Personal Training and Accomplishing Life Goals

My client Joe just competed in the 2009 NYC Marathon! Not only that, but he finished with a great time of 3 hours and 39 minutes! I am so proud of Joe, he worked real hard to complete this goal.

My client Joe with his NYC Marathon Race Bib.

Joe has been training with me for almost 6 years now. Running a marathon is something we have talked about for quite some time. But training to run 26.2 miles as fast as you can (without getting injured) is a major goal and takes serious commitment, what I call “Lifestyle Commitment”.

That’s right, a weekly commitment to a large goal: a goal that seems too big at first, until you break the goal up into a bunch of small steps. Joe ran 3 or 4x/week and strength trained 1x/week (should have been 2x at least, but hey, we are working on it!) We often feel like there is not time to exercise, but you actually only need to exercise about 3.3% of the time you have in a week.

His time is excellent, especially for a first timer. He basically ran at a 8:20 minute/mile pace the whole race, and did so without any major joint pain (an issue many runners have). I am so proud of him.

Run Baby Run!

You may be saying to yourself “I could never do that”, but the fact of the matter is, you can, it just takes commitment and consistent effort. We so often sell ourselves short. It is really that simple. Joe and I talked about him doing the NYC half-marathon for a while and when I could tell he was ready, I supported him 100%. The 2009 NYC Marathon is an awesome event, I am looking forward to doing it myself, and I am so happy and proud of Joe.

Real World Goals & a Powerful Secret

It is easy to be too focused on aesthetic goals and going to the gym. But by training for a competitive race, your focus shifts to performance, and your goals take on a more emotional element. This is a powerful tool to tap into. It can get very difficult to go to the gym over and over again, but when you have a “real world” or “external” goal outside of the gym, it is much easier to stay committed and motivated. This is a powerful secret that many top level personal trainers utilize with their clients; get the client focused on enjoyable activities outside of the gym, and they start self-motivating and exercising consistenly.

Of course, you do not have to run a marathon; you can do a swimming race, stair race, bike race, trail race, or a smaller running race, like a 5k. In fact, it is important to build up to longer distances, so try a 5k, then maybe a 10k. You will be surprised how addictive it can become and where it might lead you! That is another reason I am proud of Joe, he is now very motivated to work out on his own, something that was lacking the first 5 years we trained.

Some of the many advantages to competing in races are:

1. They bring out your competitive side and force you to push yourself.
2. They can be very social which makes it easier to be consistent (Joe had a running partner he trained with, in addition to our training).
3. They force you to commit. Yes, it can be a little scary, but a little bit of discomfort and pressure is the only way to achieve your fitness goals.

I hope this blog post inspires you to push yourself, safely, and expand the range of things you think you are capable of doing.

Do you like racing? What was your first race experience? When is your next race? Show me you are alive, I would love to hear what you have to say!

Until next time, keep your business fit.

Johnny Fitness

Jonathan Angelilli aka Johnny Fitness has worked as a full time trainer for over 8 years, has completed 9 certifications, trains several celebrities, and is currently the Training Director of Dynamic Results, an upscale fitness and lifestyle company in NYC. He has personally witness the power of personal training to transform people’s bodies, minds, and lives.