Photos courtesy of danelle reed
DANELLE REED RECENTLY ACCOMPLISHED A GOAL SHE SET FOR HERSELF EARLY IN 2009: TO RUN A HALF MARATHON. She is shown above in December 2009 after completing the Rock and Roll Half Marathon in Las Vegas.
As director of Kwawachee Counseling Center, Dr. Danelle Reed not only is involved in the health of her fellow Native community members, but also has taken an initiative in her own physical health.
After setting a goal with a friend last March, Danelle Reed completed her first half-marathon run Dec. 6.
After turning 40 last year, Danelle Reed let her usual workout routine slide, and noticed she had put on some extra weight.
She set herself on a weekly training schedule that included five days of cardio, strength training and running, adding a mile to her run each week. A softball injury prevented her from participating in the Seattle half-marathon in June. By December, Danelle Reed was adding two miles per week in her training regimen.
She ran the Rock and Roll Half Marathon in Las Vegas, and said she feels great.
“I feel like I have never been in better shape,” she said, adding that for her, feeling physically fit and maintaining good health are the most important reasons to exercise.
Danelle Reed noted that prior to training for the half-marathon, she never was much of a runner – especially long distance.
“If someone would have told me a year ago I would run 13 miles, I wouldn’t have believed them,” she said. “I still don’t see myself as a runner – I see myself as someone who completed a goal.”
Danelle Reed noted she had a lot of physical setbacks while training, including a pulled hamstring and a prolonged illness.
“It was tough to keep motivated, but I stuck with it. I didn’t give up.”
Danelle Reed’s goals for 2010 are to complete the Seattle Half Marathon, and she also plans to compete in the Black Diamond Sprint Triathlon in September.
“I truly enjoy biking and I am confident this will be the easiest met challenge for training and preparation. I have a fear/phobia of water so the swimming will be the greatest mental challenge for me.”
