I never really bothered with goals until the past few years. During my run on Monday, Sep. 15, I was thinking about the upcoming Sri Chinmoy Self Transcendence 7 Hour Race, which I’m running on Sep. 21. I’ve gone back and forth over what goal to set for myself.

One moment I’m thinking about how far I might be able to go on my best possible day. Then a competing thought comes in and tempers my goal with my reasonable expectations.

Based on my 50k times from races earlier this year, my reasonable expectation is breaking 40 miles. If I run the first 50k (about 31 miles) in the same time I ran for my PR in April, I’ll have about 2.5 hours to cover 9 more miles, which I could almost walk.

I’m faster now and can better manage my effort over the distance. If everything goes right, I think I can hit 50 miles. I haven’t run the course, but I know the park and there are a few very small hills. Cumulatively, they might be too much for that kind of effort. I can still try.

Anyway, I kept having these thoughts battling over what my goal should be for the race. Then I realized that if I limit my goals based on reasonable expectations, there’s not much point in setting a goal. I want to strive for my goals, not settle. They should be beyond my currently perceived limits. How far beyond those limits is more a matter of time-frame.

There’s nothing that says you can’t have different levels of goals for the same situation or event either. I’ll have my reach goal of 50 miles. I’ll also have my 40 mile goal for if things aren’t quite going my way.

And I’m OK with failing. I won’t be devastated if I don’t make 50 miles. I know that I will have given my best effort. There’s always next year, or I can go out on my own. And if I do reach 50 miles or even close, that will be awesome. Then I’ll raise the bar next time.