"But the noble make noble plans, and by noble deeds they stand." ~Isaiah 32:8

I ran 1.5 miles yesterday and today, both times on the treadmill. I can run this distance pretty easily now. Starting tomorrow I'll make my minimal mileage per day two miles. I'm excited to start building up my daily mileage so that I can eventually take days off and not feel so guilty. That's right... I feel guilty when I don't run. I know I'll only truly be letting myself down, but I think that's what makes it so hard. I've set this goal for myself and I want to see it through.

As some of you may know, I am a black belt in world martial arts. I learned so much about goal setting in martial arts and have been applying those lessons to this goal. One thing we talked about was "constant and never ending improvement". I often use this when setting short term goals; I want to be certain that I am continuing to improve and am never settling. I hope to continue to build on the distance I am able to run and eventually work on increasing my times... I want to be a running machine!

Another thing we spoke a lot about in martial arts was breaking through barriers. There are so many barriers when it comes to running: time restraints, aches and pains, weather, etc. I hope that I do not make a habit of letting those be excuses, instead, I hope to break through these barriers and excel at my goals.

"Finish Strong" was another big one. I hope that with each run, short term goal, and my goal of running 1,000 miles that I finish strong. On each run I try to picture an imaginary finish line and I run my fastest to it. With each short term goal I hope to not only reach it, but surprise myself and surpass it. With this big, ultimate goal, I hope to finish strong by ending it with my longest run of the year, at one of my best paces, and with the deepest faith I have ever felt. I know this may seem overly ambitious, but that is what finishing strong is all about.

Let's see what the Bible says about setting goals:

2 Chronicles 15:7 “But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”

Proverbs 19:21 “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

Isaiah 32:8 “But the noble make noble plans, and by noble deeds they stand.”

Matthew 17:20 “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.'”

Philippians 4:13 “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”