Setting Big Goals and Tackling Them One Step at a Time with Keith Freeburn

Keith Freeburn keeps getting faster with age and experience, and he’s not planning on slowing down anytime soon. 

Keith Freeburn

Using the 5k to Predict Your Marathon Pace?

I’ve long been skeptical of the race pace calculators that allow you to plug in your 5k time and then claim to be able to predict your marathon fitness.

I’m sorry, but I’m not buying it.

So when Keith said that he knows if his fitness and training is on the level for a marathon based on how his 5ks go, I had to dig in a little bit because I was definitely skeptical of that idea.

First and foremost, Keith doesn’t rely on those calculators/predictors to help him project his pace/finish time for a marathon. 

Instead, he knows that if he’s able to race a 5k and achieve a certain finishing time he knows his fitness is where it needs to be in order to give him his shot at his goals for the marathon. 

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Learning to Slow Down

Recently, Keith has shifted his training to more of an 80/20 model and it has been an adjustment for him to slow down during some of his easier runs.

And he’s already seeing the benefits of that strategy. 

Keith noted that his legs have rarely, if ever, felt as good at this point in a training cycle as they do right now and he attributes that to taking at least one day off per week and running easy when he’s supposed to.

Like many runners, Keith struggled to accept the idea of getting faster by training slower, but he has put his trust in his coach and it’s paying off.

Setting Big Goals and Chipping Away at Them

I’m a big fan of setting big goals!

I’m not the least bit intimidated by setting a goal that may take several years (or even a couple of decades) to come to pass. 

And Keith isn’t either. 

As we talked about some of his big goals, Keith mentioned the importance of not only having big goals but having some shorter term goals to give him  sense of accomplishment along the way.

This is something that I’m not particularly good at doing. 

Keith has found that having short term goals helps him to maintain positive momentum towards his bigger goals, and those small tastes of success help him stay motivated even when he may not want to keep grinding at the moment.

Keith Freeburn Has Lost Some Weight While Chasing His Big Goals

Boston

Keith has run Boston twice, so I couldn’t let the conversation finish without asking him about his experiences at the race.

As per usual, Keith just gushed about what it was like to run Boston which only served to make me even more resolute in my desire to qualify for and run Boston.

Keith Freeburn in Boston

Setting big goals helps to keep @keithfreeburn working heard & seeing steady improvements in his #running. Click To Tweet

If you’d like to connect with Keith, make sure to say hi to him on Twitter and/or Instagram!

As Always, I’d Love to Know What Stood Out to You From this Episode! Let Me Know Your Takeaway in the Comments Below!

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