think, run, repeat

I'm back

2013-06-10T08:28:00.000-05:00

So 6 weeks ago I sprained my foot falling off a ledge. This was after running the half marathon(13.1 miles) with my husband. I could/can run obviously, but not walk and carry stuff at the same time.

Brrrrrrrrr!

Here we are at the start of the race. It was foggy, darn right cold, teeth chattering and bone chilling 7a.m. at the start of the race. John had injured his knee and was hoping to just finish which was fine with me. I wanted to complete the distance and be supportive of him.

We did it!

I had been running and training for races for the past year and a half. I stopped abruptly due to this.

not pretty :(

For 2 weeks I could not put on a regular shoe. I had an x-ray and while nothing was broken (only a sprained foot) I could only hobble around and put very little pressure on my foot. Looking back, I had high expectations that I would be running or at least walking real good in a week. Quickly my hopes faded. My foot did not improve. It throbbed, got more swollen, lovely bruising colors and more painful as the days wore on. I did all the things I should- resting my foot on a pillow, ice (heat after a few days), ibuprofen, more rest, little movement...

This is the racing/running season. I had google alerts, blogs, magazines, feeds from many places filling my waking hours~ all related to running. Here I was unable to run. I was in mental and physical distress. I would like to think that I was a reasonable human being but I know that sometimes I was not. I was sad, frustrated and ugly. I was envious, jealous and mean. I did not always show how I was feeling inside. I wanted to run and I knew that my foot had to heal first so I tried to be patient. For the most part, I did okay. I had a few times that I walked too long or far and paid for it later.

The good news is that this morning I woke up and ran 2 miles. It was not particularly pretty or fast. In fact I was slow and steady and I am just fine with that. I will do it again tomorrow. I am not 100%. My foot tells me that. It did not throb or swell from the run so that is my sign that I am back. Truthfully, I'm not better than before, but I am back to doing something that I love. I will try to be patient and build back slowly. It is a journey that I travel~slow or fast, I start anew :)

Weakness, it is not always what we think

2013-04-07T08:14:00.001-05:00

So normally I am a pretty tough gal. I am much easier on others than I am on myself. It is strange how I see an injury in myself as a weakness of my body and character. While thinking about this, I realize that this is completely ridiculous but nevertheless, it is true. I am a healthy person for the most part. For the most part, I think the human body is an amazing thing. I have not always thought so. I have had numerous surgeries~ all in the pelvic area. I was rather disappointed that my twins were going to have to be delivered cesarean section due to one of the boys being much smaller than the other and that the placenta was not giving him the nutrients that he needed to grow. He had to be born without delay.

Which leads me to today...I am a runner. I have signed up for a half marathon in a month and have been training for it. If I commit to something, I do it. With much ambivalence but thinking that it was wise in the long term, I decided to take a few weeks off of running at my husband's suggestion. He thought that my hip was injured and that resting it would be good. I did not get better, in fact, my pain got more frequent and severe. It did not seem like an injury because I could not think of a workout that had felt bad. And so with some trepidation I broke down and called for an appointment to get my hip/leg looked at. My quality of life was being affected by this shooting pain that went from my hip, down my leg and into my foot making walking, steps, lying down, standing up or sitting painful. I had a thorough exam by the doctor and he ordered some lower back and hip x-rays. I found out that I have mild degeneration of two of the discs. My hip is fine. The doctor thought physical therapy and NSAID's would be the first order of business. I honestly am relieved and am feeling so much better. The pain has almost gone away. I am doing stretches that are really going to make my core stronger. He said I did not have to stop running. Yesterday, I ran 10 miles and it felt great! It is the farthest I have run since the marathon in January.

I need to listen better

2013-03-23T10:51:00.001-05:00

I have a sore hip~ I have diagnosed myself with a hip flexor strain. I am taking some time off of exercising and running and doing RICE. If I let my hip heal and then strengthen it with exercises and come back slowly, I should be as good as before and pain free.

This is a reminder that I am not invincible and that I can be too stubborn and push myself harder than what I should. These are not the first time that these lessons are knocking me down. It is hard to have sympathy for someone who does not listen very well. I am serious when I say that I am going to try harder to not be quite as pigheaded and listen to how my body is feeling so that I can get back to running without pain sooner rather than later. I have a half marathon in 6 weeks and I want to be ready :) I can do it!

Sweeeeet!

2013-03-12T15:09:00.002-05:00

My new car :D

Hard to believe that it has been a whole month since I updated. Lots of things have happened. I am the proud new owner of this sweet, 2012 certified silver MINI Cooper (previously10k on this car-it was a lease return)! I had the best experience at the Bergstrom MINI dealership in Appleton.

We went to Minneapolis and watched Katy in the ballroom dance competition. I want to learn how to ballroom dance! It takes a lot of coordination and fancy footwork (not to mention being able to feel the beat) to dance like the couples we saw. I had the chance to use my new dslr camera which was the first time for me. I hope to continue to improve in my photo taking skills. I used the sport/motion setting so that the dancers would not be blurry.

I have continued training for the half marathon coming up on May 4th in La Crosse. I have not signed up for the Medtronics marathon in September or any other races yet. I am thinking that the Madison half (mini marathon) might be a good race to do in August. I like having a race to look forward to. It keeps the motivation to keep running in the forefront. It would be easy to slack on the days that I have not felt like doing much of anything. Speaking of which, I have just started feeling better. Last week, I had a stomach thing going on and my sleep and eating was all upset. I am back on track!

So ready for spring!!

We are on day 119 of school. We have had 4 days off of school due to snow and icy roads. We do not have built in snow days in the calendar and we won't find out until the middle of May when our last day of school will be. I am tired of winter! Daylight savings time was this past Saturday night and we have set our clocks ahead by an hour. I like the later daylight. Hopefully in the next month I will be cleaning up the gardens and seeing the daffodils pop up.

Amazing~ I think not

2013-02-11T09:44:00.000-06:00

I have had many people tell me how amazing (or crazy) I am for running a marathon. The truth of the matter is that I am a determined person, but really the training for me was the hardest part of it all. It is a challenge to figure out fuel, hydration, soreness vs. injury, clothing, weather, shoes, blisters and more. The actual marathon race~ that for me is/was fun and what the training payoff is! I am just like you- ordinary yet unique, but not extraordinary. I don't want to minimize the effort or determination necessary to do it. It is not easy. It is an accomplishment that I am proud of.

Halhigdon.com is what I have used for my training programs. It is a great site and I transferred the mileage training/distance to my calendar for free or you can download the apps for a charge.

Medtronics Twin Cities Marathon October 2012

Each of us have a "bucket list". I have not had many serious thoughts about what I want to do or even accomplish before I die. I am not sure that I want to think about my death. Death comes to all that live, so I am not in denial, but it is not something that I dwell on or am planning for. I am someone that generally tries to live in the here and now but also plans for the near future.

Ever since I was a young child I have loved watching the Olympics. Extremely talented, trained athletes come together from all over the world to compete. I would sit in front of the tv and watch for hours. I did not have the natural talent or the drive within to be able to compete at that level. I was given opportunities to discover my talents as a child. I was a natural at swimming and tested for my life guard certification. I was a gymnast, dancer, basketball player and a golfer. As a younger person, I was the first girl on our golf team. I had natural talent and a "feel" for golf. I gave up the game in an act of defiance. I felt pushed by the adults around me to compete on a higher level and the game became high pressured which I was not interested in. I dabbled in creativity too. I took art, music, acting and writing classes. I had talent in lots of areas but nothing that filled me with passion.

dreamer

High school ended. College and the decision about what to do with my adult life became a necessity. I liked working with kids. I won't lie. I wanted to make a difference in the lives of others and what better way than to become a teacher? I taught kindergarten. And then, I got married. The "me" in my life became "we". The happiness of our lives became even richer with the birth of our children. I know that I could never have imagined how much my life would change.

Early professional days

"I do." and I would again!

The train station near Peshtigo, WI.

I became a full time mom and if I am honest, a part time wife. We will be celebrating our 26th wedding anniversary this week and it is a tribute to my husband that we are loving each other today. He supported me in all of my insanity and troubling times. I know that there were times that I felt that I had lost "my self". That might not make any sense to you. I took time off to raise our kids. I left my profession and had friends that were moms. My identity revolved around my kids. This is not a bad or good thing. It is a choice that I made. I am very proud of my kids. They have personal integrity, compassion for others, intelligence, common sense, great work ethics, sarcastic senses of humor, and a balance in their lives that is mature and healthy. They were raised by us but they are their own selves as any loving parent would want them to be. I take only partial credit for this. In my years of teaching, I have learned that much of who we are is just plain luck. We are lucky!

A few years back...

Fast forward to Katy leaving home for college. The 22 years that children were living within our midst, changed in a flash. I have been teaching full time since 2001 and I had gone back to college and earned my masters degree. I had started to get other interests again as time and money allowed. There was a small part of me (nagging me perhaps) that needed to do something more. Perhaps I could run and finish a marathon? I had not been a runner and a 5K seemed like a far distance when I first started. I don't know if it was really a bucket list item or not. I do know though that I have discovered the joy of running. Training for and completing marathons is not crazy or amazing. It is something I can say I have done. It is a mental and physical challenge. I am glad that I can do it for me.

Running======== treadmills

2013-02-06T15:18:00.002-06:00

It is what it is

This is only my second winter running so I am by no means experienced. Last year we joined the fitness center in October because I was training for a spring marathon, My training required specific mileage to run and it was raining out! The weather was not cooperating so inside I went. I did all of my longer runs outdoors on the weekends and could do so because the weather was relatively mild for Wisconsin. It was also light out when I was ready to run. During the week, my job prevents me from running until dark and running on snow or ice in the dusk or dark is too dangerous. This past November we again joined the very small, but fits our needs, fitness center. I say that it fits our needs because
1. We can join for a month at a time.
2. It is close to our home.
3. It is open 24/7.
4. I can get on a treadmill pretty much any time I want to.

During the week, I get to the fitness center 3 or 4 times and on the weekend, once or twice. I like that I can warm up, set the speed that I want to run at, change things on the controls as I feel strong or tired, know the exact mileage that I have run and then walk for a specific time to cool down.

The actual treadmill I use...

I listen to music. I watch tv. I think. I watch the readout screen. I get in the miles, sweat, relieve stress and feel strong. It won't be long until the time for running outside returns for me. Until then, treadmills are my friend.

Chill

2013-02-02T19:48:00.001-06:00

So it has been very cold here this last week in central Wisconsin. We had a snow storm that brought us 10 inches and cancelled school. The snow is beautiful on the trees but it is hard to enjoy doing much of anything outside when the daily high temperature is just in the single digits. I could whine about the weather but it does not do much good. It is interesting and ironic that 20 degrees will seem warm.
On the running front...the month of January, I ran a total of 103 miles. Just days after running my second marathon I was back on the treadmill. I am signed up for two races so far this year and I am close to registering to run the Medtronics Twin Cities Marathon set for October 6th.

There are lots of things to look forward to in the next few months. One of our sons proposed to his long time girlfriend and they are now engaged. We hope to hear soon about their wedding plans.

I am very excited to be going to Minneapolis to watch our daughter and her ballroom dance team in a USA Dance competition.

The running will continue with a half marathon that I am going to run with my husband this May! Hopefully it won't rain!

The last thing that I am very much excited for is a vacation to Costa Rica. I have done the Caravan tours before and the trip will hopefully once again, be marvelous!

Marathon race report

2013-01-23T14:55:00.000-06:00

Sunday morning I awoke with temperatures outside in the mid 40's but rising quickly as the sun came up. Knowing what to wear so that you are comfortable for the race is a challenge for me. I decided on shorts, a sleeveless running top and a long sleeve dri-fit shirt that the sleeves could be pushed up. I have worn these clothes on many runs before so there would not be any wardrobe problems.

I first headed down the elevator and enjoyed a protein bagel with chive cream cheese from Einstein bagels. It is located in the hotel and many other runners were doing the same thing. I enjoyed the bagel and drank a glass of coconut water. I have recently had digestive issues on long runs and I am still figuring out the whole fueling and hydrating thing. I head back to the room and finish getting ready. I have decided to use my new Garmin watch to see my time. I have not used it before since I have run indoors on a treadmill since being given this gift. I have usually used my smart phone and an app called endomondo to track my runs. I also think that this is a Rock 'n Roll marathon with lots of bands playing and we are in Phoenix the 5th largest city in the United States so of course there is going to be tons of fan support...so I decide to not bring my headphones and run with my phone in my armband so that I can meet up with DH and DS at the end. I had raisins and sports beans to fuel me and a plan on hydrating at the water/Gatorade stops.

at the race start

It was a 2 minute walk to the start area. It was cool and the sun had not yet come over the mountains. The air was alive with music and announcements and the excitement of the runners set to give it their best. The start of the race is always crowded with the actual runners and the people that are supporting them. There was an announcement over the loud speaker that there were just over 5000 entrants in the full marathon. This was a bit perplexing to me since they had advertised that there were more than 25,000 people participating in it. I imagine that the numbers were based on the half and mini marathons and perhaps the other smaller races that were a part of the weekend. There were 7 corrals and based on your expected finish time you were assigned where to go. I was in corral 6. The race started and within 4-5 minutes we were running through the starting arch and over the timer to begin the marathon.

I knew very quickly that not having my headphones and the distraction of my playlist was not the best decision of the morning. The bands were maybe 3-4 miles a part from each other. You heard them for a minute or so and then you were past the music. There were a few places where I would say you had crowd support but they were few and far between the miles. The water stations were spaced every 2 miles so you did have a chance to hydrate which thankfully I took advantage of.

The first few miles always go by in a blur. You are people watching and getting into the running zone. I had lined up by the 4:40 pacer and was not going out fast or slow. I felt strong and the running was easy. Around mile 6 the sun started beating down and there was no shade to run in. I did not have a hat or sunglasses so this might be the second poor decision of the day. At mile 10 I was feeling good but looking forward to an energy boost from seeing DH, DS and my dad at mile 11. I passed by and did not see them. With little crowd support, seeing your family or friends can be a real boost and you garner strength to keep going. My dad was cheering and shaking bells for all the racers a little after mile 11. It was great to see him!

It really was this lonely out there.

Only a .2 away from the finish

There is a 3 mile out and back loop that the course followed and my DH and DS were waiting and saw me twice - mile 13 and 19. At mile 13, I was still feeling good but at the 19 mile mark, I told them I could finish with just over 7 miles to run but I was slowing down. They ran a short way with me and next found me at the finish line.

I did a few things right and a few things wrong for this race. I learned some things about myself and will continue to get smarter training and actually running a marathon. I know I am a person that thrives on crowd support and distractions. I will run with headphones even if I don't use them. I fueled ok but perhaps could have been better rested so that the last 13 miles I would be less tired. I don't regret staying up late and having a great conversation with DS. I am going to purchase prescription sunglasses or glasses that have the photogray lenses so that I don't have to squint in the bright sun. I am not a hat person. My clothing selection was perfect for me. I did not get any blisters and my smartwool socks worked well. I listened to my body and heeded the soreness and pain signals from my hamstrings. My training in the week prior to the marathon was modified. I walked my mileage on the treadmill the two days before. It was a very smart decision. I did not have any troubles during the race with hamstrings, cramping or digestive issues. Running indoors on a treadmill to train for a marathon in winter is maybe not the greatest choice that I could have made but I did it. I have finished my second marathon and I am proud of that. My time was respectable- just under 5 hours, and I am satisfied.

New races await me. I am excited to have my DH begin training with me for a half marathon that we are going to do together in May.

Race weekend~part one

2013-01-22T18:16:00.001-06:00

We had a great weekend! There really was only one glitch in the whole thing and that was the plane delay on the way out of Chicago. We ended up on a different plane and arrived 4 hours after our scheduled time.

Prior to leaving, I had made a craigslist connection with a stranger that was trustworthy and willing to hold 4 tickets to see Garrison Keillor ~ Prairie Home Companion at the Gammage in Tempe for us. Tickets had been sold out since early December and I was needing 4 seats together. The gentleman was going to be waiting at the airport for us. He had our flight information and saw we were delayed. He met us just outside security and we bought tickets from him for the show!!!

The rental car shuttle was waiting, the actual car was great and we arrived at the hotel and checked in with no problems at all! DH and I were hungry so we went across the street to a restaurant, sat on the patio, listened to a live musical performance and shared a chicken almond salad and an appetizer plate. We went back to the airport a few hours later and picked up one of our sons that was coming in to share the weekend with us.

We had been awake since 4:30 a.m. and travel is tiring but I was really happy to stay up till the wee hours (2:20 a.m.) of the night/morning talking with our son. I am an early to rise, early to bed person but there is nothing better than a great conversation with your kids.

Saturday morning dawned and my husband and I walked 7 blocks to Matt's Big Breakfast in downtown Phoenix. It is a little hole in the wall place that I found online that had excellent reviews. People were waiting outside (50 degrees) for a spot. An hour or so later, we were eating at the counter. I had the best waffle, bacon and hash browns and my husband had eggs, toast, home fries and tomatoes. Luscious, simple, real food made with local ingredients...

After walking back to the hotel we picked up our son (he sleeps later and does not do breakfast) and headed across the street to the expo. It was only the second expo for a marathon that I have attended. It was very nice! They had a ton of free samples, lots of giveaways, easy check in and pick up of packet instructions and very helpful volunteers. We walked all the aisles and I think my husband and son enjoyed themselves too.

outside the expo

a ridiculous picture in front of a photo

We walked to a restaurant nearby the expo called 1130. We sat outside once again. With temperatures back at home in the negatives or single digits, we were going to be enjoying the warmth as much as we could. My husband and I shared a salad because I was still so full from breakfast.

We drove to Scottsdale and picked up my dad and headed over to Tempe for the concert. It was fabulous!! I am so happy that we had the chance to do this. DH has been a fan and a faithful listener for over 25 years. He introduced me to folk music, Public Radio and many of the shows that I find enjoyment listening on the radio to. We had unbelievable seats~ center, first row of the balcony...Here is a link to the live radio broadcast

We headed back to Scottsdale, picked up my step mom and went out once again for a magnificent meal. We ate dinner at La Fonda Del Sol in Scottsdale. The Mexican food and my frozen mango, strawberry margarita were delicious! We went back to the hotel and I showered and got my stuff together for the race in the morning. I am most often a good planner for races. This evening I was still debating and unsure of my breakfast/fueling plan for the next day.

To be continued...

Winter runs & being ready for marathon #2

2013-01-10T10:22:00.000-06:00

It is a well known thing around my house that I do not like winter. I am a summer (or any other season) kind of gal. I have been training on a treadmill for my second marathon on January 20th. It remains to be seen how I do. I will tell you that running indoors out of the winter cold, wind and snow and ice is at this moment much preferable to me. I ran outdoors training last winter for a marathon that was supposed to be in May and I did it, but it was not enjoyable.
I don't have the same nervousness about whether I "can" finish the distance because I have done it. I am feeling a little apprehensive though about not running outdoors for awhile. I do the miles on the treadmill so theoretically my body is trained to go the distance. My brain is just going to have to believe that I am ready :) Fortunately, I am running in Arizona on a flat road with lots of people to offer encouragement. I thrive on the crowd support and the race energy.
I look forward to writing a race report afterwards. Meanwhile, winter could end and I won't miss it at all!

It's personal

2012-12-31T21:21:00.000-06:00

As I look back at this last year I know that 2012 must come to an end. I have had so much success with my running which I feel amazing about. I ran 7 races which included 2 half marathons and a full marathon. I ran a total of 1322 miles! I overdid the training just a bit but was able to recover and rest and was not injured. I have learned an awful lot this year about running, taking care of myself and training for a marathon. I am really glad for the support of my husband. He has rode his bike beside me on my long runs and just in general been concerned about my well being.
Teaching has gone well this year. I have felt like I have been supporting the classroom teacher in the curriculum that the school district has adopted. I have had a reasonable schedule, and for the first time starting this past September I am spending 4 days in one school and just one day at the other school. It makes for a much easier work week. I don't know whether next year that will stay the same or not since 2 classes will be moving to the larger building. I won't worry about it seeing as it is out of my control. Once the summer was over, I had a hard time adjusting to the work schedule again. I felt like teaching got in the way of my running which was strange. It took some time to adjust to running after school and dinner again.
My husband and I took an incredible trip this past summer to Guatemala for 10 days. It was a tour trip through Caravan.com I would highly recommend this tour company and specifically the two trips that I have done through them- Costa Rica was fabulous! I am going again this summer with my husband.
I had some setbacks this year but nothing that I could not move forward from. I have lots more things to learn and hope to continue this next year in gaining physical strength and endurance. Running makes me feel strong physically and mentally so of course I will keep it up. I have already signed up for a few races. My second marathon is in 3 weeks and I will run in the Point Bock race. My daughter and I are going to do the Color Run together in July. My journey to health is continuing. I want to keep discovering new things. I will find new books and blogs to read. I have not been particularly crafty this year but I really like creating things. I miss it. Perhaps I will learn how to knit this this year. I take great pride in having and keeping a nice home. The flower and vegetable gardens will continue to thrive with the care and attention that I will give them.
To all of us this year... Peace, health, happiness and to making dreams into reality!

new title, different focus

2012-12-23T16:48:00.000-06:00

This past year has been one of change for me. I am focused on my physical heath in a very positive way. I have become a runner. I run for lots of reasons but mostly because it makes me feel good. I like that my body is strong and that my endurance is unimaginable compared to my younger days. To say that I am obsessed with running might be too strong of a word but I am certainly thinking about running a lot! The year started out with a bit of a disappointment. I had trained for my first marathon race in La Crosse, WI and it was unfortunately canceled due to thunderstorms in the area. I was able to participate in the half marathon since the roads were able to stay open with the delay of the start for the shorter distance. I am glad that I had signed up for a second marathon so that I had a full marathon race to look forward to.
I ran in one other half marathon race over the summer. I had surgery in June, rested and healed and started running again. This past October I completed my first marathon - the Medtronic's Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul) Marathon. What a fantastic experience that was! I started looking for another marathon to do almost right away. I figured I was trained distance wise to run a race again and rather than starting from zero, why not run another marathon before spring? I am traveling to Arizona for the Rock n' Roll marathon mid January. I leave on a Friday and return on that Sunday so I will have the chance to visit with my dad who lives in the Scottsdale area for a bit.
I'm in the final weeks of training - just a month to go and we have WINTER in central Wisconsin! I am not a fan. Put me on a tropical island with the heat and humidity any day!! I have joined Snap Fitness center so that I can continue to run indoors on a treadmill. While the treadmill for many people is a boring piece of gym equipment, I embrace it. I like that I can set the speed, inline and time to run. I can be relatively comfortable and safe while getting in the mileage that I need for training.

Long run

2012-08-11T08:59:00.000-05:00

I am rested and ready for a long run that I am motivated to go and do in just an hour or so. I have slept in, rested and fueled. How far you might ask? I am running 15 miles this morning. I had a half marathon (13.1 miles) on July 28th and ran that in 2 hours 13 minutes. I expect to be gone for awhile (at least 2 1/2 hours). Today I am running by myself. In the past my husband has rode his bike in front or behind me as I run. He works this morning. I got started running by myself and got hooked after my first race which was a social experience and one in which I felt support from a running community. Depending on the race you decide to run in, it can be a crowd or just a few people that are around you. I read blogs and am an active participant in social networking sites that support physical health and running.

Running has for me become a way in which I feel strong and healthy. If you are happy, sad, angry, frustrated, worried...running is a great way to think on things. Oh, and equally important- running burns enough calories so I can enjoy chocolate without any guilt whatsoever!

Updates...

2012-08-10T16:08:00.002-05:00

It has been a great summer. I had a great vacation with my husband. I did a lot of running including a second half marathon and stayed healthy and uninjured. I helped each of my sons move to new places and had the chance to dog sit for my daughter's new pug Rosie! Just this week I started thinking about getting back to the classroom/computer lab. I had a meeting and my schedule got worked out. I have 28 classes, seeing each class 30 minutes a week and I will be in one school for 4 consecutive days and the other school for 1 day a week. We have 2 weeks of classes and then 3 weeks of MAP testing in which I proctor the tests and do not have my normal routine. Once the school year gets going, during RTI intervention time, I will be working with a small group on what the classroom teacher has planned for us. I look forward to the new school year.

Been Gone A Long Time

2012-07-11T14:24:00.000-05:00

It is not because I have not had any thoughts that were worthy of a blog post that I have been gone so long. I have been content and feeling good in my professional and personal life. Since January I have had the pleasure of traveling with my husband to Guatemala for 10 days. I have continued running and training for a marathon. The 2011/2012 school year was over at the end of May and changes for next year (September 2012) are going to be big! One of my principals retired and the school board has decided to move the 5th grade over to the middle school and move two of the 1st grade classes from a neighborhood school into the main elementary school in anticipation of closing that school in two years. Right now things are in flux and we are waiting to hear how the scheduling will work for those of us that are traveling teachers. Whatever happens will happen and I have no problem with how it gets done so long as the students are not short changed of their time.

4:54 for women 4:27 for men

2012-01-01T10:05:00.000-06:00

The average time for a woman to complete a marathon is 4 hours and 54 minutes. My goal is to finish in 4 hours 26 minutes or less. I am finding that more and more I am getting into the competitive spirit with myself. The goals that I set for myself are in a sense a competition. It is with a strange sense of irony that I have become competitive. If you would have known me just a short time ago, I would have been the person that wanted "everyone to win- no one to lose" .
This idea goes back a long time to my childhood. I wanted everyone to feel good about themselves and losing feels bad. As a mom and teacher it was important to me to nurture a child's sense of esteem. If you believe in yourself then your life won't be plagued with self doubt. I am the first to admit that this is naive and unrealistic thinking. My sons were the first lesson that taught me this. Twin sons came out of my womb already competing for life, health and attention. They competed with each other and much to my horror, I could not stop it. Their egos were not permanently destroyed when one lost and the other won. My daughter was next to teach me lessons about competing. She wanted to compete- both with her brothers and with perfect strangers. It felt so good to win at something. She was talented in so many ways. Losing was ok- another chance to get better or learn something. What I figured out was that there will always be people that are better at something than you are. That is ok. There will always be more that you can learn, more that you can do, and honestly, the competition is with yourself.

Who knew?

2011-10-26T13:50:00.001-05:00

Each of us has ups and downs in life. That is what makes life, life. You know that the time will come for your kids to grow up and leave you. It is what should be and something that in my heart I wanted for them. This does not mean that I was looking forward to the day that they would leave. I love being a mom. I like the caretaking role and sharing in what makes them who they are. Our sons left together for college more than 4 years ago and our daughter, only 4 months ago. It was a big adjustment for me personally. I had the gamut of emotions. I don't think that I really ever got depressed or sad but I did miss the every day contact that had been a part of our family life for so many years. The contact is still there, but it has changed.
I had other interests beyond my children of course. I did not have something though that I had put off doing or wanting to do until they moved out. An activity or hobby of sorts has changed my life in a good way. Who knew?? I did not expect this nor did anyone else that knows me think that I would become a runner. I am however, excited and passionate about running. If you don't run, you don't want to hear about it. I can understand that.
I have signed up for a Stevens Point Frostbite 10 mile race December 3rd and I am training, running and planning on finishing strong at the La Crosse Fitness Festival - Marathon on the Mississippi on May 6th, 2012. There is something about running that makes me feel strong and I also like the mental and physical challenge of it. If you knew me before this whole running thing took over my life, you never would have guessed that I would be the person who would go for a long(for me) 8 mile run on a cool Saturday morning and have the drive to be training for a marathon. Running was for other people- crazy people, people that looked great in shorts and leggings, people who ate healthy, people that wanted to punish themselves, people that were not me. Who knew??

Educational Race

2011-10-10T13:16:00.000-05:00

Each and every one of us has the chance to embrace new things or not. This past weekend I was in a 5k race. It was a fabulous experience. I don't know exactly what I had expected but as with anything new there is always some anxiety about what might happen.
I had done my first run on September 11th and had run at least 3 or 4 days a week for the past month. I was prepared and consequently hoped that I would run a time that would be respectable. I was not worried about finishing because I had been running this distance for 3 weeks.
This experience for me has a certain relevance to being an educator. Challenges that we bring upon ourselves are good for us. They may have the intended consequence and they may not. We need to prepare ourselves (or the students) for the challenge and then, let the chips fall where they may. We might get sick, have an injury, lack motivation due to a sleepless night or have something that is beyond our control that stops us from reaching the challenge. This is a part of life and not a reason to give up or think that our efforts were for naught. All of have days or moments that it is hard to focus and get it done. Why should we beat ourselves up about it?
How we face the challenge, rise to it and then learn from it are more important than whether the goal was achieved or not. In my particular case, I am raising the bar even higher for my next race :D (this from a woman who was not a runner just a month ago).
I had a good race time - 28:19, was in 23rd place out of 85 women and 82nd out of 160 total runners. I felt surrounded by encouragement from fellow runners as well as the volunteer cheerleaders on the side of the roads. I met the race coordinator and it was her that was my inspiration to run in the first place. She is the same age as me and had run the Leadville Colorodo 100 mile trail race this past summer. If she could run that, I could run a measly 5k!! As I sat listening to the race results I would humbled and inspired by the man who was in the over 70 age bracket. If he can run, I can run :) I had a 10 (almost 11) year old run ahead of me the entire race. I think I knew my limits and decided that however he did, that was his business and I needed to take care of me.
This is another relevant tie into education. We are all at different places in our lives. We can set realistic challenges and then go for it. What I did, worked for me but it will not work necessarily for you. Yes, I did well on this race, however, I know I can do better and with encouragement, further instruction and desire I will be a faster and longer distance runner. If we as educators and students get the same from the system in which we learn, we will be life long learners.

Tools

2011-10-06T14:55:00.002-05:00

I read with much interest this week articles that ask about evaluating technology use in schools and whether the use of technology is valuable and worth the investment. I have a few things to speak to on this subject. I am of course biased and will be the first to admit this.
In the same way that you would evaluate anything that you would use in your daily life, education and the teaching environment must be scrutinized. I would hope that you would use the tools in your life to their utmost potential and for what they are intended for. I know that we don't always do this and there are lots of reasons why. I use tools as they benefit me, in my life, with the training and experiences that I have. You would not think it wise (energy or time) to scramble an egg with a KitchenAid Mixer when a fork would do just fine.
Power tools used to scare me. I was afraid that I would cut off my finger, hand or something worse. With someone showing me the safety rules and techniques, I am proud to say that power tools of many kinds are at my disposal. This does not mean that I will use them if they are not the right tool for the job. Technology in education works in a similar vein. A pencil and paper, ruler, calculator or physical book used by classes, can and will continue to have, profound learning that does not necessarily have to have more modern technological tools integrated into the lesson.
Some of the best software that I have ever come across is unable to be used because the operating systems of the computers do not support the programs. Perfectly usable digital cameras, scanners, computers, programs and other older equipment is not trash, nor should it be overlooked by educators for use in the school. This being said, of course, new servers, updated computers with matching software, high speed internet, cloud based sharing...are going to be the tools that schools do deem worth the investment for their students. If teachers are trained and then utilize the technology tools, then by all means, the investment is worth the costs.
The old is not necessarily outdated or bad and the new is not necessarily needed or great. It is my desire that each of us can decide what will be a good investment of our resources for the students that we teach. If we scrutinize and evaluate independently the technology resources, then our students will have learning potential that is boundless.

Rah Rah Rah!!!

2011-09-28T13:37:00.002-05:00

Tonight I attended a meeting of fellow educators in Wisconsin. This post is for the bus drivers, the janitors, the lunch staff. paraprofessional staff and teachers every where. We are in this together. We have within our power the chance to change lives. Our caring attitudes and love of kids and learning is a gift we give because we want to, not because we are paid so well.
You would not blame the firefighter for starting the fire. The doctor for you being sick, the dentist for your toothache, the farmer for your hunger, the police officer for crime, so then why do we want to blame the teachers for what is happening in the schools? It takes a committed community and accountability from our leaders to educate our children. You count on the firefighter, dentist, trash collector, engineer...to do the job that you pay them to do. Why is being in education any different? Why can teachers not be paid to do what they do best, which is to teach? Instead a myriad of other things complicates and get in the way of education. Teachers contend with children that come to school with issues that are beyond their responsibilities. It is a challenge to teach a child that has no respect for authority. We as parents, as citizens in our communities, political leaders...all of us must work together to help the schools to educate the students. Merit pay- an incredibly shallow and ridiculous idea needs to be taken out of the conversation. We need to stop pitting one group against another. If an individual is not doing their job, then by all means their principal and mentors need to help them out, follow through, and if the necessary progress is not made, fire them. Not one person that I know, wants an unprofessional, lazy, and poor teacher in their midst. It makes all teachers look bad. Why would I not try my hardest, use every trick I know to have my students succeed day in and day out?
So, to all of the hard working people who touch the lives of children everywhere, every day, you are the unsung heroes for the vulnerable youth and the future of our society. We work together and we expect our leaders to do the same.

Around the block and back again...

2011-09-18T08:20:00.001-05:00

A few days ago I thought to myself that the more things change, the more things stay the same. This is true in every aspect of life both in big things and small mundane things. I mention this in writing this today because I think that we often swing the pendulum from one side to the other without realizing that the middle is a very reasonable place to be.
Using education as an example- why would we think that no accountability and/or testing would be a good idea? It is a terrible idea. Why on the other hand would we think that testing/teaching to the test/only concentrating on test results would be an effective way to measure students knowledge? We have to seek the middle ground. Immersion of all special education students when it is not in a child's best interest is also another failed swing of the pendulum. Students should not be isolated and kept within the confines of a place where only other special needs students are. This is again, a ridiculous idea. Students should learn with their peers if at all possible and when it is in to the child's best learning interest, mainstreamed with the support that they need.
In our own lives we seek balance- fun, work, play, work, rest, work, busy, relaxed, hungry, full, family, friends, time alone, fun, work, play, work...you get the idea. Why would we not seek the same for our students who spend 6, 7 or more hours at school? I grew up and went to school in the 70's and while everything in education was not perfect, I know for a fact that life was much more in balance for the kids. We had recess, physical education, music, art, while still learning how to think, read, write, do math, science, social studies...We fit it in because the administrators figured out that balance was the key.
I hope that for our kid's sake that we figure this whole "education" thing out soon. A generation of brain power is at stake.

Running!

2011-09-13T12:37:00.003-05:00

I am a goal setter and when I put my mind to doing something, even with setbacks, I try very hard to attain my goal. I am putting this out there for myself and anyone else that perchance might read this...I am setting a goal to be able to run and complete a half marathon race before I turn 50.
Now I have never been a runner before so this goal has some obstacles that I am going to need to work at. I started on Sunday with a 2 mile run. I am using an app from endomondo.com that allows for gps tracking of your distance and speed and then will save and post it where you want it to go. I can listen to music while I run and this app interrupts for a few seconds to give you the update. I know that this is going to be helpful to me.
When a person has a big goal like running a half marathon, it is best to break down your goal into smaller more manageable steps. I have a 5K race that is in my hometown on October 8th. This is a great way to begin. I have added onto the calendar what days are running days and how far I need to run to meet this challenge. It is reasonable to work towards a 10K by June or July depending on how the winter running in Wisconsin goes. I am not thinking at this time that a treadmill is in my future. We will see.
As a nonrunner, it was important to me to find out things about running that I did not know. I had no knowledge about running posture, cadence, breathing or any other running related information. There is great information and support out there if you go searching. I found out it is important to have a day of rest between your runs although doing other exercise is perfectly fine on the rest days. I also found out that it is very easy to overdo it and then to injure yourself. Who knew :D ?????
I bought myself a pair of designated running shoes and today I will be wearing them for the first time on another 2 mile run today. I have learned that you don't increase your distance too fast or again, you can set yourself back.
So, a step at a time (literally) plus patience and work will be needed to reach my goal. Here is to each and every one of us!!! May we work hard to reach the goals we set for ourselves.

First Week Musings

2011-09-06T15:00:00.002-05:00

The first week of school is in the books. I have attended many meetings, participated in scheduling my classes, got ready 3 labs that I will be teaching in and have taught all of the grade levels that I am working with this year. Things went very smoothly and I am ready for a good school year. There are 2 new iPad labs that I will be teaching with after MAP testing is done in October. I am scheduled to do two after school professional development classes for the staff on using iPads in the classroom. I have one combined kindergarten class of 28 students in a lab that I have just set up. It was suggested that we use my other lab at the school that has 20 computers for the students to use. I did not think that this the educational environment that best suited the students needs. We will see how this works. I felt it was very important that all students had the opportunity to use the mouse and actively participate in my class.
I have a schedule that I really like, staff that is excited to be working with a new principal and a great group of students that are ready to learn! I continue to work on some major changes that will affect my future. I have a very hopeful outlook and think that my prospects for new challenges are getting nearer to being a reality.

Beginnings

2011-08-31T18:43:00.000-05:00

One does not always think of the beginning of September as a month of beginning things. I start my 11th year of teaching for the Waupaca School District. I am ready for this year. I have a new schedule which includes teaching 27 classes each week for either 30 or 40 minutes. I have updated my website with new activities that I begin teaching tomorrow. I have a positive attitude and am hopeful that this will be a fabulous school year. The beginning of the school year is a whirlwind of new faces and new routines. It is a wondrous time for teachers and students alike.
I hope that other things will soon be forthcoming in my life. I am ready for a new challenge outside of the classroom. I am someone who rather than letting things happen, I try and look for new opportunities and work for what I desire. Time will tell whether my efforts pay off. Until then I will be working towards the goal of empowering those around me to become life long lovers of learning.

Kindness

2011-08-04T20:12:00.003-05:00

I have been feeling a gamut of emotions these past weeks. I like many teachers am thinking and planning for the beginning of the school year. In many ways it is a time of excitement, hope and a chance to begin anew. Each year I am asked to write out my goals and how I plan to achieve them. At the end of the school year I am asked to reflect on whether I reached my goal. I take seriously this task and revisit it throughout the year. Last year's goal was for me to assist my students to try their best at whatever their learning objectives were. It was something that was easy yet hard to attain. It was easy to encourage them and call them out when it was obvious that they could do better. It was hard to measure and also difficult to sustain. The thing is that only each person knows whether they have tried their hardest or not.

I have thought about what makes my day a good one or not. The interesting thing about this is that the answer is really pretty simple. A good day for me is one in which I show and am shown kindness. It sounds simple but it is not something that happens as often as it should. I live my life day to day like most people do. Waking up, going about my routine, doing a good job at what I do (teaching) and generally interacting with the world in a positive manner. I'm going to make a goal for myself this year (not necessarily related to the educational goals for my students) to show kindness to others every single day. It certainly cannot hurt and who knows? Maybe the kindness that is shown to others will come back to me.