Injuries, education, general tardiness, the word "thirty," and other unacceptable things

Last year I began with a mission statement explaining why I:
a. loathe running
b. must run because I love 826michigan
c. time is a cruel, cruel mistress.

Well guess what happened, folks. I decided that maybe, possibly I don't hate running. In fact, I actually started to crave that feeling when you finish and your entire body is singing and tingling and it rarely feels this good (legally). Then what happened? It started snowing feet of snow, repeatedly and continuously until practically May. Dear readers, I do not run in the snow. In fact, if it wasn't required by my boss that I actually "show up" and "work" for my paycheck I probably wouldn't leave the house while there was snow on the ground. (For the record, I do have to do those things...I know this because I wrote the employee handbook this summer and these things are detailed in the Mandatory section.)

So then what happens when Mother Nature decided she had grown bored of unleashing hell on the masses? I turned 30 shhh. Then I am injured. Ha ha, no running for you, sucker. My right hip was all out of whack, and physical therapy lasted eight (8) weeks. The good news is that I received clearance to run no more than 3.1 miles--woohoo! That is EXACTLY how many miles I need to run!

But then I, being the masochist that I am, decided that I am not quite ready to be done with education and embarked on a very intense course of study to have some more arrogant initials and a pain in the (expletive) registered symbol behind my name. Guess what that leaves me--very little time to run.

But I am back on track! After losing ground I am back up to 24 minutes on hills, nonetheless. Last year I hadn't run 3 miles until August 30th, and while I don't think I'm going to make that benchmark this year, I have high hopes that I'll be there in no time.

Why does ANY of this matter to you? I am sincerely asking you to support my progress and end result because you are ultimately supporting something that is so much bigger than me or any of the things about which I have just rambled: 826michigan.

826michigan is a superphenomenal non-profit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6 to 18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. Our services are structured around our belief that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success.

And get this: all their programs, everything, is FREE to students.

Like all non-profits we are struggling in these difficult economic times. But you, you beautiful people, can help! Here's how it works: So I am running my (deleted) off in the Big House Big Heart 2008 5k, about which I now feel something akin to "don't quite want to punch in the face." A portion of my entry fee goes to the U of M Program for Neurology Research & Discovery and Mott Women's and Children's hospitals. Any donations I receive go directly to 826michigan--no red tape. If you'd like to donate, please click on the link that says "donate" (I'm trying to make it simple here, folks). The link will lead you to a 826michigan's donate page, which will lead you to a paypal site so you can use your credit card and don't have to write a check. You will receive a receipt, because your donation to this 501(c)(3) organization is fully tax deductible!

That's it, that's all there is to it. I will continue to update the blog with trials and travails of my training to hopefully keep you entertained and a part of this spectacle. Like last year I'll coerce my teammates (new and improved with a "Ted") to make silly movies with me, try to sneak into restricted property with me, and ultimately run with me on September 28th.

--posts from last year's run are archived below, if you are so inclined.