I was hit by lightning! Not really but yesterday I realized what this last year did for me and what it can definitely do for you if you approach it right.

Short background. I had not run since about 2001 but had missed it so very much. In September 2011 I started running again. In November 2011 I ran my first 5K in 10 years. I am very slow and always have been but that’s ok.

My goal was to run in the 2012 New York City Marathon (26.2 miles). I paid my entry fee, figured out my plan and diligently began to execute the plan. I was ready. Well, it didn’t happen (but that’s another whole story as you guys know).

Saturday just for fun I ran in the same 5K I did last year. I knocked 12 minutes off my time since last year. For me that is phenomenal.

My take away points from that are that I can succeed in anything by developing a plan. Then all I need to do is diligently execute that plan and I (we) can score big time like I did in my race.

Simply knowing what to do and then doing it with the attitude of knowing it WILL work is something I completely embrace. What about you?

I know that as I was progressing through this plan all I “worried” about was what I had to accomplish that day or in that section. Your life can be like that too. Break it down (I like the phrase “chunk it down” because we actually are creating small chunks) and then go to work on a small chunk. I never imagined I would have taken 12 minutes off my time. That is kind of unheard of even for a  slow old person like me! I just went out to see how much I had progressed and I was blown away. Interestingly enough, all the components were the same – same weather, same time, same location at the start, same course etc. The only thing that was different was me!

Have a plan, make it manageable and you can achieve anything! You need a team though. I have had a phenomenal team this past year and attribute the majority of my success to that team – BUT, you know what? It was me out there at 2 a.m. running or running for 6 hours every Sunday in the San Antonio heat, not the team. I followed the plan they helped me lay out. That’s what coaching is all about.

Do you want to knock 12 minutes off your time (the equivalent in whatever life event you’re working toward)? Stay tuned for the upcoming program(s).

Enough for now – back to basking in my glory – for about 10 more minutes and then it’s out the door again…LOL.

Terrie