No wonder I never "saw" any changes when I was training for whatever race...
I felt better, but didn't "see" a change in my body:
"The secret is intervals. Study subjects who spent just 20 minutes mixing sprints with jogging lost three times the fat off their legs and butt in 15 weeks, compared to those who jogged steadily for 40 minutes, research from the University of New South Wales in Sydney finds. Intervals may spark fat-mobilizing hormones, and they amp your cardio capacity so your future runs will actually feel easier.

The answer is to mix up your cardio either by changing your workout around or adding speedy bursts—meaning intervals. Intervals can be fun if you approach them right. Each one represents a mini goal—finish the 1-minute sprint, complete the 2-minute cooldown, and so on."

Global warming produces tornadoes and all sorts of odd weather systems.
Just like how I have been producing snot. Maybe there's no coincidence.

Typically, for this fashionista/shopaholic, shopping is a fun adventure. Today was different. I basically waited for items to come up and bite me on the butt. I was just not into it (this, of course, doesn't mean my credit cards didn't warm up eventually). I was shopping mainly to get back into doing daily exercise (walking for most of the day, etc.) because I've been recuperating from a freaking stupid cold. I want to go for a bike ride tomorrow; it'd be nice to have the energy (lung capacity) to do that and feel like I am back to 100% health. That's all I am saying. Technically, I walked around from about 10:30am until 2pm, with a lunch break in there of maybe 15min. I suppose that's better than nothing.

Another oddity, which may work in my favor, is my appetite. It's been lacking lately (started when I felt the worst last Thursday); I'll think about cooking something and end up asking myself, "Am I really hungry for that?" And I can cook up many delicious items. Sometimes, during the summer, my stomach gets like this, but it could also be a transitional phase from not feeling well/not eating a lot to regular eating/exercise. It seems like, since I don't get ill that often, when I do, I get smacked upside the melon with it. Probably also because it's my biggest pet peeve.

I think I've written enough about having this dang cold, so I should probably just move onto other topics.

So far, so good as far as the start to the summer school class is concerned. I definitely thought ahead when I gave the students these first two weeks to complete Units 1-4. I say that I was thinking ahead because a) that gives those who log in/get their books later on during that first week some time to get going, b) it allows me a buffer of two weeks+ before I have to assess anything, and c) this week & weekend are going to be too nuts for me to worry about assessment anyhow (little brother gets married Saturday!).

What do I really own about myself? My name? My first and middle name were chosen for me. My last name is my father's, essentially (links to previous entry doesn't it?). My personality? Nature & nuture, right? A little bit of genetics & a little bit of environment (being the oldest, growing up in ND, etc etc.). My looks? Genetics mostly, and my diet, and Mystic Tan. My intellect? Probably a little bit of everything. And why was I a bookworm at an early age? Mom read to me? Genetics (my dad loves to read, as does Robin, my youngest sister)? I may possibly only own my fashion sense, and even that was affected by Sex and the City.

I sure do think of strange topics, don't I?

So, I just wrote an email to welcome my English 120 students to the online summer course. I have a hair appointment in less than 30min, and then I have tidbits of this and that to accomplish for the rest of the day. This week seemed quiet at first (as does next week), but it's slowly filling up with projects.

I did receive the last of my books I ordered, and now I await two shipments of shoe possibilities. Many places, due to the gas prices perhaps, are offering free shipping for orders over a certain amount. It seems like a better deal to me to pay $6.95 to try something on and ship it back rather than drive to Fargo or Minneapolis.

It's supposed to rain most of the week. At first thought, this excites me. I love rainy days... thunderstorms. But then I realized that I'd like to bike around, and, honestly, sweating on a bike in 50 degree temps as the sky drips on you doesn't seem like a fun exercise. Plus, getting sick before my brother's wedding is not the best idea either. I guess I'll have to watch the skies for a break as well as use my huge exercise ball to get in some fat-burning sessions.

Yesterday, on the way back from my boyfriend's brother's reception/visit to the parental unit, we talked about forgiveness, sort of. I often look at a person's drama and think, "Oh, this is silly; just forgive each other," etc. But it's not that simple, is it? That whole "easier said than done" quote constantly comes into play the older I get. Wisdom is not so much giving advice that basically tells the other person what to do, but rather, wisdom is putting it all in perspective. Right? Or throwing out a thought/idea for the other person to consider and leave it at that.

I think I should focus on the forgiveness missing in my own life before I go and point out its use in others' lives. That sounds pretty wise, doesn't it? Slowly, but surely.

on the corner of 11th and Loy
I'll remember that I forgot
to brush my teeth or put on deodorant

on the corner of 11th and Loy
I've already started my day
with Regis and Kelly and coffee

on the corner of 11th and Loy
I adjust the visor, and squint
the sun causes another typical sneeze

on the corner of 11th and Loy
I drive over the path
of my morning run

on the corner of 11th and Loy
I create a poem in my head
and make a note to blog it

[Ran part of my Relay route yesterday in Fargo which definitely calmed my nerves to a certain extent. I have 6.7 miles to cover, along the Red River (Elm Street mostly) from the Civic at about 4th Ave to Edgewood way up on 36th Ave and then "home" via 3rd Street and 17th Ave. I'm excited, I'm nervous, and I know it'll be a huge mental challenge. At some point on 17th Ave during the last chunk of the 5K last year, I got a stomach ache from just one of those teeny energy bars they give us. So, this year, it's all about watching what I eat beforehand; I want to push myself to exhaustion. Normally, when I get done with a run, I am pooped out, but I catch my breath within a few minutes. For this race, I want to barely have the strength to sprint the last yards. At this very point, I'm unsure if I'll do the half marathon next year (like I keep telling myself - half at 32, full at 33? eeek). Or even the 10K at Homecoming again in the fall. So, if this is my last race of more than 3 miles, I'm going to make it a good one. I think that's probably the approach I should have to everything I do. Right? Anyhow, I'm starting to ponder (and distract myself with) what our Relay Team should wear. Team T-Rex needs to look cool, obviously. I kind of want to use the good old white duct tape again to put T's on our backs (or fronts) and then use permanent marker to write TEAM T-REX in the horizontal bar that creates the top of the T. Thoughts?]

Only in my world would mile 4 feel better than mile 1. Of course.
[Odd: Last night, when I returned from WallyWorld,
my knees didn't crack as much up the stairs.
Could it have been the bike ride yesterday?]

Today's lovely agenda:
1. Wait for UPS package at home while I read Creative Writing drafts.
2. Last Creative Writing class at 2pm, Portfolio Workshop!
3. "Don't Worry, Be Happy" Seminar at 3:30pm.

When the school year winds down, there's really too many feelings that float/flow through me, and they somewhat contradict each other.
... Typically, I feel overwhelmed with what to do with myself over the summer. I make goals related to preparing for the fall, I debate trying to find a "side job" for even more money to pad my accounts for the future, I tell myself that this will be the summer that I really lose some weight or this will be the summer when I go on that cross country road trip or this is the summer that I ___. I get crap from people about having "summers off" all the time; if they did, I wonder if they'd really like it all that much. I mean, I'm teaching English 120 online and my brother's getting married and I'm running the Relay in May after turning in grades, etc. I don't just relax the whole summer away. I'm horrible at relaxing. I'm horrible at doing "nothing" for more than a day.
... So, instead, I overwhelm myself with expectations. I should do this, I should do that... Can anyone see why I LOVE when school starts up again? Because there is a routine to it. There are goals set in stone. There are deadlines. Summers don't have these things set in place; for this antsy girl, that's tough to deal with. And it's not like I want routine all year or deadlines, but I do appreciate them.
... At the end of each year, I am excited to be finished. To wrap up things, because this is one of the few professions where there is an endpoint to a job. Others have deadlines, sure, but that deadline may get extended or the work may come back to them for revision. When the grades are due, the grades are due. There is something wonderful about that, and also something sad. Something ends, for me, every 16-18 weeks. Either the students have learned something or not. It's very little time spent with them, and I may not remember 80% of them as they go on in their lives. Yet, if they hated me or this class, that may live on in their memories longer than their names remain in my head.
... Honestly, with this being our last week of class, I am thrilled to have two classes wrapped up a few weeks ago because I need to train for the Marathon Relay. That is what waits for me even after the grades go into PeopleSoft. And, again, honestly, I'm wondering more and more if I am cut out to run the full marathon by the time I am 33 (an original goal of mine when I started training for the Homecoming 10K).
... I have intellectual & physical demands on me for the next three weeks, essentially. So, I can't get sick. *knock on wood* I can't not run and train. I can't not keep up with grading. I'm heading towards the finish line...

I'll admit it. I didn't run this morning. As it turns out, Mom Nature decided that winter shouldn't QUITE leave us yet. And I don't do morning runs in 22 degree windchill. Sorry. Not my thing. It has to be at least 30. And, no, I hate treadmills. So, instead, I watched The Today Show and did some strength/weight training. A few things I realized as I was working my nonexistent arm muscles:
1) Naturally, I've lost the passion for coffee in the morning typically because when I come back spent from a run, I just want water. [And a gun. To shoot myself with.]
2) I've also noticed a massive dip in my energies around 7pm. Don't most people see a dip in sugar levels (or something like that) around 3pm? I mean, I'm not getting up any later than normal, so... I guess I am a science experiment. Usually, if I struggle through the 7pm slide (eye exercises, lots of yawns), I'm good to go until I really am completely exhausted mentally and physically around 10/11pm.
3) Just how many reps of arm exercises should I be doing in order to a) not kill myself or be so sore the next day I can't do my hair and b) see some results in less than a year?

SCHOOL.
walking program whirlwind.
best blogging practices.
WEATHER.
wicked wind again.
thunderstorms to show?
HEALTH.
no more coffee.
sick of fruit?
PERSONAL.
curly presentation hair.
high heels lead.

I've been meaning to put this on here for awhile now.
Buckle up for something controversial, ya'll...
Having anorexia is easier than being a 10K runner.
I know how that sounds, but really... I've had/done both now in my lifetime.
Mentally & physically, both are dangerous. But, in general, anorexia is the easy way out.
How many people run on a daily or weekly basis? What percentage of the population?
And, then, what percentage has an eating disorder?
So, am I tougher for running? Yes, only wimps succumb to starving themselves.
And, oddly enough, no anorexic chick is going to kick my curvy butt.
'Cuz they can't catch me.

After some help from my mentors (and the wracking of my own brain), I think I've concocted a presentation for the GPACW, if they'll have me. It'll focus on blogging (duh), specifically my teaching blog & how it allows me to reflect upon my teaching theories & practices as well as how it allows for information sharing/networking. And, in the background, will be a pecha kucha PPT. Wonderful.

Notes from morning run/walk - How come people are warming up their vehicles when it's 60 degrees out? And, how come vehicles won't move over when I have no sidewalk, being forced to run on the hard street concrete? Lastly - Why doesn't this town have more sidewalks? Especially in residential areas!