Saturday Sixer

Fables and Fairy Tales:

At summer school, we try to change things up a bit in the area of reading. My main focus is exposing the children to different stories, mostly at their level, with very repetative lines. We usually will read a book a couple times a day for a couple days.

This week at summer school, I was getting ready to read with three of my students and quickly came to the realization that none of them had read The Gingerbread Man before or heard of it. Ever! I can bet that all of them have seen the movie Shrek with the Gingerbread Man in it, but had no clue what story it was coming from.

Don't parents read to their kids anymore?

I remember reading a lot of books with my parents growing up; curling up on the couch or chair with a big book.

Looking for a post idea?

Try this Saturday Sixer....

List six of your favorite children's stories/books:

1. Goldilocks and the Three Bears
2. Princess and the Pea
3. The Ugly Duckling
4. The Emperor's New Clothes
5. The Tortoise and the Hare
6. Little Red Riding Hood

Water, water, water....

The past four days seemed to go by really fast. Throw in a late night of softball, 4+ hours of working out, and a busy evening with my Mom and youngest sister who were in town last night/today ... all left me feeling a bit tired this evening.

Our temps are finally reaching above 80 degrees! I blame today's sluggishness to the combination of going, going, going, all week, an afternoon of put-put in the sun today, and not enough water. I am usually very good about getting enough water, from the moment I wake up until I crawl into bed.

However, I have been slacking on the hydration a bit this week, and it was definitely apparent today. I was so tired today that I didn't make it too the cycle group ride. And you know I am not myself when I don't make it to that ... especially considering the weather hasn't been that cooperative lately... until today. Today.... it was a perfect 82 degrees with a slight cool breeze, but I just could not get myself to go. I opted for a nice walk and then an hour of Turbo Sculpting and Abs.

I love my Turbo Jam. I purchased this a couple years ago, but haven't really used it much in the past year. The video selection consists of Learn and Burn (30 min), Turbo Sculpt (40 min), Ab Jam (20 min), 20 Minute Workout, and Cardio Party (45 min). Supposedly it does wonders for the metabolism! It's the only kind of exercise video that I have really enjoyed and seen results. Now, if I can incorporate it into my regular routine, we should see some very necessary changes.... soon?

Congrats to the Boston Celtics

Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images
You tell 'em, Garnett!

The Celtics royally creamed the Lakers last night ... winning the 2008 NBA Championship .... and I missed it all thanks to softball. However, I did make it home in time to watch the majority of the press conferences and was up way too late...but it was just too exciting!

Last night was a perfect night of softball. The sun was up until almost 10pm, the air was warm, but the mosquitoes were definitely beginning to make their appearance. It doesn't help that we have received a more than adequate amount of water in the past couple of weeks, which have created large breeding grounds in many grass areas. We won our first game and tied our second. Very fun!

My swim workout today... pretty much left me exhausted. That's a good thing, right?

OSN: 2300M, 55:00 (LONG swim workout)
450M w/u, 200M kick, 400M freestyle, 200M kick, 400M frestyle, 200M kick, 450M c/d

What's Your Slogan?

Your Slogan Should Be

Between Love and Madness Lies Stacy

The Slogan Generator

Try this out. I thought it was kind of funny.

I took advantage of the glorious weather today and took my bike for a spin. It was sunny, with really no wind, 78 degrees! Loved it! Although I have noticed that many drivers definitely treat cyclists in a group different from those riding solo. Many drivers gave me a sense of feeling that I was not to be on the road, and were rude about it too. And one wonders why I really don't care to ride by myself!

There is a chance of rain Thursday, which is group ride day ... but I think it is only in the AM. It should be 81 and sunny that evening! Wahoo!

OCN: 11.3 miles, 56:22, 12.02mph ---> Very slow and cautious at times.
78 degrees, sunny, minimal wind

Got My Mojo Workin'

I want to wish a big happy 1 year anniversary to my sister and brother-in-law (or bro-in-law as one would like to say). I can't believe it was only a year ago that we were prepping for the great outdoor wedding; Dad mowing the lawn and doing extreme outside cleaning and Mom pulling weeds...everyday. I hope you two had a wonderful 1st anniversary!

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After teaching the little munchkins today, I hit the gym for a great back to back workout. I really wanted to focus my energy on a good run today, as it seems like my mileage has been lacking in the past couple weeks.... even though I have been working out everyday. After my run I took advantage of dipping in the nice cool pool and was thrilled to see that I had the lane to myself. If I wouldn't have been so hungry already, I probably would have gone further! In the words of Muddy Waters ... I Got My Mojo Workin' .... see sidebar.

Looks like the Celtics/Lakers will be facing off in Boston for game 6 this week. I am pretty sure the Celtics will be able to pull it off, but royally disappointed that I will miss the game altogether... unless it rains. We have softball at 9. damn.

Happy Monday, y'all!

ORN: 3.21 miles, 36:15, 11:17min/mile
OSN: 1000M, 21:00, 2:06min/100M

The past few days....

Wednesday I went in for a haircut. Mind you, my hair was getting very long (middle of back), and with it being so heaving and thick, I had to get it chopped. I wanted it just long enough to still get in a low ponytail for when it's hot, working out, and when I am just too plain lazy to do it. And that is exactly what she did...and then some. Damn, it turned out shorter than I was envisioning. However, I figure it will be back to my shoulders by the time school starts back up.

Thursday night I didn't get to the cycle group ride. I actually did my bike workout earlier in the day as the forcast predicted rain. Sure enough, it ended up raining (briefly) while we would have been out on our bikes. Instead I opted to watch the Celtics and their unbelievable comeback (in hi-def) with a couple friends. That was an amazing game. Period.

Friday night a few of us went bowling and I was quite surprised to see how well I did considering there was no alchohol involved! I bowled 117 in the first game and 109 in the second. Anything above 100 is good for me!

Last night we had a nice little tornado warning here. I am extremely fascinated by weather, but as soon as it is too close for comfort, I am scared shitless. The sirens were going off like crazy and the black clouds outside my patio were rotating. Supposedly a funnel was located about 7 miles southwest of my apartment. I grabbed my purse, keys and shoes and joined a handful of other neighbors in the basement. Luckily nothing came of the storm and in less than a half hour the sun was shining. Ahhh.

The streaking lives on! I am actually enjoying this, because to be honest, I have been a bit bored with all the extra free time. I am not as productive as one would like to be with all my free time. Here's what the streak looks like 15 days into it....

Total days: 15 (12:19:45)
# of Swims: 5 (2:54:00)
# of Rides: 6 (3:52:00)
# of Runs: 6 (2:45:45)
# of ST: 3 (1:02:00)
# of Walks: 1 (32:00)
# of Turbo Sculpt Sessions: 1 (40:00)


It's another gloomy/rainy/cool day and I look forward to relaxing a bit; reading, watching the Twins, reading, and watching the 5th game of the NBA Finals. Do the Lakers even have a smidgen of a chance? Because I love a good playoff game, it would be fun to see the Laker's win tonight in Boston territory... plus it would probably make my Dad a happy camper! .... come on... it's Father's day people! Happy Father's Day, Dad! I hope you have a great day! Same goes for all the other father's out there as well.

Don't worry, once the finals are over, this blog will have a new look with new colors! :)

Thursday: Bike 15.63 miles, 46:00, 20.38mph
Friday: Turbo Sculpt, 40 minutes;
Swim 1200M, 26:00, 2:10min/100M
Saturday: Run 3.2 miles, 40:22, 12:36 min/mile
Sunday: Bike 15.24 miles, 42:00, 21.77mph;
Lift arms/core

As if you didn't know enough about me already....

Jess tagged me and I figured I really didn't have anything exciting to blog about today (which is a rare occasion...right?).

Here are the rules and my reply is just below. Tagging is easy. Just copy the following onto your post. The rules of the game are posted at the start of your blog post. In this case, I'm asking you 5 questions about running. Each player answers the 5 questions on their own blog. At the end of your post you tag 5 other people and post their names. Go to their blogs and leave a comment on their blogs telling them they've been tagged and to look at your blog for details. When they've answered the questions on their own blog, they come back to yours to tell you. Got that? Here goes.

1. How would you describe your running 10 years ago? Non-existent. Plain and simple. There were so many times I attempted to start running in high school because my parents had started running. It was just a hate-hate relationship at the time and I didn't put enough time and effort into it. It probably wasn't until a couple years later that I slowly started to pick it up, but nothing like the past few years.

2. What is your best and worst run/race experience?
The best: My first half marathon, the Fargo Half Marathon. It was a combination of addrenaline, motivation and congratulations from perfect strangers every bit of the way, and all the work and training that went into it. The best race that comes in a close 2nd was the UND Homecoming 5K, where I PR'd last fall, running a race for the first time on my own.
The worst: I don't know if there has ever been a really bad race. There were definitely races in the past that I have not been completely satisfied with, but I think I have grown from each and every race I have completed.

3. Why do you run?
I will keep this plain and simple: 1) because I can ...and.. 2) I find it to be a great stress reliever ...and.. 3) I like to challenge myself

4. What is the best or worst piece of advice you've been given about running?
Worst - It's not so much bad advice that I have received, but the negative comments. For example, "You're crazy to run," and "Don't you know how bad that is on your body?"

Best - Listen to your body. Aches and pains show up for a reason, get to know your body and know what is causing it and make the appropriate changes to get rid of them.

5. Tell us something surprising about yourself that not many people would know.
I don't know what to write here. I don't know if there is anything out there that I haven't already told you.

I am probably one of the last fill this out, so I am going to tag whomever wants to do it that hasn't yet!

Intervals in the pool

I love being able to get into the pool more than once a week. I can tell things are starting to change and I am starting to get a bit better with not only my endurance but some speed. Yesterday was a prime example.

Prior to getting into the pool, I didn't really know what I wanted to do. I was kind of sick of just doing laps and really didn't like what I found online for swim workouts (thus far). So what does a girl do? make up her own workout.

I got my feet wet and was quite consistent over my first 500M. No breaks necessary. After the first 500M, I grabbed th kick board and kicked for 250M. Then I did the same routine over again; swim 500M, kick 250M. I finished off with a nice strong 500M cooldown, which ended up being faster than my first 500M. Hard to consider that one a cooldown. I really wanted to add in another interval, but thought I would save it for next time.

OSN: 2000M, 53:00
500M w/u, 12:00
250M kick, 10:00
500M free, 12:00
250M kick, 9:00
500M c/d, 10:00

Even though the sun is shining as I type this post, the rain clouds will be rolling in this afternoon and I will not be joining the cycle group tonight for an outdoor ride. Thus, I will be doing it at the gym. Blech.

On the flip side... tonight is Game 4 of the NBA Finals... and I will be watching this one on the big screen in high def.