New Year's Resolutions.......

Highlights of 2006......

While 2006 was a big year for me with running, I am planning for 2007 to be even bigger. Although I have been running for 6 years now and running has always been a good escape from stress and it was fun going to the KJ runs, it wasnt until 2006 that I really started to get completely and utterly obsessed with the entire running thing. I had been wanting to do a marathon for quite a while but after reading "Ultra Marathon Man" at the end of 2005 I decided that I would bite the bullet and make Canberra Marathon my maiden voyage. I made it to the start line in April 2006, finished and I was so extremely proud of myself.

The second biggest highlight of the year was joining SWEAT in August. It took me a while to work up the courage to attend as I thought it would be filled with elite only, but I seemed to have fitted in fine with a great bunch of people that share my obsession. Another highlight was going along to camp where I got to feel like an elite athlete for a few days.

Doing the Brindabella Bulls Head Challenge in October was lots of fun and a highlight for me as it was my first trail run that I've ever done and it was also one of the few races that I have ever actually enjoyed.

Lastly, taking a huge 12 min off my half marathon PB in december at Central Coast was really cool too :)

Some of the downsides were - I realised how much you need to listen to your body when after the marathon I was really struggling to get back into the running and after forcing myself to have 3 weeks off felt great for having rested. The other big downside is getting my first injury which I have been struggling to deal with.

Looking forward to 2007......

Stealing my goals from my post on Cool Running

Distance / Main goal / (stretch goal)
5km - Sub 23 min (sub 22 min)
10km - Sub 50 min (Sub 47 min)
21.1km - Sub 1.50 (Sub 1.45)
42.2km - Sub 4 hrs (Sub 3.45 - starting to reconsider this one)

Other more general goals for the year
- Try and get Dean to take up running
- Learn to swim laps
- Learn to ride my bike with cleats (and without whinging)
- Try and not forget to do my strength sessions
- Discover runs in National Parks I have never done before
- Take my kayak out a lot more
- Do as many fat ass runs as I can
- Enter a lot more races
- Try and not miss many SWEAT sessions
- Go the year injury free
- Complete my first ultra
- Lose 10 kegs to make all of the above a little easier

I'm also looking for a really big adventure this year. I have been suffering for utter boredness in 2006 needing a big challenge that does not require a text book or sitting behind a desk; so I have been looking into a really exciting race that will take me overseas. I will post what the race is once it looks to be a bit more realistic.