE night hike, and I didn't join the crack-of-dawn Rose Parade run. And I didn't facilitate the post hike/run 3 questions game for so many of my closest friends, family and fellow runners.  This lead to NYE/NYD being the worst in recent memory.  But it's January 4th now, so let's forget January 1st, 2014 and look forward...

I am going to roll my 3 questions game out to anyone who reads this.  My invitation to you is this:

IF you read this, I invite you to take one step further and comment (or share/repost on your social media of preference: blog, Facebook status, etc.) all 3 complete questions with your specific personal/professional answers.

I have been practicing this exercise since at least 2009 and it's been super effective for ALL I have heard.  Ask David Villalobos how effective it was for him in the 2012-2013 transition (that's just the one I remember most from last year).

Here's the dealio - to complete the conversation (in your mind) about 2013, answer 2 questions:
1. What is one thing (only one) that you accomplished in 2013 that you're most proud of?
2. What is one thing (only one) that you failed at in 2013, most powerfully, what was your biggest failure?

And then the tricky question that opens 2014 with hope & promise:
3. What is one thing that you'd like to accomplish in 2014, that if you achieved this single thing, no matter what else happens this year, it would be impossible to declare the year a failure?  More often than not, this question stands independent of #2, but sometimes people link them as a reaffirmation of something they really want to get done.

SYMBOLISM: Chinese bamboo needs 5 yrs of constant attention to grow

MY ANSWERS:
1. I am proud of who I was in the space of traumatic situations in 2013.  Some of the trauma was self-induced (running 2x100-milers with 13 days recovery), but a lot of it was really unexpected (Kate miscarried a child in January, experienced a major family upheaval in July, and then Kate broke her leg in November), and in each case, I had my own fear and internal freak outs to deal with, and yet I was able to be the person I wanted to be (for myself, and for my wife) in those moments.

2. I failed in 2013 to be the writer/author I committed to being.  I set out in January with the goal of blogging 2 times per month (24 posts) and ended the year 8 short of that number.  I failed to blog at all in April, July, August and November.  In my book, I set out to write a chapter a week back in October.  I'm less than halfway to my goal of 11 chapters in the book (over that time frame).  Both of those are dramatic failures (based on what I'm up to right now).

3. In 2014, if I only accomplish one thing (that is in my power, as one of my goals is largely up to the universe to decide), the thing that would have me look back on the year as a success (no matter what else happens) is publishing my first book.  It's highly unlikely we're going to hit my February deadline, so my commitment is to an April/May timeline for release.  Back on the chapter per week game (and I still aim to blog every other week too).


Now, what is your 3?  I emphatically invite you to not skip this step and be bold in your 3 answers!  You want me (and other readers of this post) thinking about your #3 (and you need #1 and #2 to set the table), because no matter what it is, I believe in you.

"You get whatever accomplishment you are willing to declare."
-Georgia O'Keeffe

Mind the Gap - Big Dreams and the Terror In Launching After a Goal

"Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan."
-Tom Landry, Legendary NFL Head Coach

This post is about biting off more than you can chew.  Dealing with the realization that you don't plan on taking anything off your plate (or I guess figuratively outta your mouth) prior to the journey towards the achievement of life altering stuff.  Yep, yet another pursuing big goals and dreams blog.  Just don't choke (pun intended).

MIND THE GAP

Literal meaning - in mass transit (think subway trains), 'mind the gap' refers to making sure you don't underestimate the distance between the platform and train and step into the chasm (which could cause a serious injury)
As a metaphor - in my life, 'mind the gap' means making sure I don't hyper fixate on the distance between present day and my goal/dream and get stuck in that void (doing nothing to move from one side to the other)

There is a major pitfall I have often experienced in chasing after huge goals and dreams not long after setting them. In the few weeks after declaring something huge (as is often the case for many people between January 1st & January 22nd every year) is once I say, "I'm gonna do ______ this year!" my next step is to plan out how exactly I intend to accomplish that declaration.  Even if you are not an uber planner, it is pretty common to have that realization that where we stand right now and where we want to end up (in achieving that goal) is a massive distance apart.  I refer to that massive distance as "the gap".

My 2014 set of goals & dreams are all pretty simple, and totally straight forward.  One of them might even seem to be an over share (rare for me, I know):

1- publish my first book (Making Molehills Out of Mountains)
2- enter, start & finish all 6 hundred milers in the Last Great Race ultra challenge (aka the Original 6 hundreds in the US in the same year June-September)
3- quadruple my income as a keynote speaker & coach
4- make a baby, and help my wife bring a healthy child into existence (okay, so there's your TMI for this post)

LGR has been completed 36 times. Only ONCE in last 6 yrs (David Snipes)

I'll take a moment to examine my #2 for a minute (since many of you have declared some big athletic goals publicly for 2014).  I have been training to run 100 milers for more than 8 years now, and have only attempted to complete 3 in the same calendar year once (in 2010, I finished Rocky Raccoon in February, Badwater in July and then DNF'd Oil Creek in October at mile 76).  I have completed 2 hundred milers in the same year 4 times, and until 2013, those 2 were never closer than 2-3 months apart, minimum.  In 2013, I completed my now typical 2 hundred milers, but they were 13 days apart (Angeles Crest August 3-4, then Leadville August 17-18).  I was wrecked for the better part of 2 weeks afterward.  The idea of 6 hundreds over a 13 week period is daunting, especially when measured by my past experiences.  Doing a 100 mile trail race every 13-21 days over 13 weeks, completing 3 times as many hundreds in a year (let alone in LESS than 3 months, my normal period in between 2 hundos) is terrifying to me.

After my goal post on December 19th, and really, since knowing I was going to go after the Last Great Race (made up my mind November 1st), all I can see right now is how far I have to go.  I am present to the cold, hard facts: I lack consistency, I am not disciplined, I have sub-par fitness, average endurance and I am overwhelmed by how much there is to plan and organize between now and June 7th (when this whole thing kicks off in Virginia).  Totally normal to get stuck in the void, and sometimes, it causes a form of paralysis where you are so focused on the big picture that you stop doing the little day-by-day things you know you need to be doing because you have trouble seeing how such little things will make a difference in something so massive.

Most people talk themselves out of continuing in this period.  The moment things get tough, when momentum or forward progress is lost, people tell themselves "this just isn't meant to be" or "maybe I'm not being realistic about this goal right now" and let themselves off the hook.  They back burner the goal, shelve it to "someday, maybe, but not now" status.  Really, all we need to do is create new momentum.  One of my favorite coaches from back in the day used to say, "in life, most people wait for the inspiration to do the thing.  Do the thing, get the inspiration."

I try to simplify and break down something that takes 6+ months into day by day steps.  Try this with your most daunting of 2014 goals:

STEP 1 - write the goal down (if you haven't already) and declare it to a committed listener (a friend that will be inspired by your commitment and encourage you along the way).  NO, this does not need to be done via social media FB/TW/Blog/etc.
*Run 6 hundred mile trail races from June 7th-Sept 6th

STEP 2 - determine where you anticipate you'd need to be (hypothetically speaking) by the time you are halfway through the time period you've given yourself to achieve that goal
*if I'm to be fit to run 6 hundreds in 13 weeks starting June 7th, I have about 5 months to train, so in 2.5 months, I should be in base 100 mile shape and capable of running 100 mountain miles by mid-March).

STEP 3 - determine where you anticipate you'd like to be one month from now (or another interim period, say 1-3 months away IF that is sooner than the STEP 2 declaration)
*if I am to be 100 miler fit by mid-March, I better be fit to run 50 miles in the mountains by early February.  How convenient that I'm registered for the Sean O'Brien 50 Miler on February 1st!

STEP 4 - continue to break the time periods down until you arrive at the 2 weeks out, 1 week out, and day-by-day steps
*having 4 weeks to arrive in 50 mile mountain running shape, I should be capable of running 20 mile back-to-backs in the mountains 3 weekends from now, meaning I need to be capable of 15-16 mile doubles this weekend or next.  Assuming that is true, I'm at my day-by-day goal/breakdown.  I need to run 4-6 days every week, getting out the door for a minimum 5-8 miles each run.  On many of my run days and some rest/recovery days, I need to be doing things that help my overall strength, fitness, flexibility and muscle balance.  Essentially, I must do something EVERY DAY that forwards my body or mind, towards this goal.  5 miles + 15 min dedicated to stretching is less than 1 hour of a commitment, meaning I need to dedicate an hour a day, minimum, to this end.

Suddenly, when I think of ONE singular hour, today (and tomorrow), it seems a lot more manageable.  I can run for 45-75 minutes today (in fact, I ran 9 miles in the mountains this morning), and I can repeat that again tomorrow (I took yesterday off).  One day at a time, one hour at a time, one mile at a time, one step at a time.

I have done this with 3 of my 4 major 2014 goals.  I have overcome my inertia from the post goal setting paralysis.  And when I feel daunted again, I shall once again 'mind the gap'.  Don't worry, you will fall short of your day to day expectations/plans, but really, your success will come from how quickly you can overcome that inertia again and start the new streak, your new momentum.  At the end of the year, whether or not you achieve the goal isn't the point.  Who you become along that journey is what it's all about...

The final step of my 2013 athletic stretch goal was painfully bittersweet.

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and starting on the first one."
-Mark Twain

Adversity When Viewed as Opportunity - Evolution of the Spirit

"Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out."

"Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.”

-John Wooden

It's quite simple: some people persist when others quit.  Some people stretch for huge goals while others go home night after night and watch other people stretch for their huge goals on X Factor, ESPN and other reality based television.  There are the gladiators and there are the spectators.

In today's society, you have a choice to be in the arena chasing your dreams, or listing off the perfectly reasonable explanations as to why the world won't hand you your dream life on a silver platter.

The bottom line?  Some see adversity as the WALL preventing them from achieving their goals, while others see adversity as an OPPORTUNITY.  Adversity is challenges that provide a mainline to the lessons that will lead to the experiences that could help deliver your dream to reality.

I am living my dream life. I can tell you from much first hand experience, the dream life can still be a nightmare from time to time.  Failure is difficult to deal with, especially when chasing a dream or huge goal.  Disappointment is a very real part of the game, even if people view me as super positive and unstoppable in pursuit of my goals and dreams.  I often feel down, I have the wind taken out of my sails, yet I commit to getting back on my feet and moving forward again as soon as possible.

It starts here: I embrace the difficulty of life, the challenges of dream chasing and setbacks of large scale goal fulfillment.  This doesn't mean I don't feel deep disappointment when I fall short, but I do step back and take stock of what lessons I can learn from each failure to aid me in moving forward toward a next step in achieving that goal.  It isn't easy, but it is possible.  And if you're reading this now, no matter how loud that inner skeptic might be, YOU are very capable of this type of perspective shifting.

Set your goals high.  Embrace the challenges, setbacks, and failures that may line your road to fulfilling that dream.  And no matter what happens, keep moving forward no matter what that looks like (and sometimes it'll look like crawling).

Now go embrace those dragons...