New years resolution

Happy 2011!

We are nearly half way into January and I decided it's time to make my new years resolution. I've decided to go against the typical 'eat healthy, cut out junk food' nonsense... like that's ever going to happen. I love sweets WAY too much! Better put, I will moderate junk food with the hopes of completing my ultimate goal, which is....... to run a marathon! Call me crazy, but it is something I have wanted to do for a few years now. I have put it aside each year thinking eventually I'll get around to it. Well my friends, that day has come and it's happening in 2011. Thank you random woman on google images for this pictures (This is not me).

I love running, exercising and just working up a sweat. It is a great way to cut stress and increase your energy. There is something about hitting the pavement with your own two feet that is so invigorating. I can be having the worst day and somehow just going on a run can turn it all around.

I tend to get a bit obsessive about things. Once I have my mind set on something there is no turning back. So since I have plenty of free time on my hands at the moment with school holidays, I've spent the whole day researching tips on running a marathon. In doing so I have learned all about carbohydrate loading before and after races, how to make homemade Gatorade (which I did... however it tastes nothing like Gatorade), what running gear to wear, how to create the perfect running schedule/ work out regimen, how to conquer running fatigue 'hitting the wall', and most importantly how to work up to a whopping 26.2 miles. There is a lot to learn and a lot of training in store.

I have recruited a friend to take on the challenge with me. My friend Mel and I started training last week. It's not much, but so far we have ran 5 miles and tomorrow I will attempt 7 miles. I have downloaded an app for my iphone called runkeeper, which I highly recommend. It is free through January (to help people get motivated about their new years resolution) and after that it will be $10.00 a month. It is awesome! It is ran by GPS, so it gives you your speed, distance, time, calories burned, elevation etc. It also tracks other physical activity besides running, such as hiking, biking, skiing/snowboarding, rowing and swimming (not sure how that works). So for all my blogging friends who are looking to get trim and slim in 2011 you should totally download this app. If you want to track my progress you can log onto Runkeeper.com and my profile name is LReese. You can also track my progress through facebook if you are interested. It will show you a map of where i've ran etc. pretty cool!

So when's the big day you ask? Well there is a marathon on June 19th that goes around Perth and one on October 23rd that is at Rottnest. We'll see how training goes, but I should be up and ready for the Perth one if I play my cards right. First off though, I am planning on running a 1/2 marathon so I know what i'm getting myself into. There is one on March 13th. So we'll see how things go. Well that's all for now! Wish me luck!

"Racing teaches us to challenge ourselves. It teaches us to push beyond where we thought we could go. It helps us to find out what we are made of. This is what we do. This is what it's all about."
-PattiSue Plumer, U.S. Olympian

“Every morning in Africa, an antelope wakes up. It knows it must outrun the fastest lion, or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest antelope, or it will starve. It doesn’t matter whether you’re the lion or an antelope – when the sun comes up, you’d better be running.” – African Proverb

"Your toughness is made up of equal parts persistence and experience. You don't so much outrun your opponents as outlast and outsmart them, and the toughest opponent of all is the one inside your head." - Joe Henderson