MedCity2016: Training Week 1

I am planning to go back to weekly training wrap-ups since I am actually training for a race. It is easier to see what my training looked like afterward if it is all in one spot rather than spread into other, more random posts.

Here is what week one of training looked like.

Monday: rest

Tuesday: 40 minute kettle bells class; although we used other equipment tonight, too. We used the step for warm-up, running up and down it, but having to do a burpee every time the phrase "thunder" came on during an AC/DC song. I know, I'm lame. I can't even remember the title, and it had to do with thunder! Then we used a medicine ball, which is something we haven't used before. There was a lot going on in the class, but it was a good workout as always.

Wednesday: planned was an hour of cardio - either cycle box, the elliptical, or a run. I left work late, and wasn't home much of the nights earlier in the week either. So, I put it off knowing I was going to get some extra time in on Thursday.

Thursday: I made plans with a co-worker to go cross country skiing after work. It was the first time in a long time I left right at 3:45/4:00! We were able to get just under an hour in, did a lot of talking, and the skiing felt good, too. Then after Ava's dance class, I went to kettle bells as usual. We did a sort of AMRAP workout for 28 minutes. For 2 minutes we did as many rounds of 5 pushups, 10 swings, and 15 goblet squats as we could, then did 2 minutes off jump rope pushing to get as many reps as possible. It got a little repetitive, but it felt good. I don't know if I did as many rounds as possible, but I was consistent through each round.

Friday: rest - Girls Night Out!

Saturday: I intended to go running (I would rather do my long run on Saturday so Sunday I can either do a shorter run or a class at the Y). However, Ava had a dance show in the morning and a play date in the afternoon, so I just never felt like I had the time to go. Chalk up a rest day!

Sunday: On a beautiful January afternoon, I headed out for my first long run of the training plan, and my longest run since October! The training plan called for 8 miles, I used Map My Fitness (used to be Map My Run) to plan out a route that said it would be 7.7 miles. It ended up being only 7.4, which was a little disappointing. The first mile was slow and the third mile was slow (ice patches and slushy transitions between train and sidewalk to deal with), but other than that my paces were fairly consistent. My ultimate goal is to get back to 12:00 minute miles or faster, but I am okay easing into it for now. I wish I would have gone a little longer, since really I felt good and I am taking that as a good sign for heading into training!

wish I would have copies the part that said it was going to be a 7.77 mile run!

This was actually on my way out the door. Happy to be heading out in the sunshine in January!

Splits	Time	Cumulative Time	Moving Time	Distance	Elev Gain	Elev Loss	Avg Pace	Avg Moving Pace	Best Pace	Calories
1	13:00	13:00	12:52	1.00	7	--	13:00	12:52	10:20	135
2	12:36	25:36	12:30	1.00	20	36	12:35	12:30	10:07	138
3	13:18	38:53	13:17	1.00	14	20	13:18	13:17	10:13	134
4	12:33	51:26	12:32	1.00	5	4	12:33	12:32	9:26	144
5	12:26	1:03:52	12:25	1.00	--	11	12:26	12:25	8:56	147
6	12:42	1:16:34	12:40	1.00	29	--	12:42	12:40	9:38	137
7	12:28	1:29:02	12:24	1.00	17	26	12:29	12:24	10:11	139
8	6:09.0	1:35:11	6:03	0.46	10	--	13:27	13:14	10:08	61
Summary	1:35:11	1:35:11	1:34:43	7.46	100	97	12:46	12:42	8:56	1,035

****
Week 1 totals:
2 strength session (kettle bells) - 80 minutes
1 hour cross country skiing
7.46 miles running - 1:35:11

Total Time: 3:55:11

Ready for week two! Ready to up my training time and mileage from here!

Canvas and Chardonnay - Girls Night Out

Up: Career

Back again with another UP post.

As I've shared before, up is my word for 2016. I chose up for the simple reason that I want to improve from last year, work on my mindset, and make positive gains in my life. In the original post, I listed several areas to focus on, and what my goal was in that area. I added the promise that I would write more detailed posts on each area with some more specific goals.

Today I am sharing where I want to go with my career!

In my original post, I shared that my goal in this area was to

• UP timeliness, decrease stress!

I love my job; but it is stressful! A major culprit of that stress is paperwork and timelines! Timelines that are hard to stick to, even with the best laid plans. There is no teacher that has an easy job, but a special education teacher has it rough! Not only do we have to prep and plan for classes, grade papers, etc., like our general education counterparts, we have to complete due process paperwork, do testing and observations on our preps, schedule and run meetings. It is really two full time jobs!

Still, it's one I wouldn't trade. I really do love what I do, and I can only get better and more efficient.

Right now, I feel like the best thing I can do to get better at my job is to be more timely. If I take care of the tedious tasks more purposefully, I know I will ultimately feel less stressed and be more present for my students throughout the day.

I could list a handful or two of things I want to do better or differently; but I am going to focus on just two things for now:

• enter grades no less than weekly to avoid build up at the end of the quarter.
• put in the time to get caught up, and leave for spring break with nothing but current tasks hanging over my head. That is roughly six weeks from now, and would feel great.

I will reevaluate right after spring break, and set new goals for the end of the year; then set some more goals to start next school year. This area is a little unique from the others since half way through the calendar year I get a change to start new.

Compilation of UP posts:
Up: Body
2016: UP

Officially Training!

Week 1 is underway!

As of Monday, I am training for the Med City Marathon! The race is May 29, Memorial Day weekend, and I have 18 weeks of training to get ready.

It's a pretty ambitious goal, but I am feeling ready for the challenge.

My plan is to follow Hal Higdon's plan for increasing my long runs; I don't have the base I'd like to have going into training, so I am really going to focus on strength training and long runs. I'll continue to build up more running the stronger I feel. I just don't want to risk injury by building up my long runs and increasing overall mileage at the same time.

My overall plan will be: 2-3 runs/cardio sessions and 2-3 strength workouts a week.

Mondays: Rest
Tuesday: kettle bells/interval conditioning
Wednesdays: cardio/run (if not running, there is a cycle box class on Wednesday nights, or I can do the elliptical.)
Thursdays: kettle bells/interval conditioning
Fridays: Rest or easy workout
Saturdays: long run
Sunday: short, easy run or cross train

Long Run:
Week 1: 8 miles
Week 2: 9 miles
Week 3: 6 miles
Week 4: 11 miles
Week 5: 12 miles
Week 6: 9 miles
Week 7: 14 miles
Week 8: 15 miles
Week 9: 13 miles
Week 10: 17 miles
Week 11: 18 miles
Week 12: 13 miles
Week 13: 20 miles
Week 14: 12 miles
Week 15: 20 miles
Week 16: 12 miles
Week 17: 8 miles
Week 18: 26.2 miles!!

It is probably the least specific training plan I've gone into training with, but I believe that if I stay consistent with workouts in general that it will be okay. I have mixed feelings about training for a marathon with the focus not necessarily on running as many miles as possible, but I've heard stories about it being a successful approach.

I won't know without trying - so here we go!

Are you typically a Type A or Type B personality when it comes to planning and training? I try to be Type A, but I get overly discouraged when I don't hit everything on the schedule; so maybe this approach will work out for me?!!?

Active Saturday!

What a fun, active Saturday we had. I already knew there was a scheduled open skate in the evening, and open skates seem to be scheduled few and far between. I had told Ava I would take her this weekend. Then last week at Girl Scouts, it was confirmed that this Saturday morning was the cross country skiing outing at the Nature Center. I was not going to miss this one! (for her or me!)

Bright and early Saturday morning, we got up, got dressed, ate breakfast and headed out the door. The girls were scheduled to ski from 9-11. The staff at the Nature Center did a great job of helping us get boots, the right size skis and poles, and gave us a quick lesson. The trails at the Nature Center are pretty flat, making it a great place to start out. This probably has also given me extra confidence that cross country skiing is not too hard. I hope to be able to try it again soon. It was a blast! I am super impressed with how Ava did, too! We might end up liking winter yet!

Here are a few pictures. I didn't take too many of the Girl Scouts, but got a few good shots of Ava!

here we go!

figuring it out!

she's off!

I can't believe I waited until I was 35 to try this!

she did great!

hot chocolate and a not super healthy lunch afterwards.

The plan for the afternoon was to clean bedrooms and the bathroom, do some paperwork, go for a run, and eat supper before heading to the skating rink. In the middle of cleaning upstairs, I laid down and took an hour nap! I don't usually take naps, so I must've been tired! When I woke up, I finished cleaning the bedrooms, made supper, and I think worked on blog posts. Not as productive as I'd like, but not a bad day by any means!

excited that Levi came with us to skate!

Needless to say, Ava went to bed without much of a fuss that night; I didn't stay up too late either! Sunday was a pretty typical Sunday - Sunday School/church, bills, laundry, lunches, football (though not as tuned into it as normal. sure wish the Packers were still in it!), grades, and an attempt to complete some assignments. I also managed to get out and enjoy a beautiful afternoon for January!

It was only point two down from last week, but I am starting to like Sunday weigh-ins. This was the second Sunday in a row of a decrease. Now if I can figure out how to pick up the pace of losing ...

don't know why it is rotated. Sorry.

The run was fairly successful. My pace is not quite where I would like it, but overall the run was consistent. (splits below). I actually felt like I ran with the same effort all the way through, I did end up with one mile quite a bit slower than the others and one mile quite a bit faster than all the others. Very strange - because I really felt okay through most of it. When I got done, I had sweat beads all over my hat and mittens. It was near perfect temperatures given the time of year though. I did a much better job dressing for the temps - I was actually a tad cold at times, but better than wearing too heavy of a layer and being too hot. I think, anyway.

Splits	Time	Cumulative Time	Moving Time	Distance	Elev Gain	Elev Loss	Avg Pace	Avg Moving Pace	Best Pace	Calories
1	12:30	12:30	12:25	1.00	--	25	12:31	12:25	9:57	140
2	12:28	24:58	12:23	1.00	12	--	12:28	12:23	9:12	144
3	12:40	37:38	12:39	1.00	39	19	12:40	12:39	10:03	140
4	12:01	49:39	11:57	1.00	--	24	12:01	11:57	8:19	150
5	12:35	1:02:15	12:30	1.00	30	--	12:35	12:30	9:15	145
6	12:42	1:14:56	12:37	1.00	--	13	12:42	12:37	8:40	144
7	0:06.1	1:15:03	--	0.01	--	--	13:53	--	12:44	0
Summary	1:15:03	1:15:03	1:14:31	6.01	81	81	12:30	12:24	8:19	863

I wouldn't normally share this entire table, but on the new Garmin Connect website, I can't figure out how to copy and share only the splits?

Overall, this is the third low key weekend we've had in a row, and I am loving the change of pace. Summer was busy (as always), fall was busy and even when we were home it seemed like we always had something going on, then it was the holidays. Apparently a slower pace and time at home was something I was needing.

What was the highlight of your weekend?

Motivational Monday: 1.25.16

Have you noticed I've been trying to include the word up, or at least find a quote where the message hints at making progress, in my motivational Monday quotes? Just one way of trying to keep my word of the year front and center.

Showing up in every single moment is something I need to keep working on. I need to not regret things from the past, long for things I want but don't have, or just wait for the future. I can't think constantly about the never-ending to-do list, whether it be tasks for home, school, or for myself.

Whatever it is I am doing in each and every minute, I just need to be present and focused. By far it makes it easier to get things done. It makes it easier to enjoy the down times and the fun times. It reduces stress.

This week I want to show up by:

• picking just one night to stay at work late, and leave by 5/5:30 every other night.
• not feeling guilty when I go out with friends Friday night! Can't wait for our night at Canvas and Chardonnay.
• finding ways to focus; when I am on prep at work, focus on the paperwork, when doing homework, focus on the assignment; when I am with Ava, focus on her with the phone and computer put away, etc. Be present in the moment; get the task done!

What stands in your way of showing up every moment?

One Year Ago

One year ago, Saturday, January 24, 2015 ...

(TMI) - I had just gotten up and I was sitting on the toilet. I can't remember if it was 7:15 or 7:45, but either way, when my phone rang and the screen said, "dad cell", my heart sort of jumped. I just knew it wasn't going to be a good phone call. My dad is just not the one to initiate phone calls on a regular basis, so calling before 8 in the morning was a pretty good clue.

Honestly, at first, I thought it was going to be about my brother. My brother likes to drink, back in the day got some DUIs (driving under the influence). At this time last year, he was still working in a restaurant, and I know there were nights he drank after work. It has always been a fear of mine. It is part potential reality and part my worrisome personality.

So, I answered the phone. I don't remember exactly how he broke the news, but he told me he was sitting in the ER with my mom. Obviously I asked some questions, and the news he shared was that a CT Scan at the hospital showed what they believed to be an aneurysm. That they were getting ready to bring my mom to Milwaukee via Flight for Life. I asked as many questions as I could in the time that he had. I also remember asking is he was alone; he had been alone but assured me my brother was on his way to the hospital and that they would be driving together to Milwaukee.

Between that phone call and the following phone calls with my sisters, I found out mom had woken up to get ready for work. While brushing her teeth, she got a terrible headache - what we later learned is called a thunder clap headache, the worst headache in your life, that happens when blood and fluid in the brain is not where it is supposed to be! - she proceeded to get ready for work and actually drover herself to work. She pulled over and threw up two times in just a mile or two. When she got to work, she pulled up to where she knew the smokers would be and told them something wasn't right. She couldn't even get out of her car. They called my dad, and while they were going to drive her to the hospital, they ended up calling the ambulance.

No one could tell me what was going to happen. I knew it could be serious; I also knew it was likely good news that she was awake and alert. But what if? I don't remember the time line exactly, but give or take a few minutes of an hour, and I had decided I couldn't just sit over 5 hours away. We got the dog to the kennel, Chad's cousin agreed to take Ava, and Chad and I headed to Milwaukee. It was the longest drive of my life. I had no idea what I would be walking into.

Thankfully, everything turned out okay. I am skipping parts of the middle, because I am pretty sure I've shared them on the blog on and off over the last year. They told us right away that first week that she would be in the hospital at least 3 weeks; Mom was in the ICU for over two weeks, the Neurology floor for a week, the had a bout with delirium and went back to the ICU. She spent another week or two on the rehab floor, before finally going home six weeks after the whole ordeal began. It was a roller coaster for sure.

I drove between here and Milwaukee 6 times in 7 weeks! I was glued to my phone looking for updates when I wasn't there; when I was there I missed Chad and Ava; and keeping up at work and around the house was not possible!

I am not exaggerating when I say the determination and positive attitude my mom approached her therapy with was admirable. She did three months of outpatient therapy, and since then has done amazing at going to Planet Fitness and doing her own therapy at home. There have been some really difficult changes and transitions, but she's done everything she could. Physically there is very little in terms of effects. Most of the lasting effects have been in mood, emotional regulation, memory, things like that. She can't return to work, and even though it came in the most unexpected of circumstances, is trying to the enjoy retirement!

Today, I am celebrating that we made it through the last year. Today, I am thankful that God wasn't ready to take my mom yet! This is a much better anniversary than what could have been.

Today, I am extra grateful and will remember to enjoy every moment with what I have, and who I have in my life. You just never know.

August 2014

September 2014

Christmas 2014 - a month before (bad lighting!)

Christmas 2015 - blessed!

Our family! So grateful!
 (but can you see the effects the year had on me? Seriously, compare it to July. Ick!)

Up: Body

Here is my original Up post; up is my word for 2016. I chose up for the simple reason that I want to improve from last year, work on my mindset, and make positive gains in my life. In the original post, I listed several areas to focus on, and what my goal was in that area. I added the promise that I would write more detailed posts on each area with some more specific goals.

Since this started as a running blog, but is morphing into a life blog, I thought I would start on body.

My goal in this area is to:

• UP  muscle tone, decrease fat and weight.

I worked really hard to set all my goals in the positive sense to stick with the theme of going up rather than the negative. The opposite of simply losing weight is to increase muscle tone. Obviously I had (and have had for some time) a goal weight in mind; however, I am not sure I will ever actually meet it. I've hit the upper 160's three times since January 2012, four times going back to 2008, and have then plateaued. Summer 2014 I actually got to the point that I was okay that I wasn't losing more because I knew I was toning up and was feeling strong. I'd be okay just to get to that point again; so rather than focusing just on the scale, I want to also know I am toning up and getting strong again. And I wouldn't complain if a lower number on the scale came along with it.

Other things I want to do in this area:

• UP my running mileage
• UP my healthy eating - I don't eat terrible, but I don't do everything I can to stay on track either
• UP my water intake
• UP my workout consistency from where it was in 2015

Action steps:

• train!! run. It will absolutely help that I have races on the calendar that I am training for. However, I do need to be more purposeful about what days I am going to work late, and what days I am going to run. Right now it is easier to fit in a weekend run or two, but I need to make sure I set aside some time to run during the week, too. I have to add, it will help as the days continue to get longer!
• I just need to keep some of my go-to treats out of the house! I usually have a little snack each night, but making healthier snack choices would help.
• My action step with this one is to start bringing my water bottle to work with me again; lately I've been brining bottled water. Actually, I even forgot that twice this week! I haven't been substituting it with extra pop or anything like that, but haven't been getting the water in either. Time to really focus on getting one full bottle in before lunch. That seems to have a good effect on getting a second one in during the afternoon.
• The hard part with this one isn't planning the workouts; it's working around everything else life has to offer! Tuesday and Thursday kettle bells are no brainers! I love that class. I'd like to pick one more cross training class I can get to regularly, and then make sure to get in two-three runs each week. I really just need to carve out the time, and make it happen.

Ideally, with these goals in mind and being purposeful about them, the ultimate goal of toning up and losing weight will come!

Weekend Rewind

I really, really agree with the statement that there should be a day between Saturday and Sunday! Don't you? I mean, how did we end up with a five day work week and only a two day weekend anyway?!!?

I had a lot on my agenda for the weekend:

get all grading done. - I didn't. :( I got it done during our work time on Monday though. My goal for third quarter is to enter grades no less than every week!

hopefully write some of those over due IEPs - well, if I didn't get the grading done that was due Monday afternoon, I didn't do the IEPs either. Ugh. I always have the best intentions of getting paperwork done from home, but once I am home I have so much other stuff to do. I don't consider myself a bad teacher, but I don't know how others do it!

read three chapters in my Special Ed Law book to stay caught up on assignments. - I am about half way through Chapter 1. It is not the most exciting read yet! My quiz opens tomorrow and I have until Friday to take it. It is a 30 minute timed test, so I need to read the chapters first.

run six miles (on the treadmill at the Y because it is supposed to be another frigid weekend) - I went to the Y Saturday afternoon with the intent of getting in 6 miles. I stopped at 3.32 miles. I was not averaging the pace I would have liked, and every time I bumped the speed up to where I wanted to be (and where I ran last weekend) my hip was really tight and sore. I honestly think it was from running on the treadmill last weekend, as the treadmill just does something to my gait. I suppose I could have just slowed down, but I was too impatient, I guess.

clean the living room and put away Christmas - it took most of the day on Saturday and I had to keep refocusing as I got sidetracked, but I got it done. As you can see, even though we have lived in our house nearly two years I have yet to commit to throw pillows, curtains, or a picture for above the big couch. In due time!

 

cheer on the Packers! - cheer I did! Loud. Even though Ava was in bed. I assured Chad that if she woke up, she would go back to sleep! What an emotional game it was. We were so close, but fell short! :( Til next season, Pack!

go to church - they cancelled Sunday School due to the extreme cold we were having, so I stayed home from church, too.

take Ava to an ice skating lesson - she loved it! She came off the ice and said to me, "can I do this forever now?" She really wants to keep going to lessons. They are entering their show session, and even though they told me she could join for that session, it just doesn't make sense to me. If they get enough interest (basically to cover ice time costs) they will hold a shortened session in spring, and I will let Ava try it. If she loves it then, we will do the full year next year.

 

relax?!!? - yeah, I did a little bit of that, too. Here's some other random pictures, and things I did. 

laundry! Not only my normal 2-3 loads over the weekend, but I had to back track and put away probably a month's worth. Yes, I've just been taking clean stuff out of the folded baskets for the last couple of weeks. But - as of Sunday evening, it is all put away. Her socks are paired back up, drawers organized, and dirty hampers filling back up ...

I've been tracking my weight pretty consistently since November 19 - which was the "4 months til we go to Disney" mark. For literally four weeks I weighed in at exactly 190.2; and let me tell you I weigh myself more often that I should. The last week, I had been up to 192 for some reason. Finally Sunday morning I had a nice little surprise. Now I will admit that Monday morning was back to 190.2, but I am still glad to be down from 192 and hope it is not a fluke. I don't know why I am struggling to get going with the weight loss. I feel like I have been working so hard since I refocused in May, and it has been frustrating for it to be so slow to come off.

chili for supper on a bitter cold weekend. Yum.

I also prepped and planned some blog posts in my down time. Or instead of reading SPED Law. :)

What were your weekend highlights?

Motivational Monday: 1.18.16

I am the type of person that often either lives in the past, or lives in the future. Neither is perfect, as we all know that the best place to be is in the present. That the best thing to do is to live each day for what it is, and give thanks for what we have. However, we can't change the past, but choices we make today can impact our future.

I am going to work on  not wallowing in the past, letting go of regret, and not comparing myself or my life to what I thought it would look like.

Instead, I am going to enjoy today, love the people I have in my life, strive for success, and believe there are things I am meant to go out and do in this life.

I will not forget the past; the past is still a part of who I am. There are moments and memories that I don't want to forget. I will carry those things with me forever, and uses them for what is to come.

This year I am making the rest of my life the best of my life by looking Up. Moving forward. Pushing onward.

This week, I want to:

• up balance between work and personal (mainly my me time, workouts)
• up quality time with Ava. too often our evenings/weekend become mundane instead of purposeful. Planning to take her to open skate next Saturday; she'll love that.
• up the planning for our spring break trip! I purchased the airline tickets last week; this week I want to pay the remaining balance on the resort reservations so that we can start budgeting spending money for the trip and getting savings built back up! It'll be a nice weight lifted off the to-do list!

What is your focus on this week? Are you a thinker/planner or more of a live in the present/doer type?

2016 Race Calendar

Here it is. My tentative 2016 race calendar. The only two I am officially registered for are the April half and the May marathon.

• February: Paint the Town Pink 5k; though they still haven't updated registration information? PTTP is a annual extravaganza with a month of activities and fundraisers meant to raise money to fight breast cancer. All money raised at these events go to the Hormel Institute, right here in Austin. They've expanded from a simple Paint the Rink Pink even to start, to many events county-wide now. 5k, polar plunge, ice fishing, high school pink-out games, etc. This is an untimed fun-run, but something is better than nothing.
• April: Earth Day Run half-marathon. I was registered for this event last year, but didn't run it. I never started my training when my mom got sick. This will be my sixth Earth Day event since 2009; it was my first ever race, a 5k, in 2009, skipped in 2010 because I was pregnant, 2011 ran the 5k, 2012 ran the 5k, 2013 (no recap from that race that I can find?) ran the 5k, and 2014 finally ran the earth day half. Looking forward to returning for 2016!
• May: Med City Marathon. Yes, maybe this was an impulsive decision when I came back this summer/fall and ran two half-marathons on inconsistent training to register for this race. I wanted to keep my base and challenge myself. Do something to make me feel like I had overcome 2015. I do think I can do it, but I wish I had a better base built up leading to official training beginning. Getting excited, yet nervous to be in official training mode!
• July: Hog Jog 5 mile. A local race that I've done twice before - in 2012 and 2014. I haven't seen this year's date posted yet, so I hope they are just behind on advertising; I feel like in the past the date is out for sure by the winter Y brochure release date. I'll keep my eyes peeled to the summer brochure for sure! Assuming we are home for this race (last year we weren't) this is a fun and easy one to add to the schedule.
• September: Graniteman 10k or half. I've done one Graniteman event in the past; in September 2014. The 10k I did that year is actually my 10k PR. It usually falls the weekend after Labor Day, so right after a busy summer and the start of school. I don't always feel up for traveling that weekend, but it is always fun to see friends up in that area. I liked the route when I ran it last, but I know they changed their course last year. I believe we have a wedding the day this is set for this year. That is both good and bad; we'll already be up there, but I'll have to see what time the festivities start.
• September: Med City fall half. I ran the inaugural fall half in September and really enjoyed the course and the atmosphere. Fall can be a busy time for us; this is currently scheduled for the weekend we had a family reunion this year. I guess I'll have to see where dates land and take it from there.
• October: Mankato Marathon. I've ran the Mankato half-marathon two years in a row now, and it is absolutely turning into one of my favorites. They seriously have some of the best cheer zones I've experienced, a great route, and a fun atmosphere. I would love to make the jump up to the full for this race; but honestly likely won't decided until after May. After my first marathon in 2014 (and only thus far) I thought about sticking to 13.1, my training was hard! Yet after finishing felt I could do better, and knew eventually there would be at least one more. Will there be a third? I don't know, but either way I hope to return to Mankato!

I am not against adding in some additional races, mainly shorter ones, as I see them advertised. I am never against some November and December runs, but that time of year races around here start to dwindle and I am not as open to traveling. Still, I feel like I have a good schedule here, that will keep me challenged and motivated throughout the year!

One thing is for sure; 2016 can't be worse than 2015. I pray, anyway.

There are two other fun races I wouldn't mind trying out:

• July: Rochester Eco-Tri Adventure Races. I found this race last summer when I was browsing the Rochester Track Club website. I have a sister who owns a kayak, a sister who does triathlons, and me. So if first came to life as something fun for us to do together. I'll have to give them the date and see if they want to plan for it!
• September: St. Croix Valley Triathlon. So, secretly, I wouldn't mind trying a triathlon. Last year, I was browsing website - this one happened to be Final Stretch - who puts on Med City and Mankato. I was looking for additional 5k or 10k races, and came across a link to triathlons they put on. They posted about a rookie experience, which may or may not help me. There are a few things that I just don't know about. I suppose a lot like my first running race, I feel very hesitant, timid, and unqualified. I love water, can swim, but not good at the technical aspects of swimming. I enjoy biking, and own a mountain bike, but have never even thought about biking competitively. I don't want to feel odd if I am the only one out there with a mountain bike, but am not ready to commit to a road bike. So, there is a lot of thought to put into this one. I don't know!

What are your 2016 race goals? Do you like a tightly planned schedule or register freely?
Ever tried a tri? What would be your words of wisdom?
What are your thoughts on being part of a track club? Worth the benefits or a waste of money to do what you already do?

Just for Kix: Winter Show 2016 (how is it Friday already?)

Whoa.

Where did this week go? It was like I blinked at it was gone. On Monday, I shared some goals for the week -

taking advantage of a four hour paperwork celebration put on by our special services director.

staying on track with workouts.

getting spring semester off to a successful start - no falling behind like I did in fall!

Here is how the week played out:
Monday - worked until 6:30. I didn't put much of a dent on my pile of backlogged paperwork, but I took care of some tedious tasks and printing that needed to get done.
Tuesday - I did indeed take care of some of that to-do list. It wasn't the major stressors of my list, but I got some progress reports typed up.
Wednesday - It was closer to 6 than not again by the time I got home from work; I opted not to go workout. I was tired from the night before, had a goal to get some things done, and stuck close to home.
Thursday - worked until it was time to get home and bring Ava to dance and then we went to the Y. Kettle bells!
Friday - tonight has been pretty low key. I just watched Super Bowl I on NFL Network, and typed my first paper of spring semester.

I did meet two of the three goals I had set out to meet. Maybe last week I focused too much on workouts (not really, but it is all about finding a balance right now). I hate that it has come to feeling like working out three nights in a row (like I did last week) is too one sided. I know I will get back to a point where my job is not so overwhelming, but right now I am not there. I have to catch up for that to happen. So frustrating. Mostly because I had some control that I didn't manage in getting here. But I am getting off-topic.

This weekend my plans are to:

• get all grading done.
• hopefully write some of those over due IEPs
• read three chapters in my Special Ed Law book to stay caught up on assignments.
• run six miles (on the treadmill at the Y because it is supposed to be another frigid weekend)
• clean the living room and put away Christmas
• cheer on the Packers!
• go to church
• take Ava to an ice skating lesson
• relax?!!?

Yeah - it's a lot. Yeah - it needs to happen.

****
Anyway. Here is a video from Ava's dance show last weekend. She's on the right, somewhat blocked by people's heads at times! So fun to watch her progress. Can't believe this is her third year of dance already!

Motivational Monday: 1.11.16

UP. Up. up.

My theme for 2016.

This quote is a perfect reminder. It is not about where you currently are. It is about where you want to be. It is about what you are willing to do to get there. Sometimes it is about taking that first step even if you don't believe it yet. You just need to go. Never give up.

There are a few things at the top of my mind this week to help me achieve my goal of going up this year:

• taking advantage of a four hour paperwork celebration put on by our special services director.
• staying on track with workouts.
• getting spring semester off to a successful start - no falling behind like I did in fall!

What are your goals for this week? What are you doing to get there?

Fun Buys! and a saturday run

I'll start with the fun buys! We had some Christmas money left to spend, so headed out to Shopko. Really our purchases were pretty practical.

I couldn't resist the conversational hearts sitting right by the register!

Ava wanted hers photographed, too!

new kitchen rags and towels!

a new bathroom rug! I sort of regret not getting the bigger one, but then I'd probably think it took up too much space!  

Then since Chad had already gotten some tools, I got some clothes. Maurices, of course. A navy tank, a pair of olive (?) jeggings, and two scarves.

Not pictured: bedding for the camper! That was really the bulk of the purchase. We have three beds in the camper (not counting the table when folded down). We got a pink camouflage comforter for Ava's twin bed,  and a queen green camo. We still need a king size one for the other bunk, but they didn't have one. At least not in the color I wanted. We'll have to keep our eyes open for sales between now and camping season!

The big project for the day was organizing Ava's closet and toys; making room for new ones. She was hesitant to let me get rid of baby toys, but I do have a box to donate or sell at a garage sale. My goal for the day was to get the house cleaned, and put away Christmas decorations. Chad cleaned some downstairs. I didn't even make a dent in  packing up decorations. A project like organizing and sorting toys takes up so much time! And you can barely tell anything was done (unless you've seen the closet before!) At least it is done!

In progress!

done! 

from this view, the closet still looks crowded. Its not a huge closet, but it down hold a bunch of her toys. Hope everything stays sorted and in it's place for awhile, anyway!

When I was about 3/4 of the way done with that project, I opted to head to the Y for a run on the treadmill. I was hoping it would be just barely warm enough to sneak an outside run in, but when I checked my weather app throughout the day the feel like temps were -12, -15, and -19. Going in the wrong direction! I did 5 miles, and just barely missed finishing in an hour. I'd like to be faster than a 12:00 min average, but compared to my recent outside runs I feel good knowing I can maintain that pace. I stuck with a .1/.9 walk - run ratio. I walked at 3.6 mph, and ran between 5.2-5.5 - approximately 11:00-11:30 paces.

I just got those tights with our Christmas money, too! Clearance for 9.99! Part of their winter line; nice lining on the inside. Probably didn't need to wear them running inside, but wanted to try them out!

 

Sunday is slated to be pretty busy for us: Church/Sunday School, laundry, parent meeting for Girl Scouts, dance show, and both of our teams play in the playoffs! Ugh. Tired and stressed just thinking about it. I wanted to take Ava to a skating lesson (she gets three free), but it is at the exact time as the parent meeting. Sad! Hopefully we can try it out soon.

How as your Saturday? Plans for Sunday?

I'll be back Monday with a new post!

New Shoes; New Approach

I had the perfect way to spend some Christmas money ...

New running shoes!

The shoes I had were nearing a year old, and while they didn't have very many miles on them they had seen better days. 2015 was a very low mileage year for me, but I did wear them for cross training, too. For comparison, the last couple of years I have gone though two pairs of shoes a year, by putting 400-600 miles on a pair. I typically use old shoes for cross training until the old ones need to be retired for good.

I have been running in Asics for over two years now. The last three pairs of shoes I've ran in, including a pair of Brooks, have torn on the outer side of my right foot - right along my little toe. The last pair of shoes that didn't rip (that I remember) were the last pair of shoes I didn't buy at the running specialty store. Interestingly, enough.

The ones I am replacing seemed to have ripped the quickest despite the lower mileage. They would have been hard to continue to cross train in, so my new approach to buying shoes was to buy two pair! It helped that Asics were on sale for 20% off.

They are both Asics 1000 - 4. The difference is the one on the left has a gortex layer (?) and a thicker tread. The salesperson recommended them for winter training, and while I was hesitant, I am glad I went with them. I have ran in them twice this week - on snowy paths - and my feet have stayed dry. I do plan to run in both of them, but am also going to use the lighter ones to cross train in. I may still do some cross training in my old ones despite the one inch tear!

I was going to attempt to buy 9-wide to see if they would reduce the likelihood of having to worry about them ripping, but they didn't have any. Again, the salesperson suggested going with 9 1/2 and said the difference in size is about the same. I am a little bit skeptical; in my head 9 1/2 are going to be longer versus wider. At this point, with two workouts a piece, I like the fit of the gortex ones better. The "regular" ones feel loose through the toes, but overall both are comfortable.

There you have it. Two new pairs of shoes and a new approach to buying shoes. I've never gotten two new pair at the same time! For now, most of my outdoor runs will be in the gortex ones, but I hope to run my spring races in the lighter, not gortex ones. I don't plan on them lasting all year, but I hope that they will lost longer than if I had brought just one new pair.

***
In the workout world, I headed to kettle bells tonight. She asked what we wanted to work on. Someone was brave enough to say core. We used kettle bells, gliders, and a small ball (like a stability ball but much slower). And we did work our core. I'll be shocked if I don't feel sore tomorrow - or even Saturday since some of her workouts hurt more two days later!

***

What is your go-to running shoe brand? Anything you'd change about them?
How do you rotate out your shoes?

Book Report: Leaving Time

 

 

I used my Christmas break (mainly the time in the car) to pick up where I left off on Leaving Time, by Jodi Picoult. It was one I had started late summer or sometime this fall, then got busy and never finished. I was glad to finally have the time to read!

 

Here is the description from Amazon:

 

"Throughout her blockbuster career, Jodi Picoult has seamlessly blended nuanced characters, riveting plots, and rich prose, brilliantly creating stories that “not only provoke the mind but touch the flawed souls in all of us” (The Boston Globe). Now, in her highly anticipated new novel, she has delivered her most affecting work yet—a book unlike anything she’s written before.

For more than a decade, Jenna Metcalf has never stopped thinking about her mother, Alice, who mysteriously disappeared in the wake of a tragic accident. Refusing to believe she was abandoned, Jenna searches for her mother regularly online and pores over the pages of Alice’s old journals. A scientist who studied grief among elephants, Alice wrote mostly of her research among the animals she loved, yet Jenna hopes the entries will provide a clue to her mother’s whereabouts.

Desperate to find the truth, Jenna enlists two unlikely allies in her quest: Serenity Jones, a psychic who rose to fame finding missing persons, only to later doubt her gifts, and Virgil Stanhope, the jaded private detective who’d originally investigated Alice’s case along with the strange, possibly linked death of one of her colleagues. As the three work together to uncover what happened to Alice, they realize that in asking hard questions, they’ll have to face even harder answers.

As Jenna’s memories dovetail with the events in her mother’s journals, the story races to a mesmerizing finish. A deeply moving, gripping, and intelligent page-turner, Leaving Time is Jodi Picoult at the height of her powers.

 

***

I've not read a ton of Picoult's books, but I feel like the ones I have read tend to start slow. They can be hard to get into. This one was no different. However, if you stick with it and get into the storyline, it will hook you. Just when I thought I had it figured out, the plot took a turn I wasn't expecting. Just as I thought I figured out the twist, it turned again! I wasn't sure I liked the last twist, but it was different and thought-provoking. I've not yet read the novella that was included in my kindle version of the book (Larger that Life), which it says takes place before the events of Leaving Time. I plan to read it still.

 

Overall, I'd give this book 3.5/5 stars.

 

***

 

Quick update on workouts:

 

Sunday 1/3: I snuck in a 4 mile run. It was icy/snow covered in spots. I ran on the road at times, the sidewalk when I could, and just kept trucking. It didn't feel great, but it wasn't terrible. In general, it ended up being a lot slower than it actually felt. I wasn't intentionally pushing myself, but I wasn't trying to hold back either. I am glad that the two miles that had the less ice/snow were the fastest two.

 

Splits	Time	Cumulative Time	Moving Time	Distance	Elev Gain	Elev Loss	Avg Pace	Avg Moving Pace	Best Pace	Calories
1	12:38	12:38	12:33	1.00	--	25	12:39	12:33	8:29	146
2	12:59	25:37	12:55	1.00	21	8	12:58	12:55	8:35	142
3	12:50	38:27	12:38	1.00	16	--	12:50	12:38	9:30	146
4	12:29	50:56	12:27	1.00	10	10	12:29	12:27	8:53	147
5	0:52.0	51:48	0:48	0.05	--	--	18:12	16:49	11:27	7
Summary	51:48	51:48	51:21	4.05	46	43	12:48	12:41	8:29	588

 

 

Monday 1/4: planned rest

 

 

Tuesday 1/5: kettle bells. We did lots of upper body work - with sets of push-ups between exercises. Then we did a finisher of one minute swings, one minutes abs - and went back and forth probably five times.  My shoulders were burning when this one was done, and my forearms were unusually tight and sore when holding the kettle bells doing swings.

 

 

Wednesday 1/6: run 3.7 miles. Extra proud of the fact that when I walked out of work it was snowing, much to my surprise, and I still went for a run! I have apparently not paid enough attention to the weather forecast. Still, I was a little bit disappointed that my pace seemed really slow again. I was a little cautious being on the snow, and not knowing where ice might be underneath, but like the other day, didn't feel like I was running slow - just felt like I wasn't pushing. If that makes sense. Still, a run is a run. I'm going to try not to read too much into the pace - because I know it could be the weather, snow, cold - all the fun things that come with the change of season.

Splits	Time	Cumulative Time	Moving Time	Distance	Elev Gain	Elev Loss	Avg Pace	Avg Moving Pace	Best Pace	Calories
1	13:01	13:01	12:59	1.00	7	30	13:02	12:59	8:49	136
2	13:12	26:14	13:10	1.00	6	7	13:12	13:10	10:23	130
3	13:23	39:37	13:15	1.00	11	7	13:23	13:15	10:30	131
4	9:39.3	49:16	9:29	0.70	34	16	13:44	13:29	10:10	91
Summary	49:16	49:16	48:53	3.70	58	61	13:18	13:12	8:49	488

 

 

I leave you with picture proof that I was out running in the snow - which looked much prettier in person that on the picture!

 

 

Reading anything good lately?

Most recent workout?