...so I'm driving home from the car service place, on the phone with the insurance company, and I park at the apartment. I'm sitting on the phone, and I see something-someone on the balcony. It's Tim, and his friend. I know something is up. I sort-of-but-not-quite hang up on the insurance company, and get out of the car.
Tim is standing on the balcony holding my giant Post-it pad. On the pad, it says, "Hi, Robin!" He continues to flip though the following messages:
<Sorry I stole your easel>
<But I wanted to say>
<I love you.>
<I'm glad I worked those EMS shifts.>
<I have some carbon that would be better on your finger."
<Will you...>
I have tears streaming down my face at this point. Like, pouring. I run up the stairs and open the apartment door, to find Tim on one knee holding the ring. I'm crying and smiling and nodding. Tim's friend is taking pictures, and hands us each a glass of champagne. There is a plate of chocolate. Tim's friend leaves and we call everyone we know.
I'm pretty much crying just sitting here writing this (in school, in the computer lab, in a room full of students making FPT PowerPoints).
That night (Saturday), I suggested dinner at our favorite (kinda expensive) restaurant in New Brunswick, and it turns out Tim already made reservations. We go out for a fantastic dinner with plenty of drinks, but when the waitress brings our dessert, she announces that our dinner is compliments of Tim's aunt and uncle who love us very much. I cried again (okay, I hadn't slept well in several days). It was such a treat.
And thus was one of the best days of my entire life, which I couldn't have done without the help of Toyota's flaws.
And then today, I finished my lesson plans. For the year. I am done with written work. I also closed my grade book (I may have thrown out an assignment or two). 6 days of school, and it's summer vacation!
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Engage!
I'm currently listening to the history class discussing bullying and oppression in America. ("We need to improve America because it is the promised land." "It is not the 'promised land' for all people, because people are still oppressed..." "We see inequalities in test scores between different races...")
The trip to Boston left me sleepy. Not only were our days jam-packed with awesome activities, but we were up pretty late. On the two nights we were there, we got back to the hotel at around 10:30 PM. Kids then had about an hour to shower and dress for bed, while teachers came around with their cell phones, with a snack, to take back the cell phones, to set their alarm clocks for them, and finally to turn off the lights and tape the doors. We then sat outside their rooms for a while until it quieted down considerably. We got to bed by midnight, and then were up gathering children as early as 6:45. I got home sleepy.
Actually, I got in the car sleepy. Getting home took another 6.5 hours of driving through constant downpour, including a 15 mile stretch of the Jersey Turnpike that took 2 hours to pass. I couldn't quite run that fast, but it's close enough. It was tough.
I got home Friday night hoping for a quiet evening at EMS. Nope. Nothing thrilling, but we had calls at 9PM, 11PM, and 2AM. Just evenly spaced out enough to keep me awake all night. Yuck. On the bright side, I learned how the charting program works, so now I'm just as responsible for paperwork as everyone else.
I grumpily drove home Saturday morning and got right back in bed for a few hours. I only got up at 10:30 so I could get in a run before it got too hot. Bad choice. It was too hot already and I was too tired. It was a slow, painful 7 miles.
I came home in time to take my car in for service. The car had been leaking--that is, water was puddling up in the back seat for no good reason. I wanted to get it checked out. I waited for an hour while they checked out my car. I was then told that they didn't know what was wrong, but it would definitely require expensive repairs of water damage, that I should probably call the insurance company.
Great. Wonderful. I crankily drove home, while talking on the phone with the insurance company. Fortunately, my crankiness was soon to be cured in a big way...[to be continued]
The trip to Boston left me sleepy. Not only were our days jam-packed with awesome activities, but we were up pretty late. On the two nights we were there, we got back to the hotel at around 10:30 PM. Kids then had about an hour to shower and dress for bed, while teachers came around with their cell phones, with a snack, to take back the cell phones, to set their alarm clocks for them, and finally to turn off the lights and tape the doors. We then sat outside their rooms for a while until it quieted down considerably. We got to bed by midnight, and then were up gathering children as early as 6:45. I got home sleepy.
Actually, I got in the car sleepy. Getting home took another 6.5 hours of driving through constant downpour, including a 15 mile stretch of the Jersey Turnpike that took 2 hours to pass. I couldn't quite run that fast, but it's close enough. It was tough.
I got home Friday night hoping for a quiet evening at EMS. Nope. Nothing thrilling, but we had calls at 9PM, 11PM, and 2AM. Just evenly spaced out enough to keep me awake all night. Yuck. On the bright side, I learned how the charting program works, so now I'm just as responsible for paperwork as everyone else.
I grumpily drove home Saturday morning and got right back in bed for a few hours. I only got up at 10:30 so I could get in a run before it got too hot. Bad choice. It was too hot already and I was too tired. It was a slow, painful 7 miles.
I came home in time to take my car in for service. The car had been leaking--that is, water was puddling up in the back seat for no good reason. I wanted to get it checked out. I waited for an hour while they checked out my car. I was then told that they didn't know what was wrong, but it would definitely require expensive repairs of water damage, that I should probably call the insurance company.
Great. Wonderful. I crankily drove home, while talking on the phone with the insurance company. Fortunately, my crankiness was soon to be cured in a big way...[to be continued]
Sunday, June 9, 2013
"Tired" Doesn't Begin to Describe...
I have a LOT of exciting stories to fill you in on, but I'm going to do it chronologically--you're going to have to wait for the good stuff.
Wednesday, I got to school early so we could load kids on buses. I had volunteered to drive up alone, in case we needed to send any kids home early from the trip. I had an easy, uneventful ride up to Boston in about 4 hours, and met the group at the BU dining hall.
To a 7th grader who thinks McDonald's is the greatest restaurant ever, they loved the dining hall. The kids were intrigued by the all-you-can-eat aspect, and were all convinced that they were going to gain a lot of weight in college (who doesn't?). They also learned that pizza is not the same everywhere. (Tough lesson, but everyone has to learn eventually.
On the tour of BU, the kids were asking awesome questions: How much will this cost? What do I need to do to get a scholarship? I was impressed with their enthusiasm. It didn't hurt that the BU gym has a climbing wall, Olympic-sized swimming pool, and smoothie bar. My favorite part of the tour, though, was when the tour guide told said that if you step on the university seal, you won't graduate. One student asked, "Is that true?" Another shouted, "We should test it out! Let's get 100 students..." I have succeeded as a science teacher.
I also got a great interval workout during the tour. It went something like this:
"Anyone who gets caught walking behind Ms. Z loses $5!" [Jog a few feet, watch kids scurry.]
Get caught behind, jog a bit more.
Get to BU track, race kids across the soccer field. [1x100 m sprint]
"Who wants to race Ms. Z around the track?" [1x400 m sprint]
Recover by walking to the buses.
It helped me feel like I got some good exercise in, without being too taxing.
I also played a few rounds of laser tag that evening, and was sore from it for days! A few weeks ago, when the students were being pumped up for the Boston trip, the English teacher challenged them to beat me in laser tag. This started rumors that I was great at laser tag. I'm not. Some kids spent the last couple of weeks planning their strategy for teaming up on me. To make a long story short, out of sheer determination, I destroyed them all at laser tag. 1st place. It felt awesome (except for the sore abs, quads, and hamstrings).
Thursday, we went on a Freedom Trail tour (the kids loved it, I was underwhelmed) and I had some pretty disappointing clam chowder at Faneuil Hall. I travel all the way to Boston, and I didn't even find good clam chowder!
That afternoon we went to the science museum. I had so much fun seeing the kids learning and being engaged in a low-stress environment. It was almost, but not quite, as meaningful as seeing In the Heights that evening. In the Heights is a musical about a block in Washington Heights that works together to achieve their own versions of personal success with the support of each other. One of the most meaningful (to me, and I think to the kids) storylines was about a girl who had to drop out of Stanford because she lost her scholarship, because her grades dropped, because she had to work two jobs to afford textbooks. In the end, she turns down gift money from the community but accepts money her parents get by selling their car service business. The end moral is that you can only be successful with the support of your family and community.
This message is one that I can relate to (even though I grew up with every possible privilege) and one that I enjoyed sharing with the students. As a teacher, I spend every non-school moment with a little voice in the back of my head constantly telling me, "The kids would love this" "This is so appropriate for school" and "How can I share this with my kids?" This week, I didn't have to think that. I was able to share a science museum, a museum, some colleges, and more with my kids. And I loved every minute of it.
There are more stories to tell, as I'm sure you know. More to follow.
Wednesday, I got to school early so we could load kids on buses. I had volunteered to drive up alone, in case we needed to send any kids home early from the trip. I had an easy, uneventful ride up to Boston in about 4 hours, and met the group at the BU dining hall.
To a 7th grader who thinks McDonald's is the greatest restaurant ever, they loved the dining hall. The kids were intrigued by the all-you-can-eat aspect, and were all convinced that they were going to gain a lot of weight in college (who doesn't?). They also learned that pizza is not the same everywhere. (Tough lesson, but everyone has to learn eventually.
On the tour of BU, the kids were asking awesome questions: How much will this cost? What do I need to do to get a scholarship? I was impressed with their enthusiasm. It didn't hurt that the BU gym has a climbing wall, Olympic-sized swimming pool, and smoothie bar. My favorite part of the tour, though, was when the tour guide told said that if you step on the university seal, you won't graduate. One student asked, "Is that true?" Another shouted, "We should test it out! Let's get 100 students..." I have succeeded as a science teacher.
I also got a great interval workout during the tour. It went something like this:
"Anyone who gets caught walking behind Ms. Z loses $5!" [Jog a few feet, watch kids scurry.]
Get caught behind, jog a bit more.
Get to BU track, race kids across the soccer field. [1x100 m sprint]
"Who wants to race Ms. Z around the track?" [1x400 m sprint]
Recover by walking to the buses.
It helped me feel like I got some good exercise in, without being too taxing.
I also played a few rounds of laser tag that evening, and was sore from it for days! A few weeks ago, when the students were being pumped up for the Boston trip, the English teacher challenged them to beat me in laser tag. This started rumors that I was great at laser tag. I'm not. Some kids spent the last couple of weeks planning their strategy for teaming up on me. To make a long story short, out of sheer determination, I destroyed them all at laser tag. 1st place. It felt awesome (except for the sore abs, quads, and hamstrings).
Thursday, we went on a Freedom Trail tour (the kids loved it, I was underwhelmed) and I had some pretty disappointing clam chowder at Faneuil Hall. I travel all the way to Boston, and I didn't even find good clam chowder!
That afternoon we went to the science museum. I had so much fun seeing the kids learning and being engaged in a low-stress environment. It was almost, but not quite, as meaningful as seeing In the Heights that evening. In the Heights is a musical about a block in Washington Heights that works together to achieve their own versions of personal success with the support of each other. One of the most meaningful (to me, and I think to the kids) storylines was about a girl who had to drop out of Stanford because she lost her scholarship, because her grades dropped, because she had to work two jobs to afford textbooks. In the end, she turns down gift money from the community but accepts money her parents get by selling their car service business. The end moral is that you can only be successful with the support of your family and community.
This message is one that I can relate to (even though I grew up with every possible privilege) and one that I enjoyed sharing with the students. As a teacher, I spend every non-school moment with a little voice in the back of my head constantly telling me, "The kids would love this" "This is so appropriate for school" and "How can I share this with my kids?" This week, I didn't have to think that. I was able to share a science museum, a museum, some colleges, and more with my kids. And I loved every minute of it.
There are more stories to tell, as I'm sure you know. More to follow.
Monday, June 3, 2013
Boston!
This week is going to be crazy, so I may not be able to update. There is regular class tomorrow, and then we head up to Boston! I'll be chaperoning from 7AM Wednesday to 4:30PM Friday, with nary a moment to relax.
Today and tomorrow's classes are about evolution and natural selection, which the kids love. Today, I had to show them a video that explained why evolution is controversial. They don't understand why it is controversial. I am looking forward to seeing this new generation grow up.
Tomorrow, we are doing the natural selection lab that I did last year, and I'm really excited to see what the kids come up with in their analysis.
Due to the busy schedule for work, and a remarkable disappointing 5K race on Saturday (30:45. Blech.), I'm taking a few days off from training.
I owe you a bunch of stories. Hopefully, I'll have some moments this week to blog from my phone in Boston, but if not, I'll catch up soon. I have stories about fake lessons, puberty, and more.
Today and tomorrow's classes are about evolution and natural selection, which the kids love. Today, I had to show them a video that explained why evolution is controversial. They don't understand why it is controversial. I am looking forward to seeing this new generation grow up.
Tomorrow, we are doing the natural selection lab that I did last year, and I'm really excited to see what the kids come up with in their analysis.
Due to the busy schedule for work, and a remarkable disappointing 5K race on Saturday (30:45. Blech.), I'm taking a few days off from training.
I owe you a bunch of stories. Hopefully, I'll have some moments this week to blog from my phone in Boston, but if not, I'll catch up soon. I have stories about fake lessons, puberty, and more.
Friday, May 31, 2013
Promotions
Last night, we had our 7th grade musical: Urinetown! The show was fantastic (in a middle school sense - I've learned to judge things on a middle school scale now), and there were a few line deliveries that had the audience roaring. Urinetown is a very funny show, but the humor is very smart, which makes it that much more impressive that 7th graders could pull it off (or, the 1-hour nice version). There was even one student who blew everyone away with her belting. And it's not easy to impress me with vocals. With my ego, I always think I can out-sing everyone. I don't think I could out-sing her, especially if she got herself some training.
Unfortunately, that was only 30 or so minutes of the afternoon. The rest of the time was corralling anxious and excited 12-year-olds without using any consequences that might result in their shutdown. There was a lot of angry whispering and juggling kids. You sit here. You sit here. (Wait 15 minutes, and they somehow end up in their original seats.) You sit here. You stand there. For about 4 hours.I left there in a less-than-exemplary mood at 7PM.
Fortunately, I had something to celebrate yesterday. I was pulled into the principal's office yesterday afternoon for a surprise check-in, and my IL was waiting there too. Oh goody. Fired already. The principal then went on to explain that in the interest of streamlining the work and level of rigor across North Star schools, especially in light of the Common Core changes, they would be choosing one 7th grade science teacher to write the lesson plans, 2 weeks in advance, coordinate the interim assessments, and keep the curriculum current, for all 3 middle schools. She's explaining this, and my IL is trying hard not to grin, and I'm thinking: Hurry up already and offer me the position! And she did. Plus $3,000, to basically just do a better job on the work I'm already doing. Plus $1,000 for a week in the summer of curriculum planning. So, not only do they like me here, they LOVE me. I'm a rock star.
So, I left school at 7PM, cranky and exhausted, and met the med school crew for a celebratory drink. I've never been out so late on a school night (9PM), and I definitely feel it today, but it was totally worth it. I'm proud.
I took a look at the course map for my 5K on Saturday. It's hilly. I'm getting nervous. It'll be hot and hilly. I don't want to slack off because it looks hard, and be disappointed in my performance, but I also don't want to have unrealistic expectations. I think I'm gonna have to ditch the GPS and expectations, and just run as fast as I can for as long as I can. Dig deep and run. Fast feet, easy arms. Keep on moving.
15 days left.
Unfortunately, that was only 30 or so minutes of the afternoon. The rest of the time was corralling anxious and excited 12-year-olds without using any consequences that might result in their shutdown. There was a lot of angry whispering and juggling kids. You sit here. You sit here. (Wait 15 minutes, and they somehow end up in their original seats.) You sit here. You stand there. For about 4 hours.I left there in a less-than-exemplary mood at 7PM.
Fortunately, I had something to celebrate yesterday. I was pulled into the principal's office yesterday afternoon for a surprise check-in, and my IL was waiting there too. Oh goody. Fired already. The principal then went on to explain that in the interest of streamlining the work and level of rigor across North Star schools, especially in light of the Common Core changes, they would be choosing one 7th grade science teacher to write the lesson plans, 2 weeks in advance, coordinate the interim assessments, and keep the curriculum current, for all 3 middle schools. She's explaining this, and my IL is trying hard not to grin, and I'm thinking: Hurry up already and offer me the position! And she did. Plus $3,000, to basically just do a better job on the work I'm already doing. Plus $1,000 for a week in the summer of curriculum planning. So, not only do they like me here, they LOVE me. I'm a rock star.
So, I left school at 7PM, cranky and exhausted, and met the med school crew for a celebratory drink. I've never been out so late on a school night (9PM), and I definitely feel it today, but it was totally worth it. I'm proud.
I took a look at the course map for my 5K on Saturday. It's hilly. I'm getting nervous. It'll be hot and hilly. I don't want to slack off because it looks hard, and be disappointed in my performance, but I also don't want to have unrealistic expectations. I think I'm gonna have to ditch the GPS and expectations, and just run as fast as I can for as long as I can. Dig deep and run. Fast feet, easy arms. Keep on moving.
15 days left.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
61.6 Miles in May
I am very, very frustrated right now because a colleague who often drops the ball and leaves it for us to discover, did it again. And (relating to the FPT) I have to use my prep time to plan and class time to teach to fill in the space. And I only discovered this because I am on top of my work and happened to take a peek at next week's work. Ugh.
In other news, I had an exciting weekend in EMS. Friday was my first shift at South Planfield EMS, and I was welcomed with open arms. Mostly.
We hung out for about an hour, starting at 7PM sharp. We decided to go out for Chipotle at about 8. Halfway through the line, we get toned out to an incomprehensible dispatch. We arrive to find a 97-year old (wow) woman and her daughter. The woman had been to the hospital earlier in the week, but wasn't feeling well again, and having difficulty standing up. (I'd have difficulty standing up at 97 too.) Of course, as we lifted her onto the stair chair, she said, "The poopie all came out." Great. The ride to the hospital was uneventful (albeit smelly) and I was in bed at 10:30 for the rest of the night.
The Friday night crew covers Saturday nights every 6th week, so I had to come in on Saturday as well. Saturday was a bit more exciting. We had 3 calls total, plus a missing person search. The first call was similar to Friday's: elderly person needing a ride to the hospital. Afterwards, we were called to the movie theater to help for a missing 46-year old mentally disabled man. 12 firefighters and 6 EMTs walked through the movie theaters with flashlights for 45 minutes until the missing man's caretaker admitted that he went missing a while ago, and soon after that we heard over the radio that they found the man at a gas station a mile away. That was productive.
A second unexciting call, followed by a drunk, pepper-sprayed, twentysomething who needed to be checked out...in lockup. He had gotten too drunk and belligerent at his sister's wedding and needed to be restrained. He was pepper-sprayed while being uncooperative. Definitely something I will NOT do at my sister's wedding. The best part of drunk patients is that they think they can logically negotiate their way out of a situation. He was trying to convince us and the cop that he should be allowed to leave. Needless to say, his negotiations were unsuccessful.
We got back to bed at 12:30. I was so tired after two nights of working that I crashed on Monday night by 8PM after a less-than-strenuous barbecue.
Twice this week, I've gone out running because my mom helped motivate me. Yesterday, I got out right as it finished raining. Today, it was 88 degrees and humid.
But you know what I'm really proud of this month? This:
In other news, I had an exciting weekend in EMS. Friday was my first shift at South Planfield EMS, and I was welcomed with open arms. Mostly.
We hung out for about an hour, starting at 7PM sharp. We decided to go out for Chipotle at about 8. Halfway through the line, we get toned out to an incomprehensible dispatch. We arrive to find a 97-year old (wow) woman and her daughter. The woman had been to the hospital earlier in the week, but wasn't feeling well again, and having difficulty standing up. (I'd have difficulty standing up at 97 too.) Of course, as we lifted her onto the stair chair, she said, "The poopie all came out." Great. The ride to the hospital was uneventful (albeit smelly) and I was in bed at 10:30 for the rest of the night.
The Friday night crew covers Saturday nights every 6th week, so I had to come in on Saturday as well. Saturday was a bit more exciting. We had 3 calls total, plus a missing person search. The first call was similar to Friday's: elderly person needing a ride to the hospital. Afterwards, we were called to the movie theater to help for a missing 46-year old mentally disabled man. 12 firefighters and 6 EMTs walked through the movie theaters with flashlights for 45 minutes until the missing man's caretaker admitted that he went missing a while ago, and soon after that we heard over the radio that they found the man at a gas station a mile away. That was productive.
A second unexciting call, followed by a drunk, pepper-sprayed, twentysomething who needed to be checked out...in lockup. He had gotten too drunk and belligerent at his sister's wedding and needed to be restrained. He was pepper-sprayed while being uncooperative. Definitely something I will NOT do at my sister's wedding. The best part of drunk patients is that they think they can logically negotiate their way out of a situation. He was trying to convince us and the cop that he should be allowed to leave. Needless to say, his negotiations were unsuccessful.
We got back to bed at 12:30. I was so tired after two nights of working that I crashed on Monday night by 8PM after a less-than-strenuous barbecue.
Twice this week, I've gone out running because my mom helped motivate me. Yesterday, I got out right as it finished raining. Today, it was 88 degrees and humid.
But you know what I'm really proud of this month? This:
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Cross Training
Last Thursday, we went on a field trip to a roller skating rink. It was really, really fun, and really exhausting. I had a blast chasing down kids, but called it a day after I got taken out from behind by a very small fifth grader. I rubbed my bruised elbow and gave back the roller skates. Still, I earned some cool points with my kids by giving it a shot. Counts as cross-training, right?
On Friday, we had a bunch of visitors from London and New Orleans, taking a look at our school to see how awesome we are. They are all school leaders, looking to improve their school. It was fun having visitors, because the kids always like to show off.
I had an awesome moment during class. We were learning about evolution (it was great - I pretty much summed it up as "DNA changes over time + DNA determines characteristics = characteristics change over time") and the kids were engaged in a really challenging reading, Common Core-style. Just then, a giant spider crawled across a desk! The student leaped out of his chair and screamed. I grabbed his folder, killed the spider, cleaned it with a tissue, and added a few dollars to the paychecks of those students who were still working urgently. Back on task in 10 seconds flat--just at the moment the visitors walked in.
A kindly British fellow was so impressed with the way the students were able to be told "Write Harvard Notes" and they were able to write formal outline-style notes with no further explanation. It took a lot of work, but I'm proud of my students (and myself) for getting to that point. I promised to send some lesson plans to the British dude.
Since Thursday, I've had some very successful and challenging workouts. Thursday, it was rainy, and I wasn't hopeful about my ability to run 4 x 5-min intervals between 9:35 and 9:45 min/mi. I hopped on the treadmill, set up some SVU, and finished with time to spare (did intervals at 9:30 pace).
Even after Friday's rest, I was wary of Saturday's workout, which was my first long run with speed work thrown in (according to the training plan I found on the internet). I was set to do a seven mile run, with miles 4-6 done at 10:15-10:30 min/mi. That's a pretty challenging pace, only about 30 seconds per mile faster than my fastest ever 5K. So not only did I have to do 3 miles, it was after another three miles, and before another mile. But, I did it, and it was fun! I enjoyed the challenge and it felt good. I was pretty sore afterwards, but the good kind of sore. And I managed the quick 3-mile part at 10:11 min/mi. That's only :33 per mile more than I hope to run a 5K next weekend (9:38 min/mi), and I won't have to run 3 miles first. I think I can do it.
Sunday, it was very windy, so I postponed my bike ride. I did get in a very slow and sore 2.5-mile run, to top off my highest mileage week yet (17.3 miles)! I got the bike ride in on Monday (Yay long weekend!), for an exhausting 20-miler. After that whole weekend, I was asleep at 8PM on Monday night.
Next update will include details of my first EMS shifts in nearly a year. There were drunks and poop.
Right now, I'm watching the 7th grade dress rehearsal of Urinetown. 'nuff said.
On Friday, we had a bunch of visitors from London and New Orleans, taking a look at our school to see how awesome we are. They are all school leaders, looking to improve their school. It was fun having visitors, because the kids always like to show off.
I had an awesome moment during class. We were learning about evolution (it was great - I pretty much summed it up as "DNA changes over time + DNA determines characteristics = characteristics change over time") and the kids were engaged in a really challenging reading, Common Core-style. Just then, a giant spider crawled across a desk! The student leaped out of his chair and screamed. I grabbed his folder, killed the spider, cleaned it with a tissue, and added a few dollars to the paychecks of those students who were still working urgently. Back on task in 10 seconds flat--just at the moment the visitors walked in.
A kindly British fellow was so impressed with the way the students were able to be told "Write Harvard Notes" and they were able to write formal outline-style notes with no further explanation. It took a lot of work, but I'm proud of my students (and myself) for getting to that point. I promised to send some lesson plans to the British dude.
Since Thursday, I've had some very successful and challenging workouts. Thursday, it was rainy, and I wasn't hopeful about my ability to run 4 x 5-min intervals between 9:35 and 9:45 min/mi. I hopped on the treadmill, set up some SVU, and finished with time to spare (did intervals at 9:30 pace).
Even after Friday's rest, I was wary of Saturday's workout, which was my first long run with speed work thrown in (according to the training plan I found on the internet). I was set to do a seven mile run, with miles 4-6 done at 10:15-10:30 min/mi. That's a pretty challenging pace, only about 30 seconds per mile faster than my fastest ever 5K. So not only did I have to do 3 miles, it was after another three miles, and before another mile. But, I did it, and it was fun! I enjoyed the challenge and it felt good. I was pretty sore afterwards, but the good kind of sore. And I managed the quick 3-mile part at 10:11 min/mi. That's only :33 per mile more than I hope to run a 5K next weekend (9:38 min/mi), and I won't have to run 3 miles first. I think I can do it.
Sunday, it was very windy, so I postponed my bike ride. I did get in a very slow and sore 2.5-mile run, to top off my highest mileage week yet (17.3 miles)! I got the bike ride in on Monday (Yay long weekend!), for an exhausting 20-miler. After that whole weekend, I was asleep at 8PM on Monday night.
Next update will include details of my first EMS shifts in nearly a year. There were drunks and poop.
Right now, I'm watching the 7th grade dress rehearsal of Urinetown. 'nuff said.
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