My Nano Almost Died

The scariest thing that could possibly happen while on a treadmill happened today. Well, actually, I guess the scariest thing would be falling off which is a huge fear of mine. Can you imagine flying off the back?? Did you see when whats-her-name on The Biggest Loser fell off? Wow. Talk about painful both physical and psychological. I saw her on The Today Show this week and she is just now getting over her fear of treadmills. Shiver.

Anyway, back on point, I didn't fall off but my iPod had a near death experience. I don't wear my iPod on my arm or wrist mostly because I haven't found a way to do it that doesn't bug the crap out of me so when I run outside, I carry it. Running on the treadmill has been a bit more difficult depending on the type. Sometimes I put it in the cup holder but usually, I set it on the little ledge just under the display screen. It works ok but I have to be aware of the cord. Today, I went to a different gym and the treadmill I used (a giant...I mean HUGE) LifeStyle model, had a ledge under the screen but it was up quite a bit higher than I've seen before. I got my iPod going, turned on the Nike+ and started to speed walk. About 2 minutes in, my hand hit the cord and my iPod went flying! The ear buds stayed in my ears but the cord came out of my nano and that thing took 3 quick hops on the treadmill belt then flew off the back.

Fortunately I wasn't running yet because my immediate reaction was to turn around while reaching for it and yelling "No, no, no! Stop! Ahhhhh!!!" (yes, people were watching with evil little grins on their faces). I came frighteningly close to flying off myself but then came to my senses, spun back around and slammed my hand down on the 'stop' button. Somehow, my iPod stopped just inches from the front of the treadmill behind me. I snatched it up and could see on the screen that the time was still clocking away so I put it back on and started up the treadmill again. The screen was in fact working but there was no sound. Nada. I could see on the screen that I should be hearing Dexy's Midnight Runners (please don't laugh at me....I enjoy starting up to perky 80s music and I can hear you singing Come On Eileen right now!) but there was nothing! I pressed the center button and the little lady in there that lets me know how far I've gone happily told me I had gone .18 but that was it. No music! So then I had to do the unthinkable. Run without music. Without music, people!!!! On a treadmill!!! My two biggest nightmares were happening at the very same time!

I left the iPod on because the Nike+ was still working and started running. As it turns out, it wasn't so bad. I can't believe I'm saying that. I really was fine with it. And it forced me to pay attention to other, what now seems like, more important things like my breathing and pace. And you know what I did? I warmed up. I know! What a concept!

Normally I jump on a treadmill, speed walk for about 3 minutes then crank that baby up and sprint for as long as possible. Then I lower it to a speed walk, recover for 30 seconds to a minute and crank it back up to a sprint again. My thought process in doing that is that when I finally get back outside, I'm going to naturally be slower due to elevation and wind, etc, so I've thought that if I can get fast on a treadmill, I'll eventually be a bit faster outside. I have no idea if this makes any kind of sense at all (I'm pretty sure I can hear you laughing and shaking your head at me). So today, I started off slow and easy at 6.2 then after 1 mile, bumped it up to 6.5, then after mile 2, up to 6.9, etc until my last mile (7) was at 7.3. I felt so much better doing this gradual increase. The best part? I never had to stop for that recovery break. The only part that was hard for me was just letting go of the distance part of it. I only have an hour on the treadmill and it wasn't going to end in high mileage but it did end with me feeling really good about the workout.

By the way, do you guys ever just start the treadmill back up again once it gets to 60 minutes and automatically wants you to cool down? Assuming there are available treadmills, of course, which there always is when I'm there. I've thought about doing it so that I can get more miles in but I'm a real rule following chicken shit and am sure that the gym-police are going to come haul my ass off the treadmill if I do that.

Oh, and good news: I turned the iPod off after my workout then turned it back on when I got in the car to check it and the music was back! Phew!

Crazy Obsessed Workout Day

Yesterday, I decided enough is enough with the falling off the fitness wagon bitching and got right back on. Went to the gym in the morning and ran 8 miles then last evening, went back and took an hour long kickboxing class with a friend. I have never taken kickboxing before. Aside from the fact that I am totally uncoordinated, (I'm convinced I saw the instructor laughing at me in the mirror) I had a lot of fun. It was cool getting a workout doing something completely different. She used weights though a good portion of it which was pretty tough. I can feel it all across my back today and my legs are kind of sore...nothing a few Advil wont take care of though, right kids? That class is only offered once a week but I think I'll go back next Wednesday night for sure.
Back to the gym this morning since Quinn is back at school. We have an icy weather potential for the morning which could mean a cancellation or delay and that would mean no gym for me. I have to squeeze it in when I can. I'm not sure how much running I'll be able to do though. I think I'll take it nice and slow!

Back to the Real World

Got back from my mini-vacation in Florida this morning. While we were there, I did manage to get one run in. One very short run of 6.5 miles. The days were filled with eating crappy food followed by wandering around shopping and being generally sluggish and lazy. The nights were similar only with less wandering around and more bellying up to bars and a bit more cheese products. I'm pretty sure I gained 5 pounds in the 4 days I was gone and have lost major momentum in my training. Tomorrow is a new day. As soon as I get through all this laundry, I'll hit the treadmill and pray for 3 miles without passing out.

blah, blah, blah....treadmill....blah, blah, blah

Nothing much going on today. It is Wednesday which means a preschool day (yay!) which means finally a running day (double yay!). I wimped out, yet again, and headed to the gym. I decided to up the incline more than usual and slow down a bit. My legs are feeling it tonight I guess from the added incline and from doing the elliptical Monday and Tuesday and my added lunges, squats and my newest enemy: jump squats...the fun of it all. But I am determined to get these legs stronger!

I'm off to Tampa tomorrow. My husband has been down there on business and we decided to try and squeeze in a little weekend away. I'm really excited to get away and to see the sun and feel temps above 40! Yes, I am packing my running shoes. But I make no promises.

Oh, and totally off topic, I am watching The Biggest Loser this season. I've never gotten into it in the past, guess I can thank the writers strike for watching it this season, so I'm probably way behind in this particular bitch but can I just say "Hey! Biggest Loser editors! I'm not stupid!! I don't need you to re-play the last 5 minutes you just showed before the commercial break every time you come back! I know it's hard to believe, but somehow I managed to remember what JUST happened in the 2 1/2 minutes you were away!!" Ok, thanks. Just had to put that out there.

A Little Beefsteak With My Morning Coffee

I get the e-newsletter from Runners World and I really like it. I almost always find at least one article that I want to read. Today, the first link was to a video for single leg squats. Always trying to find ways to strengthen my tired legs, I clicked. I'm sure I'm way behind here, but I didn't know they had so many videos on their site! I was skimming through them - treadmill workouts, core exercises, leg strengthening exercises, etc when I came across the winning video, hands down. The Mammoth Workout: Josh Cox. Hellllooooo there! What a nice way to start my day. And it was so thoughtful of the folks at Runners World to have him film these ab exercises without his shirt! I love being able to see exactly which muscles are working with each pose...I mean, exercise. Yowza! I had to watch it a few times....you know, to make sure I would do it right.
As much as I'd like to keep Josh all to myself, I'll be a nice girl and share:

When Will I Ever Run Outside Again??

It's about 19 degrees out and I don't do 19 degrees so a run outside is, yet again, out for today. It's a school holiday so I could have taken the kids to the gym with me and put them in the child care they have but I am totally against doing that this time of year because I'm a total germaphobe and I just know an hour in there would be a two weeks of some nasty coughing, snot-filled virus. So instead, I brought the boys down to the basement with me and jumped on the elliptical (because lets be honest here, I don't even want to know what kind of trouble a 7-year-old and a 5-year-old could get into during an elliptical session). And I had the joy of watching Vin Diesel in The Pacifier while I was at it. As if chugging away on that damn machine wasn't painful enough. After about 30 minutes, my 7-year-old says "Can you turn the t.v. up because I can't hear over your loud breathing." Yeah, cardio sucks.

On another note, I have been looking around for some new music for my iPod because I've been getting a little bored with my playlists. I read a comment by someone on a running blog (I really wish I could remember which blog I read it on so I could give a huge thanks to the person that commented) recently who suggested the site Pandora. It is the coolest site! You put in an artist or song you like and it finds similar songs/artists and plays them continuously. Like satellite radio without commercials (remember when satellite was supposed to be commercial free?). All for free. I have found 6 new bands (well, new to me) so far in just the last day and I'm getting totally addicted to it! Check it out if you are on the hunt for new music.

EDITED TO ADD: Figured it out! I was reading the totally fall on my ass funny Pieces of Me when I saw the comment about Pandora. The comment was made by See Zanne Run - thanks Zanne, I am seriously loving Pandora!!!

Another Treadmill Day

The weather chased me indoors again today...well, that's not totally honest. It was about 38 degrees out and I've run in colder temperatures than that so it wasn't really the weather as much as the snowy, slushy, wet muck that is all over the sidewalks and paths and partially in the streets that chased me to the gym. I'm a total wimp when it comes to running on/in/around that kind of stuff because I'm deathly afraid that I'll injure myself. I'm so close to my ultimate goal of running...no, finishing!...the half marathon and the idea of not being able to do it because I slipped or something stupid like that really freaks me out. So. Back to the gym I went. Not willing to deal with the heat of the neighborhood gym, I went to the local rec center. It was packed! I usually go there during the week so I wasn't prepared for the crowds. I got lucky though and got a treadmill and after about 30 minutes, it started to clear out a bit (probably due to my late start!). I managed to get 7 miles done in under an hour again so it was a successful day. I know I need to get back to my long runs and as soon as I see some serious melting, I will get back outside!