2007: A Year In Review

Here is my run-down of 2007.

12 Months of 2007 style.

January: I started the year off with some minor soreness... due to running a 5K on extremely hard surface with a combination of compacted snow and ice. I started spinning and loved it. I found it to be a great cross trainer. I was looking forward to starting my last semester (of 3) of graduate school.

February: Not much here. Just running and spinning. A lot of spinning... especially when my ankle started to bother me and I had to cut back on the miles and "interval sessions" on the treadmill. Maybe intervals wasn't what I should have been focusing on at the time... you live, injure... and learn. A little fun was had... I put together a bachelorette party for the sis ... tucked away in a nice and cozy cabin in MN!

March: Great month of running and spinning...logging almost 50 miles in both. Our Sioux went to the Frozen Four... and my Tarheels lost in Overtime to Georgetown... what else do you want me to say?

April: Celbrated another bachelorette party... in the Twin Cities. Things started to get really busy with graduate school. Finalizing my paper for graduation, and a few other projects... as well as paperwork at work. My sister moved home to prepare for the wedding, and I moved in with my aunt to finish off the school year. Crazy busy... but fun times were had by all!

May: Graduated with my Masters in Special Education... finally! My cousin got married and I was blessed to be a personal attendant in her wedding! I finished off the school year and ended up moving home to help prepare for the beautiful wedding.

June: With all the wedding preparations, it was here and gone before we knew it... But it was beautiful.. and fun! After a handful of interviews, I finally landed myself a special education teaching position ... at the elementary level... in ND.

July: Hurt my knee pretty good on a long run...which pretty much put a halt on my running for what seemed like an eternity. My parents (and baby sis) helped me make the big move to Fargo, ND... and then I topped off the month with an awesome trip to Chicago.... with the purpose of hittin' up Eric Clapton's Crossroad Guitar Festival!

August: Things started to settle down and I began preparing myself for my new job. I started to do a little swimming and picked up spinning again. The time away during the summer did me no justice!

September: Broke my 5K PR at the UND Homecoming Race in September. Plain and simple, it was a good month!

October: Attempted to do an Octapolluza, but struggled with the last week. Being away for a weekend and getting caught up in work will do that to ya! Halloween was fun, though.

November: Too much work and paperwork. Time flew by. Did the 5K Turkey Trot.... and thought it was going to be my last race of 2007.

December: Completed a self-driven indoor mini-tri sort of thing. Boy, did that wear me out! Gained another year in age. Big 27. I think I handled it pretty well! I also was able to squeeze in my last race of the year (yesterday)... the 5K ZooYear's Eve Race.

2007 in Numbers:
Running - 366.14 miles
Cycling - 665.85 miles
Swimming - 6950 Meters

I was a little upset to find that I only completed 3 races this year. 3 5K races. Geez. 2008 will be different. That is fo sure!

Next post, Goals for 2008.

Happy ZooYear's 2007 - 5K Race Report

Remember my last race of 2006?? The one where we got inches and inches of snow the day before? Well, on a last minute decision, I chose to do it again. I didn't think I was going to be able to ... since I thought I was going to MT to do some skiing but that turned out to be a flop. When I woke up this morning and saw the weather forcast, I just had to do it!

Registration started at 12:30, but the race didn't start until 2pm. As much as I don't care for afternoon races, it is almost necessary in the state of ND ... in the heart of winter. Not only was the temp looking reasonable (turned out to be about 21 degrees), but the sun was shining and there really wasn't much wind.

My right calf was still tight from my run on slippery grounds yesterday afternoon, but I was bound and determined to just do it. It's really hard to pace yourself when it seems like everybody is sprinting out of the starting line. I did some walking and some running ... a little slippin' and slidin' as well!

I was just happy with the idea of finishing faster than last year's race. The winter (in ND) is not a prime time to be worrying or hoping to beat any PR's. I think I did this race in about 37/38 minutes. Dummy me... I forgot to stop my heart rate monitor when crossing the finish line. I was too worried about the guy who was being put into an ambulance after supposedly having a seizure. Scary.

Next post? Year in Review.

Sulking...

My goals for 2008 are still a work of art in progress. I keep pondering ideas, and then have to bring myself back to reality. I want to have something to reach for, but not so far that the goals are unattainable.

I will get back to you all. Currently I am sulking in my beer... crying over our loss of our amazing football coach... right before we go to DI. He'll be hard to replace. Southern Illinois - take care of our ND native... Mr. Dale Lennon.

A little of this... a little of that...

Christmas in ND was wonderful. We were blessed with healthy family and good traveling conditions, for the most part. We were all spoiled with gifts... mine consisting of winter running clothes, many books, the video of the Crossroads Guitar Festival we attended this summer, jewelry, crock pot, and a few other things. If you have a love for music, especially blues/jazz, I highly recommend this one!

After a lot of running around on the 24th and 25th, it was nice to sleep in yesterday and just lay around most of the day. It wasn't until mid afternoon that sis and I went out for a run, but I was thankful that the temps were in the mid 20's. It was bareable, and quite enjoyable... despite sis complaining about being so cold. She's quite the wimp.

We spent the evening celebrating my god-daughter's ninth birthday, and then over to my cousin's house for his housewarming party. It was fun, but another late night. I just can't go without 8-9 hours of sleep a night.

Today will be another day of relaxing and then to my cousin's high school basketball game this evening. Supposedly they are pretty decent. It should be fun. If the temp goes up from 8 degrees, I might venture out for another short run. We'll see.

I have been doing a lot of thinking about what kind of races I want to do in 2008. I have quite a few in my sidebar, but most of them are there to remind me of my options... I just haven't decided what I am doing for sure yet. My goals for 2008 will be in a post, coming soon...

But first... here are a few pics from the past few days...

Christmas Vacation

Merry Christmas to you all!! Enjoy your time with loved ones far and near, crazy and sane!

P.S. I Love You

My Mom, youngest sister, and I went out for a movie this afternoon. P.S. I Love You. This was probably one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. I thought it had a wonderful story line.

Afterwards, the rents and I ventured out for a short jaunt. By 4pm, the temp had finally risen from feeling like -2 to 8 above... and the sun shining. Since it has been well over a week without doing anything I just wanted to go out for a short run. And that is what we did. The cold air killed our lungs and made my legs feel like lead. 2 miles. Done and done.

I have finally wrapped all my gifts and placed them under the tree. Hopefully Mom won't notice that I decided to go without bows or ribbons. If she does, she will take them and finish them off for me. She is kind of bow/ribbon crazy like that. I just don't care. I hate wrapping.

Happy Holidays!

I am finally home in Bismarck with the family, looking forward to the week and a half away from work. I can't believe how fast December has gone. I hope to get back into some sort of workout routine over the next week... weather permitting, since I am away from the gym. I look forward to using some of my R&R time to check up on all your blogs... it's been a while! That and a lot of holiday hoops!

Happy Holidays everyone!

Long Day.... with no run.

• Went to bed early last night with good intentions of getting in an early morning run.
• Was awaken by a friend a 30 minutes after falling asleep.
• Could'nt fall back to sleep for an hour plus.
• Didn't run.
• Had a long day at school.
• Student spilled my coffee.
• I had to count to 10 and back.
• Long meeting on schedule change.
  
• Went for a few drinks at 4 with music teacher and 3 PE teachers...
• had 2 beers and 2 chucks
• went with a friend to get hair cut
• went to mall during the busiest shopping week of the year....
• now home to crash for the night.
• blech.
  

P.S. Congrats to my Sis on passing her 4th and final CPA exam! You rock!

Insane in the Membrane

Geez! I think I am going insane! Why is it this time of year is full of stress, joy, little-to-none spare time, excitement, numerous meetings, stress, crazy people, etc? I have been super busy this past week and haven't been to the gym since last Wednesday. I won't be getting anything in tonight either.

Christmas parties, shopping, and extra time before and after school with meetings has consumed my mind inside and outside of work! I had a special education Christmas party last night and we were required to bring a $10 gift. Well, I have a huge Tupperware container full of candles and decorations from when I worked at Bath and body works... all unused... waiting for an occasion as the such. Well, at the last minute before leaving for work, I reached in, grabbed a candle and bag, and went about my business. It wasn't until we started to play the dice game at the party that I realized I had given a USED candle! It must have somehow ended up in that container in the move! How embarassing!

Today I forgot my lunch. Luckily our office staff had put together a lunch for all teachers and par-educators as a Christmas gift! phew!

After school I went about my business, hoping to finish off my Christmas shopping. I think I am done. Thank God! There is no fun in Christmas shopping when you leave it until the last minute... next year will definitely be better!

At least they fixed my smoke alarm yesterday! Although I think I still hear the beeping in my head....

I hope to make it to the gym in the AM for a short jaunt. We'll see.

Ugly Christmas Sweater Party

I have just returned from a wonderful weekend in the cities! Yesterday, sis and I did some very necessary Christmas shopping. I think she was more successful than I was. Before we knew it, it was time to get ready for their Ugly Christmas Sweater Party! There were only a couple that didn't wear ugly sweaters... otherwise it was a full house of ugly sweaters!

It is Blaine's Birthday tomorrow.... so Steph made him open his gift early... that way it could be used last night...... there couldn't be a better time for a family photo!

.... yes. someone brought jello shots! ..... me and my bestest friends..... ever! (pictured above ... friend since middle school; and below...my sistah!)

here was the ugliest sweater.... and most creative.....
Good times were definitely had by all!! Thanks, Steph and Blaine for a wonderful time!

Shut the Beep up!

If I live through this evening, I will be suprised. Actually, if this piece of sh*t makes it through the evening... I will be suprised. Now, I know these things are supposed to protect us from fires, but I have 3 within my 600 square foot apartment all working fine, except for this one. This one, I am assuming, is on it's way do death, sending out a high tone beep every 30 seconds. Every 30 seconds. Every. 30. Seconds.

Now this is not news to me, as this has been happening on and off for the past 2 weeks, but only lasting a short period of time. Now, I believe that this has been beeping for the past 24 hours. And with it being on my vaulted ceiling, approximately 13 feet high, I am not able to reach it... even if I stand on a stool. There is no one in the apartment building office to help me... I will just have to live with it for the evening... and try to sleep through it, for the second night in a row.

My evening will consist of cleaning, packing, and baking some goodies to take with me to the twin cities tomorrow evening. I can't wait for the weekend! My sister and her hubby are having a house warming party saturday night ... with a theme: Ugly Christmas Sweater Party! I am so pumped. We have quite a few cousins that already live in the cities and a couple of us coming from ND. I just hope for good travel weather!

If I don't post tomorrow... have a wonderful weekend a check back for great pictures on Sunday!

Recovering

Where has this week gone? I haven't even really had much time to post here or leave any comments elsewhere. My sister was bugging me to post again so she (and others) don't have to look at that wonderful piece of cake.

I haven't done anything since my mini-tri on saturday. No running. No Swimming. No cycling. Nothing. Nada. Nilch. Until today. I finally got myself to the gym. I like to assume I have been recovering. In all respect, it's not all my fault. It's been a crazy busy week already. I chose to take Sunday off, Monday was a long day at work followed by too much Christmas shopping, and yesterday evening consisted of a work dinner and 4 hours of high school basketball. Are those enough excuses?

My knees have been a little sore so my adventure on the thrillmill was quite minimal and a slow, easy 2 miles. It wasn't until I halfway through my run that I realized how sore my legs are... still. I finished off the workout with a good lift session, arms and legs. I still can't believe how tender my knees feel. Ouch.

Supposedly we have a nastly storm coming through. No, not like the one we got a couple weeks ago with 15+ inches of snow in 48 hours. This one is supposedly going to show the nasty, dirty side of mother nature in ND. Nothing but wind, wind, snow, some more wind, and maybe some more snow. Blech.

I am off to check y'alls blogs and watch a bit of the Santa Claus.... and probably some basketball.

27 Things

In an effort to write a post about my birthday, I have chosen to borrow an idea from POM. The following is a list of 27 cool things about being 27. Yes, this girl has turned 27. So, here goes...

1. A friend of mine told me that I am officially in my late 20's. I don't know if I am necessarily okay with that, but it is definitely a fact.
2. I enjoy being single and living by myself.
   
3. After ending a 4 year relationship... I don't have to listen to friends and extended family continuously ask me when I am going to get married...
4. Now I have to listen to co-workers and even people I don't know suggest people they can set me up with...
   
5. I think I finally realized I don't need to get inebriated to have fun...all the time... I think.
   
6. On a friday night, I would much rather curl up with a glass of wine and a good book, or watch a game.
7. I know what it's like to have a good nights sleep and would much rather prefer crawling into to bed at 9 than staying up until the butt crack of dawn (or after 11pm) partying.
   
8. I am settled into my career and comfortable with my job, where I am living, and what I have made of myself.
9. I have realized I am lucky to have found my passion in life... and enjoy going to work each and every day.
10. I am thinking about purchasing my own home. Thinking being the operative word.
    
11. I have goals; short-term and long-term.
12. I have done my best to accomplish my goals and have done pretty well so far.
13. I am responsible and pay off all credit cards each month.
14. I have a savings account that has usually only touched to pay off my student loan in huge chunks.
15. I am able to say no when someone wants to buy me a shot.. and I stick to my gun.
16. I know what kind of food is good for me and do my best to eat well.
    
17. I have also learned what kind of crap is bad for me and have cut that out of my diet... soda in particular.
18. When it comes to working out, I stick with it ... even if friends try to keep me out late.
19. I know my priorities.
20. It doesn't bother me when others tease me about my "obsessive" or "crazy" workout routine (involving my mini-tri and early morning workouts).
21. I am up earlier on the weekends... afraid to waste the day away in bed.
22. I have more self confidence.
23. I am still learning from my mistakes.
    
24. I make all my decisions.
25. I look for positive in every situation.
26. I am appreciative of those in my life. Both friends and family.
27. I know that life is short and I try to live it to the fullest each and every day.
    

The Mini Tri

This morning was my "mini-tri"! I felt that if I could make it through this morning, I would definitely be able to handle the one in February. Our plan was to swim for about 30 minutes, rinse off and head to Spin class (which usually last about an hour), and then hit the treadmill for a quick 30 minute run.

The Swim:
The water is still my weakness, but today was the best swim I have had in the last 5 months. It was quite consistent. My plan was to do 50M intervals with a 1/2 minute to 1 minute rest between each. About the first 10 laps were pretty slow and then kicked into gear my last 5 laps to get that blood flowing back into my legs.
Total distance: 800M in 30 minutes.

T1: This was quite long. I needed to rinse off, dress, and then get a spin card a half hour before class started to actually get myself a good bike.

The Bike (spin):
Our favorite spin instructor was back and ready to pretty much kill us! She had her coffee, we didn't. You do the math! There were a lot of sprints and a lot of hill climbs. I did a few sprints but had to remind myself to take it easy, and be consistent, otherwise I would never make it through my run. My goal was approximately 20 miles.
Total Distance: 19.83 miles in 47 minutes.

T2: After spin we had done some yoga. I was so relaxed I was almost ready to go home! I had about 12 minutes before getting on the treadmill and used the time to do some abs and push ups.

The Run:
I hate the 30 minute rule on the treadmills. The guy before me took quite a while getting off and a cleaning the treadmill. I was shorted a few minutes. I think I started to feel really tired, a little sore in my upper legs, and also had to use the bathroom, but there was no time for that! I ran, slow.... very slow.
Total Distance: 2.15 miles in 26:52.

I will admit that I had a great time with this, despite the fact that it was indoor and a little discombobulated. Next time I try this (probably in early January), I am going to do the actual distance of a sprint triathlon... in a different format: swim the distance, rinse and get on a regular bike, and then get on the treadmill for 3.1 miles.

Now, I must get myself ready for a night out. I have dinner plans with a bunch of great friends to celebrate my birthday. Then, I believe we have some other things to attend to afterwards!

Tomorrow? Rest and a birthday post.

Morning workouts

First of all.... guess who is coming to Fargo?

Yeah!



I was up this morning at 4:30am. Should have been up earlier to eat some oatmeal or something because a mile into my run at about 5:15..... I was super hungry and it was oh so distracting. This was what definitely factored into my choice to stop after 2 miles. That and giving me more time to do my strengh training because I didn't know how long it would take. Now I know that I could have run another 15 minutes. I am feeling sore all over... but a good sore. Thankfully tomorrow is a rest day before my big "mini-tri" saturday morning.

I really do enjoy the morning workouts better than the evening. I was able to leave work today and just go home. And that is what I did. With the addition of taking a 1 hour nap. I guess I was tired!

And now I am checking blogs and switching back and forth between the Nuggets game and Grey's Anatomy... Go Nuggets!

Signing off,

"Sporty Spice"

Back in the saddle again

Geeez... it was -8 when I left home tonight for the gym. Sounds like we will be getting our 3rd snowfall in less than 6 days here. Will it ever stop?

I feel like all this talk about snow has been taking over my time from exciting y'all with my superb workouts! Ha!

Last night's workout was wonderful. I was hoping to do more like 2.5 miles of running, but there just wasn't enough time before spin began. We now have a new instructor for tuesday night spin, sniff sniff. But, she is good. She also has a great selection of music... my favorite being the song playing as you are reading.... as well as Paralyzer by Finger Eleven. We didn't do as much sprinting as we usually do, but we really worked on climbing those hills and digging through tough terrain. It was awesome.

A part of me really wanted to get to the gym this morning for a couple miles so I could swim this evening.

What do YOU think I did?

Read on, my friend.

This morning the alarm went off at 4:30. Let's just say it was re-set and I went about my normal morning business. I worked until well after 4pm, came home, ate dinner, and watched a little Oprah (with a short 20 minute nap in there). I took in some local news, dressed for the thrillmill, packed my swimming bag, and hit the gym.

What did I do?

Well, I did a nice and easy 2.33 mile run... stretched... abs.... stretched... pushups.... stretched....

Then I changed for the pool. It's been well over 2 weeks, probably 3, since my last date with the pool. And boy did I miss it. Despite the fact that it has been weeks since my last swim, I felt like I picked up right where I left off. Actually, I felt stronger and more comfortable in the pool tonight. I was able to swim longer with less breaks and I think I finally found my comfortable speed. Prior to tonight, I was going out too fast and wearing myself out. Tonight I took it slow and easy and kept it all consistent. A slow 20 laps and I was done!

Tomorrow... it is my plan to get up and run in the AM before my morning meeting at the district office. I figured if I posted it here, it was more likely to happen. In addition, I will be treating myself to caribou coffee on my way to work... if I run!

Someone at work today said I look like Sporty Spice... I thought maybe she was on crack... but I guess I could go with that... she's the second one from the left (for you fools out there that don't speak spice girls)....

Peace, y'all!

Still snowing

Ahh, it is definitely winter here. I feel like a broken record and this is all I have been posting about. But, when it is beautiful ..... it is a must to post pictures.

It has snowed all day today. ALL day. I don't know when it started, but it was snowing when I woke at 5:30, and is still snowing. Except now...now it is blowing snow. The wind has picked up. This is definitely when I DO NOT like winter. The wind could kill! It is nasty! Absolutely NASTY! You really have no idea, unless you have had to (grin &) bare it!

I am sure we have gotten atleast another 7-8 inches of snow today. But, like I said, it was pretty. When I left school shortly before 4, heading downtown to the gym, they (the big orange snow plows) were starting to clear the heavier roads, leaving it almost impossible to turn onto the side streets. And then I saw this... just before getting to the gym....I know I probably shouldn't be taking pictures while driving, but I was at a stop sign. By the way, who the heck piles snow on the corner of a 4-way stop intersection? Geepers. Good thing there were no other cars!

But then, this is what I saw when I arrived at the gym... absolute beauty in the park next to the Y.
And, it was a sight to see while on the thrillmill... and the bike!

Today's Workout:
1.5 mile run
15.87 mile spin

You know you're living in ND during the winter when....

With all the questions and comments from previous posts in regards to our weather here, I thought I would put a list together of what I think it's like to live in ND....the Winter Version. Enjoy!

You know you're living in North Dakota during the winter when...

• It's the only time of year when the temperature can be -1 at 7am, 8 degrees at 5pm, 17 degrees at 9pm, and will be around 22 degrees at midnight. A sure sign that a snow fall is in the forcast.
  
• You get hyped for that first snow fall, even if it consists of 5 or more inches, but within 48 hours you have forgotten your excitement.
• You are not surprised that there is another storm projecting 5-7 inches of snow only 48 hours after the first storm of the year brought 8 inches.
• You see snowmobiles driving through the the city.
  
• You see highschool students driving snowmobiles to school (in rural communities).
• Kids wear carhartts to school rather than snow pants (mostly in rural schools).
  
• If you had to click on the link above, I know you're not from ND.
• You watch the weather, wait for the weatherman to give the current temp, only paying attention to the wind chill... it's brutal, and it's all that matters.
• The weather drops from the 70's, to the 50's to the 30's in a matter of days... you bitch that it's too cold.
  
• The weather drops from the 30's to the single digits to 30 below zero to 50 below zero with wind chill, you bitch even more and swear to anyone willing to listen that you are going to find a job in a warmer state or work from home.
• The weather jumps from below zero to all the way UP to freezing point; you are ecstatic, and wearing only a fleeze jacket. No gloves necessary.
• Temps are below zero, you start your car and let it run for 20 minutes before leaving for work.... even if it was parked in the garage all night.
• You think most cars come with block heaters and sometimes plug your car in even if it has been sitting in the garage.
• You carry in your trunk the following: your own set of jumper cables (extra long cords), a small shovel (just in case you get stuck), a huge blanket or sleeping bag, and a tin can consisting of winter survival things --- candles, matches, chewing gum, chocolate candy bars -- only to find most of it deformed from the summer heat.
  
• If you own a truck, you also carry extra sturdy tow ropes and a couple bags of sand in the bed -- to keep you from swerving too much on the ice.
  
• You look forward to wearing long johns, snow pants, long sleeved shirts, sweat shirt, winter coat, scarf, mittens, gloves over mittens, two pairs of wool socks, and a winter hat with ear muffs.... all at once, just so you can go ice skating at an outdoor rink...or sledding in a neighborhood park.
• You look forward to coming home and thawing your entire body in front of a fireplace with hot chocolate, or apple cider (or Tom and Jerry) in hand.
  
• You have to remove the lawnmower blade from your riding John Deere and replace it with a rotating snow plow.... hopefully before that first snow storm hits. Hoping it won't be too much misery.
  
• Some men look forward to that first snow storm, just so they can hook up their snow plow to their Chevy, Ford, or Dodge... and go around looking for people they can help get out of a messy situation.
• You've seen the Northern Lights and Sun Dogs multiple times.
• Even though there is compacted ice from previous snow storms, covered by 7-10 inches of fresh snow that hasn't been plowed.... there is only a 10% chance school will be canceled if you live in the city.... but a 95% chance school will be canceled if you live in a rural community and 90% of the students take a bus to school.
• You think you can drink away the cold temperatures and bitter wind chill with heavily concentrated whisky-sevens, the diesel, or even strong Tom and Jerry's.
  
• Even though the weather calls for a predicted 2 feet of snow, 50 mph winds with -60 wind chill, the highway is full of cars traveling to Bismarck, Fargo, or Grand Forks to shop or attend a state basketball tournament.

Cheers, to a happy and exciting winter ahead of us (me)! Isn't North Dakota beautiful?

Weekend Recap & Wild Hair Up the Butt

I am my own worst enemy. If I don't make myself do anything, I won't. This weekend was a prime example, but I had the weather to blame, right? We were warned of the snow storm coming our way friday, and sure enough... it showed up saturday morning! This is what I woke up to......The snow was coming down steady and despite how chilly it was, it was beautiful. I went to the gym before the weather got worse, you would be suprised how many idiots don't know how to drive in this crap. Well, a mile and a half into the run I stopped to walk and felt nauseous. So nauseous that I thought I was going to puke right then and there. Very weird. but I pushed through it and did 3 miles. I had to call it quits. I just didn't have 7 miles in me. I was hoping to be ready fro the 8 miles on the 8th, but I think that went down the crapper. Instead, my favorite spin instructor is subbing saturday, and a friend of mine suggested doing a mini-tri. So, I think we will attempt that. I will swim for 30 minutes in prior to spin, spin for 45 minutes, and then hit the treadmill for 30 minutes. I will see how that goes and determine whether or not I have it in me for the Tri-U-Mah in February.

After my run I headed to Target to get my christmas tree and some decorations. I spent the rest of the day watching movies that were on tv, my Tarheels beat Kentucky, and then I joined some people for dinner at the Olive Garden. And, ooh, it was so good!

This morning the snow had been cleared of the parking lots and pushed to the sides of the streets. It snowed ALL day long yesterday into the late evening. The weatherman estimated around 7-9 inches, as it was still snowing at 1opm last night and they were unsure. After the Vikings game, I got a wild hair up my butt. Shocking, I know. I put on the layers, and lots of them, and headed out to venture through the neighborhood. The temperature was a balming 6 degrees but I guess it felt like -7, according to weather.com. Thankfully, there was really no wind or breeze. Here's what ND and 7+ inches of snow looks like the day after....

kids playing on a fresh snow pile in the park


christmas trees for sale

This evening, I finally finished putting away all of my fall decorations, and pulled out most of my christmas decorations and candles (remember I used to work at Bath and Body Works). I will enjoy the rest of the evening watching the movie Elf, reading my new Runners World magazine, and enjoying the smell of frosted cranberry.

'Tis the season!

Yesterday, today, tomorrow, and then some

Yesterday - Despite how upset I was from my appointment from voc rehab, and then not having a couple necessities for a run at the gym last night, I did enjoy my evening and was asleep before 9pm. Ahhhhh....such goody goodness.

Today - Seriously, the kids were crazy insane today! I was telling our ED teacher that there is a full moon coming up or a storm en route. Sure enough... we are currently under a winter storm warning for the next 24+ hours. Possibly 3-4 inches of white fluffy stuff. I went to spin and it was my first in two weeks. Today was also the last night our spin instructor was teaching. I guess taking night classes to work towards her masters was more important! Can't wait to hear when she subs for other instructors on saturdays/sundays! Good luck to her! Tonight... I am off to watch the great KG and the Celtics.. ... because the T-wolves are sucking it up... big time.

Tomorrow - Early morning meeting that I am NOT looking forward to. Then, dinner after school with a couple friends, a basketball game, and then home to bed early. I am staying away from the gym to finish fighting off this cold. I will use my free time to mentally prepare myself for my 7-miler on saturday morning....as I will need it to make up for the lack in physical preparedness. I am still "planning" on doing the "8 miles on the 8th" dealio. Hmmm. Fun times for sure on the thrillmill... as I am sure it will be below freezing and then some with windchill that morning. If you think you have ran in cold weather, try fighting the Great Wind of the Red River Valley in ND.... purely discusting.

then some - I am really not feelin' this tri-training-stuff. I am going to keep doing what I am doing and see how things go. I just think an outdoor triathlon in the summer sounds much more enjoyable and worthwhile. Good news... a girl friend of mine is supposed to be coming to visit this saturday! I can't wait to see her! .....plus.... A friend of mine (from grad school who now lives in MT), called last night and he gave me the dates for a few of us to roadtrip out there for our ski trip this winter! I can't wait. I am looking forward to using part of my week and 1/2 vacation from school to do the slopes in beautiful MT! Don't worry... you know me... there will be lots of pics!

snapshot from Whitefish, MT... February 2006

I am out!! Y'all have a wonderful weekend!

Take care, stay warm, and most importantly... live life!

Tomorrow is another day....

I left work a half hour early today to get to my meeting with a counselor from voc rehab. The purpose was to see how much money and services I could get for hearing aids... The result? Nada. Nilch. None. Absolutely NO money. Turns out that being a teacher in the state of north dakota... I make to much damn money. It's complete crap. From here.. I don't know what will happen.

From there, I went to the gym, hoping to run off some aggrevation. Got there. attempted to change (clothes were packed from monday night for spin and running yesterday that didn't happen), went to grab my sports bra... not there. Crap. Looking for socks. None. Double crap. By now I am just fuming and on the verge of tears. If it were nice (above freezing and minimal wind), I would have headed home, changed, and went out for a run. But no, according to the weather channel, it is 12 degrees but feels like -4 due to the nasty wind. Hell no.
View from apartment... some snow on ground from monday night's blow in... something coming in from the west... and weatherman says the it will get as cold as -26 with the wind ... damn.

I am staying home tonight.... and re-packing my bag for spin and running tomorrow night. This definitely calls for a small Tom and Jerry.....

Feelin' a little under the weather...

Before getting to the point of this post, I am still looking for input or comments in regards to the Danskin Triathlons from my post on monday...

Last night after returning home from my not-so-desireable 3 mile run, I ate dinner, sat down to relax and all of a sudden the right sight of my throat was killing me. All I thought about was nicking this thing, whatever it is, in the butt before it took over me. So I took my dose of airborne, and went to bed early.

This morning I started the day with a glass of airborne and then another large glass of water. To be honest, I felt like all I did today was drink water and airborne. Poohy. Between the slight head pains that increased and decreased in intensity throughout the morning and early afternoon, and the feeling of running a fever (either that or having hot flashes)... I made the executive decision to chill tonight (no pun intended). I am starting to feel like a damn water buffalo from all the water, and hope to head to bed soon. No spin/running for me tonight. Grr.

Wishful thinking consists of me waking tomorrow feeling 20 times better...and getting to the gym... to do something.

It's definitely coming

I thought I would post the picture above... just for my home-girl, Marcy. That was taken about a week ago, in the AM as I was going through the drive through at my fav coffee shop. It was definitely prettier in person when you had the 360 view of the sky and all it's colors!

Winter is definitely just around the corner. Mrs. Alberta Clipper is supposed to be dropping off a present for us all... possibly 1-2 inches of accumulated precipation that is a 4-letter-word. Leaving behind windy weather and slippery roads. ... And wind chill below ZERO!?!?! Dang....it is inevitable. There is nothing I can do. Blech. All I want to do is curl up with a book and a hot Tom and Jerry...

With all said, it was tough to get my mindset back in training mode. And while we're on the talk of "training"... where was it that I said I was doing this tri-thingy for sure? I am trying to train, and then will decide after the Christmas break if this is something that I want to do. I don't want to through $50 into this if I am not "feelin" it. I would rather put the money towards a Danskin Race later on in the year. Which reminds me... they have finally posted the dates of all the Danskin races... any one out there planning on doing one?? Or does anyone have an idea as to which one would be awesome to participate in????

Today's workout:
3 mile run
abs

Conversation with my endorphine craving conscious

What has your training looked like in the past week?

5K turkey trot... that's about it.

Any swimming or biking?

Nope.... look at my week 5 training if you don't believe me!

Damn, Stacy! Time to get back into training mode.... serious training mode. If you can't handle training over a long weekend away from home, how the heck are you going to do it when you have over a week off for Christmas break?

Good question.

Ughh.. Get your ars in gear or you won't ever be able to complete your first triathlon!

Bring it!

5K Turkey Trot

Well, I did it!

Done and done.

The weather was cold, only about 15 degrees. But it was snowing and the road was hard and a bit slippery at times! But, on the flipside.... there wasn't any wind. Which is a good thing!

The organization of the race start and finish was a complete mess. I didn't start my watch until I got to the start line... and the finish line was jamned with runners. Just crazy.

Overall, I beat my time from last year by 4 seconds.....and I think I might have enjoyed it!

Happy Thanksgiving y'all!

Because I can

This morning when I woke up... 17 degrees.

This afternoon.... 24 degrees.

Currently... 19 degrees.

Tomorrow morning when I am supposedly running this 5k Turkey Trot.... expected 15 degrees.

Definitely going to be colder than last year's race....

How tempting it would be to sleep-in and wake to the wonderful smells of a warm Thanksgiving...

But I don't think that is an option... this may very well be my last race of 2007.... I am gonna do it... and I am gonna do it with a smile...

Why?

Because I can!

Snow globes are pretty....

.... living in one is even prettier!

I woke up this morning wanting to do my 5.5 mile memory run for Ryan Shay outdoors (the one I was supposed to do yesterday but wasn't able due to overcoming a leetle hang-over and crampy legs). Yesterday the weather man said it was going to be in the mid-forties. I knew it would be chilly, but not too bad.

When I checked the weather channel this morning, it was 32 degrees, which isn't terribly cold, but it is when you add 15-20 mph wind gusts. Then it feels as if it is only 15-20 degrees outside! So I knew I would be heading to the gym.... to my favorite thrillmill.

While on running, I noticed that it began to snow! not just little while flecks of snow that are barely visible, but the big chunky fluffy one's that disappear when they touch the ground. It was beautiful. I tried taking a pic, but with the wind, the snow moves to fast and it doesn't look pretty in the picture.

This past week of training wasn't too successful, but it was better than nothing. this coming week won't be that great either. I will be at home in Bismarck from Tuesday night until Sunday. That kind of takes away from my spin sessions and swimming. But, I do have a race thursday! As much as I would like to focus on beating my PR again, I would love to be able to just enjoy it and have nice weather. This time of year you never know what you're going to get!

Welcome to MY World....in pictures

Following Marcy, Lisa, and Jess... I thought I would give you an insight into my daily routine.... Okay so everyday doesn't look like this, but it can be quite similar... long and full of ... well, everything!

Rise and SHINE!!! It's 4:30... just enough time to dress, potty, drink some water, do some push ups and head for the gym..... at.......
3.1 miles on the thrillmill and I am home, hot, sweaty and barely had the chance to cool down....
Not too long later, around 7ish, and I am off to work...

...great tunes in the car, coffee in one hand (thanks to my wonderful Caribou Giftcard from the PTA), and a multi-grain bagel in the bag for breakfast...
Here is my so-called "office". Very lovely, huh?


Here is my ... well, ... classroom. My two tables, where I attempt to juggle 3-5 students at a time... for 45 minute chunks... After a day of teaching, I had two IEP's between an afternoon/evening of conferences, a no-show for my last IEP... and then I was home... at 8pm... do I look happy?
... just in time for grey's anatomy in some sweaties with a bag of single-serving popcorn on the side! I am sure I will be down for the count by 9:30!

Tomorrow is going to be another rest day ... and Jeans day with Alma Mater sweatshirts! Got to continue the Friday-payday-tradition... aps and taps after school!

Saturday I will be running 5.5 miles in memory of Ryan Shay. I can't wait!

Have a great weekend, y'all!

Lookin' at the upside...

I was supposed to run 3 miles today and do some strength training. It just didn't happen. I wanted to do it this morning before work, but for some reason when the alarm went off at 4:30 I just didn't have it in me.....

Part of me is pissed I didn't do it this morning. Part of me is pissed that I didn't do it tonight. Part of me is really pissed, because now I will be making it up tomorrow... at 5am. 3 hours before my day starts.... a day that consists of teaching all day, parent/teacher conferences and 3 IEP's squeezed in there somewhere .... a day that won't end until 8pm!

Geez.

Yuck.

On the upside?!??!?! This chica is pumped!! Pumped for the start of UNC's basketball season! Therefore, my friends, I will be stalking y'alls blogs and watching my Tarheels!

I guess I am not too pissed at myself after all!
UPDATE: Tarheels 1-0, beating Davidson 72 to 68! That was not the prettiest game, either.

5 Things

I read Jess' post today and she tagged whoever was interested in joining. So, I thought since I hadn't been tagged yet, I would give it a whirl. Instead of sticking with things that have to do with the number 5, I am going to list 5 positives from today!

1. My big boss complimented me on a very difficult meeting we had today... a meeting no special education teacher would want to have, ever.
2. I crossed off 3 things on my "to-do" list.
3. It was red, white, and blue day along with jeans day today.... celebrating Veteran's day and Teacher Appreciation Week.
4. I received a $5 giftcard to Caribou from the school PTA ... in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week.
5. I topped off the day with a great spin session!!

Boring I know, but I didn't have much of anything else to post!

Today's Workout:
16.87 mile spin

Letter to Self

Dear self,

I don't know what it is I am doing wrong, but in every attempt to lose weight even if it is only a pound a week.... I have failed. This past week I rode almost 25 miles on the bike, swam 600M, and ran almost 16 miles. I have ate healthy and watched my portions. I have limited my intake of sweets. I have stopped eating 2 hours before going to bed and made sure I have consumed a healthy breakfast each and every morning. What else am I to do? Hmmm?

Totally upset,

Teacherwoman

P.S. I am sure it won't help that I am making a "heavy" german dinner tonight for friends...will it?

Moment of Truth Monday:
Last monday's weight: 150.8
Today's weight: 149.6

Today's Workout:
900M Swim

Congrats, Good Luck, and Thanks

Sunday, November 11

Congratulations to my parents
on their 29th Anniversary today!
29 years... and three wonderful girls. Hehehe.

Good luck to Mom and Dad
on there Big Sur Half Marathon in California this morning!!
(What a way to spend an Anniversary!)

Thanks to all those Veterans out there....
and especially one in particular....
close to us at home.
We appreciate all you've done.
Pictured Left to Right: me, Susan (sister), Blaine (now brother-in-law), and Steph (sister)....the night of Blaine's return from Iraq in April of 2004...

In Honor of all Veterans

They come from all corners of America,
sons and daughters of factory workers,
truck drivers, housewives, professionals and farmers.

Veterans are of different age, race, sex, color and creed.
Some are short or tall, others thin or stout,
but all are willing to sacrifice their life
to protect our country, fellow citizens and world freedom.

They join the military, some with no training,
hoping that they can in some way make a difference.
Little do they know that each individual’s sacrifice
makes a distinct impact in the preservation
of what our forefathers fought for.

A veteran is one who cries when his fellow soldier dies,
but continues on with the mission assignment.
They heal the wounded … some bury the dead.
There are those who plan the missions
and others who seek out the enemy.

Some must transport them to battle, along with those
who provide support and cover in their journey.
There are Commanders, who must give orders for war,
and Chaplains who pray for them all.

The veteran returns from battle, some injured,
others mentally scarred for life.
All are very humble, matured and not willing to share
the death and destruction they may have witnessed,
there is no need to cause others despair.

Deep inside their hearts the Veteran know
their goal of sacrifice,
was to serve their country proudly and
help bring peace for all that will follow.


W. Robb Robichaud
Vietnam Veteran
November 11, 2002

Straight from the mouths of the little ones...

Despite all the chaos of the weeks' events..... IEP meetings, trying to find the bottom of my desk, and trying to give my students the impression I have my head screwed on tight, this week has gone by real fast.

I thought I would share a few comments from my world.... from my students.

Coming from a fourth grade student after giving me a hug.... "You smell like my Mom," she says. ...... "Does your Mom smell good?" I asked.... "Yep," she says. I sort of felt relieved after this. I had to remind myself that I was wearing Very Sexy from Victoria Secrets.

In a discussion about arm hair (don't know how we got there)... a fourth grade boy says to me ... "It looks like your going through puberty." Interesting how he relates my hairy female arms to puberty. I wanted to tell him that I knew another female with hairier arms than me!

When wearing a long, shiny necklace yesterday, one of my first graders asked to see it. So I took it from my neck and handed it to him... He was playing with it and says "My Grandma would love to meet you!" ... I responded with "oh really?" ... and he says, "you should buy her one of these!". .... "are you going to buy her one of these and give it to her when you meet her at conferences?" .... "Um, probably not. She will have to buy one for herself." ... okay kid.

When working on homonyms with students, another teacher was discussing the difference between steak and stake. One of the girls said she knew of another kind of "stake/steak"... ... The teacher thinking "oh really?"... The student shared that there is the "stake" when you mess up on your work. You know... mis-stake! Except she doesn't call it mistake... she says "stake". too cute.

Kids are great. Very unpredictable!

Tomorrow I plan to spend some time in the pool... nothing fast... just taking my time to really work on my technique. From there I will be heading to work. Most likely I will spend the entire day there to get caught up. Did I mention I need to find the bottom of my desk? Complete 2 IEPs? Edit an Integrated Written Assessment Report? Write of a Positive Behavior Intervention Plan and create a daily Point System sheet? Finish Progress Reports? Make copies? Do some laminating? Update progress monitoring Graphs? Organized Binders? Correct assignments and update grade book? Work on file-folder language and math games? Yeah, I think I have a few things to do tomorrow.

I will definitely be ready for a drink tomorrow evening!

Yesterday's Brick:
24.45 mile spin (longest bike ever)
2 mile run

Today's Workout:
2.65 mile run

What's in your gym bag?

Somedays I feel like I spend more time getting ready for the next day's workout, taking stuff out of my gym bag, putting in into another, adding stuff to the gym bag....etc. So, in the process of putting together my gym bag for today, I was wondering if anyone else feels as if they are constanting filling and emptying their gym bag... So after work, I have a scheduled spin session with a short run afterwards.... and then to a friends for grey's anatomy night. Here's what's in my gym bag today....

• heart rate monitor and watch
• ipod
• two pairs of socks
• underwear
• three pairs of shoes ( 1 for cycling, 1 for running, and then tennis shoes for afterwards)
• tank top
• sports bra
• shorts
• a pair of jeans
• a long sleeved shirt
• shampoo and conditioner
• shower gel
• towel
  
• mousse
• headbands, bobby pins, and ponytails (can never have too many)
• lock for locker
• two packs of sports beans
• water bottle
  
• gatorade

What's in your gym bag?

Set in stone or written in sand?

Today's scheduled "longer" run didn't go as I would have liked. In fact, I cut it short by about a mile. My legs muscles were stiff from top to bottom. They weren't sore, just felt tight. I know I probably didn't hydrate myself in the past two days as much as I usually do. On top of the stiff muscles, my right knee just wasn't having it. It was tired. I was tired. I don't think my body is used to running 3 days in a row. .. ... with a swim thrown in there.

I have to remind myself that my "training" isn't set in stone. I chose to do 16 weeks of training for a reason.... to take the time I needed to build my training and make sure this triathlon is possible. Therefore, it is written in sand. Change is inevitable. I have mentioned my thoughts on changing around my swim sessions, and after tonight's run, I think I need to take into consideration what I am capable of doing or pushing myself to do in a weeks span. I have the time, and I am going to take it.

Thanks for all the advice... much appreciated.

Today's Workout:
3.35 mile run
strength training
abs
picture found on Google Images

pondering the possibilities

Monday night swims. I don't know if I am feelin' it. Yet.

• You see, it's just soo late.
  
• I have a hard time eating before I swim, and I don't like the idea of eating at 9 when I get home. ... only to go to bed in less than an hour later.
• I have been pairing it with a run before-hand, and I am afraid the run is taking most of my energy away from the swim.
• and to be honest, I like to be able to come home in the evening and just chill for a few hours.
  

I think it is possible to switch my swim the morning. That is only 1 day a week, possibly twice down the road. And, if I still want to run that day, I can do that in the afternoon after work... causing me to switch gears and think about 2-a-days. I am more of a morning person anyway. I would just have to adjust my mindset a bit. I know if I want it, and it is required as part of my training, it will happen.

Now for those of you who have commented on my post from yesterday... "In Heaven There Is No Beer".... It is a song/cheer we sing after the Sioux make a goal. It goes something like this....

In Heaven there is no beer.... (no beer!)
that's why we drink it here... (right here)
and when were gone from here...
our friends will be drinking all our beer!

Today's workout:
2.25 mile run
600M swim

Moment of Truth Monday

Well. I posted my weight last thursday, so I didn't expect much change from then to today. Especially with a weekend of eating out and beer drinking.

Last thursday's weight: 150
Today's weight: 150.8

Not too shabby for all the crap consumed this weekend. Hopefully this will go down over the next week!

In Heaven there is no beer...

The weekend with the family in the Greater Grand Forks was wonderful! Friday night we vegged and watched the Sioux kicks some butts on the ice. Saturday Dad and I hit up some almost-too-good football. UND beat St. Cloud 59-14. We are now ranked 8-1. It will be interesting to see how we are once we get into D-1 next year! Later that evening we all were ready to watch some more butt-kickin' .... live. Unfortunately, that wasn't what happened. We got our butts kicked. We lost... 1-4. It was rediculous.Overall, it was a fun and relaxing couple of days.

My Mom and I were discussing how this is the best time of year for running outside but it is the shortest season. You don't have to worry about the intense weather of the summer that can involve sunburns, being overheated, humidity, bugs.....and you don't have to worry about the other extreme ....winter; slipping on any ice patches and going back and forth between outfits, trying to determine whether your going to wear just 2 layers or 3 layers.

Today was perfect. Some might disagree with me.

I went out for my run around 12pm. The temps were in the high 30's with light sprinkles on and off. There was dense overcasting that gave the impression of other sorts of precipitation not too far away. It is November. Our precipitation can switch from rain to s*** anytime now. I would like to enjoy what we have (or don't have), while it's here. Even though I thought it was nice, I did have to turn the heat on in my apartment for the first time this fall. That's definitely a sign that weather is changing!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Today's Workout:
3.25 mile run (outdoors)