Stretch goals – those that are on the border of possible and impossible – are the most exciting type of goal to set.
Tyler Andrews; photo by by Melanie Ng
They’re often so challenging, difficult, and outlandish that they result in failure.
But occasionally, you succeed! You might beat 5 years of chronic injuries. Or find a new training approach (like Maggie here) that helps you reach that next level of performance.
Stretch goals are important because they’re exciting. They spur you to action and light a fire underneath you. Even if you fail, a strong performance will likely still happen.
And I strongly believe every runner should be targeting a long-term stretch goal.
The alternative is a goal that’s completely realistic, uninspiring, and incremental. Failure results in another hum-drum performance.
How incredibly boring.
I want to encourage you to take bigger risks, believe in your abilities, and challenge yourself to accomplish more with your running.
And Tyler Andrews is here to inspire you to do just that.
Tyler Andrews: DIII to World Record Attempt
I love stories about runners who improve at incredible rates and defy the odds. Tyler is one such runner.
He was a competitive Division III runner – but certainly not a multiple All-American or other kind of standout performer.
But that never stopped him from chasing big goals.
After graduating from Tufts University, Tyler kept training and improving. He’s since qualified for the Olympic Marathon Trials and currently holds the world record for the fastest half marathon ever run on a treadmill (63:38).
Now he has his sights set on another world record: the 50K ultramarathon distance.
And this Friday, he’ll be making that WR attempt in California at the Santa Barbara Easter Relays. After 125 laps on the track, we’ll know if he was ready to topple the 30-year record of 2:43:38.
In this far-ranging conversation, Tyler and I discuss a host of issues:
- The geeky nitty gritty of his training – most at 9,000+ feet altitude in Quito, Ecuador
- His pacing and fueling approach for a track 50k
- More philosophically, why is he attempting to break this record?
- And a lot more…
Listen to the conversation on iTunes or on the Stitcher platform.
Resources & Links from the show:
- Details about the 50K record attempt (and a cool video promo)
- Tyler on Instagram (make sure you follow him here for live race updates!)
- Tyler’s college running stats at Tufts University
- Curious about ultras? 5 reasons to run beyond the marathon
Whether you’re going after a world record, a race record, or a personal record you’ll appreciate Tyler’s drive to use running to improve himself. He certainly made me want to set another stretch goal soon!
Please also check out the sponsor of today’s podcast, Inside Tracker. They test over 40 biomarkers, like various stress hormones, to determine if you’re training too hard, too little, or have any physiological weaknesses that can be remedied by either diet, exercise, or lifestyle changes.
In other words, you learn about problems that have actionable solutions.
After getting your results, they communicate what you can do to lift or lower your results into the optimal range. For any runner who wants every advantage, to see what they’re truly capable of achieving, I highly recommend Inside Tracker.
Don’t forget to use code strengthrunning at checkout to save 10% on any test!
