THANKFUL 13 HALF MARATHON

On Thanksgiving, I ran the Thankful 13 Half Marathon near Thanksgiving Point.

I woke up around 6:15, got ready, drank my morning smoothie, and set out to the race start.  This race was 100% different from the Big Cottonwood Half I did in September.  Both were great races, but totally different.  I loved getting to sleep in for this race and having a slow, low-key start.

On Wednesday, I pulled out everything I needed for the next day, except my earbuds.  Thinking that they were on the kitchen counter, I didn't worry about it.  Well, they were not on the kitchen counter.  They were in my closet at work.

BIG COTTONWOOD HALF MARATHON!

On Thursday night, my dad flew in from Minnesota to do the Big Cottonwood Half Marathon with me.  His flight kept getting delayed, so he didn't get in until 1 a.m.  It was a bad start to a great weekend!

THIRD GRADERS ARE GEMS

I am really loving third grade.  My team is great.  I really get along with them well.  There is even a chance that if we stay in Utah, and if I got pregnant, I might try to share a class with one of the teachers.  That's a lot of ifs, but it is an exciting possibility.

Anyway, third graders are so cute.  I am really enjoying them.  They really are so innocent. 

Today, I was reminding them that I'd be gone tomorrow, and they asked about my race.  I explained some of it to them, and then this girl came up and gave me a huge hug.  She said, "I am so happy for you!" I asked her why, and she said, "because of your race! I hope you win!"  I told her I wouldn't be winning, and she was a little confused.

They also promised me that they'd watch for me on TV. :)

WORKOUT RECAPS (2!)

These last two weeks have been busy, busy, busy!  

Only teachers know how much work goes into setting up a new classroom.  When people say teachers shouldn't get the summers off, they don't realize that a., most teachers work A LOT during the summers, and b., many of us make up those hours throughout the year.  Oh, and can I get credit for working in my sleep? I woke up with a pack of sticky notes clutched in my hands on Friday morning...stressed much?

I don't even know what my workout plans were (or, I'm too lazy to look)...but here are my workouts from the last two weeks.

Week 1

Tuesday: Power pump class

Wednesday: Ran 4.5 miles w/ a friend

Saturday: Stairstepper (5 mins), stationary bike (10 mins), elliptical (20 mins) -- couldn't seem to get into anything so I just bounced around.

Week 2:

Monday: Ran 12 miles --- ugh, this was the worst run yet. The first 4 miles were extremely boring and I just wanted to go home.  My legs were tired from the stair stepper, and I was short on energy.  My hip flexor started really bugging me around mile 9.  I don't think it will on my half though, because it is downhill and this run wasn't.

Thursday: soo embarrassing -- ran 1 (yes, just one) mile at the gym...and then went home.  I was tired and wanted to go to bed. I give myself a gold star for making myself go to the gym at all...any workout is better than none, right?

Saturday: Ran 8.5 miles.  Felt okay, but not great...  Probably due to the fact that I have been stressed, under rested, too snacky, and somewhat sedentary.  Will fix that this week!

Although I do feel bad about two weeks in a row where I only worked out 3 times, I am moving forward to a better next week. 

Upward and onward!! :)

This week's plan:

Monday: 3-4 miles

Tuesday: Yoga

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: 2-3 easy miles

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Big Cottonwood 1/2 Marathon!!

My dad gets in on Thursday, and I am so excited!

BIG COTTONWOOD HALF MARATHON

Last week, I signed up for the Big Cottonwood Half Marathon.  I have been going back and forth for a few months about whether or not I should run another distance race.  Clayton kept saying, "why do you even want to do that?" It took me some time to decide that I just needed to go ahead and do it.