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:

Sunday: 8 treadmill miles, chest and tri workout – Before the treadmill stopped working properly, I got in a 8 mile run Sunday morning, along with my chest and tricep workout and a short time on the bike.

Monday: Shoulder and leg workout, 15 minutes on the bike, 8-minute core workout, then 4.13 mile mid-day run and 1.23 mile walk  – I got in my weight workout, warmed up on the bike and then hit the treadmill … and immediately was unable to workout. The belt kept slipping over and then eventually got stuck on the left edge. I tried to fix it with no avail, and by the time my attempts were done, it was time to get ready for work. I luckily ended up having 30 minutes to kill at lunchtime, and decided to attempt to run outside amidst the ice. Since it was light out, it wasn’t that hard to stay in the street and avoid the icy patches. Later, I tried fixing my treadmill belt and I think I got it! I did a 1 mile walk/run and 1.23 mile walk on it to test it out and it worked alright. Fingers crossed that was it!

Tuesday: 4 mile walk/run, 1 mile lunch walk at work, back and bicep workout and started leg workout, core workout – I was dying to try out the treadmill and see if it was working! It was, but my hip was feeling a little off. I ran 3.1 miles slowly, and then walked .9 miles. I also got in my weight workout, core workout and a lunchtime walk. Win win win!

Wednesday: 4.3 mile treadmill walk/run, 1 mile treadmill walk with incline, finished leg workout, core workout – I finished my leg workout, then got in some abs and treadmill time. My other hip was feeling off on this workout, so I’m beginning to wonder if the treadmill is not even on the ground? It felt like I was running lopsided, but it was hard to tell. Later in the day my legs/hips were feeling off, so I definitely think the treadmill is a little uneven. 

Not running-related, but that night I had an event with some of the other moms at my kids’ school – it was a floral arrangement at a local wine/bar restaurant. It was a lot of fun and I made a great bouquet!

Thursday: 5.5 treadmill walk/run – The kids had no school so I didn’t get in as long of a workout as I usually do. BUT I was able to sleep in and get on the treadmill! B even checked to see if the treadmill was uneven (it was!) and fixed it Wednesday night for me. I KNEW it was off, and I’m glad I trusted my body and also that he was able to fix it so it was level. It’s crazy that after 1 run I was able to tell that one side felt a little higher.

In Thursday’s non-running related news, we had a special delivery — the reason we moved the treadmill! We had a piano delivered and it fit nicely in the spot where the treadmill had been.

Friday: 5.25 mile treadmill run/walk – B was out of town, so I made sure to set my alarm and get in some treadmill time before all the kids woke up. I hadn’t slept well Thursday night and was struggling with this workout. I did 4.25 miles walk/run and then walked another 1 mile on an incline to conclude my workout.

Saturday: 6.2 miles on the treadmill run – With B out of town, I set an early alarm to go for a run on the treadmill before GM got up … but sadly he woke up about 18 minutes before I was hoping he would. I was glad to get in a run before our day – luckily it was an off week for basketball and skating, so we only had soccer and piano lessons.

Total:  37.33 miles running, some walking and weight training.  

• Are you handy? Would you have been able to fix the treadmill?
• Did you do anything to celebrate Valentine’s Day?

I am linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.