Motivating Me

Things I realized....

2012-01-14T19:49:00.002-06:00

Today marks 27 weeks of this preggo adventure. 3 months from today is my projected due date! Holy cow! I finally have some energy back. I don't feel like sleeping all the time. My body isn't in a constant state of ouch! I want to move.

Sadly, I haven't moved so long that any major movement now will cause problems. But I'm seriously contemplating a "walking routine" for the next 3 months. I'm basically wasting my gym membership right now. I'd cancel it if it wasn't for the insanely expensive sign-up fee that I avoided paying the first time because I joined during a special promo period. Grrr. I feel confident about "working out" at this point because the gym is part of a wellness campus and they have doctors offices/immediate care/OBGYN services right through a set of double doors by the free weights!

I began my attempt at a walking routine on Wednesday afternoon. When I got home from school it was 51 outside! For northern Illinois on January 11th that is an unfathomable temperature. This is the first year I can remember that it hasn't been in the negative temps by now. Bentley and I went for a long, slow walk. He enjoyed the nice weather and I enjoyed not cramming my preggo-self into a winter jacket that I really can't zip right now. Just to prove that the weather was a fluke, we ended up with 5 inches of snow on Thursday and blizzard-like conditions on Thursday night. I had a tough time making it home from school on Thursday afternoon and an even more difficult time getting to school on Friday morning. After a near car-totaling experience just before Christmas with only 1 inch of snow on the ground, I was holding off panic attacks on both drives. I haven't tried going to the gym because of the roads. It's not worth me risking an accident just to walk in circles.

Husband and I spent all day today at a prenatal class....that meant no walking at the gym. He wasn't too happy about listening to baby talk from 9-5, but it was all worth it in the end. We got answers to most of our questions about labor/delivery and got a tour of the facility (which has been recently remodeled and is really nice!). A lot of what we already new was confirmed and I just need to ask a few questions of my Dr. the next time I see him to get answers to physician-specific delivery practices. I enjoyed having labor be compared to a marathon. Since I've run two halves, I'm pretending that you can count that as a whole marathon :) If I can do that, I can deliver a baby! The breathing techniques were fun because I could use my yoga breathing skills. I'm no longer scared of labor. I can handle pain and now know what I can ask for when I can't handle it any longer. Only 3 months until I get to test my inner strength!!!

Tomorrow I'm planning on spending about an hour at the gym stretching, walking, and stretching some more. Maybe adding some light lifting to start building my baby-carrying muscles. As always, I'll be listening to my body to see if I need to call it quits.

There is a jogging stroller in my future and I want to put it to good use! Wish me luck :)

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T18:22:00.003-06:00

It's been a really long time but.......I'm still here.

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you've all enjoyed your time with your families.

Husband and I are enjoying our last quiet Christmas. Our Baby Boy!!! will be here in just a few short months. Amazing!

Blessings on everyone! Enjoy what's left of 2011!!!

Waiting

2011-11-13T09:01:00.002-06:00

Hello out there. This running blog hasn't had much in the way running lately. And my computer is limping along on it's last legs. It is practically unresponsive to any clicks or commands and the video card is shot and the screen looks like it's having seizures. I'm lucky to be able to be typing this at all!

All that aside...

I'm a big fan of being pregnant at this moment. My sister-in-law just gave birth to her first child a week ago. Baby Oakley Mara. A beautiful little girl (despite the ridiculous name). I held her yesterday and she is absolutely precious. I am so excited for my little person to be in my arms in.....5 looooong months.

Things I'm not liking:

- The price of maternity clothes. How am I supposed to save for baby and clothe my preggo-body? Yikes! Thank goodness for friends who've loaned me their clothes :)

- The skin of a 13-year-old. Zit-tastic over here :(

- Unwanted advice/mothering from coworkers. Yes I'm standing on a chair b/c I'm only 5'1" and can't reach the top cork strip that's 7+ feet off the ground to hang these projects. Ain't no one going to do it for me. I'm going slowly and checking balance before I stand up. I'm fine. Go away.

- Not exercising. I've totally dropped the ball on this one :( I was running until I found out I wasn't as far along as I thought i was and kinda freaked. Since week 5 of this whole deal I've been a sedentary bum. I've only been to yoga 3 times. Boo on not staying healthy and fit through this whole thing.

I promise the jogging stroller will be assembled and ready to go as soon as Dr. C clears me for "exercise" ! I've already picked a "come back race" for next October. (giving myself plenty of time to "recover") I'm doing the Twin Cities half-marathon in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Husband is going to try for the full with my sister. They're also planning to do the half in Green Bay in May. We'll have a month-old nugget at that point and hopefully I'll be able to walk the 5K with my parents and the jogger! :)

Gender reveal day is on the 22! Stay tuned :)

Moving Again

2011-10-10T19:09:00.002-05:00

Finally made myself move again.

We've been experiencing unusually warm weather for this time of year. I'm talking 80's in October in northern IL!! I could almost get used to this. This weather has had me longing to get out and go for a run! I haven't run much since discovering I had taken on a passenger ;) And as a result I have been feeling sore, achy, and slow lately. I decided that I needed to get moving again, stretching in particular. I caught a yoga class this morning courtesy of dear old lost-as-heck Columbus!

Yoga was lovely! The instructor is someone who caters to the over 60 set at the gym and always has modifications for each pose. She moves through the stretches and poses slowly which was great for me today. I looked up and found 2 other days this week that I have time to catch a class after school. The only thing there is having the energy to go after school.

Energy...or the lack there of...is what has kept me from moving in an exercise-related way for over a month. Pre-preggo I would have forced myself through a run despite lack of fluids or nutrition. Now, not so much. I'm doing all I can to drink water constantly, but I know it's not enough. Anyone have tips or staying consistently hydrated?!?!

On a good note, the morning queeseys have passed and i'm feeling normal again....even a little sexy. (husband appreciates that! Figured we'd go with it as long as I feel like this!) I get 2 ultrasounds in Nov, one to check for heartbeats and one to check for gender. Super excited!

Happy......moving! :)

News! Both Happy and Sad

2011-09-14T17:09:00.006-05:00

That's right! My plan worked! I'm preggers!

Only 10 weeks right now and due in April.

I haven't felt much like running, even though the first thing I bought for my pregnant-self was the "Running for Two" shirt! No morning sickness just all-day-nautious :( By the time I get home from school I'm wiped! I don't feel like I'm eating or drinking enough to make it around the block! But I will keep trying. Bentley and I have run twice in the past week. Only 1.25 miles each time, but I was proud of those miles :)

Of course we told our "children" first. Bentley was as excited as you could hope for, but Doozer could sense the competition :)

Now for the not so great news.....

I had a more exciting post in mind when I started writing this last week. Sadly, after I typed the paragraph above my phone rang. My father called to tell me that my grandmother had passed away suddenly that morning. She had been ailing with Alzheimer's for a number of years, and was living in a home that could care for all of her needs. My parents told me that she passed quietly and peacefully in her sleep. Her time came and she was gone. All the joy I had about writing this post went out of me. I am still over joyed at my news, but I am filled with sadness over my grandmother's passing. Sadness and peace at the same time. I am certain that she is now at peace, back with her mind and body that left her long before her soul did.

Thelma Bailey Shesler, the greatest grandmother a girl could ask for. You are loved and will be missed.

That being said...I know her memory will live on in my "next generation." I hope to be the kind of mother she was. I've got a lot to work for, but I'm half-way there :)

Still Here

2011-09-01T20:13:00.002-05:00

I know you weren't concerned, but I haven't fallen of the face of the earth.

I have some big news coming soon, but until then, bear with me.

I haven't run in a long time.

I will run tomorrow. I will. Even though it will be close to 100 outside. But I was good with my hydration today and will be just as good tomorrow. I will be ready to kick pavement at 3:30 with SIL#1 and Niece#1 (SIL#1's step daughter). This should be interesting. We have inspired this little lady to lace up her shoes and run. Even though she whines like mad when she sweats. Cross your fingers!

On the book front, I managed to accomplish reading 11 books this summer. Mostly books from my classroom library that I have never read before. A coworker loaned me her copy of The Help which I will finish some time this weekend. Can't wait! I'm loving the book and won't see the movie until it's done! I have a whole new stack from my room that needs reading next. As good as they are for kids, I'm getting burned out on Rick Riordan. Need new children's author!!!

Any Labor Day race plans? I never signed up for the Girl Scout race, but I do want to do a 5K in October. It's the Stone Bridge 5K and is right down the street from my house. I can wake up, get dressed and be at the start in less than 30 minutes :) Can't beat that! I will do my best to talk SIL#1 and Niece#1 into running it with me.

So much going on.....

2011-08-18T17:25:00.002-05:00

There is so much going on IN my life right now.

So excited and scared all at the same time.

School is starting soon and I am not in the mental place I usually am at this time of year. That's what team-mates are for, right?!?

I need to register for a September race. But running isn't as high on my list as it was a few weeks ago when I made the plan. Hopefully I can get it back soon.

I feel like mush and I'm wandering in the nowhere.

Happy Running.

Back to School

2011-08-16T17:46:00.002-05:00

School starts a week from today! Ahhhh! I've actually been back in my room for a week or so getting things organized. I'm finally proud of my room layout (only took me 5 years to figure it out!) haven't done any lesson planning because district directives are still coming out about what needs to be taught when. (yes, the "office" people are deciding what the teachers teach! Sound wrong to you? Yes!) Anyway, things will turn out alright.......I hope!

My computer has decided to crap-out and I'll be posting from my phone until it decides to stop being a bum or I get a new one for Christmas. Fat chance though.

Still running! Skipped Sunday's long run after attending the worst bachelorette party ever! Ugh! But I ran 2 with SIL#1 today. Thursday is 3!

Happy running!

Today my body said...

2011-08-10T22:22:00.003-05:00

NO!

The weather was beautiful today! Back in the 70's with a light breeze. We had slept with the windows open and it felt lovely to wake up with a cool breeze blowing through. And then I remembered last night...

A brief rundown: ran 2.5 miles with SIL#1 and Sister, husband was late to dinner, I had family over, I broke a wine class, I did a massive dinner fail, I was hot, I was tired, and when it finally came down to it I couldn't sleep because I kept having crawling aches in my legs. (kinda like shooting pains, but more like an ache is crawling up my leg. Sooo uncomfortable!) I also itched all over (like coke bugs, but I swear I don't do that stuff!).

So after I let out a contented sigh about the beautiful morning, last night smacked me like a b....

Ugh! Why!?! Well...I know why but that's beside the point.

This led me to decide to skip my cross training workout this morning, sleep in, and go shopping for classroom stuff.

I think my "plan" will need some modifications in the coming weeks. I feel like I'm trying to do too much. Will I keep running? Yes! Will I try to cram exercise classes in on the same days as running? Probably not. I know I'm going to keep the yoga and water workouts, but the other stuff might have to go.

Hopefully I can building them back in at a later date.....

Not discouraged here, just annoyed........................................and happy :)

The "new" Plan!

2011-08-08T20:18:00.003-05:00

So I'm all in to this new plan I created a few days ago.

This is what I've done so far:

Thursday 8/4: ran 3 miles

Friday: freakishly tired and slept in before heading to a bachelorette party :)

Sunday: ran 3.83 miles (was supposed to be 4 but it was too damn humid to push it any further)

Monday: rest and yoga

So far so good......right?

The week ahead looks like this:

Tuesday: debating between H2O Bootcamp and Zumba and then running 2 miles

Wednesday: morning water workouts for cross training

Thursday: Deep water class and run 3 miles

Friday: run 3 miles

Saturday: bachelorette party! (i'll have had my fill of these for a while!)

Sunday: run 4 miles (maybe)

Spent my first day in my classroom today. I had to move so much furniture because of course I wanted to change the entire layout of my classroom this year. If I would have thought ahead in May I could have left a "map" for the janitors to rearrange my classroom for me after they cleaned the floors. Oh well. Just did it myself. It's looking good so far. I'll be going in again tomorrow to do some more work. School starts 2 weeks from today! Eeek! I'm so not ready!

Oh well. Good bye summer :( Hello workin' for a livin'

Happy Running!

New Plan

2011-08-03T17:22:00.003-05:00

Husband finally hooked up all the electronics in the basement today! We also had the sofa delivered. It's starting to look like a real room!

Well.....just to make sure he did it right, I decided to test out the Wii. I got a Wii fit for Christmas a year ago and wanted to do "body test." I don't believe these things are very accurate, but they give some general idea of weight (not fitness....at all!!). When I last tried this, it was May and I had just finished training for the Cellcom Green Bay Half Marathon. I was also working and on some sort of schedule. It gave me a weight of 132 lbs in May (probably a "skinny" day). I was stoked! I did the happy dance around the living room! My training was working. Running was working. Life was good.

Flash forward to today.....Wii no like me anymore :( I seem to have gained about 10 lbs since May. I have not been running consistently, despite going to the gym almost daily. I'm taking classes here, not running. I am not working (teacher = summer off) and am on no schedule what so ever! Food? Yea we have lots of it. I eat most of it. Even though we're stuffed full of veggies because of our CSA farm share.

Crap! How did this happen?

Honestly, I felt this coming. I haven't been my healthiest self. For the past 3 weeks I've just felt awful. It's been 90+ degrees outside with 104+ heat index for that entire time. This heat is killing me! I've been inside....sitting, reading, and eating. I've felt slow and lethargic. And yesterday I had trouble buttoning my shorts.....they fit perfectly two months ago. I've been sleeping through breakfast and skipping lunch as well. I'll graze off of what ever I find by rarely sit down for any other meal except dinner. That is like health/nutrition 101; never skip a meal!

I want there to be another reason for this ;) ......but sadly, not yet.....I don't think....

I don't feel unhealthy. In fact, I just had a blood test today an the nurse was excited that my BP and HDL numbers were so low! My HDL and triglycerides were so low they didn't even register on the test :) I still feel like the best person I've been in years....mentally.

So. What am I going to do about this. Well, here's the plan:

1. Stop skipping meals. Breakfast and lunch matter!

2. Set my alarm to wake up in the morning by 8:00. (it's summer, I'm giving myself some "sleep-in" time)

3. Stick to the new workout plan: Run 4 times a week. Long runs on Sunday. Cross train on Wednesday. Do yoga on Monday and Saturday. Fit fitness classes in around the Tuesday-Thursday runs.

4. Get SIL#1 or Husband in on this plan with me (Misery loves company! Just kidding. Trying to spread the "healthy" here!)

5. Keep planing out meals ahead of time and working in as many fruits/veggies as possible!

I've already written out a schedule that takes me through August 31st. School starts on the 22 so I've worked it out so I can get it all in. I want to feel good again. I felt great in May and I want that back!

I'm going to make this work!

Happy running!

Spoiled

2011-08-02T14:03:00.002-05:00

Yup. That's me. Spoiled.

Why, you ask?

Well it's summer and I'm a teacher.....not a lot of "work" that I need to do which leaves tons of time for working out. I also have a gym membership. Those two things combined are really coming in handy right now that it is melt-your-face-off hot outside! I did 2 miles yesterday on the treadmill at the gym and 2 today. I also sneak-ed in an extra .5 on the track. These miles made me feel good. Since I'm still having some ITB pain, I'm keeping it to 2 miles for now. Then I stop, stretch, and use the roller if it's around. If I have time (like today) I'll get some more miles on the track. But considering it's an inside track that takes 14 laps to make a mile....I won't be doing that too often.

Oh....I'm also spoiled because I received my second massage in one week. He he he. I got a couples massage for Husband and I last week after his Tough Mudder race. He was so thankful that someone could work out all his knots! The lady asked him after why his legs and knees were so banged up! Last week I also received a coupon to one of my favorite salons/spas. All I had to do was write a review on Google Places and they'd give me 50% off any massage I wanted! Husband was going golfing today so I posted my review and booked my massage! I really wanted a hot stone massage, but I ended up with a 90 minute regular massage because the person I was scheduled with got sick and the lady who took over hadn't finished her hot stone therapy training. Oh well. I still feel amazing now!

I then treated myself to some Red Mango after. Mmmmm! If you haven't experienced Red Mango, it's a frozen yogurt bar. You serve yourself from 12 different flavor choices and then top your flavor with any of the toppings from the bar (fruit, nuts, cookies, candy, chocolate.....etc.). It's amazing. And certified Gluten Free! Can't get much better.

So yea.....I spoiled myself today. But it's only 2:00 and I have a kitchen that trolls must have gotten loose in last night because it's a total mess! My spoiled princess moment is sadly ending. I've become Cinderella again :(

Enjoy your day! Beat that heat and happy running!

Giveaway!!

2011-07-31T09:18:00.002-05:00

I recently found katieRUNSthis tanks to Katye!

She is a very inspirational running blogger from Louisana. She is also in the league of running mommy-to-be's! (no secret that I'm seriously trying to join that club :) )

She's hosting a giveaway for Go Sport ID bands. (like RoadID but fancier) Since I already won a great RoadID from LongLegsOnTheLoose, I'm hoping to win this for Sister. She needs one! But you should click on over and check it out too!

ALSO!!!!

Tall Mom is hosting an Active Band giveaway on her blog. Ends tomorrow! Check it out!

My Awesome Husband!!!

2011-07-25T14:20:00.002-05:00

Check him out! He ran the Tough Mudder with friends on Sunday. This video has him right up front and in all the action a the start. He's the tall, bearded guy on the right with the "Operation Filth" shirt and the bondi band! (That's right. I got Husband hooked on the Bondi!)

I won the battle!

2011-07-25T11:13:00.002-05:00

It was bright and sunny this morning....just like it has been for the past week.

The only difference?!?!

It wasn't hot!!! I didn't check the temp for sure, but I was rather cool out.

After struggling to get out of bed, I started to gather my things for water classes. The sun kept calling to me. The breeze kept rustling the leaves outside. Did I really want to go to class?!?!

NO!

Bentley played his part in convincing me. I just couldn't resist his whining anymore.

We only made it 2 miles because I'm really out of practice and the Brown Monster was lurking around.

Now I'm off to Yoga! I can feel some ITB tightness and really need to get back into stretching.

Did you check out Sister's new blog yet? Well, do it already! Stealthy and Healthy!

New Blog Alert!!

2011-07-22T21:36:00.003-05:00

No not mine :)

Sister has a new blog up and running and would like a few visitors/followers.

I may or may not have spoken of my lovely Sister before, but I will now. She is younger than me and almost as pretty ;) But that doesn't really matter. What does matter is that after graduating with a degree in nutrition and dietetics from The University of Minnesota, she is finishing up her dietary internship at Crappy-Middle-Of-Nowhere-Hospital and is looking for some useful way of spending her free time. I will list her full credentials when I know them for sure, but I do know she knows her stuff! She's using the Interwebs as a way of conveying her knowledge of nutrition and practical way of being healthy. As runners, we need all the nutrition we can get to make our bodies the best they can be for our sport! Her whole concept is ways to make nutrition a part of your life, not something you have to go out of your way for.

Please visit Stealthy And Healthy for actual, fact-based articles and reviews of healthy things like food, exercise, and general nutrition/healthy-stuff!

Feel free to leave her comments about your favorite recipes, healthy foods, exercise, etc. Also feel free to ask her questions about nutrition and healthy lifestyles. She isn't a certified RD (registered dietitian) yet, but the only thing that's keeping her from being known as Sister, RD is a simple little test which she can't take until her internship is done in December. So....whatever advice you take away from her blog is "at your own risk," but I will tell you she isn't just making stuff up. She'd like to eventually write for nutrition journals or fun magazines like Runners World (any idea how to hook her up with that Katye?!) and she needs to start somewhere. Real nutrition articles need to be fact-based, not just opinions. She won't make her goal if she writes a blog that she just makes up!

So......check her out!!!

Haven't run in a while....

2011-07-18T17:49:00.002-05:00

I'm not being lazy, I'm just not feeling it.

Locker #53 at the gym and I are becoming very good friends. I have logged all of my workouts on DailyMile and am loving seeing the green bars almost every day :) I am missing the mileage numbers that used to go with them though...

We seem to have entered a tropical heat wave here in IL. As much as I want to go running, I don't think my body will cooperate with this heat. Will make a greater effort to get in a few treadmill miles this week :)

What motivated me in the past was a race. I need to choose an August 5-10K. I sent the SIL's a link to a local race calendar, but I haven't heard anything back. I'm really the only one who plans anything. Ooooh! Just had an idea! I'll check Sister's local race calendar in Middle-Of-Nowhere-IL :) She'd like a visit! (I'm smart sometimes!)

Let you know what I pick when I pick it :)

Things I love about summer...

2011-07-07T10:36:00.002-05:00

Here's a list I was thinking about this morning as I watched Bentley play at the dog park:

I love summer because:

- I have all the time in the world to run and workout :)

- I get to sleep late whenever I want to!

- I get to spend time outside. Yesterday I sat on the patio with a good friend for a few hours. It was warm, but we had shade and a good breeze. I even spent an entire day outside last week reading a book! Plus, my tan is looking good :)

- I get to read for fun! I've read a total of 9 books so far this summer and I'm working on my 10th :)

- We have a CSA share and get a box of veggies from a local farmer once a week. I love summer because I eat healthier! My recipe box is full of recipes to accommodate all the veggies we get in the summer. Some of these recipes are so good that I even cook them in the winter with grocery store veggies. Interested in finding farmer's markets and CSA groups in your area? Check out LocalHarvest.com. That's how I found ours!

- We have time to get things done around the house. Husband has spent the last 3 weeks finishing our basement. I'll post pictures when he's all done. It's going to be great! And we even bought a new stove on the 4th. Let the baking begin!

-I get to spend time with my animals. Bentley and I run, walk, or go to the dog park almost every day. Doozer enjoys cuddling with me while I read. And we all enjoy family-bed time in the evening.
- We can go see movies on weekdays! I don't know what the theater situation is by you, but around here our local Kerasotes theaters have been bought out by AMC. Kerasotes used to have a great program called the 5-Buck-Club. You could see movies for $5 any day of the week after they'd been out for a while (2-weeks or so). They also gave military and senior citizen discounts. But when AMC took over, they ruined everything. No discounts for anyone! And they raised the concession prices sky-high! It's insane! After enough people complanied they changed their weekday (Monday-Thursday before 5:00 PM) prices to $5....except on holidays. All other times are $10 a ticket. For those of us that have jobs, that means we're looking at paying $20 for tickets and another $20 for concessions (because who can resist a movie w/o popcorn?) all the time. The only option we'd have for catching a $5 movies is on a holiday, but that doesn't count. But because Husband and I are teachers, we can finally see movies during the week for $5! Long story short, we only really see movies in the summer. Netflix and RedBox are awesome!

- Another thing I love is time for vacations! Money's tight and we don't go too many places. But it's nice taking a weekend away every so often. Plus, this year we went to Disney!

- I see kids playing outside. Our neighborhood has a ton of kids. But from December-March you wouldn't know it. As soon as the temps are warm enough though they all end up outside. It's nice that we live in a safe area that is great for bike-riding, walking, and just being outside as a kid.

- I still get a pay check even though I don't have to go to work! Now don't get me wrong, I practically work 24-hours a day from August-May. I'm constantly planning lessons, grading papers, and thinking about school and my students during the school year. Their success with education is my life! During the summer, I need my break. I still take classes, I've been to one in June and am thinking about another in early August. I'm even taking an hour here-and-there to work on SMART presentations for next year. So, I guess I'm still working....from home....but it's worth it!

There are many other things I love about summer. Those are just a few that I thought of today.

What is your favorite thing about summer?

4th of July 8K

2011-07-04T09:17:00.002-05:00

Just got back from the 8K this morning with Husband and SIL#1. I'm so proud of her! She accomplished the whole 5 miles without walking and at an 11:30ish pace :)

I stuck with her the whole way....until the end. I just had too much in me not to sprint to the end. I sent Husband back for her when I passed him during the last quarter. He had finished before us and was walking back to cheer us on.

It was nice race. Good temperature and a pretty location--down the bike path by the river. We felt very accomplished that we ran the whole thing all before 8:30!

Now we're off to a baseball game and then to go appliance shopping. There's a really good sale right now and we're in need of a new fridge! After that, we're watching fireworks somewhere....just not sure where yet.

Happy 4th and Happy Running!!

Reflections of a pacer

2011-06-30T22:16:00.003-05:00

That's right folks! A pacer! Me?! Yes!

I've been running with SIL#1 (sister-in-law #1....my husband has 3 sisters and this one is his oldest. #2 is the middle, and #3 is the youngest) for about a week now. We trained together last summer and ran the RNR Chicago half together last August. No one would have ever though I would become the "pacer" out of the two of us based on last year's training. But she took a lot of time off for life/family/etc. after the half and is just now seriously getting back into running.

Before her time off she was a pretty kick-butt runner. She could run circles around me and was pretty good at self-pacing (we didn't own Garmins last summer). Last year we would start a run and she'd either push me to run harder or I'd poop out and she'd continue. Her self-motivation is amazing! Very jealous here. She could even keep pace with Husband! (she's also taller than me, so it's easier.)

I'm not the best at putting these reflections into nice paragraphs, so I'm going to continue with a list here:

- I am super psyched to be the "pacer" out of the two of us. It makes me feel like I've accomplished something :)

- I can feel my legs begging to run faster during our runs. I never thought I'd beg for speed!

- Now I know what Sister must have felt like running with me at that stage :) Thanks for keeping pace with me Sister :) (Sister is my sister, in case you're confused!)

- I can hold a conversation while we run, and SIL#1 can too. This makes me think that I should push her to run a little faster :)

- It's nice not caring about time and just going for distance.

- It's nice having someone to run with when I don't feel like I'm holding them back. It sometimes is easier to run alone because then I don't worry about taking away from Husband or Sister's workout. I know they slow down for me to be nice, but it's nice not having to make someone do that.

- We're doing an 8K (together, unless I decide to kick asphalt) on the 4th of July. So excited! I needed another race. I even bought glitter flag tattoos and American Flag ribbons for our hair! (A bit of Katye inspiration)

- I cannot believe how amazing my journey as a runner has been. To run with her today and think about how far I've come was great. She was saying the same things I did last summer (my shins hurt, I feel like I'm running in place, my lungs are exhausted, I'm so sore today, etc). She even told me that it's "my job" to make sure she keeps running when school starts up again (we're both teachers). Me! I'm responsible for keeping someone in shape! Can you believe it?!

Today I feel very blessed. I am blessed that Husband and I share a love of running together. Blessed that I have SIL#1 to run with. Very sad that my Sister isn't here to run with all the time, but blessed that she inspired me to run. Blessed that someone made the "itty bitty" sign with their fingers and said I was "this big" today. (I have never been told I'm thin by anyone. Ever! Just short! And that's not what she meant.) Blessed that I have a dog to run with. Blessed that I feel the best I've ever felt in my life.

Running has changed my life! How has it changed yours?

Watch me work...

2011-06-27T15:03:00.003-05:00

I successfully started another week of classes at the gym! :)

Last week went a little like this:

Monday: two miles on the treadmill and 30 minutes of Core H2O

Wednesday: 30 minutes of Core Control and 1 hour of Water Pilates

Thursday: 3 miles with SIL#1

Saturday: 1 hour of Yoga and 3 miles with SIL#1

Not bad :)

Today I did 1 hour of Water Pilates before doing 30 minutes of Core H2O. Back-to-back classes are awesome. Though I'm the youngest person in these classes by 20 years, I still get a great workout. I didn't know you could sweat in the water!

In case you didn't notice by my class selection....my core is my "trouble zone" right now. I have problems doing sit-ups. My neck hurts so bad after because my form is horrible. In these particular classes, we don't do sit-ups. The core is worked in other ways that I really feel the next day. So....now if I could just find an arms class things would be great!

Happy running! Enjoy summer :)

3 Things Thursday

2011-06-23T13:46:00.002-05:00

1. It was tough to roll over this morning. Abs class yesterday kicked my.....well....abs! I followed an intense 30 minute class with aqua pilates. It involved a series of things that made me sweat! In the water! Ah! This should make running tonight a little tough :(

2. I'm currently watching Tangled :) Again. Husband is out shopping for man-stuff, and I'm all alone. This isn't too bad because I can now sing along at the top of my lungs without him rolling his eyes at me or doubting his wife-choice. Best Disney movie in a long time!

3. I got my hair cut today. Things are always better after I get my hair cut. I look cuter :)

Neglect

2011-06-20T12:49:00.008-05:00

I have seriously neglected some things these past few weeks:

- My body......sleep and running have taken a back seat to busy, busy, busy! A week in Disney will do that to you :(

- My house.....though we cleaned all day before we left for Disney, the house is now showing signs of being lived in again (aka...mess!) There is one whole room I never even touch! But, it needs to be cleaned.

- My blog.....sorry people! Being that this is a running-related blog and I haven't been running, I haven't been blogging. Things will change soon!

Oops! Neglect no more! I'm back and looking to pay some attention to some stuff!

Want a Disney recap? Here you go:

Things learned:

- I'm never going to Disney, in the summer, with children in strollers. I witnessed too many tantrums to ever want to take that on. I said silent prayers for every brave family I saw with children under the age of 5. More power to them but I will not join them.

- Husband really likes Disney....even though he pretended not to be as excited as I was!

- Disney's allergy accommodations for food are amazing! I had gluten-free chicken fingers! For the first time ever! I felt like a princess talking to the chefs at each restaurant we ate at.

- Make your dining reservations as soon as you book your trip. We didn't have a problem with any restaurants because we'd had our reservations for 6 months :) Never waited more than 10 minutes for a table.

- If staying at the all-star resorts.....stay at the sports resort. It's the first stop for the buses :)

- Wear sunscreen! I voided every shower I took by lathering myself with sunscreen immediately after. But, I didn't get burned!

- Fast pass is the way to go! We didn't wait for more than 15 minutes for any ride.

- If you're an adult, and feel up to it, drinking your way around the world at EPCOT can be fun :)

-We bought the refillable drink mugs from our resort and probably saved $100 that week with how many times we refilled them. We're gifting them to friends who are traveling later this year :)

-Hollywood Studios isn't as much fun as I remember.

- The character breakfast is a good idea. They made me gluten-free Mickey waffles! And we saw all the characters we miss that week!

We've been home for two whole days and I'm still not caught up on sleep. We packed a lot into those 5 days......but for that price, you would be silly to miss something! We squeezed every dime out of our vacation :)

I woke up this morning (a struggle) and checked the gym schedule to see what was being offered today. (I am making a big effort to catch a class almost every day this summer) Core H2O was at 10:00. Sweet! My core is rather soft and lumpy, plus I have a really cute suit for water classes :) Off I went. I ran 2 miles on the treadmill before class (I miss running!) and then changed and got in the pool with at least 20 "older" ladies. (I felt like a little kid!) But the class did the trick and I'm rather tired. After my afternoon nap I'm sure I'll feel it in my tummy.

What's on the schedule tomorrow? Basement finishing supplies are being delivered and I have a class for school to take at noon so I'll probably run around the block with Bentley in the morning.

I'm back at it and hoping to put lots of miles on my shoes this summer :) Happy running!

I didn't forget! I swear!

2011-06-10T17:49:00.003-05:00

Here's what you've all been waiting for! The winner of the Red Check BIC Band!

Husband picked the winner from a fancy dish :)

jzimmerman

Congratulations! Send your information to jmbarnes85 (at) gmail (dot) com!!!!

We're off to Disney on Monday :) See you when we return!

Hey there!

2011-06-05T21:43:00.003-05:00

Welcome new followers! I know most of you are here for the BIC Band, but I hope you'll stick around :)

It's report card week again. The end is near though! Last day is Friday!!! I have some miles planned this week though. Hopefully I can get them in before we leave next week!

One week from tomorrow and I'll be in sunny Disney World! Yay!

Don't forget to enter the BIC Band Giveaway! It ends Wednesday!

For real this time (giveaway)

2011-05-31T20:39:00.003-05:00

Hello again!

I am only 7 days from the last day of school! I cannot tell you how great that feels! We leave for Disney the Monday after school is out and I am so freakin' excited I can hardly contain myself :)

Not a whole lot of running has occurred since Green Bay. I decided to focus on keeping grades and school work up to date so that I could enjoy my last few days of school without a lot of stress. But Sister came home over the holiday weekend. That means a whole car-load of motivation came with her. She got Husband and I out for a run on Sunday morning before it started storming. 4 miles later (time: 41:08) and we logged it as a great run.

I'm looking to put together a "maintenance plan" for the summer. I plan to run on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with a long run on Sunday. I don't want to go over 7 miles for my long runs. I'd like to keep my distance base, but I don't want to over-do it. As I've said before, I'm looking to take on a "passenger" some time this summer and I don't want to jeopardize anything.

And now the moment you've all been waiting for.............the BIC Band Giveaway!!!!!

To celebrate my 2nd half marathon, total PR, and 200+ posts, I'm giving you a chance to win a Thin BIC Band.

I was first introduced to these bands by Katye @ Long Legs on the Loose. I purchased a few for myself and one for Sister. I even purchased one with my own money to give to you! (That's right, I'm not sponsored here!)

In case you don't already know, here's a little bit about them from their website:

"B.I.C. Bands gives back to those in need with every purchase!

B.I.C. Bands will not slip~ (SERIOUSLY!) They are great for any workout, a trip to the coffee shop, going out with friends, work....you name it, your B.I.C. Band will keep your hair looking FAB! They are headbands that stay in place and help others win their race!"

So, you want it?!?! Here's how you get it:

1. Become a follower of this blog and leave a comment (+1 entry)

2. Go to the BIC Bands website and click around. Leave a comment about the bands you love. (+1 entry)

3. Repost this giveaway on your blog and leave a comment about it (+1 entry)

(I only set it on his head for the photo! Promise!)

And that's it! I've never done one of these before, so wish me luck! With a little more luck, I'll announce the winner on June 8th! So....go to it :)

Happy Running!

Green Bay Half Marathon Race Report

2011-05-18T17:56:00.004-05:00

Warning***Long Post Ahead***

Finally getting around to writing this report. This was, by far, my favorite race to date! I had an amazing weekend with my family. It was great to be back in that small-town city :)

The Trip:

Husband and I weren't as ready as we thought we were for this trip. I had planned to be all packed and ready to leave when my sister got here Friday. Buuuuuut, a healthy dose of lazy and a large dose of school-time reality prevented me from packing much of anything. So, of course, when Sister got here I was running around like a mad person trying to pack for myself and Bentley, and reminding Husband about what he had forgotten. Oh....and I forgot to mention that we didn't have any power. The small storm that had rolled through that afternoon managed to knock out our electricity. Nothing like packing for a vacation in the dark!

After dropping off Bentley at SIL#1's house we were on the road for a quick 3 hour drive north. After meeting up with my parents at the hotel we grabbed Sister's Boyfriend (referred to hereafter as FBIL-future brother-in-law....they aren't engaged, but it's gonna happen) and headed off to dinner. A quick chow-down at Noodles & Co and we were back to the hotel for a good night's sleep.

*Random side note* The restaurant next to Noodles in Green Bay is known as El Serape. Unfortunately they were also experiencing random power outages just like we were at home. The really bad part is that the power outage only effected certain parts of their sign. So, instead of the sign reading El Serape Mexican Restaurant it read Rape. oops.*

The 5K:

I had talked my parents into walking the 5K on Saturday morning. All races that weekend went through Lambeau Field. My dad is a big Packers fan and I knew he'd really enjoy the lap around the field. The weather was crummy and cold, but we dressed as warm as we could and set off to enjoy ourselves. Husband, Sister, and FBIL were our champion spectators that day. The race was pretty uneventful because we were walking, but that worked well for me because I needed to save my legs for the next day. As we entered the field I made sure I got some great shots of my parents. I even made my dad do the Lambeau Leap!...sort-of. As we came out of the tunnel and rounded the corner for the finish line I was talking them through finish-line poses and decided they should jog in. My mom wanted no part of jogging, but I ended up racing my dad to the finish. We were full out sprinting :) He's such a good sport!

The Expo:

After the race we hit up a rather small expo. I didn't really want anything special from the expo except maybe a shirt. But the official race gear was not very good. So I skipped out on it. I did, however, buy a sweet 13.1 magnet for my car :) I figured that I would have 2 halves under my belt and that would make me legit enough for a car magnet! Husband bought a few packages of sports beans, and he wasn't overly impressed with the expo either.

Our hotel was nothing special. Just a cute little joint out by the airport. We decided to head to the Titletown Brewing Company for dinner. Husband and I went their for our 1-year anniversary a few years back and loved it. They brew a special 26.2 brew every year for marathon weekend and Husband and my dad wanted to try it. I enjoyed their special Snow Cap root beer. (pretty sure it wasn't GF, but oh well.) Amazing salad, great conversation, and then some ColdStone ice cream for dessert. Early to bed for us racers.

The Race:

Weather conditions were decent. Temps were in the 50's. It wasn't raining. But there were 20+ mph. This was going to make running difficult. Again, I was super emotional before we crossed the Start line. This was the second biggest thing I've ever set out to accomplish and again I had Awesome Husband at my side. Super Sister was also with me. This was bound to be a good day. Husband and I kept pace with each other for the first 5 miles. I stopped for a quick bathroom break at that point and quickly lost him. We need to run our own races anyway. I was amazed with how great I felt during this race. Not once did I feel exhausted. Not once did I find The Wall. I was pretty darn impressed!

*Interesting Thoughts While Racing*
- It's nice to run through all these neighborhoods. Watching people as they cheered for us from lawn chairs in their front yards was fun.
- There were lots of great signs:
- "Chuck Norris wouldn't quit!"
- "That guy stole your wallet ---->"
- "We're proud of you total stranger"
- "This wind totally blows!" (ha!)
- "Chuck Norris never ran a marathon!"
- Ran past a house with "Go Bears" signs in the windows. Thought they were very brave to live in Green Bay with such nonsense written on their windows.
- This race isn't as crowded as Chicago. The air even smells better.
- I wish I could eat bratwursts at the end with everyone else. Damn celiac disease.
- Why aren't there more photographers? I look good and someone needs to capture photos of this :)
- Why don't I live here?

At mile 12, the marathoners split off from the halvsies. I yelled and screamed as best I could for those braves souls who were heading off to battle the 20+ mph headwind for 8+miles. Yuck. I also wished quick steps for my sister. Back toward Lambeau we went. Coming through the tunnel I passed Husband on his way out. I surprised him :) He didn't expect to see me. The lap around the field was great. I yelled and screamed to make sure mummy and daddy saw me....they did. I didn't sprint around the final turn because I knew I had a great time already.

I clocked a 2:12:27! Couldn't have been happier!

Final race thoughts: This was awesome! I can't wait until I can train for another one.....next year :)

*****Got an e-mail the next day saying that there was a course error. I suspected one when I heard all the GPS watches around me beeping at least .1 before the mile markers. Hmmm. So many people complained that they remeasured the course. Sure enough they had added an extra 800 feet between miles 3 and 4. Oops! This didn't effect me too much except that it did effect all the marathon runners who were aiming for Boston that day. The race directors worked out some formula and called the Boston people. They were able to "correct" everyone's times and qualified a bunch more people who missed their BQ by a matter of seconds because of the measurement error. I just got a more awesome time! The now "official" time for me is 2:10:57!!!!!! Holy heck! I am more awesome than I thought :)*****

Post-Race:

Found Husband after the medal, water, and t-shirt pick-up station. We got our photo snapped together. We look hot! Then we found the family and our bags. Got in line for for "beverages" and then made our way to the atrium to warm up. 30 minutes of stretching and photographing later we found a spot in the stadium to watch Sister finish her race. Her time update texts were slowing down and I knew she was struggling. Finally we saw her come through the tunnel. I was a smidgy emotional at this point too. There was my awesome sister. Finishing her second marathon! I wanted to scramble over that wall and run her to the finish. But I was all wrapped up in that silver plastic thing. I would have made a fool of myself and probably gotten in big-time trouble for climbing down stadium walls. Instead I booked back down the steps and made it around the corner just in time to hear the announcer mispronounce her name as she crossed the finish line! Yay sissy :)

All my students asked me if I "won" the next day at school. I laughed. They all wanted to see photos, touch my medal, and hear about the race. I love them.

Now I need to focus my energy on school for the next few weeks. I also need to get a work out plan going. I'm not aiming for major mileage this summer because I'm planning on taking on a passenger....if you know what I mean ;) But I am looking to improve the tone in my arms and abs. Any good workout ideas?

Happy Running!

Run and Done!!!!

2011-05-15T10:07:00.000-05:00

Just finished the Green Bay Half Marathon!!!

Time: 2:12:27!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Total PR!!

Full race report when I get home :)

MIA

2011-05-09T20:01:00.002-05:00

Sorry I've been MIA for a while.....Don't quite know what got in to me.

I've kept up my miles. Only 8 more stand between me and13.1 glory on Sunday :)

I have a count down on my board at school. The students knew exactly what the "5 days" meant. So proud of those nasty little buggers (seriously, I'm not the biggest fan of 5th graders at this point in the year. Too many hormones for me to handle).

I have an outfit planned. Nothing too stylish, but I did buy a new green Nike shirt so that I can rock some of my Packers spirit while I run! Hopefully that 30% chance of rain gets downgraded even further closer to race day and I don't have to fret. Not a fan of doing this in the rain. Temps should be in the 50's which is perfect running weather for me right now. (yesterday's near-70 run almost got to me. The sun got to my arms because I was the bum who forgot to wear sunscreen.)

I don't know. I should totally be more psyched about this, but I'm feeling sort of blah right now. No idea why. I'm just not feeling the love I guess.

I still have that BIC band I'm holding hostage until I can get my butt in gear and post the pics/giveaway. Ugh.

Something better light my fire before the weekend!

Ooooh.....here's something that should get me going.....Only 1 month left of school!!!!!!! Can't wait!!!

Important stuff

2011-04-29T21:25:00.002-05:00

So.....some important stuff happened this week.

* I turned 26 on Monday ;) Happy birthday to me!!!!!

* I ran 11 miles on my birthday because I had the day off school, and it was on my plan. A year ago I never would have thought it possible to run 11 miles, let alone be motivated enough to want to run them on my birthday. Go me!

* those 11 miles and your kind words gave me the confidence I need to feel like I can kick butt in this half mary! (I can call it that because I'm a serious bad-ass runner now)

* my prince got married to someone who wasn't me ~*le sigh*~

* I logged 23 miles this week. Peak week of training is over. I guess you'd say this is taper time! So.... Bring it I guess!

* and this is my 200th post!!! Expect a giveaway soon to celebrate!

Happy running!

Almost time

2011-04-22T09:21:00.002-05:00

I've run 2 races so far this year. Penguin in the Park 5K in 28:00, total PR. Heritage Run 10K, my first, in 59:54, instant PR. Daily mile says I've logged 159 miles so far in 2011. The next race I run will be a half marathon. Will it be a PR as well? Can I beat 2:43:22?

There are only 23 days left until the Green Bay Half Marathon. I'm starting to feel the butterflies. After the 10K on Sunday I was thinking that I just did "half" of a half marathon (sort of). It took a lot of effort...I know I was sick.....but it took more effort than I wanted it to. I'm starting to doubt.

I've completed most of my runs on my plan. Stuck to the schedule as much as I could when life/weather/laziness didn't get in the way. But I remember how hard Chicago was last summer. And I had SIL#1 and SIL#2 running with me in Chicago. This year I'll be on my own, unless Husband decides that he's not out for a PR and wants to stick with me. I run my best when he's with me. He makes me better :) But we've both trained for our own races.

I know I can complete the distance. I want to complete the distance. I want to kick ass! I want to bring a PR back to show my students on that Monday! If you set your mind to it, you can do it!! (Awesome Long Legs Katye and Tall Mom Mel have proved that with their Boston races this week.) This is the only half on my schedule this year so I want it to be awesome!

Will it be everything I want it to be?

Heritage Run 10K Race Report

2011-04-19T16:51:00.002-05:00

I haven't been feeling well lately and haven't felt much like blogging :( Also, I have been reading blogs on my iPhone and it's more difficult to post from there.

However, I have been keeping up with running. After last week's 80 degree Sunday, the temps took a dive back into the 30's. It felt so cold after being so beautiful :(

I managed a 4-mile neighborhood run last Tuesday with Bentley. The temps hadn't got to complete crap yet, so it was manageable. I chose the hilly neighborhoods to purposefully kick my butt. It hurt, but it made it. 42:something was my time.

I skipped my Friday run because my because I started to fight this allergy/cold/flirt-with-death that I've got going on.

Sunday was race day! I sucked up the sickies and made it work. I was up around 8:30ish and was fully functional by 9:00. I made some tea, ate some peanut butter toast, and tried to decide on an outfit. The temps were supposed to be in the low 50's....but it was windy! I finally decided on my tights, cool-weather long-sleeve shirt, and a tech tee over top. Plus my good luck Princess tiara Bondi Band!!! Husband and I ran the whole thing together. (I love that we can do that!) Through the whole thing I had visions of us crossing the finish line holding hands :) However, the blisters and chest pain became a little too much toward the end. I was fighting pretty good for the last mile to keep myself from walking. But when we saw that finish line, I decided to smoke him!!! I broke out my run-like-I-stole-something sprint and thought I blew him away! I just made it to the finish line when I caught a glimpse of him over my right shoulder. He caught me right at the end and we did cross the finish line together! (just not holding hands) 60 minutes and something.

I had 10 miles on the training plan for Sunday so after we got home I suited up Bentley and headed out to the trail. I kept it slow because the blisters were ouching me. But, I finished my 4 miles. Full 10 miles completed as planned :)

Then I spent the next two days in a snotted-up funk. I felt terrible. So much cool air on my already banged up lungs :( I felt like I was breathing fire and talking like a man. The students though I was entertaining. I wanted to die. Today it's raining buckets, and I'm being lazy. Plus I'm still a snot factory. Hopefully I can get in a run tomorrow.

Congrats to all the Boston runners yesterday! Especially Katye who fought a huge mental game to get through! I'm super proud of all of you :)

I've got some 'splainin to do...

2011-04-10T13:48:00.002-05:00

So....I skipped my long run last week. The wedding festivities carried over into Sunday and before I knew it I was out of time and out of motivation (and I hadn't seen a glass of water in who knows how long). I intended to push it to Monday, but the weird feelings in my chest got the best of me and I made myself go to the Dr. after school. When I got home, Husband kept bragging about how "good" his 9.5 miles felts and I couldn't keep myself from feeling like crap. So I sucked it up, put my shoes on and managed 4 miles before it started to pour down rain.

Wednesday was a much better day. Husband, Bentley, and I attacked 5 miles on the trail in record time :) I felt great!!! Not even the tiniest bit sore either.

Friday, was supposed to do 6 miles. But, I felt like I had been hit by a bus all day. It was almost like I had never fully woken up that morning and that I was just going through the school-day motions like a robot. The chest issues were bothering me big time so I just came home and took a nap instead of running like I wanted. (This was also day #1 of new meds to deal with chest issues)

Saturday felt great! The sun was up and it was 60-something by 9:00am!!! I was off to yoga before a baby shower and was hoping to make up those 6 after it was over. Didn't make up the 6 but did a lot of laundry and graded some papers. Did make plans for a "long" run the next day

Today, Sunday, I felt even better!!! (I'm digging these meds!) It was 70 by the time I woke up and I just couldn't get my feet in my shoes fast enough. I made sure that I had my GUs and my camelpak because I was going to feel "hot" out there. My pace was super slow, partially because I didn't want any chest issues flaring by trying to be superwoman. At the turn around point I realized that I should have stuffed my inhaler in my hip pack because the combo of tree pollen and burning yard waste was messing with my lungs :( But I fought through it and really didn't need to walk until the last mile. At that point there is a quarter mile stretch where there is no shade. I didn't know it but it had gotten to about 80 at this point and boy did I feel it! Not used to this yet!..... Love it! Just not used to it. Overall, good run...just really slow.

It's a good thing I ran when I did. It's still beautiful out but Dr. Tornado from the weather channel says I'm getting blown away this evening. Hopefully this is one of those times where the weather man is wrong.

Only a few posts left until I attempt a giveaway! Happy running!

Report cards and an early birthday present

2011-04-06T22:33:00.003-05:00

*prepare for random thoughts that don't exactly go together*

This is "report card week". I hate report card week. That means that I have zero free time. Barely enough time to type them and eat dinner before bed time.....if I squeeze in a run I'm going to be up forever!

I've been having some chest/breathing/heart issues lately. I would get this strange flutter in my chest and then it goes away. No other symptoms. Now it's a constant tightness, dull pain, and shortness of breath. After finally taking myself to the doctor I have learned that my Dr. isn't exactly concerned that a perfectly healthy 26-year-old is complaining of these symptoms :( The heart monitor they want me to wear won't be available for another month!.....boy....hope this isn't serious (*annoyed eye roll*)

Despite the chest issues I've still been running. I can run just fine, a fairly fast I might add. Today Husband and I did 5 miles in 49:35! I broke 50!!! Yay! Didn't feel a thing the whole time....I also photographed part of this run. Should post them tomorrow.

We just switched our mobile phone service to Verizon. I'm now the proud mamma of an iPhone!!! (bandwagon...what?!?) Any apps I should get? The free-er the better!

I just finished my 27th report card while watching the Blackhawks game! I had to rewrite the comments a few times due to distractions :) Oops!

Bentley just barked at me in his sleep. He's not a barking dog when he's awake, but he barks softly in his sleep. He's odd.

The wedding on Saturday was beautiful! When photos are posted I will put some up here :) I looked great! and so did the bride. And I was pretty much the best attendant ever! I made her bridesmaids look like freeloaders :)

I am famous! Not really, but I did get my photo in the local news paper. My students participated in a speech competition and the newspaper photographer showed up for our session. She photographed me "keeping the peace" during the score-tallying by reading a story. I don't get the newspaper so I didn't see it until my students brought me a few copies. :)

Holy Cow! I need to go to bed! L8r!

April Fools!

2011-04-01T12:47:00.004-05:00

Today is April First! Only 24 shopping days until my birthday people :)

But really.....that's not what this is about.

THIS is what this is about...

Snow!!! Seriously?!? This better be a joke.

The Doozer is not happy. She's an inside lady, but still, her birds aren't hanging around today because of the snow and so....she's not happy.

Me? Well....I'm supposed to do 5 miles. I'm in the process of gathering the courage needed to run in the snow in April. Can't push it back until tomorrow because SIL#1 is getting married. I'm the "assistant" so I'll be busy all day. (in case you're wondering assistant = not good enough to be a bridesmaid. I'm only a little bitter about it.) I'll let you know how it goes.

Lady Luck loves me!

2011-03-29T17:01:00.003-05:00

Guess who just won Katye's BIC Bands giveaway??? ME!!! Thanks again Katye for hosting a great giveaway.

For anyone who's interested, she still has another giveaway open. It's a Running Skirts giveaway. Click on over and check it out!

Also....Run, Zoe, Run is hosting another giveaway. This one is great! It's for a Road ID. I won a Road ID from Katye last year and have worn it on every run since. I even bullied my Husband into buying one. So, I didn't enter this one for myself. But I did enter for a special someone :) So I better win this one for her!

***OOOHHH! AND! The BIGGEST giveaway I've ever entered! Skinny Runner has a huge prize to give away to one lucky winner. Over $400 worth of swag! The only thing you need to do is vote for Marlie & Matt to win the Ultimate Wedding contest on Crate & Barrell's website.

Only a few more posts left until I attempts to host a giveaway of my very own! :)

Giveaway News!

2011-03-28T10:10:00.003-05:00

If you haven't already.....check out my Penguin in the Park race recap HERE! (I totally rocked it thanks to some extra motivation from Sister)

Also, Katye is still hosting some awesome reader appreciation giveaways.

Check out the BIC Bands giveaway HERE!

and

Check out the latest, Running Skirts giveaway HERE!

I'm bound to win at least one of these things right?!?! Where is Lady Luck when I need her? :)

Penguin in the Park 5K

2011-03-27T18:32:00.005-05:00

Saturday started early for Sister and I. Her friend met us at her apartment at 6:45 am. She came with to cheer us on and be Bentley's handler for the morning. One of these days I'll find a race that allows dogs! He'd love it!

After we found our way to Decatur it was still pretty chilly out. Packets picked up, chips strapped on, t-shirt inspected....we were ready!

Sister asked me for my fastest 5k time (29:15). Her response, "Great! That means that today we'll run it in 28." My response, "Ha! Good luck!" I didn't feel like I was in the shape to run that. I was channeling some serious speed when I ran that in October. Didn't think I'd make it that fast today.

Us in our "custom made" Sister Penguin 2011 shirts :)
"My Penguin Waddles Faster Than Your Penguin!"

When the gun sounded we were jostled a little because there were so many people. Organizers say that it was a record turn out. Sister and I took off. I was feeling good so I didn't do my normal slow down at the beginning to conserve energy. We kept pushing it until mile 2 .5 when I started to slow down. I really felt like I was dragging at this point. Thanks to Sister, I was able to pull through. When we came over the last hill I was so happy to see the finish line that I pulled out some serious speed. Sister and I finished together and both took 6th place in our age groups. My official time was 28:00.4!!!!! Ah! I couldn't believe it! I was screaming and shouting so much as I crossed the finish line that the photos are goofy :)

Check out our serious speed!!!
The Blur Sisters :)

Overall, it was an awesome race! I was so happy that I could run it with Sister and even happier to PR by so much!!!

Happy Penguins :)

Sweet Penguins!

2011-03-26T13:46:00.003-05:00

Sister and I just had an awesome race :) She kept asking me what my best time was and then told me how we're going to be at least one minute faster. We ran at a 9:20ish pace the whole way. I lagged a bit at the end, but over all I felt great!!!

Our official time was somewhere around 28:00!!! Can you believe it?!?!?!

Full recap coming when I get home :)

Smooth 4 miles

2011-03-24T19:09:00.003-05:00

Husband and I met for a quick 4 miles after work today. I had brought my running clothes to school with me and did a quick change after I shoo'd those kiddos out the door! 3 people stopped me to ask me if I was running. They also commented on my great choice of colors :)

We have run this path before, but we usually start at a local high school and run toward the park. However, school was still in session and we couldn't park there until much later. So we decided to park at the park and run toward the high school. It was nice. Gentle hills, nothing too steep. We were able to chat and kept a great pace together. I love him!!!

I'm going to start cleaning my house in a few moments. I'm having people over after work and don't want to show them a crappy house. After they leave I'm heading to visit my sister with Mr. Bentley. Our first race is on Saturday!!! Yay!

And then it's time for Spring Break!!!

Word Vomit

2011-03-23T19:49:00.003-05:00

For lack of anything better to write about here's a list:

1. My ITB doesn't hurt today. Sadly it's back to high 30's for the temp :( I'm a wimp these days.

2. Saw Rango with Husband after school. So funny! Go see it.

3. Watched 4 of my students give speeches today during our elementary forensics competition. One of my girls has down syndrome and she has a lot of difficulty with physically speaking. However, with the help of her classroom aide, she was able to give a quick speech about her dog. It was wonderful to watch!

4. Just watched my cat dive-bomb my dog's head. She's now sitting astride his neck and smacking him in the teeth while he gnaws back at her. It's interesting to watch.

5. Husband is watching the episode of Top Shot he recorded. They are doing trick shots tonight. The elimination round involved the contestants being suspended upside down and shooting at glass bottles. It's an interesting show on the History channel. I'm a bigger fan of American Pickers and Pawn Stars myself :)

6. Only two more days until Spring Break. I need this.

7. I'm taking Bentley with to visit my sister this weekend. She and her roommates requested that he visit, even though I'm pretty sure they can't have pets at their apartment. Oh well. Almost 100lbs of copper fur is cuddling with someone on Friday night and it won't be me :)

8. Spoke to a telemarketer from Sprint today and pretty much told her to shove it. It felt good. I've never done that before. I was surprised with how easy it was to be rude and pissed off to someone with an impossible-to-understand accent who was trying to sell me more stuff I can't pay for. Hopefully this doesn't become a trend :(

9. My first race of 2011 is this weekend. Sister and I are doing the Penguin in the Park 5k. Sadly Bentley won't be running with us. But rumor has it that a roommate is coming to walk him on the "sidelines" while we run. Yay for puppy cheerleaders!

10. Katye is having a Reader Appreciation week! She did a Lock Laces giveaway the other day and today she's posting a BIC Bands giveaway! I'm a recent fan of BIC Bands thanks to Katye. Come to think of it, everything I'm a fan of is thanks to Katye. Sad I couldn't meet her in Chicago last summer, but maybe some day!

11. Husband bought me ice cream. I like it when he does that.

12. I'm avoiding cleaning my house.

13. I'm resisting the urge to spend hundreds of dollars on running merchandise right now. I want/need compression socks. Anyone know a great place to get them from? I also want new shoes just because.

14. I'm broke. (not because I spent it on running stuff, because I haven't. But just because I am.)

15. Now we're watching the Blackhawks hockey game. Hossa just got a penalty. I love hockey!

16. I'm done listing now :)

Why I'm not running today

2011-03-22T18:30:00.002-05:00

Is it because it's been raining since last night?

Is it because I have *pounds* of school work to do?

Yea.....and because for the past few days my ITB has been sending me a message.

This morning I heard it loud and clear and it was saying "OUCH!!!!!"

I've been stretching after every run. Taking ice baths when needed. I even bought a foam roller! Thanks to a few internet videos I've figured out how to use that sucker. All of this seems to be making things worse.

I ouch and it ain't pretty :(

Spring

2011-03-20T12:56:00.002-05:00

Spring his here!!!

Too bad it's raining here or I'd be out for 6 miles right now. Boo!

Husband and I had a great 6 mile run on Friday. The best part was the end. We kept an easy 10:30 average pace the whole time so I had some "kick" left in me. I was able to stride out in front of him and beat him to our "finish line"!!!!

First Time Ever!!!

This coming Saturday I'm heading down to visit SissyPants so we can run our first race of the year together. This will be a quick 5K before we go apartment hunting for her. Should be fun. I'm feeling good.

Hey! Look what I did today!Happy Running!

Hills and Stuff

2011-03-15T19:15:00.002-05:00

Sunday was Long Run day. With Husband out of town that meant that I was long-runnin' on my own :( That's how it usually ends up anyway.....he's too tall for me to keep up with for any long distance :(

Anyway.....I was bored with running around here and I've established a 2-week running ban on The Trail because it is still covered in snow......so, I mapped out a route through our old neighborhood. Gosh I miss that place! There's a great bike path that meets up with a path that runs through a state park.

Once I made it to the park, there were some killer hills! I slow trudged them all :( But I made it the whole 8-miles. There was an actual toilet about half-way through :) And I used my camelbak which helped keep me hydrated! Plus I raided the GU supply at Dick's Supporting Goods in anticipation of winning Run, Zoe, Run's GU Giveaway! I felt totally awesome, even though I was slow.

Today I had 3 miles on the schedule. Bentley and I stomped out these miles in just over 30 minutes. It was great! I felt pleasantly winded when I was done. He also seemed a tired.

**Giveaway Reminders***

So my I giveaway luck seems to be running low, but I'm going to keep trying!

Remember Run, Zoe, Run is hosting a mega GU Giveaway!

Also, I Have Run is hosting a 2Toms product giveaway! This stuff helps protect your skin from chaffing and blisters even better than Glide. Click on over and check it out.

Angry Runs

2011-03-11T18:20:00.003-06:00

Apparently anger is my new running fuel. Who knew?

Why so angry? School. Home. Life. Etc. That's why.

However, this focused anger seems to have made for two awesome runs this week.

Wednesday: 3 miles on the treadmill at the gym because of it being too cold and damp for my wimpy butt to run outside. Time: 29:43! Oh yea!

Today: 6 miles on the not-as-sloppy trail. There was a good mile there that was still covered in snow and made running darn near impossible. I'm lucky I didn't sprain an ankle or tear something! But Bentley and I made it in 1:06:18. Not bad considering we both needed bathroom breaks :)

And....

OOOOOH!!!! Giveaways!!!!

Run, Zoe, Run is hosting a GU giveaway! I'm a huge GU fan. Partially because most flavors are Gluten Free (a necessity in my celiac-world) and mostly because they are delicious! The Chomps! are my favorites because I'm too chicken to try the gels. But I guess I'm going to have to if I win this giveaway :)

I didn't win the sleeves, but 5 Miles Past Empty is still hosting the CEP Compression Socks giveaway! I really need a pair of these. I'm going to use the coupon she has posted to order a pair for Husband and I and hope that I win a pair in the process :)

Happy Running!

Whoops!

2011-03-09T18:32:00.002-06:00

If you read my Bandwagon ABC's post you may have noticed that I forgot letter Q: quote from a movie. When I came to it I drew a blank in my mind. If you ask my husband, he'll tell you that I'm no a very original person. I would constantly send him quotes from movies and songs while we were dating. He kinda got annoyed ;)

So.....what I'm saying is.....how the heck did I miss Q?!?!?! I should have been bursting at the seems with them! But no. I blanked.

I want to make up for that now. 'Cause I know you've all been dying for these ;)

Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban: "The spider! They want me to tap-dance!" ~Ron

Lilo and Stitch: "Ohana means family! And family means no one gets left behind or forgotten!" ~Lilo

Short Circuit: "Hey lazerlips! Your mamma was a snowblower!" ~Number 5

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs: "Come on Steve, we have diem to carpe." ~Flint

Gone with the Wind: "No, I don't think I will kiss you, although you need kissing, badly. That's what's wrong with you. You should be kissed and often, and by someone who knows how." ~Rhett Butler

Ok.....I can't focus enough to quote anymore. So, I'll leave you with that.

Also....I just kicked butt at the gym today. 3 miles were scheduled and the weather was cold and damp. I was too pissed off after school to work up the effort to run outside. So, I focused my anger and pounded out 3 miles in 29:43 minutes! yay!

New Blogs and New Giveaways

2011-03-06T17:06:00.002-06:00

I like finding new perspectives on running and thanks to Katye's Sunday Funday post I found a few new blogs to follow.....and a few giveaways to enter!

5 Miles Past Empty is hosting a CEP giveaway. If you are my husband or my sister you have heard me whine about needing compression socks for the past two weeks. This would be awesome if I won :) If I don't....and sister I'm talking to you......I really want a pair for my birthday :)

I Have Run is hosting an Ink N Burn arm sleeves giveaway. I have debated getting a pair of these for the Green Bay Half in May. Things will be chilly to start and I know I'll heat up by the end. I don't want to waste anything by "tossing" it so sleeves just sounded cool. Winning these would be great!

Click on over to check these out! Only a few posts left until I reach 200 and host a giveaway of my very own :)

PS.....my 7 miles went well. Check my Daily Mile side box for an update.

Reflections

2011-03-06T09:59:00.002-06:00

This morning I slept late and woke up worried about my "long run." I'm supposed to do 7 miles today. Lately I haven't made it through an entire run without walking (or being attacked by the Brown Monster).

I feel low and slow.

My feelings didn't get any brighter when I checked my training plan and saw the 4-miler that I did yesterday (rescheduled from Friday due to rain) was supposed to be 5. Ugh! I shorted myself a whole mile!

This plan is starting to get confusing :(

So.... I decided to look back at last year's posts from this time and see what I was blogging about. Maybe I'd find some hidden motivation.

March 5, 2010: I had just won Katye's Road ID giveaway! That was a huge moment for me. I remember feeling "accepted" into the blogging world by winning that ID. I wear it on every run and entered about 5 more giveaways after that to win one for my husband. I was unsuccessful. But I did make him use a $2-off coupon we got from a race to order one. Now we're both properly ID'd on our runs. Thanks Katye for making my day :)

March 7, 2010: I was seeking Yoga advice. We had gotten a Wii Fit for Christmas and I had been doing Yoga on the balance board. I posted about purchasing a yoga mat and DVD and trying "real" yoga for the first time. I wasn't very impressed with the DVD. I have since joined a gym and catch a yoga class at least once a month if not more. I know I'll be more consistent in the summer :) I love yoga now! Thanks for the advice bloggy people!

I noticed a much brighter person last year. Someone not beaten down by miles and a training plan. Someone who was still stretching her laces with running and who didn't know how far she could go yet. Though it has been months since I've seen this distance I know I can do it as evidence by these previous posts:

Distance P-frickin-R and Rock N' Roll Chicago

So now I just need to get my shoes on and do this. Pick a route that is long enough and that has bathroom stops. And hope that someone comments on this before I get back :)

Disney Dreams

2011-03-04T16:55:00.002-06:00

Reading all the Disney Princess Half recaps have made me so anxious for our Disney trip in June!!!

If you haven't checked them out, here are the links:

Run, Courtney, Run
Long Legs on the Loose #1 #2 #3 (she's very detailed :) and got to be a VIP!!!)
Racing with Babes: race recap and media event recap

I'm more excited than ever! We decided last year that we were going this summer. We never took a honeymoon because of time and money so this is going to be the last "big trip" before children. Husband has never been before. I have been about 4 times. I have already mentally packed for this trip and know exactly which suitcases we're taking and which ones are being checked :) I also also mentally rehearsed my first-time-at-the-Magic-Kingdom-with-my-Husband moment! I'm kind of a big dork. This is going to be awesome!!!

Also! I almost forgot!!!

Run, Zoe, Run is hosting a giveaway! She's giving away a Hydrapak Gel-Bot. It's not a robot :) but it is a super awesome waterbottle that holds an energy gel and water at the same time! Awesome! If I win I might actually starting using gels.

Bandwagon starts with B

2011-03-02T20:58:00.002-06:00

(A) Age: 25
(B) Bed Size: Queen (we really need a King. Having a 6'4" Husband doesn't exactly leave me with a lot of space)
(C) Chore You Really Dislike: All of them.....exactly why my house is always messy :(
(D) Dogs: Y'all know Mr. Bentley by now!
(E) Essential Start Your Day Item: Hug from my Husband. I always hug and kiss him before we leave in the morning, I even make him wake me up when he leaves early for wrestling meets. Just so we always have that moment.
(F) Favorite Color: Blue. It fits my personality well.
(G) Gold or Silver? silver
(H) Height: 5'1"
(I) Instruments You Play: None. I have no musical talent.....unless you count my bountiful booty music :)
(J) Job Title: Teacher
(K) Kids: no kids yet
(L) Live: Roscoe, IL
(M) Mom's Name: Juanita
(N) Nicknames: none. I wasn't cool enough for nicknames in school :(
(O) Overnight Hospital Stays? None!!!! (yet)
(P) Pet Peeve: I have waaaaayyyyy to many to list.
(Q) Quote from a Movie:
(R) Right or Left Handed? Right
(S) Siblings: 1 sister
(T) Time You Wake Up? 5:30 during the week, whenever I feel like it on weekends
(U) Underwear: only when I feel like it......HA!
(V) Vegetable You Dislike: brussel sprouts
(W) What Makes You Run Late: thinking in the shower
(X) X-Rays: the only one I can remember is a chest x-ray 2 years ago to see if I had pneumonia....I didn't
(Y) Yummy Food You Make: I am really good at making a lot of stuff :)
(Z) Zoo, Favorite Animal: Tigers

Sloppy Mess

2011-03-01T19:29:00.002-06:00

I had full intentions of photographing this run.

I also had full intentions of wearing gloves and dressing Bentley in his "business suit" too.

But that didn't happen.

Oops!

However, we did complete the 3 miles on a sloppy, soupy, thawed out trail. We were the only people on the trail so I just let Bentley run. He kept stopping to sniff "nature" and then sprinting past me. Tons of snow and soggy sand were flying everywhere!

The run out was rough. Finding all the sloppy spots and dodging the snow-packed areas were tough. I also met the Brown Monster around mile 1.25. I was planning to turn around at 1.5 and because I was in a tree covered area I decided to "take care of business." Bentley was intrigued. I was weird-ed out. And I got sticks in my shorts :( Boo! (TMI I know)

Total distance: 3 miles
Time: 32:18

Only a few more posts to go until my 200th post giveaway!!!

Legs of Lead

2011-02-27T18:48:00.002-06:00

I didn't make my run on Friday. I had waited for my husband to get home from school so we could run together. But.....we needed to pick up my new sunglasses first. For some reason the office was full of people and it too a good 20 minutes to just hand me my new sunglasses (I didn't need an exam, just the box in my hand!!). By the time I made it back to the car we were losing daylight and Husband was in a pissy mood. We would have gotten locked into the park we planned on running and Husband suddenly has a fear of the dark :(

So.....we didn't run. We went home mad at each other instead.

Sunday rolled around with a cold breeze. I wasn't totally feeling it. Husband was feeling motivated to clean and organize the basement....so we did that. When we finally reached a stopping point I realized I couldn't avoid the run no longer.

I planned a looping route through 3 neighborhoods that are connected by an not-yet-built neighborhood. This kept me off main roads and away from traffic. However, there were a ton of hills! My pace and legs were really slow :( I also took a ton of walk-breaks. I just had to. Lead legs don't move fast! At all! Argh!

I guess that's what I get for skipping all my other runs this week.

Tomorrow is a new day and the start of a new week. I'm done with PT and can't use that as an excuse after school anymore. These runs will get done!

Happy Running!

One of those days

2011-02-24T08:40:00.002-06:00

Today is Parent/Teacher conference day.

I have my last PT appointment and then I'm going in to school early before conferences start to get stuff organized.

I haven't run since Monday.

I haven't felt like running since Monday.

The haven't-seen-the-sun-since-Friday blahs have gotten me.

Yuck.

Plus side......I ordered a little something to giveaway to one lucky follower :)

Weird side.....I wrote about my half-marathon training in our "staff spotlight" letter this week and had coworker ask me for running advice yesterday. Asked ME! For advice! No one ever does that! Can you believe it?!?! I told to invest in a good pair of shoes :)

Anxious

2011-02-21T11:29:00.002-06:00

After last week's temperature teaser (it was in the 50's here and made it to 60 briefly by Friday) I am soooo ready for Spring. Winter is my favorite season because I look better in winter clothing :) however...it can get a little boring after a while. Inside is only so interesting. I miss the sun. I miss being able to take Bentley on every run and not worry about if he'll freeze his paws off. This cold is getting to me.

Today I ran my rescheduled 4-miler on the trail. I usually never go to the trail by myself, but today I did. It had been raining all night and somewhere before dawn it switched over to freezing rain and everything had a nice slick coating on it. Bentley even slipped off the deck when I let him out this morning. Husband had school and it's supposed to snow this afternoon. Ah! What to do?!?

Well....I chose the lonely trail because it's gravel and was less likely to be slippery. I was right. I also chose the trail because it is tree-lined and was less likely to be as windy as other places. I was right. Overall, it was a good run. I felt slow and heavy but when I checked Pedro at the finish he read 43:49 and I didn't feel too bad. I'm dying at the end of my runs again and that concerns me. :( GB is only 82 days away! AH!

On the bright side, Husband and I bought plane tickets to Orlando in June! It's official we're really going! Yay! Mickey here we come :)

Ups and Downs

2011-02-19T10:02:00.002-06:00

This week was a great week for running!

6 miles on Sunday (1:06)
3 miles on Tuesday (:33)
3 miles on Friday (:31)

I kept all my scheduled runs! I didn't reschedule even one of them :) So proud!

However, this was a terrible week at school. From my previous post about my after-4:00 e-mail ban, I just can't stand some people anymore. But....I will get through this. Spring break is only a month away. I can make it!

I have a bachelorette party to attend tonight. I think it will be fun, but i'm not exactly crazy about it. Hopefully things will go ok. This week has just put a total damper on any fun I could possibly be having :(

Oh well. There's always next week!

Oh...bright side! I ordered some BIC bands for my sister and I this week and got them in the mail yesterday! Love them! Next ones I order will be the size bigger though. Apparently I have a big head :)

Who knows......maybe I'll order one just to giveaway for my 200th post celebration!!! :)

New Rule

2011-02-15T19:52:00.002-06:00

I hereby establish a new rule......

......no school e-mail checking after 4:00 PM!!!............

Why you ask? Because of bitchy parents who refuse to take responsibility for their rotten, snotty children. This woman makes me want to jump of the roof just so I'll never hear from her again. This kid is the reason why I question why I want to have children.

I was having a good after-school experience, great PT workout, great 3 mile treadmill run, great dinner, etc. And then......I checked that darn e-mail.

ARGH!!!!! This is the part of teaching that I hate :(

One interesting week

2011-02-11T21:49:00.002-06:00

I stopped being lazy today and hit the treadmill at the gym for 3 miles. My time was 30:05! Fastest time yet! I felt great....despite yesterday's PT appointment.

Yesterday at the PT appointment, my PT decided to use "The Stick" on my IT band. I was in tears by the time he was done. My leg is slightly purple today! And the desks in my classroom are just the right height to hit the sore spots on my leg when I bumped into them today :( I even saw my PT at the gym today and he evil-giggled at me! Grr! (I love what he's doing, and the evil-giggle was more of a joke. He's totally awesome and is really helping.)

Stress kept me from running another 3 miles this week.

6 miles will be run on Sunday as scheduled. Plus, it's going to warm up and I can finally hit up a different running route!

Titletown Here I Come!!!

2011-02-06T22:14:00.003-06:00

The Packers Won the Superbowl!!!!!

Husband and I are big-time Cheeseheads and are really excited about this one!

We're even more excited to be running the Cellcom Green Bay Half Marathon in May! Mile 13 finishes with a lap around Lambeau field! This will be 10x's more awesome now that the Lombardi trophy is coming back to where it belongs!

Anyways......the training report.

I did my 5 mile run today like I was supposed to! (be proud of me) We had gotten another inch or so of snow and the neighborhood hadn't been plowed yet when I started. The temps were in the upper 20's, so I brought Bentley with me. He had a good time dodging snowplows and slipping on packed spots with me. I only kept him for a mile before I dropped him back at home because he was messing with my form. And...he can't run 5 miles in the cold like this.

As I dropped him at home the Brown Monster did a sneak attack on me. Luckily I was at home and it wasn't a problem. After buisiness was taken care of, I headed back out for the last 4 miles. I ran what we call "The Box" because it is a long out-and-back route across a corn field that is about 2 miles long and forms two sides of...well....a box...if you look at it from the air. When I hit the turn around at mile 2.5 the Brown Monster started to bother me again. Again?!?! Seriously?!? With almost 2 feet of snow surrounding me off the road....well, you get the idea that I was able to "hold off an attack" until I got home. However.....I made it home with .5 miles to go! So, after buisiness was taken care of, I made myself finish that last .5 mile.

Total distance: 5 miles
Time: 54:40 (7 seconds better than last week!)

Two PT appointments and Two training runs on the schedule this week.

Happy Running!

Why I ran at they gym today

2011-02-03T19:47:00.004-06:00

So, here's why I ran at the gym today. And why we ended up with 2 days off of school! Which never happens!!!!!

This drift is 4'5" tall. And that was before I started shoveling.

If you look close, you can see that the neighbors across the street left an igloo shaped snow mound for their kids to play on/in.

It took us an hour to plow out the driveway and now we're battling sub-zero temperatures. So, I accomplished 3 miles at the gym today. After it reopened from being closed yesterday.

Back to school tomorrow and another 3 miles on the treadmill.

Oops!!!

2011-02-01T21:11:00.004-06:00

So.....IL is in the middle of a crazy blizzard!

And guess who forgot to shut the garage door after she got home! Yup. Me.

Thanks to a neighbor, we were notified 4 hours later.

Yea....we had to shovel it out.

Oops!!!

Not the brightest idea....

2011-01-30T19:23:00.002-06:00

So.....I slept in today.

And then spent an hour sanitizing my house. We can't call it cleaning anymore. It's way more hardcore than that because we're just that messy.

And then went to a brunch buffet with Husband's family.

And by the time we made home I wanted nothing more than to make the headache I was nursing go away by taking a nap.

But.....that little voice in my head said, "Hey! Lazy! You've got a long run to do today."

So I put on my many layers, laced up my shoes, and headed out. I felt good about this one. My pace held steady at 10:00 for the first 2 miles, then it slowly dropped back to 10:30. By the end, I was pulling sub-11:00. Oh well. At least I finished my 5 miles.

54:57. Not bad.

Now for the part where you may question my sanity.

Last summer Husband and I discovered our love for the ice bath. It was the one thing that saved me from pain and overdosing on meds after long runs. So tonight, around mile 3.5, when my knees started to whine and my hips started to complain, I began to think about the ice bath. I thought back to this morning when I went to the freezer for ice and discovered all the empty ice trays because Husband doesn't refill them. Darn, no ice bath for me. And then I noticed the snow all around me.......*Light Bulb*........Snow Bath! That's just like ice isn't it? Sure! So I call husband around mile 4 and say I'll be home in just over 10:00 and that I'd like a "snow bath." He was a little confused, but agreed and I had a nice chilly bath waiting for me when I got home.

Most. Painful. Thing. Ever. Ten times colder than the ice baths from last summer. I should probably google "frostbite symptoms" just to see what to look for.

On the plus side, I'm not too sore! Just cold.....really, really cold.

Remember to check out Run, Zoe, Run's Dr Teal's Giveaway! It is probably way better than a snow bath :)

I'm training for what?!?

2011-01-29T09:22:00.002-06:00

Yup....skipped 'em all this week.

Due to PT, staff meetings, and family in town to do "family" things, I have not seen one ounce of daylight after 7:00 am when I leave for work. Or eaten at my house. Or gotten home before 9:30 at night. I've also not corrected on single paper this week leaving me with a 25lbs bag to take to Grandpa's this afternoon :(

But.....PT went well! And I'm going back next week.....and every week in February for that matter.

Also.....Run, Zoe, Run is hosting another giveaway! I wasn't lucky enough to win the last one, but this one looks great! It's all about personal pampering and if you know me, that's really what I'm all about :)

Better luck next week!

Skip skip skip to my lou

2011-01-24T20:37:00.003-06:00

So......Husband and I had to call off our "long" run yesterday due to frigid temps and dangerous windchill. :( We even planned to run the 4 miles in the field house at the high school he teaches at, but for some reason there was a little kids' baseball practice going on. Dodging baseballs while running in circles wasn't as appealing as it sounded. Annnnd.....we had brought Bentley with because he needed a good run. Sadly, kids are his cryptonite. Flying balls, screaming kids, excited dog.....bad idea. So we skipped it. (only 3 weeks in and I can't believe how much I've skipped and rescheduled already! Yikes!)

But....that gave us more party time for the big game. So glad my Green Bay Packers pulled off a victory :) Superbowl here we come!!! A Superbowl victory would make the Half in May that much sweeter!

Enough excuses!

I did find time tonight to make up my "long" run. 4 miles in the frigid darkness. It gave me chance to try out my new reflective vest! I've always had the ankle cuffs, but they just don't do enough for my cool-weather ninja outfits. (For some reason all my cold-weather gear is black! How did that happen!?)

This is me flexing my "safety" muscles. I look pretty awesome don't I? Ha! Just to add an extra bit of shine to my outfit, I also brought along my trusty flashlight. Since I don't have a blinking light or anything, I find my flashlight works well for night runs. I shine it at oncoming traffic and am not afraid to use it as a projectile if necessary. I did manage to rig up a butt light by using Bentley's blinky-tag light :) Pinned it to the back of my jacket! Husband said he noticed it when he tracked me down in the neighborhood on his way home.

Yay for safety!

Now for the rest of the week. I need advice here. The plan calls for 3 miles Tuesday, cross train Thursday, 3 miles on Friday, 5 miles on Sunday. But....since I did 4 miles Monday, do I skip Tuesday, run 3 on Wednesday, skip cross training on Thursday, and then run 3 on Friday? Or do I just "rest" tomorrow, cross train on Thursday, and run 3 on Friday?

What to do?

Too Cold for School

2011-01-21T17:01:00.002-06:00

Gotta love that 5:00 AM call saying "no school due to extreme weather conditions."

In our area, school gets canceled when temps/windchill is below -25. Seems wimpy, but that's what we got. And boy did I need it!!!

Sadly, not every district canceled today. Husband's school called to tell him that school "was in session" today. He was so mad. But our phone calls were about an hour apart and I couldn't go back to sleep until I heard his call. Oh well.

However, this did motivate me to hit the gym this morning and get in my 2 miles for the day. I even managed to catch a cardio class to make up for my missed cross training last night. (I know, pretty impressive.) Then, I dragged my butt to school and got some work done. And I wasn't the only one. I saw 3 other teachers!

**Dr. Update!!**

I met with my Dr. today and she referred me to a PT. I'll be giving them a call next week, giving her office enough time to fax over the referral form. So I'll be sharing all sorts of painful massage and stretching stories with you a few weeks from now :)

Have a great weekend! Hopefully it warms up here before Sunday or that run is going to be done up at Husband's school on their indoor track :(

Get it Checked

2011-01-19T20:43:00.003-06:00

I finally made the call......to the doctor.

Why?

I have been hiding the fact that I've been having some unpleasant ITB pain since November....at least, I think that's what it is.

The pain location is circled in the photo. I can also feel the ache up the outside of my leg when I run longer than 2 miles at this point. This pain also appears when I'm just sitting in my car or walking around my classroom.

I've tried stretching, but I have no clue what I'm doing. I would really like a professional to take a peek at it and give me their advice, which I will then pair with my blog-scouring to form a "plan." I try to use the foam roller at the gym, but I have no clue if I'm doing it right. I'm also hoping that this doctor might help me with my hip pain that I mentioned a few posts ago.

We'll see. I will continue with my training as long as I can put up with the pain or figure out how to manage it. I don't want to hurt something beyond repair. I've never been an "injured" runner and I don't want to start now :)

Happy Running!

Punishment

2011-01-17T10:23:00.006-06:00

That's what it felt like today folks. Punishment from the running gods for slacking.

Temperature: 23
Feels like: 10!!!!! AH!
Also....Winter Weather Advisory until 6am Tuesday for blowing and drifting snow. 3-5" expected.

Husband and I decided to run before he left for wrestling practice today.......before the snow got worse. It wasn't bad when we started, but it wasn't fun.

We set out for 4 miles at 8am. I was able to keep up with him for the first 2 miles. But for the first 2 miles the wind and snow were at our back. As soon as we turned around.......BAM!!......good bye breathing ability! I was swallowing snow and hacking snot for half a mile before I figured out how to deal with it.

Just before mile 3 I found that wall. My body just didn't want to move forward anymore. I wasn't cold, I was just heavy. However, I wasn't discouraged. I just made myself go forward. My mantra at the moment is that it isn't about time, it's about covering the distance.

When we finally finished, and we were walking snowmen. Husband's beard was covered in ice and his headphone cord was frozen to his beard :) My eyelashes kept sticking together. Ha! I even had a small snowball in my jacket hood!

This would be Husband's frozen beard :)

My face is so cold I can barely smile......Next Top Model...Here I come!

All in all, it was an OK run. We finished strong. I still plan to do 2 tomorrow night at the gym on the treadmill.

Happy Running!

PS......Melissa at Crazy or Determined? Just finished a half marathon on Sunday! She did AWESOME! And could use your love :) Head on over and let her know that running 13.1 miles is no small feat!!!

PPS.....Don't forget to check out Zoe's CSN giveaway. It ends soon!

Can't believe it!

2011-01-16T21:09:00.002-06:00

**Welcome new followers! I've gained 2 more since the new year :)

I'm only 1 week into my half training this year and I'm already slacking off :(

Didn't run last Tuesday night because of an "emergency" grocery store trip with Husband.
* Saved it by running 2 on Wednesday night with my SIL at the gym.

Didn't cross train on Thursday because I had too much school work.
* No save here other than I did get a lot of my plans written :(

Didn't run my 2 miles on Friday because I woke up with a cramp in my neck that made it impossible to turn my head completely to either side. This cramp got worse throughout the day and eventually spread to my shoulders and entire upper back. I came home from school and crashed because I thought that the flu that's been going through school had finally hit me. I was all ready to give in a be sick for this 3-day weekend when I woke up the next morning feeling fine....Ugh! Could have done that run!

Sadly, I woke up late and didn't have time to get in a run before I had to go to my Grandpa's for the afternoon. I spend every Saturday from 11-3 with Grandpa. This is why all my long runs are on Sunday. After an exhausting afternoon with him, I just wasn't "feeling" a run....and I had a Lia Sophia party to go to. I barely made it to my in-laws for the Packers game at 7! GO! PACK! GO!

Didn't run my 4 miles on Sunday because Husband is supposed to do long runs with me and he is actually sick. Plus, we slept in this morning and just made it to his parents' house in time for the Bears game. Boooo Bears! :( Ended up getting stuck over there until 5:00. Note to self....always drive separate cars to in-laws' house...

Soo....what you read was a long list of excuses and "reasons" why no running has occurred since Wednesday night. I needed to write it all down so I could be accountable to myself and to you. I do not feel as if I have lost motivation, I just feel that I have let other things come between me and my training. I was actually mad at myself on Saturday morning for sleeping in and not getting up for a run before Grandpa's. I scolded myself all the way out of the neighborhood :(

I am, however, getting up tomorrow and putting on my running shoes for those 4 miles even if Husband can't make it. I will not give up on this one!

Happy Running!!!

7 more things....

2011-01-15T09:53:00.002-06:00

I would get a massage every day if I could afford it. I’m not talking the quickie, 15-minute, mall-court chair massage. I’m talking the 60+ minute, therapeutic, relax the snot out of you massage. What I wouldn’t give for one right now……

I’m slowly becoming addicted to the TLC network. It started with What Not to Wear and has morphed into everything from Say Yes to the Dress to The Little Couple, and soooo much more! My most guilty pleasure is Toddlers in Tiaras…which I’m sure is televised child abuse…..but I can’t stop! Help!

I have a fear of movie theater bathrooms. When I was in 5^th grade, I went to a movie theater for a friend’s birthday party. During the movie I “had to go” and while I was washing my hands afterward I noticed I was standing next to a guy! All of a sudden it all hits me….Oh God! That’s why the first toilet looked weird! It was urinal! Oh God! I’m in the men’s room! I practically ran back to the theater and had a hard time talking for the rest of the day. I was mortified! To this day I will stare at the sign just to make sure that it says “Women.”

My ultimate dream is to retire to a huge cabin by a lake in the woods of Wisconsin. Probably will never happen seeing as I’m a teacher in Illinois and the State has already spent my retirement money before I’ve even had a chance to earn it. :(

I really don’t like tiny dogs. They yip. They nip. They don’t freakin’ listen!!! If you have a well-behaved tiny dog, consider yourself appreciated by me. I honestly don’t know why people don’t bother to train little dogs.

4-years ago, during my first year of teaching, I once told a third-grader to “Grow up already!” It was a moment of pure frustration. I regretted it the moment it came out of my mouth. Oops!

I will most likely be up at the crack of dawn to watch Prince William and Kate Middleton get married in April. I’m a big Royal freak. When all my 8^th grade friends were covering their lockers with Backstreet Boys and N*Sync posters…I was covering mine with Prince William pictures. Totally thought we’d meet someday…..guess that ain’t happening :)

Well....there you have it...7 more things about little 'ol me :)

Here are my 7 tags:
Age Groups Rock
Finishing is Winning
Lazy Bones Running
Long Legs on the Loose
Life in Charleston
Lisa Runs?...Wait! What?
Run, Courtney, Run

Looking forward to reading your 7 things :)

High Ho High Ho Off to the Gym I Go!

2011-01-12T20:55:00.003-06:00

Thanks to Melissa at Crazy or Determined? for tagging me for the Stylish Blogger Award. I'll need to share 7 things about myself. I like sharing these kinds of things. Expect at post later this week!

Well....I did it! I braved the New Year's Resolution Crowd at the gym and managed 2-miles on the treadmill with my sister-in-law. I'm trying to convince her to train with me. She is getting married in April and wants to look great in that dress. She used a guest pass to try out my gym tonight. Don't know if she'll join because it's pretty pricey and I don't know if she can handle that right now. But who knows......the upside is that I got my 2 miles in that I needed.

I skipped these 2 miles yesterday to go grocery shopping yesterday. We were in desperate need of food. Seriously! We had tumbleweeds and spiders in our fridge!!! (just kidding...but the fridge was really empty) Today my students asked me if I ran last night and i had to tell them that I didn't. They all shouted "scolding" remarks at me. So....I had extra motivation tonight.

Tomorrow I have my first cross training day and I'm planning on a toning class at the gym. Friday is another 2 miles (marks 1 week of training down!) and then 4 miles on Sunday. I'm loving this right now :) (remind me of that in a month when I'm cursing the day I signed up for this darn half)

***Giveaway News***

I recently became a follower of Run, Zoe, Run! The newbie mommy is lacing her running shoes back up and hitting the streets and trails again with baby Goober and jogging stroller in-tow. To celebrate her new goals she's hosting a giveaway...and an awesome one at that! A $50 CSN gift card!!!! Awesome! I totally want this one :) So head on over and check it out.....don't enter because that will lessen my chances Ha!

Another fun note....we're going on a field trip tomorrow! To the YMCA! It's a fitness related trip that involves relay races, basketball tossing, jumping, climbing, and even swimming. The students also need to run a number of laps around an indoor track. When I told them I missed my miles yesterday they told me I should run with them at the Y tomorrow. I'm honestly considering setting aside my "teacher" shoes for "running" shoes just to motivate them even more. This should be good!

Happy Running!

Instert Motivational Theme Music Here

2011-01-08T09:54:00.002-06:00

That's right folks....it's time!

Time for what you ask?

Half-marathon training time!

For those of you who have noticed, the Daily Mile race ticker shows 127 days until the Cellcom Green Bay Half Marathon on May 15th. I'm looking for a PR and want to get started as soon as possible to build up to my full potential and to build slow enough to avoid injury.

The plan: I'm going to follow the group training plan put out by Prevea Sports. I checked it out HERE and it looks like it fits my criteria....builds slowly and runs 3 times a week. With school, after-school tutoring, keeping my house clean, and trying to stay sane I can really only manage 3 days a week right now. There is a cross-training day in there which I will be completing at the gym. The runs I need to complete in the next 2 months are short enough for me to complete on a treadmill.....this makes me happy because it keeps me going to the gym and not feeling like I'm "wasting" my membership. Also, I can only run after school and it's pretty darn dark after school which equals "not safe" for me. As spring approaches, I'll transition to all outside running when it's lighter outside after school and warmer. I'll probably toss some yoga in there on the "rest days" just so I can keep stretching.

The down side: I'm all alone this time. Husband is planning on running GB with me and so is Sister. But Sister is running the full and lives 3 hours away and Husband is consumed with wrestling season and doesn't get home until 6:30 at night on practice days and near 10:00 on meet days. He will start his training on the treadmill in the weight room at school so that he's not late for practice. That leaves me to train all by my lonesome. I think I'll be just fine for the first 2 months because the runs are short and manageable. But the longer runs might mess with my head and motivation.

How I plan to deal with motivation loss: Blog, blog, blog!!!!! I'm counting on you guys to help me through this! Also, I told my students that I was starting my training and that they needed to ask me about my runs. I'll feel guilty telling them that I "didn't do my homework" and hopefully that will help keep me on track too! Husband will be done with wrestling by March and can run with me again. The trail should be all thawed out and uncovered by then.

I did complete day 1 of training yesterday. 2 miles, outside, in the freezing cold, with Mr. Bentley. Not bad on time but I was really focusing on covering the 2 miles. The time will come with training.

Wish me luck! Happy Running!

Raise your glass...

2010-12-31T19:30:00.004-06:00

2010 is beginning to come to an end. Just a few more hours left until that big ball drops.

I must say, this year has been wonderful. I want a better one next year, but this one has been great. I've decided to say goodbye to 2010in the best bloggy-way I know how...a List!

Things I've accomplished:
- Total miles run: 233.77 (furthest ever!!!)
- Total races run: 6
- Furthest distance: 13.1 miles Rock N' Roll Chicago Half Marathon
- Fastest race: 29:15 Stonebridge 5K
- Weight lost: about 15 lbs!!!! (can you believe it!!!)
- Pairs of running shoes bought: 2
- States run in: Florida and Illinois
- Blog entries: 160
- Blog Followers: 24! Thanks!
- Blisters: too many
- Toenails lost: none! I did kill one, but it never fell off. It's almost done growing out though.

Things I want to do in 2011:
- Run 300 miles
- PR in the Green Bay Half-Marathon (I need to beat 2:43:22)
- Run 1 race each month from April through November (8 races total)
- Get a Garmin for my birthday! Pedro needs a sister.
- Run in a new state
- Add a new races to the schedule. Will have to to meet the 8-races goal.
- Start a family :) (any good blog recommendations for this one?)
- Be better with cross training and use my gym membership to the fullest!
- Be better with commenting on other blogs
- Stretch! Stretch! Stretch!
- Convince my dad to start running (I give this one a slim chance of becoming reality, but you'll never know until you try)
- Find 2 new running routes/locations

(As I think about it, I'll post about more)

Ok! Husband and I just celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary. We took a nice little trip to a resort/spa to really celebrate. After thinking about it a little bit, we determined we've actually been together for 11 years total! Holy cow!

We're going to tackle 2011 together! Here's to more miles and another year together!

Happy running everyone!

Confessions

2010-12-26T22:28:00.002-06:00

Dear Running,

I have something to confess...This isn't easy, but.....I've been cheating on you. I know, I know...I said you were the only sport/exercise for me. But lately, things have just been.....well......off between us. Every time you feel the urge I'm just not up for it. So, I've been spening a few extra nights at the gym with Yoga. She's really great! It's not that you're not great...it's just that she takes a lot less effort. Plus she doesn't give me blisters.

But today, when I finally made some time for you, I realized how wrong I've been. Those two miles we shared on the treadmill at the gym were magical. I don't know about you, but I felt sparks fly again. If we're going to make this work, I've got to step up and start making more time for you.

You really are the only sport for me! So what do you say? Will you take me back? Can we still be friends?

Love,
Jamie

Ok....all sillies aside....I'm going to stomp the last few miles out of 2010 and start off with fresh legs in 2011! The Green Bay Half is only 5 months away and I've got to get my booty in gear if I'm going to PR in this thing like I'd like to.

Lace 'em up and move 'em out! We're going running!

It's beginning to look a lot like...ouch! ouch! ouch!

2010-12-18T16:34:00.007-06:00

Finally! It's Christmas break! Just what I've been waiting for!

I kicked off my break with a massage. Ahhhh....Just what I needed. I was beginning to carry all of my stress in my shoulders and could barely lift my arms past shoulder-height by 2:00 some days. This massage was a must before I could do any kind of relaxing this break.

However, 2 hours after the massage was over, all the tightness came back. Just shrugging my shoulders hurts. Fail.

This morning I kicked off my day with Yoga. I thought that the stretching and relaxing would help me release more stress and get rid of shoulder tension. I definitely felt relaxed after, but not stretched out. The instructor (who was great!) even tried to help me with a few poses and commented on how tight things seemed. What really caught her attention was my quick recoil out of standing splits when my hip cramped up :(

After reading Katye's post about tight hips, I've noticed some tightness in mine. Ok...not some...ALOT! It seems like they will cramp at the slightest odd movement or over-held squat. Yoga has been painful at times because of it. I have always noticed a tightness, but I guess the concentrating on it has made it worse.

I will now include a picture list of things I cause extreme cramping in my hips...

A v-sit and any ab exercises based on this pose are impossible. Plus if I am required to extend my legs out straight from this position, something pops in my right hip. I would "click" at tumbling practice when we did v-sit-ups. It didn't hurt too much, but it was really annoying.

Impossible to hold for longer than 10 seconds! Anytime I suspend my leg out to the side the hip locks up almost instantly.

This one I can do, but I couldn't find a picture of the exercise you do after that looks like you're peeing on the hydrant. That one is killer :(

This one is the reason why I hate toning classes and pilates classes.

So there you have it. Pain city here. This has always been the case, but I've never paid much attention before. Today, the yoga instructor told me that she is a therapist (the specifics I can't remember) that practices myofacial release and gave me her number. I'm debating about calling her. Loosening my hips an releasing the tension in my shoulders would be awesome....since massage doesn't last and is too expensive to do consistently.

Any thoughts or advice?

Snowflakes and shoes laces

2010-12-10T17:20:00.002-06:00

Well....believe it or not I have actually gotten in a few runs lately. Emphasis on few.

Last Saturday, just after our first snow storm of the year, Bentley and I went for our first "winter" run. This only happened because the road out leading away from my neighborhood was blocked by a tow truck pulling two cars out of the ditch and I couldn't get to yoga at the gym. The run wasn't too bad. It was only 1.25 miles and super slow because I kept slipping.

I also managed to get in a run tonight after school. The temps were still in the 20's and I knew those wouldn't last forever (Monday's high is only 6!!!!). Bentley and I went out and got back before it got too dark.

My endurance is really suffering with this inconsistent training. I had hoped to build up a good base before I started my Half training in February. Sadly, that hasn't happened. Maybe over Christmas break.....

Random fantasies

2010-12-01T19:14:00.002-06:00

So I was fantasizing today....

I would like to show up to school and have the Trolls that live in my desk Not eat my copies for once!!!!! Seriously! I lost half my stuff!!! And it was in the "Wednesday" tray when I left last night! Grrr....

I want to be able to stop time during the day so I can fit in a run during lunch time. 40 minutes just isn't long enough.

I want to be able to catch all my "forgetful" kids before they leave my room and remind them to bring home their spirals.

I want to be a Victoria's Secret model. Seriously. They're looking for a petite angel, right?

I wish dishes would wash themselves.

There are a few other fantasies floating around in my mind right now....but I'm being distracted by my school stress and Celebrity Chefs of Beverly Hills.

Off the map

2010-11-30T17:14:00.002-06:00

Ok....so....I've been one bad blogger :(

Sorry :(

After that race in FL I let myself take one of those "two-day breaks" that turns into a "two-week break." I managed to go for a 2.4 mile run the day before Thanksgiving with my sister. She's awesome! We passed on the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day because we just had too much to get ready that morning. Oh well.

I have rediscovered the gym though! When I joined, I was all about the Saturday morning Yoga class. The instructor was fantastic! However, when they redid the schedule for the fall, that instructor was no longer scheduled for Saturday morning! Bummer! I finally brought myself to try her class last weekend. Love her! I even managed to squeeze in her class last night after school. I just have to remember to keep putting her class on my calendar :)

School is a whole other story right now. The stress level is through the roof! Yesterday, by 2:00, my shoulders were so tense that I couldn't lift my arms past my shoulders. I was trying to point up toward a map and explain something about the location of a Native American tribe, and I just couldn't do it! I made a student bring me a yard-stick. Ugh! I also heard a rumor that the superintendent had made her choice for our replacement principal. Hopefully we'll find that out tomorrow.

Christmas break is coming and I'm looking forward to some sleep and a massage....or two. Only 13 more days of school....

Better than expected

2010-11-14T10:40:00.001-06:00

Well.....that was amazing!

Unofficial time........29:55!

Ha! Can you believe it?!?!?

I'll give the "official" report when I get home and post photos.

5k tomorrow

2010-11-13T22:33:00.002-06:00

The race begins in 8 hours.....the party was beautiful, but boy am I tired. Tomorrow will most likely just be for fun. What a great way to close out my first year of running!!!

Paceful dreams :)

Milestone

2010-11-07T13:28:00.002-06:00

So...Tuesday is my 1 year Blogiversary. Can you believe it? I'm rather impressed with myself. Never have I kept a diary for more than 6 sporadic months.

Some of my milestones since November 9th of last year (courtesy of Dailymile.com)

Miles run: 262.78 miles run.
Races run: 5
Longest distance: 13.1 miles (half-marathon folks!)
Fastest 5K time: 29:09
Blog entries: 151

Here are some interesting things I have done or have learned in my year of running:

- I can run outside in single-digit weather. Never though I could before.

- I received some gift certificates for magazine subscriptions for school in the spring. I used the majority of the money for Zoobooks, Boy's Life, Nat. Geo for Kids, etc. And then I used the rest for Runner's World! After I read them, I put them in a box on one of the bookshelves. My students are really interested in them.

- Every time I go to Target now, I cruise the sale racks for running clothes.

- I know I can do anything I set my mind to.

- I've lost weight! (probably the best part of this whole thing)

- I'm currently watching the NYC Marathon on TV. I never would have paid any attention before.

- I am part of a huge support network of bloggers who inspire others to run.

- I now know the locations of restrooms or "possible restrooms" on most of my running routes. Darn Brown Monster! Ugh!

- I own a Garmin! (well.....I'm borrowing it....but Husband has only used it twice since he got it. He's a spring and summer runner. I'm more hardcore than he is ;) )

- When we book vacations, I check websites to find out if there are races being run while we are there. The local Road Runners Club in Where-My-Aunt-Lives, Florida is bookmarked on my favorites list.

- My husband's extended family is contemplating running a 5K together next summer. (my idea by the way)

- I convinced my parents to sign up for the Mini-Marathon (2.62 miles) family race for the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon weekend. We'll walk it together the day before the half Ryan and I are running. But....I'm working on my dad. He just might run it if I have my way!

- I love this sport!

This weekend I'm going to add 3.1 more miles to my total and 1 more race for the year. We're traveling to Florida for my Aunt and Uncle's 40th anniversary. That's right 40 years! Can you believe it?! Congrats to them :) And they're pretty much the coolest people I know.

I am looking forward to another year of miles on my shoes. Here are some things you can look forward to:

- My second Half Marathon....Cellcom Green Bay in May.

- More runs with Husband and Bentley.

- More 5K's! Don't expect another one until March or April. Racing shuts down around here at this point in the year because of the cold.

- Running while preggo!.......I'm not pregnant, but I planning on be pregnant by September if goes according to plan....I will need advice on this one!

Stay with me on this amazing journey! I appreciate all your support! :)

Run Run Run

2010-10-25T20:07:00.002-05:00

Finally used up all my lazy points and put my running shoes on. I even dug my "new" shoes out of the closet that I bought back in July. I decided when I bought them not to wear them. I did a trial run in them and didn't feel a difference in my knee pain at the time. So I decided to save them until my "old" shoes were finally old.

The run was 2 miles in just over 20 minutes. Not bad for spending so much time on the lazy train. Only 19 days until the Sarasota Classic. I've gotta do this more often in the next couple weeks :)

Lazy Train

2010-10-17T21:26:00.002-05:00

After the PR at the Stonebridge 5K I decided to take a day or two off....

....It's been over a week.

Oops!

School drama got in the way of fitness. (yes I do have an excuse for everything) Double Masters class last week on top of our building Principal telling us she was resigning effective Friday (48 hours notice...suspicious if you ask me) kinda stressed me out.

However, I do plan to get a run in some time this week. I can't be a Lazy Butt for ever. Plus....in just less than a month I have my next race....The Sarasota 5K Classic for Special Olympics! My sister and I are doing this one while we're in Florida for our Aunt and Uncle's 40th anniversary party! I don't know if I'm going for a PR or just for fun. Haven't discussed this with my sister. She super fast and I don't know if she's planning on racing this one or just doing it with me for fun. Should probably check on that...

Congrats to Lisa on finishing the Nike Woman's Half!!

Happy Running!

Smell Like A Monster Sesame Street Spoofs The Old Spice Guy

2010-10-11T21:39:00.000-05:00

I totally love this video :) Just sharing!

Stonebridge 5K

2010-10-10T20:28:00.007-05:00

Just getting it out there......PR!!!!

Ok. So. Carefully laid out my outfit the night before. After the crappy run the other day, I tried not to over estimate for temperature. I think I did a pretty good job. :)

Up at 6 and out the door by 7. Packet pick up ended at 7:30 and I didn't want to be late. The race was taking place just minutes from my house! The number one reason why I picked it! I got to sleep in, and make it on time!

The second reason I chose this race was because it was the first year it was being run. Because Chicago filled up so fast, our local YMCA decided to map out a route and hold a marathon here in my area. The course started in the next town over and ended in the park just down the street from my house. They also mapped it out and got it certified as a BQ course! After the marathon runners started, there were simultaneous 5Ks being held at both the start and finish locations. The 5K I was running was being held at the finish location. The race would be on the trail that Bentley and I run on a lot!

I was really impressed with the organization and set up of the race. It was a really small race, like only 30 people participated in the 5K, but it was really well organized. The picture above is of the snacks and water tent for post-race. There was a woman slicing apples and bagels and putting them in ceramic bowls. There were also bowls of banana halves and grapes. It was set up like a hotel breakfast buffet with fall decorations. So cute! And delicious!

Husband was able to make it out of his football meeting to come and watch me race. I was so happy he came. After the loneliness of the last race, I was really hoping someone would come and watch me. Yay for husband points!

After a few really good training runs, I was totally going for a PR with this race. I was also really counting on Pedro to help me keep a good pace time. When the race started, I paced myself behind a guy who was going the pace I wanted. I kept it there until I looked down and noticed the pace time on Pedro had slipped by 10 seconds. Oops!

When we hit the water stop, that was the turn-around point. I knew that I needed to pick up the pace if I wanted get that PR. So glad I knew this trail! I knew exactly how far I had to go each moment. As we were rounding the curve that takes us back to the bridge down the hill (details, details, details) I uped the pace just a bit more. I passed 4 people I'd been chasing since the water stop.

The girl in the pink next to me put up a good fight toward the end. I kept trying to shake her and she kept up with me! Oh...and do you see the guy in yellow behind me?!? Well....after I finally lost the girl in the pink I kicked in the sprint to the finish. I could hear someone coming up behind me, I though that the pink girl and found some fire and was coming for me! Ah! Can't let her pass me! Nope! It was the yellow guy! He totally got me right at the finish line. He came up and thanked me for giving him someone to chase. He said I was tough to catch and that I started to sprint right when he needed me to. I laughed and said, "You're welcome." Anything to help :)

Pedro's time at the finish line said 29:09. The official time was 29:15. Total PR!!!!!!!! So excited!!!

NEW RACE!!!!

2010-10-07T20:55:00.002-05:00

Guess what?!?!?!?

Just signed up for next year's half marathon!!!! So excited for this one!!!

You get to run through Lambeau!!!! Love it!!! Husband and I are doing this one together. My sister is also supposed to do this with us. She might be running the full marathon instead of the half though. We're planning this as a big family weekend :)

We wanted to run the Chicago Rock-n-Roll every summer as long as we were interested. But next summer, the race is the day before school starts. Also, I'm planning a little event to take place that will prevent me from running a grueling distance like that at that specific time of year ;) So....if someone runs it, it won't be me.

Not my best

2010-10-07T10:35:00.001-05:00

Today is conference day. That means that I don't have to be at school until noon! That also means that I can't leave school until 7:30 tonight. Boo!

That also means that I could get a run in this morning! Yay!.....well.....I thought so anyway.

I decided that Bentley and I would just run our hilly neighborhood today for the sake of time. We suited up and headed out. Weather was perfect. Everything was looking good. Then everything started to break down.

Legs felt slow and heavy
Almost rolled my ankle twice
My breathing was out-of-sync and I was coughing (still sick)
Over dressed for the run and I was getting too hot
Bentley was pulling because I couldn't drop the leash in the neighborhoods (he doesn't know how to run in a straight line yet)
Brown Monster attack and I didn't make it home :( (worst part of the run...hasn't happened since July!!!)
There were some rolling hills that kicked my butt.
I had to take 2 walk breaks.
Distance: 2.74 miles Time: 30:27.6 Pace 11:08

Yup. I kinda felt like a failure when I crossed the finish crack-in-the-road. But then I remembered that all runners have off days. I did a spin workout this week and had a great 2-mile run on Tuesday. Those two things alone were enough to make this run just seem like a no-big-deal kinda thing. The big thing is that I got up and ran this morning instead of sleeping 'til 11:00 like I wanted to.

Let's hope these parents are good today :) Off to get my conference on!

Update

2010-10-05T20:33:00.002-05:00

So far this week I have...

Gone to spin class
Did a 2 mile run with my official pace-dog :) (Time 19:39 Pace 9:50...Heck yea!)
Planned math for next week
Washed the dishes (and didn't need an extinguisher!!!

I haven't killed anyone yet....but it is only Tuesday :)

Looking good so far!

How are things working out for you?

List of things to do:

2010-10-02T18:54:00.002-05:00

This is a list of what I have to do and want to accomplish this week.

Run at least 3 times to get my confidence in place for my race on Saturday the 9th.
Get my lessons planned by Thursday.
Wash the dishes in my kitchen by Monday night or set the sink on fire...
Don't kill anyone for "stress-relief purposes"
Read a chapter of a book for fun.

Ok.....if I add anything more to this list, I run the risk of not accomplishing anything because I'm trying to still do too much. After a series of "clarifying moments" last week I realized that I need to slow down and breathe. Thank goodness we get Columbus Day off!!!

I feel like my running is in a good place right now. I know that Saturday's race will be great! The best part is that the starting line is only 5 minutes from my house :)

Happy running this week!

One sick run!

2010-09-28T17:43:00.003-05:00

Since my run on Sunday I've felt sick. I thought it was because I had slept with the windows open on Sunday night and the temperature dropped into the low 40's. Breathing all that cold air must have caused that sore throat I had....But this feel just won't shake. I always get sick around this time of year with the changing of the seasons. I attribute it to undiagnosed allergies and SAD.

In an attempt to try and shake this feeling I decided to go for a run after school today. Bentley wanted to go with and I decided to let him be my pace buddy. Great decision! Check out my stats courtesy of Pedro:

Distance: 2 miles
Time: 19:26 (umm...yea...that's a total PR in my world!!!)
Pace: 9:42
mile 1: 10:12
mile 2: 9:13

Bentley was pulling like crazy and since there was no one on the trail we were running, I decided to tuck his leash into his jacket and just let him go. He stayed just a few paces in front of me and pushed me to keep up. I was surprised with my pace and time when I would glance down at Pedro. For someone who "felt" sick, I was flying!!! I'm pretty sure Bentley could run at 9:00 mile if given the chance :)

Unfortunately...I'm kinda regretting this running decision right now. I'm running a low-grade fever and have the sick-aches all over :( Boo! Hopefully it passes. Preparing for a sub is more work that actually going to school.

On the plus side, I haven't dragged my butt out of bed before the crack-of-dawn, but I did get a run in! How are things working out for you?

***I almost forgot!!!***

Check out Tall Mom's super awesome Giveaway here! It's a big bucket of awesome from Outside PR including a Road ID, Ryders eyewear, Sugio Moxie shirt, and much more! Go check it out!

New week

2010-09-26T13:29:00.002-05:00

I'm taking Jill's advice and starting a new week. Deep breath. Go for it.

Today started with sleeping in and then a run with Mr. Bentley. Apparently I went out for this run at his optimal temperature and time of day because he was super fast! He was pulling so hard that I dropped the leash when we weren't near houses or cars so he would stop choking himself.

Distance: 2.19 miles
Time: 22:46.78

Pedro says my splits were:
mile 1: 10:28
mile 2: 10:29
Overall pace:10:24 (because I kicked it for the last .19 with a pace of 9:41)

I left Benelty in a ditch "on a buisiness call" so I beat him across the finish-crack-in-the-road. I cheered him on to the finish though :) He was sprinting pretty hard. I had to yell for him to slow down and stop or he would have sprinted off toward the house!

My goal for this week:
Get up early 2 days this week and run.

so mad

2010-09-24T22:52:00.002-05:00

I'm so mad right now.

Mad that I didn't get any runs in this week. (except a 5:00 AM on Monday with Husband)

Mad that I didn't make any effort to run this week. (other than the 5:00 AM on Monday)

Mad that I'm still behind on school work.

Mad that I can't "walk away" from my job at 3:00 like everyone else.

Mad that I'm the only one that notices how dirty our house is.

Mad that I'm the only person in my state that can obey traffic laws on the highway! When traffic is stopped that doesn't give you a free pass to drive down the shoulder! That is ILLEGAL!!! Had I had the number for the state police I would have reported all of those suckers! ARGH!

Mad that I let some jerks on the highway ruin my night.

Mad that it's Friday night and I'm home alone with my dog and about to go to bed.

Mad that I'm mad.

Freak Out!

2010-09-19T21:30:00.003-05:00

The Story:
It was a September Sunday evening last year when I realized I had a problem. I was attempting to get things ready for school the next day and was trying to put together an outfit. After 10 minutes of sucking-it-in, I finally got my khaki pants buttoned. I went to take a step forward and could barely separate my legs. That's when my husband says to me, "Are you wearing those tomorrow?"

Not anymore......it was official, my pants were so tight that even my husband noticed how inappropriate they looked.

I cried. How had I let this happen?!?!?

I solved the problem then by heading to Kohl's at 9:30 at night to purchase 4 new pairs of pants. I actually liked them! They served me well for the school year and brought a small amount of comfort. The "old" pants went into the "donate" pile.

This school year, I tried those "new" pants on and stood their wondering why I looked like I was drowning in my pants. What they hell had happened? I guess that's what you get for buying "cheap" pants. They fabric just can't hold its shape and it "gives out" after a while.

The moment:
I was putting away some summer clothes and taking out some fall/winter clothes when I found the "old" pants. I had though I bagged them up last month for the clothing drive. Guess not. Just for shits and giggles I tried them on...

...THEY FIT!!!!!!

I couldn't believe it. I ran down stairs so fast that my husband actually looked away from the football games he's been glued to all day to ask what was wrong! When I asked them if they looked too tight, he said no and wanted to know if I had gone shopping today.

I almost cried! They fit! My "old" pants fit!

I owe my success to running. If it wasn't for the being bitten by the running bug last November, I wouldn't have lost the weight. I honestly don't feel like I have lost any weight. I honestly don't look like I have lost any weight. But....pants don't lie.

Running has totally changed my life, and my waistline too! When I told some of you that I run so that my pants will fit.....I wasn't lying :)

Tough Cookie Trail Run race report.......Finally!!!

2010-09-16T20:19:00.003-05:00

Ok....this week has been totally nuts! I haven't felt like I've "had it together" since the race last Saturday. So I apologize for being a neglectful blogger :(

The Race:

I woke up dark-and-early at 5:00 AM to get ready for this race. I had not laid out my outfit the night before because I wasn't sure if it would be raining or not. Well....it was raining. I chose my capris, a tech tee, and my jacket. I had packed a bag the night before so all I needed to do was eat a small breakfast and wait for the Brown Monster to make its move.

It took me about 45 minutes to reach the Girl Scout camp that this race was being held at, and I had to drive through a part of town that I'd never been through before. After running 1 red light and blowing a stop sign because I was desperately searching for street signs, I decided that I should just relax. The last thing I needed was a conversation with a police officer attempting to explain that I've never driven through "this part" of town before :( It was really creepy on a Saturday morning!!!

Once I got there, I changed my clothes in the parking lot 3 times. It wasn't raining as hard by the time I got there. It was also a little bit warmer. I didn't want to "run hot" in my jacket and really didn't want to run cold either. I settled on wearing the tech t with a long-sleeved tech shirt over the top. No jacket. Husband was even nice enough to let me bring Pedro because he couldn't come himself. I didn't look fantastic, but I was comfortable.

I was also doing this race by myself so I have absolutely no pictures :( Well.....I might have had a picture or two if I had met the Dailymile friends I was hoping to! But, sadly, I had no idea who I was looking for! It wasn't until I got home and they posted a picture on Dailymile that I realized that I started the race right next to them and walked past them to get my water at the end!!! Ah! Total missed opportunity!

When the race started, we were all just in one big group. It was a trail race that was supposed to run the perimeter of the Girl Scout camp. I only know this because I caught a glimpse of a small race map posted in a corner of the registration area! No one really knew what the course was supposed to look like! The man explaining the course was using a small kereoke machine that kept cutting out so no one really heard what he was saying. We all just hoped it was well marked. Unfortuneately, the lead runners took a wrong turn that lead all of us on to the 2-mile Family Fun Run course (a race that was supposed to start at 9:00 AM) instead of the 4-mile trail course. Oops! Luckily, I had Pedro and he was beeping off the miles as we passed them. I knew something was wrong when I could see the finish line and Pedro only said 2 miles. The "officials" told us we needed to do another lap because of a wrong turn at the beginning. The lead runners actually ended up running 5 miles because they actually got lost before they realized their mistake. Pedro said I only rain 3.5 miles instead of 4. Someone told me that the trees sometimes mess with Garmin signals......hmmm.....whatever. The lead runners were really pissed that things were messed up, but I was just happy I finished the two laps without walking :)

I have never run a trail race before and felt I did rather well on the trails themselves. I didn't stop or slow down too much. Having Pedro keep my pace times for me was helpful. I managed to run a 10:30-something pace the whole race.....awesome for me! I knew I wasn't going to win or even place, but I wanted to PR. And I did!

"Official" time was 36:44.
7th place in age group.

The race was fun and I want to do it again next year. There were Thin Mints at the end that I brought home for Husband to eat. I'm trying to "behave" on my GF diet :)

I'm still trying to choose an October race. There is a 5K that takes place 5 minutes from my house and it's the first year it's being run. I don't think there is a shirt :( But it's only 5 minutes from my house!

Decisions...decisions.

***Edit***
Just read about the "Clydesdale" and "Athena" categories available for the Green Bay Half Marathon I'm thinking of running next year. Apparently the "Clydesdale" category is for men weighing 200+ lbs and the "Athena" category is for women weighing 160+ lbs. Along with age groups, it seems like you can also run in a weight class for this race. Has anyone heard of these categories before? Or is Green Bay just "special" like that?

Real Runner

2010-09-11T05:38:00.002-05:00

I guess I'm a real runner now. I'm up at O'dark-thirty to run ridiculously far in a race that will take place even though it's raining outside. Wow! And I'm all by myself! All family members are either "busy" today or backed out on me. Guess that makes me real :)

(ps....iPod post. Excuse spelling errors.)

expect report later this weekend!

Stuff in list form

2010-09-09T20:13:00.002-05:00

- Today was my first day with a substitute in my classroom. I was in an RtI meeting all day. Very productive day :)

- I finally got the lap top I need to run my SMART board!

- I ran 3 miles when I got home tonight in 31:46. A 10:36 pace!! Wahoo!! (Times courtesy of Pedro, Husband's Garmin.)

- Bentley got a bath a daycare. The groomer told me that he refused to go into the grooming room and that they had to carry him. He's pushing 90lbs now! My baby boy is afraid of water and hates baths. Too funny!

- I spent the first 15 minutes of my run helping 4 neighbor kids wrangle their pet chihuahua, Princess. She escaped from them and took off down the street. I asked them if they needed help and they said yes. They were about a quarter mile from their house when I found them. Princess can run!!!

- Made an awesome dinner.

- My cat just jumped 5 feet, straight up, and caught a fly. She's awesome like that.

- I'm totally ready for this race on Saturday!

- I'm totally not looking forward to waking up at 5:00 on Saturday in order to make it to the race on time!!! Yawn!!

- I've finally broke 200 miles for the year! I've logged 240 since I started running last November :)

- I need to go buy new pants! My "old" ones don't fit.

- Today was just a good day!

A few days with running shoes on

2010-09-06T09:47:00.002-05:00

I have spent the past few days with my running shoes on.

It all started Friday morning. During the school year, Friday is know around here as "no shower Friday." Husband and I usually sleep in and then throw on our jeans and spirit wear to head in to school. I broke that tradition by waking up at 4:50 AM to head out for a run. This was going to be my first pre-dawn run. Surprisingly, I actually woke up when the alarm went off. I had set out my clothes the night before, so getting dressed was a snap in the dark. Bentley knows what it means when my shoes go on, so he was dancing around too. Husband was still snoring away when I kissed his forehead and told him I was going for a run.

When I got down stairs, I grabbed a drink of water and got Bentley dressed. If you're new to this blog, check out my Doggie Gear post to see Bentley's "business suit." I also put on my reflective ankle bands and grabbed a flashlight. I don't have a headlamp or a reflective vest, so I wore my neon yellow t-shirt.

I was still dark when we headed out and the constellations were still visible. It was so quiet and kinda creepy. I switched on the flashlight so that any passing cars could see it shining on the ground. If they didn't look like they were moving over, I simply shined it at their windshield. That seemed to work well for the one car that caused problems. The two other cars we saw saw us and moved over.

My pace was really fast, probably because the dark made me nervous! I was surprised with my time! 2.7 miles in 25:34! That's crazy fast for me!

I took two days off because of my husband's birthday and family celebrations over the weekend.

But this morning I woke up and did 3 more miles with Bentley and Pedro! My overall time was great 30:56. But my pace times were pretty inconsistent:

Mile 1: 9:22
Mile 2: 10:14
Mile 3: 11:19
Average: 10:18

Thanks to Pedro, I can give you all these beautiful numbers. Hopefully he will help me figure out what a pace feels like.

Pedro? Who is Pedro? Pedro is Husband's Garmin Forerunner 405!!!!! We are the proud parents of a Garmin! He got this little guy yesterday for his birthday. I'm pretty sure we aren't supposed to share the little guy, but since Husband is so busy with football and will then be so busy with wrestling, Pedro won't be used by him until the spring. I just can't let the little guy go unused for that long! I'm going to give him all the attention he deserves :)

I'm hoping to do another run on Wednesday morning before school. I also have a race on Saturday (4 miles).

Happy running!

Garmin

2010-09-04T22:39:00.002-05:00

Husband just got a Garmin for his birthday. (From his parents, I'm too broke to buy one.)

These things aren't one-owner only, are they? I'm so totally jelous and want to borrow it! Can I do that or does it only recognize him?

Bloggy Award :)

2010-09-02T19:32:00.002-05:00

Katye from Long Legs on the Loose awarded me the Cherry on Top Award this week. Thanks Katye!!

The Rules:

1. Answer this question: If you had the chance to go back and change one thing in your life, would you and what would it be?

2. The second thing you have to do is, pick 6 people and give them this award. You then have to inform the person that they have gotten this award.

3. The third and final thing is, thank the person who gave you the award.

So.....here it goes:

In my world, the phrase "hindsight is 20/20" is pretty much my unofficial motto. After something happens I can always think of a million ways I would change it, say something different, do something different, etc. But, I wouldn't be the person I am today if I had a do-over button on my life.

That being said, I would like to change one thing. I would have liked to keep in touch with my high school friends more. After we graduated, there were those summer months where we pledged to be friends forever and never be apart. Sadly, we drifted away and stopped talking to each other. I am an out-of-sight-out-of-mind kind of person and honestly forgot about most of them. Now we're at the point where most of us are married and about to start our own families. It would be nice if we could get together for "play-dates" or something when the time comes. But, now I just feel awkward contacting them. I feel like, "Hey! We haven't even thought about one another for almost 10 years now. Let's start talking again!" That just seems weird to me. If it weren't for Facebook, I don't think we'd be "friends" at all anymore.

OK....kinda sad. I know. But that's really what I would change if given the chance.

Now for the tags. I'll try my best to choose people that haven't received this award before. But if you have, consider yourself blessed :)

1. Jill....Life in Charleston

2. Jill....Finishing is Winning

3. AJH....Age Groups Rock

4. Christina....Lazy Bones Running

5. Lisa....Lisa runs? Wait...what?

6. Mellisa....Crazy or Determined?

Well, there you have it! I'll let you know some time next week that you've received this award if you haven't commented on here to let me know you saw your tag.

There is a slight chance that I will run before school tomorrow. But I do have miles planned for this weekend. My 4-mile race is 1 week away!!!

It's been a while

2010-08-28T12:43:00.004-05:00

Fought the alarm clock this morning. Woke up the first time. Reset the second alarm and then slept through it.

This wasn't what I wanted to do this morning. But, I told myself I needed to.

After I finally crawled out of bed at 7:45 and got myself dressed, Bentley kept giving me this look. You know, the puppy-dog-eyes. So I suited him up and brought him with. I also put in my new Yurbuds. (Thanks Jill!!! They were awesome by the way! If you want to win your own pair, check out Katye's giveaway here.)

As we walked down the driveway I could feel this sensation building in my stomach. It was not the Brown Monster....it was Excitement!!! I was excited to run! When we crossed the crack in the road that I always use as a starting line I was practically dancing! I have missed this feeling!

I could tell that it had been a while since I ran. My legs were tight and my stride was short. But all that mattered was that I was moving forward. Bentley and I only needed 2 short walk-breaks! Our time wasn't fantastic, but it was faster than expected.

2.01 miles in 22.12 minutes. Not bad I say.

We're running again tomorrow before I head in to get some school work done.

Happy Running!!

Eye-opener

2010-08-25T21:05:00.003-05:00

Warning!!! I will be whining a lot in this post!!!

The past 48 hours have been stressful!! I now know why teachers quit. I am by no means quitting, but I'm just saying I know why they can walk away so easily after only a few years on the job.

Holy cow!!!!

Here's a small recap of some events:

Network switch over this summer caused the entire order of assignment notebooks and grade books to disappear.....I don't have a grade book and my students don't have assignment notebooks.

Sent 8 first graders home on the wrong bus after school on Tuesday because the transportation department didn't tell us that they were labeling buses differently this year. All our buses are labeled with an "R" and then a number (R1, R2, etc.). Two buses showed up yesterday labeled RAL1 and RAL2 along with the other "R" buses. These first graders got on the RAL1 bus instead of the R1 bus. No one told us there was a difference and they don't line up in number order, so it was confusing. Ugh!!!

2nd grade started with a sub in one classroom because our principal dragged her feet on hiring another teacher....they will have a sub for at least 3 more days because of district regulations for job postings.

5th grade needed 2 more students to register in order to add a 4th section. As of 2:35 this afternoon the second student registered. Instead of posting an opening for a 5th grade teacher, the superintendent is trying to decide whether or not she should deny this student enrollment even though he lives in the neighborhood. This would force him to go to another school and keep us at max student load of 27/class instead of 20/class with a 4th section!!!!! (PS...we have contract language stating that if we exceed 27/class we must add another section.)

That SMART Board that I have.....doesn't work because I don't have a computer to power it. Received an e-mail at 3:30 saying that I could pick up my laptop if I attended a training from 3-4 at the district office this afternoon. Hmmm....I can't get the laptop without the training. No make-up session has been scheduled.

Pulled muscles at kickboxing class on Monday night and still have trouble climbing the stairs :(

Saturday! Where are you?!?!? Must run soon!!!

Wow!!!

2010-08-19T21:11:00.004-05:00

I am a lucky winner in Jill's Yurbuds giveaway!!! How awesome!!!

I have been in a funk the last couple of days and the sucky parts of life have really been getting to me. Seeing my name on Jill's blog reminded me that good things do happen and that the sucky parts are temporary. Thank you Jill for hosting an amazing giveaway!! I can't wait to try out my new Yurbuds and write a review :)

Here's an update on the school situation:

Background: I currently teach 5th grade at a school that I've been teaching at for 4 years. Over the summer, our school received grant money that allowed them to purchase a SMART Board for each grade level. This sounds great, but when you have 3 sections of each grade level, it led to some fighting over who was going to get the board in their room. I, despite having taken 2 classes and creating multiple lessons for this piece of technology, was passed over due to seniority. The teacher who received it over me simply has an "interest" in technology. She hasn't even seen one of these boards before! I have not been happy about this.

Last week, after registration numbers finally started to finalize, my principal called me and told me that I would be moving rooms to accommodate some overflow that was occurring. Let it be known that I volunteered for this move after hearing that the overflow was going to happen and a "new" teacher was going to be put into a classroom that had a SMART Board and I was going to be stuck in a room that still had a chalk board and no working printer! This overflow also meant that instead of having 27 kids in each class we would have 20 kids in each class. Perfect! A SMART Board and a small class! What more could I ask for? (This was the Lucky Day I posted about last week)

Sadly, the very next week, the superintendent calls my principal and says that enrollment numbers were goofed and that we can't have and overflow section anymore. Now we're back to having 27 students per classroom. This isn't horrible, but we won't have a lot of wiggle space in my room this year. At all. We're also only 2 students away from having an overflow section again. So I could be changing everything around again in the next week! Oh....and did I mention that we start school on Tuesday? And that is just one small part of the school drama. We still can't get into the parking lot or the bus lane because of construction. The school still needs to hire 2 more teachers. The building will be closed all weekend because they are waxing the floors so teachers can't get in to do last minute stuff. Drama. Drama. Drama. I almost don't even want to go back.

However...I still get my "dream" room with the SMART Board. Check it out!!! (This is before I was "done" decorating. And before all 27 desk found there way in here. And yes, those are the original desks from 1962 when the school was built. Some of my students' parents sat in those very same desks. Sad.)

Expect some better pictures next week :) Hopefully school starts on time without a hitch!