This week’s Tuesday Topic is: What did you learn from your worst race? You can write about this topic or feel free to post any running related blog post. Remember to link up with Kim and Zenaida! Visit at least two of the other linked posts – the more the merrier! Remember to come back for later linkers!
I am deviating from today’s topic to say “Hello”. I took some time off from blogging to get my life together. 😊 While this school year has been a lot better than last year, it’s still been very challenging. Two new curriculums is kicking my you know what. I have 22 students but many are below grade level (a few are nonreaders). We are expected to teach the curriculum as if it were a “normal” year. Umm, no. Nothing is normal about this year. Everything is so hard for the students. Doing simple things is challenging. I’ve had to teach them to line up quietly, walk, etc. They eat breakfast in my room and many make a mess and do not even know how to clean up. They were home all freakin’ year! What the heck did they do?!?!?!?
Many of my students have been absent because they’re either sick or quarantined. For the latter it is because they’ve shown covid symptoms. They can come back to school after 10 days or with a negative test result. There was a time in which 7 students were quarantined. Right now I have 2 in quarantine. One has been absent for 2 weeks. His brother is in a classroom in which a few students tested positive and the whole class was quarantined. I feel like the guidelines are not clear nor consistent. There are many siblings in our school. One may be sent home to quarantine but yet the other siblings can still go to school.
Last week were parent/teacher conferences. I was expecting to meet with 21 parents (one student came into my room at the beginning of October but was absent for about 3 weeks due to health requirements). Only 12 made an appointment and I met with 8 of them. It wasn’t even in person conference..it was virtual!!!! Ugh, I was even more annoyed because I had to be in school till 7pm.
I had mentioned I want to run a 50k next year. I haven’t written about my training but have been posting on Instagram stories. I like that they’re easy and fast to do. The race I want to do is the Chicago Lakefront 50k. Still no exact date but it usually takes place end of March/beginning of April. So far running is going well. I’ve had some great and bad runs. Don’t we all? I remember in the beginning I had a good week and then a bad week. And by bad I mean that I felt very tired and didn’t want to run. Then around the 3rd week I got the booster shot and flu shot and felt very tired after my 5 mile run (I also had a headache that day). Then the rest of the week and the week after that I was fine but woke up exhausted on Saturday. I didn’t want to get up and stayed in bed till about 11am. It could have been both shots and/or work. Who knows.
I began this training cycle with 3 pairs of Brooks shoes. Recently I purchased the NYC Edition and then added the November/Thanksgiving Edition. I got them from Zappos so I have close to a year to decide if I want to keep them. There was a time in which the Launch was my favorite running shoe but now I am leaning more towards the Ghost.
To date I’ve run 800 miles (80% of my goal). It looks like I might be able to make my goal of running 1,000 miles this year or at least very close to it! Glad I changed my goal from 1,200 miles.
My mother is doing well. I see her on the weekends when she comes to stay with me. She is getting older and has different doctor appointments every few months. My nephew, Ivan, came home from California for a few weeks. It was a surprise! It was great to see him and to hug him. He left again last week and I don’t know when he’ll be home again.
Mateo and Lola are doing well. They still fight but sometimes they have their good days. The photo of Mateo cracks me up. What do you think he is thinking?
Enough about me for now. I am hanging in there. It could definitely be worse. I am taking it day by day and trying not to worry or stress too much. I have some pain in my right hand/wrist. It might be a pinched nerve or carpal tunnel. For now I am wearing a wrist brace to help with the pain. If it doesn’t feel better soon, I will go to the doctor.
Now let’s talk about the giveaway. My birthday is Saturday. There will be one prize for a $49 gift card to one of the following stores: Zappos, Dunkin’ Donuts, Running Warehouse, Amazon, or Starbucks.
Please use the Rafflecopter below to enter. This giveaway will run until November 21st at 11:59 pm. The winner will be selected on November 22nd. The giveaway is open to US residents only. All entries are verified, so please be sure to complete them or a new, random winner will be selected. GOOD LUCK!!!
Welcome back. Keep with with IG. I agree. It’s so easy just to post a pic. Blogging is work.
Sorry about all the teaching stress. The hardest job in the world and now worse. I’m volunteering with immigrant children. So sad. One girl is in school and speaks very little English. She has no friends and is not learning a thing.
Good luck with your goals. I’m trying to reach 1000 mikes too. I’m close. We’ll see how the rest of the year goes.
A 50k is such a big challenge. I bet doing that training will help with your work stress.
I have nyc brooks too. I wish I could wear that brand. But my feet prefer Topos. They do not make fun ones.
Brooks needs to stop making cute shoes so I can stop making them. 🙂 That is great about you volunteering!
I’m so sorry you are having such a hard time. I see a lot of issues with kids in the office, so I know what you are feeling. These kids need you–I hope you can hang in there! Take care of yourself.
I am trying. I keep thinking about the students and I know they need me. Thank you!
Welcome back, Zenaida! I linked up last week for the first time and am excited to be joining in on the fun!
I hope your school year gets better. It seems to be a mess most everywhere.
Thanks! That is great you will be joining us on Tuesday. I am disappointed in the education system. Something better needs to be done.
Welcome back!! I’ve missed seeing your updates, though I feel so bad for your frustrations on the job. Too bad you just can’t get a break in terms of students (and their family’s lack of responsibility) or the Covid issues. Ugh…. hang tough! And Happy (early) Birthday!
Thanks, Kim. It definitely has been an interesting few months. I do hope things improve. Too many teachers are stressed and burned out.
Happy pre-birthday and nice to catch up with you, Zenaida (sorry, I don’t do IG anymore & may never again but never say never).
I’m sorry it’s been so challenging — still. I imagine you feel a lot like me but I don’t have to work all day or be in a mask, but now am taking my mom to drs monthly (when she’s not in the hospital 🙁
Glad to hear that running is basically still on track — I’m sure that helps!
Thanks, Judy. I hope things do get better soon.
Welcome back! I’m sure the beginning of the school year has been… challenging. For the first month or so, we had so many Covid cases, causing so many kids to quarantine and miss school, that they changed the policy. If your kid was in contact with another kid who tested positive for Covid, it’s up to the parent to decide if they should quarantine or not. In other words, most kids kept coming to school unless they actually got sick. I guess it’s working well? Our Covid cases have dropped again here so I don’t think it’s a huge issue.
I’m excited that you have a 50k picked out! Sounds like your running is going well. And I’m using my powers of deduction to guess that you’re turning 49? I hope you’re planning something fun to celebrate!!!
Wow! In our school it would be the opposite. Kids are sent home to quarantine if they were in contact with someone who tested positive. And yes, 49 is is the “secret” number. 🙂
So sorry you’ve been having such a tough time, Zenaida!
Being a teacher must be one of the most demanding and challenging jobs.
Well done on reaching 800 miles for 2021! Yes, you can definitely reach 1’000 miles this year.
Your 50k next spring sounds exciting! Isn’t the Chicago Lakefront one of your favourite running places, but where you haven’t been for a long time?
Yes, I love running there but sometimes it isn’t convenient for me to run there for my short runs. Maybe once my runs are longer I will but then it will be cold and for some reason feels windier there.
I’ve heard the same horror stories from other teachers I know. You have to wonder what these kids do at home. They don’t even know how to behave. I wish you well. Hopefully things will get easier soon.
Thank you. It really blows my mind to see what the students can and cannot do.
So sorry you’ve been dealing with so much stress, I can’t imagine. Hang in there lady! I’m sure it will get better! You’re doing a great job!
Thank you! I am trying to be positive. I know the kids need me. It makes me feel good when they tell me they do not want to go home. When I ask them why. They say it is because they like school. 🙂
Totally understand taking some time off from blogging. Teaching is stressful, especially now. If you haven’t heard this recently, thank you for all that you do! Often teaching is a thankless job.
Thanks so much Kim!!
Gosh, it must be hard to be a teacher right now. That’s most definitely stressful.. and it’s not like you have other things going on in your life, too. I hope your wrist feels better soon. I think it’s amazing that you’re training for a 50k!
So sweet of you to host a giveaway for your own birthday (I won’t say happy early birthday, but will hopefully catch you on your actual birthday somewhere ;)).
Thank you. I bought a brace for my wrist and it is feeling better.
So glad to have you back blogging – but so sorry that you’ve been having such a tough time. 🙁 Cannot even begin to imagine that level and kind of stress especially when there is so much inconsistency and lack of support from admin but also from parents.
Happy Belated Birthday! Hope you took time out for yourself to relax and enjoy the day.
Thank you! It’s been a wild couple of months. I do hope things get better.
Here is the link to my worse race – http://omnirunning.com/running-eastern-states-20-mile-race/
I knew going into the race that I wasn’t prepared for that distance, I just didn’t expect to crash and burn so badly.
My big lesson is that you have to put in the miles. And I knew that at the time.
I guess the other big lesson is that it’s ok to have a DNS and live to race another day.
I think most runners have had a DNS or DNF. And yes the key thing is to move on. There will be other races.