Most of the “in praise of” articles I’ve written over the years have been inspired by personal, recent success or enjoyment of a particular aspect of running. Not this time. I failed myself this summer, and since I know at least in part why, I thought I’d share it.
Over the past few decades, I’ve increasingly come to value and rely on the Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) — or something like it. Sometimes that can mean trying to take on a race distance or project that I’ve never completed before. Other times, that was something near the edge of my capability where I wanted to find something more. In either case, having the BHAG sitting out there provided plenty of dividends ahead of time, as well as offering plenty of rewards after the fact.
Here are some reasons why I’ll have at least one BHAG on my schedule next year and why you might want one as well!
Running the Hardrock 100 has always felt like a Big Hairy Audacious Goal. All photos: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Motivation
It should be fairly obvious that training for a BHAG provides motivation: Motivation to train more, faster, or smarter. Motivation to train in rough conditions. Motivation to train when you’re tired or down.
Commitment
In all honesty, this is the factor I missed most in my running this summer. Without a BHAG on my calendar, I floundered. Indeed, I let work and life more or less completely fill my schedule for the past three months. I know that having the 2024 Ultra Gobi 250 Mile as the BHAG on my schedule helped pull me away from my desk and into the outdoors much more often last summer. It’s the antidote to my anxiety about not getting stuff done.
Investigation and Experimentation
A BHAG often involves tackling one or more unfamiliar aspects, be that distance, elevation, terrain, climate, or performance. I originally labeled this section only Experimentation, but BHAGs require us to investigate new aspects of running. At least for me, that’s a thrill in and of itself. In most circumstances, we’ll also want to experiment with what we learn before and during the BHAG. These are times when we expand our capabilities.
Running the Ultra Gobi 250 Mile in 2024 sure was a Big Hairy Audacious Goal. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Overcome Jadedness
If, like me, you’ve been ultrarunning for a long time, it’s pretty easy to get jaded about going out and covering long distances, whether in training or racing. We’ve put in the miles week after week, month after month, year after year. We’ve figured out reasonable plans for our gear, fueling, hydration, and pacing. We’ve made plenty of mistakes and hopefully learned our lessons. As long as we’re not coming off injury or illness, it’s easy to find ourselves thinking, I could run this race or cover that ultra distance with at most a couple of days’ notice to pull the details together.
Almost by definition, a BHAG overcomes that jadedness or complacency by being a lofty goal. Having something out of our comfort zone on our calendars is exciting, helps us find a little more, and adds a bit of wonder to our lives!
Wonder
Both before and during and not infrequently after a BHAG, I’m filled with wonder at what I and, more broadly, the human body can do. In my best moments, I’m easily filled with wonder about the world around me, but there’s something extra special when that lens looks inward and finds that wonder in humankind, and even myself. Beyond mere existence, what a wonder that we can walk and run, and run for an hour, and run for days. Color me impressed! But admittedly, that wonder is a lot more visible in the context of a BHAG!
Pride
Pride can rightfully get a bad name, but there’s certainly a positive side, too, and maybe we just don’t have a second similar word in English that makes the distinction. Even if BHAG results in a solid, honest failure, there is the warm glow of pride in even attempting something we didn’t know if we could accomplish. We stepped out of our comfort zones and gave it a shot. And, of course, if we’re successful, that glow is double apparent. We accomplished something we felt was at the edge of our abilities, and that’s wonderfully fulfilling.
Call for Comments
- How have BHAGs added to your life?
- What BHAGs have you got lined up for the future?
Running seven-consecutive Troutmen (it’s run/fish thing) leading to a 237-mile week in the summer of 2024 was a Big Hairy Audacious Goal. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
