New Challenges

I did survive my 5 mile run this past week with NO PAIN!

I also survived my first 5 day week back to work (somewhat painful...)

And I have found out that I will be teaching 5th grade, starting on HALLOWEEN!!!

If you haven't read my last post, I was waiting on my principal's decision to move me to the 5th grade teacher position that will be open at my school at the end of October. I have many reasons for wanting to make the move from special education to a regular ed classroom. Job security, working with people I love, and getting to teach kids I already know and love are just a few of the reasons. I am very excited, but a nervous wreck. The next 2 months will be a process of saying good-bye to my old job and preparing for my new one. A challenge I am looking forward to!

As for running, I have been so exhuasted this week, getting into a new routine has presented it's challenges for my training schedule. I managed a 2 mile run and a 1 mile hill walk/run. Cross training consisted of Yoga Meltdown (with Jillian Micheals-I have become a fan of her workout videos).  A 6 mile run will happen sometime this weekend. Another challenge I am looking forward to. Wish me luck!

As for eating, back to school means back to junk food, unfortunately. My well-meaning co-workers often bring donuts, muffins and other sugar and carb filled goodies.

I have no self-control, especially when peer pressure is involved! Thankfully, I lost around 6 lbs this summer and I am starting to get into the longer running distances in my training, so I have less guilt than I should. And I definitely do not eat as much of these things as I used to. But I can tell a difference in the way I feel when I eat that stuff.  I do eat salads, fruits and veggies for lunch everyday, and typically eat a light dinner. When it comes to friends providing me with sugar, I just can't say no. My new mantra: MUST HAVE SELF-CONTROL!!!

How do you control your sweet-tooth and food related peer pressure?

Any advice from fellow teachers to help me prepare for my debut as a classroom teacher??

I survived the first week of school. Can I survive 5 miles?

Last week we were supposed to begin school on Monday. But on Saturday, we had a nice little storm that knocked out electricity to 150,000 people in our city and a lot of the schools in my district. So fast forward to Wednesday, and we actually got to have the first day of school.

I have never felt exhaustion like I did this year. Even being in labor for almost 20 hours with the little one four plus years ago seemed easy-peasy compared to this week. This coming week will be an actual 5 day week, and I am wondering if I should take a sick day already! Seriously, though, I am going to be depending on caffeine and getting to bed early to get me through.

Because of this exhuastion, I have taken 2 rest days (Friday and Saturday). So that means today has to be the dreaded long run day. 5 miles. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

I'm thinking that I will do as much as possible on the treadmill (maybe 4?) and then head outside for about a mile. My last outside run resulted in muscles so sore I felt like limping all day. That's what I get for thinking I could run outside on concrete at 6 a.m. without warming up first. It was only a mile! I've ran much longer than that before in the afternoon or evening and not had any soreness. I'm almost positive that was my body's way of saying, "You don't need to run in the morning!" My thoughts all along. 

In other news, there is a small possibility that I may be teaching 5th grade this year. Yes, school has already started, I know. I am a special education teacher. I work with 4th and 5th grade. There is a 5th grade teacher that is going to retire in November. I would like to take her place when she leaves. The team of teachers I work with would like for that to happen too.

I am certified to teach both special ed and regular ed. I was always waiting for the perfect opportunity to move into regular education, and I think this may be it. Don't get me wrong, I love special ed. But in my school district, if you are a special ed teacher, you are expendable. Year to year it depends on our numbers of students with special needs as to whether I stay or go. And the numbers have been dwendling every year. Next year most likely I will lose my position at my school. So that makes this decsion easier. That and the fact that I will still get to work with the same kids and teachers I am currently working with.

So I may be updating soon about my principal's decision to either keep me where I am or move me to 5th grade. *Fingers crossed!*

Three Thing Thursday

1.      4 miles done, and I didn't die...

Or at least I haven't yet. My shins and calf held up pretty well for this run on Tuesday. I have found that a water bottle with frozen water in it is the best massager/icer for my shins and calves. This Propel Fitness water bottle was the perfect shape.

Me icing my giant calves

2.    Yesterday was our first day of school.  

It's like having a newborn all over again. You feel like you haven't had any sleep (even though I have) and your body does weird things...I've had some crazy stomach issues, I guess getting used to eating early in the morning again, instead of after 9 am when I rolled out of bed this summer. I am SO sleepy between 2pm and 8pm, then I get this weird second wind around 8 and can't sleep when it's actually bedtime. I hope by September, all this has ironed itself out...

3.   I Got Up Early This Morning to Run!!!   

Anyone who knows me, knows I am not a morning person. This was the first time EVER that I have gotten up before work to run. My legs hurt ALL DAY. It became worse as the day went on. I only ran a freaking mile!!! What's up with that???

I have been so used to running at night or late afternoon when I can lounge around afterwards or sleep while my legs recover. This was a shock to my system. The run felt great, it was cool with a good breeze. Problem was, when I got back I went straight to the shower instead of icing or taking a lot of time to stretch. Since I only did a mile, I thought I'd be fine. WRONG!

I didn't allow enough time to run and do all the necessary after-care. For me, I have realized, icing and stretching are necessary for every run because of my shin splints and calf strain.  And warming up before I run outside on the harder surface is SO important. That's another reason I'm in pain. I rushed out thinking it would be quick and easy. For me, no run is quick and easy. At least not yet! I hope to get there one day.              

An Unexpected Day Off

Working and blogging apparently don't work well together for me...hence the last post being from last Wednesday. I started back to work last Thursday, and today was suppposed to be the first day of school in my school district. BUT IT WAS CANCELED! How often does that happen? First day of school...canceled!

Saturday we had a pretty mighty storm that literally blew through the city (70 mph winds) and 150,000 people lost power. That included about 48 schools. As of last night, there were still around a dozen schools without power, so classes for the first day were canceled. I got an unexpected day off. What to do, what to do??


Running

Over the last 4 days, I have been taking the dog out for a quick 1 mile run at night. Thank God the weather has been cooler and actually bearable to run in. I have taken my iPhone with me and used several different apps with GPS to track my mileage and time. Here's my last 3 runs:

Thursday - 1 mile - 12:00  (really fast for me!)

Saturday - 1 mile - 11:14  (fastest time thus far!)

Sunday - 2 miles - 27:58  (what the heck, Cindy?)

What the heck happened last night? Shins were screaming, so I stopped at 2 when I was supposed to do 5. I knew from the first few seconds of that run that I wasn't going to make it 5. I know my body and can definitely tell when it's going to be a crappy run early on. I'd rather have a slow, short run than no run at all, I guess. 

Ripped in 30

I am on week 4 now, and I am just going to continue a few times a week, mixing up which week a do from this point on. I really, really love this workout. And I really, really hate this workout. 

I love it because it has changed my body. Running has done a lot for my confidence and cardiovascular endurance. But I never lost weight. And I really didn't build much muscle. Ripped in 30 has given me a weight loss boost (just a few pounds, but still good for someone petite like me) and I can see a difference in the muscle tone in my arms and legs. I feel stronger. I have "slimmed down" as my husband has told me. He says I've lost weight in my face. That's interesting. 

I think a combo of running and this workout have been the 1-2 punch that I needed to build strength and lose a little weight. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a quick strength workout for cross-training. I hope now that I'm going back to work I can keep it up. 

Today I guess I will do a Ripped in 30 workout, take the little one for allergy shots and run some errands. I need a running break today to let my shins rest. I will try to run again tomorrow, hopefully completing the 4 miles on my schedule. Today is one of those days I think that a half marathon is not in the cards for me. But a big part of me says don't give up. Only time will tell...

Ode to Summer Break

Oh, Summer Break 2011, how I will miss you...what can I say? It's been fun. And we all know it's been H-O-T, HOT!!!

It's been fun learning about all the new things my body can (and can't) do, and working out whenever I wanted to!

It's been great sleeping in most days...

 

Or just sleeping, whenever...

And I have enjoyed SO many fabulous drinks of summer...

There were some new, healthier foods to eat...

And some not-so-healthy foods to enjoy...

(hey, you only live once, right?)

 

But most of all, you gave me freedom. 

Freedom to do what I wanted when I wanted...

Swimming...

Traveling...

Visiting Family...

Writing...

Reading...

and most importantly, relaxing...

I will miss you, Summer Break. See ya next year. 

XOXO, 

Cindy

A New Perspective on Running Outside

Here's my top 5 reasons for being a treadmill hermit:

5. My schedule. Either have to run early or late after the hubby comes home from work, since I can't take my little one on runs with me. Don't do early, so I would have to run after 8:30 p.m and after dark, like I did tonight.


4. I like to have music when I run. It scares me to run with my iPod on full blast when outside alone.

3. If running outside, I have to run mostly on the sidewalk because of crazy drivers in my neighborhood, or the fact that I have to run at night, and I don't want to get hit by a car.


2. The weather. Not fond of running in weather over 80 degrees or below 50. And humidity over 60% is a daily occurrence in this valley, so I have avoided outside running like the plague. Here was tonight's weather. Not horrible, but humid, nonetheless:

1. Allergies. I live in the 3rd worst city for allergies, according to The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Typically have to take a bunch of Kleenex with me if running outside at least 6 months out of the year.



The weirdest thing happened tonight. I had 4 miles on the schedule, but I was going to play it by ear because of the knee/shin thing. The hubby was going to get home later than normal from work, so I got started on the treadmill. I knew half a mile in that I wasn't going to make it very far. Shin splints on my right leg were UNBEARABLE!! I stopped and walked, I stopped and stretched, hell, I even just stopped for a few minutes. But they just got worse. So at 1.20 miles, I stopped and iced my shins for about 15 minutes.

Then I decided to take the dog out for jog/walk about a half mile out and back.

Here's the weird part. My shins did not hurt at all the whole time.

According to my iMapMyRun App, I ran 1.02 at a pace that I have trouble hitting on the treadmill unless I'm doing speedwork (i.e. sprints, then walk breaks). I don't know how accurate these GPS apps are, and I have yet to spend the moolah on a Garmin (holding out for my b-day...*sigh*). But I do know that because the shin splints didn't bother me, and because my dog was keeping me going at a pretty steady pace, I'm sure I was pretty close to the time the app said. I ran longer and harder than I have been on the treadmill. Again, I was reminded why I need to run outside more.

I didn't keep going because Heidi (our dog) probably couldn't take much more. She and I have not run together in months, so I didn't want to over do it. She is overweight. And I also didn't want to push the shin splint/knee issue. So I will take the 2.25 miles tonight and plan to do 4 on Thursday instead (Thursday was originally 2 miles). I'm listening to my body during this training and not just looking at the numbers on my schedule.


For me, getting outside to run is a rare thing. I would like to change that. I am going to attempt to start running outside at least 1 out of the 3 days a week that I run, as long as Satan's weather stays away. Maybe I'll even shake things up and get up early before work and run, who knows!

As long as the weather cooperates, I can make the time to do it, my knee and shins hold up, my allergies stay in check and I can learn to live without music while I run, it may work! I'm not asking much, right?

Rest days suck!

I never in a million bajillion years thought I would ever feel that way. I took two rest days, Friday and Saturday because my knee was hurting. I was afraid running or any other activity would jack my knee up to the point where I would have to take weeks off my half training. Or maybe not be able to do the half at all.

Those two days were hard.

Friday, I was busy at work, cleaning out and organizing with a teacher friend, getting ready for the upcoming school year (school starts on the 15th). I was exhausted that night, but still wanted to 'get my sweat on'. I just don't feel good about myself if I don't have sore or tired muscles. You know, that good tired.

Then Saturday, I went out to lunch with my mom and did some shopping. We ended up at Dairy Queen with blizzards. I got the Nutter Butter blizzard, which by the way, is fabulous if you love peanut butter the way I do! As we sat outside eating our blizzards and enjoying the abnormally mild 85 degree weather, I saw, not one, but two people run by. An omen? A sign that I shouldn't be eating that blizzard? Whatever it was, I knew I had to try to run again, soon. I was not going to give up.

Aren't those DQ commercials annoying?? Especially the chest hair?

Finally, last night I did it. I had 4 miles on the schedule for Saturday, but like the week before, I pushed the long run to Sunday. It wasn't easy. This was the longest distance I have done in over a year. There was a lot of stopping to stretch out my right calf and knee. There was some tightness, and some weird feeling like my hip, knee and foot were somehow out of line with each other. There were times when I really just wanted to stop. But I did it. I finished 4 miles without any of the horrible pain that I expected. My hip and knee are a little sore today, but nothing unbearable.

This week brings a 5 mile run for the weekend. That in addition to going back to work should be interesting.

I worked all last week and found it hard to workout without having a decent amount of caffeine before hand. I think Coke Zero and I are going to become great friends. Except for the fact that it makes me burp the whole time I'm running or working out.

God only knows what Phenylalanine does to my body. But hey, at least there's no calories, right?!? I'm probably better off drinking sweet tea...

Just what I needed...

I stole this from Cely. Just what I needed today!







My knee has been killing me all day. So I'm going to do some strength training and wait and see what tomorrow brings. If it still hurts, I won't run my 4 mile long run until Sunday. If it doesn't, I'll go for it. Keep ya posted...

Ooops, I Did It Again!

Well, I may have injured myself.

I'm thinking it's an overuse injury. For a few months, since I've been back into running, I have had a nagging knot in my right calf near my shin. Then it started to spread to the inner part of the calf. When I do cross-training activities like Ripped in 30, or walking on the treadmill at an incline, I feel it. Not bad enough to make me stop, but enough to notice and keep me from pushing harder.

So about a month ago, in addition to this weird calf knot and pain, my right knee also started getting stiff, and then one night I woke up and couldn't bend it at all for a few minutes. Felt like something was going to pop if I did, so I slowly tried to bend it. Eventually it did, but it was uncomfortable for a minute. It didn't bother me the next day. However, since then I have had a nagging pressure/pain in the back of my knee.

Now, I must tell you that I have a HUGE family history of arthritis and bursitis, but I have never been diagnosed. I've always had those stiff, popping and creaky joints in my hips and knees. So knee pain is not uncommon for me. But this is different. It feels like a tissue problem, not a joint problem, I think.

Sometimes it just randomly starts hurting. But tonight it hurt from the beginning of my run and didn't go away once I warmed up. I had to stop at 1.26 miles of a 2 mile run. I've iced it. It still hurts. I'm going to take an anti-inflammitory that I was prescribed for shin splints and call it a night.

We'll see how it feels tomorrow. The thing that really sucks is that other than this pain, I felt like I could have ran forever. It was one of those runs that are few and far between lately, where I have energy, my breathing is easy and not forced, and I'm enjoying every song on my iPod. What a bummer...second training for a half marathon, second injury. Ooops, I did it again...

Have you ever had problems like this? Know what it might be or what I should do?

I'm baaaaack!

Did you even realize I was gone?? Here's an update of what's being going on...

Work

Been a wild and crazy week so far, with no slowing down for the next 2 days. It's that time of year when teachers start getting ready for the new school year by spending countless hours in professional development, meetings and setting up our classrooms, or for me, my closet.

I am a resource teacher, so I spend most of my time in other teacher's classrooms working with kids that need extra support, as well as teaching with the classroom teachers. But I do have a small room that I share with someone, and I use it to pull kids out that need one-on-one help or for testing, etc. Unpacking, rearranging and paperwork have consumed the last 3 days. I'm ready for the kids, but I really am not ready for all the "logistical" and "political" parts of my job.

Speaking of political, I wanted to share this awesome video clip of Matt Damon going apesh*t on a reporter asking a question about teachers having incentives for test scores and job performance:

Training

I've had good days and bad days, as expected. Saturday's long run of 3 miles was pushed back to Sunday because Saturday was so busy. But I got it done. Not gonna lie. It. was. hard. I began to rethink the whole half-marathon thing. Again. But that was nothing compared to Monday. That was my first full day back to work. I was exhausted. It was a cross-train day, so I did Ripped in 30, at least I did most of it, and called it a night. Again, I am not a morning workout person, so going back to work then taking care of the little one, and finally working out at the end of the night was tough. I had forgotten how tough. 

Last night was a repeat of Monday night. Except, I was supposed to run 3 miles. Again. When I got home from work, we swam in our neighbor's pool for over an hour. I did lots of laps, and some with kids hanging on me. So needless to say, I was wiped out. So I modified my schedule and only did 1 mile. I would have done more if my chest didn't feel like it was going to explode. Sharp pain when I breathe. Weird side effect of swimming?? ever had that happen?

Today is back to cross-training. I'm thinking walking at an incline on the treadmill while watching Big Brother sounds like a plan. Maybe a little Ripped in 30 before that starts...I dunno. We'll see.