Running in Circles

For my first marathon, I trained during the winter. Running in the cold winter was not always a lot of fun, especially when I had to be home by 7 AM so Todd could go to school. Being in Southern Ohio (especially compared to the warm southern Utah) I was baring the elements. I had to run in rain, sleet, ice and snow. There were some runs that I had to grip my buns together so I wouldn't slip. I would run with all sorts of gear on to keep me warm. It would be cold, but usually after the first 5-10 minutes it wasn't so bad (except a really hard, snowy, freezing 14 miler I did with Todd and the boys biking by me - it was so cold that Roger's bottle froze).
As the winter approached this year, I figured I would just endure the cold, no big deal, I've done it before. The weather in Southern Ohio and the weather in Northern Ohio are a little bit different. Not only were the roads and sidewalks icy, but it gets so bone-chilling cold that even in all my gear and after running for an hour I was still wanting to cry because I was so cold and could not even feel my fingers within my gloves.
I was sad to say a temporary good-bye to running with Melissa. I had grown to look forward to our weekly 2 hour conversation (even if it started at 5 in the morning), yet we couldn't run together for the time being. One morning when it was abnormally warm, we decided to go running, but quickly discovered that our run would be more like ice skating than anything.
The Rec center has an indoor track above it's gym, so I've been keeping up my running there. It's not too bad, but running while talking to someone versus listening to music are very different. Plus, while running outside there is scenery to look at, there is nothing new to look at on the track after you have run the first lap. NOT TO MENTION that it takes 12 LAPS to equal 1 MILE. (talk about getting dizzy). I have been listening to some books on tape - finished the Harry Potter Series- to help me get through. But how do you keep track of your mileage? I use this:I tear at a line after every lap. Once I fill out a paper I know that I have run 1 mile. This is really helpful, especially since I usually do 6 miles (72 laps) and have done 10 miles (120 laps). So if you can imagine, I come home with a lot of these:We've had a heat wave here, so this week, Melissa and I went running - outside - together...I've missed you Melissa.