Just Running Along

I really have nothing new or exciting going on right now. My trip home to visit family and friends was so good for me and now I'm very happy to be back in my own house with my husband.

I'm just very content.

I'm running along. I'm feeling like this marathon is really possible now. Just 9 more weeks to stick to my training schedule.

*By the way, I've been tagged by Maggie at It is Everlasting in my very first blog tag. I feel like a 3rd grader who just got invited to my first slumber party by one of the cool girls! : ) Unfortunately, I don't feel like I can jump full into this one, but I did post a response on her original post.*

Back to School...Well, Not Quite Yet

About November, when I'm buried under papers to grade, desperately trying to get everything done each week, and dealing with all the daily drama of fourth grade, remind me of summertime. It's wonderful.

It took about a week after the last teacher workday, but all of the sudden, I relaxed. I stopped having dreams about teaching fractions, didn't wake up panicking about what I needed to get done before school started, didn't worry about fitting it ALL in in one day. During the school year, I have a hard time relaxing, even on the weekends; lesson plans and student issues are always churning in the back of my mind.

In about a month, I'll start my third year of teaching and my main goal for myself as a person, and not just a teacher, is to stay a little more sane. I'm starting now with a some preliminary planning and organizing for my classroom. I think a little more structure and planning will help me separate my work from the rest of my life (and thus, let me sleep a little less fitfully).

My running has the potential to make a big impact in this plan. I'm thinking about taking my running gear to school, so I can run right after the students leave (or after-school meetings). That might get me re-energized for working on grades and planning for another few hours. Another possibility is running right when I get home. The run could be my official transition from work to home.

We'll see. I have a month left to figure it out. Anybody have any ideas?

Des Moines Marathon, Here We Come!

So, you might be wondering, "Why is someone who has been running very minimally in the past few months, and only six miles at the longest, registering for a marathon? A marathon in Iowa?"

The Iowa part is easy to answer; my grandparents live there and I have not seen them in almost two years.

The marathon question requires us to back in time.

When I was a freshman in high school, I had this secret fantasy of being on the cross county team. Which seemed far-fetched at the time, because my childhood athletic career had been pretty laughable. I was the disgrace of the YMCA softball and basketball teams. My teammates sighed with dismay each time I stepped onto the field or court. In three years, I never scored a single point in either sport. (That absolutely cracks me up now, but seemed pretty tragic to my chubby middle school self.) I could not shake this thought though, that I was meant to run on the cross country team. The first time I shared this dream with my one my classmates, he laughed in my face. I still remember the look of bewilderment on his face, "Isn't that, like, over 3 miles?"

But, I ran anyway. I loved cross country. I was never super fast, but I was in the top twenty for my county senior year and that was enough for me. (By the way, five years later, my little sister is now the fastest cross country runner in the county. *heart swelling with pride*)

By my freshmen year of college, I was ready for another challenge. It seemed absolutely crazy at the time, but my mom and I decided to race a triathlon. I had swam (by the way, for what's it worth, I'm actually a far superior swimmer than runner) and run in high school but was pretty out of shape. My mom hadn't seriously run since before I was born. We completed the Angel's Race Triathlon on my 19th birthday and have never looked back. Together and separately (and now with my younger sisters as well), we have completed too many 5Ks, 10Ks, biathlons, triathlons, and half-marathons to count. (Okay, honestly, she's done way more me. It's impossible now to imagine my mom going more than two weeks without collecting a race t-shirt.)

Obviously, the final (at least as far as I'm concerned) frontier is the marathon. A few years ago, I trained for about four months for a marathon. I was up to 17 miles and absolutely obsessed and ready. Unfortunately, a few weeks before race day, a nagging knee problem reached the point of serious knee injury. Doctor's orders were no running for at least a month, lest I wanted to permanently ruin my knee. Crying and disappointed, I had to put away my running shoes and couldn't run the marathon. My mom said there'd be another time.

I've got a hard 16 weeks of training ahead of me, but I'm ready.

Y'all, it's time.

Running = Sanity

School's out and I'm almost letting myself feel a little relieved. I'm plowing through backlogged paperwork, grad school assignments, and housekeeping this week. I've made one appointment on my list. (Ironically, it is the one for the kitten, instead of me.)

Even though my mileage is not up yet, I'm definitely reaping the benefits of my daily runs. I have more energy and patience (except perhaps with my students in the last days of school), less stress, and I just feel generally happier when I run regularly.

Apparently, I'm one of the those people that have to learn the same lesson over and over again. Even though I know all the benefits of running and almost always feel instantly better after a run, I forget at least weekly. There are some days that I just do not want to get my lazy self in my running shoes and out the door. That is why I greatly benefit from a regimented program such as: run every day.

I realize that this is not a particularly practical goal and obviously not sustainable over a lifetime. I think it is possible, however, for me to run for 365 days in a row. Just for the heck of it. Just to prove to myself that I can. When I tried this two years ago I made it for 9 months. I really, really do not want to get that close again and not make it, so I'm very committed to this goal.

So, in conclusion, I'm running to accomplish an impractical (albeit attainable) goal and the side effect is a happier, less stressed, healthier me. Maybe, over time, it will even lead to a slightly smaller me. That is very purposefully not my primary goal, but it would be nice if my behind was compatible with my shorts once again.

Disclaimer: I'm no speed demon.

I just stumbled upon another running blog that I can now spend too much time reading. Danielle, however, puts me to shame. I loved looking through all the races that she's been running and am so embarrassed about my lack of real running. (In a few short weeks, school will be out and then y'all can scold me ridiculously because there will be no excuse for my patheticness.) It made me nostalgic for my real running days and hopeful for the ones to come. And then, I did a totally me thing, and spent about 1.5 hours googling up old race results to catalog and remind myself I was, and still can be a real (albeit slow) runner. So now I have that all organized.

October 26, 2002
2002 3-A Midwest Regional Cross-Country at McAlpine Park; Charlotte, NC
23:15
-

April 25, 2004
Angels Race Sprint Triathlon, Lynchburg, VA
1:56:25
-
November 14, 2004
Battleship Half Marathon; Wilmington, NC
2:41:34 (Sarah's and my first half marathon...we were so proud to finish, lol)
-
April 10, 2005
Angels Race Sprint Triathlon; Lynchburg, VA
300 M Swim- 5:37
25K Bike- 1:10:29
5K Run- 33:03
Total Time with Transitions- 1:49:09
-
April 29, 2006
Owl's Roost Rumble III 5k Run
27:22
-
May 30, 2006
Bare Bones 5K, Salisbury, NC
26:11
-

June 25, 2006

Kure Beach Double Sprint Triathlon

Swim, 375m-13:34 (There was a hurricane in the Pacific...I literally almost drowned.)

Run, 1.5 miles- 17:00

Bike, 12.4 miles- 41:56

Run, 1.5Mi- 16:31

Swim, 375 M- 9:00

Total Time with Transitions: 1:38:01

-

September 17, 2006
Angels Race Sprint Triathlon; Winston-Salem, NC
300 M Swim- 5:04
20K Bike- 48:06
5K Run- 27:52
Total Time with Transitions- 1:25:08

-

May 19, 2007

Mission Run; Salisbury, NC

26:20

-

June 9, 2007

Varmint Half Marathon; Burkes Garden, VA

2:06:36

-

June 22, 2007
5K Main Street Challenge; China Grove, NC
25:27

-

July 8, 2007

Summer Roundup Trail 12K; Colorado Springs, CO

1:27:42

-

July 28, 2007

Salisbury Greenway 5K

26:00

-

August 11, 2007

Rowan Alliance; Salisbury, NC

27:04

-

November 2, 2007

Pumpkin Festival 5K; Stateville, NC

31:05

-

November 11, 2007
Battleship Half Marathon; Wilmington, NC
1:59:55
-
April 26, 2008
Dogwood 10K; Fayetteville, NC
58:37
-
May 17, 2008
Rotary YMCA Triathlon; Statesville, NC
300 meter swim- 5:26

11.6 mile bike- 1:34

5K run- 29:16
Total Time with transitions- 1:39:05

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February 14, 2009

Myrtle Beach Half Marathon
2:23:27

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April 11, 2009

Bunny Run 5K; Concord, NC

30:46

My last 5K was fun because it was the first time both my sisters, my mom, and me have all run a race together. What was not fun was being schooled by all three...including my 54 year old mom and my first-time-racing sister. (It always has been and always will be a given that I am miles behind my speedy high school sister.) I'm looking forward to a race soon that I will not be embarrassed to post my time!

If nothing else...

Running helps clear my mind. Even if it's only one mile...in the dark...on my block. Maybe I can be a little unreasonable/stubborn. Maybe.