FINALLY FINISHED!!!

Ahhhhhh.......finally finished with school....for 10 days. That really sucks. Bites the big one. Crap.
Okay, I got it out. I could have said no. Totally my choice to work longer than the summer program, yeah, needed the money, blah blah blah. I will be VERY happy on August 31 when I get that $$. That $$ will be necessary to help with the $$ I am losing this school year by the district cutting all teachers salary by 6 days.
So I just worked an extra 8 days to make the same amount of $$ next year. Whatever. Spent time today also sorting through the 35 kindergarten registrations for English and forming my class.....got some doosies coming in.....oh Janet, where are you when I need a laugh?? Was not the same doing it without you....*sniff sniff*

But for now......relax. Sort of. I have a list in my head of things I want to accomplish. go through and donate Cassie's small clothes and toys (that alone would probably take me a week), clean the house, get a mani/pedi and massage, run and work out, get an estimate done on the van from the wench that backed into me back in MARCH (I've been busy!!), shop for new uniforms for Cassie for Kindergarten, install Rosetta Stone and begin to learn Spanish, clean out the DVR (but that would require that I sit on my butt and watch TV for HOURS, sleep, swim with the kids, I don't know, do something FUN. All in 10 days. It is really foolish, to think that I will actually get those things done when what I really want to do is what Franklin and Alexander did all summer....NOTHING.

But that's not my style anymore. One of the benefits I have found (or maybe it's not a benefit, but a downside!!) to becoming fitter (?) or more fit is that I can't seem to sit still for long. I have a hard time just sitting and watching tv or a movie (at home) because there is always something to be done. It kinda drives me crazy to be inactive and lazy. I'm sure the lazy gene is still in me, like right now I just want to sit and veg on the sofa but no, here I am writing. It feeds my mind and soul, like exercise does. I do seem to have issues with balance, though, so I need to give myself permission to rest......sigh......why is this so difficult??!!


So last Sunday Arleen came and joined me and Steph on our run. Totally bummed because Sawyer Camp Trail was closed due to a bike race and we had to turn around and go to Redwood shores, but oh well. I'm nothing if not flexible! Poor ladies....had to slow down to keep up with me! We set a goal of 5 miles and did 5.35 miles! It was either the longer distance or my water belt (which isn't THAT heavy, just 2 small bottles of water, my cell phone and keys) but my lower back started bugging me, as well as my knees and hip. Stopped twice to stretch, did more walking than I had hoped, but my endurance is better and I am able to run longer in between walks. The next day, though, WOW. My knees kept creaking and cracking, no real pain, it's similar to when I was really ramping up the group fitness classes and my knees started aching - my chiropractor said it was over use, not anything serious. Feels the same, although I think a trip to him is in order just to check in. I am thinking that I need to look into knee braces to help support them. Hopefully that will enable me to run longer.

This sport, which is supposed to be cheap, has proven so far to be quite costly!! Maybe I am a sucker for all the paraphernalia that comes with the sport, but from shoes, socks, new sports bra, undies, 2 short sleeve tops, 1 long sleeve top, a belt for water/etc, custom fitted shoe inserts, body glide (to glide on all those potentially chafing locations), foam roller, a FABULOUS STICK for rolling out those muscles, sunglasses (that are not prescription like my driving glasses that kept falling off my face with the sweat, just polarized), and samples of various nutritional supplements for hydrating, recovering, endurance, soreness..............I can't even write how much I have spent. I even have samples that Steph gave me of different gels and gu's that I haven't tried yet because they just seem gross - you carry these packets of gel that provide energy during long runs, to keep you from bonking (another term that I learned).But I know that now that I have all the basics, all I will be spending on will be the nutritional stuff. Who knew that plain old H2O is not good enough to replenish electrolytes, help muscles recover, provide endurance, rid my muscles of lactic acid.......ugh it's a complete education, this running thing. Kinda cool, though. Today as I was driving home I saw no fewer than 5 runners and each one I had to check out their form, how they were holding their arms, their stride, what they were wearing, where they were running, it's like a sickness now  :-)

Last night, Tuesday, I had the pleasure of going to the gym for a VERSION of my old beloved Les Mills classes. Steph had new dog issues so rather than going running without her (and my knees were cranky anyway), I opted to go to Crunch and take "Cardio Tai Box" and "Ultimate Conditioning" with none other than Kimi!! So while it was Alex's old night, I was so happy to see Kimi and to once again be punching, hitting and kicking, under the guise of Crunch's class. Her moves are authentic and I missed combat moves so much, she even did some moves from my favorite pirate track! The conditioning class, while not Body Pump, kicked my A$$ big time and was actually hard for me. I haven't done any strength training for a week and a half and it's amazing that in that short a time, my body had a hard time. It brought home to me that it is SO important for me to get the cross training in while I am preparing for this marathon. If I can run three days a week, then do yoga twice, and at least once a week strength training, I will be good to go.

Now I am just so tired, I look forward to sleeping in a bit for a week, but I can't get too used to a summer schedule since I will turn around and have to be up early. Time to go to some doctor/dentist appointments I have been putting off, the dumb car thing, and hopefully some energy to sort through clothes and toys and purge some clutter.....free my mind........nurture my body and soul.....sounds so good..........must get started RIGHT NOW........or not. Tomorrow will be soon enough.