Today, I have a special privilege - I get to stay back from the field trip with students who have not earned the privilege of going! That was sarcastic. It's the worst. It's basically like detention, but for the entire school day. 8 hours' worth.
I worked hard to set up a serious, focused room to start the day. Each student is given a packet of stayback work, which includes 1-2 hours of work for each of their academic classes. Before we did that, though, I set the mood with a behavior reflection, so students could take a moment to think about why they were not going on the field trip (paycheck average below threshold), and what they could do to change that for next time. Fortunately, this created a somewhat more positive atmosphere, so it felt less like detention, and the students were more likely to be invested in the task of finishing these assignments (and of course, earning dollars as they worked).
The morning worked really well, despite some fidgets in the last half hour before lunch.
The afternoon, however, was a whole other beast. I've only been up here for 30 minutes, but I've already given a consequence to most students in the room. They're just...silly. I've finally, through a combination of correcting and cajoling, gotten them all back to work, but I don't know how long it will last. Students are beginning to get close to finishing up their packets. 90 minutes left; let's see how it goes.
This weekend was a race weekend, so I got a glorious rest day on Saturday (well, I still worked the whole day in my EMT work, but that was fun, relaxing, and not too difficult) and a short but hard run on Sunday. I raced a 5K, which is my most and least favorite distance to race. It's my favorite because it's pretty short, so it doesn't leave me as worn down as a normal long run would. It's my least favorite because it's HARD. While not as hard as a mile race, it's pushing myself just past comfortable, and holding it for nearly a half hour. Actually, for nearly 28 minutes, which is my new PR (personal record).
Here is my race report:
Training: I've been doing a lot more consistent training in the last 6 weeks, since working with my coach. I've been running between 15 and 20 miles per week for the last 6 weeks, with the exception of last week, which was too busy. I've had a long run each weekend, with the last few Sundays at 9, 10, and 11 miles, which is definitely pushing my limits. I've also pushed to have fast segments during these long runs, such as 2x2 miles fast at anywhere during the 11 mile run. I've been doing an addition 4-5 hours of biking and swimming as well, with most of that as indoor biking.
Goal: My previous 5K PR is 28:49, and that was nearly two years ago, so I really wanted to beat that. I thought I could break 28 minutes, which is just under a 9-minute mile pace. My mile race last week indicated that I could do even faster, but I wasn't feeling great (head cold, sore hip) and had been on my feet the previous day.
Pre-Race: I was originally signed up for a race next weekend, but was asked to work on an ambulance strike team for the Papal Visit in Philadelphia, so I couldn't pass that up. I found a local race for Sunday (Berkeley Heights 5K), and drove about 25 minutes to get there. The Google Maps link on the race's website actually took me to the wrong place, but I was able to follow the written directions to find the race start, which had ample parking. I registered, handed over my crumpled $25, and dropped the race packet back in the car. I am sort of in between iPhone holding devices in my running - my SPIbelt, which I've loved for over a year, has gotten a little stretched out and bounces incessantly sometimes. I wasn't willing to take that risk, and didn't have an armband that would fit my phone, so I went without music. The weather was perfect - 68 degrees and partly cloudy.
Warm-up: I warmed up by slowly jogging about a third of a mile, and then stretching out my tight hip flexor a little bit. I lined up next to some guys that looked a little faster than me, but behind a few young girls who looked like they were about to take off sprinting and then walk the rest of the way (they did).
The race: The first mile was a struggle to find the right pace. I think I worried too much about it - I started out a little too fast, and then slowed down, and then saw my pace was too slow and sped up. I bounced back and forth until I settled into a solid 9:00-mile pace. The second mile was almost entirely uphill, and I struggled to keep my pace down. I averaged about 9:16 per mile here, which brought my average pace for the entire race at exactly 9:00, so I couldn't slow down for the last mile, even though I wanted to. I sped up for the last mile, focusing on my breathing and on counting my strides. My legs were feeling good, with none of the calf soreness that I had felt in some previous 5K races. My breathing was the only limiting factor, which meant my legs were keeping up with my overall fitness, which was good. I tried to keep up with a girl I had been running near, but she took off in the last mile. I struggle to keep behind her, but ended up passing several people along the way. In the last quarter mile, I sped up, and pushed through the finish line that was just past the final turn. I finished, wheezing and out of breath, feeling like I could have done a little faster overall, but I could not have pushed harder at the end. When I crossed the finish line, I saw 27:59 on the official clock, and stopped my Garmin at 27:58 (I must have started a little late). Unfortunately, the official results haven't been posted, so I don't know if I was sub-28 or not!
What's next: My next race is a half marathon in late October. I think I'll wait until early December for my next attempt at a 5K, which is a race that I've done for the last few years and is a really fun one. For this one, I think I can at least beat my PR, if not by 30 seconds or more.
I'm going to end on a good note, because I still have 35 minutes with these students, and the day is long. I've worked hard to build relationships with these students, and today is the day when that pays off. I am only sane at this moment, after 7 hours almost-consecutively with the 20 students in the 7th grade who have not met behavioral expectations this year, because I've cashed in on my relationship building points today. Although there has been some silliness, and some talking, and lots of little noises, they've gotten a lot of work done and they've done mostly what they were supposed to be doing. And as I want to pull my hair out, I've learned to love each of these individuals a little more. And tomorrow, I will start banking relationship points again, for the next time.
Edit: I just checked the official results (like I've been doing every hour today), and they're finally up - 27:57, and second in my age group!
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