Training begins...

and CSAP prep at school begins! Staying very busy personally and professionally. I officially began training for the Boston Marathon this last week and it went off without a hitch. Scheri and I did our first speed session on Tuesday and it was the ever so brutal Austin Bluffs Hill repeats. We normally do 6 long ones, over a half mile, but decided to try something new: 4 shorter ones and then 4 longer ones. This didn't work out so well, as after we finished ONE short one, we modified the whole workout. We completed everything we normally do, but broke it up, and made it reasonable. Needless to say, we need to work on a little confidence and hills. With all of that being said, we did have a fantastic long run last week with 18 miles in the Garden of the Gods and around. Since we are doing Boston for "fun" and have committed to doing Collegiate Peaks 50 miler one and half weeks later, we know that hills (with a little speed) are our main ingredient in this training plan.

I am also diving into CSAP practice this week. All that really means is that we review the concepts we learned previously in the year and make sure that we teach the things that slipped through the cracks, which is hopefully not much. I found this review time very beneficial for the students last year. I also start giving the weekly talks about how they need to start making good decisions on their own, and not just because their teacher tells them to, and they give me the look back - and then I say, "You are going to middle school in a few short months and they aren't going to mother you!" Then it clicks. My class has really grown on me this year, as anticipated. Marc kept telling me that I would love them like my students last year, and he was right. I know that from now on the year moves along progressively faster, so I will be sure to cherish every moment...except the ones that drive me bonkers.

I would like to end my post today with a quote from a book that I am reading, a book that I highly recommend if you are interested in getting into my head. It is written by a teacher and we are pretty similar as far as it concerns me at school. The book is called "Educating Esme."

"I changed my mind about not saying what I think. If you let people walk over you while you're young, you should get used to wearing feet marks across your face for the rest of your life."