I Probably Should Make My Blog Public again

An easy run before the heavens opened up and stormed on us.  We started our workout, but only got in 1 mile before we had to go back in, so we did some ab work.

Ran the warm up with the kids, then after their 200s I went inside to solve a pants crisis:  our warmup outfits are missing.  And then it was team meeting and helping set up for the homecoming hoopla.  Our football team won a narrow victory 20-19.  They are doing well this year--no losses.

I did manage to run 6 days this week, but my mileage is pitiful.  

Ran a couple miles by myself, then found the girls and ran with them during the rest of their warm up.  And then it was only a little running here and there during the race.  Then nothing.  I went home with hubby and kids, who were there cheering.

The race itself sorta sucked.  My girls team suffered an implosion of sorts but still managed to take 3rd place.  My first 3 girls did okay, but then I had to depend on my 7th runner and 3 jv girls.  The boys team was lackluster, except for my top runner.  I think these kids had homecoming on the brain.  We have a rough week with back to back races, but then a free weekend. 

Just an easy 4.1 in the dark.  Our Sundays have been the same for a while:  church and then morning cleaning, fundraiser in the afternoon, homework while the kids are napping, run when my husband comes home.

I have felt sluggish the last few days, but I felt a little zippier today.

I didn't get out with the rest of the team, but I was able to find a group to run with after I finished some things that I needed for the end of practice.

Job is running me ragged lately.  I'm looking forward to Monday off.

An easy 4 miles.  I'm just hoping to get through this week.  Meet tomorrow--I need to get some mileage in.  Then I'm going to Chicago.  I will try to run when I get to my sister's house, but it will be on a treadmill :(

I was slow on this--I finished in exactly an hour.

 Hopefully I'm off to a good start for the week as far as running is concerned.  Last week wasn't so hot.

Did 10 min. warm up, 20 minutes tempo (I felt good and pushed a little more at the end of those 20 minutes) and 10 min. cool down.  It was a good run with a couple girls on the team.

My kids were sick last week, this week my baby-sitter is sick with pneumonia, my husband was sick yesterday--who's turn is it next???

 I hope I can avoid all this crap that's going around.  Lots of kids are sick from school too.  I myself feel okay, but a bit mentally drained.  I skipped running yesterday to get school work/homework done and I felt horrible about it.

But this run was fine.  2.5 mile warm up.  A couple fast 800s (both at 3:30) and then a 1.5 mile cool down. 

An easy 2.5 warm up.  Timed 200s on the track for the kids (didn't do them myself).  An easy 2.5 cool down.  Sun came out for the first time in a while while we were running.

I ran 1.5 mile warm up with the girls and then ran about 1.5 during the races.  

Now it is time for a rant that I've been holding back for a couple weeks:

I have been feeling like I was getting my period for the past two weeks--the stomach cramping, the tiredness, the works.  But it hasn't come yet.  That could indicate a pregnancy, but I've taken a couple tests and they are negative.  I haven't taken one in about a week, but I'm now almost 2 weeks late.  And I'm going to be really depressed if I'm not pregnant and now I'm really worried, like there's something else wrong with me or something.  And so yesterday I started spotting, but no period yet.  I spotted during both previous pregnancies and the spotting didn't stop until I stopped running.  So I don't know if I'm pregnant or not and I'm afraid to take another negative test and if I'm not pregnant what's the deal with more than two weeks of PMS?  And if I am pregnant I think I might not be running.

So I'm taking today off and if I get my period, I'll run tomorrow.  If I don't I'll take another test.  I don't know how people go through this if they are trying to get pregnant and it takes months.  I feel emotionally drained.

I had trouble not running, so I did a very slow casual 2 while my team was doing their workout on the track. I ran the opposite way from them and cheered them on while running WAY slower.

Still spotting.  Too nervous to buy another test.  I'll just wait.

I just ran until it was time for the kids to do their workout and then was assaulted with issues as soon as they were done and most of them were running their cool down, so I sort of missed my window.  And then I forgot that grades were due today, so I had to rush and put them in the computer and I am so paranoid that I made a mistake.

I was going to emote more about this and then decided that I would just be embarrassed later  as emotion is generally embarrassing.  I'm not pregnant.  Yesterday I was devastated, today I am feeling less so.  

This run was not cathartic in any way, as the giant lump in my throat made it hard to breathe.

I did .75 miles with team as I was a little late in getting out of my classroom for practice (it's college application season) and then timed them in 3 hard 400s, ran 1 mile with them, 1 more mile with another girl who was taking a test, and then did my 3 hard 400s (1:40 every single one) with a 400 in between.

It was a balmy 64 degrees leaving the house on Friday morning, so when I was getting into my clothes after school I put on shorts and a long sleeved t-shirt (I had been suffocating in my room all day).  Then when I got outside it was ridiculously cold!  I didn't look up the temp, but it was significantly colder, windy and not fun.  I did some of the warm up with the kids (late getting out because I keep getting accosted by students who need my help) and then timed their 200s.  By the time they were done, I was freezing.  I headed inside to start an ice bath for some of the kids.  This has not been a good running week, which seems to be a theme for the past month.

One more week probably for XC.  I have a girl who has an outside chance of qualifying for state, but I have to look at Saturday's regional results before I can tell.

Approximately 4.  Didn't want to run and then shamed myself into it. 

Ran most of the warm up with the girls (caught up after getting the boys tagged) and then another mile on my own. 

Then two incredibly exciting races. Then I ran some while waiting for results.

My girls took second in regionals.  I had 3 girls in the top 10.  One girl who has been struggling mentally in the 3rd mile put it all together beautifully for a 9th place finish (a pr by about 20 seconds on a challenging and muddy course).  My top girl took 3rd. 

Then the boys--oh man, we were hoping for a 5th place finish so that they could move on to sectionals.  After the race I knew we did it, but then was astonished to discover that they took 3rd!  Their highest finish in this race in the 10 year history of the school! 

And listen to these scores:  3rd place (us) 107.  4th place (Unity) 107.  Tie was broken by our 6th runner, who demolished their 6th runner.  5th place (GRF-C) 108.  Dang.  It was a great day!

Stupid me--I thought we had a faculty meeting after school, so I didn't take my running clothes, since I figured the kids could do their workout without me.  Then I got an email in the morning saying we didn't have a faculty meeting and instead we could prepare for parent teacher conferences.  I had practice instead, but had to just time them.  

Then I got home early and ran as soon as hubby got home.  A lot of the run was in the dark, since I started at about 5:45.  It was lightly raining and cool, but not hugely windy or anything.  It was a pleasant run.  I didn't time myself, so I don't know how long it took.  I just ran and composed the beginning of a book about teaching in my head.  Then I promptly forgot it as soon as I get home, but I'll try to get some of it down on paper tonight.

I've abandoned the slow miles/fast miles thing.  

Ran a warm up, one fast mile's worth of 400s, and a shorter cool down.  All in the rain.  When I came back in someone asked me if I fell in the lake. 

 On the plus side, my 400s were all incredibly even at 1:30 pace.  I think my last one was at 1:32, but the rest were right on the dot.  I felt good about that because if I am running by myself usually I do not go that fast.  I felt that I had to keep up with the kids, though.

I did a quick run after school and then it was home for some homework, which I'm taking a break from right now.

Ran 1/2 mile with the girls then timed both teams in 3 fast 400s.  They went for a 1.5 mile cool down and I went for a long run.  Ran 7.5 miles in the ridiculous wind.  I did at least have the sense to make sure that the last 2.5 miles were with the wind.

Sectionals today.

The course was one I've never been to before, a golf course in Decatur.  It would have been a nice course because it is flat, but with the amount of rain we've had this week, it was ridiculously wet and muddy.  The course officials told us that Friday most of the course was actually underwater, which is believable because when we turned into the parking lot, but lower part of the golf course was a lake--literally.

The girls had it the easiest because they ran first.  I feel bad because the AA schools went after us on the same course and it was soupy by then.  The boys had a hard time. 

By the time we got there, I had to go to a coaches' meeting and get the kids ready with their chips and bibs.  They reported to the start 20 min. before the race, so I didn't have any time to get in a run while the girls were warming up. 

When the girls started I ran around to all parts of the course, and boy was it sloppy.  At 1 mile, my top girl (a freshman) was in 15th.  She was so strong and her strength is at the end of the race, so I knew she was good to go.  At 2 miles she was moving up, but still in 14th.  Then I saw her make a move with 1/2 mile to go.  She ended in 10th place, beating all the girls in our region (makes me wish she would've taken 1st at regionals, of course).  She gets to move on to state next weekend, so one more week of practice.  I think she has a shot at all-state honors (top 25).  She took 25 seconds off her pr on this ridiculously marshy course, and next week promises to be dry.  And the state course is fast anyway.

As a team, the girls didn't do as well.  My 2nd runner has been hurting and she didn't run well, and although I have a strong top 4, my 5th runner was way back there.

The boys had a more difficult race, since they were running on the course that had just been destroyed by the girls.  No great times--some of them were just mentally not there, especially my two seniors.  As a team they got beat by two teams we beat last week.  That was a downer.

I probably ran more than 1 mile on the course, but I'll just post as a mile.  I was running great up till Friday.  I blame it on the parent/teacher conferences.  When I got home from the race, all I wanted was to shower and then take a nap.  So that's what I did.