In January 2010, I enthusiastically registered for the More/Fitness Half Marathon and imagined I would go from essentially a non-runner to a half marathoner in four months. Alas, about two months into my training, I was sidelined by plantar fasciitis and had to abandon my goal. With the help of a podiatrist and new orthotics, I was able to resume running this summer and ended up doing about four miles a day diligently for five weeks. I have not run since August.
Frankly, at this point I'm tired of 45 minutes on the elliptical machine reading a trashy magazine. Although it is kind of a guilty pleasure, it isn't one that is doing much for my mind or my body. I want to do better in 2011. So I plan to register for the half marathon again and this time do it to raise money for Camfed, a non-profit that empowers girls in Africa by providing long-term financial support for their education. I chose Camfed in honor of my two little girls, 5 and 15 months, who are in a position by virtue of who their parents are and where they were born to receive a great education. I hope they will feel that every opportunity is available to them to make the most of their lives. And I want to help give that gift to some other little girls born into more challenging circumstances.
For the moment, I will mostly be documenting my running and workout journey here. I am also using the month of January to begin to learn to meditate in the hopes that I can get more mental control and quiet the scattered and unproductive thoughts in my head. I think that running and meditation can serve a similar purpose in this regard. It is all mental and I've just never had as much control of my mind as I'd like to have. This is the year for some big changes that I hope will help me teach my daughters by example how to have a happy and meaningful life.
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