It's a beautiful life...

2008-05-15T15:49:00.003-04:00

If you have any desire to become a teacher.....don't move to Connecticut.
I just turned in my 107 page, size 11 font, 1.5 spaced portfolio to the State Department of Education with hopes that the state will renew my certification next year.
I guess that's the price you have to pay to have the best job in the world. :)

No running news. :( No yoga news. :( I need to run. I miss it. I really do!

Thanks Bill!

2008-04-27T00:40:00.003-04:00

I'm going to steal Bill's post because I feel exactly the same.

I guess this has become a weekly blog. It’s not that i don’t think of you, the RBF, pretty much constantly. I do. It’s just that life’s kind of taken off here in meat-space. There’s scouts [yoga classes], kids’ school [teaching 23 sweet third graders], church [and Bible study & book club], oh, and that whole career thing [and more blind dates]. I miss you, really.

Happy Spring RBF!

Where are you Spring?

2008-04-06T14:20:00.004-04:00

It's April--that means it should be warm and sunny, flowers should bloom and the grass should turn green. I just need a little bit of Spring to give me some extra motivation to put on my sneakers and get out the door. So, I'm crossing my fingers. :)

The Bad News
Unfortunately things didn't work out with Mr. Nearly Perfect Blind Date Guy. The girl that snatches him up, will be one lucky girl.
The Good News
I have another blind date set-up this week.

updates

2008-03-09T12:08:00.004-04:00

I have been running a little, now and then but it's nothing worth writing about. I'm ready for spring so I can get more serious with miles/pace. This afternoon I'm heading here to go skiing with some friends. I can't wait. And...blind date guy eventually called back and we went out again last night. ;)

Winter Cross Training

2008-03-01T12:50:00.002-05:00

It snowed this morning, so I'll be heading out with my cross country skis this afternoon. I love winter cross-training. I haven't run much in the past few days, but the weather looks promising for next week. Spring is on its way, I can't wait!

In other non-related news, I had a great blind date a few days ago....but no phone call yet.
:( Maybe I really do need to read the book my Grandma gave me for Christmas. I think it's called, How to Find Mr. Right or something cheesy like that. Oh my!! :)

DS = Did Start (And Finish)

2008-02-24T20:18:00.003-05:00

Never say never, right?
I expected to sleep right through the half marathon scheduled for today. But, for some strange reason after 4 hours of sleep I woke up and couldn't fall back asleep, so I grabbed my running gear and headed off to Hyannis, MA for the race.
The route was beautiful along the ocean and little seaside villages. The weather was perfect. By no means did I set a PR but I was happy with my time considering I took off almost two weeks because I was sick and then lazy. :)

Have a wonderful week!

DNS = Did Not Start

2008-02-24T01:12:00.004-05:00

Between the 2 hour drive to get to the race, the fact that my running partner is sick and that it's past 1:00 am, makes me think I'll be a no show for the half marathon tomorrow morning. Oh well, time spent with family is more important than time spent on the roads alone. Maybe I'll register again next year.
Thanks for the surprise visit to CT Dawn and Mike! :)

20 Used Tissues

2008-02-19T20:07:00.006-05:00

I broke out in a fever the day after my last post. So, apparently it is still possible to get the flu even though you had the vaccine. sigh
I went 8 days without running. Today was my first day back and it wasn't as bad as I predicted. Surprisingly, the last mile felt the best.
4.2 miles = 42 minutes

Tomorrow I'm heading to Boston for the day for some sight seeing and shopping---but first, I'm going to school to lysol my classroom and disinfect everything. Germs love to cultivate in a room filled with little kids that often forget to cover their sneezes and wash their hands. I can't get sick again this winter! The last time I did major classroom cleaning, I found about 20 used tissues in a student desk. The student said he was 'saving them for later, in case we ran out of tissues'. I only wish I was kidding. :)

Sick

2008-02-13T19:36:00.003-05:00

I haven't run in 4 days and I have no intention of heading out any time soon. I have most of the typcial flu like symptoms (besides the fever). Thankfully, I received the flu vaccine so hopefully this is just a 'quick moving bug'.

Take care and stay healthy.

Updates

2008-02-03T21:00:00.000-05:00

1. I registered for a half marathon at the end of February. I am not going to worry about my time for this race. I just needed some motivation to keep running during the cold winter season.

2. Another reason why I love my job is because I get to celebrate the 'less common holidays'. I had a parent of a student bring in a Ground Hog shaped cake on Friday to celebrate. How cute....

3. I took a cooking class at a unique log cabin in the middle of Rhode Island last week. I went with a few friends and we had a great time. The food was amazing! And although I'll never be able to make any of the items again because I can't pronounce or even know where to shop for half of the 'strange' ingredients to me...it was well worth the experience.

The cooking class was titled Killer Appetizers. This is what we made: Bocconcini with Red Pepper Pesto, Vegetarian Cuban Canapes, Thai Chicken Balls, Asparagus Wonton Wraps, Goi Cuon/Nime Chow (Vietnamese Salad Rolls), and Nuoc Cham.

Here is the instructor's Blog.

Jeans

2008-01-21T21:27:00.001-05:00

I couldn't fit into my favorite jeans today. The jeans that always fit so perfectly.
So, I ran.....

I ran 7 miles in the freezing cold with 4 layers of shirts and a dorky, warm hat.
Here we go jeans, Game On!

# 234

2008-01-14T13:10:00.000-05:00

Reason Number 234 Why I Love My Job...

*Snow Days*

This is the view from my kitchen window.

What a great day for using my favorite winter shoes.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T19:24:00.000-05:00

Total Running Miles
2005 = 1,028
2006 = 824
2007 = 1,052

Here we go '08!

As the saying goes, Greet the new year with the belief that wonderful things are about to happen and have FAITH.

2007-12-12T20:58:00.000-05:00

I may not be as famous as the running chick on tv. However, my picture made it into the local newspaper.

That's me--in the middle--during yoga class.

I'll consider this my 15 seconds of fame. :)

Tagged

2007-11-23T23:27:00.000-05:00

Rules:
Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
Share 5 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
Let them know they are TAGGED by leaving a comment on their blog.
My tagger - Bill

5 Facts:
1. I have never been summed for jury duty--but I can't wait.
2. I went a year straight eating 1 large Rice Krispie Treat with chocolate milk every day for lunch.
3. I have been in 6 weddings (twice as the maid of honor, 3 times as a bridesmaid, and once as a flower girl)
4. During college I totaled my parents car when they were away on vacation.
5. I guarantee I'm going to win a huge prize someday. Every time I open a box of cereal with a possible prize winning inside, I always feel like I'm going to win the car or the trip to Disney. It's only a matter of time--just wait and see.

Tagees: you, you, you, you and you

2007-11-14T21:52:00.000-05:00

Running of late has been sparse, but I'm okay with that. The winter/holiday season is my time to decrease miles and focus on other things like yoga and cross country skiing.

I registered for a fun race on Thanksgiving morning. Last year I jogged/walked it with a college friend and we plan to do the same thing this year with a few more college friends. I can't wait.

Lastly, please excuse this complaining session but I'm very frustrated right now. Please don't get me wrong---I love my job! There simply is no greater joy than watching my students progress socially/academically. However, I HATE teaching to a test. The standardized Connecticut Mastery Test is about to kill me and suck all the joy out of teaching my little 8 year olds.

This e-mail from administration said it all. sigh.....

Please be sure that you have generated a review calendar for CMT skills. Between now and the start of CMTs (not until spring) there should be time spent everyday devoted to reviewing the strands and ensuring that all students have exposure to the format and the language of the test. I know that we don’t like to “teach to the test” however, this is the reality of Connecticut schools and we must make every effort to ensure that all children have the greatest chance of experiencing success.

2007-10-31T21:23:00.000-04:00

I didn't have my camera with me on race day, so here are 3 post race pics.

Washington, DC

Washington, DC

The poster the kids made at school.

What's that smell?

2007-10-29T22:02:00.000-04:00

Well, my time just stunk.

Marathon Number One - 4:11:20
Marathon Number Two - 4:12:12
Marathon Number Three - 4:13:24

However, I had an awesome weekend. The route around DC was spectacular and the crowd was great.

I'll be back for more....because I certainly won't be able to die in peace until I reach my perfect 4 hour goal. Here we go marathon number four!

Counting Down

2007-10-25T22:19:00.000-04:00

Only two more days until the Marine Corps Marathon! Taper madness is over. I feel great and I am soo excited. My students are fully expecting to see a gold medal after the race (for some reason they think I'm running in the Olympics). :)

I bought a new pair of my exact same, perfect sneakers this past week, printed my race confirmation and packed my bag. I am ready. And....top it all, I just read there will be a 6:00 am church service for runners before the start of the race. This *could* be fate---I might meet a marine, runner, who attends church. I couldn't ask for anything more than that. My fingers are crossed. :)

Have a great weekend and happy running!

Taper Madness

2007-10-20T14:53:00.000-04:00

A week and a day to go---that's it---and I already have the worse case of 'taper madness'. My knee started hurting out of nowhere and I just don't feel prepared. My mileage has decreased so much, I'm afraid I am going to forget how to find my running groove on race day. What if my flight is cancelled? What if I twist my ankle or catch a cold from one of my little third graders this week? I have already started checking weather.com at least twice a day (so far it says race day will be mostly sunny, 69 degrees). What if it Really heats up?
Deep breaths, deep breaths. I can do this. I think I can, I think I can. :)

20 Miles In The Bag

2007-10-06T20:07:00.001-04:00

If you read my last post about the twenty miler two weekends ago, then all I have to say is that today was a repeat performance. Everything went exactly the same, exactly perfect. The only change was my time (2:51:41), not a single bathroom break this time (yeahhh) and unfortunately I had to 'drop' my running partner during the last two miles because she had to walk. :(

Happy running and enjoy the long weekend! If you forget what we are celebrating on Monday please don't ask one of my students who said, "Miss N we don't have to come to school on Monday because Abraham Lincoln discovered America."

Best of luck to Brent running the Chicago marathon this weekend.

2007-09-22T17:41:00.000-04:00

Another 20-miler is history and I feel great. Sure, my legs were sore for the last few miles, but overall I wouldn't change a thing. I felt so good after the run, I couldn't even sleep (unlike the 5 hour 'nap' I took after my bad 17 miler). :)

I met Judy at 6:30 to drive around town and drop off food/drinks. Half an hour later we are on the road, excited about running and enjoying the perfect running weather. Our pacing was a little crazy. For the first few miles every time I looked at the pace we were either sprinting or slow as turtles. Somewhere in the middle of the run we found a good, steady pace. We placed our refuel food/drinks at just the right spots along the circle route we made. I took my last handful of Sport Beans at mile 17 and even though my legs didn't feel better, I felt like I had more energy. I think I remembered the most chi running I have ever remembered on a run. I really focused on my arms and 'the lean' (Don't you just love that part from the movie While You Were Sleeping?). Enjoy the weekend!

The Numbers
- 1 bathroom break
- 2 packs of Sport Beans
- almost 2 bottles of Gatorade
- 2 quick stops for my running partner to catch up
- 2 hours, 56 minutes, 56 seconds = one happy running girl

16 Miles

2007-09-08T17:55:00.000-04:00

Knock, Knock, Knock

I walk to my front door and turn the door knob slowly.

A man in a green uniform and large brim, brown hat is standing in front of me.

"I am a park ranger from the state park in town. Surveillance cameras caught you going to the bathroom on state land. Here is your fine and you are no longer permitted in enter the start park."

(turning beat red) "What? Are you serious? It was an emergency! I was on a 16 mile run and there was No Where to go. I'm sorry. I will never do it again."

Beep, Beep----my alarm goes off. Thankfully it was all a bad dream. It can't be good when marathon training starts slipping into your subconscious. Just 7 more weeks until the big day. I can't wait. Happy Running.

What Time Is It?

2007-08-07T22:23:00.000-04:00

I finally have a new watch for running. I think I'm starting to feel like a 'real runner' because this is the first time I have actually spent more than $5.00 on a running watch. It is a Timex Ironman, but more important it matches my new pink toenail polish. Would you expect anything less? :)

2007-08-02T23:07:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I had an awesome run at the local Fun Run 5K. It was sunny and warm and I ran as fast as my legs would carry me. I'm not sure about my time because I still don't have a watch and no one was keeping an official time, but I had fun and I felt fast.

However today---just stunk. I was supposed to run 6 miles, but took a shortcut back to the farmhouse, ending up 4.5 miles and it was sooo slow. Why is that some days are like that? Oh well....tomorrow is another day and this weekend I'll be heading to the beach for another race. I love summer!