One week of 2018 down. 51 more to go! Have you stuck with your New Year resolutions? Probably a good thing I set goals instead. This week has been filled with running, catching up on emails and it only took me 2.5 days before I had my first presentation and training workshop for the year. Though, no travel this past week with meetings only in the office.

If you want to become the best runner you can be, start now. Don’t spend the rest of your life wondering if you can do it. – Priscilla Welch, British Army officer turned Olympic marathoner

Parker Colorado Running Cherry Creek Trail

This week in running…

This week, I started my first month of training for 100k. I’ll have meetings every week and it’ll be a good opportunity to work on the base mileage following two months of more rest and less running. I celebrated New Year’s Day with a half marathon on the Cherry Creek trail and definitely took the opportunity to enjoy the day.

Wednesday, I pulled myself out of bed for a quick 5k for a shot of energy before my first presentation of 2018. I’ve found that starting the day with a little sweat adds more energy than any number of coffee cups.

And while the eastern half of the country has been under an arctic blast and “bomb cyclone,” we were enjoying the sunshine and 60 degrees in Colorado. I pushed myself for a slow 20 miles – farther than I wanted, but what I needed. It was my first 20+ miler since the Marine Corps Marathon in October, which meant for some sore legs. But it was a great way to push myself mentally.

And to wrap up the week, I stretched with an easy 4 miles on Sunday. After a day of cleaning house and running errands, a brief evening run is a good way to wind down. If you’re counting, that’s 40.2 miles. Track it on Strava.

Running and life

Everything I’ve learned in training for a marathon has bled over into the rest of my life.

I ran across this quote on the Run, Selfie, Repeat podcast this week. Definitely applicable to my life.

When I find myself in the midst of a disciplined training cycle, I’m more focused in the rest of life. My days are more structured and my work tends to be more efficient. Of course, the Costco bill goes higher, too…

Parker Colorado Running

That got me to thinking. How can I apply more lessons from running to the rest of my life in 2018? I’ve obviously learned a few things going from 5k to 50 miles that could apply.

Maybe for you, it isn’t running a marathon. Is there something else you’ve learned from that could apply to other areas of life?

Like what you see here? Sign up for my newsletter to be notified of future stories and weekly headlines. Click here to sign up.

Published by Ryan Goodman

Ryan Goodman works in grassroots advocacy as a communications consultant with beef cattle farmers and ranchers across the United States. He is a proud alumnus of Oklahoma State University, with studies focusing on cattle reproduction and nutrition. Ryan's experience in the beef industry range from family farms and ranches in several states to large feedlots and non-profit policy organizations. Ryan is an avid trail and ultrarunner, proudly showing how beef can be an important part of a healthy diet and active lifestyle. Find Ryan on social media as @BeefRunner.