A place in this World.

FROM NOW ON until September something (I think we go back to school the day after Labor day...I guess I'll check on that sooner or later), you can expect posts later in the day from me.  I'm sleeping in every day!  EVERY DAY.

I'm so kidding.  I'm still going to get up with the sun (4:45am-5:00am-ish), but I'll get to take more naps.:)

Running + taking a picture of your shadow = best way to confuse others around you.

Work husband brought me this, and for the first time in my life, I fell in love with ice coffee!

I know what you're thinking, and really, I have no idea what took me so long, either.

All of those balloons yesterday for the Field Day had to be transported half a mile away from the school.  It only made sense to pack our friend's van to get them over there.

One Popsicle from my Principal, and another from one of my fave students.

The third was from another teacher who was buying for his class.  This was the right thing to do.

We all got back to the school, put equipment away, and cleaned up our office, about 45 minutes before the final bell rang for summer break.  When it did, my Boss threw this over the PA system:

I wanted to try something, and I'm so happy that I did.  I'm not a sugary drink type of person; I gave up Coca-Cola a LONG time ago, and mostly drink water and coffee.

But Frozen Hot Chocolate?  After spending all day outside in the sun, with only three Popsicles for relief (not nearly enough), it sounded like a great idea to me.  And after one sip, that great idea was confirmed.:D

Thanks to GrubHub, Harry and I were able to make a good choice for dinner.

***LIVE UPDATE*** Harry is currently watching the USA vs. Argentina soccer game as I'm typing to you guys.  He's cussing a little.
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True story: Deb makes me think and reflect on way more than I ever thought I would in one post.

Another true story:  Every once in a while (like once a year), I will feel as though I don't have a spot.  I know that that's a very vague, quite dramatic statement, but it's the best way to express how I feel at those times.  I don't feel sad, mad, or upset.  I'm not depressed or anxious.
I just feel like I don't have a place in this World.

Lost.

(Side-true story:  This part in "Lilo & Stitch" makes me cry.  Every.single.time.  I wonder if it's because it such a sad scene [it's simple, but it's pretty intense for a Disney movie], or if it's because I can relate.)

At any rate, those moments usually last for about half a day, where I just feel lost on this planet.  My focus is still okay; it's not like I'm unresponsive or in a daze.  Things just don't feel right.  I don't want to say that this is a pit of any sort -- I don't feel like it's something I have to crawl out of, and I don't feel helpless.

Often when things like this come over me (an emotion or feeling that is anything other than happy), I feel like I should embrace it.  I'm feeling it for a reason.  Facing this feeling makes me convinced that I'm more in control of the situation.  I might do some things to help me recognize who I am, why I'm here (it involves a lot of scripture and some blog posts, maybe one of my favorite movies ["Pride & Prejudice", "Sabrina" {Audrey version, tyvm}, etc.]), and I eat something yummy (yeah, are you shocked by that?).

I know this sounds so grim, but it's something about myself that I'm actually kind of proud of; years ago, I was dealing with this feeling of Lost in an entirely different way.  (Not drugs, not alcohol, but not healthy.)  Feeling like you don't belong is kind of terrible, no matter the intensity.  For that matter, feeling anything other than happy is often terrible.  Gaining more control, facing that yucky feeling, and telling it who's boss may help!  Recognize that you're feeling a certain way, look it up and down, and let it happen.  It's not bad.  It's not scary.  It's you getting a hold of yourself, and feeling something you were apparently meant to experience.  Honor it, but don't let it take over.  You may not know why you needed to feel that way, at least at that moment.  But I believe this is part of any learning process.

Maybe this has happened to me just for me to write this blog post.  *le shrug*

But really?  It's so I can learn more about myself.  I've learned that I like control (DUHHHHH!), but even over myself.  I've also learned that I'll give something a chance (like a yucky, lost feeling), and let it take over, just because I'm positive that I need to face it.  That tells me that sometimes I'm brave and curious (a dangerous mix sometimes -- you won't find me near any of those really hot peppers you see on "Man Vs. Food"!).  So really?  Feeling lost, if even for a short amount of time, has really helped me feel more found in the long run (figuratively and literally:)
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Iced coffee ====> Yay or nay?

What is your Wednesday workout?

Do you sometimes feel like you don't have a place here?

Newsflash:  You do.:)

Procrastination Nation

Tuesday mornings = my short run for the week.

Tuesday mornings are also usually for hair washing.  And thus, the procrastination begins.  So do the (albeit, grodey) thoughts regarding the true power of dry shampoo.  I wasn't in the mood to wash my hair.  I still did, but hated every minute of it, especially what I'll consider my second workout.  

I have really thick, longish hair.

Another *self care* challenge that I procrastinate with is using lotion regularly.  When Solemate Steph and I went to get our nails done last Friday, the manicurist pointed out how dry my hands were (I didn't take offense -- I know what I've done).  Steph asked why I don't lotion, and I was honest:  I do not like it!  I don't like the feel of slimy, wet stuff sticking to me and my clothes for any period of time.  Especially when I'm hot.  Especially when I get out of the shower, and I'm hot.  Especially when I get out of the shower, I'm hot, and my hair is wet.  EW EW EW EW EW.

Every once in a while, I'll run down to the Counselor's office, where she has a mad stash of TJ's lotion.  More procrastination ----> It's taken me all school year to even think about keeping a bottle of this stuff on my desk.  Maybe come August...;)

Instead of instructing 20 First Graders and 30 Second Graders to play several parachute games (we did play a few), we went "Camping".

I got home yesterday afternoon, plopped myself down on the couch, blogged and watched PLLs.

You wanna know what I did right BEFORE that?  A genius thought came into my head.  No, really, but it was pretty important and made me feel like a rock star.

I started a new note when I was walking from the Jeep to the house.  I had so many ideas flying through my head, a way to organize my summer (I'm a Teacher -- I get summer "off";), books to read, etc.  So I get some points for being proactive, right?  Like, three?

Whether it's with training or my life, I feel like I'm the Master Procrastinator.  And honestly?  It's probably the only thing I've ever been consistent with in my whole life.  Putting things off to the last minute, the last banana, the last pair of clean socks, etc.

What am I on about?  Well, PROCRASTINATION is Deb's Wednesday Word.

Could this WW could have caught me on a bad day?  Nah.  Like I said, I've always been pretty good at waiting to the last minute and putting things off.

HOWEVER

I have learned to recognize signs that I'm slipping on tasks and agendas.  In other words, I've gotten better at putting in less effort and focus over a longer period of time, rather than the forever stressful MORE effort and focus in a very short amount of time.  Obvs, I still have a very long way to go, but if you're nodding your head while reading this, then

I have some tips that have helped me stay more on track with life things:

• If you're working on a large project, break it down into smaller mini-projects.  You'll feel more accomplished and ready to check off the next thing.  This project could be anything from a work task, to house work.  We even see this style of accomplishing large goals everywhere, even marathon training.;)
• Get organized --------> isn't this the key to just about anything?  Packing your gym bag the night before, meal prep, or putting your backpack next to the front door can help more than you'll ever realize.  Write down a plan of action, write down your goal, put post-it notes on things if you have to, use spreadsheets.  Whatever you need to do to put down a plan in front of yoursel
• Don't over complicate it.  I am so guilty of not practicing this one, and I eventually come around to it, but it takes a while.  So I am working on it.:)  When you have a goal in front of you, you can either go from A to G to E to F to S to X to B if you want; or you could just take the A to B path.  Think about it...how many times have you gone "Yes, but..." to anything?  You're making it too complicated, and therefore postponing it (ding ding ding...procrastinating).  Find the easiest route, rather than thinking about taking every detour to get it done.  
• Tell others about your plan!  Turns out, if you tell people what you're up to, they'll be your cheerleader.  You'll have a socially built-in reminder that you're doing something, working toward a goal, or have something to take care of if you tell your friends or co-workers.  This has helped me on several occasions!  Side note:  Don't tell people that are going to be Negative Nancys...that's seriously sometimes the worst.  Be choosy on who you tell; don't be afraid to ask for encouragement if you think you need it.

And the best tip of all

DO IT NOW.  If you're anything like me, you're seriously tempted (and completely fall for) plopping down right in front of the couch and watching "Pretty Little Liars" when you get home (no?  ...okay, suuuuuure).  Ditch the couch if you have chores to take care of; don't even sit, because you know as well as I do that you'll just stay there.  Put your stuff away from the day, get to work, then you can totally relax.  Because let's face it:  Whether it's your workout, your laundry, the dishes, or paying bills, you KNOW that you feel better once its done.  So you might as well do.it.now.

I sure hope that some of these are helpful to you, and I hope you have a most wonderful Wednesday!  We're in the middle of the week...time to rock it out, y'all!:)
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Are you a master procrastinator?  If NOT, please feel free to leave us some of your own tips!  We ALL need your help!


What are some things you procrastinate about in your life, work, training, whatever...?



We're already at the proverbial hump of the week!  Do you have big plans (RACES?) coming   up?  PLEASE SHARE SO I CAN CHEER FOR YOU!:D

The Mondayest Tuesday Ever, and Empowerment (the good kind!)

Strike a pose on the Mondayest Tuesday ever.  And yup -- sunglasses at 5:00am.

P.S.  (Ridiculous:  Who begins a post with a P.S.?) Those sunglasses serve two purposes:  Keeping the sun out of my eyes/more bearable, and keeping bugs out of my eyes/trapping bugs under them, causing me to go into a chaotic fit to pause my Garmin and fling the glasses over my head.

P.P.S.  (And the ridiculousness continues...) When you're sweaty, bugs stick to your skin.:(

I grabbed some toast with jelly, a sunny-side up egg with two egg whites, and a banana for breaky.  BROTEIN AND FAT, baby!

Sophia's favorite bird is the Cardinal.  I thought I had found one this morning, and since I'm not a bird expert, I'll leave this one open to discussion ------- yay or nay?

Either way, the nine year-old totally bought it and loved the picture.

Warm-up of the day = "Meet in the Middle", where I tell the students to run to the middle of the court to their partner (on the opposite side), and they do an action each time I tell them to go.  It can be a build-up game, too.  I think at one point, the students had built up to:  Meet your partner in the middle,  slap five, slap five, elbow, elbow, knee, knee, foot, foot, talk like a pirate (most of them go "ARRRR!"), spin once, do five push-ups, do a silly handshake, 10 jumping jacks, then run back to your line.

*blink*  They love it.

After school, I had to hit up the super regional track meet for our networks.  I SWEAR that the Heavens opened on our track meets for the past two weeks.  We finally got all of our events done last night ------> RELIEF.

It was seriously a long day, that ended up with me being getting home around 8:00pm.  Harry had plans with friends, so I had the house to myself when I got home.  I ended up having the same breaky for dinner -- I just love eggggggs.
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So this week's WORD is "EMPOWER", which is a wonderful little prompt for me.

Two things come to mind when I hear/read the word "Empower".  The "lifting up of others", giving allowance or warranting type of empowerment; I feel like is almost akin to women's rights.  The claiming of rights and taking control, creating self-actualization, and more legal encouragement is particularly infamous for women in the last century; kind of a big deal in women's history.  I feel like it's from this definition/expression where women's empowerment and feminism created an idea -----> we can do hard things, too!  Women's rights ('cuse me, though...ALL human's rights) had a long-time coming.  I believe that our attitudes have become more progressive since going from demanding to be able to vote, being able to make choices with our bodies, to demanding equal pay.  There's a ton more that we had to work for, but we'll keep it to "legal" challenges for now.  Before and in-between those times, we keep proving that we are strong; that we empower one another with words and actions of enabling.

Empower -- It's sort of the idea behind women's racing as of late (I.e. Esprit de She, ZOOMA, any "Diva Dash" or Disney Princess, etc.).  These types of races, while some may roll their eyes at, are really fun and create a different sense of competition; a "we're all in this together" type of attitude.  You should definitely try one some time.

The other/my idea of empowerment is of the self = what God gives me.  Empowerment, to me, is synonymous with strength, but it's something that's given, rather than intrinsically built.  He gives me everything I need, to do all of the hard things, all of the easy things, and to have a happy, strong life!:)

All of this talk about positive, uplifting things ---- I have some good mental fuel for speedwork!

Y'all have a blessed Wednesday.:)
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Does someone or something empower you?


Have you ever run a women's only race?  Which one?
I have raced the Esprit de She triathlon and Chicago ZOOMA half marathon.


Running in the rain:  Thumbs up or thumbs down?
I'm okay with it, as long as there isn't any lighting.

My Husband Delivered & Five Ways to Be Gracious

YES!  Hump Day is here!

I know.  I sound too enthusiastic.

In reality, I'm more like

But I digress.

Yesterday was full of yummy things!  Again, I inhaled my breaky (organic oatmeal + pb and banana), but here's what a friend of mine gave me yesterday.  IT WAS THE MOST DELICIOUS THING I'VE EVER PUT IN MY FACE.  All to celebrate the birth of his new baby girl.:)

Lunch was some Tex-Mex inspired fare.

And this is what happens when I forget to take a snack with me for after school.  It was absolutely gorgeous outside yesterday (65-70*F!), SO naturally there was a ton of traffic. (?)  It took me an hour to get home, and by then, I was done.  I needed food.

And apparently I needed *girl time* stuff...?

He really delivered.:)

Some snuggle time before bed...

And after receiving my rejection e-mail from the New York lottery (I DELETED IT IN A RAGE! but not really:P), we figured out the rest of our race year.  Lots of RnR races, of course.:)

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Gracious -----------> courteous, kind, patient.

As runners and fitness enthusiasts, I want to believe that most of us have attitudes that are a touch more positive.  Perhaps we smile more.  Most of us have some silly snark about us that brings a nicer tone to this great big World.

I like to think that most of us are goal-oriented, if not solely within our discipline, in our attitudes and spirits.

This *Wednesday Word* came at a good time for me.  I have been trying to work on my graciousness as of late.  I think that I've been under a ton of stress, and the first thing I need to do is bring myself back down to this World and treat others with patience and kindness.  After praying on it often and smiling more (this resets my "GRRRRR" button!), I came up with the following things to focus on regarding graciousness:

1.  Rewire your thinking --------->  Reset your intentions with others.  Smile more, thank often (SAY "SORRY" LESS!), LISTEN without thinking about a reply or a rebuttal.  Consider someone's intentions when they're approaching you; also consider how their day may have been up to this point.

2.  Show kindness in small doses ---------> The SMALLEST thing can make someone's day!  Courteously opening the door for someone, helping someone reach something, offer someone a compliment (try to make it personal ["that color in your blouse looks amazing on you!"]).  I know it sounds insignificant or like a trick, but it'll make you feel kinda good, and the person with which you interacted.  You never know the impact you'll have on someone, so you might as well make it frickin' awesome.

3.  HIT THE BRAKES ---------> PAUSE when you get angry or upset.  I know for me, sometimes my brain immediately goes to the absolute worst situation in the entire World, over NOTHING.  (This is one of the many things I'm working on regarding my grace.:)  Take a breath and listen to the whole story.  It's way more than likely that it's something totally fixable.  This pause you take will help you re-evaluate, and chose the correct path that will be way more productive.  And more than likely, gracious.

4.  Be grateful ---------> Everything awesome in this World begins with gratefulness.  You cannot and will not be gracious if you are not thankful.  Just like being kind to others, consider your gratefulness in small doses.  Start being thankful for every single little thing.  A cup of coffee (ohhhhhhhhh boy, thank you!), light traffic, someone bringing you something at work, remembering something, running water, RUNNING, the ability to, your family, your friends, "thank you, thank you, thank you" until the cows come home.  When you appreciate more, you're happier with the things you have.  When you're happier, your grace will SHINE.

5.  Smile ---------> YOU GOT IT.:):):):)

Simply put

Go out there and rock Wednesday!  Word?;)
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Tell me one tip you have for being kind!  Please.:)

Where I WANT Complacency

Oh, hey there!:)

I'm kind of liking seeing the sun in the early mornings again, though I know it won't last for too terribly long.

What's going on at school, you ask?

My Kindergarten through eighth grade students are doing the PLANKSG+IVING CHALLENGE!  The Kinders think it's a riot when I count to the time limit in silly voices.  I am such an elementary school teacher.

My fifth/sixth graders got a lesson in GOLD STARS.  To get them engaged in our discussion on Fitness components, I gave one person a gold star to hold on their forehead for answering a question correctly.  When another student answered another question correctly, they got the star.  They kind of loved it.:)

I'm very fortunate, completely thankful and happy to have an amazing Principal.  On top of being a very understanding, loyal, caring, and giving lady, she is one that will HAND-WRITE thank-you notes to their staff:)

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We're now at the portion of the bloggie where we get serious  ---------> THE WORD.

As you all know (or should know -- I've complained enough about it!), this summer left me in quite a pickle.  I felt like I went into a training slump in late July, and haven't really felt like I've bounced out of it.  I have felt like if I sign up for a race that it'll wake me up and I'll spring right back into a training bamf, but it hasn't really happened.

I have a longing for a true sense complacency as of late.  I haven't had that terrific sense of satisfaction when it comes to racing, running or tri.  Harry got onto me the other night (in the most supportive moment of our marriage to date) for not really going all out in training for a while, for negative talk, for a lot of things that aren't like me.  I feel like I've just been mailing it in with several things, and I've shared this before on the blog, when it comes to training and even stuff around the home and some things at work.  I'm still working on that balance, but I'm starting to get the fire under my butt for training.  My level of complacency is about to get a major boost, and rightfully so -- I've got PRs to make.

As for work and home, I believe that those things are coming into place just fine. In fact, the only place where I feel complacent in my life is my relationship with my husband, with my family and friends.  That's better than nothing.:)

This Wednesday Word comes at a great time for me as my perspective is ready to change.  Thanks, Deb!

Back to your regularly scheduled goofy bloggieness.

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And um, about that.  Sometimes I am  GUILTY of things like this.  Not as much as I used to be, though.:)

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Where in your life do you have a true sense of complacency?  Work?  Training?  Home?


Are you good at making plans with friends?  Do you kind of bail sometimes?  
-I don't think I'd ever bail on you.:)


Morning runners:  LOVING the little bit of sunrise?

What happens when you see the World through experienced eyes.

My run yesterday consisted of putting one foot in front of the other, and staring at that moon.

Oh.  Moon.  I couldn't take my eyes off of it.

I also came across my running (bunny) buddy!  Or at least one of them.  I was slightly creeped out by the rustle of leaves, the cool air, the slight drift of fog, so I kept looking around for Michael Meyers like a cray person.

But always came back to staring at that moon.

This was absolutely without a doubt the highlight of my day.  Just a few short miles in the eerie moonlight.  I had a long day at school, then took my volleyball teams to get their booties handed to them by another team.  *le sigh*  That was a tough loss for them...it was a real slobber-knocker, y'all.

Now I had my fair share of slobber-knockers when I played volleyball.  What I noticed, as a Coach rather than a player, was that the girls KNEW the other team was better.  They had matching uniform tops and bottoms (they pointed this out to me as a sign that they were more organized).  Their Coaches were calm, reserved, and remained on the bench, hardly speaking a word to them.   Their body language and placement on the court was more confident and advanced.  My girls did nothing to combat any of these signs that they were a better team.  NOTHING.  They watched the ball hit the floor over and over again.  They knew what to do...they just didn't.  I let the game finish, then told them all in a huddle that they let them win.  Literally allowed them.  They knew that they were a better team, and they took it personally.

What brought on this perspective?  Experience.

We can apply this lesson to just about anything.  I can easily apply this to my experience in fitness and health, running and wellness, all of which I've been interested in for less time than I have volleyball.  The thing about perspective is that sometimes you don't realize how much you have to offer until you've experienced something over and over again.  Trying to explain to my volleyball team that I totally understood how they felt was quite a riot -- I would've never thought when I was 13 years old that I'd ever coach young ladies and tell them about how I got hit in the face with the ball often.  That always makes them feel better.  Trying to explain to a new runner how I felt when I was new to the sport is a little similar, though I feel like adults trust me less than my VB team.<3


Last night was quite the shift for me, as I felt like I had a ton of experience and advice to give to girls who had no idea what to do with it.  With time, I can teach them what they need to know, so I have to learn how to filter what's most important.  I have enough experience in the sport to be able to reach that goal, though, because I feel like my perspective is pretty clear.
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In other news, I'm learning how to live with bangs.  Perspective from behind bangs is a little different than without, goofy face and all.

And I'd say that we're really ready for Halloween, even though none of this candy will go to Trick-or-Treat'ers.

According to this, I will have a lot of work to do.

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Do you think that your perspective becomes more clear with experience?

Are you READY FOR HALLOWEEN?!

How about the Halloween candy workouts?

Are you racing or do you have a fun event for this Halloween weekend?