Another date with my mistress, Dreadmillia.....

and she is a cruel mistress indeed.....

I had a great teaching day today.......it was actually a half-day, but after filling out my students' high school course request forms, we were able to do some reviewing for their test tomorrow on the American Revolution.  They had some great questions and we were able to defuse a lot of stress.  Then, after school, I ran another review session and probably had 30 of my 115 students show up for extra help.  Mostly, it ends up with me providing reassurance that they already know what they need to know, but then again, the part of my job that I enjoy most is when I'm functioning like a coach before a big game.....the players have had great practices, they know the playbook backwards and forwards, and they're chomping at the bit for the game to start.  So all that's left for me (Coach) to do is focus their energies, give 'em the motivational pregame speech, and send 'em out to get started.

I've prepared my students well, they've studied and reviewed......they're ready.  Now all that's left is for them to take the test!

By the time I got out of school, though, it was nearly 4:30 and already starting to get dark, so my plan to run 7 miles outside was not going to happen.  That meant I was heading to my gym to meet up with my mistress.....D.  She's always there, anytime I need her........but I really hate needing her the way I do at times.

After doing a little math to figure out the pace I wanted to hit (was shooting for 9:40/mile, or roughly 6.2mph), I jumped on D, pushed her buttons, and started her up.  The miles started to add up and I began to notice all the people who were coming and going on both sides of me.  As I usually only ride her for 30-40 minutes at a time, this was going to be roughly twice as long as usual, so there was more time to observe.  People have a variety of different habits on treadmills, but I think my favorite is the "towel drape over the display" technique.....I'm never sure if the plan is to not be distracted by the numbers or if it's to prevent others from looking.  I know that, at least for me, I like to see the display, but that's just me.

Anyway, 68 minutes later, I was done with D......drenched in sweat, spent from the exertion, feeling both satisfied and empty at the same time......wondering just how much longer I can maintain this relationship.  I've got less than 10 weeks until Boston, so I'll no doubt be coming back to D several times.......

On the fundraising side, my colleagues and several members of my chorus took me over the top last night....I'm so thrilled with the response that I've gotten from everyone who's contributed.  I started out the process so worried that nobody would help out, and it turned out that lots of people wanted to.....leaves me now feeling VERY grateful and supported.  When the miles start getting tough during training, I'm going to think about all those donors, and my steps will no doubt become lighter.....and on Marathon Monday, they'll be the tailwind pushing me to Boston!

Once again, the link to my fundraising page is below.....I apologize if the hyperlink isn't coming through, but y'all can just copy and paste it into your browser window to take you there......

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/billfine/RunningforCover_Boston_2012