One reason training faltered since the 5K over a month ago is that fishing trip to Alaska. As I mentioned previously, poor planning resulted in my running shorts spending the entire trip sitting on the couch at home. That meant spending Alaska time focusing on fishing and family without the interruption of e-mail or cell phone calls. My son and I came home with nearly 100 pounds of salmon, and a lifetime of memories. And zero miles logged.

The return to "real life" and routine was long, causing me to challenge which venue deserves the label "real life." It is nice to be home with my wife, son and daughter, our dog and rabbit. But it's also nice to experience life outside the four walls of an office in the great outdoors.

Nietzsche famously said, "He who has a why to live for can endure almost any how." If we have a purpose, we can push through nearly any barrier. The employee who shows up to work to earn a paycheck will accomplish a different level of success than the employee who looks to change the world through their work.

Two things crossed my path yesterday that brought attention to the issue of "purpose." First, I was listening to a story on NPR titled "People Who Feel They Have a Purpose in Life Live Longer." Research shows people with a defined purpose have less stress, are happier and as a result live longer and healthier lives. Second, Jon Gordon posted a blog entry about a frightening air travel experience he and his family had recently titled "Life and Death." Following that experience, Jon came closer to the two priorities in his life: (1) his family; and (2) making a difference through his life and his writing. These two articles remind me of the importance of purpose, and the role it plays to not only motivate WHAT you do, but HOW you do it.

Why am I running? What is the purpose? To say I'm running to qualify for Boston or to get in shape is no different than the person who goes to work to pick up the check. In reality, I'm running to be healthy for my family so I can be here to support them for a very long time, and I'm running to set an example to my kids that with hard work and discipline you can accomplish seemingly insurmountable goals.

I woke up this morning at 4am, and my alarm went off at 4:30. Around 4:45 my 13-year old son was standing over my bed saying he was going running. I jumped out of bed and told him I was going with him. He was dressed in the fatigues and combat boots he bought for the trip to Alaska, along with a Camelbak a former Marine gave him after seeing him run to the store last week. He's proud, and wants to be a Navy SEAL. He had a plan mapped. He wanted to run 1.7 miles out and back - a bit more than a 5K, he told me. I told him my plan had me running 30 minutes, but decided we'd run together. He worked hard, running most of the way out. He encouraged me to keep running while he walked most of the way back.

Unfortunately his boots and wool socks (I didn't know what he was wearing under those boots until he showed me upon his return) gave him blisters and a lesson. We'll let those blisters heal, and we'll buy the right socks. Then he'll get back out there on the road. He won't run in sneakers because that doesn't fit his "purpose." He's defining himself as tough, and seeks to get tougher. Far be it from me to stand in his way, or in front of his purpose.

In order to get better, you have to work on whatever it is you want to improve. Conversely, if you don't focus on what you want to improve, things will likely stay the way they are. They may get better. They may get worse. But without focus and consistency you lose control over which direction events will head. That's it. That's the news flash.

DUH!

The past two months since my last post was busy. Workouts were performed, but urgent work-related activities dominated the days. Thrown in the middle was a fishing trip to Alaska with my father, two of my brothers and my son. My intent was to run during that trip, but my running shorts didn't make the flight out of Orlando. They sat on the couch at home for an entire week, not doing a thing. Alaska without internet access or cell phone coverage was a much-needed break off the grid, which is the best (and for many like me, the ONLY) way to escape the 24x7 demands of the role I fill at work. The punch line . . . we all need a break, and I had mine from work and from running - both of which were creating stress.

I ran a 5K prior to leaving for Alaska. The workout plan designed by my coach has me running a 5K every month starting in June until August. My coach puts together my plans, but I assign my goals. Her focus at this point is getting me a solid base without injury, and that involves getting out and running without a focus on anything but getting out and running.

Being goal-oriented, I can't help it. Goals are important. I learned last year in training for Chicago my goals need to be more conservative - which is consistent with my coach's plan. My conservative goal for the first 5K in mid-June was to run at a 10:00 per mile pace. Last year I would've been embarrassed to SET that goal, not to mention share it publicly. The logic was if I could run my first 5K at 10:00 per mile, run the second at a 9:30 per mile pace and my final 5K at a 9:00 per mile pace, that should give me the base I need to run 13.1 at 9:00 per mile and finish under 2:00:00. I finished the first 5K at a pace just above 9:00 per mile.

That gave me confidence, and renewed the focus on my goals. If last year I learned I need to be more conservative, what i'm learning THIS year is I also need to be more consistent. After my first 5K, crazy work happened then I went on my trip to Alaska, consistently running twice a week at best. Not the right kind of consistency (my coach tells me I'll need to focus on four or five times a week once I'm serious about Boston). Then I returned from Alaska with a renewed sense of focus and commitment, but also a week's worth of e-mail and activities. The first week back involved work-related travel, then a second week of work- and personal-related travel to the northeast (my wife and daughter were with my in-laws while I was away). I was to run another 5K yesterday, but the three days before involved travel with flights that didn't arrive until after 11pm and intense meetings that were the reason for the travel.

So, I've hit the RESET button!! This afternoon, we'll all be home and the world will be back on its axis. The new "goal" will not revolve around times. For the next month, the goal will be to get out EVERY morning and focus on running four times a week. Workout mornings will involve a run. Non-workout mornings will involve a walk and stretching. Today, I track progress using my apps on my iPhone. Up to this point, I've used RunTracker which automatically loads to TrainingPeaks. Tomorrow, I'll start using Strava. It appears more goal-oriented and it's easier to interact with others. Since my brother uses it, it'll be easier to engage with him and his efforts.

From there, progress will be made. Just wait.