Where to from here??

Ok, I have now got the blog up to date to cover the six months thus far in my running education. From this point forward we will be talking 'real time' folks. Very exciting (or do I need to get out more:))
Apologies for the length of many of the posts but I was trying to capture each milestone as I experienced it, and therefore be able to look back on a decent record of what I have done to get here. As stated in my intro the blog is really for me to keep track of how I'm going and just capture a few thoughts as I progress. I have never been one to write a diary or anything so this is the first such attempt to record any of my own ramblings. Can't promise to update every day or even every run but we'll see how we go.

So what now? I have accomplished my 1st major goal of running a half marathon and whilst it was a bit of a struggle on the day, I believe the mental toughness I built by finishing it will be of benefit again in the future. Having said that, I don't want to put myself in a position where I have to tap into it too often if I can avoid it! So, better preparation is in order moving forward and to do that I need to plan as effectively as I can, and as smartly as I can. Oh-oh, we're in trouble now:)
I have had an objective look at where I'm at, and need to recognise a few things. Firstly:

• Whilst I've done a half, and my running is progressing, I am far from what you could call 'fit'. I want to progress my running further and get better, smarter and faster.
  
• I am much 'fitter' than I was but still have a fair way to go, not to mention another 20kg to lose!
• I have a problem with my planterfascia muscles, have had it for close to 3 months now, and it's not going to go away by itself ( unless I go back to sitting on the couch-no way!)
  
• I want to run a full marathon next year, but want to do it comfortably ( within reason)

Ok, so taking into consideration all of the above, how do I need to approach the future? At this point, I believe I need to change my approach in a number of ways. I want to get fitter to improve my overall health and quality of life. I love the running but don't want to restrict my exercise to that alone for a number of reasons:

1. Variety is the spice of life!
   
2. Cross training activities will improve my core strength and running in the long term.
3. Other low/non impact fitness activities will improve/remove my problem with PF.
4. I want to build muscle as well as lose fat to improve my metabolism, physique, and general wellbeing.

To that end I am working on a plan that I hope will get me where I need to go, it's detailed in the next blog.