It’s almost November. I’ve been busy surviving my second and third year of teaching and training, so the blog has been the furthest thing from my mind. I’m about 5 days out from my next half marathon and injured again.
I ran the Indy Mini back in May with knee pain, then did 4 weeks of physical therapy. It was rough balancing that with the last weeks of school. I took it easy for most of June and started to pick training back up in July. I did my furthest runs about a month ago, so I know I’m ready.
I’m planning a little break after Monumental. I think the furthest distance I’ll be running is a 5k for a while. My body just needs a break. I have been training for races pretty much since my last marathon. I need to get back into running for me and for fun.
Monday, October 30, 2017
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Running with Purpose
It's been a while since my last post. I'm not so great at writing a blog (or at least keeping up with it). My job keeps me busy most of the year. I'm also involved in some local organizations that occupy a large check of my non-training, non-teaching time.
Moving on...
I'm running with the Indiana Chapter of Team In Training again. This year, I'm only running the half marathon during the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon. I'm almost at my fundraising goal, but could always use more to make someday today. Check out my journey at my other page--http://pages.teamintraining.org/in/yourway16/adavis. It'll update you on my training progress.
Moving on...
I'm running with the Indiana Chapter of Team In Training again. This year, I'm only running the half marathon during the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon. I'm almost at my fundraising goal, but could always use more to make someday today. Check out my journey at my other page--http://pages.teamintraining.org/in/yourway16/adavis. It'll update you on my training progress.
Saturday, May 21, 2016
Adventures in Moving and other things
I'm over due for a post, but it has been a crazy few weeks.
April 27th
We closed on our new home. We had to drive to the north side, which makes me cranky, but it is finally ours.
April 28th
My family comes out to help us move. They stay at a hotel, and we go out for dinner.
April 29th
My parents hang out at our house waiting for the fridge to arrive. The fridge arrives around 10:00am. Dearest husband and I are at work.
April 30th
MOVING DAY! We get breakfast, pick up the rental truck, and begin moving our stuff. The worst thing was moving a washer and dryer up the stairs. The best thing was staying in our house for the first time.
May 1st
My family had to leave to get back to the grind in PA. Hubster and I went out and purchased some necessary items for our new home.
May 2nd through 6th
Work and cleaning our apartment up. Not a lot of outside activities could happen until that was done.
May 7th and 8th
Continued cleaning of our apartment and turning in our keys. It was hard to say goodbye to our little home in Indy. We turned in our keys three days short of living there 2.5 years.
May 9th through 13th
Adjusting to new routines and attempting to find some of our stuff in the boxes we haven't unpacked yet. I'm getting ready for the last few weeks of school and a field trip. I manage to sneak a run in on Friday evening. My first run since moving, and it was slow. I haven't really been running much since Spring Break.
May 14th
I got up early and ran my first race since the glass slipper. I raced a 5k in my old school district and placed third in my age group. Not to bad for not training.
Later, we had a housewarming party with some of our close friends and coworkers here. It was nice to see my coworkers outside of school. And it was pretty awesome to play games in the game room, instead of sitting wherever we could cram into in the apartment.
May 15th- present
Working and relaxing in our home. I still haven't done much running, but it will all be okay. This Thursday is our last student day, so I'll be able to get some shorter runs this week and a five-ish mile long run this weekend. 
A view from our living room windows.
Saturday, April 9, 2016
Race Recap: runDisney's Glass Slipper Challenge
Way back in July 2015, I signed up to run the Glass Slipper Challenge. I was in the first few weeks of marathon training, so I had my plan in place. I was going to continue the Team in Training fall schedule for the rest of the winter, but use the half plans starting two weeks after the race.
Training this time around was okay. I didn't have a terrible winter, so I could run outside a lot. The bigger problem was getting a run in before dark during the week. I had been staying at school later to make sure everything was ready for the next day. By the time I made it home, it was dark.
The magical day came. I spent my morning at school and took a mid-afternoon flight from Indy to Orlando. My mom was supposed to meet me at the resort, but her flight kept getting delayed. I made it to the resort first. By the time my mom finally got there, the race expo was closing. We went te next day after our breakfast reservations.
The Expo was much better than I had experienced at my last Princess experience. It took over all of HP Pavilion and the Josten's Center at the Wide World of Sports complex. I was slightly disappointed at the lack of Princess Half Merchandise they had available the next day. I ended up with a travel coffee mug, a magnet, and an "I did it" shirt. I also bought another cute running shirt. I really wanted the Tervis water bottle, but they didn't have any by the time I got there.
The races were great! I managed to be right upfront for the 10K. I really tried to keep the pace slower for the first leg of the race. I loved running through Boardwalk and the Yacht and Beach Clubs. It was a solid run with a 10:02 min/mile average pace. The half was also pretty good. The course was very similar to the first time I ran it, three years ago. I had an average pace of 10:29 min/mile. I didn't stop for any character pictures until the end of the race, where I met two of my favorites!
Training this time around was okay. I didn't have a terrible winter, so I could run outside a lot. The bigger problem was getting a run in before dark during the week. I had been staying at school later to make sure everything was ready for the next day. By the time I made it home, it was dark.
The magical day came. I spent my morning at school and took a mid-afternoon flight from Indy to Orlando. My mom was supposed to meet me at the resort, but her flight kept getting delayed. I made it to the resort first. By the time my mom finally got there, the race expo was closing. We went te next day after our breakfast reservations.
The Expo was much better than I had experienced at my last Princess experience. It took over all of HP Pavilion and the Josten's Center at the Wide World of Sports complex. I was slightly disappointed at the lack of Princess Half Merchandise they had available the next day. I ended up with a travel coffee mug, a magnet, and an "I did it" shirt. I also bought another cute running shirt. I really wanted the Tervis water bottle, but they didn't have any by the time I got there.
The races were great! I managed to be right upfront for the 10K. I really tried to keep the pace slower for the first leg of the race. I loved running through Boardwalk and the Yacht and Beach Clubs. It was a solid run with a 10:02 min/mile average pace. The half was also pretty good. The course was very similar to the first time I ran it, three years ago. I had an average pace of 10:29 min/mile. I didn't stop for any character pictures until the end of the race, where I met two of my favorites!
Friday, April 8, 2016
I'm a ambassodor
I was recently selected to be a RunningSkirts Ambassador! I am so excited to be part of this group! I love their products--I don't really wear much else for bottoms. If you plan on shopping for some cute running clothes, check out my link here.
They are giving away a skirt a day through April and May! Check it out at their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=running%20skirts for more information!
They are giving away a skirt a day through April and May! Check it out at their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=running%20skirts for more information!
I Really Need to Get Better at Writing More Freqently
It's been almost a year since my last post. A year. A lot can happen in a year, and a lot did happen. So, it's time for a long over due update.
Last May, I was up for several interviews in the school district I worked in. I was hoping to move up from an Instructional Assistant to a teacher. I interviewed and never heard back. It was disappointing, but I moved on and continued applying to other schools. I had also convinced my coworker and friend, E, to run a half marathon with me in September. We had started training and running after school once a week.
June came, and I had a few more interviews for teaching positions. I kept running with my teammates from Team in Training to keep up for my second attempt at the marathon.
July was a busy, crazy month. I had roughly 15 teaching interviews in two weeks. I thought I had nailed one, but I got a phone call saying I'm on their short list for the next opening. I also signed up for the Glass Slipper Challenge. It was a great distraction from the craziness of interviewing. I was still doing my weekday runs with my teammates and weekend runs either alone or with the team and our coach. I kept getting calls for interviews, and the school that put me on their short list called me back for another opening. I collaborated with a colleague to get the information I needed to land the position. After the interview was a blur. I drove home and waited. an hour later, the school called and offered me to job! I was elated! I started the next day.
August brought new challenges as I adjusted to working more and attempting to keep up with my training. It was difficult, but I still managed one weeknight run with my group. I'm still working on the work-life balance, to be honest.
My in-laws were supposed to come out in September, but fate changed that plan. My father-in-law's leukemia got increasing worse. This started our long journey. He began chemotherapy in order to have a transplant. So, when he came home for a two week break between rounds, we drove out to visit. He was still optimistic.
I also ran my first black-flagged race in September. It was the half marathon I had convinced E to run with me. Due to lightning, the race was cancelled before we got to mile 3. I was so disappointed, not only for myself, but for my friend as well. It was going to be her first half, and Mother Nature had to ruin it for everyone.
October brought my 30th birthday. I have graduated to a new age group. I celebrated by running 8 miles at group training and a five mile race at a winery. I have decided that it is worth it to sign up for races with wine.
Marathon attempt 2 was in early November. I was doing pretty good until I hit the IMA grounds near the statue of the crawling guy, near mile 18. Something clicked when I saw him, and I sent a text to my coach that I was in serious need of help. Unfortunately, he (or any of the other coaches) were at mile 23 and still catching the half marathon racers. By mile 22, I had been passed by the 4:30 and the 4:45 pace groups. I was in need of help or support or something. My quads kept cramping and my stomach felt yucky. When I finally saw my coach, my response was "Everything hurts, and I'm dying." I was ready to be done. He pushed me to go faster, and then we hit the finishers chute. Coach wanted me to sprint. I almost threw up. I crossed with a new PR, and was immediately escorted to the Medical Tent (because they saw me dry heaving in the chute). I had to sit there until I finally asked If I could get food.
Later in November, we bought a house--sort-of. We actually bought land and a construction site. Our future home is now just weeks away from being ours.
We traveled home for a different Thanksgiving. We had two days with my family. Then we spent two days with my husband's mom. His dad had the transplant, and wasn't able to leave the hospital yet. The Christmas holiday was similar, but we made it to Cleveland to visit his dad. They were staying at a place near the hospital, so they could get there easily for monitoring appointments.
We later got the news that the first transplant didn't take. The doctors said that a second one should take and that his blood cell numbers would go up. They did the transplant right away, but his number never went up. I got back from the Glass Slipper Challenge (I'll talk about that in a different post), to be greeted with the news that they were moving forward with hospice care. We drove out that Saturday, and I wrote up lesson plans for another Monday out. We made it early Saturday afternoon, and left late Monday morning. An hour after we got home, we found out my father-in-law was gone and free from pain.
It's been an eventful year, and I will be glad to put this school year behind me. There are 34 more student days to go and three professional days. I have almost survived my first year of teaching, running, building, and finding balance in this crazy thing we call life.
Last May, I was up for several interviews in the school district I worked in. I was hoping to move up from an Instructional Assistant to a teacher. I interviewed and never heard back. It was disappointing, but I moved on and continued applying to other schools. I had also convinced my coworker and friend, E, to run a half marathon with me in September. We had started training and running after school once a week.
June came, and I had a few more interviews for teaching positions. I kept running with my teammates from Team in Training to keep up for my second attempt at the marathon.
July was a busy, crazy month. I had roughly 15 teaching interviews in two weeks. I thought I had nailed one, but I got a phone call saying I'm on their short list for the next opening. I also signed up for the Glass Slipper Challenge. It was a great distraction from the craziness of interviewing. I was still doing my weekday runs with my teammates and weekend runs either alone or with the team and our coach. I kept getting calls for interviews, and the school that put me on their short list called me back for another opening. I collaborated with a colleague to get the information I needed to land the position. After the interview was a blur. I drove home and waited. an hour later, the school called and offered me to job! I was elated! I started the next day.
August brought new challenges as I adjusted to working more and attempting to keep up with my training. It was difficult, but I still managed one weeknight run with my group. I'm still working on the work-life balance, to be honest.
My in-laws were supposed to come out in September, but fate changed that plan. My father-in-law's leukemia got increasing worse. This started our long journey. He began chemotherapy in order to have a transplant. So, when he came home for a two week break between rounds, we drove out to visit. He was still optimistic.
I also ran my first black-flagged race in September. It was the half marathon I had convinced E to run with me. Due to lightning, the race was cancelled before we got to mile 3. I was so disappointed, not only for myself, but for my friend as well. It was going to be her first half, and Mother Nature had to ruin it for everyone.
October brought my 30th birthday. I have graduated to a new age group. I celebrated by running 8 miles at group training and a five mile race at a winery. I have decided that it is worth it to sign up for races with wine.
Marathon attempt 2 was in early November. I was doing pretty good until I hit the IMA grounds near the statue of the crawling guy, near mile 18. Something clicked when I saw him, and I sent a text to my coach that I was in serious need of help. Unfortunately, he (or any of the other coaches) were at mile 23 and still catching the half marathon racers. By mile 22, I had been passed by the 4:30 and the 4:45 pace groups. I was in need of help or support or something. My quads kept cramping and my stomach felt yucky. When I finally saw my coach, my response was "Everything hurts, and I'm dying." I was ready to be done. He pushed me to go faster, and then we hit the finishers chute. Coach wanted me to sprint. I almost threw up. I crossed with a new PR, and was immediately escorted to the Medical Tent (because they saw me dry heaving in the chute). I had to sit there until I finally asked If I could get food.
Later in November, we bought a house--sort-of. We actually bought land and a construction site. Our future home is now just weeks away from being ours.
We traveled home for a different Thanksgiving. We had two days with my family. Then we spent two days with my husband's mom. His dad had the transplant, and wasn't able to leave the hospital yet. The Christmas holiday was similar, but we made it to Cleveland to visit his dad. They were staying at a place near the hospital, so they could get there easily for monitoring appointments.
We later got the news that the first transplant didn't take. The doctors said that a second one should take and that his blood cell numbers would go up. They did the transplant right away, but his number never went up. I got back from the Glass Slipper Challenge (I'll talk about that in a different post), to be greeted with the news that they were moving forward with hospice care. We drove out that Saturday, and I wrote up lesson plans for another Monday out. We made it early Saturday afternoon, and left late Monday morning. An hour after we got home, we found out my father-in-law was gone and free from pain.
It's been an eventful year, and I will be glad to put this school year behind me. There are 34 more student days to go and three professional days. I have almost survived my first year of teaching, running, building, and finding balance in this crazy thing we call life.
Monday, May 25, 2015
Some times I forget that I write a blog
This has been one of those times. Between training, job hunts, working full-time, interview preparations, and life in general, I haven't had the time to write anything. Well, I'm still job hunting, but the school year is coming to an end. I'm hoping to find a position at a south side school (I'm not picky), but it seems the pickings are slimmer than last year.
Running has been an escape for the most part. I had been training with Team In Training again, until the season was cut short. Since then, it been one training session and two races. I have been training hard to increase my speed, which is paying off.
On May 16th, I ran the Fast Flash 5k. It's a smaller race that benefits my school district. I was super close to earning a age group award last year (only the top two got an award; I placed third). This year I was determined to place in the top two. I did with a new PR of 26:27! I was excited! I came in second and got my $10 gift certificate to a local running store.
This past Saturday, I ran a semi-local half marathon. The Noblesville Mini Marathon was a well organized race. The course was very pretty and we had perfect weather. That being said there were some downsides-not a lot of spectators, some poor water management near mile two/three, and the 5k, 10k, and Half all started at the same time and same place. Once the rest of the groups split off, the half was really good. I ran at a conservative pace for the first few miles behind the 2:15 pace group. I wasn't expecting much since I didn't run at all since the Fast Flash due to a sinus infection. I was hoping to have a decent time near 2:20, but I left the pacers in the dust around mile 5. I ran with a very nice gentleman for mile 6, but had to keep moving I order to get my new PR. I had to start run-walk-run around mile 9. By mile 11, I knew I could walk the rest of the course and still get a personal record.
The worst part of the race wasn't anything to do with the race. It was the drive home. I sat in a line of traffic for 25-30 minutes because of an accident on the route home. My body stiffened up by the time I arrived home. I'm still a little sore today.
Today was tutu making day for the Color Run on June 6th! I am super excited to walk this event with my coworkers/best friends in Indy! Team Tutu Legit to Quit is awesome sauce!
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