Hard to say goodbye



Ok so I will be honest, I am worried.  It does not pain me to tell you this, I will gladly admit that I am not some super warrior who is brave enough to endure the element's of winter.   I have run outside only once in the last 3 months.  This is the first winter I have encountered as a runner and I am not a fan!  I discovered on my 5k turkey trot in Nov. that running outside when it is cold is just something I have NO interest in doing.  Then add in the snow and well... I give you permission to call me chicken shit!  So fortunately for me I own a treadmill!  I am so lucky! Wait, sadly what I mean to say is, I was so lucky.



My Treadmill is all but dead!  This fine piece of American made machinery is old and although I do not know exactly how old the treadmill is I do know it is from the 1980's.  30 years of use...amazing!   This treadmill's belt had an issue with getting lose and moving. An issue that I am sure happens with many of treadmills but I have to tell you it never happened on ours until my husband ran on it once.  I always kinda thought he ran funny (or at least looked funny running) and this just proved it.  Of course you can tighten it and we often did but lately it seems as though it does not matter how much you tighten it just keeps moving.  Well the other day it moved so far over that the belt caught on something and started ripping.  My wonderful husband tried as he has in the past to tighten the belt and it just did not work.  Truth be told when you are walking and the belt moves it is easy just to walk it back into place but I have not mastered this while running.  During yesterdays short 1 mile run I had to slow to a walk several times just to try and walk the belt back into place.  I could not imagine having to do this if I were going to run several miles.

This old fella had been given to me by a friend of mines parents who were moving out of state and lets face it a treadmill, as heavy as it is, is not an easy thing to move.  So they gave it to me and I can not express how grateful I am that they did that.  This old fellow was there under my feet the day I took the plunge into the running world.  In fact I was so comfortable on it that I was afraid to run outside even though it was summer.  It got me to my first 5k and all the way up to running over 5 miles.  It had been there for me on the coldest and wettest of days and it even was there for my little boy when he started running last month.  Oh the good times we have had!  (sigh)  Although my husband said he is going to try once again to bring the old fellow back to life I am trying to not keep my hopes up to high for I know the end is near.

So here it is middle of winter with weather below 0 and I am faced with three different options...
1. Pout while sitting on my couch and reading about others running while feeling sorry for myself
 2. pout and put on my winter running gear and get my butt outside... oh wait I do not own winter running gear.   Pout while spending money on new outdoor running gear and then get my butt outside and run.
3. Pout while waking up at 5am so that I can hit the gym before my husband has to leave the house for work.
Seems to me that option one would be a little pathetic so that will not work for me.  Option two is no good because as you already know I am chicken shit.  I am sorry I know this like option one sounds pathetic but ice and I are not friends and it is covering my streets and sidewalks as we speak so.... no I will not surrender to outdoor running I just will not. (at least until ALL the ice is gone)  All that leaves is option three.  5am wake ups with a 20 min drive to the gym.  My days of staying up late, sleeping in and running during nap time are over.  Wish me luck peeps!





GOOD BYE OLD FRIEND WE WILL MISS YOU!