Week #2: #TeamArnicare Conquers the Cold

Facing busy schedules, illnesses, bad weather and lack of motivation, Team Arnicare heads into week two of half-marathon training:

It’s been a busy week, and every plague imaginable has been filtering through our house lately. I’ve been in a state of either self-care or attending to sick family members non-stop. One long run squeezed in, but not enough. Now the weather is warming a bit over the next few days, so the plan is eight miles this weekend at beautiful Ridley Creek Park. I’m looking for some really great running music. My personal collection seems to be a bit too mellow. (Uh oh. Am I old enough to be getting into easy listening music?!?! Say it isn’t so!) I’ll have to solicit suggestions from some of the more musically hip folks around here. Carving out time to run is difficult because it means a solid chunk of time when I cannot multitask, and I have to solely do something for me. It’s not easy to get myself to do this, even though I know it is exactly what I need. The challenge with running for me is also its greatest gift.  – Kay

“The only workout you will regret is the one you didn’t do.” I think this summarizes how my week went very well. Between a very busy work schedule, errands that couldn’t wait any longer, and simply no motivation to hit the treadmill, I only worked out once this week and feel horrible about it. I did have my running gear with me every day. It’s like those days when you put on your workout clothes, you’re super motivated, and then the time comes to walk out that door, and you decide to go back to bed. I’ll admit it–this happened to me a couple of time. My goal for next week–NO MORE EXCUSES.  – Nathalie

Snowstorms and a polar vortex kept me indoors this week, forcing me to log my miles on the “dreadmill”  (seemingly always next to a man wearing way too much cologne).  But the weatherman promised the temperature will surpass the freezing mark this weekend, so I’m ready to stretch my legs and head outdoors. Three, four or even five miles is doable inside, but anything longer than that and I need to be outside. I saw much better results last year when I did much of my training for the BSR outdoors with my husband on a hilly path not far from our house than the previous years when I was hesitant to hit the street. And after checking out the elevation map of Central Park, I know the half marathon’s not going to be an easy flat-and-straight path. Hills are my nemesis, so I did make an effort to increase the incline on the treadmill during my runs this week, but it’s not the same as an outdoor climb. So keep your fingers crossed the snow, wind and ice get put on hold this weekend, and I can finally make the familiar five-mile loop through my neighborhood!  – Heather