Two Types of Goals

     I'm sitting at work right now and really do not feel like inputting data, so instead I'm going to talk about the two types of goals.  I have noticed that every time I set out to do something I set two goals for myself, a realistic goal and a fantasy goal.  The realistic goal is something that you know you can accomplish with a little effort and reaching it will make you happy.  The fantasy goal is something you would love to accomplish and you would be ecstatic if you reached it, but it feels like it is just outside of your reach. 
     An example of the two goal system occurred last week when I ran my timed mile.  My realistic goal was to finish under 6:20 and show improvement from the last mile, and my fantasy goal was to finish under 6 minutes.  It was a discussion at the mile that made me realize that most everyone (maybe just runners and triathletes) set two goals for themselves prior to each event that they take on.  My running partner and I were discussing our goals and we starting joking about this multi goal system.  If you really think about, it is everywhere.
     After realizing that I follow the two goal system pretty religiously, I started to think about Ironman St. George and my goals.  At first I thought that my realistic goal was to finish the Ironman in under 17 hours and be an official finisher and my fantasy goal was to finish in under 13 hours with a respectable time that I would be comfortable bragging about.  After thinking about my goals for sometime, I believe I may have set them too low.  In my mind I have revised my plan or just added a third tier.  My legitimate goal for Ironman St. George is to finish somewhere in the 12 hour range or below, once again so I feel like I have a respectable time that I am comfortable sharing with others.  The fantasy goal then becomes extremely challenging, to finish and qualify for Kona.  For those of you who don't know, Ironman in Kona is considered the Ironman Championships and generally the top 5 age group finishers from each Ironman race from around the world qualify. 
     Don't get me wrong, I would be content to finish.  I just would rather be someone who trained for the race and whose time was a reflection of the hours of training that was put in, instead of someone who is trying to cross the finish line as one last speed bump in the way of their M dot tattoo.