back in action

I am a runner.

And when I say that, I don't just mean I run often.

I am a runner.

I am a runner because when I don't run,

I jones and seethe until I can run again.

These last three weeks I've been sidelined

due to a nagging knee pain.

A tight IT band was the diagnosis.

Rest, ice and strengthening was on order.

And no running until it felt better.

Then, add on a nasty three day cold.

I basically was a caged animal,

raging to get out and cause havoc.

I awoke this morning finally feeling normal.

A slight tinge in my knee, but nowhere near 

how it once felt.

I decided today was the day.

Today was the day I could return.

After all, Warriors don't quit.

As I tied my shoelaces,

I realized,

This is what being a runner feels like.

All you want to do is run.

And when you're not running,

all you can think about is running.

Glad to be back.

And can't freakin' wait to

let the marathon training begin!

Reflections...

Sometimes when we're well on our way,

we forget where we started.

Or when we cross that finish line,

we forget that first day of training

and what it felt like.

Reflection is a powerful, powerful thing.

My cousin emailed me the other day

to share with me that she's thinking about starting running.

I excitedly emailed her back,

trying not to overwhelm her with all my "getting started" ideas,

and then began reflecting on my own beginning.

I didn't start running until 

my third semester of my teaching credential.

It was my mentor teacher 

who inspired me to try it out.

"How was your weekend?" I'd ask.

"Oh my husband drove me to ________

so I could do _______ race."

I played soccer on the weekends,

and visited the gym once or twice a week,

but nothing crazy.

I finally said to myself,

If she can do it, so can I!

I started by running

to a stoplight in my neighborhood and back.

Ha!  I can remember multiple days

feeling crazy for trying this "sport."

Rubbing my side,

waving my hands over my head,

hoping for the side ache to just go away.

And sometimes, just plain giving up and walking.

I probably looked like a huge idiot.

But something kept me going.

Soon, I was able to make that run

without stopping.

And then came the addiction.

That summer I worked as a camp director.

I had to report to work by 7am.

By the time I'd get home from work,

it'd be blazing outside

and running on the treadmill became less fun.

I'm not really sure how I convinced myself into this,

but I started setting my alarm
 for 5:45am two times a week,

just so I could sneak in an early morning run.

Whaaaaaa?

Who was this girl?

---Flash Forward---

Here I am now.

I would call myself a real runner.

Obviously I'll never be an Olympian

or win my age group in a race.

But I'm a runner.
I relish on improving as much as I can.

And I honestly never thought I'd be where I am now

when I first started the trot to that stoplight long ago.

----

Teaching and running are so similar,

it's actually kind of nuts.

Maybe that's why runners make good teachers.

And/or vise-versa.

The end of the school year always brings a reflection

of where we are and where we've come from.

And, more importantly, where we want to go.

Though I came into my "first year of teaching"

with a lot of experience in a TON of classrooms,

I think I've grown more than I ever imagined

in these first two years of teaching.

I feel like I've finally found my teaching identity

and I'm excited to see where it's going to take me.

How it will evolve.

And I'm sure in a few years,

I'll look back and reflect on my first two years teaching

and view them as my runs to the stoplight.

Because things will look so differently then.

I can't wait for that day.

It's hard to see the finish line when you're so early in.

But looking back from the finish line,

that's the fun part.

And when you finish,
that's only the start to another race.

summersummersummer!

Running is a mental game.

And sometimes teaching is too.

While running miles and miles

it's easy to become bored,

frustrated even.

But when those moments arise,

it's important to give your mind a reason to wander

just so you forget all about the 

temptation to give up.

Only 18 teaching days until summer vacation!

And so, with that, I have decided

upon 18 things that I hope to do this summer
to give my mind a little motivation
to daydream about
"My Best Summer Ever."

My Best Summer Ever will include...

1. Road trips - South Lake Tahoe for my family reunion, Santa Cruz with my mom, and more!

2. Watching So You Think You Can Dance! I vow to not miss an episode this year!

3. Spend as much time by the river as possible! 

4. Early Morning Runs to beat the heat
5. Camping - hopefully beach camping so I can cross something off my 30 things before I'm 30 list
6. Bike Rides galore! - I hope that this is the summer my brother and I actually follow through on our plan to bike ride from Sunrise to Negro Bar.
7. Making salsa and trying out other fun recipes with the tomatoes I am growing.
8.  Spending lots of time by the pool while getting a great tan.
9.  Paddle Boarding for the 1st time! 
10. Sewing projects with Abuela 
11. Finally learning a weights routine at the gym
12. Eating a crap-TON of my favorite summer fruits - cantaloupe, strawberries, pineapple, blueberries, raspberries, etc!
13. Baking/cooking as many of the recipes I've pinned on Pinterest as I can.
14. Watching Baseball - Rivercats, Giants, A's, who cares!
15. Saving money to plan an AMAZING Disney trip for my Fall Break/Birthday
16.  Antiquing/Thrifting a little more often 
17. Reading at least 1 book for every week of summer vacation- 7 total!
18. Donating - Time & things I don't use anymore.

You ever hear people talk about a

"runners high?"

Well, this is all where it stems from.

Mental games.

Because when you allow yourself

to daydream or make lists in your head

you forget what mile you're on

and you just keep on going.

Before you know it,

you're done!

And the best part has arrived!

The finish line!

30 things before I'm 30: #2

A friend of mine from my running group

invited me to sign up for this race a few months ago.

I wouldn't consider myself a Diva

but she was new to Sacramento

and I'd never done a race outside of my city.

Sounded like a pretty good idea.

Not to mention her informing me that the finish line would

greet me with pink champagne,

pink roses, a pink boa, and a medal given to me

by a shirt-less firefighter.

SOLD!

I guess you wouldn't call this race a 

destination race but for me it was

only because it was my first race outside of Sacramento.

So technically, I can cross something off my

30 things before I'm 30 list.

Here's a list of true destination races I have on my list so far:

-Disneyland Half Marathon

-Wharf to Wharf from Santa Cruz to Capitola

-Rock and Roll San Diego

-Big Sur Half Marathon

-Bloomsday 12k in Spokane, WA

 and I'm sure they'll be many, many more!

a little sleep can be magic!

Maybe all I needed was a nap...

Because today,

I felt like little miss sunshine!

At track practice, a parent asked me

"Did you drink one of those Monster drinks?"

Nope.

No energy drinks.

Just a little dose of a nap afterschool,

an early bedtime,

and 15 extra minutes to let myself "sleep in" this morning.

And wha-lah!

Ahhhh....

And the best part is,

Tomorrow is Friday!

Oh the things sleep will do for you!

What sunshine and perspective it brings!

Hopefully all this sunshine of mine

will bring me a nice little PR

at my race this weekend.

*fingers crossed*

And if all else fails,

a friend reminded me,

there's always another race to enter.

the fight

It's not the size of the dog in the fight,

but the size of the fight in the dog.

Well, people, let me tell you

this girl's got fight!

I am doing all I can to power through

these last few weeks of school.

Track meet trials.

State testing.

Friend's wedding Saturday.

Half marathon this Sunday.

State testing again.

Track meet finals.

End of the year benchmarks.

Then four weeks of school left.

I've got this!

Teaching is like a marathon.

You feel like a rockstar during some of the miles.

Then a few more later, 

you want nothing more than a glimpse of that finish line.

All you can do in the meantime,

is give yourself a little pep talk,

drink some more water,

and keep on truckin'.

One of the mantras I use during races sometimes is:

Warriors don't quit.

So, with one foot in front of the other, I proceed.

The kids are exhausted from testing

and are just about checked out.

(That's what 5th grade-itis will do to your students.)

But I won't let them give up either.

It's time to embrace the end of the school year fun.

Art projects.

Science Experiments.

Field trips.

It feels so far away.

But I've got this!

Warriors don't quit.

victory is mine!

This is basically going to be me the day that summer vacation arrives.

Teaching. It's like a freakin' marathon sometimes.

And until then, you can find me at the aid stations of life.

Otherwise known as small bits of inspiration 

to remind me,

"You're almost there!"

Ah-ha's while running

I had the most amazing, 

mind-wandering

run today!

I think I love running the most

when it clears my mind

and I find myself with all of these new

revelations and "ah-ha's!" about life.

Today was marked an easy day.

Easy days are harder than they seem.

I actually have to remind myself to

"Take it easy."

So today, I soaked up everything I could

during my run.

Appreciated the squawking ducks.

Smiled at the cute little boys racing on their trikes.

Relished in the cool breeze,

and found myself grateful that the rain has subsided

for a few more hours.

And as I ran,

I was reminded that teaching

and running are quite similar.

There are days when teaching 

feels like a freakin' marathon.

"Where's the next mile marker?"

Which translates to:

"When's the next school break?"

But then there are days,

like today.

Where I just soak it all in, 

and enjoy every last second of it.

Today was the first day back from Spring Break.

So, of course, the back-to-school

nightmares began on Friday night.

I had forgotten what days like today feel like.

So I dreaded coming back.

Drove my boyfriend nuts with my grumpiness.

Pouted all the way til' bedtime Sunday night.

But then, today was here.

Ready or not.

And you know what?

It was pretty darn awesome.

The kind of awesome that I feel when

I see that mile marker that makes me feel,

"Really? Already? I'm flying!"

That brings the smile, and the sense of victory.

The kids were angels!

They must have gotten sick of staying home

with their boring parents.

(They must have actually missed me.

Though they'll never admit it.)

They were excited!

You know how I could tell?

They arrived to school practically bursting

to show me their book project posters

for their Spring Break homework.

"Wanna see my poster?"

"Does this look okay?"

A few kids even knocked on my door early

just to ensure it made it to the classroom safely.

And I'll have you know,

I never get early-morning visitors in my room.

Then,

in the middle of teaching the difference between 

an independent clause and a dependent clause

(BOOOOORRRRRING!)

one kid accidentally shouted "WAIT!"

because he was so excited to share his "ah-ha"

moment with us all.

And there it was:

the awesomeness.

Teaching is like running.

You feel like crap sometimes,

but mostly, you feel awesome!

Today, I'm feeling awesome.

And when I feel awesome,

I feel like running.

It's a cycle.

But which came first?

The teaching, then the running?

The running, then the teaching?

I don't really know.

All I know, is I feel awesome!

ms. grumpy

Whenever a break ends,

I always get grumpy.

I love my job.

I really, really do.

But I think when I take a quick little break,

I sometimes forget.

Who doesn't love

shopping til' you drop,

trying new recipes,

and spending time with those you love?

I've been spoiled!

Slept in.

 Watched March Madness.

Ran. And ran some more.

Baked biscotti.

Started Mockingjay.

Hid from the rain.

But back to school in a few days.

I'm grumpy.

But I'm sure those bubbly

5th graders will cheer me right up.

Shamrockin' 2012

Well, I didn't break the 

2 hour mark

today...

BUT!

I did break my PR

by 6 minutes!

AND!

I ran the ENTIRE race!

The whole thing!

(Other than through the aid stations

to get a quick sip of water without choking, haha.)

So my official chip time was

2 hours, 2 minutes.

Not too shabby!

And what's great is,

I'm running another half in early May.

Ha, 2 minutes to reach my goal?

Piece of cake!

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

The best part was

hanging with some of my favorite people before the race,

and seeing them cheer me on during and after.

Especially one boy in particular

who woke up at the break of dawn to be there,

Kiss me good luck,

cheer me on at mile 9,

and then head to work after it was all over.

What a keeper! 

holy hell

Holy Hell...

I just signed up for my first marathon...

That is all.

December 2, 2012.

on my mind...

13 days.

Holy crap.

Must. Break. 2 hours.

MUST!

Today is a rest day.

But it feels like it should be a running day.

inspiration

They always say "Keep your eyes on the prize."

Here are a few things inspiring me these days...

Kara Goucher - A freakin' rockstar of a runner 

and one hell of a role model. 

I only hope that one day

I can be half the runner she is!

(not to mention her amazing abs!)

She's amazing!

I can't believe that I've become

utterly sucked in

to this series.  

It's totally not my thing:

wilderness, blood, guts, loneliness.

But it's got a tough girl power heroine

who I simply adore.

And that's why I can't put the book down.

The love of my life.

 Enough said.

Yeah,

I know they suck.

And I know it's not 2002.

But I love them anyway,

and I get verrrrry grumpy

when I miss watching a game or hearing it on the radio.

Go Kings!

The best job in the whole world.

They say, if you find a job you love,

you'll never work a day in your life.

Well, I guess I'm not really working then, am I?

Don't get me wrong, there are definitely days

I come home exhausted.

But I love my job!

I love my kids; I love my coworkers;

I love my boss; I love my 4/5 team.

I love my job!

And last, but not least,

my dear ol' Dad.

Better known to me as "Daddy-O."

The best guy in the whole wide world.

The biggest Steeler fan you'll ever meet!

I can hear him halfway across the soccer field cheering,

and outside the house on a football Sunday.

A pro at a crossword puzzle,

an encyclopedia of useless (but useful!) sports trivia,

a heart of gold and an positive outlook for every situation.

He's the greatest! 

Always remember:

"Keep your eyes on the prize."

2011 Races in Review

My mother always has the family write down our "highlights" at the closing of each year.  (I guess she's been doing this since 1996.)  Anyway, yesterday when I sat down to add mine to the list, of course the first things that came to mind were all of my races.


I was shocked to see I ran seven races in 2011!


The best part is it's not hard to remember my stats and the particulars of each race because I have a journal where I record notes about each race, including pace, ranking, who I ran with, or any other memorable details.


So straight from that little journal, here are the specs on my races this year!  Definitely memorable, and eventful.  It's hard to say which one was the best.  It's definitely a toss up between running a half marathon for my 27th birthday or running in the pouring rain on the Golden Gate Bridge only to find a rainbow after reaching halfway across the bridge!


The stats:

• My First 5k - January 2011 - Not my first 5k, just the title of the race.  This was my first race in the rain, though it was mostly sprinkling by the time the race began.  I remember sitting in the car debating if I should even run it in the rain, but of course I did! I hit a personal best for a 5k at 28:15 with a 9:06 pace.

• Shamrockin' Half Marathon - March 2011 - Hosted at the home of the Sacramento River Cats at Raley Field, this was my second time running the Shamrock.  A good friend convinced me to run it last year after I swore I'd never run a half, and here was my 2nd half!  I went with my other friend Lyndsay and hit another personal best for a half marathon at 2:12.  I do remember my knee was killing me by mile 10, thanks to a poor choice in shoes...
• 12K Across the Bay - March 2011- Just a week later, I ran this race with a coworker and good friend Leanna in San Francisco.  This was the weekend of the crazy storms and I remember debating with her the night before if we should even go.  The weather forecast was nothing but 100% chance of rain all morning.  Well, we did go, and we had an AWESOME time!  The coast was clear as we waited for the start, yet as soon as we started, pouring rain! Yep, we trekked through that rain all the way up to the Golden Gate Bridge, but halfway through the bridge we were greeted with a rainbow and a parting of the clouds. Ahhhh! From there, its was a great race.  And just as we got in the car to hunt down food, more rain! :) This was a leisurely run, as I had just run a half marathon the weekend before, so my time was 1:24.
• Zoo Zoom - April 2011 - I had the pleasure of coaching some junior high students in track this spring, and as a team bonding event we did a 1 mile "kid race" with the Zoo Zoom.  I guess this doesn't really count as a "race" but it was a fun memory.
• Buzz Oates No Excuses 5k - May 2011 - This marked the 3rd time I've done this race on Memorial Day.  This year I did it with two coworkers, Lisa and Colleen.  They walked and I ran it.  This marked another personal best to date for a 5k race at 28:04. As of today, that record still stands because I haven't run another 5k since.  Let's see what 2012 will hold for this record.
• Urban Cow Half Marathon - October 2011 - This was a special one!  I ran a half marathon for my 27th birthday!  Let me tell you, it was a great motivator when it came to training.  "Hmmm I can skip this run, but then I'll run like crap on my birthday..."  Haha, let's just say I missed few workouts in preparation for this one.  And it did me good! I beat my personal record by four minutes and finished in 2:08!  Chris ran the 5k (his first) and he and my parents cheered for me at the finish line! 

• California International Marathon: Relay Challenge - December 2011 - What an inspiring race!!! Though I only ran 5.7 miles of the race, it definitely inspired me to try something I have not yet tried before: a full marathon.  I ran this one with some 20/30 friends: Kellie, Amanda, and Frank.  Man we were fast!  Our team ranked 12th in the co-ed open teams, finishing in 3:35! Yowza!  It was a thrill to watch all the full marathoners and to run beside them!  I hope that's me next year, but hopefully it's as nice a day as this race!  It was chilly, but sunny and clear!  Let's pray it doesn't rain when I run my first 26.2!

Here's to lots and lots more PRs and races in 2012!