Setbacks

Time has become a huge setback for me. I barley have any free time as it is between school, homework and sports so my nights seem to pass in the blink of an eye leaving me little or no time to go for a run. Luckily most of what we do during lacrosse practice involves running. Games, drills and conditioning will all help with the strengthening of my lungs and body. I would like to be able to go for more long distance runs but for now I have to settle for short quick runs that i am instructed to do. The weather has also been a major setback. As we all know Michigan weather is very in consistent. It is hard to become motivated when you look outside and it is gloomy and cold. However, now that the weather is getting warmer and it is staying light out later I am hoping to have more opportunities to run. Time and weather are my main setbacks right now but, I am looking forward to overcoming them. Once lacrosse ends and summer comes I am planning to run each day in order to progress. I am not sure how soon I will be able to run a half marathon but i still am determined to do it! I will not give up on this goal no matter the setbacks (:

Inspiration

Sometimes all you need is a good quote to inspire you to get you going! One that I really liked is...

"If you want to become the best runner you can be, start now. Don't spend the rest of your life wondering if you can do it."
-Priscilla Welch

I always find myself saying "Oh i'll just go for a run tomorrow.." when really I should go for a run everyday that I can because, I will never get today back so why wait for tomorrow when I am able to better myself today!

For more inspirational quotes visit...


http://running.about.com/od/runninghumor/a/runningquotes_3.htm 

Strengthen

The first exercise is a burpee, an exercise in which you start with a jump, go down on your hands and toes into push up position, complete a push up, jump back onto your feet and repeat. The second exercise is the karaoke, in which you quickly put one foot in front of and then behind the other. These with both help strengthen you but also increase your foot speed. If I continue to do these exercises I will be able to increase my speed and strength while running.

Runtastic

This week I made sure I went for a few runs they weren't as long as I had hoped because time was restricted but, I was happy I at least got to go. On one of my runs I used a free app I had downloaded on my phone called Runtastic, this app tracks how far and fast you run, along with how many calories you have burned. It also maps out exactly where you went on your run. With the GPS feature you can actually look back at where you have ran and if you liked the route you can do the exact same one again. With this app I will be able to track how much I am running each week and if I am actually making progress. So far I recommend this app to anyone who runs or is interested in starting!