Of Half-Marathons and Goal Setting

I just finished another half-marathon in beautiful Victoria (don't be fooled by my old Vancouver t-shirt!)—my second of the season and my 9th overall. It’s funny how every race feels both familiar and fresh at the same time. But as I crossed the finish line, I couldn’t help but think, why do I do this? Why sign up for races when they’re expensive, far from home, and force me to wake up painfully early?

The practical side of me often wonders, why not just run the same distance around my usual route? I could save time, save money, and still cover the same distance. Same 21.1 km, same exercise, right? But no—it just doesn’t work that way.

This summer, I was doing “goal pace intervals”—800 meters at a 5:30 pace. That’s a fast pace for me, and I could only hold it for 800 meters at a time, with long 3-minute breaks to recover. Yet, during the actual race, I had to keep that same pace for 21.1 kilometers, with no breaks! That’s not something you just wake up and do on your regular run. It happens when the event is meaningful—when it’s more than just routine.

A race gives me something to work toward, a goal that keeps me going even on the days when the weather is awful, when I’m tired, or when I’m buried in work. It’s a driving force that pushes me to be better, to improve, to show up for myself. And, honestly, that’s something we can apply to so many areas of life.

Think about it: learning a new programming language or framework works the same way. Setting a timed goal—like registering for a hackathon—injects purpose into your practice. During the preparation, you’re training on your own, pushing yourself just like I do during solo runs. But when the event comes—whether it’s race day or hackathon day—you’re surrounded by others with the same drive and energy. There’s a deadline, so you’re forced to sharpen your skills quickly.

So, whether it’s running or coding, the trick is in having a meaningful goal on the horizon—something that turns your daily grind into preparation for something bigger. What’s your next race, your next hackathon, your next challenge?