Innovation Week-Beginning Marathon Training

Day One (Tuesday)-Success!  I didn't die of exhaustion on our run (goal of running a marathon in June with my finance and I need a lot of training...will most likely run a half-marathon first)...we ran about three miles?  It's really hard to tell when you're running all over neighborhoods.  I did conquer a few hills, which felt pretty good to me.  It was also nice to spend quality time with my fiance, since both of us have school and a million other things going on.  We actually talked about how we can better the world, and tossed around ideas in the ecological sense, like recycling more, picking up trash when we see it, possibly volunteering (time permitting), etc.  Before we went on the run I was stressing about it, because I had an assignment to do (which I still have to do!) and I'm getting bombarded with more school stuff and working more hours and getting less sleep, and to be honest, really didn't want to add one more thing (which is always my excuse).  But I did it because I committed and I have to say, I feel really good about that decision.  I think that training for a marathon will not only get me in shape physically, but get my mind in shape by alleviating my stress and getting me feeling mentally good about myself.

Day Two (Wednesday)-Today was also a success, in that I actually went out running :)  I'm not sure how far I ran...I had to go by myself because Mike (my fiance) has class late.  Since it's night and I was running by myself, I just stayed within my complex and did 10 laps.  The complex is smaller, so I'm guessing I ran a mile and a half.  Not as far as yesterday, but I had the motivation to go on my own, so that's a big plus!  Tomorrow will be another longer run with Mike, so hopefully I'll have more interesting stuff to share.  :)

Day Three (Thursday)-Wow, so by Thursday, I am EXHAUSTED...between school, two jobs, and the million other things it seems I have to do (grocery shopping, paying bills, cleaning, etc.) I am barely hanging on by this point!  Well, I came home after my 12ish hour day (6am-6pm) and was expecting to run with Mike, but he was going to the gym first and I have to work at 6am tomorrow so I didn't want to wait until super late.  So, I went to the gym with Mike.  He had me work out with him every step of the way (he's a crazy gym guy who goes for a few hours every day).  We did abs, biceps, triceps, and back...then went swimming for some cardio.  I did 4 and 3/4ths laps, which is actually good for me considering my legs have been dead from all of this intense working out, and also the fact that I'm not a good swimmer (a few weeks ago Mike taught me the basic free-style movements).  We were at the gym for a couple of hours, I'm going to be hurting tomorrow!

Day Four (Friday)-Well, if you knew how exhausted I was yesterday, then you know how bad it was today.  I had to get up at 5am after my long day yesterday and work, then I had an interview (I had to finally get coffee after trying to stay away from it so that I would be alert and not a zombie) and then work again...but I was bound and determined to go on a run after work anyway, even though I had to babysit from 9pm to 1am.  I had an idea for a run, but I knew it would be a challenge because it was long and involved a lot of hills.  So Mike and I set out on our run and it was really tough and it took us a long time and I walked a little bit, but ran most of the way (I was very proud of myself).  Mike guessed it was about three miles, but I thought it was more so we jumped in the car and drove it and it was 4.2 miles!  That's the farthest I've ran I think ever, especially with hills!  We also drove around my complex to see how far one lap is, and it's .25 miles.  So on Day Two I actually ran a little over 2 miles!

Day Five (Saturday)-Mike doesn't work out on the weekends, so I went on a run on my own today.  I decided to run 10 laps again in my complex (a little over two miles).  Nothing too exciting, but I was pretty proud of myself for pushing myself to complete all ten laps (I really wanted to stop after 8!)

Day Six (Sunday)-Today I decided it was time to give my muscles a break.  I've been pushing myself really hard physically this week (after not regularly exercising for a very long time) so I decided to spend the day relaxing and working on my school work for my other classes.

Reflection of Innovation Week
Overall, I feel like this innovation week was valuable for me.  This week really got me back into working out.  I felt motivated, which I do not usually have.  Part of it was because I felt like I had to for this class, part of it was because I have a partner in it who is holding me accountable, but part of it is because there is a goal that I am interested in (a marathon) in which requires a lot of training.  I think that I would have to keep this up (5 days a week, two days off) for a couple more weeks before the motivation really sticks with me, which means that on Tuesday I need to start again.  I read somewhere that you have to consistently work out for 21 days (three weeks) before the motivation is more natural and becomes a "must" to continue.  I find exercising to be a very valuable thing in life because it is a huge stress-reliever for me.  It is something that I find is worth making time for, even though it is really easy to use as an excuse (seriously, time is always an issue!).  I found that I feel better about myself and I can actually think more clearly and focus better after exercising.  I think that it is important to get outside, get fresh air, and move your body to clear your mind.  This has huge implications for my pedagogy, because it really inspires me to make sure my students have the opportunity to get outside and move around and get exercise.  This means that keeping students in from recess is definitely not something I will do as a teacher, and also taking the kids out to run a lap or do some activities to clear their minds so that they can be better participants in class (you can really see the value of regular P.E. time!).  All in all, I found this time valuable and I plan to continue to make time to do so and eventually I will run my first marathon!