Three Things Thursday

1. With a storm day Monday and taking a sick day Tuesday, I only have to work 2 days this week - yesterday and today. After my last block with students today, I am heading home to Bismarck for the weekend. I have a CEC (Council for Exceptional Children) Conference that starts tonight, all day tomorrow, and 6 hours on Saturday. It's going to be a long couple of days, but will be a nice break from work, I think. An addition, I earn credit for this.
2. I got home from work early enough yesterday to catch Oprah. This doesn't happen that often. Micheal Pollan was on there talking about mass production and clean eating and such. After watching a half hour of that, I am SERIOUSLY thinking about really changing my diet. I was disgusted by some of the things I learned....but I think that's all for another post... Alicia Silverstone was also on there plugging her book, The Kind Diet. I might look into reading that one.
3. Asside from weather, work, and working out.. I would really like to make some updates to this blog. I love the idea of adding tabs but have no idea what I am doing. Can any one lead me in the right direction?

Life Passions

While reading Dear John by Nicholas Sparks last night, one of the characters talked about passion and it made me think a bit. Here's the quote:

"Passion and satisfaction go hand in hand, and without them, any happiness is only temproary, because there's nothing to make it last."

I couldn't agree more.

Then I thought about my passions in life and here's a few that I came up with:

• working with students - helping them succeed and feel confident to take risks in their learning; helping them smile and laugh.
• living healthy
• training to accomplish some sort of goal

What's your passion(s)?

Clarification & Television Shows

I have to clarify my chose of words for yesterday's post. It was not just a "snow day" but more of a blizzard or storm day. Agreeing with what Leana said about Calgary - if we were to get out of school every time it snowed, we would have more days off then on between the months of October and April!



Here's what led up to this wonderful storm day, using the word wonderful lightly:

• Friday night we got about a 1/2 inch of rain. It was surreal to be driving home from the bar at 9pm in downpour, on January 22. weird.
• Saturday the rain from the night before and new fallen snow mixture left roads very slushy.
• Sunday evening the temps were cold enough to start freezing that slushy crap and the winds started picking up - throwing around a bit of new fallen snow.
• Monday morning the temps had really dropped and the slushy crap was frozen and covered by snow. The wind was pretty nasty - gusting to 50mph. I guess visability was so bad that when sitting at a red light you couldn't see the car on the other side of the intersection unless their lights were on.

And this morning, school and buses are running 2 hours late for some reason that I haven't figured out yet. But, I decided to use a sick day today to get one more day of rest in before heading back to work. This Strep Throat business totally knocked me off my feet but I am feeling so much better.

Anyone following The Biggest Loser? I am looking forward to seeing the drama tonight. That girl from the red team is totally rubbing me the wrong way and I can't wait to see her get the boot, in addition to a mouthful from Jillian. Buwahahaha!

How about American Idol? I love that show but it conflicts with the BL. I am thinking I need to really contact my cable company and get my HD rollin' as well as my DVR machine! I have had this tv for almost 2 months but haven't taken care of that... trying to save a bit of money..

What kind of tv shows do you watch? I like to catch the above shows when I can, in addition to 24, Private Practice, and Grey's Anatomy when possible. Other than these shows, I usually have some sort of game on which I am sure many of you readers out there already know.

Make sure to check out Marlene's Lift Your Sole Giveaway today over at Mission to a(nother) marathon!

10 Things That Make Me Happy...About Snow Days

School was cancelled today due to the weather. I was surprised to see it called off so early, but supposed the rain that came friday night combined with the slushy-snow that came Saturday, froze laste night and is now being covered with snow, making driving "treacherous".

So, with that in mind, I am going to list 10 things that make me happy about snow days:

1. I didn't have to use a "sick day" - for those of you who didn't catch my post yesterday, I have Strep Throat.

2. Catching up on tv I usually don't get to watch, especially the Today Show, and maybe Oprah.

3. Reading - I have at least 12 books on my shelf that I haven't read yet.

4. Movie watching

5. Cuddled up on the couch in my pj's all day.

6. Access to good homemade coffee.

7. Baking goodies

8. Watching the snow fall

9. Catching up on FB and the Blogworld

10. And last, but not least important, naps naps naps.

sicker than a dog

I swear I have been sick more this school year than ever. I think I had a cold/sinus thing going on this fall, due to my allergies. The first week of November I got struck by a nasty 48 hour flu bug (and I am thankful it only lasted that long), and now, this?

Friday afternoon, I noticed slight pain, more of a discomfort than pain, when I swallowed. I met up with some friends for beverages and was home shortly after 9pm. I woke at 1am and was in excruciating pain, popped a few ibuprofens and went back to bed. I slept most of Saturday, but had that same pain, aches, and what I was to find out later - a fever.

A friend took me into the walk-in clinic Saturday evening and sure enough, Strep Throat. I have never had this before. And boy was I in pain. I think my neck and lower back hurt twice as much as my throat. A co-worker of mine had Strep last week and compared her aches to pregnancy. I told my friend last night that I wasn't going to have babies if that's what it was going to feel like.

Turned out I had a 102.1 fever. My usual body temp is below normal, so this freaked me out a bit.

I got me some drugs and was suprised to see I was able to sleep from 8pm until 530 this morning. I was only awake for about 5 hours between 10pm Friday and 530am this morning.

I had so much planned for this weekend: cleaning the house, the slushy snow needs to be removed from the driveway, watching the Vikings game with friends, and now here I lie at 630am on Sunday having done absolutely nothing in the past 36 hours. And, I will be watching the game alone. hhmmph.

Oh well. Hopefully I will be ready for work tomorrow...

Award

Beautiful Blogger Award!

I want to thank Staci for the lovely award! I love reading her blog and we have some wonderful things in common - our name and that we're both teachers! According to the rules, I need to post 7 random things about myself and pass the award onto 7 other people. I have many new readers in addition to my wonderful followerd for the past couple of years, so I will try my best not to list too many things some of you already know about me... Let's do this!

1. I have never broken a bone or sprained anything, but I am pretty good at burning or cutting myself, some way... some how. Yesterday, I pulled a typical Stacy move... curling my hard, set the iron down, it spun around and faced me, I reached for it again without looking, and completely wrapped my entired hand around the hot end of the iron... It hurt so bad! Just two days ago I burned my forehead while curling my hair, too.


2. I never played sports in middle and high school. I was too introverted/shy. Instead, I was a music geek, taking 11 years of piano lessons and participating in band. I took the piano pretty serious, but the band - probably not as much. And yes, I went to band came, once, when I was 13. Can you guess which instrument I played?


3. I am 29 and single; trying to love every minute of it! Any single-tall-dark-handsome-active men out there reading? hehehe.


4. I am taking a class this semester, working towards my ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) credential. This class is online and I think I am really going to love the idea of learning from the comfort of my own couch!


5. I want to go backpacking in Europe. Anyone wanna join me? I have never traveled abroad but and thinking about going on a Contiki Tour...someday.


6. I am getting back into painting; something I really love to do and haven't done much of it in the past 10 years. The painting I am working on is a "welcome home" gift for my brother-in-law and even though I don't think he reads my blog, I am not going to post a picture of it. But, I promise I will share it after I give it to him.


7. I am kind of a bandwagon fan when it comes to NBA basketball... what can I say, I have a few favorite players that I love to follow. But I am true to my NC Tar Heels. And no, I did not go to school there... just been a fan since I was a kid.

Onto tagging 7 other people... There are so many people to choose from, but I guess I got to narrow it down to 7. Don't hold a grudge against me if I didn't choose you!

1. Jess from Run Girl Run


2. Ashley from Journey to a Better Me


3. J over at Morning Runner


4. Kelsalynn from KelsalynnFitBlo


5. Kelly over at She Wears a Red Sox Cap


6. Danielle at From 5K to Marathon


7. Shannon from LessonstoLearn
   

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Crossing my fingers that I don't get stuck inside my house all weekend due to the blizzard we are supposed to get!

Three Things Thursday

1. Yesterday I did my first 2-a-day in a while, and I must say, it felt invigorating! Prior to heading off to work, I did another bike-run Brick workout - 12 miles on the bike and 1.5 miles on the treadmill. I really like "practicing" these run-offs and I like to focus on more speed during this run since it's definitely a shorter distance than most of my regular runs. After work, I scurried off to the gym to get in an hour of BodyPump. Oh, how I love thee! I am starting to feel stronger in my arms/shoulders/back and think I am starting to see some changes!


2. It looks like us NoDak's are prepping for another big storm. I guess it has been almost a month since our last blizzard. I am not willing to get too worked up about it, yet, but it sounds like the southern Red River Valley area might get up to a foot of snow - with an increase in blowing winds throughout the weekend. yay. I am sure the grocery store is going to be packed tomorrow, which totally cracks me up and annoys me at the same time. I just hope I can still get to the gym Saturday/Sunday! That's all I am worried about!


3. I, among many other friends and especially family, are super ecstatic for the return of our favorite soldier - my brother-in-law! His Unit flew into the US this past Sunday and he hopes to be home with my sister and their dog by this Sunday! I can't believe it has been almost a year since he left for his 2nd tour in Iraq. We are so happy to have him back on American soil and are very proud of all that he has done and sacrificed... him and my sister. Superbowl weekend we will be celebrating his homecoming with friends and family and we can only hope to see the Vikings in the Superbowl to tip off an already extra spectacular weekend!

Monday Monday

Yesterday, I left the cities as soon as the Vikings were done spanking the Cowboys rears and made it home in time to throw my bags in my room, change into my workout clothes, and head to the gym.


Usually, after a 3.5 hour drive home from a weekend in the cities I have no energy, or should I say desire, to do any sort of workout. However, since I knew I was taking a REST day today I had to do something.


I had 1 hour and I needed to use it wisely.


With that one hour, I got a hard, fast ride on the bike - 16. 2 miles, and then did some sprints on the treadmill - 1 mile total. It's been a long time since I did a "run-off" the bike and my legs were definitely not used to it, but it only took a minute to get into my stride. I felt great and got home just in time to catch the season premier of 24!



I think I might like the idea of taking a REST day on Monday. I didn't set my alarm for the butt crack of dawn this morning, only to roll over and reset it for an hour later, and I feel quite rested and ready to go for the week. No guilt here!

Happy Monday, y'all!

Weekend in MPLS and the week to come...

This weekend went by super fast, but was fun and relaxing. I left work a half hour early Friday to get on the roads. With a 3.5 hour drive from Fargo to the Twin Cities, I wanted to get as much of it done before the sun set and the temps dropped, and avoiding the chance slippery roads.

Friday night was pretty low key with drinks, conversation, and games at a friend's house. Saturday night we were celebrating a friend's birthday and started the night out with dinner at PF Chang's. Did you know they have the bet chocolate cake dessert there that you can get in a 2 oz. shot glass? Perfect size for an after dinner sweet tooth!

After that, we headed to Downtown MPLS for some fun! We actually had a nice booth/dance area blocked off for us at the bar with "bottle service". With our bottle service we paid for the bottles of liquor (Absolut Citron, Grey Goose, Captain Morgan, and Maker's Mark Whiskey) and they gave us all the mixings we wanted, and we made our own drinks! Can you guess what I drank?

Me... sis.. and birthday girl...

The evening was a lot of fun!

Anyway....

This past week's workouts were good, but not at all like the schedule I had planned or in the order I would have liked. Oh well, at least I was still movin'. fI still didn't get to the pool at all this past week.

A few days ago I posted a workout schedule that I would like to try, but I find myself tweaking it already for this coming week due to some other evening commitments. So, here's the plan for this week:

Monday:
REST -
Pilates - 60 min

Tuesday:

(AM) Run - 3 mi

(PM) Yoga

Wednesday:

(AM) Bike

Thursday:

(AM) Swim

(PM) Run - 3 mi

Yoga

Friday:
(AM) Bike

(PM) BodyPump

Saturday:
Swim (Long)

Sunday:
Long Run

I usually like to do my long runs on Saturday, but I had to shift BP to Friday and didn't want to do that the day after. And, I am going to start my week off with REST day. It kind of feels like cheating, like I haven't earned that rest day yet, but with how hard it is for me to get up in the morning to workout on Monday's (and the fact that I have a hair appointment in the evening) this was my best option! Who knows, I might really like this schedule!

Anything crazy/fun/exciting in your schedule this week? Tomorrow the kiddos don't have school but we have a staff development day. In fact, I am helping in facilatating the morning session... ahh the joys. Also, I am getting a long-over-due haircut and color tomorrow evening. I am finding more and more gray hairs and not liking it at all! yuck.

Three Things Thursday

1. Once again, I am heading out this weekend for the Minneapolis area. For those of you new to this blog (which there are quite a few of you, thank you!), my sister, Steph, lives in the twin cities area and I frequently venture out that direction, especially since her hubby was deployed to Iraq last February.... Anyway, this will be my second trip to the cities in 2 weeks, and I plan to head back again in 3 weeks. But the purpose of that trip is for another post, my friend. Plans for this weekend? A mutual friend of ours is celebrating her birthday. As for Sunday, Steph and I plan to watch the Vikings game together before I get on the road. Them Cowboys are going down!
2. This AM workout girl hasn't been working out in the AM....much...at....all. Usually I would prefer to workout in the morning with a "get it over with" attitude and a reward of free evenings to do other things, but I have been struggling so much to get in an early morning workout (aka wake-up at 430am to get to the gym at 5) and have only done so once in the past week and a half. I used to swim almost every tues/thurs morning and run and/or bike a couple times a week in the morning. What's my deal? I need a swift kick in the ars... for sure.
3. Can I just say that I really enjoy my students?! I have worked with most of them since the beginning of last year, and some from the year before, and have become quite attached. Only a handful of months left and I will be sending them off to middle school. *sniff, sniff* I am trying so hard to get them ready for middle school, and if any of you are special education teachers out there, you know that there's a big difference between elementary and middle school special education support....

Fitting it in... with flexibility

If there is anything I have learned with this multisport I have grown to love, it's to be flexible. Thanks to all your comments and suggestions to my post yesterday, in addition to me pounding my head against my laptop all day, I think I figured out a tenative schedule. (subject to change)

Monday:
(AM) Short run
(PM) BodyPump class

Tuesday:
(AM) Long Swim

Wednesday:
Run (possible Speedwork)

Thursday:
Long Bike

Friday:
REST -
or Pilates/Yoga

Saturday:
Long Run

Sunday:
BRICK: short swim/short bike

Throw in a couple 30 minute yoga sessions here and there, as well as my TriPower routine and I am golden!



I want to make note of a few ideas I got from your comments on my post; one's that I really want to keep in mind:

1. Right now I don't need to focus on all three disciplines, but just maintaining some sort of level of fitness. At this point, my focus is running (for the next couple of months at least) and if I need to "skip" a workout, the first to go will be a swim or bike. Plain and simple. Bodypump class would be third.


2. Two a days are hard for me. It's hard for me to get to the gym two times in a day; I could do it one day during the week, but that's about it. I liked Leana's idea of squeezing in 20 minutes on the treadmill before the pool or after BodyPump class. Great idea!


3. I can't skip out on yoga. It's just not an option. I firmly believe that because of regular yoga, core strengthening routine, and bodypump, I am still running, 97% painfree.

Thanks again for all your lovely advice!

Fitting it all in

I am having a hard time balancing my workout schedule. I want to follow a run 3/ bike 2/ swim 2 schedule, as well as take time for BodyPump class at least once a week, and yoga/Pilate's here and there. AND, at least one complete REST day.

Am I the only one that has a hard time balancing this out?

I am finding myself double stacking some days just so I can get in adequate rest as well. I know that this can be a part of a typical triathlete schedule, but, if I could, I only want to do 2-a-days two times a week, if at all possible. The day after I do BodyPump, I like to bike or swim just to loosen the legs, so I have to keep that in mind. Plus, I need to schedule around weekends that I am out of town and what is available to me during those weekends.

Is there an easy way to do all this? I find myself constantly looking this over, adjusting, and then end up missing a run, bike, or swim workout. I know I am not training for anything YET, but I would like to find some routine in my schedule.

Suggestions? Thoughts? Ideas? Do you follow a consistent schedule, or are you finding yourself switching it up a bit each week?

Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge - Review

I want to take a moment to shout out a great big thanks to Amanda over at RuntoTheFinish for putting together the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge! Overall, I scored 170 some points (not nearly as many as some) but had a fun time with the challenge.

Because of the challenge and being able to earn 1 point for consuming 7 servings of fruits and veggies each day, I have learned (and forced) myself to include more fruits and veggies into my daily meals. Prior to this challenge I was eating fruits and veggies, but not enough. I realized that when I started eating 7 servings each day, I felt fuller, I didn't have room for other crappy foods, and I started craving fruits rather than sweets. LOVE it!

Another thing I noticed with this challenge was that I started to add more stretching/strengthening/yoga into my routine since I was earning points for this too. In the past, these things would sometimes get pushed to the side as I was too focused on getting in my miles on the treadmill/bike or meters in the pool.

Thanks again, Amanda, for putting this together! Even though the challenge is over, I am still paying attention to my fruits and veggies, along with stretching, strengthening, and yoga!

Did you participate in the challenge? How did you do?

Today's Top Ten

Thursday's use to be my favorite day of the week, and that was mostly for the reason that the weekend was almost here and I had at least a 50% chance of being able to wear jeans to work the next day! Hehehe. However, the more that I think about it, Sundays really are my favorite day of the week.

Here's my top ten reasons why I love Sundays:

1. Sleep in - you know, at least until 700am :)
2. get in a long workout
3. get my grocery shopping done, bills paid, and budget updated
4. watch some favorite sports - football this afternoon and then my Tar Heels this evening,
5. lounging in sweats all day
6. don't have to "do" my hair or wear make-up
7. enjoy a coffee while catching up on blogs,
8. plan a few good meals for the week
9. tenatively plan my workout schedule for the week
10. mentally prepare myself for meetings and paperwork for the week to come

In a nutshell.... I make the most of my time by RELAXING before the busy week starts up again!!

What's your favorite day of the week? Any particular reasons why?

Three Things Thursday

1. It's freakin' cold here peeps. I woke this morning to -10 degrees and about -27 degree windchill. I didn't want to get out of bed. Period. Do you blame me? It's like living in the arctic .... snowbanks alongside the road that are1-2 feet above my car, can't see on-coming traffic when sitting at a 4 way stop, 15-20 foot snow piles in parking lots, white covered icy roads, the exhaust from vehicles working on overtime obstructs your view... and it's not going to be any nicer tomorrow... -23 below (without windchill) when I wake tomorrow. blech. But, Sunday it's supposed to be in the 20's (above zero) and that's well above a 50 degree increase, so it will feel like a heat wave!
2. Yesterday I did BodyPump and it had been 5 weeks since my last session, and it was definitely apparent today. My triceps, glutes, and quads were sore. But, in a sick-twisted-I-know-I-got-a-good-workout-because-of-sore-muscles-kind-of-way, it feels good. Real good. Today I got in a nice and slow 3 miler on the treadmill (obviously) with lots of walking. I just wanted to loosen up those muscles a bit. Hopefully I can get to the pool in the morning (based on how I feel in regards to #1).
3. Shannon is giving away a $15 gift certificate for RoadID and today is the last day to register! Go check out her blog, say hello, and get registered... if you're interested. If not, just say "hi" and let me have a better chance at winning!

Month in review & yearly stats

I realized that I haven't take a chance to reflect on December numbers and 2009 as a whole, so I will do it now! Better late than never!

Month in Review: December
Here's a look at the stats for December and comparing them to November's Stats.
Swim - 2,800M .................. 4,800M in November
Bike - 121.58 miles .......... 98.56 miles in November
Run - 49.70 miles ............ 20.15 miles in November

Well there was definitely a jump in the numbers for running and biking from November to December! If I would have realized how close I was to 50 miles of running, I would have put in another .3 miles! My swim definitely suffered, but it didn't help that the pool was closed for almost 2 weeks.



And the year overall? Let's compare to years past:

2009 Stats:
Swim - 110,350 meters (08 - 101,500; 07 - 6,900; 06 - 1,050)
Bike - 1036.16 miles (08 - 842.23; 07 - 665.85; 06 - 102.6)
Run - 304.39 miles (08 - 385.92; 07 - 366.14; 06 - 329.28)

The all of my swimming and biking numbers have increased from year to year. The trend for my running stats increased every year, except this year, but given my on and off knee issues, I am quite pleased with the overall results.

Totals since I started keeping stats:
2006 - 2009
Swim - 220,750 meters (137.17 miles)
Bike - 2,646.84 miles
Run - 1385.73 miles

I wonder what 2010 will look like. If all goes well, I am hoping for 150,000M in the pool, 1200 miles on the bike, and around 400 miles of running. I think all is very doable if I train smart!

Hello January!

I rang in the New Year with my sister and some friends in the Twin Cities area. We actually spent New Years Eve at a low key house party but had fun playing games and having a few drinks.

Friday night a few of us went out to the Local, which is one of my favorite places to go in downtown MPLS. I tried the Big Ginger, which is what they are known for and fell head over heals in love. mmm... so tasty and refreshing! (two shots of Jameson whiskey, ginger ale, ice, and lemon and lime wedges in a 16 oz. glass)


The last couple of days I didn't have access to a gym and only had the option of the treadmill at my sister's house, but my knees were screaming "no". So, this morning, my plan was to head to the downtown Y and bike for about 45 minutes and then swim 20 minutes. It's been weeks since I last got into the pool.

Once I got there, I noticed how crappy the bikes were and didn't want to ride anymore. I really didn't want to run since my last couple of runs weren't the prettiest - leaving my knee feeling a bit tight. However, I ran/walked a couple miles, stretched a lot and then swam 1000M.


Is it bad that I am already re-thinking my goals/races for 2010?

My goal for January is to really get back into bodypump class, as well as trying some yoga and pilates classes. I am also going to begin doing my tripower routine. I will keep running, biking, and swimming, but nothing too crazy. My focus needs to be strengthening and stretching this month.

I won't be making any decisions in regards to any long distance races or challenges until February.


How is the New Year treating you?