Decision

With gas prices climbing higher over the weekend, my decision was made.

On Friday, I drove 175 miles round trip for work. I filled up my car later that evening for $41. I couldn't believe it cost that much. I wasn't too pleased. This week, I will be driving to two out of county sporting events. Since I'm driving out of the county to some far destinations this week, I will not be participating in the AATC workout Tuesday. I'm bummed about it, but gas is so expensive. I cannot afford extra trips anywhere.

Hard decision

I joined the Ann Arbor Track Club at the end of November 2010 and I have run many Tuesday workouts with them. I've only missed two workouts due to weather. I like running workouts with the group. I usually run alone and it is nice to run with others who are faster then me. We run intervals which I know will help me become a better runner. Besides the intervals, I have met a great group of runners who I'm friends with on dailymile. Met them online first and it has been great to meet them in person.

I live south of Ann Arbor. The drive time on a good day is 45 minutes. When the weather is awful, the drive time can be about 1.5 hours. Driving to and from Ann Arbor, it takes about a quarter tank of gas. With gas as expensive as it is now, $3.29 a gallon, I may have to rethink my membership. I've heard on the news that by Memorial Day that gas could be $4-5 a gallon. That is really expensive. For my job, I drive around the county photographing athletic events three times a week. Sometimes my games are out of county, like tonight. My round trip drive will be 150 miles or more. My job does reimburse me for my gas which helps a little.

I don't like to be a quitter, especially when I paid to join the AATC. But I have to have some limits. I know I can always run intervals on my own. If I leave the AATC I know I will miss my dailymile buddies. I have a hard decision to make. Whatever I decide I know it will not be easy.

Messed up week

It has been crazy here this week.

On Sunday night/Monday morning, the area received freezing rain. The power at my house went off around 1:30 a.m. When my battery alarm clock went off at 4 a.m., I thought it was interesting that I had to get ready for work by candlelight.

While driving to work, I was unsure if the office would even have power. I was surprised when I saw the streetlights near the office, which is about a half mile or so down the street from me, still had power. I was happy that I would be in a building with heat. Around 8 a.m. that morning, the power went off at the office. All of the employees sat in a dark and cold building for another 2.5 hours before the decision was made to move the office elsewhere.

We were allowed to go home. I was hoping that when I returned home that my power would be on. I was excited when I opened my backdoor and felt heat. I didn't start running right away because I thought I had to go back to work. Instead I went out with a shovel and started to chip away the inch of ice on the sidewalk. It was difficult. I did that for an hour and cleared most of the ice away. I still hadn't received a call and it was getting late, so I decided it was time to run. Since I had plenty of time, I ran 14 miles on my treadmill.

I found out later that night about my work situation. We were to report to a local hotel meeting room and we would lay out the newspaper there. Since the storm knocked out power to many and the roads were still awful, it was decided our deadline would be moved up a couple of hours. I set my alarm clock for 3 a.m. and went to bed around 8:30 p.m. I did that for two days in a row.

Tuesday and Wednesday were very early days for me. The two 3 a.m. wake up calls really wore me out. I was reading a book on my couch Wednesday in the afternoon and I could barely keep my eyes open. I ended up taking a nap. The nap turned out to be two hours. I had no intention of sleeping that long, but I guess I needed to.

I'm really looking forward to things getting back to normal. Some people in the county are still without power. Hopefully everything will be turned on today. In the weather department, we have some bad news. On Friday a storm will bring another 3-6 inches of snow. I'm hoping we get hardly any. Snow is something that we don't need right now. We are still battle ice everywhere. I know I said this before, but I am really looking forward to spring and warmer weather.

Finisher's medals

On May 29, 2011, I will be running in Boston's Run to Remember Half Marathon. The half marathon honors Massachusetts Law Enforcement Officers killed in the live of duty.

I received an newsletter over the weekend for the upcoming race. On the newsletter was a rendering of what the finisher's medal for the half marathon will look like. I think it is cool and will probably end up being my favorite medal of all.

Books read in 2011

The Laughing Corpse, Laurell K. Hamilton
Circus of the Damned, Laurell K. Hamilton
The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: The Fury and Dark Reunion, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Nightfall, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries: Origins, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries: Bloodlust, L.J. Smith
Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner, Dean Karnazes
The Kennedy Detail, Gerald Blaine with Lisa McCubbin
The Kennedy Assassination: 24 Hours After, Steven M Gillon
50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathon in 50 Days, Dean Karnazes
The Brotherhood: A Precinct 11 Novel, Jerry B. Jenkins

Currently Reading: 127 Hours, Aron Ralston
Up Next: JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters, James W. Douglass

Sick

I was having a great week until Tuesday night of last week. As of Tuesday, I had already run 37.1 miles. My plan for Sunday's long run was 31 miles. All of that changed Tuesday night.

After I ran my workout with the AATC, drove home, took a shower and got ready for bed, my stomach started hurting bad. I took some medicine, but that didn't seem to help. I went to bed hoping whatever it was, it would be gone by morning. Waking up Wednesday morning, my stomach still hurt. I got ready for work and headed it. I brought breakfast with me as usual. I thought maybe if I ate, the pain would go away. I ate a protein bar first. My stomach handled the bar, but it still hurt. Later in my shift, I ate a cereal bar. It was the same as when I ate earlier.

After my shift, I went home and ran. Not good. My stomach felt awful, so I decided to run slower. The slow run felt really good. I made it through 10 miles without any problems. For lunch, I ate toast to help calm my stomach. It seemed to work.

Later that evening, I had to photograph a college basketball game. My stomach was hurting again. While I was photographing the game, it felt like my camera weighed 100 pounds. It took so much energy to even hold it up to my face. It was tiring. With less then 10 minutes to go in the first half, I started to feel awful. I was getting warm, my legs were dead and it felt like I was going to throw up. I knew I had enough game photos, so I grabbed my coat and walked quickly towards the women's restroom.

On the way to the restroom, one of the college's athletic trainers wanted to talk to me about my weight loss. Any other day, I would have. But not tonight. I said to her, "Sorry, I can't talk. I'm going to throw up." With that I continued to the restroom. I got into a stall, prepared myself and of course nothing happens. I ended up sitting down on the toilet with my head leaning against the cool wall of the stall. I hung around in a stall for 10 minutes in case anything happened. It didn't.

After I finished editing, I went to bed. My stomach started to feel worse. It hurt more then it ever hurt before. At one point, I thought I should drive myself to the ER. But I decided against it. With having to work the next morning, I wasn't sure how long I would have been sitting there. The next morning at work, my stomach felt a little bit better. It was a struggle to work. I was tired and all I wanted to do was sleep. When I finished work, I went home and went to bed for 1.5 hours.

My lunch again for the day was toast and I napped again during the afternoon. I was scheduled to photograph a men's volleyball game that night. I really didn't want a repeat of Wednesday night, so I gave my game away. I was thankful someone was available and I got to lay on the couch and relax for the evening.

I ate crackers for breakfast Friday at work because my stomach still hurt. The crackers did make it feel better. I had an appointment Friday morning, so that delayed my run until later in the afternoon. I ran another 10 miles slow because the first couple of miles and the last mile, I was dealing with horrible stomach cramps. I made it through the run and was happy to be running again.

I had dinner with my husband later that night. He said that his back started hurting at work. He knew he was getting sick. My husband was right. When I woke him up Saturday morning, he sounded awful. He was stuffy, his throat was sore and his back hurt. He was sick.

Later that day, we went to Toledo, Ohio to celebrate Valentine's Day. Both of us were tired and sick. We probably should have skipped it. But we made it through the day and evening. Not a good week for us. I'm over what I had and I'm getting better. My husband is coughing and plugged up. I'm ready for the cold season to be gone and spring to arrive.

Team dailymile

Voting for the 2011 dailymile Team closed on Tuesday at midnight. Unfortunately I was not one of the top 30 to make the team. And that is alright. I know the people who did make the team will do a great job.

Even though I'm not on the team, I will continue to run my high mileage. I will continue to motivate and inspire others to do their best. That is just who I am. I like reading everyone's workouts. I like reading about how they just set a new PR or how great they felt after a workout. When someone has a bad workout, the dailymile community will be there to help them through it. That is how we are. That is who I am.

I want to thank everyone who watched the videos and voted. Congratulations and good luck to the 2011 dailymile team. I know all of you will great job.

Ragnar Relay Series

This is something that I would love to do. But first I would need other runners to do that. I would like to run in the Ragnar Relay Series.

The Ragnar Relay Series is a relay with 11 other runners (or 5 other runners for an ultra team) and you run 200 miles for a day and night. During the relay each team member runs three legs ranging between 3-8 miles. That would be so fun. The relay I would like to run is Madison, WI to Chicago. This year the relay for Chicago is June 10-11. If I don't get on a team this year, I will definitely try to get on a team next year.

It would be great if I could round up 5 or 11 other runners and run this in 2012. I know it would be a great new challenge and a fun bonding experience with other crazy runners like myself. Anyone interested?

Books read in 2011

The Laughing Corpse, Laurell K. Hamilton
Circus of the Damned, Laurell K. Hamilton
The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: The Fury and Dark Reunion, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Nightfall, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries: Origins, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries: Bloodlust, L.J. Smith
Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner, Dean Karnazes
The Kennedy Detail, Gerald Blaine with Lisa McCubbin
The Kennedy Assassination: 24 Hours After, Steven M Gillon
50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathon in 50 Days, Dean Karnazes

Currently Reading: The Brotherhood: A Precinct 11 Novel, Jerry B. Jenkins
Up Next: 127 Hours, Aron Ralston

Frosty Five

I knew when I was warming up on the course it was going to be difficult. There was no packed down path and the snow was up to my lower to mid calf. Not good.

After the start of the race, I stayed near the back hoping the leaders would pack down the snow. That didn't work. The snow was too fluffy to pack down. Besides running in deep snow, the footing was a nightmare. It was very uneven and with every step it was a balancing act. For the most part, I did keep my balance. I did lose my footing and slip three times. I was happy that I didn't fall on my face like I did the last time running the trails.

When I passed 3.5 miles, I had to stop and walk. It was so difficult to run in the deep snow. Stopping to walk really bothered me. I haven't walked during a race in years and it just depressed me. It felt like my training wasn't good enough that I had to walk. Since I run on the treadmill 99% of the time, the snow did get to me. Instead of walking at a leisurely pace, I tried to speed walk. I knew a speed walk would be better then a slow one.

I started running again at mile 4. The trails were covered in deep snow, the footing was awful, but I kept going. I just wanted to finish. I kept going by just kicking the snow out of the way instead of lifting up my legs. It seemed to work the best. I finished the very snowy and uneven footing course in 1:18:46. I finished fourth in my age group. I thought to myself that I would never do this race because it was so horrible.

When I posted my run to dailymile, I was really frustrated. I was upset that I had to walk, that my pace was 15 something and that it took me almost 1 hour and 20 minutes to finish. A couple of weeks before I ran the course in under an hour. I received so many comments telling me I did a great job on the snowy course. Reading those comments turned the way I looked at the race around. I knew going into the race, that trail races are never fast, that walking is done on a trail course and that I should be proud of what I accomplished. I'm proud of how I did Saturday. I ran into problems on a not so perfect course and overcame it all. I finished and finished without injury. I plan to run the Frosty Five trail run again next year and plan to kick its butt.

Valentine's Day

Today is Valentine's Day. My husband and I will exchange cards, gifts and eat an ice cream cake. For most of the late afternoon and evening, we will be spending it apart.

My husband has a meeting to attend starting at 4 p.m. and I will be photographing a basketball game that evening. We do plan on having dinner together after I get home from work. It is then we will be digging into the huge ice cream cake. I bought the cake last week and I've been waiting to cut into eat and finally eat a piece or two. Yum!

We decided that we will officially celebrate Valentine's Day Saturday. I assume we will be taking a trip to Toledo for shopping and dinner at a place of my choice. I'm thinking it will either be Texas Roadhouse, Outback Steakhouse or Olive Garden. I still have plenty of time to think about this yummy decision.

Random things

My decision on this didn't take long. I decided to run Dances With Dirt 50K. I filled out my registration form, wrote out a check and mailed it in yesterday. To help me prepare for this run, I will be doing longer runs on Sunday. I will also be hitting the trails over the summer to prepare for this race. I'm looking forward to this new and exciting challenge.

My first trail race of the year is tomorrow. I should do alright since I'm familiar with the trail. I hope that the trail path is packed down so it is easy to run on. I don't want to run in deep snow. One thing that I'm really happy about is the weather. It is going to be in the 30s. What a heat wave. I have no expectations for this race. I'm looking forward to completing it and having fun.

Valentine's Day is Monday. I already have a card and gift for my husband. But it will have to wait. Both of us will be busy that evening. I will be photographing a game and my husband will be at a meeting. We decided to celebrate Valentine's Day on Friday or Saturday. It will be a couple of days later, but it will be just as nice.

50K in Hell

If you been following my training on dailymile or read my tweets, you know I run a lot. Over the last few months I've been thinking about my next challenge. Most people would assume since my longest distance raced was the half marathon, that naturally my next step would be the marathon. I didn't think that way. I was hoping my next challenge would be a 50K race.

I plan on running the Chicago Lakefront 50K in 2012. I wanted this race to be my first ultra because it is the flattest 50K course. Last weekend I was talking to a running friend of mine. I told him that I wanted to run an ultra. I mentioned to him before that I put my name into my track club to be included on a Dances With Dirt relay team. But I don't know if I will be apart of a relay team. It all depends on how many people sign up. He suggested to run the DWD 50K. When he said that I wasn't sure. Then he said if I signed up for it, he would run it with me.

Now that is something different. I would have someone with me on the entire course. I would someone to push me when it gets difficult. That is very tempting. Right now I'm really leaning toward telling him yes. Before I give my friend my answer, I should probably run it by my husband first. I like to have my husband's input on things. Many of my dailymile and twitter friends told me to go for it.

I know I have the training base down cold for this race, I run 80-100 miles a week. If I do decide to run this race, I will have to hit the trails every week to train for it. I was told there was no time limit, which is good. I'm just a little nervous about it. This a huge race on a difficult course. Is this something I'm ready for? Or should I just wait and run my first 50K on the flattest course in the U.S. in Chicago? So many decisions to make.

First marathon

So I ran my first marathon Sunday. It was on my treadmill. And it was fun.

When people hear how many miles I run a week, they are surprised that I have never run a marathon. Up until recently, I never wanted to run one. I only started to change my mind when I received many notes and comments on dailymile saying that I could run one.

Two weeks ago, I ran 23.1 miles on my treadmill. That by far was the longest that I have ever run. When I finished running, I knew that I could have gone another 3.1 miles without any problems. I decided since that was my longest run ever, it was best to stop. I felt that that I shouldn't chance increasing my mileage too quickly.

I decided that day, that on Super Bowl Sunday I would run a marathon on my treadmill. The run started out alright. It just felt like any other run. After running over 13 miles, my legs started to fell really good. My run just got better as I went along. Along the way, there was a couple of moments I was thinking, 'What am I doing?' or 'Am I going to finish this?' Those moments and thoughts passed.

As the miles started to add up, I was really pleased with my time. I was very surprised that I finished running 26.2 miles in 3 hours and 50 minutes. It was a great time for a "first" marathon. I know if I actually ran it outside, my time would be different. When I do run my first official marathon outside, at least I will know my approximate finishing time. I could probably add 10-15 minutes to my inside time. Outside a belt isn't helping you with your leg turnover. But the treadmill belt does help me keep running, even when my legs aren't feeling too good.

I don't think I will be able to squeeze in a an official marathon into my 2011 racing schedule. I think my first marathon ever will be the 2012 Glass City Marathon in Toledo, Ohio. This year I'm running the half marathon. I have heard great things about the GCM. The best thing I heard about the race is that the course is extremely flat. I know that will help me finish in the best time possible. Until then, I know I will be running many more marathons on my treadmill.

Books read in 2011

The Laughing Corpse, Laurell K. Hamilton

Circus of the Damned, Laurell K. Hamilton

The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle, L.J. Smith

The Vampire Diaries: The Fury and Dark Reunion, L.J. Smith

The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Nightfall, L.J. Smith

The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries: Origins, L.J. Smith

The Vampire: Stefan's Diaries: Bloodlust, L.J. Smith

Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner, Dean Karnazes

The Kennedy Detail, Gerald Blaine with Lisa McCubbin

Currently Reading: The Kennedy Assassination: 24 Hours After, Steven M. Gillon

Up Next: 50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days, Dean Karnazes

Team dailymile

I received an email last Monday telling me that I have been selected to apply to the dailymile 2011 team. I think it is a huge honor to be apart of a selected group.

On Sunday afternoon, I wrote what I wanted to say in my video. I actually made two drafts. When I finished the second draft, I read it out loud to myself. I just didn't like the flow of it. Since I wasn't too thrilled about it, I held off shooting the video.

I want to have a final edit today and get the video shot during the afternoon. When I read the rules, it stated that the videos had to be submitted on Monday, February 7 at midnight. My interpretation of that is Monday night at midnight. Another member of dailymile asked if the deadline was Sunday night at midnight. If it is the deadline, I didn't submit a video. If that turns out to be the case, it is OK. I will still be a cheerleader to everyone, encourage others and answer their questions. I just hope that I will be invited to apply for the 2012 team.

Random things

My husband and I will be traveling again to Toledo, Ohio. We were down in Toledo a couple of weeks ago. We bought a screw-on brush head for our toilet brush handle. The brush head ended up not fitting. So part of the trip will be spent at Bed, Bath and Beyond trying to find a brush head to fit the handle. Exciting, isn't it? Besides the toilet brush, we do have plans to go to the mall and eat dinner. We have yet to decide what the plan for Saturday is. We talked about going bowling or seeing a movie. Maybe we'll end up doing both.

My first race of the year is Saturday and it is a 5K. The streets were snow covered last year and it was hard to get any traction. The streets will be snow covered again thanks to the huge storm from Wednesday. But this time around I'll be wearing my trail shoes. My trail shoes have awesome traction and I know I wouldn't be slipping and sliding all over. I finished fourth in my age group last year. This year I want to improve that position. A couple of weeks ago I ran a 25:01 5K on an indoor track. I would like my time to be right around that. I know it will be off a little due to the snow, but I'm going to try my hardest to accomplish that.

I will be busy early on Super Bowl Sunday. I will be running a marathon on my treadmill in the morning. When I ran 23.1 miles last Sunday, I really wasn't sore or very tired. I felt good that I increased my mileage without any problems. I really can't wait to run this marathon. It will help me determine if I have what it takes to run a 50K. I think I do. I want to see how I feel after running 26.2 miles. If I feel good, I know I will be able to run the next 5 miles alright.

After completing the marathon in the morning, my husband and I will be traveling to a local bowling alley. He was asked by a couple of friends to bowl on their charity team Sunday afternoon. I was going to skip the bowling alley at first. I planned on running with the group on the trails Sunday one last time before the race. I ultimately decided to skip it. I think it was more important to spend time with my husband. I felt that way because some days we hardly see each other. Back in the day when we first started dating, I would go watch him bowl with his league every weekend. Watching him bowl Sunday will sure bring back some fond memories.

When the bowling is complete, we will head back home and get ready to watch the Super Bowl. Even though the game starts at 6 p.m., I doubt I will see the end of the game. I haven't since the end of any championship sporting event in probably 10 years. I will be going to bed at 9 or 9:30 p.m. because I work in the morning. I will just have to read about who won the game at work. I hope I will read that the Packers defeated the Steelers. Go NFC and Charles Woodson!

Books read in 2011

The books I've read so far this year have been good. I finished Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Nigh Runner by Dean Karnazes in one day. I couldn't put it down. When I was reading the book, I just couldn't believe what Dean had accomplished. Running The Western States 100,Badwater, running a marathon on Antarctica and running a 199 mile relay race by himself. He is a very determined person as am I. I hope one day I can run a 50 or 100 mile ultramarathon race. That is a goal for the future. It is something I know I can work on and hope to accomplish.

The Laughing Corpse, Laurell K. Hamilton

Circus of the Damned, Laurell K. Hamilton

The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle, L.J. Smith

The Vampire Diaries: The Fury and Dark Reunion, L.J. Smith

The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Nightfall, L.J. Smith

The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries: Origins, L.J. Smith

The Vampire: Stefan's Diaries: Bloodlust, L.J. Smith

Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner, Dean Karnazes

Currently Reading: The Kennedy Detail, Gerald Blaine with Lisa McCubbin

Up Next: The Kennedy Assassination: 24 Hours After, Steven M. Gillon

Track workout

I decided it was best to skip my workout with the Ann Arbor Track Club Tuesday evening. I didn't like it, but I thought it was for the best.

I drove to a workout a few weeks ago in a couple of inches of snow and it took me an hour and a half both ways. On a clear day, the trip is 45 minutes. I really didn't want to drive in 8-12 inches of snow. No need to get stuck in the snow or worse.

Since I knew I wouldn't be driving to Ann Arbor to workout. I decided to run the workout at home Tuesday. The workout of the day was 10 x 400 meters; 200 m jog. I started the workout with a 3 mile warm up. Took a sip of water and started my intervals. I was surprised how well I did. I didn't want to run to fast or slow. I ran my 400s at 7 miles per hour on the treadmill. When I jogged a 200m, I dropped down to 6 mph. I did try 5 mph, but that was just too slow for me. The last two or three 400s, I increased my speed past 7 mph. I finished the last 400m near 8 mph. When I finished with the last 200m jog, I was a 400 short of 7 miles. I did an easy cool down lap and finished the interval workout with 7 miles.

The workout was tough and I'm glad I did it. I had a great day for running. With both runs combined, I finished the day with 21 miles run.

Snow

The area will finally receive a big snow storm of the season tonight and tomorrow.

... BLIZZARD WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 7 PM EST WEDNESDAY... ... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS CANCELLED FOR THIS MORNING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DETROIT/PONTIAC HAS ISSUED A BLIZZARD WARNING... WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 7 PM EST WEDNESDAY. THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR THIS MORNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

IMPACTS...

* HEAVY SNOW... STRONG GUSTY WINDS... AND WIDESPREAD BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY.

* WHITE-OUT CONDITIONS WITH VISIBILITIES OF ONE-QUARTER OF MILE OR LESS DUE TO INTENSE SNOWFALL AND BLOWING SNOW.

* QUICKLY ACCUMULATING SNOW AND BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WILL MAKE ROADS VERY HARD TO CLEAR.

* UNTREATED ROADS WILL BECOME SLIPPERY... SNOWPACKED... AND DANGEROUS.

* HEAVY SNOW AND STRONG WINDS MAY CAUSE POWER OUTAGES.

HAZARDOUS WEATHER...

* SNOW WILL SPREAD NORTH INTO SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN THIS EVENING AND BECOME HEAVY OVERNIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY.

* NORTHEAST WINDS WILL GUST TO 40 MPH TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING... CREATING AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW... AND WIDESPREAD BLIZZARD CONDITIONS.

* THE HEAVIEST SNOW AND STRONGEST WIND GUSTS ARE EXPECTED TO COINCIDE BETWEEN 10 PM TONIGHT AND 10 AM WEDNESDAY.

* HEAVY STORM TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS BETWEEN 10 AND 15 INCHES ARE EXPECTED.

* WIND CHILLS BETWEEN 0 AND -5 DEGREES ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

* A BLIZZARD WARNING MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW WITH STRONG WINDS AND POOR VISIBILITIES ARE LIKELY. THIS WILL LEAD TO WHITEOUT CONDITIONS... MAKING TRAVEL EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. DO NOT TRAVEL. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL... HAVE A WINTER SURVIVAL KIT WITH YOU. IF YOU GET STRANDED... STAY WITH YOUR VEHICLE.

My husband and went shopping for snow blowers Monday. Two places were out of snow blowers. I'm thankful we did find a store that had a few to choose from. The snow blower that we had was old and was leaking gas for the second time. We decided it was time for an upgrade. With the huge storm coming, the snow blower is needed and will be used. I'm glad we own a new snow blower. There was no way I was going to shovel 10-15 inches of snow myself. That is too much for someone to do alone with a shovel.