Goals.

I'm about to turn twenty-five in less then a month, and it has me thinking what am I going to accomplish in the next quarter century. I find it a necessity to set goals for yourself, it keeps you motivated and alive. Some may think the goals below are a little lofty, and maybe they are but it never hurts to try. 

These goals aren't going to be accomplished in a year or two or three, these are long term goals I hope to achieve. I know the work that needs to be put in and I am up for the challenge. 

You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there. Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reason to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement.

-Steve Prefontaine, Olympic Runner and My Idol 

Goals

Quailify for the Boston Marathon. 

I've run Boston but I ran with a charity so the qualifying time was waived. The next time I run Boston it will be because I qualified. I think a time of 3:40 is attainable. 

Complete an Ironman 70.3.

 I already signed up to do my first Half Ironman this August in New Hampshire. This is a huge step but I can't wait to see what I am capable of. 

Complete an Ironman.

 Swimming 2.4 Miles, Biking 112 Miles and Running a Full Marathon 26.2 Miles. This is the goal of all goals, and I know I have to be patient with this baby. 

PR in My Half Marathon.

 My goal is to run a 1:35 for the 13.1 Mile Distance by the end of 2011. 

Qualify for the New York City Marathon place in the top 1000 for female finishers. 

In 2007 I finished in 1343rd place, I think I can knock off another 343 women. 

Open my own Yoga Studio.

 I would love to have my own space called Living Strong Yoga, where part of the customers payment will go to the Lance Armstrong Foundation and Team Livestrong. Just an idea. 

Run the marathon in London, Rome, Athens, Berlin, Paris, Dublin and Barcelona. I've already run the big three in the United States which are, New York, Boston and Chicago. The world marathon majors consist of New York, Boston, Chicago, London and Berlin. So I'm pretty close to attaining that goal, the other marathons are on there because well it would be pretty damn cool to run them. 

Run the Western States 100 and Finish.

 The Western States 100 is an ultra marathon race in California, you have twenty-four hours to run one hundred miles through the mountains. If you finish you get a pretty sweet belt buckle. 

Do a Goofy Challenge in Disney World.

 This consists of running a half marathon on Saturday followed by a full marathon on Sunday. May sound a little crazy, but if you do both you get this really cute Goofy medal. 

PR in the Mile.

 The time to beat is 4:58, I did this my senior year in high school in my last race. There is something so beautiful about the mile and I really want to race more of them in the upcoming years. 

Win the Triple Crown in Staten Island.

 This may sound a little silly, but I've been running the triple crown for ages and I usually finish first of second for my age group, now I want to race with the big dogs and hopefully capture the title.

Write an article for Runner's World.

 I look forward to reading Runner's World every month, I follow them on Facebook and Twitter, reading anything and everything they post. I also love to write and I happen to be a runner, so I thought it would be pretty cool to write an article for such a great publication. 

Start a Charity. 

I really want to start a charity, I think a person's job in society is to give back, and if I am capable I am going to do it. 

Coach a running team.

 I think down the road, I would love to coach and of course it would be running. 

Climb a major mountain.

 I don't know why, but I just have this urge to do this. I think it may be because I'm always trying to climb to some new height. 

Write a book about my journey through running.

 Even if it's a book that I only read. 

Lastly is a my reach goal, probably unattainable but sometimes there needs to be those goals that you may never reach but they keep you moving up on your special ladder. 

Qualify for the Olympic Marathon Trials.

 Hey you never know, women marathoners are like a fine wine, they get better with age. The time to run is 2:47, now if only I had Alberto Salazar as my coach, I might be on my way. 

Happy Dreaming!