By the Numbers

The pesky thing about a goal – and I mean a really, really specific one – is that it’s really, really hard to ignore.

3.2 miles.

Otherwise known across the pond as a 5K.

It’s what I promised myself and the rest of the blogosphere I would run. I’ve emblazoned the number onto my brain. Some days, it feels as if someone tattooed it to the inside of my eyelids while I was sleeping because now I swear I see it everywhere. (Price of gas? $3.20. Next exit? 3.2 miles. What time of day is it? Oh look, it’s 3:20. So goes the torture…)

I readily admit there are days I don’t want to run. And I mean really, really, really don’t want to run. Yesterday happened to be one of them. But I do it anyway. Just like a good little girl. And just like Nike told me to.

Compare and contrast to “the old days” when I would set out for a run and commit to running 15, maybe 20 minutes. I certainly didn’t measure the distance. And if I didn’t feel “into it” at any point during the run, I might even leave the trail and call it a night altogether. What I didn’t realize at the time... It was as if I was committing a thousand small surrenders. Of my body. Of my soul. Of my self-respect. Without even knowing it.

And that’s the thing about a good goal. Whether you like it some days or not, it sets a clear marker to achieve. In black and white terms (or neon green, in my case), my goal looms out there like a beacon that keeps guiding me until I get the satisfaction of watching that number light up the screen. Trust me, I’ve tried to cheat, cut corners, short-circuit my runs, but ever since I threw down the 5K a Day challenge I can’t bring myself to cheat. Because no matter how many people I might end up disappointing, the truth is I’d only be cheating myself.

I encourage you to try it for a week. Pick a number. Set a goal. Then run it, repeatedly. Don’t stop a minute – nor a mile – before you’re supposed to. Then see how tall you stand when you finish that day. And the day after that…and the day after that.

So, let's go, America.  Give me your tired, your weary, your digits...