I haven't written in a while and I don't miss it. I think if I take the 30 minutes, a few times a week, that I had spent writing, and put it towards my triathlon work, I will find it more satisfying right now. My job is amazing, so I don't need to vent. I'll still update occasionally, let's say once a week, but that's all I can promise.
This year I celebrated Christmas with my boyfriend's family, which made it my first official Christmas. I had a blast and racked up some presents too. We followed that with a one-nighter in Atlantic City. We had a fantastic fondue dinner and won about $400 each at craps. Not bad!
Unfortunately, on Saturday, I hit a pothole and needed to spend that $400 on two new tires.
Today marks the end of another year. It was a successful, and challenging, and best, and worst, year. I got my dream job, lost my grandmother, and moved in with my boyfriend. I work longer hours than ever before in my life. I've averaged about 1 mile per day of running this year (total of 362 miles recorded in 2012). I completed one triathlon and about half a dozen 5Ks. I had shin splints and knee pain, but no back pain. I spent a lot of time with my family. I lost some weight and gained it back. I eat less frozen food. All in all, I feel more "together" than I did a year ago, probably owing most to a new job and new living arrangements.
I have some new goals and some old goals for 2013.
Job:
Improve consistency of work quality, both from me and my students. That means better formatted lesson plans, which will help me next year, and holding students accountable for neat, thorough, and rigorous assignments.
Life:
Look for leftovers before cooking a new meal.
Finally lose the last 9 of the 10 lbs I've been working on since 2009. I'll see 131 lbs this year!
Fitness:
4 triathlons (2 sprint, 2 Olympic), a half marathon (or two), some 5Ks.
2:30 in the UNITE Half Marathon (April; last time 2:44)
1:40 in the Hempstead Harbor Tri (June; last time 1:50).
3:30 in the New York City Tri (July; last time 4:04).
A REAL sub-30 5K, then a sub-29, then a sub-28.
Safely reach 15 mpw, then 20 mpw.
Happy New Year!
Monday, December 31, 2012
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Good News
I had a meeting with my principal and IL today. I meet with the principal once a month for a check in, so I figured she'd meet with the two of us together because the week was busy. I brought my planner, and a list in my head of things I was working to improve. I figured we'd plan a time for her to observe me.
I walk in, and they're waiting, but chatting non-urgently. I sit down, and the principal starts by announcing that they had room in the budget for a holiday bonus, and handed me a pay stub for $300, money already in my bank account. "That happens?" was my eloquent response.
And then she continued: I know next school year is a long time away, and I don't know if you've thought about it, but we've started to think about it, and we'd love if you joined us again.
"Um, yes! Wait, let me think about it--yes."
I'll be teaching 7th grade science at VMS once again and I CAN'T WAIT. I can already think about how I'm going to improve my lesson plans in the same curriculum.
By the way, the NSA scores were good. Not great like last time, but good. Average of 81%, with an 82 on the lab practical. 89% on the multiple choice, which confirms my suspicions that I grade the short and long answers too harshly. At least now I have a number to beat next year!
To conclude, I give you a piece that was handed to her English teacher by a student:
Goals. Many people think that goals are just strong ideas about life, but goals are more than that. They are the shining stars of life. They are guidances of many people’s lives. They are the bigger pictures of hard work and success. Goals allow us to push ourselves to be strong individuals, so that we may achieve greatness beyond measure. Without goals, our lives, education, purpose, and minds are astray. Our lives will wander off into darkness, and our souls will be eaten alive by the lack of direction. Goals are like our light and north stars. North Stars are stars that help lead people to their destination. Goals are the same way. We create them, so that we can go through life with something to accomplish. Without the existence of goals, we will be lost and are more likely to run into a wall at a dead end. The goals we make for ourselves will help us to back up, turn around, and start over so that we can be on the right path. Therefore, goals are more than huge ideas that we think and talk about, but they are our stars of guidance and possible ways to be more successful in our lives.
I walk in, and they're waiting, but chatting non-urgently. I sit down, and the principal starts by announcing that they had room in the budget for a holiday bonus, and handed me a pay stub for $300, money already in my bank account. "That happens?" was my eloquent response.
And then she continued: I know next school year is a long time away, and I don't know if you've thought about it, but we've started to think about it, and we'd love if you joined us again.
"Um, yes! Wait, let me think about it--yes."
I'll be teaching 7th grade science at VMS once again and I CAN'T WAIT. I can already think about how I'm going to improve my lesson plans in the same curriculum.
By the way, the NSA scores were good. Not great like last time, but good. Average of 81%, with an 82 on the lab practical. 89% on the multiple choice, which confirms my suspicions that I grade the short and long answers too harshly. At least now I have a number to beat next year!
To conclude, I give you a piece that was handed to her English teacher by a student:
Goals. Many people think that goals are just strong ideas about life, but goals are more than that. They are the shining stars of life. They are guidances of many people’s lives. They are the bigger pictures of hard work and success. Goals allow us to push ourselves to be strong individuals, so that we may achieve greatness beyond measure. Without goals, our lives, education, purpose, and minds are astray. Our lives will wander off into darkness, and our souls will be eaten alive by the lack of direction. Goals are like our light and north stars. North Stars are stars that help lead people to their destination. Goals are the same way. We create them, so that we can go through life with something to accomplish. Without the existence of goals, we will be lost and are more likely to run into a wall at a dead end. The goals we make for ourselves will help us to back up, turn around, and start over so that we can be on the right path. Therefore, goals are more than huge ideas that we think and talk about, but they are our stars of guidance and possible ways to be more successful in our lives.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Concert
Last Thursday we had our Winter Concert and it was fun...and horrible and exhausting. School ended at 2:30, so it was "study hall" until about 4, then a dress rehearsal, then more study hall, then the concert. It was hours of babysitting, and I hate managing a classroom when I am not invested in managing them (i.e. have to teach them anything). They were noisy and anxious about the performance, and I was cranky to start the day.
The concert was beautiful, though. I finally understood that scene at the end of The Music Man, when the kids play their instruments terribly, and the parents were overwhelmingly proud. It was kind of like that. There is some talent, both by middle school standards and by normal people standards, but overall it was pretty...cute. And keeping kids quiet without yelling or taking dollars was challenging. Definitely challenging. By the end of the night (7PM +) I was really ready to race out of there and put my feet up. Due to the testing schedule, I had only had about 40 minutes of down time during the day. Fortunately, 10 of those minutes were spent eating pizza.
Friday was the NSA, and it was about twice as rigorous and about three times as long as the first one. My entire weekend was spent either grading or working out, except for a lunch with my parents, frozen yogurt on Saturday night with Boyfriend, and a nice hangout with the med students on Friday night. There was a lot of grading, but I managed to finish the grading over the weekend and the data entry today. I also ran 5 miles, swam 800 yards with my new Y membership, ran 2.2 miles, and biked for 15 minutes. Not bad for a rainy December weekend. I hope to keep it up.
This afternoon marks the second week of my school's new Workout Warriors (WOW), where we meet up after school twice a week and follow a crazy MMA workout video. I look forward to the workout, where a bunch of young teachers will embarrass themselves in the privacy of the school gym, but mostly I can't wait to put on a t-shirt.
Four days of school left until I've made it to my second Christmas Break.
The concert was beautiful, though. I finally understood that scene at the end of The Music Man, when the kids play their instruments terribly, and the parents were overwhelmingly proud. It was kind of like that. There is some talent, both by middle school standards and by normal people standards, but overall it was pretty...cute. And keeping kids quiet without yelling or taking dollars was challenging. Definitely challenging. By the end of the night (7PM +) I was really ready to race out of there and put my feet up. Due to the testing schedule, I had only had about 40 minutes of down time during the day. Fortunately, 10 of those minutes were spent eating pizza.
Friday was the NSA, and it was about twice as rigorous and about three times as long as the first one. My entire weekend was spent either grading or working out, except for a lunch with my parents, frozen yogurt on Saturday night with Boyfriend, and a nice hangout with the med students on Friday night. There was a lot of grading, but I managed to finish the grading over the weekend and the data entry today. I also ran 5 miles, swam 800 yards with my new Y membership, ran 2.2 miles, and biked for 15 minutes. Not bad for a rainy December weekend. I hope to keep it up.
This afternoon marks the second week of my school's new Workout Warriors (WOW), where we meet up after school twice a week and follow a crazy MMA workout video. I look forward to the workout, where a bunch of young teachers will embarrass themselves in the privacy of the school gym, but mostly I can't wait to put on a t-shirt.
Four days of school left until I've made it to my second Christmas Break.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
T-minus 3 Days
Until the NSA 7.2. It is time for our SECOND interim assessment. This year is going by so fast.
Today I had a challenging moment. The class right after lunch, which is always the most full of personality, had a really sloppy transition into the class. My IL happened to be there, and popped into the class to lecture the students about their transitions. I'm not sure how it seemed to them (she's really good at expressing seriousness), but I was a little embarrassed. It did help the class run more smoothly, though. And it wasn't until after the class that I realized how good it was that she yelled at them, not at me.
Afterwards, we discussed making my transitions cleaner. That's my next PD goal. I can't wait to improve that, because it'll help all my classes run more tightly.
Detention was actually easy today, due to the small group. I managed to have an incredibly productive day, and I think I'll be done with my planning (I hope) by Friday, so I can spend all of Friday grading. Ideally, I'll finish by Thursday morning, so I can spend Thursday grading the practical.
My drive home was 50 minutes of debating whether I should go running, how long I should run, and whether I should run indoors our outdoors. I ended up deciding on outside, since I have these shiny new visibility accessories I need to use. I'd start with 2 miles and see where it went. I ended up doing an incredibly enjoyable 2.77 miles in 30 minutes (probably my longest short run). I love running in the dark. It's just a little bit more exciting, but so incredibly relaxing. I think I'll keep it up.
Today I had a challenging moment. The class right after lunch, which is always the most full of personality, had a really sloppy transition into the class. My IL happened to be there, and popped into the class to lecture the students about their transitions. I'm not sure how it seemed to them (she's really good at expressing seriousness), but I was a little embarrassed. It did help the class run more smoothly, though. And it wasn't until after the class that I realized how good it was that she yelled at them, not at me.
Afterwards, we discussed making my transitions cleaner. That's my next PD goal. I can't wait to improve that, because it'll help all my classes run more tightly.
Detention was actually easy today, due to the small group. I managed to have an incredibly productive day, and I think I'll be done with my planning (I hope) by Friday, so I can spend all of Friday grading. Ideally, I'll finish by Thursday morning, so I can spend Thursday grading the practical.
My drive home was 50 minutes of debating whether I should go running, how long I should run, and whether I should run indoors our outdoors. I ended up deciding on outside, since I have these shiny new visibility accessories I need to use. I'd start with 2 miles and see where it went. I ended up doing an incredibly enjoyable 2.77 miles in 30 minutes (probably my longest short run). I love running in the dark. It's just a little bit more exciting, but so incredibly relaxing. I think I'll keep it up.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Big Chill 5K - Race Report
Training:
This is probably the first time I've really trained for speed rather than distance, which was new and kind of exciting. I focused on two things: speed and consistency.
This year I've run more than any other year of my life (almost 350 miles), but also suffered from shin splints for the first time. Each time (July and October) I'd reach 10 miles per week, I'd throw in one single interval training session and walk away with sore shins and have to rest for a week or two. This time around, I decided I'd build mileage from scratch, but at a slightly faster speed (10 min/mi instead of 12 min/mi). It's been working well, and I even had two consecutive 10+ mile weeks with no pain. I guess I'll have to stay away from interval workouts for a while, even though they're fun.
In the last few weeks, my best runs were a 2 and 2.2 mile run at 10 min/mi, and a 4 mile run at 11 min/mi, all personal bests in training. I've been hoping for a sub-30 5K as long as I've been running (about 4 years), and really thought I could do it (I once ran a 29:45, but I really don't think the race was a full 5K. It didn't feel right).
Pre-race:
I had asked my boyfriend to pick up my race packet the day before the race, because pick-up was 7-8 AM and the race wasn't until 9 AM. I'll always choose the extra hour of sleep. Unfortunately, they'd lost my registration and he couldn't sign the waiver for me, so it was an early morning anyway. Entry for the race was a toy donation for Toys for Tots, so I hadn't paid yet anyway.
I was worried about getting locked out of the race (already 7,000 registered) so I called and asked...and they said they didn't have a cap on registration. That's good because it meant I would race, but potentially bad for several reasons. Most races cap registration because of limited space, water, or medical support. I prepared to race without any of these things.
Race Day:
I woke up early and ate my usual pre-race fare: an Eggo waffle with a light spread of peanut butter. It was 2 hours before race start, which was perfect.
When I arrived at 7:45 the next morning, I re-registered...but there were no more timing chips left. I was a little cranky about this, because I knew it was a crowded race with a crowded start, and I hoped I'd come close to 30 minutes.
I planned to run with a friend of mine who had run cross country in high school, but hadn't been training lately. She hoped she could keep up with me, and I hoped I could keep up with her.
We lined up a little ways behind the wiry guys in singlets (it was 40 degrees F and drizzly), right around some not-too-skinny women who we matched perfectly.
The race started, but I didn't hear the gun go off. It took a few seconds to get the start line, but I started my GPS tracker as soon as possible.
It was crowded, but for the most part, I didn't have to run too much around people. I had to make a few quick moves to avoid getting cut off, but it wasn't as bad as I expected.
I lost my friend within the first half mile...she pulled ahead. I didn't want to blow myself out early. I really wanted this race. I tuned into the song that was playing in my headphones and focused on keeping a steady effort on the gently rolling hills that I was not expecting.
The official split for my first mile was 9:40, which is right on target for a 30-minute race. Runkeeper (the GPS app on my phone) told me 9:20, so I assumed it was not playing fair.
The hills kept rolling, but I was moving steadily. I slowed down a bit in the second mile, moving steadily but not painfully. Runkeeper split was 9:40.
The last mile started to get painful, but that's about right for a 5K. My legs felt fine, and I realized after the race that I didn't have any problems with my legs, feet, or shins at all. The problem was my lungs. They started to burn as I tried to pick up the pace just a little bit in the last mile. By the last half mile, I had to take off my gloves as I suddenly started burning up.
The end of the course had a lot of turns, so I really didn't know where the end was and I didn't trust the GPS. My lungs were really burning. We made our last turn, and the finish line was not very far away. If I had known how close it was, I could've made my final kick earlier, I think. I kicked it and crossed the finish line with 30:18 on the clock.
My friend had finished around 29, and she claims that it took at least 15 seconds to cross the start line after the gun. According to Runkeeper, I had run 3.18 miles in 30:18, which means we covered some distance before the start line, or I spent too much effort running around people. It also said I completed 3.11 miles (5K) in 29:49.
So, if you squint, I kind of got a sub-30 5K. I don't feel good about it, though. My next chance is a 5K in early February, but by then, I hope to have loftier goals like 29 or 28. In fact, I think I'm going to do my own unofficial sub-30 5K, maybe in celebration of New Years'.
This is probably the first time I've really trained for speed rather than distance, which was new and kind of exciting. I focused on two things: speed and consistency.
This year I've run more than any other year of my life (almost 350 miles), but also suffered from shin splints for the first time. Each time (July and October) I'd reach 10 miles per week, I'd throw in one single interval training session and walk away with sore shins and have to rest for a week or two. This time around, I decided I'd build mileage from scratch, but at a slightly faster speed (10 min/mi instead of 12 min/mi). It's been working well, and I even had two consecutive 10+ mile weeks with no pain. I guess I'll have to stay away from interval workouts for a while, even though they're fun.
In the last few weeks, my best runs were a 2 and 2.2 mile run at 10 min/mi, and a 4 mile run at 11 min/mi, all personal bests in training. I've been hoping for a sub-30 5K as long as I've been running (about 4 years), and really thought I could do it (I once ran a 29:45, but I really don't think the race was a full 5K. It didn't feel right).
Pre-race:
I had asked my boyfriend to pick up my race packet the day before the race, because pick-up was 7-8 AM and the race wasn't until 9 AM. I'll always choose the extra hour of sleep. Unfortunately, they'd lost my registration and he couldn't sign the waiver for me, so it was an early morning anyway. Entry for the race was a toy donation for Toys for Tots, so I hadn't paid yet anyway.
I was worried about getting locked out of the race (already 7,000 registered) so I called and asked...and they said they didn't have a cap on registration. That's good because it meant I would race, but potentially bad for several reasons. Most races cap registration because of limited space, water, or medical support. I prepared to race without any of these things.
Race Day:
I woke up early and ate my usual pre-race fare: an Eggo waffle with a light spread of peanut butter. It was 2 hours before race start, which was perfect.
When I arrived at 7:45 the next morning, I re-registered...but there were no more timing chips left. I was a little cranky about this, because I knew it was a crowded race with a crowded start, and I hoped I'd come close to 30 minutes.
I planned to run with a friend of mine who had run cross country in high school, but hadn't been training lately. She hoped she could keep up with me, and I hoped I could keep up with her.
We lined up a little ways behind the wiry guys in singlets (it was 40 degrees F and drizzly), right around some not-too-skinny women who we matched perfectly.
The race started, but I didn't hear the gun go off. It took a few seconds to get the start line, but I started my GPS tracker as soon as possible.
It was crowded, but for the most part, I didn't have to run too much around people. I had to make a few quick moves to avoid getting cut off, but it wasn't as bad as I expected.
I lost my friend within the first half mile...she pulled ahead. I didn't want to blow myself out early. I really wanted this race. I tuned into the song that was playing in my headphones and focused on keeping a steady effort on the gently rolling hills that I was not expecting.
The official split for my first mile was 9:40, which is right on target for a 30-minute race. Runkeeper (the GPS app on my phone) told me 9:20, so I assumed it was not playing fair.
The hills kept rolling, but I was moving steadily. I slowed down a bit in the second mile, moving steadily but not painfully. Runkeeper split was 9:40.
The last mile started to get painful, but that's about right for a 5K. My legs felt fine, and I realized after the race that I didn't have any problems with my legs, feet, or shins at all. The problem was my lungs. They started to burn as I tried to pick up the pace just a little bit in the last mile. By the last half mile, I had to take off my gloves as I suddenly started burning up.
The end of the course had a lot of turns, so I really didn't know where the end was and I didn't trust the GPS. My lungs were really burning. We made our last turn, and the finish line was not very far away. If I had known how close it was, I could've made my final kick earlier, I think. I kicked it and crossed the finish line with 30:18 on the clock.
My friend had finished around 29, and she claims that it took at least 15 seconds to cross the start line after the gun. According to Runkeeper, I had run 3.18 miles in 30:18, which means we covered some distance before the start line, or I spent too much effort running around people. It also said I completed 3.11 miles (5K) in 29:49.
So, if you squint, I kind of got a sub-30 5K. I don't feel good about it, though. My next chance is a 5K in early February, but by then, I hope to have loftier goals like 29 or 28. In fact, I think I'm going to do my own unofficial sub-30 5K, maybe in celebration of New Years'.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Flying
I got to fly twice today.
The first was this morning, during my first class. The class was running especially smoothly, which was good, because my IL was in the room. I was remembering all my techniques (check for understanding, circulate and check student work, etc) and it was great. About two-thirds of the way through the class, my IL waves me over to her. This usually happens when she's been trying to gesture a message to me that I'm just not getting, and when the gesturing gets too furious, she'll find a convenient break (30 seconds to write the answer...GO) and wave me over. I didn't think I'd been missing anything, but I walked over to her as she stood up. She leaned over and whispered, "I'm really impressed to see how much you've improved. You're using all your techniques and the class is producing higher quality work."
Flying.
Moreover, I have a full period test tomorrow, so it'll be an easy (albeit grading-heavy) day.
The second time I got to fly was in the evening. I had been planning all week to try out nighttime running on this night. I looked at the weather report and noticed that tonight it would be nearly 60 degrees when I got home, so it was set. I'd do about 2-2.5 miles at a pretty fast pace, as a sort of "test run" run for the 5K on Saturday. It was my first time running in the dark, but I had a brand new, very...visible, vest that my parents bought for me. It's really, really, yellow.
I started out running smoothly. I easily picked up the pace, but felt good. I was listening to an audiobook with one headphone in, so I could hear traffic. I waited extra long at intersections, and it was a little difficult to see all the cracks in the sidewalk. About 5 minutes in, I accidentally hit some button on my phone and it shut off the audiobook. Oh well. I didn't want to stop and fiddle, so I decided it would be a good opportunity to "enjoy the moment" and "listen to my body".
I had an extremely good time and felt incredible. Flying again.
Of course, soon after I returned to my apartment complex, I stepped off the curb and rolled my ankle. I did that sort of run-run-roll-catch-run-run-nope-ow-walk-walk graceful dance that only an experienced ankle-roller could manage. I rushed upstairs to shower and make dinner before the run wore off and it started hurting. I think it'll be okay, but I took some Advil just to be sure. I'm hoping I'll still be in top shape for Saturday, but I might have to skip Thursday's run. I felt fast, now it hurts a little. A small price to pay for flying.
The first was this morning, during my first class. The class was running especially smoothly, which was good, because my IL was in the room. I was remembering all my techniques (check for understanding, circulate and check student work, etc) and it was great. About two-thirds of the way through the class, my IL waves me over to her. This usually happens when she's been trying to gesture a message to me that I'm just not getting, and when the gesturing gets too furious, she'll find a convenient break (30 seconds to write the answer...GO) and wave me over. I didn't think I'd been missing anything, but I walked over to her as she stood up. She leaned over and whispered, "I'm really impressed to see how much you've improved. You're using all your techniques and the class is producing higher quality work."
Flying.
Moreover, I have a full period test tomorrow, so it'll be an easy (albeit grading-heavy) day.
The second time I got to fly was in the evening. I had been planning all week to try out nighttime running on this night. I looked at the weather report and noticed that tonight it would be nearly 60 degrees when I got home, so it was set. I'd do about 2-2.5 miles at a pretty fast pace, as a sort of "test run" run for the 5K on Saturday. It was my first time running in the dark, but I had a brand new, very...visible, vest that my parents bought for me. It's really, really, yellow.
I started out running smoothly. I easily picked up the pace, but felt good. I was listening to an audiobook with one headphone in, so I could hear traffic. I waited extra long at intersections, and it was a little difficult to see all the cracks in the sidewalk. About 5 minutes in, I accidentally hit some button on my phone and it shut off the audiobook. Oh well. I didn't want to stop and fiddle, so I decided it would be a good opportunity to "enjoy the moment" and "listen to my body".
I had an extremely good time and felt incredible. Flying again.
Of course, soon after I returned to my apartment complex, I stepped off the curb and rolled my ankle. I did that sort of run-run-roll-catch-run-run-nope-ow-walk-walk graceful dance that only an experienced ankle-roller could manage. I rushed upstairs to shower and make dinner before the run wore off and it started hurting. I think it'll be okay, but I took some Advil just to be sure. I'm hoping I'll still be in top shape for Saturday, but I might have to skip Thursday's run. I felt fast, now it hurts a little. A small price to pay for flying.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Monday
I don't have a lot to write about, and it's Monday and I'm pretty tired.
School is going really well. My IL commented about how she has been giving me progressively less and less feedback. In fact, she came in for a scheduled observation today, and had no criticisms for me. Not bad!
I've been doing well at running. I've done two consecutive 10+ mile weeks, but at my new faster pace. My bests are Tuesday's 2.2 miles at 10 min/mi, and Saturday's 4 miles at 11 min/mi. I'm running a 5K at Rutgers on Saturday, and I'm hoping to break 30. It's unlikely, but when 7000+ people are running on a street in December, anything can happen. I'm feeling pretty good, although my calves are sore.
This year I'm doing triathlon training right. I've already run more than I ever have this far past summer. I have plans to acquire an indoor bike trainer and swimming pool access. I hope to be really strong once the race season starts.
Today, I surprised Boyfriend with steak fajitas. I'll go enjoy those now.
School is going really well. My IL commented about how she has been giving me progressively less and less feedback. In fact, she came in for a scheduled observation today, and had no criticisms for me. Not bad!
I've been doing well at running. I've done two consecutive 10+ mile weeks, but at my new faster pace. My bests are Tuesday's 2.2 miles at 10 min/mi, and Saturday's 4 miles at 11 min/mi. I'm running a 5K at Rutgers on Saturday, and I'm hoping to break 30. It's unlikely, but when 7000+ people are running on a street in December, anything can happen. I'm feeling pretty good, although my calves are sore.
This year I'm doing triathlon training right. I've already run more than I ever have this far past summer. I have plans to acquire an indoor bike trainer and swimming pool access. I hope to be really strong once the race season starts.
Today, I surprised Boyfriend with steak fajitas. I'll go enjoy those now.
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