Hamster Runs

Ah, back to work and back to schedule juggling.    I have to admit, I'm a little frustrated that I can't just zip up to the 24-Hour Shaq gym after work.  But I refuse to pay the extra money just for a little convenience.  Plus, the gym in Friendswood is only 8 miles from my house and has lovely ladies that know my boys as soon as they come in.  It's just going to take a little getting used to for now.

Due to the weather not cooperating this week, I ended up feeling a bit like a hamster on a wheel (all this running & not going anywhere).  It never bothered me running in a gym during the week, but it really bothered me on Saturday.  Overall, the runs went okay.

Tuesday's run was interesting.  I figured it would be tough because I was running after my second day of teaching.  For those of you who don't know, the first week of teaching is usually the hardest.  You're so exhausted by 3:45 that all you want to do is curl up in a ball and nap until Thanksgiving break.  Instead, I used the faculty restroom as my personal "phone booth" to make my transformation from meek & mild (yeah, right) Mrs. Cooke to Mandessa, the Marathoning Momma (minus the cape--don't want anything to get tangled up on the equipment)!

I picked up my kids, drove to the gym, and got them checked in with Ms. Joanne.  I flew to the first treadmill I saw and started my run.  I adjusted the incline & speed and was on my way.  After the first mile I felt pretty good.  I was thinking about my class & how smoothly the first two days had gone.  But, by the second mile, I felt like someone had unplugged me.  I was not sure I would even make it another mile.  Then, I glanced down at the display and realized my mistake.  I had the incline too high.  No wonder it seemed so much harder this time!  I adjusted it to where it should have been, and that made all the difference.  Disaster averted, three miles done.

Thursday rolled around and my schedule got messed up.  I don't even remember what happened.  All I remember is that I went home, made dinner, and ate before going to the gym.  This was different.  One, tilapia in the tummy while running three miles is not the best thing.  Two, it was later in the evening than I'm used to running.  The good part was that the gym was not nearly as busy.  The bad part was that my body was already beginning to wind down for the night.  I got on the treadmill, and it was a struggle to get done.  The good part was that I had a rerun of "Glee" to watch while I was running.  Once I reached my three miles, I was glad to be done and on my way home.

I woke up at 5:30am on Saturday to tackle my eight-mile run early on and turned on the news.  Bad news:  thunderstorms were headed straight to my outdoor route.  Had it been just rain, I probably would have sucked it up and done a "drowned rat" training run.  However, with the lightning, it was a different story. I run near a golf course where at 5' 4" I'm the tallest thing out there in some parts, I just didn't feel the need to test Franklin's theory and become a human lightning rod.  Judge if you must, but I chickened out and headed back to the trusty gym.

I pulled up in the parking lot, walked inside, and was surprised to see that there were only three other people working out besides me.  I picked a treadmill with a fantastic view of ESPN SportsCenter and got to work.  I ran for two miles, made a pit stop, ran another three miles, made another pit stop, and finished the final three miles.  This time, I didn't pace myself with my music like I normally do.  I just did the same thing I do for my short runs.  I ran for 0.25 miles, then walked for 0.10.  I didn't worry about being below the 13-minute mark since I was already out of my normal routine, and I'm not really sure exactly what my pace is when I'm running outside.  Anyway, the best part had to be watching the clips from the Boise State-Michigan State game from the night before replayed over & over again. Two football players were running out of bounds and completely creamed a cheerleader on the sidelines (don't worry, she was fine).  I must have seen that clip at least a half a dozen times, and it made me laugh out loud every time!  I had no idea laughter would help a long run.

So, the "hamster runs" are done, and I lived to tell the tale.  Hopefully the weather will be better this weekend so I can get back into my "normal" routine of running outdoors.  Somehow running outside just feels better than being cooped up in a gym, even if the entertainment on the screens gets a giggle...