a few obstacles

 I did 3 big things this weekend: 1- mailed my official entry form to The Boston Athletic Association (!!!) 2- Taught my first bible study class of 2nd/3rd graders (I forgot how exhausting teaching can be…even for 1 1/2 hours!), 3- I ran 5 miles on Saturday and then 10 miles on Sunday!!!

There have already been several obstacles that have interfered with my first official week of training. The 2 big ones were- Snow storm "Hercules" (dropped about 18 inches of snow on us for 2 days), and illness. Todd was the first to get sick (which is very interesting considering it's ALWAYS Andrew who is susceptible to illness). Then I got sick this week.  It's not a "can't get out of bed" kinda sickness- but I think it's a minor case of the flu and neither kid got the flu shot this year (another strange coincidence). Abby is sick right now (her fever spiked to almost 104 the other night), but she's slowly getting better. I don't even want to say it because we are NOT out of the woods yet…but Andrew has not gotten sick yet. :) Maybe it's the diet and not getting the flu shot….hmmm…(Todd and I both got the flu shot and were sick first). 

So, even though I have been sick, I forced myself to follow the training schedule and went to the gym. Even with a mountain like this in the parking lot...yea, the one towering over the cars. 

I "toughened up" and forced myself in there 2 days in a row. It helps to have Andrew asking me, "Are we going to the gym today??" almost daily. :) He loves the playroom. 

And those Bostonians don't mess around. I thought I would be the only one at  the gym on Saturday, but it was actually more crowded than I've ever seen. I guess everyone had a bad case of cabin fever after Thursday and Friday. I actually saw a guy (definitely an elite runner), that had ran 14.8 miles and had his treadmill at 8.8 miles per hour!!!! I told Todd it's God's way of telling me I can't make excuses even in the winter…I can run that far on a treadmill if I have to. And I DID! 10 miles…all on a treadmill. I was very proud of myself. 

A few other things that have been bugging me during my training: the stinky man next to me on the treadmill (did I just say that out loud…), my ear buds falling out once my ears get super sweaty (about mile 6), the treadmill automatically turns off after an hour (I need to talk to "Mr. 15 miles" to figure out how his treadmill kept going….I had to restart mine and it made me sad that I couldn't see the full 10 miles on the treadmill), the "Loud guy" that comes over and starts banging around/ changing the channels on his TV/grunting next to me, my arm band rubbing me wrong and leaving marks, and the center of my back starts hurting at about mile 5. As you can see, I need to get over distractions (and a few pains along the way), because there are definitely going to be plenty of those along the way.  

There are several items I would like to invest in (a new pair of tennis shoes, reflective vest for night time running, and new ear buds). I found a pair of inexpensive ear buds that I'm going to try out. I will let you know what I think once they come in. 

Any advice is appreciated. I am still a relatively inexperienced long distance runner (the furthest I have ran is a little over a half marathon), so I love reading personal stories, hearing advice, and MUST find a running group…and soon. My training schedule has me basically running a half marathon EVERY Sunday for the next 2 months….WOWZA….needless to say, I need some people to support me and push me along the way. Now on to researching foods to build up my stamina. Happy new year!!