Reaching Goals

Being a first year runner, I have found goal setting to be a mystery. Am I aiming too high and unrealistically or are goals too low and not challenging? I am learning a lot just through this process. I hit some targets this year that have been satisfying. I hoped to cover 1000 miles through the year, to beat 23:30 at the Shoals Catfish 5k, and to run farther than ever on my birthday. On Saturday I was able to reach another goal that had not come easily. It was an ambition I was starting to wonder I could ever realize. I went back to my running log and found the place this spring where I set the goal to run 4 miles in less than 30 minutes. The thought entered my thinking when talking about running with an acquaintance. It was very gratifying to cross the 4 mile mark in 29:41 at a spot on the road near Weisbach. Not a soul was around when I broke through the barrier and yet it felt so good to finally reach a level I was beginning to think was only a dream.