PHOENIX, Ariz. -- When people think of traveling 1,000 miles it often conjures thoughts of long, uncomfortable drives with kids shouting "are we there yet?" or perhaps of long lines waiting to get through airport security.
But what it almost certainly does not evoke is the thought of running those 1,000 miles.
The mere idea of running such a distance would seem crazy to most people. But it seemed like a great idea to Lt. Col. Daniel R. Hanson, Task Force Guardian Arizona Joint Staff, Arizona Army National Guard, and he decided to set out to accomplish it in one year.
For Hanson running 1,000 miles in a year was a chance to strive for a goal that would stretch his physical and mental limits.
"I believe if you are not setting goals that stretch you, you're probably not setting those goals high enough," said Hanson.
To reach for such a goal, Hanson would take the lessons he learned while attending the Senior War College.
"In 2017 I accepted admission into the Senior War College," said Hanson. "I had seen several of my friends and leaders come out of the school wrecked. It is very hard to keep a balanced life in that, and so I decided when I accepted Senior Service College that I was going to make sure I kept all my fitness's in check."
For Hanson, this simply means focusing on establishing and maintaining a balance between all aspects of his life.
"Try not to be over-focused," said Hanson. "If our goals support other goals, all of our fitness's, I think that we find that we have a much better experience in getting to those goals and accomplishing them."
Running 1,000 miles in a year is difficult in the best of circumstances, but it would be nearly impossible without the support of his wife. Fortunately for Hanson, his wife was right beside him providing support, balance, and often a training partner.
"In my case, my spouse is very involved in my military life, and she's very involved in my spiritual life, and she's very involved in my physical life," said Hanson. "We'd go places and we'd run together. We'd go places and we'd hike together. We find ways to make physical fitness not separate from each other."
Hanson also had the support of his Army Family to help bolster his efforts.
"I know my team out here, they would make sure that I would hydrate," said Hanson. "They would make sure that I ate properly. They would support me and motivate me."
As he approached the homestretch of his journey, the idea of running a marathon to complete his 1,000 miles began to gain traction in his mind. He also saw it as an opportunity to take another shot at a goal he had once reached for but fell short of grasping.
"I did a marathon in 2004 and I did not reach my goal of doing a less than 3 hour and 30-minute marathon," said Hanson. "But this one here, as I was running I was kind of watching my splits and in the back of my mind, I knew I had not met my goal in 2004. I started to mention to my wife that my splits are getting close to Boston times."
Hanson decided to complete his journey and pursue his secondary goal at the Revel Mt. Lemmon marathon held in Tucson, Ariz. on Nov. 02, 2019. As the marathon progressed, he knew he would complete his 1,000 miles and felt confident he would finally achieve the goal that eluded him in 2004.
"I would say I was pretty doggone focused," said Hanson. "Certainly you're feeling discomfort, but up until the point I started having debilitating cramps, I fully felt I was going to be able to accomplish my goal."
Hanson would complete the marathon and reach 1,000 miles. However, despite his spirit willing him to keep going, his body would rebel and he would fall short of his secondary goal of a sub 3 hour and 25-minute marathon. He would cross the finish line with a time of 3 hours and 40 minutes, which would place him in the top 23% of all finishers.
"So, my goal was to be under 3 hours and 25 minutes," said Hanson. "I think I was on pace to be under until mile 23. Somewhere in the 23rd is when the cramping started and I lost my pace."
Failure to reach a goal, even if not the primary goal, is often enough for many people to avoid striving for difficult goals in the future. For Lt. Col. Hanson it is simply a confirmation that he is setting goals that will continually push him to expand his own limits.
"Not meeting a goal is a disappointment, but it's only a setback," said Hanson. "It's a mentality thing. Although I felt like I failed, it's just setting goals for yourself that are relevant to yourself that push you to the next level."
And that disappointment is not enough to stop Hanson, it is just more motivation to keep chasing his white rabbit.
"There is a marathon here in Phoenix/Mesa in February," said Hanson with a grin. "I think I can get it next time. I just need to tweak a couple of things."
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