I Love Running!

I'm back baby! 23 miles this week, including two very intense hill workouts on Tuesday and Friday! (Note: you may have to scroll back to see my workouts from last week as I didn't realize this updated. I must find a way to get this on my blog permanently!

Happy New Year!!

I had every intention of writing this blog post last Sunday, but life got in the way and I never quite had the time to sit down long enough to write. But here I am relaxing in my apartment on Saturday night thinking about how much I love the start of the school year. The more I think about it the more I think the new year should really be in September.

Even if you are not in school anymore just think about what the start of the school year used to mean. There was so much hope and so much promise. You got new clothes, maybe a new haircut, you got new books, new notebooks, planners. You had all these great ideas to get organized and improve your grades and join all these teams and get in shape. You have all these ambitions and awesome plans and dreams. The weather is awesome. You want to be outside in early fall. It's not like in the middle of January when it's cold and there's snow on the ground and you just want to sit on the couch in your PJ's all day. But that's not how it is at the start of the new school year! In the fall optimism runs high and there isn't anything that is out of your reach.

So enjoy that new fall wardrobe, fill up your new planner with dates, mark that Turkey Trot on your calendar, enjoy all the awesome summer produce, play outside and keep your dreams alive that your team will win the Super Bowl. 'Cos the fall is all about hope!

Happy New Year!

Five for Friday

1) I didn't have to send anyone to the office in the first week of school. :O)

2) I ran 6 miles.

3) My fish is still alive! I got a fish for my classroom and am happy to report after 2 weeks Napoleon is still kicking (even after all my students harassing him).

4) I had dinner at the restaurant across the street and they returned my favorite sweater, which I left there over 2 months ago. I thought I had lost it forever!

5) I have become the official 'unofficial assistance coach' of the cross-country team and managed to recruit two kids to our tiny team this week, which gives us a top 7 for the first time in 10 years.

Wordless Wednesday

I'm not dead! School has just started up and taken over my life. Things are great so far, but then again it is only Wednesday of the first week. This is a picture for my wordless Wednesday of my commute home from work this afternoon. (Yeah, I know. I failed at being wordless.)

Endorphin Highs Rock!

So this marked the official start of my training plan for the Army Ten Miler. The past couple weeks have mostly just been about getting back into a routine and used to running distances longer than a mile. Most of my runs average 2 1/2 miles until this week and I was using the Jeff Galloway method of running for 8 minutes or so and walking for 1 to get through it. They were easy slow runs and it was more just about getting me back into a routine then anything else. Since I have gotten back to Virginia I have upped my mileage and eliminated walk breaks and I am feeling great!!

I'm also an unofficial assistant coach on the high school cross country team so I have been running with the girls on the team on the trails and that has been awesome. The high school has some great trails behind it that will be a nice change from running on the road. I think tomorrow we will probably be doing some track work, which will be a nice change. Today I knocked out 3 1/2 very hilly miles. I did not have a watch on me so I wasn't able to clock it, but I was running without music for the third straight day and I love it. I used to rely so much on music to get me up a hill or through the next mile. I love being able to get through that on my own. Today's run was by no means easy. The town I live in is called "the Hill City" or "the City of 7 Hills" after all so I guess I shouldn't have expected it to be flat. Some of the hills were pretty intense and though I know I wasn't moving very fast at times, I definitely did not stop once. I powered through the hill at the end and felt VERY strong finishing, which is how I always like to finish.

I was on such an endorphin high when I got back! I forgot how much I absolutely LOVE to run! Seriously, if running were a drug...it would be illegal. I'm definitely back and feeling better than ever. Looking forward to a Happy Hour tomorrow with my teacher pals to celebrate the end of the work week and the start of the school year. Yes, that's right, I said celebrate the start of the school year. That's what running does to me!!

Freaks and Geeks

Has anyone ever heard of this show? I was looking through my family's DVD collection for something funny to watch, not too serious and definitely lacking in romance. I saw this and knew it was perfect. The show is set at a Michigan high school in the 1980's and aired for only one season on NBC back when I was in high school. It is the truest depiction of high school on TV and actually has actors who look their age and look like people I went to high school with. It's like the Wonder Years only less cheezy and much funnier. Nobody finds their one true love in it, there are no passionate declarations of love or conversations that sound like they're from a college textbook. There are some awkward dates and breakups that are painful to watch, but this is not a show about finding your true love in the 10th grade (though I know it does happen for some people). It's a show about the awkwardness and insecurity of high school and not knowing where you belong or what you want or who your friends are. It makes me so angry that this show didn't even make it through the first season. It was such a realist show with such real characters. Not to mention it was a Judd Apatow creation with awesome actors like James Franco, Jason Segel and Seth Rogen. It definitely goes on my top 5 favorite TV shows of all time. I wonder if my family will even notice if I take them with me down to Virginia...

Maybe we got lost somewhere...

I found myself among the ranks of the heartbroken last night as I left California for New York. I knew it was coming. In my heart, I knew this Rob Thomas song that I kept hearing all summer would be our anthem. Too many of the lyrics just rang too true. Somewhere along the line we got lost.

He is too rational a thinker to get caught up in a romance based around phone calls, emails, and a week here or a week there. Things have to make sense for him. I was really hoping that I would make sense in his life and I really think I did for a while. We got caught up in a romance that took us both by surprise at a time when we both really needed each other. For the first half of our relationship he ignored the rational part of his brain and we both just got way so wrapped up in each other. I'm not the kind of person that plans their wedding when they don't even have a boyfriend or names their unborn children, but he brought all that craziness out in me. He was figuring out which furniture of ours we would use when we moved in together and including me in choosing his next duty station. We were at a point, after only a few short months, that we were planning our futures around each other when we should have just been enjoying the time together. He realized way before I did that we were moving way too fast. The logical part of his brain caught up with him eventually. He didn't say anything and when he finally did, he didn't know how to go back to where we were before.

It was a very teary goodbye on both parts and definitely not something I'll be able to shake for a while. He is not a man to wear his heart on his sleeve so seeing him cry really shook me up. All he could keep saying as he hugged me was "you're going to be fine". I have no doubt that I will be. I know I have great friends and family who will support me and I will land on my feet and be okay in the end. I'll just miss him more than I can say. I loved sharing my life with him. For 1 1/2 years he was my confidante and best friend. And now just like that, he's not there. It's horrible how breakups work like that. He wants to still be a part of my life and hear that I got in alright and made it to Virginia and that I havegood students in my classes. I'm not built like that though. Maybe down the road a friendship will make sense with him, but I don't see it happening anytime soon. I will miss him with all my heart, but I need to do what's best for me. So here starts Day 1 of JC detox. Wish me luck on the last endeavor I ever wished to embark on...

Feel Good Friday

1. I went running this week and it felt awesome! I'm very slow, but feeling better each time I go out and I hit the hill at the end of the run hard. Hitting the hill hard always helps me end the run feeling awesome about the effort I put in. Ten Miler, here I come! Speaking of...

2. I got my bib for the Ten Miler! I was starting to get frustrated with my inability to secure one, but am so happy I got it all sorted out. The circumstances of the woman I am getting it from makes it all that much more special.

3. I'm going sailing tomorrow! One of JC's classmates in the Navy is taking us out tomorrow afternoon. I have never been sailing before and have really never been a big fan of the ocean (Shark Week hasn't helped much with that), but I am so excited to go.

4. My mom and sister are having an awesome time together painting the nursery out in Wyoming. They have always had a bit of a strained relationship and had a big blow-out this June that I helped mediate the hard way (i.e having them scream at me so they wouldn't scream at each other) so it makes me so happy to know they're out there spending and enjoying this time together.

5. JC and I cooked dinner together three times this week and had a blast doing it! Neither of us are very good and we weren't too adventurous, but we have fun. I'm looking forward to grilling out some steaks tonight for my farewell dinner and hope the weather cooperates.

Wordless Wednesday

My last Wordless Wednesday from California.

Good News, Bad News

I got good news and bad news today. I guess I will start with the bad news since that is what is weighing on my mind most. I found out from my mom that my 62 year old father is in the hospital. My first thought - and I found out my sister's as well - was "heart attack". My dad works on Wall Street and is probably the most stressed out, negative person I know (which is probably where I get it from). He should have retired 2 years ago, but obviously that is not the case, and he has just been miserable and constantly worried about his job these past several years.

I'm glad to report that he did not have a heart attack, but what he did suffer was a a cat bite. Yes, you read that right, a cat bite. A cat that my family took in three years ago escaped the other day and ran under the deck. My dad tried to pull him out and he bit him on the hand and gave him a nasty puncture wound that has gotten infected pretty badly. Apparently, cat bites are reallydangerous because they can be so deep. So word to the wise, beware of cat bites! What makes the story so strange is that this cat was the most docile, gentle thing ever. Elvis was an enormous cat, but he seriously wouldn't ever hurt a fly. My 8 1/2 pound ginger kitty chased him all around the house and he never once lifted a paw at him. I'm not sure what my family is going to do with Elvis. My mom has already said she's looked into a few no-kill shelters where she can surrender him. I'm not sure what my dad wants. He used to love Elvis, but I can't imagine he's too happy with him now after 4 days in the hospital. I called him this morning and he sounds pretty miserable. Apparently they don't get ESPN2 or the financial network on TV, which he is irate about. I hope the stronger antibiotics work and he is out of there soon! I hate thinking of my dad lying in the hospital.

The much happier news, which I was happy to share with my dad since he sounded so down, is that I finally got a bib/registration for the Ten Miler! I'm getting it from a milspouse down at Fort Hood, whose husband was MEDEVACed to the military hospital in San Antonio back in 2008. So when she found out that I wanted to run for Fisher House she jumped right on it. (Her husband is fine now, just set to deploy soon thus the selling of the registration). I'm SUPER excited to have this become official and cannot wait to officially join Team Fisher House, start raising money and increasing my mileage at the end of the month. Today is a strength training day so I think I'm going to bust out my EA Active and attempt to work with the resistance band a little. The boy has free weights, but they are a bit much for me as I'm just getting back into things. I'm thinking I might walk to the beach later since the sun is starting to come out. Really anything to avoid packing and facing the fact that I leave California in 5 days...

My Running Story

So I thought after yesterday's post that today I would share my background as a runner. I'm going to go back, waaaaaay back, to how I first came into running in the first place. The reason I started running, way back when I joined the cross-country team as a scrawny middle schooler, was 'cos my brother did. Unlike my brother, I joined the track team too. I ran competitively all throughout high school, 3 seasons a year (cross-country, indoor and outdoor track). I was never all-state or anything, but I loved running and was able to go from the "B Team" to captain of the team. I am an incredibly competitive person so running is the perfect sport for me 'cos I get to be competitive with myself! I was asked to run in college, but didn't and even though I ran with my friends all through college I somehow lost that love of competition and ran mostly to stay in shape and keep off a beer gut.

I took a year long running hiatus after college, but started up again while living out at the Ranch where I took my running to a whole new level. I was just doing daily 3-5 mile runs with a friend of mine, nothing huge. Then one day this guest arrived at the Ranch and asked if any of the wranglers liked to run. We said yes so he came on a couple of our little 5 mile jaunts. Turns out he runs ULTRA marathons, which are insanely longer than marathons and usually cover a distance between 30-62 miles. He asked us if we'd like to go on a run in Grand Teton National Park with him on our day off, but we were obviously a little hesitant once we learned of the ultra-marathoning. First he suggested we run this 6 mile loop around the lake, then all of a sudden he was proposing this 13 mile run up a canyon. My friend and I both told him "no way, Jose!" but he kept insisting that we had no idea what we were capable of. And you know what? With a couple well-timed walk breaks, my friend and I ran 13.3 miles while climbing 1800 feet. It was the most amazing feeling in the world and one that I would love to duplicate. Here we are stopping for a quick photo at mile 6 after running up a HUGE hill!


Unfortunately, between grad school and student teaching, my running has all but fallen off the radar. I coach track and help with the cross-country team so I will run with my kids all the time in season, but I haven't done a great job keeping up with it on a regular basis. And I miss it! I miss the competition and I miss setting my sights on a goal and trying to achieve it. I miss trying to beat my own times and get better every race. I didn't realize I missed it so much until I came across the ad for the Ten Miler and I started thinking about running, what it means to me and why I didn't keep up with it. I didn't love running when I ran to lose weigh or stay in shape. I wasn't committed to it, I wasn't excited about it like I used to be. I did it just to do it. I don't mean to knock anyone who runs to lose weight or stay in shape! It just doesn't motivate me personally or inspire me to get better or improve my times or mileage.

Anyway, I'm sharing all this because I was hoping there were some other girls on here who call themselves runners and would like to share their stories about when, how, and why you became "a runner"!

Guess What I'm Training For?

OK, well technically registration is closed and spots in the race are sold out. However, I have it on good authority from a friend who is a road race warrior that it is fairly easy to transfer registration for a big race like this. I am so excited!!! My running this summer has not panned out like I planned and I think part of the reason for that is that I am a competitive person who likes to have something specific to train for. I need more than just "I want to get back in shape" or "I want to start running again". I like having a time and a purpose and a very specific goal. I'm currently trying to get a spot on Team Fisher House, which is a charity that assists families of wounded soldiers. This is something very near and dear to me, as a very dear friend of mine was recently wounded in Afghanistan after stepping on an IED back in June. His mother has been by his side the entire time and I would love nothing more than to run in honor of all our military families. He will be up and around by the day of the race so hopefully he and his mother can attend!

I am SO excited to train for this and hope I am able to obtain a bib. I have found several 10 week training programs, which would be just perfect. I know I can make a million excuses for why I can't run and won't have time, but if my college pal can train for the Boston Marathon while in her 2nd year of law school, I know I can do this. This will be the perfect goal and the perfect event to get my running back on track. I have completed half-marathons before and am so excited to start training and be a part of this race. I'm not really looking forward to the fall in any way, shape, or form so this will certainly give me something to look forward to!

Any blogging friends in the VA/DC area who would like to train with me and try to obtain a spot in this year's Army Ten Miler as well, let me know!