Appreciate

December 14 – Appreciate 
What’s the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it? 

(Author: Victoria Klein)

Today's prompt ties in nicely to a big decision/commitment that I made last night. In the past year, through a combination of more exercise and working towards removing the guilt I had associated with food for so long, I have come to appreciate the wonderful machine that my body is and what it is capable of. I have enjoyed a number of long bike rides and still marvel at the fact that my legs are capable of taking me from one side of Melbourne to another. 

While I can proudly brag about cycling over long distances, the same cannot be said for running (as I noted in a previous post). To date, 1km is the longest I've ever run before turning into a puddle of jelly or similar. It's not that I necessarily *can't* run further, it's that I have no reason to. (N.B. I'm sure I've run further than 1km in the many hundreds of games of basketball that I've played, but basketball involves a different type of fitness - the capability to sprint over short distances, typically followed by the opportunity to catch one's breath). Anyway, you're probably wondering why I'm rambling. This is the reason:

Essentially it's a 5km charity run around Melbourne's glorious Albert Park Lake in February to raise money for the Leukemia Foundation. While I'm terrified about the prospect of running 5km (at least in my current state of fitness), I know that without a goal, I'll never know what my body is capable of. Moreover, the cause resonates strongly with me (and I know will with a number of blog readers) after we lost a very dear friend to cancer a few years ago. I know that his braveness and positivity in the face of adversity will be a source of inspiration throughout my attempts at running. 

So here goes - I officially have 53 days to get my derrière in gear for the event. With less than 8 weeks to train, I intend to start the C25K program (a 9 week "couch" to 5km running program) at week 2 (well, I need to expedite the program somehow and figure that with my basic level of riding/basketball fitness, I may be able to manage starting at a slightly more advanced stage).

So there you have it - I am so very thankful of what I am capable of doing and *hopefully* will be capable of. Please brace yourself for lots and lots of running updates and whining over the next 8 weeks and thank you in advance for your support.