I ran 4.12 miles today.  Not bad, but no where near what I was doing before I had the lung problem.  I was actually up to 17 mile runs before all hell broke loose.

My task this winter is to get back in shape and get to the point where I can run really long distances.  My marathon plans fizzled this year but I’m bound and determined that I’ll complete a marathon next year.

To aid in achieving my running goals, I just purchased a Petzl E 93 PT Tikka 2 Headlamp.

By the time I get out of work, the sun has already gone down and while it’s not too cold out, it would be nice to be able to get in a run at the end of the day.  I have a reflective vest that works really well but last year I found that although drivers could see me, I couldn’t really see the road on which I was running.  I don’t want to take a chance of twisting an ankle or taking a bad fall, so I’m hoping the headlamp will do the trick.

I suspect I’ll have a bit of a problem getting used to it at first.  I’ve never liked wearing hats and I’m not sure that wearing a headband with a lamp attached to it will be any better.  I’ll just have to adjust.

About a year and a half ago, in an effort to get fit, we purchased a Horizon E900 Elliptical from Dicks Sporting Goods in Leominster, MA.

Before I make any major purchase I do a lot of research and for the price we were willing to pay, this appeared to be the best model available.  People that owned it seemed to think highly of it.

The unit has worked well.  On average, I probably use it two or three times a week and although I still weigh more then I’d like, it has done a pretty good of keeping me fit.

Tonight, I was about half way though my thirty minute session when I heard a strange noise coming from the bottom of the pedal arm.  I didn’t stop immediately, as I probably should have, but it didn’t matter because within a few seconds, the pedal arm had jumped out of the track and was moving on the floor.  I got off the unit and knelt down to see what was going on and found that the axle on the inside right wheel had sheared off.  Bummer.

I’m not surprised that something is broken on the unit, because it does take a lot of abuse in it’s day to day operation, but I am surprised by the part that did break.  It seems like it shouldn’t be a high stress area.  The …

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