Unrealistic Goals?

Before my class and I left for Winter Break, I asked each student to come up with a reading goal -- something they wanted to accomplish before coming back to school in the new year. I set a goal for myself as well -- to read four chapter books.

When I shared this with my darling class they were skeptical that I could do it.
After calling them all unsupportive turd fergisons, my mind was made up. Not only would I read four books, but I might even read five just to prove them wrong. Kids can be jerks.

With eleven days of Winter Break behind me, and only five days to go ... I have finished only one book -- "Living Dead in Dallas" by Charlaine Harris (one of the Sookie Stackhouse books from the TrueBlood series). It isn't that I am a slow reader -- but I spent at least half of my reading time trying to plow through "Son of a Witch" by Gregory Maguire -- a much heavier and more time consuming read.

My strategy: put "Son of a Witch" down for now and plow through a couple of quicker reads.

Speaking of unrealistic (?) goals -- today I received clearance from my physical therapist today that I can participate in the Eugene Half Marathon by walking only. I will be accompanying Jen and Kate as we try to accomplish this feat.

Training starts Monday.

Problem Solved -- at least in the short term.
After writing my last blog entry, I changed my clothes and headed to the pool.

40 minutes later ... 800 yards were swam, and only 15 minutes wasted figuring out my new waterproof mp3 player that Eric bought me for Christmas. I swam to the mellow beasts of Dave Matthews Band and The Eagles. A totally awesome and worthwhile purchase. I highly recommend.

Thanks for the supportive thoughts!

Motivation

School starts again in exactly one week ... yikes; where does the time go?
I miss my students -- but I don't miss all of the work that goes along with spending my days with those turkeys. Three students actually emailed me to check in, say hello, and one very dramatic (but endearing) email about how much I am missed. Good times.

But ... this week isn't about them. This week of vacation should be about me.
The problem is: I am lacking any motivation. I am comfortably sitting on the couch, watching a bad Patrick Demsey movie, making lists of all the things I should be doing .. and yet, I am still sitting here.

How do you motivate yourself to get off the couch?

Another Day, Another Dollar

I am looking around the room ... one girl is spinning in circles as though she is a human helicopter; one student snuggling with the bunny; another trying to play "Don't Stop Believin'" on the keyboard; three playing Free Rider on the computer; two lip singing to "Carry On My Wayward Son" by Kansas; and another group playing with Legos. Yet another just asked me to use the phone so she could thank her mom for bringing her lunch. Kids are strangely interesting.

Earlier this week, another teacher was talking with me about a prospective future student. This student stated that she wanted to be in my class next year and her current teacher inquired why. The student's response: "because Becky let's her kids do whatever they want".

Quite a reputation I have.

Watershed Festival

Dear City of Forest Grove,

Thank you for your willingness to let my class and two others at Level 2 use the Community Auditorium. However, it was very unfortunate that when my class of 25 students arrived with their trifold displays and hands on activities to teach the community about watersheds you told us we could no longer use that space. Alternatively we had to walk six additional blocks (carrying all of our materials) to other city building space. Thankfully all turned out well (except for the Level 3 students who could not find us, and the parents who were rerouted, and well some of my sanity).

Thanks again.

Sincerely,
Becky

They Drive Me Crazy

Tuesdays are our "big long day together" -- no breaks, no excuse to go out into the community, and no specials. Tuesdays are rough; and today is no exception. Exhaustion Day 2.

A Dedication to the Peregrine Falcons however, change "she" to "they"

Time Flies!

Only four and a half more days until Holiday Break and I couldn't be more ready.
I am drained -- emotionally mostly. Being a teacher is hard ... wonderfully hard.

When I used to work at a medical records clerk, or patient care clerk, or during my several years as a secretary/receptionist, I would feel drained at the end of the day. I would be grouchy about something that happened at work -- a rude patient/co-worker, or the never-ending office drama.

But, these days -- I go home exhausted, but it is a different kind of exhaustion; and I can't quite put my finger on what is different -- other than I get to spend the day with 9-12 year olds who make me smile.

For example, today during our trek back from music -- two of my students sang "Don't Stop Believen" by Journey at the top of their lungs -- and not just the chorus -- they new the whole song.

My 30 Day Challenge

Wow! A long time has passed since my last posting; so some updates are in order. Although, I would sincerely like to complete a triathlon it hasn't been in the cards this year. Despite hitting the ground running (pun intended), two injuries, the death of my running coach & uncle, and a hectic spring schedule -- my training got completely off course.

My first year of teaching proved to be infinitely more challenging than I ever thought it would -- especially this spring as I took over full time for a teacher on maternity leave. The good news is that her leave extended through the next school year (so I have a job next year -- yeah!). Unfortunately, the biggest challenge for me was the balance between school and life -- including maintaining any kind of consistent work out schedule.

Goodbye triathlon; hello weight gain.

Yet, as of Sunday @ 9:50pm I finished all of my report cards and my summer vacation officially began. My definition of vacation this summer includes three classes, several professional development workshops, tutoring, and planning curriculum for next year. But, amongst all of that chaos, I have some other ambitions as well ...

My Goals for the next 30 days:

• Be Fast Food & Soda Free!
• Bike or Walk if traveling within a 5 miles radius of my house
• Read a book each week
• Plant a vegetable garden

"Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be" - Karen Rayn

It's Hard. Running, that is.

Have I crossed your mind at all these last 6+ weeks? Have you been sitting with bated breath, waiting for an update on my triathlon training? Probably not. But, I have been thinking about you. It has been a long time since my last post; and although I haven't been blogging enough about my experiences, I am still training for the Beaver Freeze Triathlon (Saturday April 3rd).

To be honest, one of the reasons I have been avoiding blogging, is that this is really hard for me.

I have been working out at least 3 times a week (on average: 2 running workouts, and one biking workout). However, a couple of weeks ago I injured my achilles tendon (official MD diagnosis is tendonitis). This may have been because of the shoes I was wearing (cross trainers not running shoes). Last weekend, I went to the Portland Running Company to have my stride analyzed and I walked away with new running shoes (Asics to be exact) and they are SUPER comfortable that I am having CONSIDERABLY less pain when I run. However, since I hurt myself I took a week+ off and now I feel back at square one ... I can barely due over a mile.

Next weekend, Karen (and I think Katie and Amy) and I are "running" in the Shamrock 5K Run in Portland. I am SUPER nervous -- mostly because I know it will be hard for me.

This has we worried. If I struggle with the 5K, am I really going to be able to complete 500 yards swimming and 12 miles running on top of all of that? In 4 weeks?!

My new mantra:

"If you have made mistakes, even serious ones. there is always another chance for you. What we call failure is not the falling down but the staying down" -- Mary Pickford

Blue Monday

January 18th, 2010 is considered the most depressing day of the year. The good news is: at least this day is behind us -- meaning the remaining days of 2010 won't be nearly as depressing. Dr. Cliff Arnall's formula for calculating this "bleak prediction takes into account factors like post-holiday blahs and debt, failed New Year's resolutions" and the weather.

Source: "The Most Depressing Day of the Year" on MSN

Okay all that nonsense aside, I hope none of my loyal readers thought the last they heard of me was a sad little post titled "Doubt & Injury" and that I have succumbed to another New Year Resolution failure ... although last Tuesday was a bit of a reality check, that is hardly the case. I appreciate all of your kind words, suggestions and support after last week. Despite a little knee soreness, I am back at it this week with my first swimming workout Monday and ran/walked 1.25 miles on the treadmill.

On a related note, my Uncle Tom (who lives in Australia) trains triathletes to complete the running portion. He is a former track star, original Nike-wearer, and track coach. In other words, I trust his advice. His regime (for lack of a better word) is to continue using the treadmill and run at the same pace for 3 minutes, then walk for 2 minutes; then repeat this for as many time as I can. My goal is to build up to 12-15 reps and then back down the amount of time I am walking.

This seems so simple, and gives me permission to walk -- when all along I have been feeling as though that is somehow cheating or giving up. I started this regime today with success -- I completed 3 reps (1 rep = 3 min run, 2 min walk) and managed to run/walk farther than my previous workouts. Although my knee is sore, I think I could have pushed myself farther.

Thank you Uncle Tom for your words of wisdom, encouragement, support and practical advice! I hope to make you proud!

"To win without risk is to triumph without glory" -- Corneille

Doubt & Injury

Welcome to another installment of "Chasing Becky" a journal-blog about my journey from a non-runner to a triathlete. Today marks my 6th workout, and my first injury and bout of doubt. The injury (my knee) is nothing serious; my knee is sore and there is likely some inflammation which seems to benefit from ibprofren and ice.

It is the doubt that has me the most concerned. Today, I felt myself watching the runners around me and not pushing myself. I could also see my feet in the reflection of the partition in front of me and I looked slow ... and felt slow. I know this will pass; but, I am missing some way to snap myself out of that negative funk when I am in the middle of a workout. Depending on how my knee feels, I will run again Thursday and focus on improving my attitude.

If you have any suggestions or inspiring quotes they are more than welcome.

A huge thank you to my new workout buddy -- our scheduled 9 am workout forced me out of bed at a decent hour (typically, on my days off I sleep until 10-10:30). In addition to getting in an "early" morning workout, I also accomplished my To Do List before noon! Bonus!

Another huge THANK YOU to Paula who put her Physical Therapy skills to work and constructed an exciting lifting program to help me develop my slow twitch endurance muscles. I am especially excited about the "hydrant" which involves me pretending to pee on a fire hydrant. THANK YOU!

TTFN,

Chasing Becky

New Kicks

Just a short post today ... I took a break Friday and Saturday. However, Saturday the triathlon wasn't far from my mind as Eric and I shopped for new running shoes! I ended up with a pair of Nike Torch 5 in blue (sadly, they didn't have red in my size).

Today was another successful 12:50 work out at 5.0 speed rocking my new kicks. In preparation for getting serious about biking and swimming I bought a cyclometer (measures how far you have traveled) and a new racing swimsuit from JD Pence. I also spent a considerable amount of time Saturday uploading old rap mixes to include in my new workout playlist.

Happy Sunday,

Chasing Becky

Influential?

I am proud to announce that this experiment in triathlon training and blogging has inspired two people. First, my friend Emily has now begun blogging about her challenge to drop some pounds. She is an incredibly witty writer (http://cupquake78.blogspot.com/); secondly, another friend and kickball teammate (who will not be named only because I haven't asked her permission) has committed to joining me at the gym Tuesdays and Thursdays!

"You don't have to be a 'person of influence' to be influential" - Scott Adams

In addition to the warm fuzzy feelings from inspiring others, I have more good news. I tried a couple of new strategies at the gym today. The past two trips I have completed my mile and then continued with another 20-25 minutes of cardio on the EFX machine. My strategy was to simply get the hard stuff out of the way first (i.e. the mile -- enter dramatic music). But, knowing that I would also be doing the EFX caused me not to push myself as hard as I possible could. So today, I did the EFX machine first -- only 15 minutes and 1.5 miles -- and caught up on the latest issue of Health magazine. Then I braved the treadmill for my mile [enter dramatic music]. I also decided to step it up a bit and increased my speed from 4.5 to 5. Incredibly, I completed this mile in 12:50 -- ONE MINUTE FASTER than my two previous runs. Additionally, I also only walked 1/10 of the mile.

"We all take different paths in life, but no matter where we go, we take a little of each other everywhere" -- Author Unknown

Wait, did I tell you that I ran the mile ONE MINUTE FASTER!?

This is cause for celebration -- and I will do so with a carmel filled drumstick -- cheers!

Until next time,

Chasing Becky

Ready to Bloom

Bally's Total Fitness (my gym of choice) is 3/4 miles from my house and they have recently installed new TVs that display motivational quotes, fitness tips and healthy snack ideas. One quote stuck with me today:

"And the day came when the risk to remain in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to bloom" -- Anais Nin. My mantra this week is: Ready to Bloom. I am ready to really embrace exercise again and learn to love becoming healthy. It is a risk; but an important life changing risk that will result in becoming a healthier person (physically and otherwise).

***

Today I ran another mile!

Although my final time (13:50) and speed (4.5) were the same as Sunday's workout, I did see some improvement -- I was able to run a 1/2 mile before needing to walk; and then only walked again after completing 3/4 mile. Gold stars for me!

***

I need some help. I am trying to compile a list of body moving music to help with that extra boost. Today I felt my music selections were a little lack luster -- and I need some new grooves for my iPod. Help!

What song(s) gets your body moving?

***

Thank you to everyone who posted comments of support and enthusiasm on here as well as on facebook -- it means a lot; and will hopefully help motivate me when things get discouraging. Keep them coming!

Why not try a triathlon?

Many of you have probably already heard -- but this year my goal is to train for and complete a triathlon in May. I will do a sprint triathlon which includes 500 yards of swimming, 15 miles biking, and 3.1 miles running. I am not a natural athlete; and I have some unresolved issues surrounding running specifically. Growing up in Eugene I played nearly ever Kidsports sport as possible (except soccer). Here is a breakdown of my athletic history:

1st grade: T-ball

2nd grade: baseball (coach pitch or T-ball?)

3rd grade: basketball, baseball (coach pitch?)

4th grade: basketball, softball

5th grade: basketball, softball

Middle School: basketball, softball, volleyball

High School: swimming & waterpolo

Post-High School: nothing consistent :(

2009: this fall Eric and I did participate in a kickball league

However, despite this level of activity when we were charged with running the mile in P.E. class I developed some sort of mental and physical block. Specifically I remember one day in second grade when I struggled with the mile. I don't remember how much of it I ran; but I likely walked the majority of the way. What I do remember is being the last one done by a long shot. My PE teacher at the time excused the rest of my classmates and I had to complete the mile all by myself. All I remember is feeling like a disappointment and a failure as the PE teacher yelled at me to keep running and was clearly unimpressed by my resistance. Since that day, I decided I couldn't run and didn't want to run. Throughout the years I continued to have to complete the mile in PE and I would continue walking the majority of the way.

Another hang up I have regarding running involves how I run -- I feel like I never really learned. Maybe that sounds silly because running is supposed to come naturally -- as a flight skill. However, I had a coach (he would probably be hurt to know how this has effected me) who would tell me I was running flat footed. He was a former track athlete, so I took his advice to heart. But, I feel like I never really learned how to not run flat footed, or really what flat footed meant.

Why am I telling you this?

Because training for this marathon, learning to run, and consistently running with the goal of being able to run 5 miles is a BIG DEAL for me. Today I actually ran a mile for the first time since being forced my sophomore year in high school ... and I didn't do half bad. I did stop to walk twice; but I completed my first mile in 12 years on the treadmill in 13:40 seconds. This will be my baseline as I work over these next months -- wish me luck!