Terrific Ten

Ladies and gentlemen...for the first time EVER I banged out a 10 mile run this morning!  And on the boring treadmill no less.  (It is snowing AGAIN...)  This is how I feel right now:

Wanna know the really amazing thing about today's run?  Other than the fact that it was ten freaking miles?  I did not feel tired at the end!!!  Well, (let's be real) maybe a little exhausted, but I definitely did not feel like I was going to pass out/fall off the treadmill/die like I have after some runs.  This makes me SO happy because it means I've actually figured out fueling and pacing strategies that WORK for me!  

I knew I would need plenty of energy throughout this run, so I had my usual pre-long run snack of gel & water about 20 minutes before leaving for the gym.  During the run I sipped a water bottle of 1/2 powerade and 1/2 water.  This was the first time I've tried that, and I was really happy with it.  I felt hydrated throughout  the run.  I also had a second gel after 5 miles.  All of that sat really well in my super sensitive tummy, which is a major celebration!  

As far as pacing goes, I am ALWAYS slow.  But I've been working on starting off even sloooower on the long runs, and increasing speed veeeery gradually.  I'm running the race in 3/1 run/walk intervals, a strategy I started as I was recovering from my tibial stress fracture that I have really come to like.  For me, it totally works.  I have SO much energy at the end that the last few miles I can really kick up the pace.  I did the 10th mile with no walk breaks, knowing that this was the time to use all of that stored up energy.  And I felt great the entire run!  (minus some pain in my knee the last mile...I'm not worried about it, though, because it stopped immediately when I slowed to a walk for cool down and is feeling fine now.  Maybe my body was just was confused about the long distance I was suddenly expecting it to do!)

Besides pacing and fueling correctly, another thing I have learned while training for this race is the power of a positive attitude.  While getting dressed and on my way to the gym this morning I listened to my favorite pump up songs on repeat.  I talked the run up in my head, and reminded myself how I had dominated my 9 mile run last week.  What's one more tiny little mile?  I wrote my favorite mantra on my wrist:

Trust the Process

But you know what?  I'm not sure I even needed all of that.  The long and short of it is, I was ready for this run.  My body has come SO FAR in my training.  I was ready to run 10 miles today.  I will be ready to run 12 miles next week.  And in 3 weeks I will be ready to run 13.1.  Can I just say that I'm starting to get REALLY excited???

10 reasons why tomorrow's 10 miler is gonna rock my sweaty socks off

Since I am training for my FIRST half marathon and since I've never been a distance runner in the past, for the past few weeks every long run has meant a new personal distance record.  This means that every Sunday morning I am met with a big scary CHALLENGE.  But more importantly, this means that every Sunday morning I am met with a new opportunity to push myself and ultimately surprise myself.  6 miles felt wonderful.  7 miles felt fantastic.  (8 was skipped because of injury...).  9 miles was bliss.  But this week we are entering new territory...DOUBLE DIGITS.  eep!  Because I know how valuable optimism can be in training, I plan to psych myself up all afternoon/night for tomorrow's run, starting with this list of 10 reasons why it's going to be pretty much epic.

10. 10 miles at my snail's pace = almost 2 hours of uninterrupted time to rock out to some awesome dance tunes!  In a busy teacher's life, how often does THAT happen?  Note to self: do not attempt to dance on treadmill.

9. It's 9 miles more than what I once thought was the furthest I could ever run!

8. After this run, I have only 1 more long run on the (dread) treadmill!  Hopefully spring will decide to show its lovely face again soon!

7. 10 miles means breaking into double digits for the first time ever!

6. People who run 10 miles just sound badass.  "Oh, I just ran 10 miles.  No big deal." (Except if I attempt to say that right after, it will likely lose some of the effect as I will simultaneously be gasping for breath and cramming a granola bar in my mouth.)

5. I will be rewarded with a wonderful massage afterward.

4. License to bum around on the couch the rest of the day.

3. This run marks just 3 measley weeks until I get to run here: 

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2. This means I am just 3 miles away from half-marathon distance.  Whoa.

1. 10 miles = invincible me.

Let's hope I don't slice my mouth open on my gel again this week...cross your fingers for me!

Is that a wad of cash in your pocket...?

Unfortunately not.

Idk if this is true for all teachers or just me, but I tend to come home at night with all kinds of odds and ends in my pockets.  Usually I can count on a few paperclips, a rubberband or two, maybe some post-its... your basic desk staples.  Sometimes if it's been a big "confiscation" day, I'll get lucky and end up with some real treasures like plastic figurines, mini-skateboards, hair ribbons, braided yarn, and jewelry.  I don't intend to steal these things and take them homewith me, I swear!  I always plan to give them back at the end of the day.  But somehow I forget and the next thig I know a handful of miscellaneous goodies is tumbling out of my pants pocket as I hang them up in my closet later that night. And while I mean to bring it back to school the next day, inevitably most items park themselves on my dresser until they end up in the trash.  :(

Today I pulled on a pair of jeans and it felt like they might have some cash in the back pocket!  Score!

But upon closer inspection, I realized it was just a handful of these guys:

Major bummer:

I think the Falcon Dollars I give out as rewards have ended up all over my house.  I carry them home constantly in my purse, bag, pockets...its as though they long to make their way into the real world beyond my classroom to be spent in stores with all of the real dolllars.  Sorry guys, it's into the school bag you go.

Any other teachers end up finding random things in their pockets after school?

Thank you, Snow Gods.

I love kids.  I love my students.

There, now that we've gotten THAT out of the way, let me tell you how much I LOVED being at school today WITHOUT the little darlings...let's recap first, shall we?  Wednesday was a snow day, and a much needed break.  Seriously, with the high-tension these days, I think the blizzard was a gift from GOD to all of us teachers who needed a day at home in jammies.  I was ultra productive Wednesday, getting several lessons planned that I had been working on in the back of my mind, and grading a tremendous pile of papers that had been mocking me for the past few weeks from the "To Grade" folder I had been carrying to and from school.  It felt fabulous to cross those two things off of my list.

Then, as you know, I got a huge surprise around 3pm--school was cancelled for Snow Day #2 Thursday!  At the time, I wasn't sure what this meant for our parent conferences that had been scheduled for Thursday afternoon and evening, but I later found out that they were cancelled as well.  The district decided not to schedule a conference make up day, and to instead instruct parents "interested in rescheduling their conferences" to contact their child's teacher.  Translation: we don't have to make up every single conference.  I can think of a handful of parents who will still want to come in/who I still want to meet with, but the amount of time and effort that will be involved in these make-ups does not hold a candle to the marathon afternoon/evening that is typical conferences.  Amazing.

FINALLY, because Thursday was scheduled for conferences, today was also a no-kids day, which they did not take away from us!  We are required to put in 1 1/2 hours the day after conference to balance out the late night.  I had two families make up their conferences this morning, and used the rest of the time to GET STUFF DONE.  I felt like Super Teacher checking things off my to-do list!  (Obv I stayed for 5+ hours instead of 1 1/2...I do not regret it and could have stayed longer.  Why did I leave?  I was starving, of course.)  I got lots of copies made (hooray for reading ISAT practice tests... :-P), plans ready for next week and outlined for the following week, materials prepared for Tuesday's science lesson, vocab words and objectives updated on the board for next week's literacy theme, chart paper started with different mini-lesson topics, etc.  It is a wonderful feeling to leave school with things actually in order and WITHOUT a gigantic bag of grading over your shoulder.

Of course, there is still a tiny bit to do this weekend...I've got my math and science manuals home with me to continue planning, but this is all advance prep at this point...I am good to go for next week!  Looking forward to a low-stress weekend and *hopefully* all of this prep work will pay off with a low(er)-stress next week or two.  Thank you snow gods.  I am eternally grateful.

Am I dreaming?

Just checked my school's website after hearing that other nearby districts are closed tomorrow, and was greeted by this banner:

What?  A second snow day?  Impossible.  Where am I?  What district do I teach in?  Am I dreaming?

It's true.  We are closed AGAIN tomorrow.  I have mixed feelings about this for a few reasons.  Obviously, I am excited at the prospect of a second pajama day.  Who wouldn't be?  But our winter conferences were scheduled for tomorrow, and according to the website, all conferences are cancelled.  Parents have been given instructions to "contact teacher if they wish to reschedule."  If they wish to reschedule?  Does this mean that we don't have to make up the conferences??  You're kidding.  But does this also mean that any conferences that parents do want to make up must be done on our own time?  Bleh.  Don't get me wrong, conferences are so important and I really think it's essential to get parents in and discuss what's going on with both them and their child.  But...if we didn't HAVE to endure the 7-8 hour evening conferences extravaganza...that might be nice too.  Interesting.  I'm sure some of my parents will want to come in to make up conferences, but certainly not all of them.

My other question, though, is what is the plan for Friday?  After Thursday conferences, Friday is kind of a "flex" day.  Since we've already put in so many hours the previous night, we are expected to be at school at least an hour and a half Friday to complete the weekly contracted hours, but also as long as it takes to finish any lingering conferences.  I try not to schedule any for Friday, and this year I was successful.  So...with NO conferences...do we have to come in all day?  I wouldn't mind a full work day at school.  Will they make kids come?  My gut says no because we have already given kids that day off.  I don't think they can just un-cancel school.

Hmmm...well THIS is an interesting turn of events!

Now, the question is...do I try to brave the elements and drive to the gym now to run on the treadmill?

And all seems right with the world...

Remember my February Stresses, about which I wrote a grumbley "letter" directed towards Mr. Principal on here, largely to prevent myself from accidentally blurting all of these out to his face?

Well, perhaps they have met their temporary cure...SNOW DAY.

Hallelujah.

While part of me wants to spend the day in bed relaxing, I know that the best idea would be to use the day to get on top of my work, calm myself down by actually checking a few things off my to-do list, and make sure I feel ready for conferences + the coming few weeks.  That way I can really relax this weekend.

On the agenda for tomorrow:

• Sleep in relatively late (this morning I woke up wide awake and STARVING at 3:45.  And actually stayed up.  I'm not looking to make this a habit...)
• Catch up on grading
• Outline my next science unit; plan preliminary lessons
• Plan some ISAT prep lessons for the next few weeks
• Type up notes for conferences (I typically make a 2-column list with a few strengths and challenges for each kid, and review periodically throughout the night.  Obviously I already know all of these things, but when you are seeing family after family for 7+ hours in a row, it helps to have a little cheat sheet sometimes!)
• Run (My Tuesday run did not happen today!  I decided I should probably trek home after school instead of risk getting snowed in at the gym!  I definitely made the right choice--my 8 mile local drive took almost an HOUR!  And at one point my little prius almost blew off the road!  I love my car, but let's be real.  It's not built for snowmagedon...)

And with that, I'm off to curl up on the couch in front of the fire and watch some food network.  :)

Dear Mr. Principal,

Mr. Principal.  Please, for the love of god, give us a break.

No, I'm serious.  Here's the thing.  We're all doing the best we can.  And while I know that you do know this in theory, it certainly doesn't feel like it these days.  Your list of demands and "requests" (aka demands coated in a frosting of "please," "thank you," "would you mind...," and "why don't you try...") needs to stop growing, or we are going to lost it.

Yes, I am preparing for the ISAT tests.  I am sucking the life out of my students and myself with every test prep packet, but I am following your directions.  I'm doing what you ask.  And while it's true that there will be no surprises on test day for my kids, there will also likely be no energy left.  And it still won't go back in time and force my kids' parents to read to them when they were little.  It still won't help my undiagnosed ADD kids with uncooperative parents keep their brains on topic through a 2 hour test.  It still won't help my emotionally distressed students with difficult home lives focus on something so meaningless.  But I promise, I'm doing my best.

Yes, I will have my kids ready for conferences.  It didn't help that you and others in the building decided that conferences day would be a great day to hold a school-wide reading event that involved every teacher preparing published pieces of their students' writing.  It wasn't fun staying late at school to laminate book covers and bind books.  And while the finished products are amazing, it was a lot of stress during a trying time.  Don't worry, I will still make time to rehearse with the students so they are ready to "lead" conferences as you've requested.  Don't worry, I will gather my "data" and be prepared to share it.  Don't worry.  It will all get done.  But know that I will need to take class time to get the students ready for conferences.  And that means less time for test prep.  And literacy.  And writing.  And everything else you'd like me to squeeze in the day.

Yes, I will have my report cards ready to go in a few weeks.  I know it's not you that chooses to make report cards due right before testing and right after conferences.  I understand that sometimes you are as powerless as I am.  But please listen when I say that I already know comments have to be specific and detailed; there is no need to remind us of that these coming weeks.

Yes, I am filling out RTI.  And even though I am wondering why the special services teachers are not helping me more with this, or why I am always the one setting up the meetings on these kids and not the specialists that see them daily for the interventions these meetings evaluate, but I smile and bite my lip and do it anyways because I care about the kids too much to wait for someone else to pick up the ball.  Oh and also, THANK YOU for asking me if I'm planning on meeting to finish the RTI form for my student who MOVED to a different school in district.  Sure.  Why not.  I'll take time to continue meeting about him even though he is no longer my student.  Add it to the list.

Oh, and Mr. Principal, THANK YOU for adding to all of the stress that you've already created by deciding to email the non-tenured teachers today to just let us know that you will be popping in for an unannounced observation in the next few weeks.  Of course, I would be happy to submit detailed lesson plans in every subject to you so you are able to choose a time to observe...Of course, I will be flexible and make sure every subject is stellar so that, since you have decided not to tell us the subject you are observing in advance, I feel confident in every area "just in case."  And after the observation, I will be happy to smile and nod as we discuss the 100 other "suggestions" of things I could be making time for in my day.  When in reality, we barely have time to teach period with all of the other hoops we are all jumping through.

Mr. Principal, I know you support me.  I know you care about me.  But please, please, please give us all a break.  Acknowledge that we are doing our best.  And please don't ask us for anything else right now.  Have mercy.

Sincerely,
Miss Teacher

Cloud Nine (miles that is!)

Ladies and gentlemen, I have an announcement to make...after finally dragging my lazy butt out of bed and away from Secret Life of the American Teenager this morning, I RAN NINE MILES, a new distance record.  woohoo!!!

I was pretty ecstatic during the last few miles of the run as the numbers clicked by on the treadmill and it began to hit me that I really was going to make it the full nine miles.  I kept a slow and steady pace throughout the run before kicking it up in the last two miles when it was clear that I was totally owning this run.  And when I finished the full nine miles, I felt like a champion.  This time last year nine miles was not even a pipe dream for me.  This time six months ago nine miles was exactly that--a dream, a wish, a silly hope.  Today, it's a reality.  And my half-marathon goal is just that much closer to becoming a reality.

And now, it's time to live on this high for the rest of the day while I tackle the lesson plans and grading that I (for some reason) ALWAYS put off until Sunday...but maybe I'll watch just ONE episode of Secret Life first... :)

[BTW I almost forgot--today was an epic energy gel fail day for me.  Not only did I goo up my computer eating one before leaving for the gym, but in my attempt to be super cautious and not get gel all over me at the gym during my run, I made sure the whole opening was in my mouth for that one...and obviously cut the corner of my mouth on the sharp edge.  Cut to me bleeding all over my gym towel, looking like a fool...]

Running Procrastination

So far this morning I have...

-snoozed my alarm at least 5 times...
-continued to lay in bed convincing myself I didn't NEED to get up quite yet...
-watched half an episode of Secret Life of the American Teenager (finishing volume 2!)...
-choked down a vanilla clif shot gel.  do NOT ever buy this flavor!!!  it was the nastiest thing I have ever experienced in my entire life.  ew.  (I have a crazy sensitive stomach when it comes to running.  I usually run with an empty stomach, or just a gel.)
-dripped clif shot all over my fingers--what the heck was wrong with this gel pouch?
-realized I had also dripped gel on my laptop keyboard! ahhhh!!
-scrubbed down my computer with cleaning wipes...I seemed to have removed most of the gel, but who knows how much seeped between the keys...epic fail.

And obviously, I have not yet gotten my butt to the gym to run.  Yikes!!!  My calf muscles are still a little sore/knotty even though I got another massage last night, but I'm going to do the best I can anyways...we'll see!

Good Morning!

So I had grand plans to get up this morning to get my cross-training out of the way before the gym is super crowded.  But...sleeping in won me over instead.  :) Actually, I didn't get very much sleep because I was up WAY too late last night watching my new guilty pleasure show on netflix instant...

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I know.  I KNOW.  I should be embarrassed.  And trust me, I am.  Between reading Twilight last month and getting hooked on this show this past week, I'm a little concerned that all my entertainment standards have deteroirated.  If you have never seen this show, IT'S BAD.  BAD.  Bad acting, bad plots, bad bad bad.  But you know me...it doesn't take long for my addictive personality to grab onto some new guilty pleasure!  Anyways, not only did I stay up late watching this, but when I woke up way too early this morning (darn you school for tricking my body into thinking it needs to be up early...), instead of trying to go back to sleep I put on another episode.  Or two... :-/  Permission to judge.

Anyways, I am so glad it's the weekend.  Did anyone else's week just DRAG?  I feel like I have been really cranky at school these days.  I feel really bad about this, but my patience has just been a little short.  I've been feeling enormous amounts of pressure coming from so many directions at school (including from myself) lately, and it's just taking a lot out of me.  My kids have been having trouble listening to and following directions, and to be honest it's pissing me off.  I am DONE repeating myself.  I had a stern talk with them yesterday and told them that they better shape up next week, or we're starting a no-nonsense policy of immediate consequences for not listening to directions the first time.  

I will just be so happy when February/early March is over for the following reasons:

• Conferences
• Report Cards
• State Testing
• My race (not that I'm not looking forward to it, but it's going to be IMMENSELY stressful to miss 2 days of school for travel right before testing, and I know I'm going to be a stressed out mess that week!)

Plus I'm pretty sure I have an observation coming up that my principal has yet to mention...

I'm looking forward to a relaxing day today.  There is school work to be done, but I'm also hoping to swim, read, and maybe even get a massage.  I'm also looking forward to a movie night with a girlfriend tonight, and hopefully an early bed time...I'm attempting 9 miles tomorrow morning!  eeee!  I skipped my long run last week because of my leg pain, and while I'm a little sore still, I'm going to try it.  I felt some twinges of pain during Thursday's run, but they felt worse at the beginning than the end, so I'm not as worried about screwing up the injury.  The doc did say it's normal to feel pain even after a stress fracture has healed, just as long as it's bearable and not getting increasingly worse.  Keep your fingers crossed for me!