A couple weeks ago at 38 years old, I achieved a 22-year-old goal for the 5k. I remember posting this goal on the wall of my bedroom when I was sixteen alongside other goals. It has remained with me throughout many stages of my athletic career. When I set this goal, I was nowhere close to achieving it as a bulky football player and wrestler who was just beginning to take triathlon and running seriously. In my twenties, I started to approach it. In my early thirties, family and business took priority, and I assumed that I was now too old to have the speed needed for a 5k PR. The marathon became my focus, and I was all set to race Boston this past Spring. Enter COVID, and I needed a big goal to keep me motivated which drew me back to that 22-year-old goal that was eventually scraped off the wall of my old bedroom.
After missing it barely on two recent trials, I started to become concerned that it would remain just out of my grasp. Now that I accomplished it on my third attempt, it immediately made me wonder what else is possible for this aging body. Is it possible that to an extent age is only a limiter in how we train? I have trained harder in the last 6-months than ever in my life. Commonsense would say that is not smart or possible but is that just a limitation we put on ourselves?
This realization supersedes me. I can name several athletes much older than me who are daily breaking barriers they did not think were possible. With the right mindset and dedication, you can too. Don’t let your mind limit you – which of your goals are still possible? Go after them.
Be More!
Michael Harlow
EF Founder & Head Coach
Watch this message on YouTube:
