Sheep On My Stuff

This year, I'm going to try to get back to running on a regular basis. I love it, it makes me happier and healthier, and yet somehow I've slacked on it. But this year I have a goal and a reward. Oh, yes. This is the year I embrace fitness... and sheep!

My goal for the year is to run my first organized 5k. I don't have a specific time in mind for this, and I don't have a goal date -- but I want to do it by the end of the year.

For every 5k I run this year, someone's getting a sheep! Heifer International helps to end hunger by providing people with self-sustaining, income-producing (and let's not forget cute and cuddly) resources. You can donate sheep, goats, flocks of ducks and chicks and bunnies (and much, much more), but let's be honest here: this is me I'm talking about. I will be donating one sheep per each successful 5k I run. More sheep are always good. :)

If you want to leave me an encouraging sort of message in the comments here, please do! Also, if you, too, are enamored of the idea of getting someone a sheep, feel free to visit Heifer International's website. Heck, you can buy a share of a sheep for $10! Every little bit helps. :)

Update: The knee injury
On February 27th, I started up a perfectly normal run. About 17 minutes in, my knee started hurting. And didn't stop. :( After seeing a sports physician and a physical therapist, and two months of PT exercises, I'm s-l-o-w-l-y getting back on the road, very nervous about hurting myself more but also quite determined to get back to my goal. While it's felt like a really long time to have my progress at a standstill, in the grand scheme of things, it isn't really -- just two months.

It's been really strange having a sports-related injury, by the way. o_O I've never had a sports-related anything before, let alone an injury!! I have new, super-supportive shoes for my absurdly-pronating self, and a recommendation for a knee support band if I need one (so far I haven't, but we'll see). At this point it's a matter of strengthening my tendons again and getting myself back into good shape. And stretching, baby. No more neglecting those stretches! They're good for me.
May 6, 2008

Update: The knee injury and crossfit
It's now been nearly four months since my knee injury, and I've had a couple of setbacks, but I now have a solid 16-day streak of doing my PT exercises every single day, and I've started on Crossfit as a supplementary strength-training routine. Last week I did my first "serious" jog since the injury -- 10 total minutes of jogging with a minute rest after each minute jogging -- and it's enough to have boosted my confidence a great deal. I gave it two days to rest (and be sure it wouldn't start hurting again), and it didn't -- so keep your fingers crossed for me! I still think I can do this.
June 23, 2008