18:39

My first mile on the treadmill at home.  18:39.  6 weeks ago I would be running well over 2 miles in that time (and then run a couple more, then do 30 minutes on the elliptical, then 30 minutes of weight lifting.)  It took everything in me not to push that dang "+" button and increase my speed.  I want to run.  I want to feel my heart beat loudly in my chest.  I want the sweat to drip down my body.  For now, I have to be okay with 18:39.  My aunt Vicki sent me a pulseox over the weekend (thank you, Vicki!) and it's going to be an invaluable tool as I start exercising again.  I'm told I shouldn't get my heart rate over 140 right now.  You know how HARD that is?!!  The pulseox lets me know how much oxygen is in my blood (89 and below isn't good, I stayed between 93 and 96.)  It also tells me my heart rate, which hovered right around 137, sometimes going around 145 which meant time to take it down a notch.  Dang!  A couple more weeks and then I can push it a little more.  Here I thought I would be able to run my favorite race, the Hobble Creek Half Marathon, in August.  Nope.  There is no way that is happening.  So I tearfully passed off my registration to my friend, Heidi.  I know she will run a good race for me.  I told her to get a sub-2 time for me, (which was my goal this year, and something Heidi can easily do!)  I had also hoped to run the Top of Utah Marathon in September up in Logan.  Not going to happen either.  My goal, now, is to do the Ogden Marathon next May, and so I remind myself with each step I take, that it is bringing me closer to that race... and I can't wait!  10 months to go, and I'll be ready!

I also have to say thank you to our special friends, the Tribe's.  We don't own a treadmill.  I have a membership to Gold's Gym and usually run there or in our neighborhood.  Since I'm still on 'no driving' restrictions, I didn't want to make my mom take me all the way to the gym every day, then figure out what to do with the kids for an hour while I worked out.  I told Polly about my predicament and she immediately offered to let me borrow her treadmill until I can get back to Gold's.  It was quite hilarious watching 6 men try to get the beastly thing into our house.  Over an hour later, and after breaking it down into three pieces, we were able to get the treadmill into our living room.  It is an awesome machine!  You can hook your iPod directly to it and the sound is incredible, there is a fan that blows out cool air while you workout, and there are a bunch of buttons that I haven't even pushed yet.  I'm getting spoiled!  Thanks, Tribe's, for lending me your clothes rack.  ;)  Love you, guys.