While official training for the Mini hasn’t started yet, I have been trying to run more and more at the gym. I still haven’t collected all of the cold-weather equipment I need to run outside, and the few times I’ve ventured out haven’t gone as well as I’ve hoped.

Right now, I’m barely up to two miles, which leaves me making weird grunting sounds and sweating like a geyser. For this reason, I’ve developed a sound strategy for picking out a treadmill at the gym. My gym is two stories tall with most of the cardio equipment on the upper level. Tucked away in a corner overlooking the scenic jam-packed parking lot are four treadmills that everyone forgets about. It’s on these machines that you can huff and puff and decrease your speed with minimal embarrassment. Plus, in this area, the Starbucks-fueled East End housewives aren’t trying to outrun you before hopping in their Lexus SUVs for more coffee, taking little Susie to hip-hop dance lessons and getting a little touch-up on the Botox.

I'm pretty sure she was in my gym the other day.

I’ve also been working on assembling slower-paced runners into a group for training. There are so many great runners at my agency who have offered to train with me, but I feel like I’d be a hindrance to them because I’m so slow. Hopefully, our little group of plodders will provide enough support to propel me to run more/faster.

Until next time, keep on running and watch out for those over-caffeinated moms on their way to the Junior League meeting.