ARE YOUR GOALS HIGH ENOUGH?

I think it may be time for me to adjust my goals. My recent goals have been to run a sub-20 minute 5km and a 6 min mile in 2010. Funny thing but these were also my goals in 2009 and since I did not reach them the same goals just kinda carried over into this year. I have not run a mile race yet so sticking with the 6 minute goal makes sense and it is the 5km goal that I am beginning to rethink. As I stated I have not reached my 5km goal yet but I have been chipping away at it and to tell you the truth the closer I get to it the further away it seems to be. Unfortunately taking a minute off of my 2009 time as good as that sounds has only proven to show me how hard it is to knock mere seconds off of every km. After hearing that one may assume that I am now inclined to make a more realistic goal of say sub-21, however my thinking is that I need to "think faster" and that a new goal of sub-19 is in order. Now at this point sub-19 seems like a crazy number however back in 2009 sub-20 seemed just as crazy. So I have decided what I need to do is remove the 20 minute barrier I have built in my mind and begin thinking about running through it. Like the karate master who extends his chop through the board I need to think beyond my barrier and extend my goal into the realm on the otherside. I guess what I am trying to say is that setting goals is not so much about reaching them as it is about shooting for them ie. "Shooting for the Moon and landing amoung the Stars". "Set your goals high because what a person accomplishes is in proportion to what they attempt." -Mitchell Naufell Thankfully while I am daydreaming about running 6(5)minute miles my coach is firmly grounded in reality plotting out my daily workouts.  I had a hill phase in March, tempos and long intervals prevailed in April and May and I am now in the midst of a shorter, faster interval phase leading up to my July 1st debut in the Limestone Mile. I am also at the end of a 4 week Plyometric phase which really makes my legs and glutes burn for days afterwards. Below is a picture of my at home gym. Most of the equipment was bought second hand at Value Village and even the stuff I spent retail for was worth it and has saved me alot in gym fees.

My at home gym includes- -1 large Swiss Ball(my favorite is side crunches on the ball with my feet anchored at the wall) -1 weight bench(I use it to stretch my hip flexors. I lie with my butt at the end of the bench and lock one foot under the bench and stretch the other leg up holding it with my yoga strap) -1 adjustable step set (used for one legged plyometric jumps) -15 lbs dumbell set -20 lbs dumbell set -2 yoga mats -1 yoga strap (a must for my stretching routine) -1 elastic tubing -4lb soft ball(I lift it over and under myself during side planks) I do an hour of strength/plyometics/core 2 x's a week plus 45 minutes of just core 1x a week.