20 | January | 2014 | Piper's Run

Yup! It’s official, we finally got our treadmill and I had my first run on the weekend! It was just what I needed.

Since my husband is away right now, my only running opportunities are at work during my lunch break or on our new treadmill. Before, I would have to either not run or do something else, like my trusty T25 or Jillian Michael’s DVD workouts. Don’t get me wrong, I love those workouts but I also love running and really wanting to improve my running this year.

Most people hate treadmills. Why run on a treadmill when you can simply go outside for a run? In fresh air, on any surface. Well, it’s not that simple in my life with two little girls and a husband that is away often. So, I welcome our treadmill with legs that just want to run.

Saturday night after I got the girls to bed, I quickly changed into my running gear so I wouldn’t back out. Just before 8 pm, I laced up my sneakers and hit start on “The Beast”. Sorry, treadmill – for now you are going to be called “the beast” until I can come up with a better name.

Me and “The Beast” before our “first run’.

My new running pants kinda look like a zebra…but they are not. I really need a new name for my treadmill…”The Beast” just isn’t cutting it.

I walked for 3 minutes to give my body a chance to warm up and to be honest, for me to get organized. I had my water bottle, Sai’s Ipad, my cell (gotta take some selfies, I guess) and the baby monitor. I’m a Mama first, runner second. I was really nervous at how loud the treadmill would be and was praying that it wouldn’t wake up either girl.

I decided to watch Blue Bloods while I ran but it was difficult to hear the show even with the volume on high but it kept me distracted and focused. I kept my speed between 5 and 6 with a slight incline. It was great to be running but my left ankle was giving me some problems. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve had ankle issues so I’m hoping it was just a random thing.

I felt good during my run and was aiming to run for 30-35 minutes and managed to do that with only one short slow down to drink a little H2O – gotta hydrate people! By the end, I was pretty sweaty and satisfied…5k done just…like…that. #MegsMiles