I Get Knocked Down...But I Get Up Again

Are you singing the song in your head? I am. It has kind of become my theme song. I've told you about how when I decided to get my act together that I kept running into obstacles. Then, I'd try to start again and hit another obstacle. Well, here I am again. I had a slight run-in with the treadmill two weeks ago. We fought. The treadmill won. It was very sad. All joking aside, I thought I had merely scraped up my leg and I would be back on it in no time. Well, as my leg has healed, I noticed my back hurting. A lot. It has gotten to the point where I can't even bend over and touch my toes. (For those that know me well, you know I am incredibly flexible; to the point where I can bend over BACKWARDS and touch my toes.) Well, it turns out I have done something to my sciatic nerve. From what I hear, there is really nothing that can be done to fix it. However, I am going to see if there isn't a least a way to alleviate some of the pain so I can continue running. I am going to contact the chiropractor and see what he says.

My point in this is; even though I am hurting I WILL get back up. I WILL continue on. If my doctor tells me no more running, I will find something else to do. But, I am hoping that won't be the case. I figure if people can have back surgery and complete a marathon a year later, I can overcome sciatic nerve pain. I WILL find a way. Giving up and giving in is not an option. That's not to say there won't be days I will want to give up. When those days happen, I hope I have people there to help me up.

Chasing a Dream

This post is not about me. Today I want to talk about my friend, Christie. She is wonderful. She has probably been my biggest supporter since I began running. She started not long after I did and is doing amazing things. Christie decided to take the plunge and sign up for Team in Training and compete in the Princess Half Marathon at Disney in February. For those not familiar with TNT, it supports the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. As a member of TNT, you raise money; 75% of it goes to LLS and 25% pays your way to the race, hotel fees and some meals. Christie has been working her butt off trying to raise money. She has to raise $3300 by January 11th and she is far from her goal. If she doesn't raise the money, she is done. She will no longer be a team member. I don't necessarily agree with how things are run, but that is neither here nor there. The point is, Christie needs YOUR help. If you can spare a dollar or ten or more, every donation helps. You can also help by purchasing one of her awesome carrot cakes or Tiffany's devine cheesecakes. Like Bunco? Register for her fundraiser. It's January 15th and it's a $25 pay-in due by the 15th of December. If you don't know how to play, there will be plenty of us to teach you. If you choose to support Christie, you aren't just donating to pay her way, you are helping LLS find cures for blood cancers. And haven't we all been affected by cancer in one way or another?

For more information, visit her page: http://pages.teamintraining.org/ks/dipihalf11/clawrenfnl

To learn more about Team in Training, visit their webpage: http://www.teamintraining.org/ks/

Goals

I know I have mentioned a time or a thousand that I am training for a half marathon. (Don't ask me how my training is going. It isn't pretty.) But, I also have another goal. When I made the decision to do my first 5K back in September I decided I wanted to do 12 races in 12 months. They don't all have to be 5K's, but they do need to be sanctioned events. This is my list of completed races:

1. Race for the Cure 5K (September)
2. Rosstoberfest 5K (October)
3. Prairie Fire 5K (October)
4. Pumpkin Run 5K (October)
5. Turkey Trot 2 mile (November)

So, I need 7 more to complete my goal. I feel really good with having 5 under my belt. I will be doing another one this month, which will be a 5K. Not real sure how the running in the freezing cold is going to go over, but I will give it a shot. I imagine I will take a break from races during the colder months. Not that I will be taking a break from training for them, though.

But, I want to set a new goal for next year. I want to set a mileage goal, but I'm not sure where to set it. I don't want to set the bar so high that the goal seems unattainable, but I don't want to low-ball it either. I'm thinking I'd like to run at least 500 miles next year. That includes training and races. But, I have another month to mull it over. What are YOUR goals?