Sub-30!

Wednesday's class discussion on cultural differences and racism and stuff was challenging. There were some good small group discussions, but I always feel like I'm unqualified to talk on the subject of whether the Achievement Gap is a poverty gap, or a remnant of cultural expectations. I had to read an summarize for my group an article that discussed the idea that it is not a poverty gap that causes lower performance in African Americans, but instead a cultural expectation of failure, which they then live up to out of fear. Interesting topic, though shoddy research methods. I learned some cool stuff, but walked away feeling awkward. I'd like to think that awkward feeling is a cultural artifact of my American-ness.

The session was started with a discussion of our own personal cultural artifacts, with the moral: aren't conversations more interesting when we acknowledge individual identifies  rather than just making assumptions based on looks?

The whole discussion reminded me of something I learned in Botswana. When I got to the country, in September 2007, I noticed immediately that people stared at me. I was one of a handful of white people in the whole country. I thought I would finally get to know what it was like to be a minority.

I did. I learned what it was like to be a minority. I was stared at, and still expected to have more money, not commit crime, and be high-achieving.

On a lighter note, I spent the last two days being super productive. I completed an entire week's worth of lesson plans and materials, using the new high standards of quality and appearance that are expected of me this year. It took, in total, about 10.5 hours. It'll probably get faster after I get more used to formatting (besides, it took time to program Word to autocorrect for me: DN = Do Now, dc = Doc Cam, HW = Homework, SM = Scientific Method - I hope to soon only write in shorthand, and have Word translate automatically). So, 10 hours a week planning, split up over 5 days, with 40 weeks...STOP. It's still summer.

But I'm so excited! I'm going to do things so much better this year! Classroom entry will be cleaner from Day 1. Procedures will be smoother and easier for me. I will teach the tough objectives better the first time, so less time will be spent reteaching. I'll incorporate more review and "Know it Cold" vocabulary memorization, so we can spend more time learning new, rigorous objectives. I can't wait.

I am continuing to enjoy my exercise classes. I really like the instructor's style: equal parts coddling and evil. Perfect for an exercise class. Besides, she actually throws real science at us occasionally. And there's NO fake science. That's a first in an exercise class.

Oh yeah, I ran a 5K in 29:23! I ran the first mile fast (~9:20), slowed down a bit and zoned out during the second mile (9:35), and then picked it up in the last mile (9:30). When it hurt, I kept chanting in my head: 29:59. 29:59. I just wanted to see that 2 in the front. I thought of all the people I would tell: the old man I had befriended at the start, my fiance, my parents, my blog. It was not flat as advertised. It was also muggy and rainy, and the finish line wasn't well marked, so I actually didn't see the finish line until I was about 50 meters away. It cut my final kick a little short, so I think I could have done about 10 seconds better. Still, I was 5/11 in my age group (better than half) and 25/61 in women (much better than half). I was proud, really proud. Really sweaty, too.

And with that, I've come to an end of my 2013 goal-setting season. Of my four goals for the year, I accomplished two, and missed two. I finished a sprint tri sub-1:40 (1:36) and a 5K sub-30. I did not finish a half marathon sub-2:30 (2:34) or the NYC Tri sub-3:30 (3:45). Overall, it was a good year. I worked harder than any other year before. I worked hard and saw results (at least, in swimming and running, biking needs work).

I'm feeling a little burn-outy, as in I can't get together the motivation to go swimming or biking. The exercise classes are really fun, and I'm figuring out if I can afford (time and money) to keep going once school starts. I still want to do a sprint tri, maybe at the end of this month, but it won't really require any training.

I need to set new goals, immediately, or I'm going to keep writing, and not go out for my at-least-6-mile run I have planned for today. Sub-29? Sure, I bet I could do it in a month. I should really aim for 28. I definitely want to do an entire half marathon without walking, maybe a 2:25. I think I'm already too far behind my goal of 750 miles for the year, due to laziness and injury. I think I'll try to keep up 4-5 runs per week, with the occasional speed workout and tempo, for a total of 15-20 miles. I'll see where that leaves me in a few months. Maybe a distance goal for August? My best month is 62 miles, so I'll try to beat that. Let's do it.