AID STATION: The single most important piece of advice that I could offer when it comes to physical goals is to be realistic! When it comes to transforming your body, there is no such thing as overnight success. Look at any accomplished endurance athlete and you will notice a common theme. Ryan Hall, Michael Phelps, George Hincapie, Dean Karzanes all worked like maniacs over an extended period of time.

The greatest thing you could do for yourself on your journey to physical fitness is to set an end goal broken down into weekly increments.

Let’s say you want to run a half marathon by April. It is now January and you have roughly 10 weeks. Understanding that your body needs proper recovery to reap the benefits of training, start small. In week 1 your goal might be to run 3 times per week at 2 miles per session. Focus your full attention on the task at hand…2 miles (and only 2 miles.) Do your runs and make note of how you feel. At the end of week 1, celebrate…you have just accomplished your first “smaller goal.” There is power in this process and you will derive an enormous amount of physiological benefit.

Let your confidence carry you forward into week 2. Keep building but keep your expectations consistent with your activity.