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!

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!

holy hell

Holy Hell...

I just signed up for my first marathon...

That is all.

December 2, 2012.

New Year, New Goals

"Shoot for the moon; even if you miss, you'll land among the stars."

In the midst of people making their new years resolutions, I returned to work refreshed and excited to begin the second half of the year with my kiddos.  I myself did not make any "new years resolutions," rather I've committed myself to my 30 things before I'm 30 list.  However, I think the idea behind new years resolutions is a good one, and I wanted to pass it on to my kiddos.

This was an idea that randomly came to me during my "back to school insomnia" the first week back.  I have to credit my cousin Shelley, because I think she does something similar with her high school students at the beginning of the school year.

I had each of my students make 3 resolutions for the second half of 5th grade.  Each student wrote three resolutions on an index card: one for school, one for home, and one choice.

Then, I had the students place the card in an envelope and seal it.

The students put their name on the envelope, and then I hung it on a wall in my room.  The idea is that no one knows what's inside the envelope except them.  (I didn't peek, swear!)

I told the kids that every time they see it, they should reflect on their commitment to the goals.  On the last day of school, I am going to hand back the envelopes to the kids so they can again be reminded of what they hoped to accomplish.

30 things before I'm 30

Being a teacher certainly has its perks. One of which includes 2 glorious weeks on break for the holidays! :)

I've had some time to reflect as I spend some quality time with the fam bam and running up a storm.  I recalled that a friend of mine had made a list of things she wants to do before she turns 30.  Though getting older doesn't exactly freak me out just yet, (but I do still feel like I'm 19 years old!) I thought it'd be fun to make a list of my own.  

I tried to only put items on this list if I actually thought I could do them.  Of course there are other things I'd love to do in life, but 30 is a little bit close!

30 Things Before I’m 30

1.     Run a full marathon

2.     Run in a destination race (Races I have in mind are: a Rock and Roll series race, Bloomsday Race in Washington, etc.)

3.     Attend an NBA game in an arena other than Arco (Power Balance Pavilion)

4.     Bet on March Madness in Tahoe/Reno/Vegas

5.     Learn to make my Abuela’s 'Arroz Con Pollo' by myself

6.     Coach a youth soccer team

7.     Take a picture of our Old Fair Oaks brick and frame it

8.     Hike Half Dome

9.     Build and Grow a garden in my backyard

10. Go beach camping

11. Go to the Garlic Festival in Gilroy

12. Maintain my “Running My Life” blog

13. Sew something I can wear (without Abuela’s help, or too much of it J )

14. Ride in a limo for a special occasion

15. Take a picture with all of my cousins in one photo

16. Decorate my house/apartment for Halloween

17. Visit the NBA hall of fame

18. Host a dinner party

19. Spend a month committing random acts of kindness

20. Plan a girl’s weekend

21. Get married

22.  Go to Hawaii

23. Meet someone famous

24. Attend a boot camp or personal training session

25. Make an ice cream cake

26. Visit the corn maze in Woodland

27. Bake bread from scratch

28. Go on a road trip down Highway 101

29. Learn to play Craps

30. Volunteer to help with a race (host one, aid station, etc.)

We'll see how many of these actually come true!  Hopefully more than not!