Still Treadmill Season

February 23, 2025 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 8 Comments

I can’t remember another year that my treadmill has gotten this much love. I got my beloved Sole F80 in 2018 when I was pregnant with my daughter, and yes, I ran a lot more inside that year because I was being cautious with the pregnancy (didn’t want to slip in the winter if it was even close to being slippery). But this year? This year takes the cake. We had yet ANOTHER bout of wintry weather this past weekend – Sunday started with rain, then ice, then 8 inches of snow. And this week it pretty much snowed on and off all week! So yes, I’m thankful for my treadmill and that it continues to serve me well and helps me get in some endorphins when I get bummed about our winter.

Here’s how the week looked:

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Technical Difficulties

February 16, 2025February 15, 2025 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 13 Comments

Well, that’s unfortunate … as you can see from the title, I had some technical difficulties getting in my runs this week. The difficulty? A not-working treadmill! B moved the treadmill to the basement this Sunday and the next morning, it wasn’t working — the belt kept sliding to the side over the edge! I am not handy at all and of course could not figure out how to fix it even after numerous YouTube videos showed me how (let’s just say I couldn’t even use the allen wrench the right way to do the first step, ugh!). And with the snow and ice still coming down, it was hard to get outside and safely run – everything was a sheet of ice or patches of ice! The good news is — I fixed it! I did it myself. I was SO PROUD of myself for not just figuring out how to use the wrench, but figuring out how to loosen the belt, center it again, and tighten it! The next day, though, I noticed that my hip was off after running. It felt like I was uneven – and sure enough, the treadmill wasn’t level! So yet again, more technical difficulties. Luckily B was able to fix that when I was at work and I was able to get back on the treadmill and run.

Here’s how the week looked:

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Wacky Weather Week

February 9, 2025 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 11 Comments

Well, that was a wacky weather week. We had highs in the 50s on Monday (Yay!), lows in the teens (Tuesday), snow, rain, ice and more this week. So, I had a combination of outdoor runs (few), treadmill runs (more) and some outdoor walks (yay again!).

The week ALSO included the CLEVELAND MARATHON KICKOFF RUN! It was so great to run IN PERSON with people to celebrate the kickoff of marathon training season! I’m only running the half, but it was great to get in a few miles with other local runners outside on a weekend. Did that mean I missed basketball, soccer and ice skating for my kids on Saturday morning? I did, but I’m so lucky to have B and other parents who were able to step in and help out so I could make the event.

Here’s how the week looked:

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February Virtual Coffee Date

February 7, 2025 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 12 Comments

Happy first Friday in February! I’m joining several other bloggers today for a virtual coffee date, which is fun. If you know me, you know I don’t actually drink a lot of coffee in real life, or caffeine. But if you care to join me over a decaf latte, here’s what I’d share over coffee:

Note – there are some affiliate links below, so if you decide to buy my exercise bike, thanks in advance 🙂 But I really do love all these!

I’m over winter … but surviving! Okay, I hate to start with a grumble, but if we were actually meeting for coffee, I’m sure you’d say the same! We’ve had SO MUCH wintery weather this year, and many schools were closed near me yesterday for ice! Can’t it just be spring? Here is how I’m surviving this winter:

My treadmill – I’m LIVING on it.
My Merach exercise bike. I admit it’s no Peloton, but as someone who mostly works out on a treadmill or outside, it’s been nice to have an affordable bike for me to use as cross training when it’s too cold, icy, or my legs are sore.
Yaktracks. I bought these new ones a few weeks ago for running, and they seem to work well! I don’t love running on snow often because it impacts my gait, but if there’s a little snow and not much ice, these have been lifesavers.

What I’m reading lately. I am still in the middle of Onyx Storm and just got to some serious action and can’t put it down! I don’t want to finish it because I’ve heard it just ends (ugh!) and it will be some time before the author writes the next in the series. So I’m taking my time. I did just finish two good reads that I’d recommend:

If you like historical fiction with a little spice: The Goddess of Warsaw by Lisa Barr was enjoyable. It was like Evelyn Hugo meets World War II Nazi drama.
If you like sci-fi that takes place in modern times on Earth: An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green was so good. I loved the way it was written and that it wasn’t too far out. We read it for book club and I’ve already read the second book because I couldn’t wait to hear what happened next!

What I’m excited for this weekend. Our weekends have been crazy lately – we typically have 2 basketball games, a soccer game, 1-2 futsal games, piano lessons and ice skating … and all that’s for the kids! Well, this weekend I’m taking time for ME and going to the Cleveland Marathon Kickoff Run! It is thanks to arranging for childcare, having my husband carry the load, and having FW get rides from other parents … but I’m going to make it happen and go run with the group on Saturday morning.

photo from last year’s kickoff run

As a reminder, I’m a Cleveland Marathon Ambassador, which means I also have discounted race admission should you want to sign up – you can use SAVE20MELCARN for 20% off your race entry into ANY of the races (including 5K, 10K, kids run!).

Thanks for joining me for my Ultimate Coffee Date!

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Ultimate-Coffee-Date-1.jpg Ultimate Coffee Date is hosted by Coco and Deborah

Questions for you:

If you have crazy weekends, how do you fit in time for you?
Are you over winter yet, too?

Good Bye January!

February 2, 2025February 1, 2025 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 11 Comments

We made it through the first month of 2025!! Hooray!! That means we’re one month closer to spring, warmer days, lighter mornings, and hopefully sunnier days!

January turned out to be an okay month, all things considered. Despite the sub-zero temps, constant snow and ice, a few days of travel, and crazy weekends full of kid activities and more, I got in some great activity and stayed injury free! Hooray!

My monthly mileage included:

151.81 miles running, mostly indoor miles. I barely made it outside at all in January because our winter has been so unbearable! But this did include 2 runs in Florida that were really nice 🙂
2 days off. One earlier in the month when I felt like my hip was starting to get cranky (thankfully, after babying it for a few days I feel better), and one this week when I was sick.