Thursday, March 22, 2007

I Did It!

No, I haven't been hang gliding again, and I haven't succeeding in writing another Grandmother essay.

But this may in the long run be bigger than either of those:

For the first time that I can clearly remember since about 1995-ish, I went jogging by myself. Which is a bigger deal when you realize that the only times I've jogged with someone else in the meantime are countable on one hand.

You see, in 1988, I repeatedly injured my left knee, hyperextending it in a crazy child's running-in-a-circle-with-your-arms-locked-together-with-another-person kind of game, which I was playing with a bunch of adults. It was bad enough that I was on crutches for a while, required x-rays, etc.

And each time I've tried to jog since then, that knee has wound up hurting and getting wobbly, despite wearing a knee support. For a while I was even doing the thigh exercises recommended by two MD's, but the knee still suffered beyond what I could consider healthy.

So I said goodbye to jogging/running and went on with my life, finding adrenaline in other ways. And I really missed it at times, because in junior high and high school, I was a runner both competitively and just as a way to wind down and keep my mind in balance.

Then, last year, I went jogging with a friend and discovered that if I stayed on the grass, my knee didn't hurt.

Being a heat-intolerable type of person, I wasn't about to try to continue that in the June/July/August of the year. I don't know why I didn't start in the fall. I went once with another friend in the winter, but she is such an athlete and I'm such a competitor (i.e., I won't admit that I'm dying and can't breathe and need to stop.... now!) that I nearly killed myself and was sore for days on end. And then it kept getting cold, and I was having earaches. And on and on.

I did buy a watch for running. And some other apparel. A little calendar for recording times and distances, etc. Psyching myself up even while the weather and ear didn't cooperate.

But today I did it. I'm not going to say how much, or little, I ran, because it's embarrassing.

But I did it.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, right?

9 comments:

Sheila said...

Ha. Just noticed I said "in the long run." Amazing how our minds pull these things up without our knowing it.

Gioietta said...

LOL! Good for you! I will keep cheering you. I remember practicing running w/ Jon in Summer 2005 to participate in two 5Ks. I wish I could do it again, though it isn't my cup of tea. But kudos for sticking to it and I'll keep cheering you on.

Lisa said...

Hooray for Sheila! I'm very proud of you!

Nat said...

Quoting Bob: "Baby steps, baby steps, baby steps..."
Congrats. And no matter how small the distance you covered (if it was small at all) I KNOW it is WAY beyond what I will ever do or be willing to do!!!

ttyl

Anonymous said...

Run, Sheila, run! Glad to hear your knee is holding-up in allowing you to get back into running a bit.

Sheila said...

Carolinagirl, this means a lot coming from you! I don't think I'll ever run marathons the way you do, but your humility in encouraging me means a lot!

(All the others mean a lot, too. I'll think of you all next time I head out the door....or am struggling to make myself do that...)

Anonymous said...

bigger then hang gliding?
ummm.....were you injured square dancing? your description sounds like square dancing.
take it easy, walter

Melody said...

Good for you! :) I'm impressed.. Running is so out of my league... I did go walking last night at the park though and thought of calling you! It is so nice outside in the evenings now...perfect weather for getting out and exercising!

Sheila said...

Hi, Walter! (Everybody, Walter was part of my hang gliding adventure.) No, not square dancing. Just a game, kind of like duck-duck-goose, but two people had to run and chase, linked together, rather than one person. Fun but dangerous in my case!