Running for Me

Cha..Cha..Changes...

2007-07-17T10:01:00.000-05:00

UPDATE: More changes have been made.... I have moved to another site. This site will be deleted in a couple weeks... Come join me!

So I made some changes to this site... and am working on making more. I would almost like to put on a personalized header... but do not have the capability of doing so... I don't know how! hehehe. So if anyone knows anyone that can... send that info my way!

I was planning on doing my long run this morning, but, when I woke up shortly after 8am and checked the weather, I knew it just wasn't going to happen. It wasn't hot, but it was humid! So humid. Plus, the air was dead. There was so much moisture and fog in the air that I could barely see across the yard! Craziness.

I went out for a run anyway... I ... was... dying. I was a sweatin' machine!

Distance: 3.42 miles run
Duration: 41:36
Avg Pace: 12:09
Avg HR: 170
Max HR: 184
Temp: 66-71 degrees
Humidity: 100% OUCH!

WARNING!

2007-07-16T18:59:00.000-05:00

I plan on making some changes to this site...

I am sick of the black...

Just wanted to let all that follow this blog that it may look different...

....so don't get too worried!

Quick & short

2007-07-16T10:29:00.000-05:00

I wasn't feelin' the run today. I had planned atleast a few miles. But, when I got up and saw the clouds in the sky, I knew I didn't want to venture out in that. Then my sis got up and went out for her walk and I knew I had to do it! I am supposed to be a role-model, right?

So, I saddled up and headed out. Sure enough it was sprinkling before I even left the driveway. I almost turned around deciding to bag the run. It wasn't the rain, necessarily, that I was afraid of. I could handle a few sprinkles or getting a bit wet. It was the thought of lightening. Like I said before, our neighbor's yard got struck by lightning a week ago.... just out of the blue. It wasn't even raining then!

So, I hauled a** and pushed myself hard for what I was hoping was atleast a mile. Done. Tomorrow I hope to conquer another long run. Last week, I did my long run wednesday, but I am pushing it up this week (I think), since I won't be able to run saturday and sunday. Yippee!

These rainy days make me want to bake. ... .. hmm.

Distance: 1.47 miles
Duration: 14:37
Temp: 70 degrees
Humidity: 81% (eeks)
Avg Pace: 9:56 (wahoo!)
Avg HR: 173
Max HR: 180

I saw on Marcy's blog the Cadaver Calculator... where you figure out how much your body is worth. ... and just had to give it a try. $3,555. That's it! Kind of disappointing. I am sure it has to do with the amount of soda I drink, my height (or lack there of), and the amount of ibuprofen I take. )

P.S. Is anyone else not able to get to javamom's blog? Or is that just me?

It's been a while....

2007-07-15T12:32:00.000-05:00

Okay. So, I have been without internet access for about a week. Yikes. Umm, monday night our neighbor's yard was struck by lightning and it killed our computer at home. Not cool. I attempted to fix it by replacing the power source in the tower, but that didn't work. So, as of yesterday we have replaced that computer and I have been attempting to get this router working. Not having much luck. But, I do have internet access directly through the modem.

So, I am sure all have been wondering what I have been up to with my time away from the computer....

Tuesday.... REST day.

Wednesday ..... LONGER run.
Distance: 6.05 miles
Duration: 1:16:00
Temp: 67 degrees
Humidity: 51%
Avg Pace: 12:33
Avg HR: 171
Max HR: 185
.....my right knee hurt a bit through the first mile and a half or so. I was contemplating turning around and doing only a couple miles. But, shortly after that, I got into my groove and it felt fine. I felt like a robot. Ran about 6-8 minutes and walked a minute between each. I probably could have gone further, but the loop I did got me 6 miles by the time I got home and I wasn't feelin' like going much further. The only thing that felt the slightest bit sore were my groin muscles...

Thursday... short easy run
Distance: 3.05 miles
Duration: 37:30
Temp: 65 degrees
Humidity: 68%
Avg Pace: 12:17
Avg HR: 168
Max HR: 180
.....Felt good. Did more than I thought I was going to be able to do after my "longer" run. Ran 7/ Walk1. Completed this 3 mile loop faster than on Monday.

Friday... REST day.
....went to the PBR challenge this evening. It was a blast!

Saturday.... went for a nice ride with the bike...
Distance: 12. 83 miles
Duration: 59:23
Temp: 72 degrees
Humidity: 71%
Avg Pace: 4.37
Avg HR: 149
Max HR: 170
... it was perfect for a ride... except the paths were full of walkers, runners, and cyclists... I had to slow down so often it was rediculous...

Today might have to be another rest day. I went out last night with a few friends. Let's just say it has been a while....

Happy Running, y'all!

To Whom This May Concern

2007-07-09T11:27:00.000-05:00

Dear Legs:
I have been fighting with you on and off for the past year. As soon as I get into a routine with running, you tend to take over my life and put a hault to my training. I have learned to rest, stretch, ice, and use ibuprofen, more often. I have been taking my women's multi-vitamin and Omega-3 pills daily. I have been consuming a protein shake after every run, and I am working on having one once a day. During the day, I am attempting to drink 80-100 ounces of water, even though it can become quite difficult. I don't know what it is that I am doing wrong to make you, make me, feel miserable on my runs lately.
So despite how you have made me feel, I got up this morning and had a different game in mind. I ate my multi-grain cheerios, drank some water, and stretched a bit to warm up my muscles. Then, I went out for that run. I had made a mental note that this was going to be a good run, even if it had to be slow. I told myself I was goign to run5/walk1. And that is what I did. I attempted to keep my heart rate down, but found that difficult with the hot sun and discomforting humidity. But, I did it. And darnit, it felt wonderful!

For your information, I am not going to let you win this one. Not just yet. And if you haven't noticed, some races are coming up. Some small ones. And some big ones. You are not going to hold me back. Like I said, I have been running for a year+ now and I am ready to train for these raices. Bring it on! Because we all know that I am going to win this fight!
Sincerely,
Ms. S

Time: 10:15 am
Temp: 74 degrees
Humidity: 51% (UV index 5)
Distance: 3.05 miles
Duration: 38:07
Type: R5/W1
Avg Pace: 12:29
Avg HR: 170
Max HR: 180

My Favorite Pass Time

2007-07-07T09:32:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I was on the road by 6:30am with Dad... on our way to look at apartments for me. After looking at two, I made my decision and went with the first one. It is only a 1 bedroom, but I look forward to having my own washer and dryer, as well as a dishwasher. Something I have never had in an apartment before! I also took advantage of being there by heading over to HR to take care of my contract and go over my salary and possible benefits. Ahh... the real world.

Today I went out for a nice run, but the sun was extremely hot (70 degrees with almost 80% humidity), and my body felt sluggish and dehydrated. I didn't have the drive to push myself, and I didn't want to increase the soreness/stiffness in my calf. So, all in all, I did 3.42 miles, but I am not logging the time... as it was pathetic!

I finished my book last night.

And, I look forward to starting my next one today.

It's been a LONG time since I have been able to enjoy reading... for pleasure. If any one is looking for good, easy reading ... check out Nicholas Sparks' books. I love his stories. He also has a book out there ther him and his brother wrote together... "Me and My Brother".

On a last note, I have these nasty red dots all over my right leg and I can't figure it out. I knew one of them (the really large one), was there from the 4th of July, but I woke up the next morning with 9 little ones... all in one area. Just nasty. They don't really itch, except for the large one on the back of my calf. It looks like something attacked me! Any doctor in the house?

Happy Running, y'all!

Conquering Fears

2007-07-05T10:18:00.000-05:00

*****UPDATE: Pictures added****

Yesterday we spent Independence Day at my sister's-husband's-mom's house. Did you catch all that? We spent most of the afternoon and evening along the river. Blaine put the jet ski in the river and after giving all the little ones rides, my sister took me for a ride.

I love water. Don't get me wrong. I could live in the water. But, there is just something about being on the back of a jet ski ... not in control of the speed...... practically flying across the water! I was scared livid. But, after hitting a wave so hard that we were both drenched, we went back to the sandbar and she had me drive. Now that was much better! Until she wrapped her hand around mine, holding the gas down completely.... going faster and faster. Talk about conquering a fear I didn't know I had. (The picture on the left was the third time I went... my mom's first)

me & my baby sis

.... the 'rents... chill-axin.

This morning, feeling a little wiped from too much sun yesterday, I crawled out of bed around 8am for my longer run. Since it wasn't so successful saturday, I had to try today. It was very nice out and the only problem I faced was a need for water halfway through. I was sooo dang thirsty! All and all... it went.

Time: 8:30am
Temp: 74 degrees
Humidity: 55%
Distance: 5.13 miles
Duration: 1:02:23
Avg Pace: 12:09
Avg HR: 172
Max HR: 183

Tomorrow will be a rest day. My Dad and I are getting up early to go look for a place for me to live! Fun times!

Happy running, y'all!

...Picture of the State Capitol

Cool Your Jets

2007-07-03T12:30:00.000-05:00

It's been a couple days since my last post. It's also been a couple days since I last ran. I was a little disappointed with my run saturday morning, and new I needed the rest sunday. A run on monday was just not in the cards. I was busy with another engagement. As you can tell in the photo, my run the morning was hot... and sweaty. I went out afraid that I was going to have to cut it short as the clouds looked might dark, but halfway through, the sun started to peek through those heavy clouds, making it even warmer. I am not one that would sweat much on a 3 miler, but I do tend to get quite red. When I got back from this run, I couldn't figure out how to cool down.

Time: 10:30am

Temp: 67 degrees & cloudy

Humidity: 87%

Dewpoint: 63%

Wind: From WSW at 6mph

Distance: 3.04 miles

Duration: 36:26

Avg Pace: 11:59 (sub-12!)

Avg HR: 172

Max HR: 182

Yesterday was a day spent with my 8-year-old God-daughter. I told her once I moved back home that I would take her to a movie. We spent most of the morning playing the Wii system, and then went to lunch at her favorite place, then to the movie. Shrek the III. It was pretty good. I was humored. There was some adult humor in there.

After that, I took her back home and went with her family and some other relatives to watch her first softball game! It was so much fun. I was lucky enought catch a couple other cousin's baseball games.

What a great eveing to be sitting at the diamonds... and did I mention how good the "taco in a bag" was?

A little too much...

2007-06-30T09:35:00.000-05:00

It is the last day of June. Already. And I was hoping to finish it off with a 5-miler with the rents. I just probably pushed myself a little too hard this week. Didn't quite get those 5 miles...but I did get some.

Time: 8:00am
Temp:67 degrees
Humidity: 67%
Wind: SSE at 19mph
Distance: 3.68 miles
Duration: 46:17
Avg Pace: 12:34
Avg HR: 161
Max HR: 177

Looking at my ticker, I didn't meet my goal of 45 miles this month, but I did pretty darn good with all that was going on! 37 miles and some change!

I hope July will be better!

Randy asked about the Nike+ marathon... It is October 21st, and I believe in order to do it outside of the actual marathon, you have to use one of those Nike+ pieces...and then upload the information from that onto the site.. Oh... and Randy was wondering where in ND I will be teaching. Let's just say it lies along the Red River...

Happy running, y'all!

Randomness... at it's best..

2007-06-29T13:00:00.000-05:00

Where to start?

I went out for an easy/slow run this morning. Easy and slow because I didn't want to push it, and I knew that I would be switching my long run from sunday to tomorrow to run with the 'rents. I took a few walk breaks, due to feeling hot, thirsty, and a bit queezy in the last half mile or so. Here are the stats.

Time: 10:00am
Temp: 74 degrees
Humidity: 57%
Wind: SE at 17mph
Distance: 3.42 miles
Duration: 42:27
Avg Pace: 12:24
Avg HR: 162
Max HR: 178

Tomorrow, I think we plan to do at least 5 miles. Hopefully I can get the 'rents out of bed before it gets too warm..It will be in the 70's by 9am..

____________________________________________________

Sports Commentary:
So there we were. Me. My Mom. My Dad. Sitting at Buffalo Wild Wings last night enjoying our wings and somewhat paying attention to the NBA Draft. It was pure craziness. I don't know how anyone can keep their head straight while watching that. I am not a bandwagon fan for the most part, I have a few of my favorite players and teams that I like to really watch.... KG & the Timberwolves, Steve Nash & the Suns, Kirk Hinrick & the Bulls, Shaq & the Heat, and I do like the Lakers but Kobe Bryant bugs me.

So anyway. There we were. Watching it. I was making a comment on how much I really enjoyed watching the Bulls last season and how far they have come. Then I made a comment on how that should be "MY" team... just like it was when I was 12, 13, 14 years old. When Michael Jordan and cry-baby Scottie Pippen played. Then, all of a sudden they were talking about Noah. You know, the guy who played for Florida?! The annoying one? The one who is good, but really annoying. You either love him ... or you hate him. I seriously dislike him. And... before I knew it, they drafted him. THEY picked NOAH! THEY as in THE BULLS picked NOAH! I hope the Bulls will teach him a few things... maybe Ben Wallace will walk all over him...and give him a few pointers in the process!!

____________________________________________________

Time for a little reflecting:
I spent the last 8 years in a city that I didn't really care for from the beginning of my college career. It was wonderful for college and meeting new people. But, it was not somewhere that I wanted to start my career, and it was definitely not somewhere friendly for runners... bikers... or swimmers.

During this past school year, while I was completing my masters and my internship at school, I thought a lot about where I was going to apply for jobs. A LOT. Those of you who have been following my blog on a regular basis could agree. I was ready to get out of the state. Or so I thought. I knew I needed a fresh start, and I thought that leaving the state, even if it was for just one year, I would be pleased.

In the process of applying for jobs, mostly out of state, I learned a lot. Each state is so different. Different calendars, different ways of doing paperpwork, different terminology for the different positions. It's very hard to apply for jobs when you have little idea of what you are getting yourself into.

In april, I was offered a position in NC, my dream state. I don't know what it is about that state that draws me to it, but it was someplace that I had dreamed of moving to for a long time. As anxious and excited I was about the offer, I was scared at the same time. Not to move away, but the thought that I was offered a position without even having to interview. I know I would have been up for the challenge, but I was not ready to spend my first year as a teacher working in a school district that is low on qualified staff... 1500 miles away from home.

Then, once the school year was over, I had more time to apply for jobs. I started to apply for jobs left and right in CO. As well as in MN .... mostly in the area of the Twin Cities and Rochester. I had two interviews with CO, the same district. They were both phone interviews and both less than 10 minutes long. Not a great sign. Then I had an interview in Rochester, which required me to drive and put 1000 miles on my car within two days. I thought that interview went really well, but I was somewhat worried that if I was offered the position, I would not have the resources I would have liked. I would have been on my own with 15-20 students and no paraprofessional. If anyone has a background in special education, you know that this is near impossible.

I had also received a couple calls asking me to apply for a position within their school district. They had gotten my name from the education department on campus. I think I was the only RT left that hadn't gotten a job yet. I was flattered, but I was not ready to move back to GF. Like I said, GF is not a place for me!

Then I went a week and a half without hearing from any other schools, until I got a call this past sunday. I was invited for an interview right here in ND. So I drove to the location wednesday night and had my interview yesterday. It went really well, and I felt really comfortable with it. They told me they would notify me by monday or tuesday of next week. My phone rang at 9 this morning... and sure enough, it was the principal calling to offer me the job. I took it. This is one happy Teacherwoman.

So, as much as I was ready to leave the state, is seems as if this North Dakotan girl is staying put. And I am perfectly fine with that. I look forward to doing some traveling. I hope to use races as an excuse to get me out of state on a regular basis. I hope to get to England next spring/summer to visit my cousin and her boyfriend...

If you look over at my sidebar, I have made a couple changes. I have a countdown to when I start work...and a countdown to the Nike+ Women's Half Marathon. (Thanks Leana for letting me know about this!) I wanted to do that race so bad, in San Francisco, but new I wouldn't be able to travel that weekend. So, with my Nike+ that my sister bought me as a gift for participating in her wedding, I will be running the 13.1 miles her in ND and logging it online before midnight. I will then recieve my Tifanny's necklace and t-shirt in the mail. It won't be the same as being there...but I thought it would still be fun! Anyone else want to join?!?!

Thanks for all the best wishes on my interviews and job hunting process! Now it is time to decide what kind of place I want to look for!

Happy running, y'all!

4 miles....

2007-06-27T11:05:00.000-05:00

First and foremost.... I posted the last of the pictures from my sisters wedding... check 'em out!

After sleeping in the morning...shocker, I know.... I finally rolled out of bed, checked a few blogs, and was out the door for my scheduled 4 mile run. And what a beautiful morning it was. Ahh... I think a few runs in the heat and humidity has done some help. This run was kind of a Fartlek run...

Time: 10:00am
Temp: 64 degrees & sunny
Humidity: 52%
Wind: NNW 8-17 mph gusts
Distance: 4 miles (Fartlek)
Duration:46:26
Avg Pace: 11:36
Avg HR: 171
Max HR: 181

Tomorrow is a scheduled rest day. And I will go with that. I will be spending the day, once again, traveling for an interview. Yeah!

I am going to enjoy my post-run treat!

Evening Run with Mom

2007-06-26T17:02:00.000-05:00

Okay, according to my schedule, today is to be a rest/XT day. But, I just couldn't help myself. The weather was so much better today than it was yesterday and I couldn't let it go to waste. After Mom got home from work, we went out for a sweet, short run before dinner.

Time: 5:45pm
Temp: 79/feels like 79
Humidity: 27% (only!)
Wind: 20-25 mph gust from the W
Distance: 2.31 mile Run
Duration: 28:36
Avg Pace: 12:22
Avg HR: 159
Max HR: 176 (and we talked the whole time)

____________________________________________________

Time for Questions & Answers!
Allez had asked if I was training for something specific. And the answer is NO, not yet. I figured if I started training, then when I get settled in a new place for a new job, (where ever that may be) I could take part in a race coming up.... if that makes any sense. Probably just a 5K/10K in the near future, and then a half marathon this fall.

Randy was asking to see my training schedule... so I thought I would post it here. It looks something like this but I am pretty flexible with it.

Monday: 2-3 easy miles or Bike

Tuesday: Rest/Bike

Wednesday: 4-5 miles

Thursday: Rest/Bike

Friday: 3 miles or Intervals

Saturday: Rest/Bike

Sunday: Long Run

Some days may get switched around... we'll see how it goes!

Check out my earlier post... wedding picture galore!

THE WEDDING!

2007-06-26T16:40:00.000-05:00

Before reading this post, check out these related posts first ... if you haven't already:

The Wedding was gorgeous! After returning back to the house from taking pictures, it wasn't long before the wedding was to start. The crowd was rolling in... and so were the clouds. We were worried about the possibility of rain, but the show was to go on!

....me, waiting patiently...

To continue with family tradition... a western-north-dakota-german-russian-wedding-tradition, my sister grabbed the bottle of red-eye and started pouring a shot for every one in the wedding party. Mmm...
Then, it was time for the ceremony to begin.

Dad, handing over his little girl to her fiance...

Not too far into the ceremony... the clouds were really rolling in.

Then, it began to sprinkle.

The thunder was loud and crazy. And then, the sprinkles turned to rain drops.

The Pastor asked Steph what she wanted to do... and she just took off running for the tent....the wedding party behind her...and the guests behind them.
The ceremony was finished under the tent.

Shortly after that, the rain stopped and the sun was shining. The guests gathered for beer and wine during the reception and we stole the wedding party to have a couple shots before dinner.

And we were back in time for the wonderful meal!
Shortly after dinner, it was time for me to do my speech. I was putting it off ... and one of the groomsman made me! If you know me... I am a sap. Big time. I am suprised I made it through the ceremonly without tears. But, I gave my speech, even cracked a few jokes and made some laugh, and ended it will a few small tears and hugs for my sister and new brother-in-law.

Then it was time to dance the night away! (in the dirt)

...the first dance...

Father-daughter dance

Mom and her three girls

The sun was shining the rest of the evening and the kids loved playing in the yard... with the rose petals from the ceremony.

And it was awesome to have two of my best girlfriends join us for this celebration...
....I love these girls!

Despite the short spout of rain during the ceremony, I think my sister had the time of her life and spent the entire evening dancing..with everyone. Including the studly ring bear who was showing off his break dancin' skills!

CONGRAT's Steph & Blaine! I hope you enjoyed your Honeymoon Cruise!

Kick Me

2007-06-25T09:15:00.000-05:00

I keep kicking myself for not getting out of bed early enough. I was awake at 7am before my alarm went off, I should have gotten up then. But no. I lay in bed for a while, and then I was one the computer for a while. Before I knew it, it was after 9 and I knew it was already warm. I thought it would have been a whole lot cooler this morning, when in reality, it really didn't cool off that much last night. It's just that time of the year.

Time: 9:35am
Temp: 76 degrees/feels like 80
Humidity: 79%
Distance: 3 mile run
Duration: 36:33
Avg Pace: 12:11
Avg HR: 167
Max HR: 181

As much as I was dreading my run this morning (mostly due to the heat/humidity), I pushed myself through it. I kept it at a steady pace and took walk breaks when necessary. It was just so hot in the direct sun. Instead of doing the 3 mile loop around our neighborhood, I was thinking I should have done the out-and-back on the trail along the golf course. There would have been less sun, for sure.

I have created a "training schedule" to follow for the next couple months. We'll see how well I can follow it. Life sometimes gets in the way... so I must be somewhat flexible!

Happy running, y'all!

Tagged and such

2007-06-24T10:45:00.000-05:00

I've been tagged by SkiRough.... so here goes!

1. Find the nearest book.
2. Name the book & the author.
3. Turn to page 123.
4. Go to the fifth sentence on the page. Copy out the next three sentences and post to your blog.
5. Tag 3 more people.

Book Title: TRIATHLON Training Basics
Author: Gale Bernhardt

On Thursday, you can run for 20 minutes continuously or run for most of the
20 minutes, including 30-second walking breaks at each 5-minute mark. On
Saturday you can run for 30 minutes or complete three repeats of running for
9 minutes and walking 1 minute.
Race week has finally arrived!

I haven't read this book yet. And the excerpt above is part of a week by week training instruction. Maybe I will start reading it... since I can't find my book that I was reading.

I will tag:
Marcy
Makita
Leana

___________________________________________

Today is going to be a rest day. My right calf is a little tight from my crazy attempt at a mini-duathlon yesterday. I probably didn't stretch as much as I should have yesterday afternoon.

Tomorrow: Bright and early for 3-4 miles.

Happy Running, y'all!

Mini-Duathlon

2007-06-23T10:42:00.000-05:00

I went out for a 4 mile run this morning with the 'rents. It was a slow and easy 4 miles, for sure. A slight breeze on the run would have been greatly appreciated... Maybe next time.

I got home, fueled up a bit, stretched some, and then took off on the bike.

Run: 4 miles
Temp: 77 degrees
Humidity:56%
Duration: 55:10
Pace: 13:47 (I said it was slow)
Avg HR: 164
Max HR: 180

T1: 7:00

Bike: 8.05 miles
Temp: 82 degrees, feels like 84
Humidity: 59%
Duration: 36:23
Pace: 4.31/mi
Avg HR: 167
Max HR: 177

It's supposed to get into the mid- to upper- 90's today. I feel sorry for those 400+ softball teams in town for the annual McQuade Softball Tournament! I remember when Dad used to play in this tournment... it always seems soo hot and miserable to sit and watch! I couldn't imagine playing in this! Good luck teams!

Happy running, y'all!

Wedding Day: Preparation

2007-06-22T15:11:00.000-05:00

Saturday Morning:

We woke up and there were a few clouds in the sky with the lingering of possible rain showers. We just went about our business, praying for good weather. It was predicted to be a day with a high of 79 degrees and 30% chance of showers. Thank God for such a wonderful family. Aunts, Uncles, and cousin's were working diligently to get chairs set up, decorations in place, extension cords to the appropriate trees with lights. Without them, it wouldn't have gone as well as it did.

In the meantime, the girls spent the morning getting hair and make-up done. The Bride was in a great mood with her normal attitude. Before we knew it, it was time for pictures.

Steph & Baby Sis-Susie
Me & Steph
Steph, "striking a pose"

The Bride getting dressed

The Groom, getting his flowers

The beautiful Flower Girls... all dolled-up.

The Bride's Boquet

Mother-of-the-Bride, with the Flower Girls

...more to come..

Par 4....Hole in 8?

2007-06-22T10:45:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning Dad and I went golfing. We headed to the location of the World's Largest Holstein Cow (Mom's hometown) and golfed 9 holes.

It was greener than usual. We were the only ones golfing, so it was mostly quiet, except for the guy who decided to trim the rough on holes 6 and 7 while we were on them. My drive was rediculous, but I had a couple nice puts to make up for it.

_________________________________________________

This morning I went out for what was to be an easy 3 miles. I decided to cut it short when the clouds disappeared and the sun was in full force. The humidity was just too much for me, although it wasn't as bad as I thought it was. It's just been too long, since my last run.

Time: 9:30am

Temp: 71 degrees, overcasting

Humidity: 78%

Distance: 2.55 miles

Duration: 28:13

Avg Pace: 11:03

Avg HR: 173

Max HR: 191

Looking at my Max HR and Duration, I guess I was bookin' it. For me that is.

________________________________________________

I will be posting more wedding pics... I am kind of waiting to get a disc from someone who has some great photos...but I might just post a few of what I have.

Happy Running, y'all!

Day Before the Wedding

2007-06-20T10:35:00.000-05:00

The day before the wedding was spent doing some last minute errands and decorating the tent, watching the weather and praying for no rain on saturday. It rained most of this day ... on and off...

The Best Man, Groomsman, Groom, and Father-of-the-bride hangin'

.... waiting for something to do...

The Best Man.... going above and beyond the "call of duty".

The Bride...and a little cousin helping with decorations.

A few of the musicians....practicing before rehearsal.

The two beautiful flower girls... wearing their "flower girl" t-shirts.

The Groom's Dinner.... after rehearsal. (ribs, chicken, baked beans, corn muffins...mmm)

The ring bear (diving into his third helping!)

The call

2007-06-19T22:20:00.000-05:00

So, I got a call today.

I have been offered a position. A position to a place I never applied to..

But...

....it would require me to move back to GF....

...and we know how much I wanted to get out of there...but why?

I told her I was partially interested but still waiting to hear back from a couple places I applied to.

I told her I would probably know by early July as to what I wanted to do....

What do I want to do?

Update

2007-06-18T13:12:00.000-05:00

Update regarding past two interviews: One was in CO, one was in MN. No luck with either one.

The wedding was a success... I will post pictures and share stories as soon as I apply to a few more jobs....

.....until then, happy running.

Not telling...

2007-06-14T09:49:00.000-05:00

First and foremost.... I am not telling which two states I had interviews in. I don't want anyone to influence my decision. There is one that I would rather work for, for 2 reasons: 1) it's a state I have never been to but is full of things that I would enjoy, and 2) the position there is exactly what I would like. The other school is a little bit closer to home and pays a little better. We'll see.

Okay, so I didn't get outside last night for a run, although it was a beautiful night. But, I did go out for what was planned to be a short easy run this morning. Well, I didn't have the desire to go slow and run through the whole duration of 2 miles, so I picked it up a notch, attempted to do a Fartlek-sort-of-run and added an extra loop onto my run. It went pretty well, but the air was heavy and full of cotton. I did a lot of walking between My breathing was off...so to speak.

Time: 9:10am

Temp: 65 degrees & sunny

Humidity: 88% (dead air)

Distance: 3.00 miles Fartlek

Duration: 34:17

Avg HR: 171

Max HR: 188

_______________________________________________

Two days until the wedding. Yesterday us girls (mom, my sisters, and I) went to get our nails done. It was their first times and my baby sister offered to pay for us all... she is the only one working right now!

.....Mom

.....Steph... da bride..

....Susan....da baby sis.

....and Me.

Later on, we did some more outdoor work. Dad finished mowing the lawn, again, and then the boys packed up a lot of the stuff in our garage to take elsewhere for the weekend. We need the space.

We also set up the beautiful arbor....

...groom, bride....and father-of-the-bride.

Today, the rental place is currently setting up our huge tent, the one that will serve purpose for the dinner and dance to follow!

We hope to get the pontoon out on the river and the wedding party will relax a bit before the big day.

I will post more pictures later!

Road Trip...

2007-06-13T14:15:00.000-05:00

Well, I got back from my quick road trip late last night. 2 days. straight through...with no traffic, it took about 8 hours to get there and 8 hours back. Only put on about 1000 miles on my car! But, the interview went well. I expect to hear from them...and the school I had a phone interview with by friday. Both positions are in different states, so I don't know exactly which school I would rather work for... both would be wonderful locations, we'll just have to see.

3 days until the big wedding... I hope to get out and go for a run later this evening when it cools off. I haven't ran since friday.

I don't have much to say, so I will leave it at that and spare you the rambling nonsense!

You call that weird?

2007-06-10T08:53:00.000-05:00

I was tagged by Neese.....

My 6 Weird Things:

No matter how hot it is, I have to sleep with some sort of blanket covering my legs.
I talk to the TV way to much when watching basketball or baseball. But, I don't use that much profanity...
I have to blow my nose every morning when I wake up... and before I go to bed. Especially before I go to bed. I think I will sleep better!
My running clothes (tops & bottoms) have to match.
When I am deep in thought I rub my face with both hands and/or scratch my head... a trait I have gained from my mother... some may mistake these gestures with frustration, but actually it just similates my brain to think harder!
I am 26, currently living with my parents... and sleeping on the top bed of a bunk bed. Beat that!

Now I will tag the following: Miss Petite America, Lisa, Brooke, Deb, Akshaye, Irongambit, and anyone who else wants to join!

Down the beaten path

2007-06-09T10:27:00.001-05:00

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today I ventured out on the bike. I knew I wanted to do the same loop my sister ran the other day; the one that runs by our elementary school. Mostly because I wanted to know the distance, but I always wanted to see some old territory. But, I knew 4 or 5 miles wasn't going to cut it on the bike. So instead, I took the bike path north of our house, along the river.It was somewhat cloudy with a cool breeze when I went out, but I felt it warm up a bit on the way back in. What a great morning for a ride. My legs were somewhat jello-y when I got back. A sure sign that it has been way to long since I have been on a bike.

This picture is part of the path that we take during the Annual Turkey Trot Race Thanksgiving morning. It's usually not this beautiful during that time of the year (or green), but it was nice last year. We have gotten so much rain in the month of May, and now June, that statistics show that we have gotten more moisture in the past 6 weeks then we do during the whole year. I can tell. Everything is sooo green, and the river is higher.
This is a picture of the Riverboat. I starts at Meriwethers and heads down the river to the area of Custer's House. There's a lot of history there.

This is the path that we (as elementary kids) would run for "the mile" in the spring every year. I hated that. But, there is a cool dip in the path that was really fun on rollerblades!

And, lastly... this is the elementary school I attended from 1st grade thru 6th grade. What a beautiful school! How I would love to teach there!

_______________________________________________

I have been thinking about biking lately .... And, when I get a job, I plan to trade in my Trek for a nicer bike, if you know what I mean.....

Temp: 67 degrees and partly cloudy
Distance: 12.05 miles on Bike
Duration: 55:29
Avg HR: 157
Max HR: 170

Friday Morning Run

2007-06-08T10:19:00.000-05:00

I went out for a run at 930 this morning with Steph. We did the same loop... The weather was beautiful! We took a short walk break a little over halfway through as my breathing was off and my throat felt extremely dry. All and all it was a nice run. I hope to do a longer run sunday!

Temp: 61 degrees and sunny
Distance: 2.3 miles
Avg Pace: 11:06 mpm
Avg HR: 170 (a bit higher than usual for a short run)

__________________________________________

I got a phone call this morning in regards to an interview. So, it looks like I will be traveling next week... before the wedding. I don't like the idea of being gone. but, I plan on leaving monday afternoon and coming back late tuesday night. I hope it goes well. This was one of the schools I first applied to in March and recently received an email from a couple weeks ago stating that I was not selected for an interview but that they would keep my application on file for the next year. Interesting. We'll see how it goes!

I am off to get coffee and then start some painting. I think. Mom and Dad are both home from work until the wedding now. NO slacking from here on out!

Happy running, y'all!

Hump Day

2007-06-06T10:18:00.000-05:00

After spending most of monday painting, I did no paiting yesterday. I couldn't. But, the arbor is finished... we're waiting out the weather before planting it in its location... we're supposed to get some nasty rainstorms this week!

Last friday night, I began working on the programs for the wedding. I spent the evening printing the outside cover, which included the front of the program, and then the "thank you" on the inside of the back cover. I almost had a nervous breakdown yesterday when the inside sheets weren't fitting quite right. I couldn't figure out what happened as we had done a trial one. With a few adjustments to the pages and a little extra snipping at the ends, they were perfect. I will not post a picture of the programs just yet... I don't want to spoil it before the wedding! But, here I am ... working diligently on cutting the inside pages!

Last night, after we celebrated Steph's 23rd birthday at Johnny Carino's, we spent some more time on the programs while Mom and Dad finished putting together the picnic table, and then doing some yard work....

________________________________________________

On monday, I had an interview... phone interview that lasted only 20 minutes. But it went well. Yesterday morning I got a call back saying that they gave the position to someone with more experience. I can totally understand. To be honest, I was kind of relieved. I wasn't exactly ready to spend my first year teaching middle school students with behavior issues. I was told not to do that right away... as it will totally burn a person out. Now, I just need to keep applying. This is a district I really want to work in, so I am hoping for another interview with another school and a different position.

________________________________________________

Today

I slept in this morning as I was totally exhausted. I then went out for a solo run. I added a an extra length onto the loop that runs around our "neighborhood" and totalled a distance of 3.16 miles. It felt good, but boy was that sun hot. I can't afford to get tan lines a week before the wedding!

For a bit of clarification... I think some may have thought I did an 8 mile run monday because I said I did 4 miles. Out and back. I meant it was four miles total...and the run was an "out and back" run. oops. Just a little clarification.

Happy Hump Day, y'all!! Keep on keeping on!

Monday, Monday...

2007-06-04T16:57:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was quite busy...for a Sunday. My sister, Mom and I took a trip out of town to pick up some lattice for the wedding. After that, I was able to sneak a peak of the Twins game...and took a short nap. Once my sister and Mom came home from their trip to the local hardware store, my Dad and I started to put together part of the picnic table they bought.

Then, while Steph and I painted the parts of the picnic table,

Mom and Dad spent a while putting together the arbor...

Then, this morning, I went out for a nice 4 mile run. Out and back. It was great. I followed the path along the golf course just north of our house and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. Maybe a little less humidity, but other than that it was a cool 56 degrees.

Once I got back, I went back to the grind with painting. Steph had pretty much put a second coat on the picnic table, and I spent the rest of the afternoon painting the arbor. Not so much fun. That lattice is a bugger... it is now white!

Tomorrow's challenge?? Doing some touch up painting on the wishing well mom cleaned up last night... ....and possibly starting on doing some touch up on some other lattice boards... fun!

Happy running, y'all!

Solo Run

2007-06-02T15:04:00.000-05:00

In the midst of wedding preparation all around, I went out for a short solo run. I did the same loop my sister and I did a couple days ago. 2.25 miles. This time the weather was nicer. It was warm, but the clouds were hiding the sun and there was a cool breeze. In addition, the cottonwood trees are in the process of shedding their cotton, and it is blowing every where. Nothing like coughing on cotton while running!

Since I have a little more time to post these days, I will be posting our adventures in this journey to help my sister have the most beautiful wedding. Plus, I plan to use a lot of these in the gift I will be making for her and her future husband! Scrapbook fun!

Mom wanted a pic of Steph and I running. So when I got back from my run, we had to pretend to run. This is us running down our road....

And then when we were done pretending, she wanted us to go to a specific location near our home. To pretend to run. Her thinking is that after the wedding, she won't have the "opportunity" to take pics of us running... okay mom! This location is near our home... a huge 100+ year old tree in the middle of the road. We always thought it was pretty cool that they built a road around a tree!

And then, I caught mom in the action... of pulling weeds. Her and Steph spent most of the afternoon pulling weeds. There were only two pairs of gloves...otherwise I would have helped...no doubt!

I snapped a beautiful photo of the bride-to-be .... happy to be finished with her duty of pulling weeds...

And then there was Dad. Mowing. For...ev....er!!! I think it took 2 plus hours! Atleast he had his handy dandy headphones that block out noise... and he must have been jamming to some good tunes... for sure! (He is my partner in crime when it comes to the Tar Heels...can you tell?)

Stay tuned for more photos.... if you're interested!

Easy Run

2007-05-31T16:07:00.000-05:00

Location of Sis' wedding... I hope it will be this nice on the big day!

Yesterday I arrived back at home... in Bismarck... living with the family. Fun times! Wedding planning all around. It's just nice to be home, even if there is a lot to do.

Yesterday it rained all day. I think we accumulated over 2 inches of moisture. So, today, when Sis and I went out for our morning jog, I was a little worried as the clouds were still hovering. It was a cool 50 degrees, but nice. Kind of humid. The sun peeked through the clouds, ocassionally. On our last quarter of a mile it started to rain but it was refreshing. All in all, 2.25 miles, no walking. Very nice.

The ticker above is my goal for June. May was quite unsuccessful, as I had only ran once in the last two weeks. June will be better. I hope! I was only able to accumulate a little over 20 miles this month...eeks.

One crazy busy weekend

2007-05-28T14:17:00.000-05:00

Let's just say it was one crazy busy weekend. I never realized how much work goes into planning a wedding and this one was no exception. I truely enjoyed being the personal attendant at this wedding. The bride was wonderful to work with and it was so much fun all around. In the process of making a last minute stop at the hotel room, before the wedding, for a pair of slip on shoes for the bride to wear during the dance, I came across a bag with a box in it. Out of curiousity I opened it and here it was the groom's wedding band. Go me. In the last lap around the big hotel room, I swiped a shout to go wipe from a gift basket, just in case. Good thing. That came in handly early during the dinner, when the groom got chocolate on his suit jacket and it rubbed against the bride's gown. Yikes. But, everyone loved the chocolate fountain! All in all, the wedding was beautiful, the bride was gorgeous, the wedding party looked wonderful, the reception food was great and people danced it up that evening.

Left to Right: Junior Bridesmaid, Bride, Maid of Honor

-relaxing before the ceremony-

My legs hurt from running to and form the bar for a quick shot with some cousins and other family members...plus, I opted to dance barefoot, as I aquired three blisters that day. I plan to rest the next day or so and then get back into my running. Wednesday I will be heading home. Less than 3 weeks until my sisters wedding, and I can hardly wait!

Happy running, y'all!

The end has come....

2007-05-24T08:14:00.000-05:00

Today is the day. The day that I will not only be saying goodbye to my students, but goodbye to my fellow co-workers...teachers, principals, and other support staff.... As much as I have been looking forward to this day, I will be sad. Hopefully I can hold back the tears. I am really going to miss my students (even though some of them have really tested my patience this year).

Where has the time gone? It has been 1 year. 1 year consisting of 1 crazy summer of 17 credits combined with spending almost every waking hour with classmates (some who are best friends of mine now), 15 credits of evening classes in the fall and spring each, and 9 months of full time teaching. It seems as if I just started the RT program a couple months ago. So much accomplished and learned in 1 year.

I am still in the process of finding a job. It's so frustrating. I spend an hour at least to fill out 1 application, and then nothing. I hear nothing. I just want to get that job so I can relax for the next 2 months.

Today, I am done with school at 1pm. From there I will head back to GF, get my hair colored and cut, possibly get my nails done, do some shopping, pack for the weekend, and go for a nice jog through the neighborhood again.

I have been hear for almost 8 years and in less than a week, I will be leaving. For good. I don't think it has really hit me yet.

Happy running, y'all!

Happiness is....

2007-05-23T08:49:00.000-05:00

In response to Wes' post today, I thought I would throw a little blurp out there on my view of happiness in regards to training/racing....

Happiness is: Enjoying the little things after overcoming minor injuries and setbacks. Going out for a casual run with no concerns for distance or time. No garmin, mp3 player, or heart rate monitor..... just me and the pavement having a heart to heart, all while strengthening my body.... physically, mentally, and emotionally.

A Run in the Sun

2007-05-22T08:36:00.000-05:00

I was complaining in my last post about the weather being icky this week. As of yesterday, it was still gorgeous. When I got home from school, I went out for my first run in a week and a half. The sun was very warm with the temperature being in the high 70's. The humidity was fairly high, as I could feel it weighing my hair down. There was a noticeable wind, but not like the cold wind we usually get. This wind was one that I felt pushing me on my way out and slightly cooling me off on my way back in. Overall, it was a very successful and enjoyable 2.5 miles.

I started with a nice walk for a few minutes to warm up the old muscles. Once I started running I was immediately paying attention to how I landed on my feet and what direction they were facing. I know that prior to this run, I would land on my heel a lot. For some reason, I thought that was the "right" way. Wrong. My feet were facing straight ahead, which is good. I noticed that landing on the middle of my foot felt better as I ran and was better on my knees! Great success! I did the run5/walk1 method with a longer walk break towards the end. It was hot. I had to.

After my run, I tested a new drink. New to me. I tried the EAS AdvantagEDGE Complete Nutrition Shake. I know I don't get nearly enough protein in a day, and I wanted to try this after my run. It was actually quite tasty. I enjoyed it.

After cooling off, I cleaned up and my cousins, aunt and I went out for dinner on the patio of a favorite GF restaurant of ours, located along the river. It was just perfect. Cold drinks, appetizer and a chicken salad. Yummy. Afterwards we went back to the house and relaxed. My cousin's boyfriend, made a pitcher of Mohito's and they were fabulous! I had two, and then asked what was in a Mohito. All I got out of what he said was, "A lot of alcohol". Needless to say, I slept like a baby.

On a side note, for those of you who asked about any bites on a job... still working on it. I am hoping to land a position in a certain district, but until I do so, I am not at liberty to say!

Happy running, y'all!

Starting Fresh...today

2007-05-21T08:27:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my last day of "no running" and to be completely honest, I am a little nervous to get back out there today. I spent the last week reading a book by Susan Favor-Hamilton, covering the basics of running. I learned a lot in regards to mechanics, nutrition, and other fun stuff.

Yesterday, I spent some time looking over different training schedules, such as Hal Higdon's, Jeff Galloway's, Furman's First, and Runner's World Smart Coach, trying to figure out the right plan for me. I decided that for this week, I am going to test the waters with short distances, 3-4 times this week. I need to really start listening to my body and paying more attention to what I am putting in it before and after a run.

It's going to be difficult to get some runs in outdoors this week. Rainy and icky all week. I am tempted to take advantage of a free-trial membership at a local gym here...for that reason. I am no longer able to use the wonderful wellness center on campus.

It's going to be a crazy, busy week. My cousin is getting married this weekend and I am her personal attendant. We have a lot to accomplish in preparation for this wonderful day! Her sister and her boyfriend are home from England as well, so we will be busy with them, shoving our faces with food they don't get in England and enjoying a few cocktails. Probably not the best time to start back up with running, but is there ever a perfect time?

Until tomorrow! Happy monday...and happy running, y'all!

Food for thought

2007-05-18T10:09:00.000-05:00

There... is... a... running... God!

I woke up this morning and the pain in my ankle was gone. I don't know what it was. A part of me thought it was some sort of bone bruise. Then I thought it was some sort of nerve pinching. When I would lift off my toes, a pinching pain would occur that went up to my knee... if that makes any sense. All I have been doing is resting, icing, and stretching. Another example of how important it is to stretch, even on the days you don't run.

It was interesting to read what some of you fellow bloggers said about your running mechanics. I think that sometimes when I run I end up planting my heal down first. According to Suzy Favor Hamilton, you are to "plant your feet at the mid-foot area or at a full-foot plant, avoiding a pure heel touchdown." And the angle of your foot should be either strait ahead at touchdown or pointing slightly inward. Very interesting.

Food for thought: Sometimes runners get all caught up in the idea of eating carbs, carbs, and more carbs, and forget how important protein is. Here's a nasty comparison for you to think over...

Bagel with 2 Tbsp butter...500 cal...11g protein...60g carbs...26g fat
Quarter Pounder................430 cal...23g protein...36g carbs...21g fat

I am still planning on not running until next week. I am working on finding what will work for me. I was reading how important it is to build a good foundation (base)... and I want to do that for at least a month before I even think about doing some fancy runs again, like speed work/intervals.

This is Teacherwoman, signing off... happy running y'all. I will be back on Monday with an idea as to what kind of schedule I will be attempting!

running mechanics

2007-05-17T08:27:00.000-05:00

I picked up a couple books last night to educate myself further with my running and other stuff. I will not mention the books I picked up because I do not want to jump the gun and put any crazy ideas in your heads. I will share that later. But, I did start reading one of the books and it is okay for the most part. One of the things that really struck me is the fact that my running "mechanics" are probably not the greatest. Another thing that I read, that was no shocker to this girl was the fact that I probably don't eat the healthiest...and this NEEDS to change (as I am eating a chocolate chip cookie).

Questions for you all: When you run, what part of your foot hits the ground first? And, does your foot point straight ahead, slightly in, or slightly outwards?

I will tell you what I learned... I would like to see what others "mechanics" look like.

I think I numbed the heck out of my ankle last night. I went upstairs to bed and didn't feel any pain when walking up the stairs. But, it was and still is there this morning. It's more annoying than anything.

Time for a Fresh Start

2007-05-16T08:02:00.000-05:00

My comment on my last post, questioning myself why I run, was probably taken out of context. I know why I run. I know why I enjoy it. I think it was more out of frustration with my ankle. That's all!

With taking some time off from running due to recouping from other health issues (orders from the doc), I am going to take the time to educate myself more ... with running and training that is. I have been running for a year now and I am not as happy with my running as I would like to be. As soon as I would increase my mileage, or build up my endurance, the demands of school and/or class would get in the way or I would have minor injuries or soreness that would set me back. Thus being mostly due to pushing myself too hard and trying to pick up where I had left off. When I do start back up with my running, I am going to start with a clean plate. I want to try a program that works for me, staying free from injuries. I think I might look into the galloway way... to build a good foundation of running. And once I am able to get back into the pool (not until a month has passed...doctor orders again), I am going to use that and cycling as a form of cross training. Who knows... I may anticipate training for a sprint tri in the spring of 2008!

Time for a fresh start. Any pointers would be greatfully appreciated.

Happy running, y'all!

If you haven't already, check out my last post and see my crazy pics from Graduation!

Big Weekend

2007-05-15T11:45:00.000-05:00

The past week or so has been quite busy, but oh so much fun! Here's a recap and explanation as to why I haven't been around in blogger land for almost a week!

Friday Night:

My parents and sister came into town and we enjoyed a nice dinner at my aunt's house. Later on, a bunch of us met up with my sister's fiance and his parents for some drinks. I chose to be some sort of a designated driver as I knew I was going to be having fun the next night... after graduation.

Last year at this time, my sister and I, as well as a couple of our cousins, introduced my father and a few uncles to the wonderful world of jag bombs. This year, we introduced my mom and her sister to a Chuck Norris drink. I think she enjoyed it... as she was the first one to slam her glass down! Too cute!

Aunt, Mom, Dad, Sis

Graduation:

Saturday started with an early morning, running some errands, and rushing off to graduation. My sister's Fiance B and I took off before others, as we had to be there quite early. Early enough to just stand around in a line for over a half hour.

The ceremony lasted for a good few hours. I couldn't sit still at all. All I had in my system was a little breakfast and coffee. Not a good mix. Afterwards, we met up with our families outdoors. The weather was gorgeous with the sun shining from the baby blue sky! I was so ready to get out of my cap, gown, and hood.. geez, all the stuff they require you to wear when you get your masters. I will definitely not be working towards my doctorate.

Mom, Me, Dad

Me & Steph (Sis)

Me, Steph, and B (Steph's Fiance)

Saturday Night:

After a wonderful dinner at a local country club, it was MY turn to have some fun. We had a late start as the dinner went late, but it was still a lot of fun. We went to a local bar as a co-worker's husband's band was playing. Too much fun!

Chuck Norris...anyone?!?!

B, Dad, Me, Mom, B's roomie, Aunt

Group shot... again! I don't think I was having much fun...

Me and my sista! Some say we look like sisters... Nah!!

All and all, the weekend was supurb! And to be able to see my Mom on mother's day was another treat. For her and me, I would think! Now, I just need to land me a job!

Yesterday I had my doctor appointment and it went well. I forgot to ask when I can run, so I will be calling today. Although, my ankle has been bothering me. I am starting to really question why I run. Anytime I can get back into the swing of things, something happens. I have the dull achy pain that wraps around my right ankle when I push off of my foot. Frustrating. Very very frustrating. Any pointers would be greatly appreciated! {EDIT: I talked to the Nurse. No running for 5 days. Minimum. I guess it is good...for my ankle if anything.}

Restful Wednesday

2007-05-10T08:04:00.000-05:00

Last night was my rest night. We went out for dinner for a "going away" party for one of the teachers. It was very nice, and a lot of teachers showed up for it. I didn't get home until shortly after 9pm. I got ready for bed, and looked over some of my old training logs while I watched the end of the Twins game. It was kind of interesting to see what I was doing this time of year a year ago.

The picture below was taken while my Sis and I were driving back to GF on sunday evening. We got lot of rain this past weekend and there was this beautiful rainbow. We could see both sides, but the middle was covered by the clouds. At one point there were two rainbows. Very nice. We couldn't find the pot of gold ... or skittles either.

Tonight, I hope to go for an easy jog and get to bed early. I didn't sleep well last night and was up for good around 515 this morning.

Happy running, y'all! The weekend is almost here, and it's almost time to party!

Not the sharpest crayon in the box...

2007-05-09T08:32:00.000-05:00

For the record, I was NOT intoxicated when I went for my run monday night. AND, that is NOT why I almost biffed it! Hehehe.

Last night, Sis and I went for a run at 5pm, shortly after I got home from school. Let's just say running in 82 degrees probably wasn't the smartest thing. But, you live and learn. I couldn't get into the groove of things, but we did it. What I struggled with the most was a dry mouth. For some reason, I had such a dry mouth that it was even a struggle to swallow! We ended up logging 3.32 miles. Atleast there was a slight breeze and minimal humidity.

We had a big dinner, watched American Idol (I wasn't too impressed ... I'm thinking it is time for Lakisha to pack her things), and then we went and played 3 on 3 volleyball. Boy, how I miss our days of volleyball. Another thing I am going to miss this summer. Sniff sniff.

From there, I went home to watch the end of the Twins game. The piranha's pulled it off again and Morneau closed the game with an upper deck home run! Dang, he is good!

And... the Suns beat the Spurs... Nice! 101-81... Gotta love the Nash-meister!

I love this time of year. Things are slowing down with school, NBA playoffs have begun, baseball is in full-swing (no pun intended), the temperature is rising!! Gotta love it!

Tonight, there is a going away party for a teacher. I call a rest day. Happy running y'all!

TIP: no beer before you run

2007-05-08T08:36:00.000-05:00

I can't get over how nice the weather is here. As I had stated in my previous post, we hit up Buck Burgers last night. For those of you who were questioning what Buck Burgers were, here is your answer. You see, there is this local bar that serves food. On Monday nights, they serve Burgers with frips (fried chips) for only $1 with the purchas of a drink. We usually purchase a pitcher of beer (or 2). You can substitute the fried chips for fries or onion rings for an additional $1. These burgers are THE Best and we look forward to any monday that we can go. It's been a while since I had class monday nights. But, I think last night was our last. Sniff sniff.

Afterwards, we relaxed a bit to let our food (and beer) settle. Then, shortly after 7pm, Sis and I went out for a run. It was still warm, but very nice out! We did a loop through the neighborhood and only went about 1.92 miles. I am blaming the rough run on the beer and dehydration! Sis had drank too much water prior to the run. I like to follow the "no eating less than 2 hours before running" .... but that didn't happen. Shortly into our run, I nearly "kissed the ground" as my right foot got caught on a raised piece of concrete. Dangit. My face came within six inches of the ground and I was surprised that I was able to catch myself in the nick of time!

Tonight, we hope to do a longer run, then a good pasta/chicken dinner, all before the start of American Idol! Wahoo!

Buck Burgers

2007-05-07T08:22:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my God-daughters first holy communion. I was glad I was able to be there, along with many other family members. She is growing so fast!

I was only able to log a little over 11 miles last week. I am contemplating changing my goal for two reasons: 1) A lot of busy weekends through this month, and 2) I have a doctor appointment next monday that may put me on required rest-mode for a week or so after a procedure.

We'll see.

I got on google maps today to figure out the actual distance of my run friday night. I was running under many large trees and felt that my garmin was not reading correctly. Sure enough, it missed 1/10 of a mile. That is something, people. So I added it!

Tonight my sister, her fiance, and I plan to do buck burgers. This has been a tradition of ours as long as we all have lived in GF and it will probably be our last time! Kinda bittersweet! At about 8pm, I will plan to go for a run. I couldn't believe how sore my 3 miles from friday night and 4 miles from saturday morning left me feeling!

To answer your question John, the picure in my last post must have some sort of optical illusion...the bridge is not curved like that!

Some running...some resting

2007-05-05T18:42:00.000-05:00

Friday:
Snuck in a late evening run immediately after I got home (in Bismarck). Was a great run around the quiet neighborhood. I was able to listen to the nature all around me and take in the beautiful sight of a pink, purple and blue sky with the sun setting behind the clouds. Logging about 3 miles. I couldn't trust the Garmin too much as I was running under tall trees and it said my pace was over 12 minutes/mi. when I know I was bookin' it!

Saturday:
Woke up and ran with Mom, Dad, and Sis. We drove to the park, and ended up running down and back through the park and along the Missouri River.

(picture taken from Google Images)

The temperature was cool but nice, about 54 degrees and overcast. Shortly after our run it began to rain again. I can't believe how green it is already and the trees and plants are beginning to bloom! 4.46 miles logged today. A young lady had commented on how we were inspiration ... a family working out together. That was nice.

Tonight will be some R&R with baseball on tv and some cold one's in our hands... mmmm..

Tomorrow:
I might do a couple miles in the evening when I get back to GF.

Happy running, y'all!

Not so much...

2007-05-04T09:32:00.000-05:00

First of all... the Ticker above is my running goal for the month of May. 60 Miles in May... I hope I can accomplish it!

The plan for the evening was to run a couple errands, help my cousin with her invites for the Grooms Dinner, and then go for a slow 5 mile run.

Not so much.

I ran a couple errands, still haven't figured out what I am going to wear for Graduation, the Groom's dinner, the wedding, or my sister's Groom's dinner. I met up with everyone to work on the invites and it took 3+ hours! I didn't get home until 8:45 and was afraid that it was going to get too dark to fast. Well, I realized there was still some daylight at 9:15 and I could have gone for a quick 2 miles instead of nothing. Oh well. Chalk it up for a lesson learned. I just could not get myself to go to the gym for a 5 mile run. Yuck.

I decided to pack and hit the hay early. I am heading home this weekend. I hope to go for a run tomorrow morning with someone...Mom, Dad, or Sis. Then I have to go in for alterations on my bridesmaid dress. Sunday I will be attending my God-daughter's First Holy Communion! Boy she is getting big.

The weather calls for light rain all weekend. That's okay. We need it. The farmers need it.

Have a good weekend, y'all!

With a little help from my friends...

2007-05-03T08:06:00.000-05:00

Last night I went out for a short run. I wanted to do 5 miles, but after a loop around the neighborhood with a brief stop halfway, I was too tempted to call it quits. And I did. I only did 2 miles. My justification for it was that I was going to go out and do 5 today. I am slowly trying to get back into this running groove, as my running log for the past two weeks was rediculously low on numbers.

It was gorgeous when I went out for my run, alone. The first mile it seemed as if my breathing was off and I just couldn't get into a good comfortable stride. Then the last mile was smooth as could be. I should have just kept going. Oh well.

The past month or so has been an emotional rollercoaster. And, I am glad to know that I am not the only one out there feeling this way right now. Between finishing up school (which I pretty much have accomplished), searching for a job (still in progress), and thinking about the possibility of moving away from all my friends and family, it's been rough! Tuesday night was the last night of class for me... and as I looked around, I realized that many of those that were sitting there...I wouldn't see them for a while, if ever again. There were tears, there was laughter. All of us RT's have been through so much together and I have become so close to many, some more than others. This song goes out to my RT's...

What would you think if I sang out of tune
Would you stand up and walk out on me
Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song
And I'll try not o sing out of key

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends
Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends

What do I do when my love is away
Does it worry you to be alone?
How do I feel by the end of the day
Are you sad because you're on your own

No, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends
Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends

Do you need anybody
I need somebody to love
Could it be anybody
I want somebody to love

Would you believe in a love at first sight
Yes, I'm certain that it happens all the time
What do you see when you turn out the light
I can't tell you but I know it's mine

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends
Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends

Do you need anybody
I just need someone to love
Could it be anybody
I want somebody to love

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends
Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends
Yes I get by with a little help from my friends
With a little help from my friends

~The Beatles~

Before I sign off... I just want to give a shout out to Wes and wish him luck with his first Tri this weekend! Good luck!

Done...done...and done..

2007-05-02T08:33:00.000-05:00

Monday night the weather was absolutely gorgeous when we left class shortly after 9pm. A friend of mine asked me if I wanted to go for a run with him... I said no. I don't know if I am comfortable running with a guy. I am afraid that I will hold him back or not be able to go as far as him! I am probably just being silly.

Last night, I made it to the gym before class. Yes, the gym. I hate going there once the weather gets nicer, but I wanted to get in one last spin session before the class is over. So, I ran 2 miles first and then did 10.7 miles on the bike. Too much fun! It's been a couple weeks since I have done that! I am back!

Last night was my last night of class. For good. I have all assignments in, tests taken, and projects presented. I AM DONE! All I have to do is finish up the year at school with my students and show up for graduation! I am sooo pumped and ready to celebrate! Anyone want to join???

My current goal right now is to find (get) a job before the end of the month and get back on track with my running!

Tonight?.. ... .. I plan to run in the glorious 70 degree weather .... ahhh.

Happy running, y'all!

Month in Review

2007-04-30T07:51:00.000-05:00

First and foremost, the bachelorette party in the cities was fun! We all met up in downtown MSP and spent the evening at Matty B's... I highly recommend it. It was ladies night and after 10, drinks were only $2.25, which is cheap, for the cities. I had one expensive martini and then stuck with vodka cranberrie's the rest of the evening. Ahhh ... except for one large shot of tequila! My cousin - the bachelorette - was given the shot of Tequila by the DJ, but couldn't take it, so I offered to take it for her so it didn't go to waste... I am so nice ... . .. looking out for the best interest of others ... taking one for the team!

I know that I won't be getting a chance to run today, as it is my last monday night of class...from 4-9. So, it is okay for me to post my April stats before April is over. Go with me on this one, people.

April Stats:

36.37 miles running ... .... .. not as nice as my March stats (47.14), but still better than February's (26.775 mi). But, this is all completely legit, as I was struggling to finish big projects for school, apply for jobs, and move out of my apartment. I must say, that I was quite happy with a couple longer runs in there.
35.10 miles of spinning ... . . ... still not as nice as the months before and won't be very pretty the month of may. There is only 2 weeks left of spin classes, and as the weather is getting nicer, I have absolutely-no-drive to go to the gym when I can be outside.

When I look back on my March Stats, I was hoping to get some longer runs in, as I did. I hope to keep that up the month of May, with some more shorter runs during the week. I might have to pull my bike out of my storage unit and use it. I am so pumped ... ... I only have 12 days until graduation! 12 days people!

Tomorrow marks my 1 year Blog-iversary! How exciting. It's amazing to look back and see how far I have come, what I have accomplished. One year ago today, I started blogging to document my running, hoping to help myself stay on top of it and persevere. I was running before, but not as much or as often. I still haven't done a Half Marathon, but hope to this summer or early fall if all works out! I think I could be ready for one in June, but the weekends are just jam-packed up through the 16th of June.

Happy running, y'all! Get out there and run a few for me today!

Hello Spring

2007-04-27T07:54:00.000-05:00

Taking a break from a few reflective and thought provoking posts (as well as emotional), I am happy to be posting about running again. I ran last wednesday in the beautiful 60 degree weather with my sister, and then ran last saturday morning in a cool crisp 55 degrees, alone....pounding the pavement.

Last night was the first time since saturday that I was able to get out and get my run on! Besides packing, cleaning, lifting, and moving, I haven't done much running. I got home after school, changed, grabbed Mr. Garmin and my HR monitor and hit the road. Forgot my Nano but that was probably good .... it gave me the opportunity to pay more attention to my breathing and my surroundings.

It's definitely spring. My senses were in overload as I was running. Living at my aunt's, I was able to run on new territory and take it all in. There aren't many parks or sites to run through, like many of you bloggers write about, but I was able to enjoy the new scenery. The grass is already turning green, the trees are starting to bud, the birds are chirping, kids playing in their yards; and people walking, running, and biking all over the place. The sun was shining through the clouds. When I got home from my run at 6, it was 78 degrees! It just seems incredibly warm for North Dakota in April. Hopefully we can keep it around for a while!

After showering and doing some much needed errands, I got a call wondering if I wanted to play some basketball. Sure, why not. It was gorgeous outside. So, I met up with a couple of my good guy friends to shoot hoops. Nothing like playing some street ball with a high school basketball coach and a big guy. With a flat ball. When pumping the ball with air, N got the needle stuck in the ball. So, no dribbling I guess. Just shooting hoops and a lot of traveling. I think they thought I was one of the guys, giving me crap left and right... man-handling me. I am sore today, darnit. They called me Team Defense, because my defensive skills stunk and they were trying to "educate" me on how to position myself ... defensively. I was getting ridiculed for throwing my elbows out there, but I couldn't help it. When I had a 250 pound guy coming after me, I certainly wasn't going to be able to "box him out"! It was still fun though. Lots of laughs.

Once the sun went down, we opted for a cool beverage on the patio of one of the restaurants along the river. How nice it was... and relaxing. Suprisingly, it was still warm after the sun went down, which is odd for April.

Well, this is Team Defense signing off! I will be heading to the cities for a bachelorette party tomorrow! Have a great weekend, y'all!

Loving Every Moment

2007-04-25T08:52:00.000-05:00

I haven't written much in regards to my teaching experiences this past school year. Mostly due to confidentiality with special education and not know what exactly it is I would like to comment on.

But, that has changed. As the year comes to an end, I have been doing some reflecting. Since I have began my journey with special education, whenever that began, I have always had a passion for working with kids. It is not my goal to "fix" things, but rather give a child a safe learning environment in which they feel comfortable to take risks and learn.

I think about how much my views have changed throughout this school year, especially in the past few months. Many of my students struggle with difficulties at home, and I have realized that although I can not fix their homelife, I can help make things more enjoyable at school.

The reason why I am posting about this is because a little message I received yesterday got me thinking. Before I comment on the message I received, I must give a little background. I have worked with a student all year long. To make a long story short, this particular child has struggled with anxiety immensely and it has affected his academics. With that, excessive bouts of lying has been a result. Up until a month ago, I felt this child consumed every thought of mine and also crept into my dreams. I wanted to help him enjoy school and push himself, as he is very capable to work at the same level as his peers.

Then things all of a sudden started to change. I can not put a finger on exactly what it is that I started to do differently, but this child changed. I know that with the lying, instead of making a big deal of it as we did in the past, I would acknowledge it and move on. He started walking with his shoulders back and a smile on his face. He started complimenting other classmates. His grades began to go up, working his way to the B Honor Roll. His confidence increased. His sense of humor came back and we have enjoyed throwing sarcastic remarks back and forth at each other.

Prior to this change, there were repeated phone calls to mom stating each and every episode of lies and unfinished homework. I had a hard time making each and every call, as they were always negative. I hate making repeated calls like that. Then, like I said, things started to change, for whatever reason. He has even made the effort of "dropping in" to just say hello on his way to the bathroom or between classes. When passing in the hallway, he would throw a smile and sometimes make a joke. And last week, he had given me a hug and said "thanks" for everything.

Then, the message came. Mom had made a comment to the guidance counselor in regards to her son and all the positive things he has said about me. How he enjoys working with me and hates the idea of me leaving this year. How I have constantly told him he is capable and how I have set expectations for him.

This made me melt. At the same time, it made me sad. Sad to leave. Sometimes we get caught up in our job. Working with all these children, we forget how much of an impact we can have on one child. And that is my goal. If I can reach at least one child, each and every school year, I will be happy. Happy that I am successfully doing my job, and loving every moment of it.

Thanks, friends and fellow bloggers

2007-04-22T08:10:00.000-05:00

Moving, moving, moving. Not much to say besides that it is a lot of work. And I still have so much more to do. I was hoping to pack until late last night, but by the time 10pm rolled around, I was getting sore. I went to bed early and got up early to do some more packin'. I just needed to take a break.

Yesterday, I spent a lot of time reflecting. Reflecting on the past year. All of the changes. How much I have learned. What I have gained. What I have lost. Reflecting on how comfortable I have become with my running. How much I rely on it for my sanity and well-being. How, no matter how tired I am, once I get out there, it lifts so much from my shoulders.

I spent time thinking. Thinking about where my next step will take me. Thinking about whether it is going to be one small step or one giant leap. Thinking about where I will be going. Thinking about what friends have said, what people have commented in regards to my last post. Thinking about what my family has said. A lot of "what ifs" running circles in my head. Wes made this comment on my last post and I thought about it during my entire run yesterday:

"You are young. You have a long career ahead of you. If you make a mistake or two on your first two job choices, it will not matter a bit. As a matter of fact, it will probably provide you with clarity about exactly what your goals really are and where you want to be. Don't fret over this first decision. If you want to go someplace comfortable. Go. If you want to take a chance. Go there. As long as you strive to be the best, opportunities will always present themselves."

Then I came home and read another fellow bloggers post, Akshaye, and his words consumed my mind.

"The feeling of revisiting the past and wondering how things would have been had you not moved on. The ability to seamlessly slip back into your 'first' life leaving your 'second' as a reality that is an almost forgotten dream. I guess there always exists a certain romance and bond with the city you grew up in, that like a first love, always beckons you into falling in love with her all over again."

Some words of wisdom from Randy....

"but above all just be happy with yourself and where you are."

And last but not least... from Neese, who has always been a great inspiration for me.

"you are so young and the world is yours and it is OK to test the waters, you may find that you live in several places before you call a place home... who knows where the roads will lead and not to mention who you may meet which will take your life in directions you had not even planned!! Advance confidently and take that long deep breath, you have arrived baby! world watch out!"

I hope these guys don't mind me sharing their words. Words of wisdom. I have to thank everyone for their kind words and thoughts. It all means a lot to me. Bloggerland is another way of getting rid of the stress, right along with running.

In regards to figuring out where I am going next in my career, or in life for that matter, I know that I am not settling. I am not going to take a job just because I am afraid another one won't come along. I am not going to settle for a position where I am at right now, just because I don't know if I am ready to leave my comfort zone. In the words of Sugarland, I ain't Settlin'.

I ain't settling for just getting by
I've had enough so so for the rest of my life
Tired of shooting too low, so raise the bar high
Just enough ain't enough this time
I ain't settling for anything less than everything

_____________________________________________
Tuesday: lifted arms, 9.5 mi. spin
Wednesday: run 3.67 mi. outdoors (with Sis). Beautiful weather. Felt great!
Saturday: 3.8 mi. run outdoors. 57 and humid/moist. But that's okay. I might have to get used to that.

Overwhelmed with Stress

2007-04-20T21:05:00.000-05:00

I never realized how stressful this year has been until today. Last night I had an emotional breakdown while on the phone with Mom. An emotional breakdown over nothing, really. My sister had left yesterday with most of her stuff to move home to the Bis. Last night I was frantically trying to figure out what to wear to the Educators Job Fair today, which I decided to go to last minute; on top of trying to get ready for my final project review today at 4pm. There is just too much going on right now.

I was up at 530 this morning, on campus before 7am to register for the Job Fair, since I didn't pre-register. Sat around for a while and then was given the opportunity to sell myself to recruiters for the two hours to follow. Landed me some job interviews, interviewed throughout the afternoon, and then presented my final project, the one I had to present in order to graduate. In the midst of our presentations, we were asked to share how we have grown in the process of the completing our residency. Let's just say there were about 12 of us and about 5 were in tears. I have finally come to the conclusion that I am not the only one who has been stressed out of my mind for a while, along with being mentally and emotionally drained. I was able to hold my composure, but while listening to others, I found it hard to hold back the tears.

I have applied to quite a few school districts, in state and out of state, had many interviews, been offered 1 job on the spot and told multiple times today that I could get a job easily with "their" district. Actually, while waiting to interview with one location, I had a recruiter from AZ asking me tons of questions. Telling me that I probably had sooo many people asking me to come for interviews when just walking by their booth. Which was true. I felt that they were staring me down, and once they would completely read my nametag their eyes would become huge! I don't know if that was because of my all-american name, or my titles to follow -- B.S. Elementary Education / M.S. Special Education Strategist. He was great to talk to, grabbed my resume, and said I might be getting a phone call from a county that his friend works for. okay. Not really sure if AZ is for me..

And now, I have some decisions to make. I will possibly be getting calls to come back for more interviews, I am still waiting for closing dates of april 30 to see if I will get an interview from some other schools I applied to a while ago, and now I just have to wait. wait for what? I need to really think. Where do I want to teach? Not just where do I want to live, but where do I want to teach? Which of these schools really has what I want?

I am going to bed. I am so drained from this week, it is crazy. How come I am able to crash by 930 on a friday night, but not until after 1130 on weeknights? This doesn't make sense. Tomorrow, I have to start packing. Our plan is to be completely out by this coming wednesday. Eeks. Plus, I have to work on a couple final projects for classes. Two weeks of class left. And you have no idea how excited I am!

Tomorrow... I will go for a much needed run... as far as my heart desires!

10 Years Ago...

2007-04-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

The winter of 1996-1997 proved to be one of the most severe winters in recorded history in the city of Grand Forks and the surrounding area. The winter brought no fewer than eight blizzards to the area besides other days of snowfall. The Grand Forks area recorded nearly 100 inches of snowfall for the winter more than doubling our average snowfall for the season. The photo featured here was taken at the height of the winter along the road from inside of a car at eye level. The winter's worst fury came in the beginning of April with an ice storm and blizzard, nicknamed Hard-handed Hannah, struck the area. The storm struck with such ferocity it destroyed power lines by covering them with a thick coat of ice and hitting the area with a strong blizzard with 50 mph winds.

It was soon after this when the snow started to melt and the river began to rise rapidly. The fight to save the city was punctuated by community spirit and sweat by people of all ages and background.
By April 17, the river passed the predicted crest of 49 feet as set by the National Weather Service and was still rising rapidly. On April 18, Friday, the river reached 51 feet and the dike broke in the Lincoln Park area at 8:00 am forcing the evacuations of the residents of that area. Conditions continued to worsen as dikes started to weaken and as water started to top the dikes in the Central Park area of Grand Forks and Riverside.

On the left, citizens sandbagging a residential area, trying to prevent the rising river water from further reaching any homes. This picture is actually taken in a neighborhood just a few blocks southwest from my apartment.

Below is a picture of a select area of UND campus. On the left side of the picture is Smith Hall, which was attached to the hall that I lived in for the first 2 years of my college life. When I moved to campus, two years after the flood, they were still doing a lot of remodeling and fixing up of the dorms and the basement levels. The flooding water here is from the coulie that ran through campus. I remember when living in these dorms, everyonce and a while during the spring the water would rise real quickly, sometimes overflowing, in a freakish way. Nothing like this though.

Sorlie Bridge, (across the Red River between North Dakota and Minnesota) at high flow.

The sandbags didn't hold back the raging Red River.

Non-essentail businesses were requested to close to aid in the flood fight but the water was stronger than the human spirit. By the afternoon of Saturday, April 19, all of the downtown area of Grand Forks was inundated by floodwaters. The nastiest blow of this day was the fire in the Security building in the downtown area and the subsequent destruction of 11 buildings. By this time, 75% of Grand Forks was flooded and 90% of its sister city, East Grand Forks, MN.

Most of the information on the post was found online, as I wanted to make sure I had my facts straight. I wasn't living in Grand Forks when the flood happened, but I do remember my two cousin's from Grand Forks who came to Bismarck and attended school there for a while. The house that they lived in at the time was in the area of where the dike broke first. There were a quite a few homes in that area that were totally demolished and a new dike was built in the place of the homes. I could only imagine how devastating it was for everyone.

*Photos found on Google Images.

Posted below is a video from the Flood...

Grand Forks The Flood of 1997

2007-04-19T06:48:00.001-05:00

Heavy Heart

2007-04-17T09:17:00.000-05:00

In the midst of this tragedy that has touched many lives, I sit here with a heavy heart and mourn for the victims as well as the family and friends of those who have lost their life on the campus of Virginia Tech.

*Picture found on Google images.

Fair trade

2007-04-15T13:02:00.000-05:00

The weather has finally reached above freezing for a good 5 days and I think the cold is finally gone. Even with the clear blue skies and above 40 temps, I chose to take a couple days rest and enjoy the presence of one of my greatest friends, B ... I thought it was quite the fair trade.

Friday:

With the gorgeous weather, we opted to grill marinated chicken breasts and potatoes. From there we watched some of the Twins game, started playing drinking games, and I became re-aquainted with JD. Jack Daniels that is. This all lead to the imfamous Jag Bombs!

After dinner and some games, we went to a bar that does not usually attract our age group, but they had a live band and we were ready to dance! We ended up closing down the bar and headed to the truck stop for breakfast! Mmm..

Saturday:

After sleeping in and spending the afternoon at the library, I headed over to the house and we started all over again. We grilled again, this time we had a variety of meat, steaks, chicken, brats, and then potatoes again. We changed up the drinking mode and made some "strip-and-go-nakeds". Yummy. The boys drug the beer pong table out of the garage and the good times began. That is one of the funnest games ever and if you stink at it, you drink more. Where do you think I fall?

After a late dinner, we decided to hit up the VFW for some karaoke! Now that was fun! Ironically, there were two girls there, that were sisters, and their names were Stacy and Steph, just like me and my sister. So, the four of us ended up singing "I want you to want me". That was fun!

After many shots, and some beer, we headed back to the house to play some beer pong and have a little campfire!

All and all it was a fun weekend. It was great to spend some fun time with B and everyone else!

Today:

Sis and I went for a nice short run (2.5 mi) outside. It was a gorgeous 50 degrees with a cool breeze! Nice! Back to the grind... homework that is. And hydrating myself!

Another one bites the dust

2007-04-12T20:03:00.000-05:00

You ever have those moments where you have all these ideas for posting, and then when you start, it's just a bunch of garbage? I have done that. Multiple times tonight. What does Stacy really want to talk about tonight? What do fellow bloggers really want to read about? Work? School? My job-searching adventure? Life? Running? Spin? I just can't get my creative groove movin'. I know I have lost all motivation for school, but I didn't realize I was struggling with ideas for my posts!

Anyway. I am recovering wonderfully from my 8 miles yesterday. I forgot to mention that during the last couple miles, I began to feel sore on the ball of my right foot and the pinky toe of my left. The soreness/pain has subsided today. But I didn't like it. I was afraid it was going to lead to blisters, which I have only had once after a 5 mile run last summer. I instantly blamed it on my socks and will not wears those ever again for a "longer" run. I know I am not the only runner out there that has specific socks, shorts, shirts, for short runs, long runs, biking, etc. Right?

Tonight I was to the gym about 20 minutes before spin and did some weights for the arms. I then went to Spin with all intentions of working my butt of so I can take tomorrow off. Yeah, either the tension on my bike was really touchy, or my semi-sore thigh, hip, and butt muscles where more sore than I realized. My sister didn't go with because she didn't want to go to the same instructor two times this week when she knew what we were going to do. Little did we know, our instructor was going to change things up a bit. And that is what she did. Tonights warm-up, which usually takes 10 minutes, was quite a bit of freezing in a hovering position. We did quite a few reps of 30 secs with some light jogging on the bike between. Oh boy. I felt that in my thunder thighs.. Ouch! We also did a lot of sprinting throughout the session and I liked that. Something different. I conquered 10.2 miles tonight.

The rest of my evening, which there isn't much left (approximately 1 hour), will consist of job searching and reading some fellow blogs! I might get talked into going out for apps with a friend.

On a side note, I am pumped. A friend from college is coming back to GF for the weekend! He already informed me to get my drinking hat on. Whatever that means. I will be ready though. Ahh!!

Y'all have a wonderful friday!

The "Longer" Run

2007-04-11T19:15:00.000-05:00

That sounds like a beginning of a book. Hmm. I might have to jot that down, on my list of books to write. Well, it's official. I accomplished what I wanted to this evening. And I don't even care if you call me Bizarro Teacherwoman, Joe! But, I must first add that I was not expecting it to go as well as it did. For one reason only. A massive headach. I went to bed with a slight headache. I woke up with a headache. You know, one of those that throbs when you get up or move to fast? Well, I dealt with it all morning. It left me feeling nauseous. Yuck. So I ate some food, thinking I didn't eat enough after my heavy workout last night. Didn't help. I didn't want to take more Ibuprofen, since I did last night during class when it started. I just don't like to take drugs. With lunch I drank a soda, hoping that maybe it was a bad caffiene headache. Didn't really work. Most of the afternoon I spent my free time drinking water. And lots of it. Maybe I was dehydrated. Part of me thinks it was a cross between an allergy headache and a migraine. I don't know. I usually get affected by allergies this time of year... Moving on... I ran my "longer" run. I call it this becuase I have a hard time calling it a long run. So, "longer" it will be. And it was successful, despite the fact that my tummy was saying "feed me" as I was pulling into the gym parking lot. Dangit! I ate plenty today. So, I ran my "longer" run. 8 miles to be exact. 1:29:23. Average pace of 11:10min/mi. I am okay with that! Last week I averaged 11:06min/mi. But, I can tell I will be a little sore. The moment I got off the thrillmill, my thunder thighs were like jello! I stretched. And stretched. Then headed home to make a nice meal of pasta, chicken, and green beans. Yummy.

An American Idol Note:

Glad to see Haley go. It was her time. Next, I would love to predict Sanjaya to go, but I don't think it will happen just yet. I am afraid to predict that Phil Stacey will be going next. But, I guess I have to see their performances first. Country next week! Yee-haa!

Sports Commentary:

Baseball season officially started last week. My Twins were off to a great start! Monday night they got robbed by the Yankees. Plus, I was reminded how much of a Yankee fan I wasn't when Nick Punto was ran into when a Yankee was diving into third base, making Punto land hard on his own head. They lost last night as well. Joe Nathan is an awesome closing pitcher! Twins 5. Yankees 1. We win!

Happy running, y'all!

Q and A's

2007-04-11T07:55:00.000-05:00

My workout yesterday was quite successful and I felt great afterwards. I left school a little early to pick up some transcripts and was able to head the the gym earlier than I usually do. I hopped on the thrillmill, only planning on doing a couple warm-up miles. Before I was finished, my sister showed up and we ran the track for a while. Between the thrillmill and track, I was able to log 2.5 miles. We hit up a few weights and then headed to spin. It was a wonderful spin session and I was able to spin 9.2 miles. The worst of the evening was heading to a three hour class. Only three more weeks...and I am done!

I feel as if there have been a few questions lately that I haven't been able to respond to, so I am going to try and do that now.

From Joe: A Wednesday long run? Did someone kidnap Teacherwoman and replace her with Bizarro Teacherwoman? --> Yep, a wednesday long run. I seem to be more motivated during the week, and it works out perfectly because I don't have night class. I can go home, stretch, ice, and relax the rest of the evening. Plus, there are usually things going on over the weekend that I don't get those long runs in as planned. This way, if I am feeling up to it, I can do a nice 3 or 4 miles saturday and sunday...outdoors!

From Jess: So, any plans for the future after grad school? --> If all goes as I would like, I hope to have a job lined up before the end of May, in the area of Special Education (at the Elementary level). I don't know where, but I am applying in multiple places.

From Aggie Jogger '77: Ok, I've just got to ask, and I keep telling myself my wife is from North Dakota and I've never heard her mention "funeral potatoes" before. What are they? --> I knew someone was going to catch that and ask about it! It is what our family and a lot of other germans in the area call funeral potatoes. Basically it is hashed browns, baked in a 9x13 pan with cheese and then corn flakes sprinkled on top. I think they are called funeral potatoes becuase they are easy to make and show up at funerals... a lot.

From Joe: Was there lots of eye candy at the gym? --> This is in response to my 7 miles on the thrillmill. And Yes, there were lots of eye candy at the gym. Especially when you are on a thrillmill looking over the weight room! But, that is not why I was there, Joe!

I kinda like this Q&A's thing. Keep 'em coming! Now, like I said before, I am planning on doing my long run tonight, eat a nice hearty pasta and veggies dinner, watch Friday Night Lights and the results to American Idol, and hit the hay!

"Well Needed Break" Recap

2007-04-09T16:31:00.000-05:00

This weekend was longer than usual with having friday and monday off, but that didn't necessarily mean that it was full of relaxing! We kept quite busy.

Thursday --> Left school early and got home in time to watch the Sioux/Boston College hockey game. The Sioux got robbed with a few bad calls and Boston won. We were a little disappointed.

Friday --> prepared for bridal showers with shopping and baking cheesecakes. Fun times! We ended up joining some aunts and cousins for dinner and were surprised to see our cousin, Britt, home for the weekend. She surprised her sister and flew home from England for her bridal shower! We miss Britt so much!

Saturday --> Two bridal showers. My cousin's and my sister's! They were both fun and exhausting. Both showers were fun and different! Very nice...very nice!

(P.S. It was nice to see Michigan beat Boston college in the last 18 seconds of the game!)

Sunday --> Easter! After church we headed to my aunt and uncle's for a nice family dinner. All I have to say is mmmm! Ham meatballs, funeral potatoes, salmon, carrot cake....mmmm mmmm good! Fun times as well! After we got home from dinner, we decided to take advantage of the above freezing temps. I wanted to go for a run since the last time I ran was wednesday. Mom decided to ditch the walkers and joined me. It was a nice run through the neighborhood...approximately 2.25 miles. No walk breaks, we ran straight through. That is what running partners do for me... keep me going!

Today--> nothing but traveling back to GF, unpacking and now some homework. Yeah. Only four weeks of class left and I will... be...done! Wahoo!

Looking at my week and what is going on, I hope to accomplish this:
Tuesday: Spin and weights
Wednesday: long run
Thursday: Spin, possible short run before spin
Friday: Rest
Saturday: easy run
Sunday: easy run

Have a great week, y'all!

Well needed break

2007-04-04T21:02:00.000-05:00

I went to the gym tonight to run a few miles. I was hoping for 4, but the list of things I wanted to get done (before American Idol) seemed to be growing during my run, and I called it quits after 3.1 miles. I was still quite sore from my 7 miles monday night. It's amazing how that soreness can take a while to come around. I don't think I was truly sore until 24 hours later. I am sore/stiff from my butt down to my knees...

Tomorrow, I plan to leave school early to head home for my Easter break. I figured since I don't work with any kids on thursday's after 2pm, I could just take off. That way, we will get home before the big game starts! You know, the semifinals of the Final Four! Hockey! Our Fighting Sioux will be taking on Boston at 7pm... if anyone is interested in watching! If we can beat Boston, I am almost positive we will be playing Maine for the Championship!

Now, I just have to wish for a warmer weekend. Last year it was nice enough to sit outside and enjoy the warmth of the sun, while watching the kids run around the yard. This year, there are predictions of snow. Eeek. I hope not.

Only 37 days left until graduation! Wahoo!

Happy running, y'all!

Who Done it?

2007-04-03T20:21:00.000-05:00

My Edy's is almost gone... . . .

... ... who done it??

Unfortunately, I can't blame my sister (the ice cream freak!) ... . ..

.. .. .she gave up ice cream for lent.

It must have been ....

ME... Oops!!

physical fitness productivity

2007-04-02T21:37:00.000-05:00

Since my 4-7 class was canceled, she advised us to use the time to work on our two upcoming projects. Sure. I could have been productive with my academics, but did I? Nope. Instead, I chose to be productive with my physical fitness, which in return, affects my overall academic performance! It's true!

I went to the gym with all intentions of running. Not just a few miles, but 7. Well, if anyone know's how wonderful it is to run on a thrillmill, you know that you cannot run 7 miles without having to restart it.... I can't. I am not that fast. The thrillmills at the Wellness Center have 40 minute cycles. So, when I finished my 40 minutes, I started over and decided to go another full 40 minutes. I was able to do 3.56 in the first 40 and was thinking that I had to keep up that pace in order to do 7 miles total with an additional 40 minutes. And that is what I did. I guess I must have either ran faster or took less walk breaks (or both) in the second 40 minute session .... since..... I was able to accomplish ... 7.2 miles! That's an average pace of 11:06/mile! Crazy! I need to slow my butt down a bit for these longer runs... maybe?!?!

I will be honest, the first couple miles weren't that great. I felt like I had my groove on during my 3rd, 4th, and 5th miles, and the 6th and 7th were a little bit more tiring. My right groin muscle was beginning to get a little sore the last couple miles. I haven't felt that since my 9 mile runs this past summer. I can't believe that it has been about 7 months since I have run that far of a distance. Nasty.

My class tomorrow night is canceled. She gave us three activities to work on instead. But, I am tempted to go lift and do spin, and then do my homework... hopefully.

Oh, and by the way, just as we thought the snow was gone. It's supposed to snow again tonight and tomorrow. Accumulating a few inches of snow, possibly. Hopefully it will just stay south of here. Yuck. I thought we were done with that white stuff!

Happy running, y'all!

Music Freak!!

2007-04-01T21:12:00.000-05:00

If you haven't noticed, I am a music freak. I love music. All kinds. I could listen to music all day! ...punk, rock, country, rap, R&B, swing, 60's, 70's, sometimes 80's, 90's, jazz, blues, reggae, funk, etc. And it most definitely depends on my mood. Last week I burned a CD of O.A.R. music and love it. I have been playin' it in my car all week on my commute to and from work. Tonight, I was able to download music by James Morrison (in picture - right). He is a new artist from the UK that has a real talent. "The Times" say that "it's as though he's stolen the soul of an 80 year old black American blues singer...". And that is exactly how I would explain his music/voice. And the fact that he reminds me a lot of Johnny Lang, another favorite of mine from right here in ND! (pictured below) Boy Wonder is what they called him... as he had at the experienced/powerful voice of a musician at the age of 16!

On a workout note, I took yesterday off. I was so sore from lifting before and after my run Friday, just as I was hoping! Ahhh. Today, Sis and I hit up spin. We usually don't do that on Sunday's but she wanted to go since she was going to be gone this week. Okay with me! We were not impressed with the instructor, he was kind of a snobby cyclist who was not fun! He just shouted out orders: Okay, uh, get your cadence up to 110+, tension at 7, and we'll go for 4 minutes. Not cool. And the music was okay; Sis called it 80's Butt-rock... she's so funny! Plus, I was disgusted with my bike in the back row. It said I only did 6.2 miles when I know that I did more than that since we did a whole lot of sprinting. I usually average 8-10 miles each session when we don't do a lot of sprinting. I am sure I did more than 10. Oh well. It wasn't working well, as I watched my cadence go from 0 to 254 to 14 to 110 to 0 to 56, and so on.

Now tomorrow, I have been blessed with having one of my classes canceled... the 4-7 class. So, I am planning on doing a long run between school and my 7pm class. Since I didn't get my long run in last week, and who knows what I will accomplish Easter weekend, I figured I would attempt one tomorrow. How long? I don't know. My plan is 6-7 miles. We'll see how it goes.

And since I have the vision of doing a long run on the thrillmill, I knew that I needed to change my music on my nano. I had 300+ songs on there, but were just sick of listening to them! So I have downloaded a bunch from the 60's and 70's .... and then some random songs .... and made a nice play list for tomorrow... Here's what it looks like, if anyone is looking for different (but old-is-gold) music!

Aerosmith - Come Together
Alice Cooper - Schools Out for Summer
Brownsville Station - Smokin' In the Boys' Room
Buggles - Video Killed The Radio Star
CCR - Bad Moon Rising
CCR - Down on the Corner
Dion & The Belmonts - The Wanderer
Eric Clapton - After Midnight
Foghat - Slow Ride
Four Seasons - Stay
Four Seasons - Walk Like A Man
Frankie Vallie & The Four Seasons - Oh What a Night
Journey - Wheel In The Sky
The Monkees - Dream Believer
The Monkees - Hey Hey We're the Monkees
Ram Jam - Black Betty
Simon & Garfunkel - Mrs. Robinson
Steve Miller Band - The Joker
Stevie Wonder - Superstition
Wyclef Jean & Refugees - We Tryin' to Stay Alive (Remix)
Time of the Season - Blake Lewis (American Idol version)
Pride & Joy - Stevie Ray Vaughn
Everybody Needs Somebody To Love - Blues Brothers Band
Jackson - Joaquin Phoenix & Reese Witherspoon

With that, I am signing off... and wishing y'all a happy monday!

Happy running!

Month in Review

2007-03-31T17:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I logged 3.56 miles on the thrillmill while doing the R5/W1 method. I averaged a 11:14 minute mile. Before and after my run I worked my legs and arms to the bone with the weights. My plan was to work myself hard, so I could take today off. Done!

With today being the last day of March, I thought it was only appropriate to feature my March stats...

March Stats:

47.14 miles running ... . . . .my goal was 45 miles, and with a week off due to craziness with paperwork for work and school, I was quite surprised I was able to make my goal!
48.86 miles spin .. . . . not quite as much as February. Oh well.

Who knows what April will look like. Hopefully similar to March with some longer runs. It's going to be another crazy month with Easter, moving out of our apartment, another bachelorette party in the cities. Time flies when you are having fun!

Call me Crazy ... with a capital "C"

2007-03-29T20:50:00.000-05:00

It's been one hell-a-vuh-week! I am definitely running out of time here people! I have only two "free" weekends between now and the end of May that I can get a lot done... that is, free to pack/move, apply for jobs, and complete four projects for school. Ahhhh!

But, on a side note, it's been a few days since I have posted. So here is a brief update. "Brief" being the opperative word.

Monday: I squeezed in a 4.05 mile run when I got out of class at 9pm-ish. Averaged 10:48/mile. Right leg was a little sore, possibly due to the fact that I ran 3 days in a row... with an accumulation of 11.4 miles.
Tuesday: Wasn't able to squeeze in any lifting or light running, since I was going and going from 7am until 5pm. Just had enough time for spin class from 5:30 - 6:15 before my 7pm class. Total, 9.26 miles spin.
Wednesday: Rested. Ahhh.... Actually, I did laundry and some dishes, watched American Idol and was to bed by 9:30pm. :)
Thursday: Was hoping to do a 4 mile run this morning before school, but overslept a half hour past my usual wake-up time. Oops. So, I had to run before spin tonight. Since I knew I wasn't going to get in my hopeful 4 miles, I opted for doing a few intervals. (Doing a total of 2.25 miles)

800 M warm-up jog = 5:31 (5.7 mph)
200 M walk = 1:51
400 M run = 2:29 (6.5)
200 M walk = 1:50
400 M run = 2:23 (6.7)
200 M walk = 1:38
400 M run = 2:17 (6.9)
200 M walk = 1:36
400 M run = 2:10 (7.4)
400 M cool down jog = 3:00 (5.5)

After running, I grabbed my sports beans and hit the bike. All went well, was a little tired though. Intervals are probably not the best thing to do before spinning. I ended up spinning a total of 9.6 miles. Afterwards, I hit the weight room and worked on the arms. This teacher can't have those things jiggling when writing on the board... how embarassing!

Friday: I plan to run, and then lift legs. I would like to do it before school, but I don't know if that will happen! We'll see. I might have more time to do 4 miles and lifting after school without feeling rushed. That way I can do a thorough job!

One of my RT friends invited a bunch of us over to barbeque tonight at 7pm. I had told him earlier this week I was going to come, but that was before I realized that thursdays are usually my long work out day (2+ hours). I didn't get home until 7 and then showered and had to fill my body with some carbs. I knew that I wasn't going to drink or eat at the barbeque. I told him I didn't think I would make it as I needed to ice and eat some good pasta... He just told me he was disappointed! Will they ever get it? I am trying so hard to make a lifestyle change here, and I go and say NO one time and they don't get it. Peer pressure sucks, people!! As much as I would have loved to be hangin' out with all those guys tonight, I knew that I needed to take care of my body first. I wanted to ice and eat well so I could get in a nice run tomorrow. In the back of my mind I knew that I had a lot of paperwork that I wanted to get done tonight for my mentor to look over tomorrow. I am sick of trying to explain myself. They call me crazy! Crazy for running before spinning; crazy for being able to find time to workout 5 or 6 days a week with all of my classes and teaching; crazy for running... period. So, call me crazy. Call me crazy with a capital "C"! I don't care. You know why? Because I feel a whole lot better when I do it... and if that makes me crazy... so be it!

Happy Running, y'all! Tomorrow's friday... jeans day is here again!

P.S. Check out another one of my favorite songs below. Lucky Man by The Verve.

The Verve- Lucky Man

2007-03-29T20:43:00.001-05:00

I love this song! And this group. I love the lyrics and have found this to be a great song to run to... check it out!

Overtimes: 1 loss & 1 win

2007-03-25T21:13:00.000-05:00

My Tarheels lost in an upsetting overtime against Georgetown. This just didn't play well in overtime. No excuses. Don't worry. They will be back next year. And they will go to the Final Four.

I was able to watch the Tarheel game and the Sioux/Gopher game at a local bar with some friends. This is what a couple of my friends had to say after the Sioux won in overtime....
It's okay though, they are supporting the Sioux in the Frozen Four! They're not sore losers... they were just the only two gopher fans in the bar, and I had to be with them!?!

Posted below is a video I found as a tribute to the Sioux's interesting year. Last fall I was afraid they weren't going to make it this far. But, they have...and we have sooo much more to accomplish.

UND Fighting Sioux 06-07

2007-03-25T21:05:00.001-05:00

We may be going to the Frozen Four, but we aren't done yet!

Something to get used to...

2007-03-25T15:56:00.000-05:00

I went out for a run this afternoon with a goal of at least 3 miles. When I got on the road, I didn't have a set plan as to where I was going to run. I just went out there and did it, taking turns where I wanted to. When I was coming back, I could have turned towards my place but went further north a bit since I wasn't feeling too tired. The low ceiling combined with 50 degree weather and +90% humidity was enough to make this girl sweat. I think I was overdressed in pants and two long sleeved shirts. I know I was overdressed. It makes me chuckle when I read posts about people running in what they call a cold temp for them, probably somewhere between 40 and 60 degrees. That is beautiful for this time of year in North Dakota. Don't get me wrong, I know heat, we do get that here... and it's not always dry heat, it can be quite humid at times. But, if I move to the Southeast, the humidity is definitely something to get used to. All and all, I accomplished 4.35 miles today.

I don't know what I am going to do this evening. I have a bit of a dilemna. My Tarheels will be taking on Georgetown within the next half hour 4:45ish, and our Sioux are taking on the Gophers at 5pm! If we end up going out to watch the hockey game .... I can only hope that they have at least one tv showing some March Madness!

What a successful week! I was able to break 100 miles in running and 100 miles in spinning for 2007! Happy running, y'all! Have a marvelous week!

Productivity

2007-03-24T17:26:00.000-05:00

I can honestly say that I have had a day (so far) full of productivity. I took my time getting up this morning, hoping to get as much rest as possible. Sis and I went for a nice 3 mile run outdoors later this morning. It was cool (31 degrees), with no wind and a dense fog where we could feel the moisture in the air. It was kind of cool looking.

I got my saturday morning coffee, we went to the mall and picked up a wedding shower gift for our cousin, I was able to find shoes to wear with my bridesmaid dress for my sister's wedding, picked up my gown, hood, and tassel for graduation, and was able to finish 1 of my 6 projects I am working on for classes! Wahoo!

I am going to relax and rest a bit this evening and watch the Sioux take on Colorado!

Update: The Sioux took on Michigan State. Shows how much I know. We won 7-5. Now we take on Minnesota Gophers tomorrow night at 5pm! Awesome baby!

Who asked for this?

2007-03-23T21:14:00.000-05:00

It has officially hit full force and taken over me. I have been fighting this bugger, possible for the past few weeks on and off again, from becoming more than a tight chest or tickle in my throat, to waking up to a full-blown .... something.

I felt great after my 2 hour workout last night .... until an hour later when I had a throbbing pain in the right sight of my throat. I didn't know what it was, a cold? a sinus infection? I usually don't get colds but I have had a habit of getting a yearly sinus infection and that is about it... I woke up this morning, with my throat hurting more. But, I took my Tylenol Cold and Sinus meds and went about my day. I felt good/bad on and off today.

Got home a little after 4pm, crawled straight into bed and woke up to a phone call at 6:30. Dangit. I thought my nap would make me feel refreshed and ready to hit the town for a bit with some RT's. .... I had to turn down our plans... I was soo bummed... it's been a while since I had been out with him and my other close RT friends..

Who asked for this? Not me. I bet this is some sign, telling me to slow down, rest up, and get some well-needed paper work, applications, graduation plans, and projects .... done.

Just got home from getting more meds, I am going to take them, down a couple glasses of warm green tea, and hopefully fight most of this bugger off before the new week starts... If I drink enough water and green tea, I can usually fight these things in 3-4 days... We'll see.

Tomorrow it is supposed to be sunny and reach a high of 56 degrees. I might take advantage of the cool air and go for a run/walk in the afternoon...

... I am going to go watch my Tarheels....until I fall asleep..

Thunderstruck

2007-03-22T20:27:00.000-05:00

I went to the gym tonight with all intentions of lifting, running, and spinning. And ladies and gentlemen, that is what I did.

I arrived at the gym shortly after 4pm and did a little lifting. I wanted to have enough time to get on the treadmill for 40 minute before grabbing a spin card at 5:15. I only did a few machines before I headed for the thrillmill. It's amazing how time consuming lifting can be, especially when you try to do 3 reps of what-ever. In 40 minutes on the thrillmill I was able to pound out 3.65 miles.... an average pace of 10:57.

From there, I finished just in time to grab a spin card before they ran out (there are only 20 bikes, and usually more "spinners" than available bikes). On the way up to the spin room, I scarfed down a packet of orange jelly beans...the energy ones! Yummy. Love those things..

I hopped on the bike, only to find a different instructor than usual. Won...der...ful... We had a video rolling but didn't follow it... we just went along with the tempo of most the songs ... I was thunderstruck... .. We did this cool thing when listening to the song thunderstruck. We started at zero resistence, and every time we heard the word thunder, we had to turn up our resistence. Crazy! The key here is to do very little increments, very little! All in all, the word thunder was said 34 times! After that, we did some more speed intervals. 4 times he had us sprint at a cadence of 100 for 30 seconds with 15 seconds recovery in between. On the fifth one, he had us go for a minute at a cadence of at least 100. All 5 times, I had my cadence at 125...again! It felt so good to finish strong. 12 miles... and done.

After spinning, I still had a little in me so I hit up a few more weight machines. Then I grabbed a strawberry/banana smoothie from The Well and went home to cook a nice dinner of pasta and chicken! What an awesome 2 hour workout! Couldn't have been better!

Tomorrow's friday... which means jeans day... which means the weekend is here... which means more fun with college hoops (my Tarheels play friday night, yeah!!)....which means time for fun with some RT's as well!.... ahhh!

Happy running, y'all! Have a wonderful weekend!

The Suns are Hot

2007-03-20T20:28:00.000-05:00

Tonight Sis and I had to pretty much force ourselves to go to spin, both of us feeling sluggish/tired from our back to back runs sunday and monday. We got there and the only two available bikes next to each other were in the front row. Lovely. The first five to ten minutes were incredibly difficult for me. I just didn't have the drive today. But, after a few hill workouts and some frozen spin cycles, I was feeling great and lovin it.. ... even with my hair drippin' sweat onto my legs and handle bars! The end of the spin session consisted of 4 or 5 intervals of zero to ninety ... just ... like... last . ... . week... I pushed myself even harder, watching my cadence go from zero to 125!!!! How awesome that felt! I am just glad we didn't do anything with the imaginary weights today... that would have sent me over the edge! All in all, I accomplished a decent 9 miles!

Where does the night go. I am so completely wiped between spin and school. I am going to finish the night with a couple loads of laundry, the rest of American Idol, and then I will crawl into bed to watch my Timberwolves take on the Suns... I don't know how the game will turn out. I still love my 'wolves, but the suns are hot! (no pun intended!) Especially Mr. Nash! That one's for you Mr. Joe!

I think tomorrow will be a day of rest. Maybe....

Happy running, y'all!

Rainy Days...here comes Spring

2007-03-19T07:05:00.000-05:00

Yesterday it rained most of the day. I ended up sleeping in until past noon since I didn't go to bed until after 430am! We went out and then hit up the truck stop for "breakfast" which was oh so yummy after a night of drinking beer. I got home shortly before 4am and popped in the moving The Notebook! One of my all-time favorites, based on a book by my favorite author, Nickolas Sparks! So after spending most of the afternoon doing homework, I was kind feeling pretty awake and hydrated, thinking that I should do something... physically constructive. Wes' comment kept playing over and over again in my head "where there's a will...there's a way". So I pulled my butt off the couch and went to the gym a little after 7. Such a wonderful motivator he is! I ended up doing 3.5 miles and a tough session of weights! Wahoo!

Today it didn't rain, but the temperature dropped from 26 this morning when I woke upt to 14 when I got to school and it was snowing. Only in North Dakota does the weather change ... just ... like ... that. Just when I could almost feel the presence of spring with the rain yesterday. When I got out of class at 9 tonight, I was itching to run again. I thought I could grab one of the thrillmills with a little tv screen attached to it, and watch my show from 9-10, attempting to do a longer run. That wasn't too successful. I knew that my right calf was a little tight and I didn't want to push it.... I have spin tomorrow, ya know?! So I only did a very very slow 3 miles! Go me! On the down side.. I am a little upset with myself... as I was filling my nalgene bottle before the run, I think some of the water dribbled down the side of the bottle and touched my nano! It has this "diagnostic" screen on it now that won't go away. Darnit! Now I have to take care of that... and run without music for a while. I could just slap myself for that... grr.. If anyone has any advice for me before I contact apple ... that would be greatly appreciative!

Happy Spring, y'all!

Baby Blues

2007-03-17T21:35:00.000-05:00

I am so pumped! I got to watch my Baby Blues play tonight and what a game it was! So exciting! Here's a pic of me after the game with my happy face! You all are lucky that I don't have a video camera, otherwise I would have posted my happy dance... and no one needs to see that!

Now... I believe it is time for some Green Beer... right? Happy St. Pattrick's Day, y'all!

Shakin' things up a bit

2007-03-17T10:28:00.000-05:00

Well, I was hoping to do an easy 3 miles again this morning. Instead I opted for sleeping in until 9:30 since I didn't get home until 2:30 this morning! I went out with some ladies from school(work) and had a blast. We did a little bar hoppin' and ended the night at some rinky dink bar where their was a local band doing 80's cover music! We were shakin' it on the dance floor for a couple hours! Too much fun! So, I am okay with the fact that I didn't run this morning, since I think I burned more calories on the dance floor last night then I would have running! Maybe if I am feeling it later I will go out for a run. It's hard for me to motivate myself to do after I have already showered for the day... especially on a saturday!

Happy runnin', y'all!

Feelin' Fine...

2007-03-16T12:04:00.000-05:00

I woke up to -4 degrees this morning. I didn't want to wait until mid afternoon for the expected high of 20 degrees. So, I drug myself out of bed and went to the gym. There was no spin today, so I knew that my options were pretty limited as I didn't want to do the EFX machine, stairstepper, or bike. I wanted to run, but I was upset I couldn't do it outside. I was teased with the warm weather on monday and didn't want to revert back to the thrillmill.

Once I got to the gym I knew I wanted to do some lifting as well, but didn't want to do it first, as I usually do. I was afraid it would have killed my motivation to run. So, I attacked the thrillmill and did a wonderful 40 minutes... 3.5 miles.... I was feelin' fine! I could have gone farther, but didn't want to push it. I want to run tomorrow as well. After running, I went down to the weight machines and went to town. I think I am going to have to start keeping track of the machines I am doing and how much I am lifting. I wasted so much time adjusting the machines and figuring out what weight to use...

Now I am going to do some paperwork while watching basketball. Don't worry, I can multi-task! I am lucky I have today off!

Happy running, y'all!

Bring on the Madness!

2007-03-15T20:45:00.000-05:00

Oh my, how I have scribbled through at least 15 brackets before coming to a conclusion on who I think is going to win. Crazy. I have entered a pool at school with some other teachers. Last year I did this at a different school and was the only girl with a bunch of high school teachers and coaches. I must admit, I did fairly well. We'll see how it goes this year. I have done some research, but really, does it matter? Who knows really what the results of this first round is going to be! I do have a couple upsets...as we all know there will be a couple! I have also made a bet with my Dad and had my sister join in. She filled out one in about 5 minutes, and if she kicks my butt, I will be royally ticked! Whoever gets the most wins between the three of us has to by a round of apps and taps! Mmm...

Tonight I got my hair trimmed and colored! I haven't had my hair colored "professionally" in 8 years! Crazy! Here is the before picture.... Mind you...this was after a long day of work...
I was ready for something different and was sick of attempting to find the "right" color in a box. Usually my hair gets a red highlight when I do that. I wanted something new and a little funky. Not too crazy, since I do work in a school setting! I have to be a role model, you know! Here is the after picture......and this was taken about an hour after having been trimmed, thinned, and colored with highlights and lowlights.. ...still a little wet and most certainly not fixed!

On a side note...

Sports Commentary: Did anyone catch the Sun vs. Mavs game last night? I was so pumped to see the Suns win. Nice job, Nash...and Stoudemire! Wow, what a game! I remember when I was in sixth grade... probably the first time I really remember following basketball.. watching Charles Barkley and the suns work their way towards a championship... ahh, memories.

I couldn't sleep last night because I was so pumped for the games to begin! So far, I have had 9 out of 12 correct... darn Marquette and George Washington... And I NEVER thought I would be upset to see Duke lose... EVER. EVER. Ever. 4 more games to go tonight and I am pretty sure I will get a couple right...I hope!

Tomorrow... must do some running. The weather is supposed to reach 32 degrees, but I don't know if I could bare that outside. We did get another 8 inches of snow today... Nice.... especially when 2-3 were forcasted originally... but, they did a nice job cleaning up the streets, so it may be possible to run outdoors tomorrow as long as it isn't too windy.

Happy running, y'all!

Zero to Ninety

2007-03-13T20:48:00.000-05:00

Went to the gym today. Blah. I didn't really want to go there, but I wanted to get in a session of spin. I haven't been to spin in two weeks. So, I went straight to the gym when I got back into town, hoping to do a couple miles on the thrillmill beforehand. Well, I started with doing a couple reps of weights on a few different machines and realized I didn't want to overdue it on the arms before spin. Oddly enough, I get quite a workout in the arms when spinning. We usually spend some time "pretending" to lift weights while spinning and that is quite the workout. I also like to have my handlebar quite low, which makes it for a more challenging work out.

After I was done lifting, I hit the thrillmill and was only able to get in 1.66 miles. Oh well. It was a nice little warm-up before spin. I met up with my sister and we headed to spin. I couldn't believe how much I was sweating! It was just dripping on me onto my legs, my handlebars, and everywhere else. That was definitely an indication that I was drinking enough water today.

Towards the end of the workout, I felt myself reaching a point of exhaustion. And then she did it. She made us do 5 sets of some sort of intervals. We had our tension cranked up, mine was at about a 5 on a scale of 1-6 with 6 being the most difficult. She wanted us to to speed up to a minimal cadence of 90 for 30 seconds and then coming to a complete stop for about 5 seconds. Then doing it again and again...five times. With so much tension, it was really difficult to start again after coming to a complete stop. But it felt great when I was done! Actually, after my three miles yesterday, a little running today and then spinning 10 miles, my legs are definately feeling it. I am afraid I might have to take a rest day tomorrow. It's amazing how a week off from physical activity can really affect the body!

Maybe I will go for a walk tomorrow if the weather is nice. We are supposed to get a few flakes, but nothing significant...

Happy running, y'all!

Overall workout: 1.66 mile run, 10 mile spin

P.S. I now know what Wes was saying in regards to feeling lopsided... my right glute is so sore compared to my left... weird.

Easy AND Fun!

2007-03-12T20:12:00.000-05:00

With the beautiful weather (snow melting) and not having class tonight, I was able to get out for a nice run before dinner. Yes, outdoors! Probably the first since my 5K on New Year's Eve! Actually, with the time change, I could have gone for a 3 hour run after school. . . . if I wanted to. That is quite a change from a couple months ago when we were lucky if the sun was up past 5pm. Since it is a rare occasion to run outdoors during winter up here in ND (especially when I have a rule that I will not do it in the dark and when the temperature is below 30 degrees), I had a hard time deciding how to dress. It was 40 degrees when I got home from school. Not the 56 they said it was going to be, but it was definitely nice enough to take advantage of. Eventually, I put on an older pair of yoga pants, one of my running shirts, old Nikes, heart rate monitor, garmin, ipod and then my fleece sweatshirt. Plus, I grabbed my camera. Phew.

I left the apartment and headed north on my 3 mile loop. This is the same loop I did quite often this past summer. I became quite hot real fast, as the sun was beating down on me, but I didn't care. I was actually comfortable outdoors. On the way back, it was a little cooler as I found myself running under trees that were blocking the sun.

There were times where I found myself jumping over puddles or snowbanks. And then there were times I would end up running through puddles that didn't look too deep, initially. Sometimes I found myself running on the street to avoid huge puddles on the sidewalks .... only to find myself being splashed purposefully by some guy. But I was okay with that. I just smiled and waved and went on my merry way. It was nice out. I was enjoying it.

All and all, 3 miles felt great. Now, I need to go work on my brackets for March Madness! Yippee! I can't wait for the games to begin!

Back in the groove

2007-03-11T19:08:00.000-05:00

(The picture is of my aunt who made the cake, grandpa, and grandma)

It was a well-needed weekend at home with the parents and sisters. Saturday was spent celebrating grandpa's 80th birthday with all of his friends and a bunch of family! It was a long day but wonderful. Afterwards a bunch of us cousins and a few aunts and uncles spent some time at the bar. In a small town like this one, we sure new how to make a place happening!

Okay. Now it's time. Time to get my butt back in gear. I didn't run for 1 week. This morning, I went out for a quick 1.5 miles with my sis around my parents neighborhood. It was a little chilly, but nice. After that we relaxed in the hot tub for a few minutes, went to get coffee, and then came home to watch UNC beat NCST! It was awesome! UNC is the ACC division Champions! With that win, Tarheels are the #1 seed in the East and will face Eastern Kentucky in the first round. Go HEELS!

No class tomorrow + 52 degree weather = a nice easy 3 miles!

Happy Running, y'all! Have a wonderful week!

Progress Reports

2007-03-08T21:56:00.000-06:00

It is almost time to do progress reports at school again. I feel like I just spent hours doing the last batch of them, why is it that this quarter has gone by so fast?

Speaking of progress reports, if some so-called "workout instructor" were to write up a progress report on me, this is probably what it would look like:

Stacy has been working hard, getting in most of her runs and doing some quite intense cross-training once or twice a week. She has also been able to add consistent weight training before some runs a couple times a week. She has been eating healthy for the most part and able to refrain from snacking after 7 in the evenings for the past two weeks. She has attempted to cut back in her alcohol consumption, even though this happens on a rare occasion to begin with. With that note, she has been attempting to increase her mileage on some longer runs. However, it appears as if Stacy is slipping away from her routine. Due to excessive paperwork and presentations with work and class, she has had to put off her running and workout routine. It is felt that this might be due to some procrastination. We hope that with the change in weather and some extra rest, Stacy will be able to get back out there running again.

Spring Break for UND is this coming week. I still have to work Monday thru Thursday (no school Friday due to boys state basketball tournament), but will have open evenings all week due to no classes! Yippee! The weather is supposed to be above freezing for the most part so I look forward to a possible run or two outdoors next week.

I haven't ran since Sunday. Crazy. I am heading home this weekend for my sweet Grandpa's 80th Birthday party. I don't know if I will get any runs in, but hope to Saturday morning. I will keep you updated.

Happy running, y'all! Have a superb weekend!

...curve balls....

2007-03-05T06:32:00.000-06:00

Not everything goes the way we would like. Sometimes we make plans or have dreams, and sometimes things don't just happen the way we want them to. Life will sometimes throw us curve balls, and you just got to go with it. Everything happens for a reason.

As much as I would like to uproot myself from the ND prairie and get my feet wet in a new, warmer location, I am okay if it doesn't work out as planned. Everything happens, or doesn't happen, for a reason.

In a previous post, I had commented on how much I was ready to move out of this state and try something new. I might have made it seem as if I was truly unhappy here; that's not the case. I am just ready for change. Mostly to be done with school and just teaching. I still dream of moving to my dream location... and I still plan to apply for positions out of state... But, I have come to terms that not everything happens the way we would like. And that is okay.

Isn't it our well-being that matters the most in the long run? I mean, our social, emotional, and physical well-being. I can honestly say that I am the happiest I have been in probably a few years. I am doing what I love and loving what I am doing. That's what really matters.

If life throws you a curve ball...swing. Striking out is the worst that can happen!

A day of rest?

2007-03-04T15:34:00.000-06:00

Too busy to make much of this post. I was up early to work on some projects and do some reading for class. Then I was able to get in a run. I was hoping to do a little over an hour workout, but that didn't happen. Lungs felt very tight for the first couple miles and I just didn't have the strength today. So I opted for a very, very slow 4.55 miles. So slow that I didn't keep track of the time. Now I am off to spend a couple hours working on a project with a classmate. Fun times! So much for treating sunday as a day of rest. Maybe next sunday.

Happy running, y'all. Have a superb week!

Change is good....

2007-03-02T20:33:00.000-06:00

...right?

I like to think I enjoy change. Initially, when change occurs in my life, I can become a little tense or worried, but usually something good comes out of it.

Why does the process of change have to be so overwhelming?

I tend to become overwhelmed when I feel as if things are happening too fast around me. It's already March. I haven't done as much applying for jobs at this point as I would have liked, but there is nothing I can do about that now. My sister and I plan to move out of our apartment by the end of April. I will plan to stay with my aunt to ride out the last few weeks of work at school and then head home for my sister's wedding in June. And this, is why I hope to have a job in line before May. (Do you sense my tense voice?)

Change ... I think I need it.

Almost two years ago I took a position as a long-term substitute working with elementary students with learning disabilities. I loved my students, my co-workers, and the school. I couldn't have asked for a better school to work for. Then the position was filled with someone more qualified. I had to make a decision. With the help of my director/boss, I was able to get into one of the best graduate programs at UND and planned on working as a resident teacher the following year at another small town school under the same SpEd Unit... Thanks to my director. I wouldn't have planned on getting my masters in 1 year if it weren't for her helping me get my place in the program.

Change ... is it necessary to be such a big change?

I don't want to live in GF the rest of my life. It doesn't have what I would like in a town (running paths, bike trails, better weather, job opportunities) and I just don't want to be here anymore. Period.

Do I need to move halfway across the country to experience change? Probably not.

If I don't, will I regret it? Probably.

Can I come back to ND if I don't like it? Most definitely.

I think some people worry that I will never come back.... but that is not true... I don't plan to stay away for ever.... And if I don't move to my dream location... I will definitely be doing some serious traveling....

....this girl just needs to spread her wings... and fly. Who knows where the Northwind will take me....

Imagine - John Lennon Peace Tribute Video

2007-03-02T20:32:00.001-06:00

This is another one of my favorite songs...

My favorite slide is the one towards the end that shows two hands, painted, in the shape of the world.

Quick..before the storm get's really bad..

2007-03-01T15:46:00.000-06:00

I woke up this morning to the sound of my phone ringing. My first though was I slept through my alarm clock. Before answering I checked the time, 5:35?! What the heck. Here it was my mentor calling to tell me school was starting 2 hours late. Great. Let's go back to bed. Then, she called again at 7ish saying that she is playing the role of mother here and telling me to not go if I feel the roads are too bad... since I was driving alone. Okay. Back to bed. Again. 7:30 - phone rang again, school is canceled, weather is too ugly. Back to bed. Yeah, no school. And, we don't have school tomorrow since it was a scheduled day off for High School Girls Class B State Basketball Tournament! Nice long weekend, yeah!

I eventually got up and decided I should do something constructive. I checked the schedule for classes at the gym and the earliest time for spin on thursdays is 4:30. I didn't want to wait that long if the snow kept falling. So, I got ready and headed out the door a little after 11. Oh my. so much snow and so much in front of my garage door. I had to use this stupid little metal shovel to remove some of the snow into the parking lot so I could get out without getting stuck. It was almost up to my knees.

At this point, the roads were decent and it wasn't really snowing. I went to the gym and planned on being on the thrillmill for an hour. I had done this almost a month ago and got in 5.3 miles then. I wanted to see if I could do more. So, 60 minutes later, I looked at my mileage and was pleasantly please.... 5.57 miles! That's an average pace of 10:46 per mile! At the time I was feeling quite tired and so ready to be done. I stretched before leaving the gym, went to the grocery store for some odds and ends, fruit, milk, and frozen pizza. I am treating myself tonight! When I was leaving the grocery store, the snow was coming down in huge chunks of flakes! We still have our Storm Warning in effect until 10pm tonight and then it switches over to a Blizzard Warning from then until 6pm friday night. Wonderful. We haven't had a blizzard warning in a long time. The blizzard warning is mostly due to falling snow and extremely windy conditions along with nasty roads. I don't think I will be making it to the gym tomorrow. That's why I chose to do a long run today. If weather is permitting, I will be going on Saturday morning for a spin session.

Well, I am going to go and watch a movie to relax a bit and then get ready for my cousin's basketball game on tv! It's her senior year of high school and it just so happens that her team is playing the team from the school I work at! Go Lady Holstein's! Yep, their mascot is a cow, the New Salem Sue! What? You haven't heard of the world's largest cow? It's located right here in ND!

Check out the video I posted from youtube.com! I heart the Dixie Chicks and always have, despite some comments made about the war, we won't get into that. I am not saying I disagree with their thoughts or agree. I just love the song though. The lyrics are wonderful.

Dixie Chicks - Not Ready to Make Nice

2007-03-01T15:45:00.001-06:00

I absolutely love this song and I love the Dixie Chicks. Listen for yourself...

February In Review

2007-02-28T20:58:00.000-06:00

(Picture: UND Fighting Sioux Englstad Hockey Arena)

I can't believe it. February is pretty much over. So, it is time for...

February Stats:

24.325 miles running... . ... once again I was hoping for 40, but had to deal with some leg issues in the middle of the month, throwing things off. March will be better, I know it!.
58.18 miles spin .... this was greater than January's near 22 miles. Hopefully I will be able to pull off 60 miles in March!..
NO swimming. Again. But, to tell the truth, I don't know when I will get back in the pool. The pool schedule here is rediculous and I don't have much free time in the evenings the way it is.

Looking back on my 3 miles I ran last night, I couldn't believe how smoothly it went. I can really see how this Spin is playing into my running and endurance. If all goes well, I hope to continue spinning twice a week, trying to get an easy 3 miles in before the spin session. It actually works best for me to do this sort of workout, rather than workingout four days in a row, doing the same amount of work. Thus, I can have a rest day between and after those days, and hopefully allow for me to start building some miles on my longer runs. That is what I would like to do.

I believe that I have about 72 days until graduation! That is unbelievably craaazy! I am getting quite excited, but overwhelmed as well. I need to work on some big projects, and really buckle down on applications. Just for giggles, I was looking at some races, which there really isn't much around here, but I was looking. I really think I am going to do the St. Patrick's Day 5K race in Fargo. I haven't participated in a race since New Years Eve and to tell you the truth, I feel as if I am stronger and have made great gains. From there, I don't know what race I plan to do next. It's too hard, especially with moving out of our apartment by May 1st (I think), and finding jobs, graduating, etc... But, I was looking into the Fargo Half Marathon. Which would be in 12 weeks. It's still up in the air. We'll see. I am not going to set my mind to it, but if I can start pumping out some longer runs, I think it could definitely be doable.

On a weather note.. It is starting to snow. They let us out of school today at 2pm to go home and "wait" for the snow to fall. Crazy. That's okay, I attempted to take a nap while watching Walk the Line. Love that movie. But, now it is snowing. I don't know if we are still supposed to get as much snow as forcasted originally, but it is still supposed to snow through Friday night. The temperature right now is 31, which is great, but when you mix it with heavy, wet snow, it gives us nice slippery roads in the morning once the temp drops a few degrees. Lovely.

This picture is from Monday... showing one of the random fog pockets that I drove through that morning!

Maybe I will have a great picture in the morning to post of all the new snow!

Tomorrow, with the proper nutrition and hydration, I hope to do what I did tuesday. Run 3 miles and spin. Hopefully the weather will be okay enough for me to drive across town to get to the gym!

Happy Running, y'all! Spring into March!

Just wonderful....

2007-02-27T12:15:00.000-06:00

It's coming. .. ... I don't know when, but it is coming. As I drove home from class tonight (approximately 9:50pm)... I could see it. In the sky. It's definitely there. But is it going to share with us? It's that icky color. The color you get when you mix red and green and maybe a little grey. It's that grey-ish brown color. Why is it that color? From what I have learned, it is that color because it is so abundant and so low(close the the ground). Yes. I know it is coming. Some said that it will either by-pass us or just "fizzle" out. .. .. ... last week they didn't tell us it was coming, until it was too late. Now they have been telling us about is since I cracked open my eyes this morning.... .. . . take a look for yourself...

... Winter Storm Watch remains in effect from Wednesday afternoon through Friday afternoon...

Snow will spread into the area Wednesday afternoon and could become heavy by evening. Snow totals by Thursday morning may be in excess of 6 inches. Roadways may become snow covered and icy. Visibilities could be reduced due to heavy falling snow.

Light snow will continue through Thursday... with another round of heavy snow returning to the area Thursday night. Additional accumulations could result in storm total snow amounts between 8 and 12 inches... with isolated areas having the potential of seeing up to 18 inches. Gusty north winds are expected to develop on Friday and may reduce visibility in blowing and drifting snow.

A Winter Storm Watch means there is a potential for significant snow and wind. This storm has the potential to make travel very hazardous or even impossible for an extended time.

I know it just a Watch, but in this state, you never know. Plus, the driving conditions haven't been the best already this week, especially on the two-lane, 11 miles, near-to-none visibility, pillow-pocketed road of hell... Anyway. Especially that darn wind. Ugly... just plane ugly. And, there are really NO shelter belts along the roads I drive on which makes it worse when it is windy. Any... I am driving alone. My mentor is home with a sick child, and I am driving alone. All. Alone.

Thank God we have friday off.

On a lighter note, tonight I hit up the gym. I had a little bit of a headache this afternoon and felt that it was due to dehydration, so I attempted to drink as much as possible between noon and 3... Once I got to the gym, I had plenty of time before the 530 spin class so I decided to do some running, figuring out how far I would go after a few minutes on the thrillmill. Well, to my surprise all was wonderful and I kept it up. I had just enough time to do 3.1 miles (in 35:15) before hitting the bike. Yeah! Then I was a little apprehensive. I didn't know if I was going to be able to make it on the bike for a near 50 minutes after 35 minutes on the thrillmill. I wish I would have brought in some powerade or something. I got on the bike and boy I felt great! I went all out ... as usual .. until the last 5 minutes. I was just getting tired and couldn't put much effort forward. Total bike miles = 10.2! But, all and all, the overall workout was great. Unfortunately I had to hurry, shower, grab something to eat, and head to class. The only option for dinner was subway and lets just say that gave me some pretty bad stomach cramps.

Does anyone have a good ideas as to what I should be eating before and after a workout like the such? I felt as if I could have used some more pre- and post- "fuel"!

Happy running, y'all!

*UPDATE* Got out of school, at about 2ish, but by the time I packed up and was ready to go, it was already 230. Roads were okay and it is beautiful back here in GF. I don't know what is going to happen with this so-called "storm"... we'll just have to wait and see. I am going to go and pop in a movie and take a nap... not feeling to hot. Darn stomach crampage goin' on...

Reason #624 ...

2007-02-26T22:36:00.000-06:00

.... why not to wear cream pants when you work in a school....

It was a wonderful Monday!

Late Start

2007-02-26T08:17:00.000-06:00

I didn't get out of bed this morning until 7:45! That is two hours later than usual on a Monday! Talk about a late start! But that is okay, because I knew that I didn't have to be to school until 10am! School and buses are running 2 hours late! Gotta love 6+ inches of snow along with working at a rural school!

I did have my alarm set for 6am though, hoping to go to the gym for an easy 3 miles or something. When I crawled out of bed to head for the bathroom, I felt it.. .. . my body was sore . ... . from my butt to my calves (along with my arms and pecs). I guess 40 minutes of lunges in every direction all while holding 3 pound weights and doing arm exercises can really have an effect on a body!

Now, I haven't had chocolates for 5 days now, but it is sure hard to say no when you got these sitting in your apartment! There is also a bag sitting in the kitchen more than half full! Maybe I will have to send some home to Mom and Dad....
Happy Monday, y'all!

Winter Wonderland

2007-02-25T14:45:00.000-06:00

It's still snowing here, but it is beautiful. I left my apartment just before, heading for the gym, and realized how nice it was outside. If the sidewalks were cleared, I would have ran outside. It is 25 degrees with really no wind. Which is rare for this city.

Gym opens at noon on sunday's and I arrived shortly after noon. There were a dozen people standing outside and a few still sitting in their cars. Gym wasn't open yet. Waited. Waited. Waited. Then the dozen people standing at the doors headed back towards their cars and left. What the heck?! So, I left. I guess the gym wasn't meant to be today. So I headed home.

On the way home, I was thinking about how I have lived here for almost 8 years and it will be weird to leave. Leave GF and leave ND. I have only applied for one job, but still plan on leaving the state. Atleast for a year. Like I told my mother last night on the phone, if I don't like it, I can always come back. I still have a lot of applying to do. I want to give myself a world of options.

To the right ... campus ... with the dorm I lived in my freshman and sophomore year being on the bottom left side of the picture. Memories...

Wannabe5ker asked me if I am still able to drink coffee with the BestLife lifestyle change...

.... well, Mr Greene doesn't say that you have to cut coffee, juices, and others out completely, but you still need to drink at least 6 1/2 glasses of water a day for these important reasons:

those who drink 6 1/2 glasses of water a day consume close to 200 fewer calories per day.
caffiene dehydrates the body
water is good for the muscles with recovery
water keeps us from grabbing unecessary snacks

I don't drink much coffee. Maybe once or twice a week. But, I do know that when I do drink it, I can see how it dehydrates the body.

Today's workout: 40 minutes of Turbo Jam, consisting of free weights, lunges, and other nasty moves...

Happy running, y'all!

Life is Like a Box of Chocolates....

2007-02-24T20:18:00.000-06:00

...you never know what you're gonna get.

So true, so true.

I love the movie Forest Gump. I love the music. I tell some that I am the reincarnation of John Lennon...since I was born the day after his death.... I love John Lennon...and the Beatles too!

What a weekend it has been. Did I mention it has been snowing like crazy here? I actually don't mind it. The weather today has been an "ideal" North Dakota winter snow fall. 25 degrees and it looks like a snow globe out there!

Last night I spent some time doing some paperwork and then some pleasure reading for my own health. Today I spent most of the day doing paperwork for school and did some reading for one of my classes. I have spent the past couple of hours completing an application for the next school year. ONE application. Oh, how I don't miss the application process. It is so much work...so much work.

Mmmm ... chocolate! I haven't had chocolate for 4 days now! I think I gave it up for Lent. Along with alchohol. Yeah. Go me. I figured this was going to be the busiest time of the semester and what a better excuse to keep me from partying too hard than to give up alchohol for Lent. Now, I don't know how well that will work, but I am going to try my hardest! I can do it!

I have been doing a little reading of Bob Greene's "The Best Life Diet". Very interesting. I think I am going to try it. Although I do not look at it as a diet. I look at it as a life style change. I have seen so many people jump on and off the diet band wagon that I refuse to go on a diet. I don't want to be on a diet, never have I before. Don't get me wrong, I have seen some succeed from diets, such as Weight Watchers and South Beach Diet, but I have seen so many quit or get burned out as well. Of course, I wouldn't mind losing a few pounds, especially to feel better, but I am not going to go on some crash diet to lose a few pounds. Bob Greene breaks his guide into three phases. And during the first phase (minimum of four weeks) you have to do a multiple of things, a few of which I am already doing, and then a few that I am attempting to do now, consisting of: cutting out alchohol for now, stop eating at least 2 hours before bedtime, and bolster my diet with daily supplements. Another thing Bob Greene stresses is you weigh in the first day of Phase One and not again until the end of Phase One.... that way you do stress about the weight loss/weight gain as your body is adjusting to your new habits. Also, on his website you can figure out your BMI...eeks! Mine is at 26.2 when it should be at 24. I guess I still have a little work to do...which is fine with me! Something to work for!

Anyways, I just thought I would share that. Check it out if you are interested!

On a workout note, I didn't do anything again today. My workout thursday royally wore me out and I wanted another rest day before tomorrow! I don't know what I am going to do tomorrow, but I feel as if my body will tell me when I get there!

Happy Saturday, y'all!

Grounded

2007-02-23T17:10:00.000-06:00

First of all, when I mentioned the girl wearing the speedo in the gym yesterday... the reason I thought it was kind of weird was becuase our Campus pool is in a separate building from the wellness center...now is it kinda weird? And about the couple, I think it is perfectly fine to show PDA's... it just seemed odd to see that at the gym... I guess there is really nothing wrong with it...just out of the ordinary...

Friday is here and there is nothing more that I would rather do than relax and have a few beers with some friends. But, I have officially grounded myself. Yah. I have plenty of paperwork to do from work and MUST get started on some of my projects for class, and finish up some paperwork for my final project for graduation. It is also a goal of mine this weekend to find 5 locations that I would like to apply for jobs. With that I need to update my resume and type up a beautiful cover letter. Grounded. Oh well. The weather is going to be icky and my sister has left me all alone this weekend. Sniff...sniff..

Now, I am going to do some laundry and get some reading out of the way. Maybe I will find a B-ball game on tv to half-listen to....

Have a wonderful weekend, y'all!

running crazy

2007-02-22T21:02:00.000-06:00

My workout today wore me out. Royally. I am not even kidding. I felt great afterwards and as if I could have ran another mile, but I quit. I had to run an errand before Grey's Anatomy was on. Anyway. My PLAN was to run atleast 2 miles, and then head to Spin class. I know, I know...crazy. But, I didn't get to the gym in time to do 2 miles, so I did 1.25 and then went to Spin. Once again, Spin was an awesome workout. Who would have known holding your arms in the air and moving them as if you are lifting 5 lb weights would actually be a hard workout while peddling?! My quads were burning through most of the workout, especially when she would make us freeze...thus only moving our legs, none of the upper body. Ouch! When I was done with Spin, I actually still had more in me ... Here is where crazy enters the picture. I got back on the thrillmill! I was just planning on doing .75 to make my 2 miles for the night, but I did 1.25, again. Oofdah! In a nutshell, my workout tonight consisted of 2.5 miles running and 9.8 miles of spinning! Yeah!

Every once and a while when I am at the gym, I notice things that appear out of place to me. I thought I would share a couple and see what others think. When I was on the thrillmill for the second time tonight, I noticed a girl wearing something unusual on the eliptical. She was wearing a speedo swimsuit with those "swish, swish" kind of pants. Weird? or Just me? And another thing that I noticed tonight that I have noticed before was this: A couple holding hands. Is that really necessary in the gym? I find that really odd. Don't get me wrong, I love holding hands, but do you really need to hold hands when walking through the weight lifting room? Now that takes a real man!

Tomorrow is a rest day. I was going to do an easy 3, but since I 2.5 tonight, tomorrow I will take it easy!

Happy running, y'all!

Building Self-Esteem

2007-02-20T22:19:00.000-06:00

Today was my long day of the week. I think sometimes I make it longer. I teach all day. Head to the gym to workout and then go to class until about 10pm. By the time I get home and settle down, I am so wound up from the day, that it takes me quite a while to fall asleep, so I usually do some blog reading to tire my eyes.

Tonight was Spin night. I like doing Spin on tuesdays rather than wednesday. It gives me a better chance of getting it in two times a week. This way, I can spin on thursday too. So, tonight I met my sister at the gym. I somewhat wanted to lift first but remembered last tuesday's spin session and the resistance band. Nope. Wasn't going to lift. So we warmed up with a nice 1 mile jog and then went to spin. It felt great. I took Jodi's advice and lowered my seat a bit. I asked my sister if my knee was somewhat bent and she said "barely". Huh? I was only able to lower the seat about a 1/2 inch more before it was all the way down! But, I lowered it a little more and began peddling. What a wonderful workout! 8.68 miles later, I was feeling it all...the running and spinning! Doing both really works all parts of the legs! I can see why triathletes love what they do!

On an educational note, in class tonight we talked about building self-esteem in our students. We did an activity where we had to put our name on top of a piece of paper, pass it around and everyone had to write something about us on that paper. Yes people, these are the kind of things we do in class.... don't make fun! So, on an ending note... here is the list that was written beneath my name:

kind hearted
great friend
I like your hair color - is it natural? - - > is this for real?
I enjoy your outgoing personality
funny
you rock girl! I love your energy and enthusiasm!
cute
I love the way you are always punctual! :)
Sincere and honest!
always willing to help and know what's going on.
ambitious (where do you find time to workout?)
I love your obnoxious laugh - I heart you! - - > This could only come from my obnoxious laughing partner!

Happy running, y'all! Tomorrow is a rest day!

I'm BAAACKKK!

2007-02-19T12:28:00.000-06:00

We didn't have school today, so after a long weekend of bachelorette party fun, I got back on the horse and went for a run. I was going to try 2-3 miles on friday morning, but my sister and I just weren't feeling it. So, we did a little over a mile around the track and then went to shoot some hoops.

Today I was hoping to get up at a decent time, around 7ish and head to the gym. I didn't get there until after 10, mostly due to being extremely tired from the weekend. Yesterday I had a really sore throat, so I wanted to get as much sleep as I could last night... and I did.

Well, ladies and gentleman....Teacherwoman is back and at full-force! I think. I went to the gym, lifted weights for a while and then hopped onto that wonderful thrillmill (not). My plan was to be on there for 40 minutes, whether I ran most of it, walked most of it, or did a lot of both. I was just hoping that would give me enough time to do 3 miles if I had to do a lot of walking. Results? 40 minutes...and 3.4 miles. Yippee! I did some walking but not too much! My running wasn't too speedy, but that is a-okay with this girl! I stretched afterwards and felt fine! Ahh, how good it feels to be back!

Those of you who have President's Day off...enjoy it!

Happy Running, y'all!

Work hard...play hard...

2007-02-15T22:35:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I caved to peer pressure last night and went out with a couple guys from class for a few drinks! Ahh. It was fun but a late night. I actually got to see a couple girls I haven't seen in ages, so that was nice. I haven't gone out on a weeknight this school year, so I wasn't too excited about the idea. But, I did it anyway and today was our friday because we don't have school tomorrow. Gotta love the compensation for evening parent teacher conferences!

Tomorrow, I plan on hitting the gym. For what, one might ask? To run. Yep, all is good here and I plan to try a very easy 2-3 miles. I make sure to let y'all know how it goes. I haven't gotten to spin yet since Jodi gave me the idea that my injury could be due to my seat being too high, resulting in hyper-extending my legs, according to Lance... But, when I do get back on the bike, I plan to lower my seat a little more and see how it goes!

After that, my sis and I are headin' out of town! Yep, we are going to a nice cabin in MN for the weekend to meet up with some girlfriends and cousins for my sis' bachelorette party! Wahoo! So, until then, have a wonderful weekend! Remember, work hard...play hard!

Happy Running, y'all!