I have set a new goal ...

I got really inspired today and officially set another goal to add to my goal list, except this one is a little different than the rest- it has nothing to do with my exchange. It's just me and how far I can push myself to the limits, drum roll please, I'm going to run a marathon.

I'm not going to join the next marathon I see, I have a set plan for it. I'm going to train really hard this year and within a year of my arrival in Canada, I will do a half marathon. Then, the following year I will do a full marathon. If my training goes really well and I can do it sooner, then I will. The goals I set are the maximum time limits for my races, I have to complete it by then. If I can complete them sooner, then great. This isn't a 'flee of the moment' type thing, I don't set goals like this then the next day I say "naah, I'm not feeling it anymore." The last fitness goal that was this big that I set was to complete a triathlon, and I did that so now I'm going to set an even bigger goal.

A marathon is 42 km, to put it in perspective that is 42 000 meters which is 105 laps of a normal running track that is 400 meters long.

I went to the Basel marathon today to cheer on my host father from my last family, unfortunately I didn't get a chance to see him finish because we had difficulties finding parking. However, I saw a LOT of other people finish and it was the best feeling to watch. Some people were exhausted to a point where their legs were giving out but they had the biggest smile on their faces that I have ever seen. Some people had their hands in the air in celebration, some were holding the hands of their loved ones that they did it with, some were carrying their children that must have been near the finish and picked up as they were running to the end, some were crying, some were laughing, some were blind and did it with another person that held a rope so that they stayed on track, and as I watched all this I had tears in my eyes as I saw the immense excitement of each person as they crossed the finish line. I want to be that person that crosses the line, the one that can tell themselves "I just completed a marathon," I want that feeling of being so proud of yourself because you worked so hard toward that one goal. I want that, and I will get that.
                                                 
                                            
So here we go, training has officially started! :)