New Year, Same Blog

Here we are. 2018. I'm feeling much more like a human today (seriously, why do you people invite me places?) and figured I'd take a moment to sum up last year. 

 2017 was a whirlwind of triumphs and tragedies. It was a year of moving on and moving forward. Building friendships and reuniting with old friends. It was rough, but it was fun. 

Just as we made it to the year anniversary of losing my stepfather, I had to say goodbye to my beloved Papa. It hurt, losing two men whom I loved dearly within such a close period of time. My family is strong. Resilient. Though we continue to struggle with our grief, I know that our bonds are stronger for it. Sometimes we scatter, but we always find our way back to each other. This year has definitely been hard on us...but I know we'll be okay. 

This year was definitely a time for me to step out of my comfort zone a little bit. In June I traveled to Amish Country (alone, omg) to do a 200-ish mile relay race with ten people I'd never met and one dear online friend. We slept in a van, ran the miles, at the food, and had a lot of fun. Running a Ragnar race wasn't something I even thought I wanted to do, but now I'm ready for another one. 

July led me to Nicaragua with my church to visit a village that we sponsor. It was a week of meeting people, introducing ourselves, listening to their stories, and praying with them. The best part of this trip was the people who helped me get there by their donations and prayers. I was overwhelmed with support from not only my church family, but also people that I work with. 

I'd have to say that the biggest thing I faced this year was buying a house. It was probably the most stressful thing I've ever done, but also the most rewarding. My sister and I have had a great time making our little house a home (even welcoming a crazy new kitten to the mix). This was definitely a triumph of 2017. 

This school year (if you follow this blog at all) has been a challenge each and every day. So many changes happened early on in the year, not to mention the Cat 5 hurricane that put us out of commission for over two weeks. We are slowly but surely getting our groove back in Room 210. I love my job and I know it's a tough one. But, like I always say, it's a good one. 

When I started this blog almost five years ago I didn't really have a purpose or direction with it. Honestly, I still don't. A lot of the times I feel like what I'm writing doesn't make sense to anyone but me. I know that we are all struggling with things: personal, spiritual, physical, work related...I just try my best to share experiences with others and hope that they help someone in the process. There's a lot I don't put out there, and that's okay. (Some people think I put too much out there. Oh, well.) 

I'm looking forward to 2018 and the experiences it holds. I know that there will be ups and downs. There will moments of sadness and hopefully many, many triumphs. I'm also looking forward to sharing those experiences with you, so be prepared. 

This year I'm going focus on my health in many ways: physical, mental, spiritual. There will definitely be struggles. That's just life. I'm here for it, though. 

Happy New Year, friends. Let do this...

...after I finish watching all ten seasons of Smallville. 

Run Your Heart Out

Did I ever tell you about running cross country in high school? You probably think because I write/post so much about running that I was really good at (you know, like I am now, LOLFOREVER), but I wasn't. I thought it would be pretty easy, only I was young and dumb and out of shape. I finished every race, though. Last.

So, whatever. Here were are (OMG) fifteen years later and running is like...a thing. And, more importantly, it's my thing. It isn't that I'm very good at it, but I can do it, and I like it! I mean, I can't tell you that I loooooooove it because no one actually loves running. It's a great stress reliever and basically allows you to eat a lot. Rungry is a thing, okay?

Okay, the point to this is that I crossed something off my list this weekend. Something I actually didn't even give a second thought to until this time last year. Now, I don't have a bucket list or anything. I feel that if something is cool and I want to do it, then one day I'll try.

Apparently I thought running a half marathon was cool.

So I did it.

And it was amazing.

We (my running buddy, Michelle) started training in September. LOL, two teachers starting training for a half marathon when school starts. Yeah, we were laughing too, only not really. Training was hard to keep up with, especially with school and my busy social calendar. That's a joke, by the way. In October we did a ten-miler that got us pretty pumped for thirteen. It didn't hurt that everyone we know who is a distance runner told us "Oh, just another three! That's no big deal!". You're all a bunch of liars, okay?

Eventually all of our almost training paid off, however. Saturday we got up dark and early and headed to Walt Disney World to get our run on with a few thousand of our closest friends. Yeah, some people think you're insane because you love running. Or because you pay to run. Or because you wear your Captain America socks with the wings on them while running.

Whatever, Ma. Everyone else liked them. :) 

So being at Disney at 4AM is not quite as fun as it sounds. Especially when it's forty-five degrees out and you're born and raised Floridian with thin blood. Here's the thing...it was totally worth it. I had been stressing for weeks about whether or not I was going to make this race. I was worried I hadn't trained enough. I was worried I wasn't going to make it. I was worried I was going to get hurt. 

It was awesome. 

There was so much excitement surrounding us that it left absolutely no time to be nervous. Also, there were so many people around us that it didn't matter if it was your first or your hundredth race, because everyone was about having fun. The best part was that I made it and I made it with one of my best friends. We both know that it would have been difficult had we not taken this journey together (she's texting me motivational pictures trying to talk me into a FULL marathon as I type this), and it probably wouldn't have been as much fun. 

also got to meet Mer and Brooke from ScootADoot AND IT WAS AWESOME. I once said that it was my dream to run with Mer and then it happened. Sigh. They're both so pretty. 

I look so stupid because I'M SO EXCITED

But really, I can't really describe the feeling that I got when I crossed the finish line. It was mostly relief because I'd been up since 2AM and was hungry and cold and sweaty. Yeah, that's a thing that can happen. But also...I don't think I've felt that proud of myself about something in a long time. When you're an adult it's hard to come by those things, you know? Aside from like, getting married and having kids or something. (LOL.)

During this whole process I've been consistently amazed about what a body can do. Actually, what my thirty-one-year-old body could do that my sixteen-year-old body didn't really feel like doing. It's amazing what can happen when you put your mind to it. And what you can do when you're motivated by the right people and have good friends to get you through stuff. You can do really cool things when you try. 

Now you do something awesome. Do it for you. Or go out and do something awesome for other people. 

I'm going to leave you with some pictures and go lather on the BioFreeze. 

Well, now it's real.

The castle! And Elsa! And Anna! And Kristoff! 

Magic Kingdom selfie!

Medals! We made it!

Beermosa. Congrats to me! 

Worth it. 

Go do something.

Don't Honk at Me

Ugh, I'm annoyed.

I started the first week of September training for a half marathon and so far it's been going okay. I say okay because, ugh, running. I love running, but it's the worst, okay? I also have been working, like, fourteen hour days so it's hard to get my training in sometimes.

Anyways, that's not the point.

The point is that while I'm running, or rather, since I started running, I've had to deal with some things and at this point I'm kind of over it.

I hate when people honk at me while I'm running. There, I've said it. The truth is out. I think it's rude, disrespectful, and to be honest it makes me feel unsafe. I don't live in a super great part of town so any extra attention already freaks me out. Also, I'm fluffy and barely five-feet-tall. I can't take care of myself, and it isn't like I run quickly.

Maybe I'm overreacting, but this has been bothering me for a few weeks. I know that I have had people tell me they saw me or said "hey, I honked at you" and yeah, okay. Maybe it's a little bit of motivation for me and that's cool for you. But for me to be a woman, alone on a busy street, and hear honking, it's a little scary.

Perhaps the strangers that honk also think they are helping me be motivated, or maybe they just feel sorry for the poor, slow girl who looks like she wants to die or is going spastic with some random dance move. (It happens.) It just doesn't really feel that way.

Honestly...it feels like I'm being objectified and it scares me. Last week someone actually cat-called at me while they were driving at 40+ MPH. I mean, really? Really? Is that supposed to be sexy? Am I supposed to be flattered? Because all they got was a very non-Methodist gesture and a dirty look. It isn't sexy, and it isn't flattering. It's rude and disrespectful. I'm a woman and an athlete (lolz) and I feel that we, as women and athletes, should be respected as that. On a run with my sister tonight we were yelled at once and honked at three times in a thirty minute period. We were not amused.

Seriously. This is what I look like after a run. I'm not cute, okay?

You're probably thinking I'm going all feminist on you, and that's okay. Point is, I should be able to do what I want with my body, when I want to, and be able to feel safe doing it. If that means I can run down the street in sensible clothes that show minimal skin without feeling like I'm being ogled, then so be it.

Is that too much to ask?

#respecttherunner

Oh, and don't even get me started on people who don't look before driving through crosswalks!

Happy honking.

If you're a friend who has honked I'm sorry and I love you.

I Love Running (No, Really.)

I've been doing this whole "running" thing for just over a year now. If you follow this silly little blog (or know me at all, jeez) you know how it all started. A friend posted on The Facebook about starting C25K (Couch to 5K) and the rest is basically history. We virtually trained together and ended up running our first 5K together, too. And I blogged about it, because I do that.

Anyways, after a year of running I've got a few milestones under my dry-fit spandex pants (did you think I was going to say belt?) and I'm pretty happy with them. So far I've ran six 5Ks, one 10K, and have signed up for my first half marathon in January 2015.

Yesterday, while I was running the Star Spangled 5K and feeling dehydrated and gross at 8:00AM, I just couldn't help but think how much I truly loved running. It's funny to say that, right? Like, I'm not a great runner, but I like it. (I feel the same way about writing, to be honest. I'm not great at it, but it's fun so I do it.) I'm not fast, I don't see myself winning any medals or ribbons, but I cross the finish line to all my races and that's really all the matters. I mean, if you recall from my previous post about running cross country my junior year of high school you would remember me being last in all my races, but always finishing them. (Funny story: my coach once made me run in the JV race even though I was a junior. Uncool.)

But, yeah, I love running. And, like I do, I'm going to tell you why.

Therapy. There's this saying or internet meme going around that says "Running is cheaper than therapy". Ain't that the truth, amirite? When I've had a hard day in my classroom, or a bad day in general, running is so good at making me forget. How can you think about other things when all you're doing is focusing on putting one foot in front of the other? Why be stressed when you can listen to your favorite song and check out the scenery of a long wrong?

There's always visuals here. 

Health. I really feel like I'm at my healthiest since I've started running. A couple of years ago I did Weight Watchers and have successfully kept the weight off, but I feel that running has been a big help to that. Running is my excuse to eat, let's say, whatever I want. Like, I can eat that entire bag of chips because I'm going running later. (This is what I call carb-loading, pay no attention to me.) When I run I feel less guilt about whatever it was that I might have eaten or drank before, because I sweat it all out, right? This is what I tell myself okay? Also, I have nice calves now.

Camaraderie. (Or Friendship, if you don't like big words.) When I started running I realized what a huge community there was! Not only through online blogs or social media accounts (my favorite is Scoot A Doot because I love those ladies), but even in my own school, church, and circle of friends. Of course, my circle of friends is mainly people from school and church, so...

It's super cool when you find someone else who runs and who wants to talk about it or ask your for advice. (Also: you probably shouldn't ask a noob like me for advice.) During our 10K training (I use this term loosely) my best running buddy and I had people who wanted to run with us. We were pretty nervous because we tend to be slow, hence the running together, but it turned out to be a lot of fun. And, even with our lousy training schedule, we managed to finish our first 10K. 

Yay! (Don't sue me for using your picture, okay?) 

Teamwork. Okay, I know running isn't a team sport, but sometimes it feels like it is. Most of my races have been done with a friend and I can't tell you how much it helps to have someone there to help you set the pace and keep you going. My favorite thing from yesterday's race was watching those super fast runners who finished first come back through those of us who were still running (I told you I was slow, okay?). Whether they were cheering us on, or giving a thumbs-up, or even running next to others through the finish line- they cared. It's awesome crossing the finish line after any kind of race because people are waiting for you, they're cheering you on, and they just don't care how slow you are because you finished (so there, high school cross country coach). 

Running is cool and I had a moment yesterday when I just felt like telling people about it, so there you have it. Like I said, I'm not winning any races any time soon, but at least I'll be finishing them. 

Happy running. (Or not.) 

Runner, Runner

Seventy-five degrees, a nice breeze, blue skies. Here in southwest Florida that’s a perfect beach day, especially after a couple of weeks worth of rain. So, what was I doing at 6:45 this morning instead of prepping for some fun in the sun or a nice relaxing day?

I was slipping into my compression pants and lacing up my asics, because it’s race day, people.

When I first started this blog I talked about how I was training for a 5K and how much I hated running. Like, I hated it. I mean, a lot.

It’s been a long few months since I started the actually training, which really just consisted of running. I didn’t throw in any weights or core training because, let’s be real here, running is enough for me. (Remember that blog about no time? Yeah.)

I used the Couch to 5K app to train because it tells you when to run and how long to run. It’s a great app to help build endurance, which I did. It had been many, many years since I’d even though about running (junior year of high school, to be exact), so this was a big step for me. The app even posts your workouts to Facebook, which is how I got involved in the first place.

I don’t know which one of them started it, but before I knew it Lisa, Michelle, and I were signed up for our first 5K (Run or Dye, November 16^th) and in full training. Thanks to the posts on Facebook we were able to keep up with each other. You know, since it was summer and we’re teachers and yay, no school. That just means we weren’t able to see each other face to face to keep each other accountable.

Virtual training partners. It was awesome.

Me and my buddies Lisa and Michelle after our race. 

Well, we thought it was awesome; other people might have been incredibly annoyed. I don’t really care about them, though. It was like having my own little cheering section each time I put myself out there. I knew that I would post it after the workout and someone would be proud of me, someone would cheer me on, someone would motivate me. I also had my sister as a real-life training partner and someone to yell at me or for me to yell at. Which one of us needed the motivation depended on the day.

Motivation is key here, people.

It was so amazing to have your friends look out for you, even if they weren’t training, too. When school started and people started asking how it was going, I was even more motivated.

The truth is…I like running.

After my horrifying time with cross country, I never thought I’d say that.

Running is awesome. You can let your mind go, and it’s just you, your feet, and the road. If you get a good song (personally I love running to Mumford & Sons) and a good pace, that is the best feeling in the world. When I managed to run thirty minutes for the first time I almost cried. And, while three miles might not seem like that much to someone else, when you’ve worked your butt off for four months, that three miles is your Mt. Everest.

Today, I climbed my Everest. Today, I completed my first 5K.

That's me on top of the bridge. Cool, yeah? 

See, after I started the training a friend of mine noticed and mentioned the Pink Heals (Pinktoberfest) run/walk for cancer. Well, how can you pass that up?

So, my training buddies, virtual and real-life, (and a good friend) signed up.

And we rocked it, y’all.

We had a great time, ran for a good cause, and are already geared up for next time.

Personally, I can’t wait. 

My real-life running buddy and sister. 

Fill in the Blank

Have you ever reached a point in your life and decided: “I’d like to do _________.”

What’s in the blank?

There is a ton, ton, of things that could fill in the blank for me. Here are a few:

1.)    Get a tattoo (Really.)

2.)    Buy a house. (Really)

3.)    Go back to school. (HAHAHAHAHAHA!)

4.)    Meet a nice dude who doesn’t mind if I’m a little weird. (See comment for #3.)

5.)    Run a 5K. (Seriously? Why, why, and why?)

Currently I have Dory’s song from Finding Nemo stuck in my head: “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming…” because that’s how I feel about running.

Y’all.

I hate it.

I hate it with the white hot burning passion of a thousand fiery suns. I mean, that’s a lot of hate. So, why am I putting myself through this torture? Why have I made this “list” of sorts? Something big happened to me last month.

Yeah, I turned 30.

T-H-I-R-T-Y.

Th-th-th-thirty as a close friend would say.

It’s okay, though. I’m handling thirty well, I think. I haven’t jumped off the deep end or decided to do anything crazy. I don’t think running a 5K is that crazy. I think running is torturous and barbaric, but I’m going to push through because I’m no quitter! Really, you can ask my cross country coach from high school: I finished every race (always last, always walking).

I realize now that I should have appreciated how easy it was to run at sixteen. Running at thirty is…different. Things hurt that I didn’t know could hurt. It takes a little longer to get warmed up and even longer to recover, which was something I should have been prepared for. I’m not as spry as I once was. (Was I ever?)

But that’s not the point. The point is I wanted to do something that would be fulfilling and mean a little something to me. It’s just a bonus that I get to do it along side (via Facebook) some wonderful ladies who are also training and motivating me. Basically, those silly little updates I post all the time? That’s my lifeline. I need the motivation. I thrive on it. It’s the only thing stopping me from waking up and watching seventeen hours of NCIS instead of running.

Don’t worry, I catch up on NCIS every other hour of the day. (What? It’s summer and I’m old.)

I guess the point is that I want to do a lot of things, so this blog will probably be completely bi-polar and cover a range of different things that I do.

I want to read books that are so good I never want to read another book ever again.

I want to be a better teacher and show each and every child that they are loved no matter what.

I want complete a 5K. (I think I can, I think I can…)

I want to be a better follower of Christ and shine His light wherever it’s needed.  

I want to be a better: sister, daughter, friend.

I want to fill in the blank.