I made it, new longest distance ever! 21.15 miles on Saturday. I'm pretty tired today. I was sick all last weekend, ran a fever Saturday through Monday, which means that I ran 15.17 miles with a fever. I knew I didn't feel good, but also I knew I didn't really want to run, so when I should have listened to my body and didn't it wasn't the right thing to do. Next time I will know better to determine whether it's a mental or physical issue and not just get out of bed and hit the ground running. The fever had an affect on my training all week, I didn't get all my workouts in that I would have liked, but overall with the way I felt and church Wednesday and Thursday night (which is unusual) I did okay. And did I mention my 21.15 miles? My average time was 12 min 45 second miles with walking. At 12 miles I noticed my legs were burning (okay, I noticed sooner) and my very understanding and compassionate running partner willingly gave to my request to run 4 minutes and walk 1. I can't tell you how many times I was running and saying in my head "please be close to 4 minutes". We eventually changed it to run 3 walk 2 minutes, but overall, time was still decent. We were 4 blocks from her home when I my toes started burning. I told her to run on and I'd walk. I stopped and took my socks off and then I was fine and finished running. It was a great feeling!
Happy Labor Day everyone, hope you have a nice holiday and a great week.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Friday, September 4, 2009
I went back to school
I went to parent swap day for Nate today. High school never changes. The players are different, but it’s still the same. There were the football players in their jerseys cause it’s game day. There were cheerleaders and pompon girls in their uniforms. There was the kid in the Iron Maiden tee shirt covered by a Led Zeppelin sweat shirt. There was the too-beautiful-to-be-true foreign exchange student. There was the teacher who tried to be cool but was more like a friendly puppy. There were two teachers who really were cool, but didn’t try and didn’t care. There was the teacher who had complete and utter control of his class, even the parents were scared to act out. Over all, I found the day enjoyable (after I found the vending machine that actually had DIET coke in it).
There was the football player who nodded at me and called me ma’am. I guess I am old enough to be is mom. There were 3 times I was told Nate looked just like me. There was the cute little girl that loved my hair and wanted to know if it was natural and was going to try and get my exact color, but wouldn’t be able to get my waves. There was the cute little girl who is making the mouse trap powered car in a group with Nate in physics. Nate made her get the first detention she’s ever had. She was 30 seconds late from lunch when she went with him. There were 4 of them but she was the only one who got a detention. There was Coach Thomason asking about my 8th grade daughter he coached in club volleyball. There was Coach Wheeler also asking about Whitney, his daughter and Whit are good friends. Madison walked me to Government, my nephew Jeff gave me a hug in the hallway. Anytime a teenage boy gives you a hug it’s a good day. Sam asked me how my summer was. Khary called me Mrs. Welch and walked me to pottery class. I was writing my grocery list in English Comp/College Reading and the teacher called on me to see what I had come up with on the writing project we were doing. So not cool. Quick thinking saved me. Nancy (another mom) and I couldn’t figure out how to turn the TI-85 calculator on in Pre-calc. I told her about my English/grocery list assignment and didn’t realize the boy on my other side was in Nate’s English class. He laughed at me. Nate’s study hall teachers commented on the Yankees win last night and then looked at me and said don’t say anything bad about the Yankees, I said of course not, and he said, Cardinals fan, and I said of course, and he went to his desk and gave me an article he had pulled out of a magazine for Nate about how you have to be brain damaged to be a Cubs fan. I ran into a couple of friends in the hall, Jolene, Meredith and Kathy. I love those three ladies. The weights coach told me Nate worked hard in weights and enjoyed class and was a good kid he liked having him around. His teachers all knew who he was, what he was interested in, and the majority of them were very personable. He seems to have good teachers. Best of all though, was Will, a friend of Nates and a fellow senior. When I went to first hour, English, Will told me where to sit and told me Nate is one of his favorite people. Then in 8th hour, pottery, Will pulled his chair up to the table with me and sat with me and talked at first about Nate, but then about his guitar and his band and his life. Will was wearing a Candy Land tee. I don’t know Will, first time I ever met him. Nate likes him. I liked him, and can see why Nate does.
It’s a hard time in life, growing into independence. I appreciate teachers. Several times I heard it said today about making good choices. In life now and next year at college, talked about how important this time period is in your life and the decisions you make. To those teachers, and the ones who know my kid and what he likes to do and what he’s working for, you may never read this, but thank you so much. To all the teachers making a difference in kids lives, thank you.
There was the football player who nodded at me and called me ma’am. I guess I am old enough to be is mom. There were 3 times I was told Nate looked just like me. There was the cute little girl that loved my hair and wanted to know if it was natural and was going to try and get my exact color, but wouldn’t be able to get my waves. There was the cute little girl who is making the mouse trap powered car in a group with Nate in physics. Nate made her get the first detention she’s ever had. She was 30 seconds late from lunch when she went with him. There were 4 of them but she was the only one who got a detention. There was Coach Thomason asking about my 8th grade daughter he coached in club volleyball. There was Coach Wheeler also asking about Whitney, his daughter and Whit are good friends. Madison walked me to Government, my nephew Jeff gave me a hug in the hallway. Anytime a teenage boy gives you a hug it’s a good day. Sam asked me how my summer was. Khary called me Mrs. Welch and walked me to pottery class. I was writing my grocery list in English Comp/College Reading and the teacher called on me to see what I had come up with on the writing project we were doing. So not cool. Quick thinking saved me. Nancy (another mom) and I couldn’t figure out how to turn the TI-85 calculator on in Pre-calc. I told her about my English/grocery list assignment and didn’t realize the boy on my other side was in Nate’s English class. He laughed at me. Nate’s study hall teachers commented on the Yankees win last night and then looked at me and said don’t say anything bad about the Yankees, I said of course not, and he said, Cardinals fan, and I said of course, and he went to his desk and gave me an article he had pulled out of a magazine for Nate about how you have to be brain damaged to be a Cubs fan. I ran into a couple of friends in the hall, Jolene, Meredith and Kathy. I love those three ladies. The weights coach told me Nate worked hard in weights and enjoyed class and was a good kid he liked having him around. His teachers all knew who he was, what he was interested in, and the majority of them were very personable. He seems to have good teachers. Best of all though, was Will, a friend of Nates and a fellow senior. When I went to first hour, English, Will told me where to sit and told me Nate is one of his favorite people. Then in 8th hour, pottery, Will pulled his chair up to the table with me and sat with me and talked at first about Nate, but then about his guitar and his band and his life. Will was wearing a Candy Land tee. I don’t know Will, first time I ever met him. Nate likes him. I liked him, and can see why Nate does.
It’s a hard time in life, growing into independence. I appreciate teachers. Several times I heard it said today about making good choices. In life now and next year at college, talked about how important this time period is in your life and the decisions you make. To those teachers, and the ones who know my kid and what he likes to do and what he’s working for, you may never read this, but thank you so much. To all the teachers making a difference in kids lives, thank you.
Conversations with Whitney
Setting: My living room
Whitney walks from her bedroom to the kitchen
Nate: Ewww
Whitney: Shut up
Nate: Ugly
Whitney: Shut up
And then, they both laugh.
Whitney walks from her bedroom to the kitchen
Nate: Ewww
Whitney: Shut up
Nate: Ugly
Whitney: Shut up
And then, they both laugh.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Is someone watching?
One very icy day I stepped out of my car and with one foot still in the car the one on the ice went out from under me and I turtled. One foot over my head, in a skirt. The first thing I did after I got up? Looked around to make sure no one saw me. I had whiplash and a mild concussion where my head slammed into the concrete, and a big bruise on my hip. Was that what I was concerned about? No, I worried someone saw me. Last winter we had a snowstorm come through. In typical Kansas weather fashion, it was 50 degrees and dry in the morning. Storm was supposed to come through that evening. At 3:30 I’m in the parking lot in a hoodie and fingerless weight lifting gloves (just glad I had left them in the car) scraping my windshield with a CD case. And hoping nobody saw me. I’m a native for crying out loud. I know better.
Just this last summer I wrecked my bike. Wiped out. Dog ran in front of me. I was on the trail, not cement, which was a good thing. I was cut and scraped and bruised all down my left side. Left temple, left cheek, left shoulder, arm, both knees and the outside of my left leg, thigh and calf. Also banged up both palms. I sat up on the ground, didn’t pop up as fast as I would have liked, and made sure everything was still working, and was so glad no one saw me.
How many times do we hear a story about someone that thought no one saw what they were doing, or worse yet a video? Think of all the things it’s embarrassing to be seen doing. Picking your nose. Pulling your underwear out of your butt. Your skirt blowing up on a windy day. Or that little impromptu dance that you wouldn’t want even your husband or kids to see. I won’t even talk about hoping people don’t see how your kids behave.
On the opposite side of that, what about when you do something well? That doesn’t bother me. When I do something good, I don’t look around to see if anyone is watching. I’m just happy I got it right. Steve told me that Saturday when he was running home when he passed 26.2 miles on his garmin he put his arms over his head in victory (that’s marathon distance, first time he ran that far). This was on a fairly busy street around lunch time, but he didn’t care if people wondered why he was waving his arms over his head. He was in the moment. If I had been there I would have cheered for him. I take Nate to the park and throw soft toss for him. For the baseball illiterate, uninformed, or just don’t care, that means I squat 5 feet from him and “soft toss” the ball between knee and hip high and he knocks the crap out of it. (Hasn’t hit me yet, but when he does, I’ll look around and hope no one saw it). This park is at the police training center. They come out for break while we are there most nights. Nate hasn’t got a clue they are out there. In true athlete form, he only hears the voices inside his head (watch “For the Love of the Game”) or his coach. That’s it. I hear the police trainees. Oooooh, he got ahold of that one. That one’s over the fence! That one’s over the fence and the street. Wonder where he goes to school? This is Heights district. And so on. He has never noticed they are out there, and unlike me, he’s doing something well.
What I’ve really been thinking about in regards to this is not what would I do different if I knew people were watching (hopefully fall down less) but if people only see me in one element, do they know the real me? If someone that knows me is watching me does it match up with what they already know? Am I the same at work I am at home and church and the grocery store? Am I the same at my kids events? Biggest question is “am I real”? What should I change? Because the reality is, someone is always watching.
Just this last summer I wrecked my bike. Wiped out. Dog ran in front of me. I was on the trail, not cement, which was a good thing. I was cut and scraped and bruised all down my left side. Left temple, left cheek, left shoulder, arm, both knees and the outside of my left leg, thigh and calf. Also banged up both palms. I sat up on the ground, didn’t pop up as fast as I would have liked, and made sure everything was still working, and was so glad no one saw me.
How many times do we hear a story about someone that thought no one saw what they were doing, or worse yet a video? Think of all the things it’s embarrassing to be seen doing. Picking your nose. Pulling your underwear out of your butt. Your skirt blowing up on a windy day. Or that little impromptu dance that you wouldn’t want even your husband or kids to see. I won’t even talk about hoping people don’t see how your kids behave.
On the opposite side of that, what about when you do something well? That doesn’t bother me. When I do something good, I don’t look around to see if anyone is watching. I’m just happy I got it right. Steve told me that Saturday when he was running home when he passed 26.2 miles on his garmin he put his arms over his head in victory (that’s marathon distance, first time he ran that far). This was on a fairly busy street around lunch time, but he didn’t care if people wondered why he was waving his arms over his head. He was in the moment. If I had been there I would have cheered for him. I take Nate to the park and throw soft toss for him. For the baseball illiterate, uninformed, or just don’t care, that means I squat 5 feet from him and “soft toss” the ball between knee and hip high and he knocks the crap out of it. (Hasn’t hit me yet, but when he does, I’ll look around and hope no one saw it). This park is at the police training center. They come out for break while we are there most nights. Nate hasn’t got a clue they are out there. In true athlete form, he only hears the voices inside his head (watch “For the Love of the Game”) or his coach. That’s it. I hear the police trainees. Oooooh, he got ahold of that one. That one’s over the fence! That one’s over the fence and the street. Wonder where he goes to school? This is Heights district. And so on. He has never noticed they are out there, and unlike me, he’s doing something well.
What I’ve really been thinking about in regards to this is not what would I do different if I knew people were watching (hopefully fall down less) but if people only see me in one element, do they know the real me? If someone that knows me is watching me does it match up with what they already know? Am I the same at work I am at home and church and the grocery store? Am I the same at my kids events? Biggest question is “am I real”? What should I change? Because the reality is, someone is always watching.
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