Explain How You Implemented Your Specific Objectives Into Your Daily Routine

1. How you implemented your specific objectives into your daily life/routine.
• Instead of just focusing running, I have expended to walking around the local parks.
• I have also included cross-training, which involves running up and down hills
2. What you specifically did each day to overcome your barriers.
• Self-defeating barrier: Which being difficult, I decided that I needed to re-educate myself on the benefits of running.
• Overambitious goals: Setting a pace that was more comfortable for me. Remembering to use the talking technique, and if I could talk and run at the same time, then I was in a good running zone.
3. Were you successful overcoming your barriers?
• Slowing, I am starting to get a better control of my barriers. One of
the best examples would be rejoining my prior running team. Team support is a better and a positive feeling when comparing it to running as a lone-wolf.
4.
What were some specific challenges you faced?
• Sometimes trying to find the right running team can be difficult. The best solution that I came up with, was to research the local running groups. I have noticed that some teams were having “try-outs” and excluding the less experienced runners.
• Feeling positive about my finishing times. Compared to last running season, my times have become slower. On a positive side, I am starting to run pain-free and a faster recovery rate.

5. Were you able to overcome those barriers? If so, how?
• I haven’t been able to overcome all my barriers, but I was able to clear one barrier. With returning to my prior running team, I am again part of a team and no longer a lone-wolf. There is no better feeling than hearing the statement “welcome back Rus, we missed your smiling face”. They aren’t the only ones to miss that smiling face.
6. What short-term goals did you accomplish?
• Returning to my prior running team was a positive start.
• Returned to Planet fitness allowed for me to mingle back into the exercise environment.
• I have started to keep a more accurate log of my running miles with the use of a running application on my phone.
7. How did you accomplish these short-term
goals?
• With the support of my running team, I have changed my attitude about running. It was the humble experience that I was lacking, and the attitude adjustment required to remember that it’s about completion and not competition. Although, competition can be positive, its all about moderation. I needed to have a balance between competition and completion.
8. What new short-term goals do you have for yourself?
• Trying to stick with just one type of design of running shoe. I have been switching between a neutral shoe and a high cushion one. I don’t think my feet could adjust to the diverse types and could be the leading factor with my soreness in my knees.
• In the past, I had a wide range of locations for my running races. Not only was this expensive, but my wife was unable to attend the races. I needed to keep the races local and pick the ones that I really enjoyed running.

9. Was making these changes easy or harder than you thought?
• At first, I wasn’t sure if I could adapt to the latest changes, but I needed to remind myself that change is good when done in moderation. I had a routine that was starting to become stale and implicating a change, no matter how little could become fresh.
• In the long run, a positive change in my routine could affect my challenges further down the road and allow them to become a barrier that is easier to overcome.
10. How has your life been impacted by the changes you have made...good & bad?
• The biggest positive impact that I have experienced since the change in my routine, is the return of enjoyment of running.
• Also, I feel that the dreaded sense of training for races has decreased. Changing thing up is a positive and fresh approach to a barrier.
• I am no longer running angry.
• The only negative feeling that I have experienced, why didn’t I do this a long time ago?
11. How close are you to your long-term goal?
• The hardest part of long-term goals is the understanding that it will take time. Although, I am picking the races that I enjoyed this season and adding it to next running season.
• Decreasing my weekly allowance of running miles has helped with my recovery.
• Overall, I am getting a handle on my long-term goals.
12. What have you learned in class so far that has helped you achieve your goals?
• Using the SMART technique has helped keep my goals more realistic and on a course.
• Sometimes, I need to be less stubborn and listen to other runners and my support team.
• Realizing that I am a good runner, something that I have forgotten prior to this class.