Most of the time, people train to achieve a goal, whether that is to finish something, record a good time or perhaps even to win. It's great to have goals as motivation, to provide focus or just give you a reason to train (or exercise). But sometimes training just because of the outcome means you might miss some of the best parts of it all. As the saying goes...it's good to have an end to the journey, but it's the journey that matters in the end.
Training is a process and a journey. A series of steps (pardon the pun) to prepare you for the ultimate challenge of achieving the goal. But it's also the time where you learn and experience the things that help you improve, developing the skills, techniques, tactics and attitude that you need. Of course, there are the friendships you make along the way, and the support team you build. When the training process is so vast and comprehensive, taking the final and crucial step to achieve the goal is like a victory lap.
Time spent thinking about the process and planning the steps, is time well spent. Enlisting a coach, mentor, partners and other people to be in your team will help you negotiate the path you're on. Have a plan, work the plan and trust that the process will get you to your goal just because that is what the plan is preparing you for. What might have seemed daunting will become achievable through your build-up to the goal. Trust the process and the outcome will look after itself.