Download & Print this PATHFINDER Planning Calendar
Ah, the best laid plans.
So many people intend to get fit, or stay fit, or finally complete their goals, and then fail to get their plans off the ground. It's nothing to feel badly about -- it happens to all of us at some point or another. Making plans is more than scribbling something down in pencil on the calendar, though. It's a commitment to yourself. It requires keeping your goals in the forefront of your mind to see things through to the end.
Why are you here?
You're here with us, having committed to a PATHFINDER program for the next 12 weeks. Why? The answer you give yourself is a key to keeping consistent. It could be because...
- You want to complete a difficult endurance Event
- You want to get fitter and healthier
- You want to lose weight
- You want to prove to yourself you really can do difficult things
- You want to feel proud of yourself
- You joined your friends and are committed to comradery
Whatever the case, consider your Why. And when you think you have the answer...ask yourself, why? And keep asking yourself why until you know you're at the root of your reason for being with us.
It could go something like this:
- "I want to lose weight."
- Why?
- "Because my blood pressure is too high, and my doctor mentioned the number on the scale at my last appointment."
- Why?
- "Because I haven't had the healthiest habits, and I want to live a high quality life with and for my family as long as I can."
- Why?
- "Because I love my family, and it's important to me to be with them."
What are you willing to do?
- How ready are you to improve your fitness?
- How willing are you to improve your fitness?
- How able are you to improve your fitness?
How you answer these three simple questions tells you where your boundaries are. The answers tell you how hard you really are willing to work. How you'll handle adversity (because to pretend it doesn't exist is to invite it). How you choose to turn the wheel when you're going in the wrong direction.
PATHFINDER is more than just a ruck training program. Sure, you do your Miles, Workouts, and Challenges. But we're more than that. You may think you're pretty tough now, but how tough will you feel after your 10-mile Mountain ruck? Or your 80lb Coupon Carry? If you've done those Challenges, or things equally as difficult, you know how you felt before, during, and after. If you've never attempted anything like that, it might seem scary.
Think of us as your Grit Navigation System.
The Challenges in PATHFINDER aren't just some made-up stuff some sadist threw together to make you miserable (even if you're convinced otherwise). They're deeply thought out to provoke change responses. They give you the map to find more of your own grit. They make you dig deep, learn something new about the hard things you can do, and they make you more adept and resilient.
If a Challenge makes you nervous, lean in and ask yourself why. If you think something is within your power but gives you the ick, go deeper. We know you can #CTHT - Choose the Harder Thing. But do you?
Your grit is determined by the things you do. You're consistent. You're resilient. You're brave. You're focused. You don't let a little losing focus get in the way of winning discipline.
How do I plan and stick with it?
Planning your PATHFINDER program schedule is the second most important thing you'll do during our 12 weeks together. You can't implement if you don't plan.
PATHFINDER works because you build it according to your schedule. The logistical aspects of our programming may seem a little unorthodox at first. But this is the hard-science truth of it: You know your life and needs better than anyone does -- which is why the standard "day-by-day" plan just doesn't work for most people. If you've scheduled it, you know you need to do it.
TLDR: People are more successful when they have the power to direct their programming.
PLAN WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU FAIL
Planning to fail isn't giving up the ghost before you've started. NO WAY. Instead, we imagine - or remember - what failure looks like.
Plan strategies now for what you'll do when you miss a workout. When you miss some planned miles. When you miss a Challenge. What will you do?
- What does failure look like to you?
- What are your well-worn paths? The same old record of things you say to yourself? The same habits you jump back into?
- How will you disrupt that cycle this time?
Failure isn't a dirty word. Not learning from it, however, should be.
Strategies for Success
FIRST
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- Pick your PATHFINDER Challenges. You can read more about them in our Challenges Guide and then make your firm decisions. Often it's best to put most of these in starting around weeks 5 & 6, and give yourself some extra room for completion in weeks 11 and 12.
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NEXT
- Decide how many workouts you plan to do each week, and on what days, as well as any other specific training needs you might need to make room for.
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THEN
- Decide how many miles you want to ruck each day, and on which days. Fill in the expected miles on the proper days. Remember, miles that you cover during Challenge efforts count to your overall total.
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LASTLY
- Leave the last week or two as room for error. Give yourself space to make up missed segments! Life gets in the way, so it's always smart to have room at the end of the 12 weeks so you're not racing to the end. 🙂
We can leave you with a bunch more platitudes on finishing what you started, but nahhh. You need to get going. Stop sitting around waiting for the fire to get lit -- LIGHT YOUR OWN and see what you can really do.