On top of the every day home and work routines suffering, there's also that marathon that I am supposed to be training for. I love running in the cold weather. I always feel much more energized during long runs in the winter, but with the ice and snow we have had, I have hardly gotten outside to run at all. Normally, when we have a storm, I'm out one day of running. The next day, the roads and sidewalks are clear enough for me to run, but this year, snow after snow after snow has made the roads and sidewalks practically impassable. If they aren't covered in ice, the snow is piled up so high on the sides that there's nowhere for me to go to avoid traffic. I started off thinking that it was OK for me to squeak by with treadmill runs, but now I'm well into the second month of mostly treadmill running. That sucks for two reasons. One, it's hard for me to get into a "zone" on the treadmill. I don't like the treadmill, and being in my house makes me think of things in the house I should be doing other than running. When I run outside, I can push those thoughts away, but when I'm staring at a messy room, that's all but impossible. Also, running on the treadmill means that the kids are with me. It's pretty much impossible to get into a good running zone when the boys are talking to me, asking me for a snack, or worse yet, fighting with each other! Two, treadmill running utilizes muscles differently than outdoor running. It's OK for a pinch to keep your fitness level up, but it's not a good idea to do all of your training for an outside race on a machine. That said, the longest outdoor run I have had since Thanksgiving was only 7 miles. I have little more than two months, that's 10 weeks, to up my mileage enough to finish the marathon. As disappointed as it makes me, I have to be realistic. Trying to get my mileage up that high in such a short period of time is probably setting myself up for injury. The question is do I want to run the marathon and cross it off of my bucket list when I could risk injuring myself again? I just don't know if it's worth it, if it means that I could be sideline for a year again due to injury. I haven't decided fully yet. I will probably just see how things go and decide closer to the actual race date. I may just show up and see what happens. The thought of not finishing makes me very, very sad. Sigh.
Even if I don't run the marathon, I still committed to raising $500 for Saint Jude. If you take me out of the equation, there's still a worthy cause remaining. I'm only half way to my donation goal, so I urge you to consider donating. You can go to the website here, or if you prefer, you can give the cash to me. I'll be collecting until late April.
Another thing I'm thinking about quitting is the blog. I don't know. I might throw out an entry here and there (like right now), but I think my days of regular writing are indefinitely suspended. I just don't have the desire to write much these days. I guess you can say I'm a quitter all around. Boo to me.
On a lighter note, we have had some fun in the wintry blasts. This weekend, we were supposed to go to Pittsburgh to celebrate my niece's 2nd birthday, but another storm cancelled those plans. My parents had driven to Pittsburgh on Friday before the storm, so they stayed and celebrated a little, but Andrew and I were stuck at home, knee deep in snow. We made the best of it, though. We were the first ones at the Double Dips, a hill not far from our house that is blocked to traffic in the winter so the kids can sled. It's been a tradition for decades upon decades in the borough, and I can't help but be grateful to share that little piece of Hollidaysburg culture with my kids. You've got to find the good in every situation, right?
Before our first run.
To be safe, he thought I should come along.
Going down is fun, but it means heading back up!
Almost there!
Whew! Made it!
All in all, I think the Double Dips were a hit.
Later Saturday, we filled a bunch of old containers with water and food coloring and left them outside to freeze overnight.
After church on Sunday, we made brownies before checking our ice blocks. Hey, you need fuel - specifically gooey chocolaty fuel - when you are expending all that energy out in the cold!
Yep, they were frozen alright!
Our colorful little ice fortress (which will most likely be buried very soon under more snow, much like the numerous toys in our yard. One thing about a winter like this is that it makes the outside of the house look clean!)
Who doesn't want to chomp on a huge icicle while playing in the snow?
On Sunday evening, we visited with friends. There is a big field across the street from their house where the boys were able to play. Sledding with your mom is fun, but sledding with a buddy your own age is much better!
Whoosh!
Catching some air!
Last week, Andrew and Greg made a snowman in the yard. A couple of days later, Andrew and I "painted" it with food coloring and water. This is what he looked like a week ago.
After the latest barrage of snow, this is what he looks like now. I can totally understand how this snow-cone man feels, and I'm sure most of the northeast can relate as well! More snow is on the way tonight. Yahoo!
We won't be escaping the winter any time soon, so I better make some plans to keep us entertained until April! Snuggle in with the ones you love. Make some hot chocolate. Watch your favorite movies and play some board games. I think the groundhog was right this year. Winter is in it for the long haul!
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