"A goal properly set is halfway reached."

Zig Ziglar (© BrokenSphere / Wikimedia Commons)

Though I can say I've heard of Zig Ziglar, I can't say I know much about him other than his reputation as a motivational speaker. Nevertheless, I do like that quote of his. And I believe it. Identifying an appropriate goal is vital to achieving it. Of course, if we set the bar exceedingly low, then achieving such a goal can be relatively meaningless. So, Zig must also have meant that the goal should be a bit of a reach, not trivially accomplished but neither set unrealistically high. In a former life, we called that a stretch goal.

2008 Boston Marathon (Christopher S. Pen)

But it's possible for stretch goals to be dangerous and demotivating. If the goal is too big a stretch, one can lose heart, or be tempted to cheat or take unwise risks to achieve it. Thinking in terms of my marathon goal, setting my sights on coming in under the Boston Qualifying (BQ) time of 4:10:00 at age 65 in my first marathon ever would clearly be a bridge too far. And though I would never cheat to reach any goal, I might be tempted to undertake an unrealistic training regimen were I to set such a goal before me.

No, stretch goal means something else in this context. The phrase that best characterizes a proper goal for this marathon undertaking is that offered by Jeff Galloway for experienced runners but first-time marathoners: to finish in the upright position.

This, then, shall be my goal for my first marathon: To finish in the upright position.