Setting a goal and actually trying to accomplish it can be a rewarding experience. I was thinking last night of what my goals were for my running, my weight loss, for 2FNS. Where does it stop? When do I achieve my goal? When can I sit back and relax knowing that I accomplished what I set out to do?

Then it hit me. I will never be done. Fitness is a life long struggle that is never-ending. Depressing? I don't think so. For me it is exciting because I can always improve, always achieve more, always press forward.

I want to set some goals, some short-term, some  medium, and some long.

Short term, I want to increase my mileage each week steadily. The past few weeks have been a downward trend, and I want to change that. I want to add 1k each week without fail.

Medium term, I want to develop 2FNS as a gateway to accountability and community. I realized that if only two or three people use it consistently, the effort I put in and the things I learn along the way will surely be worth it. If I can help make a difference in those two or three people's lives, then I'll be happy.

Long term, I want to continue posting Maps with 2FNS progress. My goal is to work across New York State, visiting each place where a current user lives, then head out to Boston, then down to Washington DC. I'll need your help with this guys, so please report your cardio workouts. It will take me a long time by myself.

Doesn't it make you feel special!

What I want to do is starting posting Goals for the week, a set for varying difficulties. I would really like to see others try to accomplish these. For instance, I want to set a run three times this week, or run 10km this week goal that people can set out to do. I'll give shout outs to those who complete it, and maybe figure out a way to track goals completed, kind of like an achievement system. Everyone likes gold stars.

Some people may be thinking, Jon, just shut up and run and talk about that. Don't bother with all of this goal setting, tracking, user portal nonsense...  For me, I need all of these extra things to stay motivated. I like to apply myself 150% to things I am interested in. I like to create things that people can use, to play the metagame so to speak. For you gamers, this kind of stuff is just like theorycrafting. The best specs or best rotations are there, and so are the best ways to stay motivated, and get people motivated to do things.

I plan on posting as part of our weigh-in Wednesday goals that I want people to try to shoot for. Each week I'll collect the data on wednesday morning and figure out what people accomplished.

On a side note, go out and run! It will help you de-stress your christmas time woes.