Motivated to Succeed

5:55 PM - It has been quite the week. I haven't been able to get a run in. Saturday was my last day at Borders. Now I'm going contingent. In addition it has been one monster of a week. Struggling right now because I thought I was doing the right thing assigning a take home final project since I was only there for a couple weeks at the end of the trimester. However, very few students "delivered". There were the few exceptions including one student who did a newscast on Shay's Rebellion. There are quite a few 0's going out. No matter how much I stressed that it was 25% of the trimester grade, they didn't seem to care. I also have stayed after school until 5pm four out of five days every week and very few students show up. I feel a bit dejected and let down. Oh well. Monday starts a new trimester. 

In addition, there is a lot I have to do now in charge of 11th grade advisory with SAT Prep, college visits, portfolios, etc. Oi. I am exhausted at the end of the day. I am essentially working from 5:30am to 9:30pm every week day. I can't wait to have weekends to hang out with Emmy! One fun thing was I did get to go to the museum with her last Sunday and we got to dress up in knights's gear and stuff. It is a History of War exhibit :D.

I went running with Emmy at the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail starting from Lanesborough. There were a lot of people out. Perhaps because it was so warm? It has been in the high 50s and low 60s for three days and projected to maybe hit 69 on Sunday! Ran 3.05 miles with Emmy and then she turned around. I kept going to LuLu on the Lake and turned around about 3.6xish miles in. Splits got progressively faster on the way back including a pick me up last mile.

• Mile 1: 8:55
• Mile 2: 9:00
• Mile 3: 8:44
• Mile 4: 8:19
• Mile 5: 8:16
• Mile 6: 8:24
• Mile 7: 7:48
• .28: 1:49 (6:27) inc. max pace of 4:44 a mile!
  

Total Time: 1:01:15 Total Distance: 7.28 miles Average Pace: 8:25

5:30 PM - Sunny and temperature around 65 at the start! It's crazy how warm it is! Running date with Emmy to end the week and then back to her house to hear about her grandpa. He is not doing well. He had an operation to put in a new pacemaker but then he got sick and the new pacemaker isn't working either. He is back in the hospital and he signed a DNR order and they took him off the ventilator. :-\. It has been hard for her. He is the first grandparent that she is old enough to remember losing. I have already been through this 4 other times as I remember all my grandparents dying. It is always a sad time. I secretly hope that he pulls through, but it's not looking too good at the moment.

We went running on the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail again. It's amazing how much ice melted on the lakes in just the last day! A lot of people out. Just wanted to go nice and slow. I ran 19:59 out with Emmy and ran back in 19:49. Wasn't really pushing it. My legs were super sore from yesterday. Taking just a week off really does a number on you! I have to make the time to get in runs. Felt good though except for the end of the run almost stepped in a fresh dog pile. I hate how people walk their dogs on the bike path and then don't even pick up after them. I'm pretty sure I know what dog it was too.

I have to try to get some long runs in if I really think I might do the 50k on Fourth of July weekend. At this point I don't know. I still want to push for a 24 miler on my 24th birthday, though it's on a Friday and I work. Speaking of which I finally got my first official full time work check! I knew it was going to be big when I saw that I had lost $340 just to taxes! It was the first time I ever had a comma(,) in front of the decimal point(.)! But as Emmy pointed out, "[I] definitely earned this paycheck." All I have done is eat, sleep, and breath charter school. I kind of miss the book store only because when you clock out you know you're done and can go do whatever. Though the pay is atrocious. Oh well. Maybe the summer will be better!

Forgot GARMIN watch.

Total Time: 39:48 Total Distance: 4.3 miles Average Pace: 9:15

12:00 PM - Sunny and gorgeous. Projected high of 66 today and maybe 67 tomorrow! Feels like late June. So many people out today. Usually as you drive past the bike path you are lucky if you see 1 or 2 people on it every couple of miles. Today it was madness. We stopped by Walmart to buy a new bike pump. Emma rode her bike today while I ran. I ran from Lanesborough to BArT in Adams and then finished up with ~1.25 miles or so of cool down around the parking lot and up and down the main drag Rte. 8. Felt good today. Surprisingly well actually considering how tired my legs were after the run on Thursday. My legs ached before the run, and they most certainly ache now! This was my longest run I think since Thanksgiving! Woo Doggy! 

Oh and the "Woo Doggie" is also what Emmy said as I crammed my smelly clothes and CamelBak into the washer after my shower. I stank something fierce! Muahaha. Took a ClifBar at 5 miles about 45 mins in and then did a GU at the 1:30 mark. Also saw one of my freshmen biking the other way on the trail and I waved as she went by listening to her iPod. She looked at me weirdly and kept riding either because she didn't recognize me in non-teaching attire, or more likely she DID recognize me and was mortally embarrassed that her history teacher runs in short shorts. LOL Splits were nice and even and consistent.

• Mile 1: 9:05
• Mile 2: 8:58
• Mile 3: 9:07
• Mile 4: 9:09
• Mile 5: 9:13
• Mile 6: 9:16
• Mile 7: 8:54
• Mile 8: 9:17
• Mile 9: 9:12
• Mile 10: 9:13
• Mile 11: 9:23
• Mile 12: 8:58