i will fix you.

I meant to write this last week, but time got away from me. Now that I have lost my voice (first time for everything!) I figure it's a perfect time to write about my journey with running.

I had a terrible day about two weeks ago. Awful. I hit the treadmill and wanted to cry. I pushed myself to (mostly) WALK 20 minutes. I only ran 3 of those. I was stiff and sore when I finished. My shins hurt. I felt flustered. This is not ideal when you're trying to build up mileage to run a marathon. 20 minutes? How am I supposed to make it 26.2 miles?

Something's gotta give.

Some co-workers of mine visit a local doctor who practices chiropractic in addition to Active Release Techniques, and I thought I'd look into it. For those of you that don't know what Active Release Technique is for, let me enlighten you (from the website):

ART is a patented, state of the art soft tissue system/movement based massage technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. Headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, shoulder pain, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, knee problems, and tennis elbow are just a few of the many conditions that can be resolved quickly and permanently with ART. These conditions all have one important thing in common: they are often a result of overused muscles.

Now to see that shin splints can be resolved "quickly and permanently" is encouraging. To know that my co-workers really like this doctor and have noticed differences in their own issues intrigued me. I made an appointment.

I was nervous, but I had no real reason to be. Judging by the thank you notes and photos framed on his walls, Dr. Jeff Mathews has worked with tons of successful athletes. He even is an athlete himself, so you can be sure he understands. I came in and he asked me about my shin pain and dug right in. Literally.

See, ART is like massage therapy in a way. When I go in to get work done on my shins (which I have done twice now), it's to break up the scar tissue that's built up and to loosen my (apparently very tight) muscles. Today, for example, I had to do a little bit of jogging so we could determine what the problem areas were. The main muscle in my shin (and yours too), the tibialis anterior, is tight. It needs work. It's affecting the nerve that's directly beneath it and it's putting way too much pressure on my tibia. My calves needed some loosening up, because those muscles were also pressuring my tibia. (I'm trying to avoid a stress fracture here.) And you know, my hamstrings are too short. So we're going to work on lengthening them.

The reason I'm excited? In my first appointment last week and my appointment today, Dr. Mathews said, "Oh, we'll fix this." Well, okay. "I'll make you a runner," he said. Well, that's awesome.

So basically, with a little work, a little rest and some determination, I'll be on my way to that September 5 marathon. Let's toast our Nalgene bottles to strong legs!

Why this matters to you: First of all, you don't have to listen to me complain about how I can't accomplish this goal. Second and most importantly, there's a lesson to be learned here. Think about it: no matter what you're doing, you likely will be able to accomplish it with a little work, a little rest and determination.

What I'm saying is - don't be reactive. Don't get upset when things don't go your way the first time. Be proactive. Put in some effort. Plan. Put your passion to work. You can and will accomplish anything you put your mind to. I truly believe it.

I'll leave you with my responses to tonight's #Fitblog questions. #Fitblog is every Tuesday night on Twitter and is a great way to connect with fitness-and-health-minded folks!

Q1) Do you consider proper nutrition and fitness to be an expensive habit?

I do think being healthy is more expensive than it should be. I was actually just thinking about this today! Fruits and veggies are typically more expensive than unhealthy options, and it costs money to invest in a gym, trainer, etc. It's worth it, but still unfortunate.

Q2) What are your favourite low cost exercise options?

Growing a garden (the best!), exercising outside, investing in a DVD.

Q3) How does cost of food factor into your grocery choices?

I love fruits/veggies so I will still buy them even when they are expensive. I think it's good to browse through the produce section and find things on sale, but sometimes you just gotta buy what tastes good. Seriously, the cost is worth it.

Q4) What are your best tips for staying healthy on a budget?

If you have a yard or a means of growing your own food, try it. Take walks. Find fitness buddies. And look for coupons!

attitude is everything.

Your attitude can make or break you. It's true.

My mom used to tell me: "attitude is everything." Yes, she may have been dealing with a grouchy teenager at the time, but it's something that stuck with me and holds true.

This running thing is a prime example of how attitude is everything. I am not a runner. (Not yet.) My history with running is painful and short. I run, my shins hurt, I stop. I think the one shining moment in my running career was a mile we had to run in P.E. in 8th grade and I finished in just under 8 minutes. That was 10 years ago. At least. Because the details are fuzzy now. Anyway.

I made these plans with SK to do a running race this year. And it's the big daddy of all running races, a marathon. Some people might say to set your sights on a 5k. Or a 10k. Or a half marathon. But if I'm going to do something, I want to go all in. Like when I wanted to work for the Olympic Movement. I said that was my goal, and I accomplished it. I think I've been missing a big goal lately, and this is perfect.

Today was frustrating. I was excited because I got new shoes and was ready to break them in without a lot of running. I got new sports bras. It snowed today so I went to the "gym" at my apartment complex and did my walking (with only a bit of running; I'm going to repeat week one...) and my shins felt like they were going to blow up. It's painful to have shin splits, and I felt annoyed. For once, I had looked forward to hitting the treadmill all day...and now it wasn't working out how I hoped it would. It hurt.

Icing is becoming part of my evening routine.

But I'm not going to quit. Yes, it's true that I don't particularly find joy in my shins feeling like they might burst, but if I get a bad attitude about this, I'd be defeating myself before I ever really got started. Marathons (and pretty much all other endurance sports) are almost as much mental as they are physical. I need to stay positive about my running, even if I have a bad day.

That being said, I let myself get excited today when I was looking at races to add to my schedule. Here's what I have so far:

May 7: Take 5 in the Garden (5 miler)
May 21: Save the Manatee 5k run (in Michigan!)
June 12: Garden of the Gods 10 Mile Run
Sept. 5: American Discovery Trail Marathon (the big one!)

I've never made a schedule like this before. I'm really excited to have races on my schedule, and it's probably safe to say that after two full years of working at USAT, I've been bitten by some kind of insane, endurance-sport bug.

The most important thing to remember is that attitude will define this journey. If I can stay positive, I can accomplish anything. And believe me, this can apply to any aspect of your life, not just running.

lindsAy wants to run

I've said before that I don't like resolutions. I think it's silly to resolve to do something in one year that you wouldn't have done in another, and you can start new projects in January, March or September. But January seems to be the bright and shining road to new and exciting things for most people. At least for a week or two.

Including me.

This wasn't a decision made because 2011 was beating down my door. My friend SK and I were chatting about wanting to run in the upcoming year, to be healthier and to have a fun hobby. She lives in Michigan but we can keep each other accountable, so we decided we were going to not only run, but we were going to do a distance race when she comes to Colorado over Labor Day. The question was, what race would we do and what distance would it be?

Now, I am not a runner. I feel more at home in a pool or a lake or something. Running is not my forte. My shins start to hurt and I feel my face turning red and my hair starting to frizz and I want to stop. I probably look like a fool when I run. But I'm getting over it.

Because I'm going to run a marathon.

(This marathon, to be exact.)

Maybe this sounds absurd to you. I appreciate that everyone I have admitted this to so far has responded positively, meaning they haven't laughed in my face and told me it was a stupid idea. I don't think it's quite as extreme as it sounds. It's not like I said, "I'm going to do an Ironman in September!" because that would be foolish given the only thing I can do in an Ironman is swim. So I'm going to learn to run instead.

I started training this week, and I started with walking. Yes, I said walking. I found a 26-week plan online and since September 5 is more than 26 weeks from now I can build up to it.

I already announced my marathon intentions on my Twitter account, but I figure the more people I tell, the harder it will be to back out.

So give me encouragement. Please. I know I am going to to run a marathon, because I'm positive about it, and everyone knows endurance sports require just as much mental prep as they do physical training. With my positive attitude, my 26+ weeks of training and tips from you and others, I will kick this marathon's ass.

What big things are you planning for 2011?