I have officially signed up for the Scotiabank Blue Nose Marathon 2012, Goodlife Fitness 10K. (It took a lot for me to not sign up for the Bens Smart 5K. Mostly, because it’s sponsored by bread.) I’ve done a lot of runs before but this will be the first time I have made an effort to race against my own time. I’m thinking at this point that I maybe should have gone for the 5K but I want to challenge myself. At the same time though I would rather have a really good 5K run then struggle through a 10K cursing my decision the whole way. Bah!

I guess there’s nothing to say I won’t be able to do the 10K as long as I work for it! And work it will take because running is a weakness for me. I don’t like it, and I don’t think I’m very good at it. I always have to push myself to run when I would much rather be in a weight room. I just need to do it though and I think that knowing I have something coming up in the spring will give me the drive to do so.

Ideally I’d like to work my way up and run a different race each year. Start with the 10K this year then next year do the half marathon and marathon. Running a 42.2K marathon is an incredibly daunting goal that will take a massive amount of dedication and determination but I know if it’s something I decide to do I can do it.

Normally I do my running indoors. I have a treadmill in my apartment and I use a treadmill when I go to the gym but I think for the purposes of training for this race I need to get outside. Running outside has such a different dynamic but I feel ready for it. Starting my foray into outdoor running in the middle of winter probably isn’t the greatest idea but hey, you burn more calories in the cold!

My initial goal is to start getting up early and going for a run rather than the late night treadmill action I normally have on the go. I think it will be refreshing to kick off my day with some fresh air and exercise! I’ll keep you posted.

Are you available and near Halifax on Victoria Day weekend? If so, I’ll race you. http://www.bluenosemarathon.com/en/