​This year I ran over 665 miles (according to Strava). While I did not explicitly set a mileage goal for 2018, I was hoping to get over 500 miles and I sailed clear over that.

So to make 2019 more interesting for me, I’m going to now set a goal to run 1000 miles.

One. Thousand. Miles.

Since I already covered 665 miles this year, I’m sure a bunch of you are thinking, “What are you stressing about? That’s just a little more than what you ran in 2018.”

If you’re thinking that, you would be right. In pure mileage terms, it isn’t that much more. For me, the main block is more mental than anything else. I’ve never run that much in my life and who knows that might happen to me or my body in the coming year. It might be easy for some but to me, it’s still a metaphorical mountain.

On top of the unknowns, I’m trying to balance my time with other training such as swimming, cycling, strength training and plyometrics. More importantly, I’m also first a husband and a father. That’s a lot of balls to juggle in the air and more opportunities to drop something.

But then again...

I never ran 665 miles in a single year and I did it this year.

I never ran a half marathon and I did two of them this year.

I never completed a duathlon and I did two of them this year.

I could not swim the length of a pool and now I can swim over 1000 yards without stopping (albeit poorly).

I did this all while being a husband and a father.

This year has been a year of firsts for me and as long as I keep setting goals like this, I’ll keep pushing myself to be a better me.

Thank you 2018, you made me a better person. Let’s do this 2019.

The other night, my wife and I joked about how my goal to lose weight and get in shape has actually increased our grocery bill significantly. She laughed it off and said it helps her stay in shape because now she has to carry more bags from the car.

In reality though, this is a real challenge for a lot of people. Foods that are meant to keep you healthy are not cheap. It’s very tempting to get a combo meal from a fast food restaurant for under $10 but if you wanted a nice salad with some grilled salmon - that’s likely going to cost more than that combo meal. This is probably another post for another day…

My point is, my wife has never once complained about this. She’s actually happy that I’m enjoying eating vegetables and says that this is setting a good example for the kids. Roasted Brussels sprouts are the bomb. 

Do people still say “the bomb”…?

The spending increase isn’t limited to just food. Any fitness area you want to get into usually has some startup cost. Running needs shoes, biking needs a bike, general fitness needs a gym membership and the list goes on and on. And if you’re like me, I don’t just dabble in something, I go full throttle.

Take running for example, I now own 4 pairs of shoes that I swap around for various usage just for running alone. Then there was cold weather running gear and warm weather running stuff, GoPros and… well… you get the point.

Much like the food situation - my lovely wife never made me feel bad about any of this. Every once in a while with the gear she will ask “do you really need that?” but never forbade me from buying anything.

She’s funny… do I really need that… like that’s even a question.

My journey so far has been paved with nothing but support from her. Any time within the last year she could have put her foot down and said “enough is enough” but not once did she ever do that.

The support didn’t just come from her either, I received tons of support from my family and friends. Each time I hit a milestone and shared it with them, they would always respond back right away with words of encouragement and pride. This may not sound like a lot but, I’m telling you, this is what I needed to push to the next mile… drive to the next goal.

The support doesn’t stop at money and praise; just allowing me the time to do the things I needed to do is support. I’ve lost track of how many times on a weekend when I’ve had to go out for a long run which took close to 2 hours. Those 2 hours could have been spent with my family. But instead, my wife would just say “have a good run and stay safe”.

My children, while they don’t really understand what is their dad doing, they show your support in their own ways. When I get back from a run, my daughter will ask me how far I ran and if she can see the map of my route. She’ll write me little notes of encouragement, which I proudly display on the wall of my office. My son will say things like “I want to run like daddy”.

This is support and I’m blessed to have this in my life.

Not everyone is so lucky and when you hit those speed bumps on your journey, it’s much easier to dust off and get back up when you have this kind of support.

If you find it, hold on to it. Don’t take it for granted. It will fuel your passion and drive (better than Brussels sprouts).