Visualize The End To Help You Begin
By Greg Albert
Nearly three years ago, I knew that I needed to set a fitness goal. I was about to start law school in a new state where I didn’t know anybody. And it would be really easy for me to allow the stress of classes, homework and tests to kill my fitness regimen. I had been running for over a year at that point, but it was getting boring and the local courses had lost their flavor. I have been fat before (yes, I’ll admit it) and I wasn’t going back to that.
But continuing to run was going to be a challenge, so I needed to set a goal. And I needed a way to visualize my progress more than just seeing a total number of miles for a week or a month. Enter Philly to LA on Foot. I decided that over the three years of law school that I’d run the equivalent of Philadelphia to Los Angeles.
I’d run locally and then each week, I’d show my progress across the country. It’s 2,736 miles from the Philadelphia airport to the Los Angeles airport (LAX). I use gmap-pedometer.com to track my progress. I update my progress on my blog and have been running through states since May 2007. I’m now in Arizona on Route 40 on my way into California as I head into the home stretch. I graduate on May 15, 2010, and I need to have made it to Los Angeles by that date.
Visualization allows me to focus on the larger picture. I’m making progress even if I’m just running an out-and-back 5 mile course. I get closer to LA when I run farther. And when I don’t get my 20 maintenance miles in a week, it makes the next week even tougher.
But visualization also makes me focus on day-to-day fitness. When it’s tough to get out after a long day or when it’s cold or raining (or both), I think about my progress to LA. I need to get to Los Angeles so I put my shoes on and head out the door. Those runs aren’t always great, but I’m still putting the miles in and I’m still fit.
And beyond that, it’s fun. People ask where I am on my run and what towns I’ve run through. It’s neat to think that over 3 years, I will have run literally across the country. Those miles include anultramarathon , two marathons, a bunch of half-marathons and 10Ks and 5Ks. But most importantly, those miles include my it’s-below-zero-I-can’t-believe-I’m-putting-on-my-shoes-and-going-out-the-door runs. That’s when I need to visualize the sandy beaches of LA.
Greg is a third-year law student in Concord, New Hampshire. He is running from Philadelphia to Los Angeles during the three years of law school (all virtually). These 2,736 miles have kept him motivated to hit the roads in the summer heat and the winter cold. He’s run two marathons, a self-created ultramarathon, numerous 5Ks, 10Ks, and half-marathons, and most recently did a century bike ride across three states. Catch Greg’s Blog located at Greg’s Blog
