By Aaron Boike

In early 2012, I found myself in a bit of a rut with my fitness and my life in general. I had for several years focused on bodybuilding; eating, sleeping, and breathing the lifestyle that would help me build the most muscle possible. The problem was that my goal didn’t set off any fire in my soul. There was nothing scary or exciting about living the same lifestyle of eating a dozen eggs per day, lifting heavy six days per week, and choking back protein shakes and ridiculously expensive supplements in the name of a being big and bulky.

The turning point for me came when I met an Ultra-marathoner named Tony. We sat down for his complimentary Fitness Assessment shortly after he’d joined one of our Affiliate Gyms in Golden Valley, MN. He told me he had completed events of 50k, 50 miles, and a handful of marathons. His next goal was to run 100 miles at an upcoming 24-hour endurance run the following summer. I had never heard of such a thing, and to be quite honest I didn’t quite believe him that this run existed. I also didn’t believe that the chubby 40-something sitting across the table from me was going to have a shot in hell at running 100 miles. I was wrong on both counts. The FANS 24-hour run exists, and in June of 2014, my client and now good friend, Tony, would take home a top ten place at the event with 101 miles completed. How does one go from out of shape and uninspired to performing such a incredible feat? He set a goal that inspired him and scared him. It was a goal that lit a fire inside of his soul that could help him overcome any type of complacency that may have existed towards completing that next training session, or making a dietary choice that would either fuel his body or slow him down.

Needless to say, Tony left quite a mark on me in my two years of being his Personal Trainer. When I first met Tony, I’d never run more than a consecutive mile in my entire life. I’ve since set a large handful of goals that have scared and inspired me, all relating to ultra-running, completing two 100+ mile events, and 11 other trail ultra-marathons ranging from 50k-50 miles, including a seventh place finish at FANS 24-hour endurance run this year with 103.5 miles.

When you set your own goals, you can look for the easy to grasp goals that seem feasible, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, the goals that really light that fire are the ones that are going to bring you the most satisfaction and help you overcome the greatest of barriers to achieving your ideal fitness. What goal inspires and scares you? Think about it and write it down. It’s likely more realistic than you think.