big goals, little steps

this is my first post for the lead pack and it only seems appropriate that i introduce myself on an evening where the new england weather changed my training and coaching plans for the day.

for a little under two months now i have been busy training for the 2008 boston marathon and volunteering as an assistant track coach at a local high school in the seacoast area of new hampshire. marathon training and coaching have been life goals of mine and this fall i experienced both for the first time by coaching a high school cross country season and completing the manchester city marathon. now with these experiences under my belt, my next big goal is to improve upon my initial performances.

for me one of the most challenging parts in this process of improvement is translating my big goals into the little steps that must be taken each day. as a collegiate athlete, daily training was supported by a strong network of coaches and teammates; as a post-collegiate athlete, my daily training is supported by a strong network of people who i sometimes call 'coach' or 'teammate' but most often call family and friends. as i learn to convert my goals into every day reality, it is the encouragement of these people that gets me out the door on a day like today when practice got cancelled and the most suitable footwear was snowshoes.

expect more updates from the seacoast before the next nor'easter!