I Probably Should Make My Blog Public again

I blew off running this weekend.  It felt sorta nice.  So I had a little extra energy this morning for some faster paces.

My avg. was 8:32.  I started at 9:19 and my last mile was 7:56. 

I saw one other runner out this morning.  I said a big hello and he ignored me.  Then I saw him again about .75 miles later (we must have been running around the same main streets).  That time he said hi.  I'm pretty sure I covered a little more ground than he did. 

I saw Erin, Luke's mom, over the weekend.  She is going back to work today (and dreading it).  She said she cries easily and she is a little tired of people wanting to hug her.  Please think about her today.

Also, you know how bad things always come in 3s?  I found out my 3rd thing a couple days before Luke's funeral but I didn't want to post it because I was, at that point, tired of being so pathetic.  Well, my sister-in-law was diagnosed with breast cancer (she's 33).  It has spread to a couple lymph nodes, but luckily nowhere else.  She will be having surgery on June 2.  I don't know yet what the rest of her treatment will be like, but I know it will be a tough time for her.  I will be taking at least my nephew (they also have a daughter) for a week or so in June.  I'm sure they will need more help, but that's all I know so far.

My class yesterday was in a place in Illinois that I had never been to before.  About an hour and a half from home, Pontiac was a long drive through the country.  The exit on I-57 that promises access to Pontiac is misleading--the town was still 35 miles from the interstate.  I was passing all sorts of towns that I had never even heard of.  Luckily we got out early so I got home a little after 9.  It was raining on the way home and I thought about the morning.  No way I was going to run in a downpour.

When I woke up I had to open the window and see if it was raining.  It wasn't.  I got out and ran at 8:52 AP.  I think I always want to run fast at the end of a morning run because I'm worried about running late, so every time I felt myself speeding up, I pulled back.  It was drizzling a little bit and it was windy, but overall it was another nice run.

My students have been presenting their final projects last week and this.  Most of my students are using any medium that they choose to draw attention to any social issue in attempts to sway their classmates.  Although I've had a few bad presentations (minimal effort), the majority of the projects have been pretty good.  One project yesterday was simply outstanding.  I'm thinking about asking the two boys to post it on youtube just so I can post it here.  They made a movie of about a boy who, on a normal school day, witnesses a few incidents of his classmates being mean to a few kids.  The day ends in tragedy, and the next morning he realizes he's been given the opportunity to live the day again.  There's no dialogue.  The whole thing is set to a song written and performed by one of the boys who made the video.  I'm proud of them. 

My AP students' projects are a little different.  They are using any medium to present their thoughts on what it means to be human.  In the past, students have done some amazing work.  I've had a few excellent ones there. 

I love this time of year, and not because it's almost summer (well, not just because).  I feel inspired by the depth of many of my students.  I'm putting the finishing touches on my project this week so that I can present mine on Friday.

Ran after school.  My legs felt heavy for some reason.  I stopped after 4.5 miles to stretch for a few minutes and that helped a little bit.  I didn't wear my watch, but instead went along a known distance.  I went pretty slowly, and I'm glad I didn't have the watch.  Sometimes it nags me to go faster than I need to.

An easy run in the a.m.  It took me the better part of two miles before that little voice that curses running went away.  Average pace was slightly under 9 mm.

It has been raining on and off this week, so it was pretty humid this morning.  Luckily it was not ridiculously hot (it was about 60, maybe a little higher), so it was merely annoying.  It was also sorta windy, too. 

I don't have my official time, but this is close enough.  

Going into this race, I wasn't quite sure I actually wanted to race.  I went kinda spur of the moment, after debating on it for about a week after a former student asked me if I was running this race. 

So I decided last night that I would definitely go, and in the morning, the whole fam decided to come with me.  We rushed out of the house because the race was about 40 minutes away and I wanted to get there early enough to register and warm up.  I realized part way there that I forgot my watch and then decided that it was probably a good thing.

I got there in plenty of time, but wasn't eager to warm up.  Instead I talked for a while with a family of a former student (different one) and then went off to at least warm up a little.  It was nice, but the air was a little crisp and I wanted to get warm enough to dump my long sleeved shirt.

Then at the start line I saw the woman who beat me in my last 10K about a month ago.  I decided that I would tuck in behind her so I could keep an eye on her while I was running.  I don't like not knowing who's behind me.  The first mile I was right on her tail (it was 7:25, but it felt nice and relaxed, probably because it was downhill) then I kept on her for a while (second mile 7:35), but lost sight of her somewhere around 2.5 miles.  My 3rd mile was again at 7:25 and I was still feeling pretty great. 

At mile 4 (no split.  I wasn't wearing a watch and there was no one reading times), I passed one female runner and decided that I would put on a little speed to discourage her from staying with me.  While doing that, I passed another female runner and kept up my speed for the same reason.  While doing THAT, I passed a male runner.  He tried to stick with me for a bit while we were running along a bike path, then dropped back, but for the next 1.5 miles he would creep up and try to pass me and I would keep his speed with him until he dropped back more. 

That battle helped me to gain a little bit of ground on another female runner.  She had a really strange gait and I really wanted to beat her.  At mile 5 I determined that miles 4 and 5 averaged 7:40, and I was bound and determined to speed up so that I could pass that lady.   When we turned off the bike path, the man directing traffic told me that I was the 3rd woman.  I thought about that lady who beat me last month, and thought she must have gotten a lot faster, but knew that I could beat the second place woman. 

I didn't pass her until we were turning towards the finish chute.  My husband got a 5 second video on his phone (he was trying to take a picture and had it in the wrong setting) and I looked really strong.  I wish he would have filmed the whole finish.  As is I watched that 5 second clip a bunch of times.

[Update:  I forgot the first time around to mention that the woman I was chasing early on, the one who beat me last month, actually only ran the 5K, so it was okay that I lost her early on]

Then the kids ran in the kids' race.  I ran with Eli.  After the awards were handed out (I got first place in my age division, but since the winner was my age, I feel that I really got second) we drove all around Monticello, just sightseeing.  They have a really cool nature park, Allerton, that I always enjoy going to. 

So, while I am indifferent to my time (didn't PR, but I was only 15 seconds off from last month, and I felt WAY more comfortable today), I am ecstatic about the way I raced.  I don't think I've ever felt good about the way I race.  Maybe I've had a breakthrough.