Elite Eight

The field for the women's basketball championship elite eight is set.

Two games will be played Monday night. The first game of the evening is Notre Dame vs Tennessee. The second game will be Gonzaga vs Stanford. I would love to see Notre Dame and Gonzaga win. Notre Dame hasn't been to a Final Four since 2001 when they won the national championship. Gonzaga has never been to a Final Four. These games on Monday will be tough for both teams. They are facing a pair of great teams with plenty of experience playing in elite eight games.

The other two games will be played Tuesday night. The first game of the night is Duke vs Connecticut. These two teams met in the regular season in January. And it wasn't too good for Duke. Connecticut defeated Duke 87-51. I hope this time around the game will be closer and Duke can play more competitively. The second game of the night is Texas A&M vs Baylor. This will be the fourth time this season that the Big 12 opponents meet. Baylor won all three previous meetings by small margins. I hope Baylor can beat them again and make it to the Final Four in Indianapolis.


Photo Credit for Notre Dame: Associated Press/Al Behrman

Photo Credit for Duke: Associated Press/Gerry Broome

Sweet Sixteen

There are so many basketball games that I'm looking forward to watching. Of course they are women's basketball games. The women's basketball Sweet Sixteen games take place Saturday and Sunday. In every match up, I have my favorites.

In the Spokane region, its Stanford vs. North Carolina and Gonzaga vs. Louisville Saturday. I'm been a fan of the Gonzaga team for a couple of years. Last year, Tiffanie Shives, a player from Michigan was apart of the team. I followed her career. When she was a high school player, I saw her play in person many times. Shives was a wonderful basketball player. Now she has graduated. This year's team is lead by senior Courtney Vandersloot. Vandersloot became the first player in Division I history, women or men, to score over 2000 points and have 1000 assists in their career. I watched their second round game and she is a phenomenal player. I hope the Zags can keep going.

In the Stanford/North Carolina match up, I would like to see Stanford win. I don't have a good reason for picking them. You could call me a typical Duke fan. I'm not a fan of North Carolina. So it wouldn't hurt my feelings to see them lose against Stanford.

In the Dayton region, Tennessee plays Ohio State and Oklahoma plays Notre Dame Saturday. In the first game of the day, I would like to see Tennessee beat Ohio State. Usually I root for Big Ten teams to win. Not this time. I like Tennessee's style of play. They are gritty, tough and do what needs to be done to win. I hope Tennessee can keep up their high intensity play to win.

In the other game, Oklahoma vs Notre Dame. I hope the Irish can pull this off. Notre Dame has a couple of players that I like. Brittany Mallory and Devereaux Peters are my favorite players on this team. Mallory is a feisty player that will do anything to help her team. Peters is a great post player. Hopefully she can stay out of foul trouble and stay on the court.

On Sunday there are more great games. In the Philadelphia region is Connecticut vs Georgetown and Duke vs DePaul. Connecticut will be playing Big East rival Georgetown for a third time. The previous two times they played Connecticut won by close margins. I hope Georgetown can play them tough, but I want Connecticut to win. In the other game of Duke vs DePaul, I want Duke to win. I'm a Duke fan and I would love to see them in the Elite Eight. They have a tough challenge against a good DePaul team. I hope Duke's Jasmine Thomas can lead them to a win.

In the final region of Dallas, its Baylor vs Green Bay and Georgia vs Texas A&M. I want Baylor to beat Green Bay. It should be a great game. I hope Baylor will be able to hit their 3s and be able to use Brittney Griner as much as possible. I want to see Baylor win because besides Griner, I want to see Melissa Jones keep playing. Jones is such an amazing player. She sacrifices her body for every play. Finally in the Georgia/Texas A&M game, it would be nice to see Georgia win. But I think A&M will pull out the win. If A&M wins, they could possibly meet Baylor for a fourth time this season. Baylor is 3-0 against them this year, but all three games were really close. But we have to wait and see how Sunday's games go.

Fine weekend for US runners

If you didn't know. I love running. I love to run and I love to watch and read about elite athletes running. This past weekend was so great for elite running.

The weekend started with the Oregon Preview at Hayward Field in Eugene on Saturday. Some of my favorite track athletes had a great day at the Oregon Preview. Geena Gall, former University of Michigan runner who now runs with the Oregon Track Club, won the women's 1500 meter run in 4:18.12. Nicole Blood, another OTC runner, finished third in 4:26.80. In the women's 2000 meter steeplechase, Bridget Franek, former Penn State athlete who is also with the OTC, won in 6:25.31.

After running 32 miles on Sunday, I watched the replay of the 2011 NYC Half Marathon. Both the men's and women's races were exciting. Especially the finishes. Galen Rupp had a wonderful debut in the half marathon. During the race, Rupp clipped Peter Kamais and both of them fell. He was so close to the win, but ultimately finished third. Britain's Mo Farah, Rupp's training partner in Oregon, won the half marathon by outsprinting the New York City Marathon 2010 champion Gebre Gabremariam in the final 200 meters to finish in 1:00.23. Gebremariam was second with a time of 1:00.25 and Rupp third in 1:00.30. Caroline Rotich of Kenyan won the NYC Half Marathon in 1:08.52. The 2010 NYC Marathon winner Edna Kiplagat finished second in 1:09.0 and Kara Goucher finished third in 1:09.03.

Also on Sunday was the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Punta Umbria, Spain. Vivian Jepkemoi Cheruiyot of Kenya won the 8K race in 24:58, Linet Chepkwemio Masa, also from Kenya, finished second in 25:07. Shalane Flanagan of the United States finished third in 25:10. Flanagan became the first non-African born medalist in the even since 2004. With Flanagan's third place finish and the finishes of fellow Americans Molly Huddle (17th), Magdalena Lewy-Bouler (18th), Blake Russell (20th), Alisa McKaig (28th) and Lisa Koll (40th) the United States finished third as a team with 57 points. Kenya and Ethiopia were first and second.

In the junior girls 6K race at the World Cross Country Championships, Stanford bound Aisling Cuffe finished 17th in 20:15 and University of Washington's Katie Flood finished 19th in 20:17. Can't wait to see Cuffe and Flood battle it out on the PAC-10 course this fall. Should be some exciting races to come.

Photo Credit: Associated Press/Juan Jose Ubeda

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
127 Hours, Aron Ralston
JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters, James W. Douglass
My Life on the Run, Bart Yasso
On the Trail of the JFK Assassins, Dick Russell
Run!: 26.2 Stories of Blisters and Bliss, Dean Karnazes
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Steig Larsson

Currently Reading: Second Wind, Cami Ostman
Up Next: Scarpetta, Patricia Cornwell

Duke vs Michigan

I really didn't want this third round game played. The reason is I like both teams. I'm been a Michigan fan forever. When Michigan started having their down years, I started following another team. And that team was the Duke Blue Devils.

I was not a fan of Duke in 1992. I didn't like them at all. Michigan had the Fab Five and I wanted them to win it all. I was disappointed when Michigan came up short again Duke 71-51 in the 1992 National Championship.

What really turned me onto Duke, besides Michigan being in a slump, was Coach Mike Krzyzweski. He can turn any group of players into winners. He always stresses hard work, defense and team work.

Michigan and Duke faced off in the third round Sunday. Watching the game, I cheered for both teams. I complemented both teams when they had great plays and said things like, "horrible pass." Michigan grabbed a Nolan Smith rebound with 8.7 seconds left and drove down the court. Michigan was trailing Duke 73-71. Darius Morris pushed the ball downcourt and shot a jumper in the lane with two seconds left. The ball bounced off the back of the rim and Nolan Smith grabbed the rebound to end the game. I was happy that Duke won and will move on the Sweet 16. I was disappointed that Michigan lost such a close game to Duke and give Coach Krzyzweski his 900th win. Why did they have to be in the same bracket? GRRR!

I hope Michigan can make another run in the tournament next year. They have many players coming back, so all of the pieces are already in place. Duke will lose Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith to graduation. But they have plenty of players returning also. I hope both squads will have great seasons in 2012.


Photo Credit: Associated Press/Bob Leverone

125.4

I just had the best running week of my life. For the first time ever I ran 125.4 miles in one week. Wow. It is something I really didn't plan. It just happened.

I had a great week with runs of 22, 26.2, 20.1, 12, 13 and 32 miles. I loaded up my mileage earlier in the week because I was unsure of how much free time I would have. Monday night, I photographed a boys regional semifinal basketball game. Tuesday night, I photographed a girls quarterfinal basketball game and Thursday, I photographed a girls semifinal basketball game. All of the basketball games were out of the county. That meant I had longer drive times to all the games. I was really disappointed on Thursday. The local running group held an impromptu St. Patrick's Day 5 mile run. I really wanted to run that. I couldn't. Like I said, I had to photograph a basketball game. The game was in East Lansing at Michigan State's Breslin Center. On Friday, I kept my run shorter because I knew on Sunday I would really be running long.

I started my long run Sunday around 5 a.m. My goal at the start of the run was 32 miles. The week before I ran 31.1 miles, so I knew I would be able to run 32 without any issues. And I did. The only issues I had during the run was I had to stop twice. Both stops in the run were for a bathroom break. Other then that, my legs felt really good. I probably could have run for a couple more miles. I plan to keep increasing my mileage on Sundays. My ultimate goal is to run in 50 and 100 mile races. I think I'm on the right path to reach those goals.

Random things

I watched the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships Wednesday on ESPN 2. During the women's mile run, a certain runner caught my eye. Besides my favorite runner from Oregon, Jordan Hasay, it was Duke's Kate Van Buskirk. Van Buskirk finished second in the mile behind Hasay. She was back in sixth place during the race. With two laps to go, she started to move towards the front. With 100 meters to go, Van Buskirk charged toward the front and finished behind Hasay by seven tenths with the time of 4:33.71. I thought she ran a wonderful race and her blue streak in her hair reminded me of Anna (Willard) Pierce. I liked it and her colorful socks.

It has been a very busy week at work. I traveled to a nearby college in the next county over on Monday to photograph a boys regional semifinal basketball game. I traveled out of county to photograph a girls quarterfinal basketball game Tuesday. And on Thursday, I traveled to Michigan State's Breslin Center in East Lansing to photograph a girls semifinal basketball game. So much travel in one week, late nights and not enough time sleeping. I'm really looking forward to the end of the winter sports season. It ends next week. There is one boys basketball team still alive in the state tournament. They will be playing in a state quarterfinal game Tuesday evening.

Photo Credit: Associated Press

Jordan Hasay

The NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships took place over the weekend in College Station, Texas. I didn't watch the event live on the internet, I was waiting for the ESPN broadcast delay on Wednesday.

One of my favorite college runners, Jordan Hasay from the University of Oregon Ducks, won two individual titles. Hasay won the mile and the 3,000 meter run. In the mile, Hasay won in a time of 4:33.01. That was a new PR for her and she broke the school record which stood for 29 years. In the 3,000, she out kicked Shelia Reid of Villanova to win in 9:13.71.

Hasay also helped the Ducks score points in the Distance Medley Relay. The DMR is a 1200m, 400m, 800m and 1600m. Hasay anchored the Duck team but finished second to the DMR team from Villanova. Villanova won in 10:52.52. Oregon finished in 10:52.90.

The Oregon women's team won the team title with a total of 67 points. Second-place Texas finished with 38 points.

Photo Credit: Bob Levey/Associated Press

Selection Sunday/Monday

I'm a fan of college basketball. My favorite teams on the men's side are Michigan and Duke. My favorite women's teams are Michigan, Duke, Baylor, Connecticut, Tennessee, Iowa and Michigan State. On Sunday and Monday was the selection shows for the NCAA tournament.

Men: I'm glad that Duke was seeded #1 in the west division. The Blue Devils play Friday at 3 p.m. against #16 Hampton. Michigan is also in the west division. Michigan will be playing Tennessee Friday at 12:30 p.m. If Michigan and Duke win their opening round games, they will play each other in the second round. Boo. Not fair because I like both teams.

Women: UConn, Baylor and Tennessee were all named #1 seeds. Duke was picked as a #2 seed in the same region as UConn. On Saturday, Duke will face Tennessee-Martin, Iowa will face Gonzaga and Tennessee will play Stetson. Sunday's games that I will be watching are UConn against #16 Hartford, Michigan State plays University of Northern Iowa and Baylor vs. Prairie View. I'm sure that all of these teams won't have any problems getting by their first opponent.

I'm a little sad that Michigan women didn't make the field. They did beat Ohio State twice, but they had some very bad losses against Minnesota twice (GRR!) and Illinois. Michigan will face Eastern Michigan Thursday.

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
127 Hours, Aron Ralston
JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters, James W. Douglass
My Life on the Run, Bart Yasso
On the Trail of the JFK Assassins, Dick Russell

Currently Reading: Run!: 26.2 Stories of Blisters and Bliss, Dean Karnazes
Up Next: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Steig Larsson

Miles run in 2011

Following Sunday's run of 31.1 miles, I have run over 1000 miles for 2011. I can't believe I achieved the thousand mark already. It took me until June last year to reach 1000 miles.

At the beginning of the year, I didn't expect to be running over 100 miles every week. For my New Year's Resolutions, I stated that I wanted to work towards that and maybe do a 100 mile week once a month. Once I hit 100 miles for the first time, it was really special. I was very proud of myself. I continue to run 100 mile weeks because I love it. I have told my husband that I want to become an ultra marathon runner. I want to someday run 50 and 100 mile races. It is not something everyone can do. But I feel I can do it. I know I have the endurance to do it.

2011: 1021.6
2010: 360.5
2009: 189.1
2008: 210.5
2007: 96
2006: 102
2005: 84.1
2004: 58.7

Random things

Today is a short work day for me. I only need to work five hours and I'm done. It is really nice because I need a break. I spent most of the day and evening at The Palace of Auburn Hills photographing state individual wrestling finals last Saturday. The finals themselves took a long time and the drive home also took a long time. It rained all day then switched over to snow. Driving conditions weren't the greatest. But some drivers thought so. Passed a few of them stuck in ditches. Besides that long day, this week I traveled to two out of county girls basketball games. Both evenings I got to bed later then normal. But like the trooper I am, I got up the next morning at the same time for work: 4 a.m. I'm looking forward to relaxing and getting more sleep. Since I don't have any games to shoot this weekend, I can do exactly that.

My sister told me last night that I'm too skinny. I don't think that I am. Over the last few months people have commented on how I look. They always ask how much weight I have lost, which is 80 pounds. The next question is do you want to lose any more? I do want to lose another 10 pounds. When I tell them that they usually ask why? Most people tell me that I look great and that I don't need to lose anymore. I would like to be another 10 pounds lighter because I know it will help with my running. If I weigh less, I hope I can run a little faster and lower my PRs again. I just want to run as fast as I can.

I will be watching so much college basketball today. I mentioned that I like the conference tournaments last week. Starting at noon, I'm be watching the Baylor vs Kansas State women's game. At 2 p.m., Michigan vs Illinois men's basketball and tonight at 7 p.m. Duke vs Maryland.

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday is the start of Lent. It is also a day of fasting. Usually I have no problems fasting, but I did this year.

I had to photograph a basketball game out of the county Tuesday. The round trip to and from the game was 130 miles. I like to run twice on Tuesdays. I run in the morning when I get home from work. Then I run again later in the day. I planned on running long Wednesday since I had to work Tuesday night.

I took a banana and a protein bar to work with me on Wednesday morning. I ate both of those before 7: 30 a.m. After I left work, I got on my treadmill for a long run. I decided to run a marathon. I don't know if running a marathon was a smart idea. When I hit 16 miles, I really felt like stopping. I told myself to run to 18 miles. Once I got to 18 miles, I told myself to run to 22 miles. When I reached 22 miles, I knew I would be able to run the last four miles. When I was doubting myself, it was because I didn't know if I could make it on a empty stomach. I did.

After running, I had a glass of water with a protein mix. That filled me up for about an hour. I was hungry. I couldn't deny myself any longer. I broke down and ate some food. But not too much. I ate a small cinnamon raisin bagel, a handful of raisins and a banana. I know that those healthy snacks will carry me through until dinner.

I know I ate more food then I should have on Ash Wednesday. I couldn't help it. I'm always really hungry after running long distances. I'll be sure to fast better on Good Friday. I won't plan on running a marathon that day.

Books read in 2011

Besides reading the usual books about John F. Kennedy and his assassination and vampires, I've been reading books about running. If you didn't know, I love to run. I run over 100 miles a week. I'm really enjoying reading the running books because they me inspire to keep running and to be the best I can.

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
127 Hours, Aron Ralston
JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters, James W. Douglass
My Life on the Run, Bart Yasso

Currently Reading: On the Trail of the JFK Assassins, Dick Russell
Up Next: Run!: 26.2 Stories of Blisters and Bliss, Dean Karnazes

Lent

After thinking about it for a while, I have decided what I'm giving up for Lent 2011. I will be giving up buying snacks at the grocery store.

Usually every Saturday morning I go to the grocery store. Certain items always find their way into my shopping cart. These items are oatmeal raisin cookies, cornbread and Town House Flipsides crackers. They are not bad items, but I can't seem to control myself around them. When I open the package, I can't stop. I could eat an entire package in one sitting, which isn't too good.

Since losing 80 pounds since last October, I have been maintaining my weight. Some days it goes up, but it usually comes back down. My ultimate goal is lose another 10 pounds. I really want to to weigh a certain amount for the first time in my life. If I am always stuffing my face with these delicious snacks, I'll never get there.

My house will be empty of these items starting on Wednesday. I know I'll miss them, but it is for my own good. I hope with giving up the snacks I can lose a couple of more pounds. Many years ago I gave up pop (that is what we call it in the Midwest). After Lent was over I never went back to drinking it. Sometimes if my husband has a pop, I'll take a sip or two. But I don't have the desire to drink a whole bottle. I don't know if I will feel that way about these items. It would be nice to lose the constant craving of eating the cookies, cornbread and crackers. Maybe after Lent it will be like how it is with pop, a small taste that can satisfy me.

ABC's

(A) Age: 31
(B) Bed Size: Queen
(C) Chore You Really Dislike: Cleaning my house.
(D) Dogs. Two German Shepherds: Blitzkrieg and Kelly.
(E) Essential Start Your Day Item: A banana and Kellogg's Protein Bar.
(F) Favorite Color: Green.
(G) Gold or Silver? I really like silver, but my rings are gold.
(H) Height: 5'6"
(I) Instruments You Play: None. I never took piano class or was in the band like my brothers and sisters.
(J) Job Title: Photographer & photo technician.
(K) Kids: No children
(L) Live: Adrian
(M) Mom's Name: Mary
(N) Nicknames: D, D-Red, Delo, Honey, Mitten.
(O) Overnight Hospital Stays? None
(P) Pet Peeve: People who drive under the speed limit.
(Q) Quote from a Movie: "Bad language makes for bad feelings." RoboCop 2
(R) Right or Left Handed? Right
(S) Siblings: Two brothers and four sisters.
(T) Time You Wake Up? Mondays-Fridays: 4:00 am; Saturday-Sunday: sometime after 5 am.
(U) Underwear: Yes.
(V) Vegetable You Dislike: Asparagus.
(W) What Makes You Run Late: Nothing. I'm early to everything. I can't stand being late.
(X) X-Rays: Only at the dentist.
(Y) Yummy Food You Make: Enchiladas.
(Z) Zoo, Favorite Animal: Tigers.

Ragnar Relay Series

This is the best week ever! I was excited to open up my email this week to see that I had an invite to join a Ragnar Relay Team for the Chicago Relay. Of course I accepted. How many opportunities does one person get to run in something this cool?

The relay is June 10-11 and it starts in Madison, Wisconsin and ends in Chicago. One of my teammates is Krista. I met her a couple of years ago at some friends' wedding in Ohio. This time I will be able to talk to her more then 30 seconds.

I'm really looking forward to the challenge of running this overnight relay. It is something different and 2011 for me is all about doing something new. I'll be running with a new group of people, visiting a state that I have never been before, Wisconsin, and running a relay of 197 miles. It should be very fun!

Conference tournaments

I'm really excited. Most of the women's college basketball conference tournaments start today. I'll be stuck to my TV like glue watching these games. If I can't watch a game live, it will be recorded on my DVR to watch at a later time.

The conference tournaments I'll be watching are the Big Ten, ACC, Big 12 and Big East. In those conferences, there are many teams that I like and hope that they do well. Besides enjoying women's basketball, I'll be excited when the men's conference tournaments start as well.

Who doesn't like the start of March Madness?

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
127 Hours, Aron Ralston

Currently Reading: JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters, James W. Douglass
Up Next: My Life on the Run, Bart Yasso

Run Across America

I recently found out who Dean Karnazes was. I found his books when I decided that I wanted to start running ultras. He has become an inspiration to me. I hope that someday I can follow in his footsteps and run 50M and 100M races.

This past Friday Dean started his new adventure, Run Across America. Karnazes is running across America to inspire people to get up, get active and get healthy. Karnazes said in an interview," I thought it would be a great challenge but I'm trying to motivate and inspire kids, actually." Just reading both of his books inspired me. I want to become an ultra runner. I want to be able to run 50 miles or 100 miles all at once. I will continue to work toward my new goals until I reach them.

I will be watching Karnazes' progress over the next 12 weeks from the interactive map on Map My Run. I wish I could actually join him by running a 5K along the way. On April 21, Karnazes will be running in Springfield, Ohio. That is three hours south of where I live. Too far to drive to run just a 5K and miss work. Maybe sometime in the future when he does another event like this I can get my opportunity.

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.