Friday, February 18, 2011

I've lost my 'mill mojo...

So...maybe you've noticed that I haven't run on my treadmill for, oh, say the last 2 1/2 months.

Well, that would be because Walter broke it.

Not really. We're not quite sure how it happened, but right about mid-December we noticed that the deck felt kinda bouncy and rather lopsided. I ran my hand under the belt and I could feel a crack.

Luckily (and a shot out to Pacemaster - Great 'mill, great warranty), was still under warranty, so today the 'mill repair guy came out and replaced the deck, the belt, and the motor...it's like new!
Ta DAAAAAAAAAAA!
Sadly, a month of no 'mill and I've lost my 'mill mojo. I managed about 20 minutes, and then used the "I need to get dinner on the table..." excuse, but really, I just wanted to get off the thing...
The end result... 2 miles, 21 minutes...not pretty.
Good timing though 'cuz it's raining now, and the weatherman says that it will be raining for the next few days, and it should be especially pouring tomorrow morning during the track club's run, which will be at CSU-San Marcos. San Marcos is about 45 minutes north of here...on a good day. To be honest, I'm fine with running in the rain. In fact, Betty and I are going to run at Balboa Park in the am rain or shine.

But driving in the rain in SoCal? That's a whole 'nuther story. The problem is that SoCal people have no idea how do drive in the rain (big hint: SLOW THE F DOWN!). It'll be treacherous enough just getting to Balboa Park.

The rain will throw additional wrenches into other plans we had for tomorrow, including a 5K fun run/walk to benefit The Home of Guiding Hands at 11:00 and a friends birthday party in Point Loma (which is supposed to be mostly an outdoor party).

So, in honor of this weekend's rain, I thought I'd post a couple pix of last weekend's sun. I took these when Walter and I went out for V-Day dinner last Sunday (yeah, I know VDay was on Monday, but Sunday worked better for us.) We went to a restaurant that I regularly run by in PB called Jordn. 
Ahhhh... It will be like this again soon...just probably not this weekend.

20 comments:

  1. Wow, so good that it was still under warranty!

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  2. I'm supposed to run trails at Lake Dixon tomorrow morning with Meg's husband. I don't know, may not happen.

    I can relate to the treadmill blues. I've gotta be super comitted to the time or distance before I get on.

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  3. I am puzzled that there is a market for treadmills in California. Why on earth would anyone ever run on a treadmill? It's always warm. The footing is never slippery. Please explain.

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  4. Good comment Keith - we run on treadmills because the California air makes us stupid from time to time. Both Alice and I can attest to the fact that probably everyone on our street has not been to the beach more than twice in the past 3 years! We get used to living in this. Some of us didn't see the snow fall until we were 30 years old - 3 days of rain or clouds causes some of us to start taking our meds also! And our students "run to the window" when it starts raining outside to see it. One time, Alice let her class out so they could go and see what "hail" is.

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  5. Nice one to get the mill fixed for free but I agree - running in the rain is good!

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  6. I didn't know you could lose your mill mojo. I better keep an eye on mine,it's the only running mojo I have.

    You have to live in one of the prettiest places to run! Beautiful picture.

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  7. LMAO at Keith and Betty's comments!

    Decent though that the mill under warranty and she's brand new now!

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  8. I'm glad you didn't have to pay for the treadmill repairs, that would make me NOT want to even call for help...it would force me out on the road in the rain where I belong! Actually, I tried running in the rain on Wednesday and it was too cold so I wimped out and trotted home. Don't tell the Manly Runner.

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  9. Huh. Thanks Betty. I suppose I can understand the not going to the beach thing. I live 1.5 hr drive from some of the best skiing (downhill or Xcountry) in the world, or hiking, ect, and I don't go. Not a skier.
    Clearly, anyone complaining about crappy weather needs to come visit me. Today, for example, is a typical Calgary winter day, maybe a little on the cool side. Cloudless sky, bright sunshine, -23 C (-9 F) but with windchill it's -30 C (-22 F) right now. If it wasn't my rest day I'd go for a run. Maybe I'll swap things around and go anyway.
    Hail. This is actually a serious issue here, causing millions of $ of damage every year. In 95 or 96 a hailstorm came through our neighbourhood. We got a new roof, siding, evestroughing, and a bedroom window frame and all out of it. Cars looked like they had been vandalized by thugs with a ball peen hammer, and some car windows were broken. We read about a house where the hail pounded a hole through the roof, and through the ceiling drywall.

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  10. Sorry I'm missing a run in my neighborhood park- hate running in the rain anyway- but I've absolutely no 'mill mojo- I'd rather lift weights or a nice merlot...been freezing & rainy here in SF- so gotta run Minday- perfect for the Prez day off!

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  11. There are a few days a year that I wish I had a treadmill. Also, I wouldn't have to worry about childcare... However, I have never found enough need to justify the expense. I bought an elliptical shortly after my daughter was born and I would gladly trade it for a TM.

    I'm glad the storm seemed to fizzle. It was really strong last night, but has nothing this morning.

    Oh, and So Cal drives? Blech! Don't even get me started. I grew up in Oregon, so I have webbed feet and rain is commonplace to me. People here either drive too fast OR they act like it is a blizzard and drive 15 miles under the speed limit. Oh and a reminder people: TURN ON YOUR LIGHTS. There is nothing worse than a grey car in the rain with no lights on.

    btw, thanks for the nice comments on my blog. :-)

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  12. That treadmill was fixed in a nick of time. It's hailing outside as I type. A friend from the RnR group came to my house for brunch after the San Marcos run and said the rain held off until the very end.

    And I am so with you on how people drive in rain here. I don't think many people realize it's illegal to drive without lights in the rain. One of these days ....

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  13. 'mill mojo'? That is interesting. Running in the rain is weird for me. It feels like running as fast as I can to find a shelter.

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  14. Sometimes, I wish I had a treadmill -- mainly so I could run while the kiddo is asleep -- but for the most part, I rarely ever have the desire to own/use one!

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  15. My 'mill mojo is minimal. I can't STAND running on the treadmill ... it's so boring! I only run on it when I'm totally desperate. Having said that, I would like to have one of my own.

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  16. That's about 20 minutes more than I would be on a treadmill....

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  17. I used to be able to do a lot on a treadmill, but nowadays, I feel like 5 on there is monumental. My new gym isn't ventilated much, which could explain the change. I run outside mostly now, though weather is often a factor.

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  18. Stumbled upon your blog... look forward to following you!

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  19. Running in a downpour sounds GREAT right about now. I did 5.5 miles on the 'mill last night and I wanted to gouge my eyes out the entire way.

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