Last Post!

This is my last post on this blog, FOREVER!  I am so happy I took WISE and thank everyone who has been involved in this journey with me.  It's been hard work but a blast!
Over n out!

slow and steady (finishes) the race

13.1 miles later I am still alive!  I don't want to give everything about the race away before my presentation but I will share some highlights:
-the cheer when the marathon and half marathon started
-the fans who lined the streets giving their support almost the whole way, including little kids who acted like you made their day when you returned their high fives
-seeing Canada during my porta potty stop
-running with Ms. G for the first few miles
-watching a man dodge off course to take a leak right next to a downtown building
-the amount of support runners provided for each other
-the photographers cheering as they took your pictures
-chucking the water cups
-the perfect weather
...and so much else!

I will jot down more thoughts so I can remember them well enough by the time my presentation rolls around.

Overall, it was a lot of fun and I am so glad I did it!  I feel very accomplished and proud, despite my sore feet that are currently taking a rest.

Mentor Meeting 5/23

Today I met with Ms. Maddren and we discussed Luke's presentation, my presentation, and my race for the most part.  It's always good to just be able to be really honest in how I am feeling towards my project in my meetings.

I admitted that after Luke's presentation I was a bit worried about my own.  His was so interactive, but that was also the nature of his project.  Ms. Maddren reminded me that not all projects will be like that and while I don't want mine to be totally boring, it is not as easy to display what I learned or provide examples.

She helped me with presentation ideas- the possibility of having three "themes."  I need to re-read my whole blog by the end of the weekend for my narrative anyway, so that will help determine the themes.

I also went and talked to Mr. Heurich about blog binding today.  We made a plan to meet Tuesday 6th period to do that because I would really like to have a reflective post after the race in the final product before it is bound, so it needs to wait a little longer.  The issue with that is if it doesn't work out, I don't have any other times I can do it before my written work needs to be handed in in a hard copy form (by 3:32 Tuesday).

I run my last training run tomorrow before the race on Sunday!  I haven't been eating as well today because it has been hard for me to stomach food easily (a recent event is making my stomach feel uneasy most of the time) but I hope it will be better tomorrow.  I have been hydrating well especially because of the heat.  It looks like the weather will be nice for the race, fingers crossed!

Advice/Luke's presentation- in class 5/22

In class we read an article about elite athletes and how they are able to take advice well. It talks about how we are often hesitant to accept advice and use it because it takes admitting we might be wrong, and it may not go along with the plan we purposely decided on.

This article doesn't really apply to my project very much in the sense that I don't have a coach. One could argue that my teacher and mentor take that position. I have taken lots of valuable advice from my mentor, but haven't really felt reluctant to do so. This is because I don't know too much about running so any advice was helpful to me.

Now changing topics, we also had to reflect on Luke's presentation. I got to be a student evaluator for it so I had a lot more comments written on a separate piece of paper that I handed in.  But,

Luke's presentation made me think about how my life would be different if I were more musically oriented.  I played the saxophone for a few years but it was nothing I was too passionate about or good at. It also made me worry about my own presentation a bit, I am not going to lie.  I tried to use his presentation to come up with creative ideas for presenting my information (which isn't as easy because he could demonstrate and have examples and a video, none of which would be too relevant in my own).

The variety during his presentation was good. He have a background and uses different methods for explanation which enhanced it a lot.  I think Luke could have improved his presentation by talking more about the theme of fulfillment that he seemed to focus on in his narrative because it seemed to be important to him. I don't really have any questions, he answered so many I don't think I could come up with any more!! Overall, it was a really great presentation that set the standard veryyyy high.

The Smells of Spring

Today when I was running I noticed something odd.  Now this post might seem a little out of place or irrelevant, but it's something that  has kinda stuck with me since I got back.

When I started out, I ran under a tree with the strongest scent, I'm not sure what kind of flowers they were.  Maybe lilac, but it didn't look like a lilac tree.  Then probably less than a quarter of a mile later, it REAKED of porta potties.  None in sight, just the stench.  Then as I was winding back on the loop, I passed this woman (going the other direction by the way, I don't pass other runners ha) and right after it smelled like cat food!  And not just like for a little bit, but for a while after.   THEN, I was almost home and my neighbors lawn was giving off that freshly cut scent- such a spring scent.  As I ran into my driveway, my old neighbors car was there with its windows down and that stunk of cigarette smoke.

I just found it kind of funny that in three short miles I encountered so many smells.  I suppose I didn't need to share that with whoever is reading this, but hey this is a place for me to write my thoughts and for a while that is what I have been pondering.  Especially the cat food like where on earth did that come from! It wasn't even near a house!

Well, needless to say I was proud of the fact that I even got out and ran today.  Yesterday was a day off and I was reluctant to get off my butt today because of the heat.  I was lucky enough that it was such a short run, though.  And it always feels good after.... especially after a  nice cold shower...mmmmmm

Before I forget...

Before I forget... I need to talk to Mr. Heurich about printing out my blog for my evaluators.  My written work is due next Tuesday (agh!!!!!) meaning I really only have that day at school to print it, so I need to check in with him this week to see what I need to do before then.  I want to wait because I would like a reflective post and the posts leading up to the race to be included, I think it will make it easier all around.

That being said, it's really crunch time!  I need to finish my research commentary by my mentor meeting so I can give it to Ms. Maddren to look over (if she has time to).  I have three final projects/papers/assignments due within 3 days next week, and a whole lot going on this weekend.  Plus, this isn't the easiest time of the year to buckle down and work (just look outside and you'll see why!)

Taper

With less than a week until the race (ah, seems crazy) I have started to taper.  My training plan outlined that I should run 6 miles yesterday and indeed I did.  But boy, it felt hard!  Instead of planning out a route before hand, I actually just ran for an hour.  I feel like I have a good idea of what a ten minute mile pace is so I just made it up as I went.  I'm not sure if I liked that or not.  It's nice to have a definite place to end and it's hard to try to calculate distances as I go, for example thinking okay how long will it take me to do a loop around Beebe Lake? and factoring that in as I go.  I think that that kind of running will be something I take with my after my project, just setting out and not really knowing where I am going.

The run got me a little worried for Sunday, though!  I have felt not as strong lately and this is just the absolute worst time for that.  My knees felt weak yesterday and I don't think I should be that tired after 6 miles.  I hope I can get it back over the next week though because otherwise I will be miserable for the last 10 of 13.1, ha!

I have been working on my research commentary to get to Ms. Maddren this week.  Another thing that came up that I need to remember to talk to Ms. G about is the information packet that we pick up at the race.  I will still be in Rochester for my regatta during the times we can pick those up, so I have to ask her if she can get mine for me (with a note) and then we can meet up that night or the next morning.  We are both staying close to the start so that probably means close to each other.

We got an email from the race organizers and it was so long!  It made me feel a bit anxious because this is a big race and I worry I will feel like a fish out of water.  There are a lot of directions to follow especially at the start and I really don't wanna get off a on a bad foot (haha!)

Trying to stay positive for this last week of hands on work!  Crazy how the year and these 16 weeks especially have flown by.

Mentor Meeting- 5/15

Today I met with Ms Maddren 7th period in the nice sunny quad!  We talked about my progress through the self eval, and most categories seemed good except for talking about my final presentation. We hadn't really done that yet but started today.  I was a little lost on how I should creatively present my information but she reassured me that I'm well prepared and can convey that in my presentation. 

We also talked about my 12 miles And wondered whether or not doing 12 this weekend would throw me off. On one hand it might help my confidence, but on the other there is always a worry that there is a reason you don't run such a distance only a week before the race. Tomorrow I will seek some expert advice (Ms. G) when I turn my eval in.  

That's about it, next time is the last time we meet before my race! 11 days is just around the corner.. Eek!

Attempt at 12

So, with prom being this weekend and everything else going on, I wanted to get my long run out of the way as early as possible. It was a bit ambitious, especially because it was supposed to be the longest run I complete before my actual race. I set out to do 12 miles on Friday afternoon, big mistake. A couple of miles in I realized I didn't have enough food or water in my system. It just felt hard.  Not like I started to feel tired at 6 miles, the whole darn thing felt hard. I rolled my ankle while moving more onto the shoulder on Hanshaw. I nearly stepped on a dead fox. I got passed by another runner. It goes on. 

Anyways, though, I kept on chugging. I got within the last 3 miles and allowed myself to stop for a minute on the foot bridge at Beebe Lake. Well that turned into more like 5-10 minutes because I had seen people swimming and then saw a cop come and I wanted to watch the drama unfold. 

From there I took a much more direct route home, cutting off approx the last 1-1.5 miles. I didn't keep time because that got all screwed up when I stopped (and when I needed to stop to wait to cross bigger roads such as Rt 366).

I'm not sure whether or not I should try 12 again. My training plan says to do 6 this coming weekend (the week before the race) but I feel like I would be much more confident going in having successfully completed almost the full distance. My training the past week was definitely not great, especially through rowing. I couldn't go to the race this weekend so I wasn't boated very often and therefore wasn't really getting workouts in. I'm sure that had to do with it, at least somewhat. 

That's all for now, back to training today!

Mentor Meeting Postponed

Ms. Maddren unfortunately hurt her foot last week so we needed to postpone our mentor meeting until this Wednesday, the earliest we can meet. At this meeting we will be filling out an evaluation for the 4th marking period together.

11 mile update

On Sunday I successfully ran the farthest I ever have, 11 miles! It wasn't a piece of cake but I felt very accomplished after. One thing during it though was my cough, which I've bad for a couple of weeks and I always get one after a hard race or erg piece, which I'd had the day before. It was good training, though, because I will have had a regatta the day before my half in a few weeks. I hope to be feeling fully healthy by then too!

Thinking back on it, I remember running 9 miles and thinking wow it's going to be pretttty hard to run 4 more than this to make it a half marathon. But now I look at 11, and how I completed it in less than 2 hours which I was very happy with, and I'm motivated! I always say I am not worried about time because I really do just wanna finish the thing, but it would be nice to not be DFL hahah and I think push myself more against the idea of other really fast runners than my own personal times.

I think a lot of what I have learned though this process was about pushing my limits. I've definitely known what that means in a rowing sense, but it's different when you're in a boat with 8 other people than when you are running alone past fields on Hanshaw, no cars in sight. I've wanted to stop in the shade to cool off, or even just for a second to finally get a good cough in but I resist that and imagine myself in the race and that pushes me further. :)

Gosh darnit!

Well, I just realized that my post about 11 miles that I did yesterday morning 2nd period didn't appear on my blog.  Kinda odd, I don't really have much luck doing it on my phone.  I'll try to fix the problem in hopes of not having to write it again but it might not work.  So, stay tuned for either a late post (well a late one either way) or a whole new post!

Protein

As you can tell, I am catching up on my blog posts tonight, so this one is in a way kind of out of date. 
I looked up the most protein rich foods, and this is what I found:
-Chicken
-Fish
-Pork
-Eggs and Dairy
-Beans
-Nuts and seeds

This was the most helpful article I found, and it breaks those categories up into subcategories.  You can find them here: http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/a/highproteinfood.htm

I attempted to eat more protein over the past week, and wasn't too successful.  Mostly because I don't make my own dinners, and I wasn't eating Chobani as much as I usually do (I usually have two or three a day).  One thing Ms. Maddren and I were wondering about is how long it'd take to notice any difference in performance or physical feeling after eating a very high protein diet.  It's hard for me to say at this point how different I feel, though, because I was not too successful at eating this way and I also have not had as rigorous of workout this past week.  Maybe over a longer period of time I will be able to tell, though.

Part of it being hard for me to tell, is for example when I eat chicken for dinner.  I have meat practically every night, but I never know exactly how large the serving size is, or how many servings I am eating.  Home cooked meals definitely make it harder to log this kind of thing than for example just looking at the Chobani label.  

Plan...till the end!

We're in the homestretch!  Pretty crazy that senior year is practically over.  Wow does time fly! 

I have created an outline for myself (which I also have down on my training plan to keep me on top of it) so I can be done with everything by my presentation (June 4th!) I need to have all my written materials in by May 28th. 
So, this weekend I do 12 miles.  The week after is my taper week. 
May 19- Research commentary draft complete (to show to Ms. Maddren)
May 22- Bibliography complete (for the most part, except for any last minute additions) and research commentary finalized, also have started narrative by then.
May 26- 13.1!
May 27- Narrative completed.  I think this needs to wait until after the half marathon to be completed, because it may change how I view my project, etc.  I realize this doesn't allow enough time to get it to Ms. Maddren to be proofread, etc., but I am confident that it will be worth it to wait to complete it fully.
June 2- Powerpoint and presentation plans complete!

I really hope I'll be able to stick to these plans to help me finish strong!

Senioritis

I'm seeing (and hearing) a lot of other WISE students complaining about senioritis, and while I am also affected, it makes me very grateful for my project.  I won't lie, it's Wednesday night and I have to do a lot before my mentor meeting tomorrow (also due to the fact that I had my Calc AP today) but it's making me realize that this was the perfect project for me to choose.  While I still don't LOVE running, I'm lucky that it's something I enjoy enough and am interested in.  Yes, I dread it, but once I am running it's a great way to 1. pass the time and avoid doing other stuff I should be doing and 2. forget about that other stuff. 
Just some thoughts as I check up on other blogs!

Interview with Sydney

I was finally able to meet up with Sydney to interview with her!  It was interesting talking with her and comparing what she has to say versus people like Ms. DeBoer and Ms. Bullard who have more experiences just because of age, and don't really compete on teams like Sydney does. 

I learned a lot from her and it was interesting that comparing her cross country and track (or running in general) traditions and plans to mine for crew.  During the interview I was thinking more about that than my running to be honest. 

One thing she really stressed was to not start out too fast in the half marathon.  She actually ran one a few weeks ago so was really speaking from experience, so I will do my best to take it to heart!  She had a goal in mind, sub 2 hours, but I do not.  Still, though, I don't wanna burn out in the beginning and struggle too much at the end! 

She also has some pretty impressive feats, such as running 18 miles on her 18th birthday after being told two years ago when she had surgery that she would probably never be able to run like that again.  Due to this, a lot of what she stressed was about knowing your body and what it can take or handle.  That plays into her mentality too, when she worries that her shins won't take a race the way she wants them to and that that pain will break into her mental barriers. 

It was a great experience talking to Sydney and I hope to use her ideas in both my rowing and running lives!

Nutrition Articles

Here are some notes of the most interesting/important things I found in the nutrition articles I have been reading:

• a 165 pound runner needs 75 to 120 grams of protein a day.

I had previously once heard that a young female needs 40+ a day and was even surprised by that, so this is a huge learning!

• This article also mentioned quinoa and chicken breast as great protein foods and I had both of those for dinner tonight!
• With every footstrike, a runner carries two to seven times his or her body weight.

(all of this from http://www.runnersworld.com/nutrition-runners/eat-more-protein)

The other article I read highlighted a lot of common sense or common knowledge (but good reminders).
An example of this is the "fuel rules":
     1. Eat real food
     2.  Choose quality carbs
     3.  Write it down
     4.  Indulge on occasion
     5.  Drink deliberately

It laid out a runners pantry and good in season foods based on the time of year. 
The most interesting part of the article for me was called "How Much Do I Need?"
It's about calorie intake and how to calculate it based on your activity level.  It was interesting to realize how to calculate this (though I don't have a "goal weight in mind"). 

Also, contrary to popular belief,
myth- "Bingeing on carbs before a race maxes out muscle glycogen, which sustains endurance for distance events like marathons."
truth- "Flooding your system with more carbs than it can handle will leave you feeling bloated..."

(this article can be found here: http://m.runnersworld.com/sites/default/files/NutritionGuide_0.pdf)

Overall, these articles definitely gave me a good overview of nutrition and a good idea of what to look out for and stay away from.  

Happiness Revisited- In Class 4/29

In class yesterday we started reading an article called "Happiness Revisited".  I really enjoyed the article and as cheesy as it sounds I felt more conscious of my happiness after reading it!  There are some questions to go along with it. 

1.  When do you feel most happy?

Before finishing the article, I was thinking about this question.  My answer was going to be when I am accomplishing something that I am proud of and have worked hard at.  That still is my answer, but then I came across the term "optimal experience".  I think this describes myself well- it's a calm satisfaction for me.  It can be when I finally complete a hard math problem, or finish a hard erg piece.  It's not always easy during that time, which the article talks about, but the hard work is what makes those moments so special, and that work finally pays off when you achieve whatever it is. 

2.  React/Respond to the article.

As I said before, this article made me more conscious of my happiness.  I thought one part in particular was especially interesting:
 "Don't aim at success- the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it.  For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue... as the unintended side-effect of one's personal dedication to a course greater than oneself." 
 I hadn't really thought of this before, but then I realized that it's kind of true.  If you set such high expectations for yourself, they will be harder and harder to achieve.  It's good to challenge and push yourself, but it reaches a point where it is unrealistic and you're kind of missing the forest for the trees (as Ms. G says!) 
I also liked the part about control, because I am one that that is very applicable to.  I like to have everything planned out and be in control of the situation.  Some might be happiest when they are just going with the flow and acting spontaneously, and while that's enjoyable sometimes, I am happiest when I accomplish a clear goal, something I know I want to work towards.  The article talks about how we think that some of these forces that are out of our control- how we look, how tall we are, how smart we are, are out of our control and our fate controls our happiness in a way.  I think that is definitely the case for me, because I focus on control a lot and wanting to be in control of the weather, the way my hair wants to look that day, how my parents are acting, and as a result it "decides" my moods.

3.  Where are you on the flow chart?

The flow chart looks like a graph with challenges on the y axis and skills on the x axis.  Across the middle there is a diagonal "flow channel" separating anxiety on the top from boredom on the bottom.  In regards to my project, I think I am right within the flow channel, at about A4.  I wouldn't say my running "skills" are top notch (hard to say what those are, but I'm certainly not an expert) and I am not just a beginner starting out having never run or exercised before.  I am challenged by my project, especially the hands on part.  I will be the first to admit it's not easy to run even 6 miles, so the distance definitely is.  Mentally, it's a challenge too.  I struggle to bring myself to push myself past that comfort zone, and so I think I am right within the flow channel.

4.  How has this changed/remained the same throughout the course of your project?

I think I started out lower on both scales.  I was less experienced before I started training regularly, but I was also doing shorter distances that I knew I could already do so that made it kind of boring.  I haven't really reached anxiety yet except when I just get stressed about how much I have to do and running is one of those things, but I'm sure as I get closer to the race I will be moving more in that direction (though I'll try to stay in the channel).  I started more towards boredom just because for example three miles wasn't really a challenge, but it was what my plan outlined for me to do so I stuck to that.  

5.  How can you achieve flow?

I feel like I have been achieving flow, but to continue that and not get bored with my project or too anxious before the race I will try to mix it up.  I've been changing my runs up more lately to not do the same five miles every time, and I continue to adapt the longer distances.  To not get anxious I will try to relax my challenges (still working hard, but not getting too worked up over things such as the distance or time).

I think all of this happiness, flow, and comfort zone material has really helped me stay more in tune with my project as a whole and I like that I can apply these thoughts to my regular life as well!

Run part 2

I went to the gym with Patrick (another WISE student) yesterday because I wanted to avoid the rain. Yeah, I know I can run in the rain but I expected it to be a lot worse than I think it ended up to be. I did 4 miles on the treadmill and man was it brutal! My feet were not feelin it and I definitely felt the work from the day before. But, it's done!

Run part one

After a very long past couple of days I finally got around to running today. I was out of town on a field trip until last night and had to get up early for my race today. We won (!!!) but I was totally exhausted after. Up until then, I planned on doing my 10 miles today, pretty much my only free time in a while. Instead, I modified my plan and used some information Ms. Bullard told me. She said I could split up my long runs even between days. I told myself I'd run for an hour today, however far that takes me, and finish the 10 miles tomorrow. (Now that I've made this public I'm also forced to!!) The loop I thoughts up just happened to bring my back to my house at 61 minutes.. I'm getting better at this!

So tomorrow hopefully I won't be as completely wiped out. I can't remember the last time I've gotten to sleep past 7 and I get to get up at 7:30 tomorrow!!
Looks like it might be rainy, though, in which case I might have to do more miles than I'd like on the treadmill. :/

Mentor Meeting (4/25)

Yesterday after quite a long day, Ms. Maddren and I met for our mentor meeting. I have been really slacking in terms of WISE this past week and will be the first to admit it. It felt like the time between Friday and yesterday had been completely devoted to calc. I had my final yesterday morning and afterwards was finally able to take a deep breath, but before then that was really my focus. I was able to print off the articles I said I would and skimmed them a bit. I'll post the most interesting points from them in another posts. Other than my lack of progress in the past week (also due to me being hesitant about my calf pain.. So I guess it's good timing in a way) not much else is new. We figured out scheduling conflicts and I'm hoping I get a low lottery number so I can be finished before regents week!!

Now to take some advice that Ms. Maddren gave me, take it easy on myself.

Rest.Relax.Recover.

Yesterday, while running the pacer in gym, I felt the side of my calf cramping up a bit. It's not my whole calf, but I had been feeling a sore part almost as if it was a bruise for a few days prior. It wasn't the direct result of a certain run I don't think, but I had been wary of it for about a week. Then when I was walking to my car for practice this morning, I really felt it. For my warm up run I took it easy, and surprisingly enough I don't feel it being aggravated when I row. So since I am having an extremely busy week and would rather not risk injury, I am postponing my 10 miles to this next weekend, and will be exercising in other ways this week rather than running. I think I'll go for a bike ride shortly! It might just be the impact that is getting my leg so I will try that out. This is the kind of change in my project that is to be expected, especially when it is focused around something so physical. I need to focus on my health first and foremost.

After reading a few different articles about this calf pain (it's pretty specific, just one place and I really feel it if I press on it to try to stretch the muscle out there) I don't think it's a strain or anything that serious. It's also kind of odd because its only on the inside of my left calf, not even both. So I found this article http://www.buzzle.com/articles/calf-pain-while-running.html that suggests different causes. It's highly likely that this is due to me not warming up and cooling down enough. I do at practice, but when I run I usually just set out and then stretch a little bit when I come home. So when I get back to my training ill definitely keep that in mind. It also suggests dehydration which I don't think is my case, but I see how not enough water would lead to this muscle cramping.

Holding onto my comfort zone- In class 4/22

Today in class, along with updates from different students, we talked more about comfort zones.  To clarify, Ms. G. drew this diagram to illustrate how she sees a comfort zone. To me, this means that when you are able to step out of your comfort zone, no matter how big it is, that is when you are able to gain the most and learn the most. 

Semi unrelated, but I have been thinking about this a lot lately as I try to decide where I am going to go to college.  One school is closer to home, more my ballpark in terms of academics, and seems to be more comfortable.  I keep falling back on that knowing I could be happy and comfortable there.  The other school I am considering is pretty far away and more academically rigorous, and that challenge kind of intimidates me.  Both are great schools, but I feel like at one I would be staying afloat and the other I might feel in over my head.  Everyone has been telling me to get out of that comfort zone, challenge myself, and take risks.  It is helpful to be looking at these things during WISE and my project has actually been helping me along in this process (I often think about my decision on my runs, and had a long talk with Theo about it on ours).  That being said, I still haven't made my decision, but I definitely see the overlap between my learning and comfort zone application in my life outside of WISE. 

In terms of my WISE project, I think I have been applying this pretty well.  I am not necessarily one for talking to strangers, and I did in my interviews so far.  I was hesitant at first because they are such experts in the field and I am so new to it, but I am glad I did because what I realized is that people like that genuinely appreciate other people getting involved and want to promote what they do in a way that makes you enjoy it.  I also hold onto my comfort zone sometimes when I am running, I guess.  I was thinking that more before talking to Ms. Gergely about my training runs today, though.  I didn't know that I was supposed to be running so much slower during those than I probably am, so it's not like I don't push myself to my limits (otherwise it'd be all out and not really training).  I am also following a plan for the most part so it's not like I am running 3 miles every day and expecting to complete 13.1 in a few weeks.  I think the biggest challenge on my comfort zone will definitely be the race.  I will be surrounded by a lot of people who know what they're doing, who have done it all before, etc. etc. and I will kind of feel like a fish out of water.  I'll take what I learned through my interviews though and make the best of it, hoping that the people there are as exciting and motivating and generous as those who I have met so far!

Learnings, Accomplishments, Plan Changes

Prepare yourselves, this is going to be quite a long post! (and may ramble on a bit too..)

I'm looking back over my proposal for things I said I wanted to accomplish before I actually started my project.  Now naturally, things change.  Not everything works out the way it's supposed to, for example my regatta schedule conflicting with every decent half marathon in the nearby area.  In my Field of Interest part of my proposal, I say 'Ultimately, I want to like running more..." That's obviously very broad and it's hard to say if I have accomplished it.  Sure, I like running more, but I still am not absolutely in love with it.  I don't always look forward to running, and I even avoid it.  I also talk about how I want to look at it as a way to relieve stress and give me time to think.  This has gotten easier and easier throughout the process because as the runs have gotten longer, that's given more chance to "get in the zone" as they say and get inside my own head. 

I mention wanting to do blogging and researching 2nd period, and having time to train afterschool.  These plans have definitely been altered.  I do get work done 2nd period, but usually not WISE.  That leaves me to do my WISE in the comfort of my own home at my own computer which I really prefer.  I also have not been training after school as much as I expected.  I find myself getting stressed out and worried about crew that I don't run.  This may seem to counter what I just said about relieving stress though running, but it plays out this way because I worry that I will have an erg test for crew unexpectedly and don't want to be at my maximum potential for that.  So if I know it's going to be windy the next morning and there's a chance we won't get on the water and therefore also the chance that we will have an erg test, I don't want to tire myself out the night before by working out twice that day.  I also do feel that I am getting in very good workouts through rowing, both aerobic and anerobic (often both) and I don't think that not training too much after school has been extremely detrimental to my project.  That being said, there's always room for improvement especially in a timed sport.  I do think training more after school would assure I reach my 8 hours every week, as well.  That was one thing I pointed out in my self eval as a point to work on- the time commitment. 

In my specific plans, I note that I want to be able to run 5 miles by the end of February (or for one hour), and 10k by the Skunk Cabbage.  I unfortunately wasn't able to participate as I hoped to when writing my proposal, but I do know I can run 10k! 

I foreshadowed my community involvement by saying that I hope to gain a lot of my insight through community members and people who have run marathons and half marathons and just enjoy running in general. 

I've started to answer many of the research questions that I laid out in the beginning throughout this process:

• How much does nutrition factor in?
• How can I fit running into my schedule and what race can I compete in?
• What running shoes would be best for my feet?
• How should I plan out my weekly training plan?
• How can I figure out how far my runs are?

I think this is a good amount of questions to have answered, especially because a lot of them are broad topics containing a lot of information.  Some have started to not interest me as my project has carried on, such as injury prevention, so I have kind of strayed away from that.  

I have used 5 of my 7 listed potential resources so far so that is definitely an accomplishment!
A definite goal listed is to complete a half marathon, which I am currently on track to do- so that's good as well!

I saw a blog post of Patrick Hollister's today and it got me considering my effort in this project.  I feel like I have been putting in substantial effort, especially compared to some.  But, I also feel like I'm just kind of lingering.  I haven't done anything too outstanding yet.  Maybe I'll feel that way when I complete (fingers crossed) the half but for right now it kind of feels like I'm just carrying on.  I feel immersed in the project, it definitely is a big part of my life currently, but I am kind of unsure of what to do to take it up a notch, especially as the rest of my schedule frees up in the end of May after AP's are over. 

So after that long and probably hard to get through post, I'm feeling motivated to do more.  I have completed my tasks for my mentor meeting tomorrow and wish I had some time to spare or extra daylight hours this evening to go for a run!

Disrupting my comfort zone- in class 4/15

Yesterday in class we listened to an NPR podcast on This I Believe called "Disrupting My Comfort Zone". It was about a 45 year old man who decided to take up surfing. He described how he likes to make things difficult on himself to disrupt the comfort zone and challenge his ideas. He says he could settle down and relax but does this to keep growing.

Needless to say, I really admire this guy. I can only hope to be as motivated and driven as him when I grow up and it's definitely I inspiring to hear about someone who has accomplished this.

He brought up a point about trying to avoid physical and mental challenges which definitely applies to my project. I won't lie that I dread my long runs and want to avoid the physical and mental challenges, but during it it's hard to not embrace and challenge myself more and more. Brian Grazer also mentions that doing this helps him find out who he is and extract the truth which I also find while running.

I thought this was a very I inspiring essay and my favorite quote was:

"If you're not growing, you're dying."

Semi-Unrelated, Boston Marathon

When I got home from school today I found out about the explosions that took place near the finish of the Boston Marathon.  I've not necessarily associated myself more but felt more in common with runners since I started my project.  I cannot imagine what it is like to finish 26 miles and have such a tragedy occur, and it frightens me that such a thing can happen in such a typical place at an unexpected event.  It's almost like you just get caught up in the wrong place at the wrong time and are a completely innocent person whose safety and protection is lost.  It scares me to think that this can happen at an event where the people only have the best intentions and are accomplishing something that many of us cannot even imagine. 

That being said, my thoughts and prayers to those in Boston-- stay safe. 

9 miles down, 4.1 to go!!

Yesterday I ran 9 miles with my brother.  We were finally able to arrange a time that worked for both of us and I stopped by his house (right near mine) and off we went!  It actually ended up being just under 9 miles but I don't think that such a small difference (.2 miles) will impact me dramatically.  It was really great to run with someone because talking made the run go by so quickly.  We just extended the 8 miles that I did so I felt like I kind of knew the distances already, and it felt so much shorter!  It was also fun to catch up with him because although we're so close we don't see each other for long periods of time too often.  He also ran at a good pace for me, pushing me to keep up but not too fast that I felt like I was falling behind.  It's easier to not gradually slow down a lot when you're with someone else who keeps a steady pace.

I felt very good during this run, and definitely could have kept going.  I find my joints and feet start to hurt more than anything else- I have the aerobic and strength components but my body isn't used to this continuous impact for long periods of time. 

As I ran I was thinking, holy smokes there's no way I could get home and then do my 4 mile loop after this!  But I realized that it really is much easier to just bump up the mileage by one mile each week- it seems like yesterday I was running 5! 

So, lesson learned was that it does help to run with someone else, though it's also nice to have the time to myself too.

Today's Mentor Meeting

I met with Ms. Maddren again today and created some more goals for this next week:

• create a calendar layout of what to do/when-- could be on my training plan which I was advised to show on my blog anyways by my evaluator
• long blog post about what I've learned, etc.
• record everything I eat starting Saturday- will probably use an app on my phone to do this unless I find another method
• run 9 miles! (hopefully my brother will be able to join me this weekend)

We also discussed my evaluation which I brought along to show her.  We agreed it was done in a different way than one would typically expect, but we found the suggestions within it together.  I was having some trouble figuring out how to implement lots of those things and Ms. Maddren was helpful in that she reassured me that I am keeping up a good blog and it would be difficult to make some of those changes in the context of my project.

When talking about the nutrition log, I mentioned that I'm not really sure what do to with it.  I was thinking that I might just compare it to what it recommended for people with my body type and based on my type of daily exercise, etc.  Ms. Maddren found me an article that I will read (called Nutrition for Runners on Runner's World) to figure out suggested calories, carbs, and so on that I should consume.  That being said, I'm not necessarily going to change my diet to match it exactly, because I am currently not too concerned about what I eat.  Of course I want to be healthy, but I think I eat relatively well.  If something is completely unhealthy or needs to be changed I will work to change it, but I don't suspect that to be the case.  I'm basically trying to see if what I consume is "on par" for what I should be.

I also stopped into class today to get my portfolio and talked briefly with Ms. G. about Buffalo.  Maybe we will do a long run together before then, but I'm worried she is being modest and is a lot faster than me!

Something I just thought of while writing is how I haven't written in my training journal in a long time.  I think that writing reflections of my longer runs on my blog is a better way to think through them and log them because there is much more space.  I will continue to flip through it to go back through all those tips that were inside, though!

I'll reflect on 9 miles and do some research this weekend!

Journal Review

I just received an email from Ms. G containing my journal eval.  First off, it is much different than I expected!  I knew what the form would look like because that is what I filled out for Anna's project, but my evaluator took a completely different take on it!  It's very systematic and "listy" you could say, and doesn't really show the person's voice. 

That being said, it is still very useful.  Some tips I received were providing my sources to the articles I found my research from (and book title) and to share the training plan I started.  I will definitely start doing that if it seems like that is preferred as a reader.  When I read other WISE student's blogs, when they post the link to an article that they recommend checking out, I usually don't, though.  I feel like if they do a good enough job explaining what they learned then I feel informed enough, but I'm sure if something really interested me then I would like to know where I can find more information on it.  So I will start to do that, and it was a good piece of feedback.

I was also advised to add more pictures into my blogs, which I'll try to do.  Often I find them not so relevant and more obnoxious than anything, but if I can think of something worthy (such as the map from my 8 mile run) then I will add it.

To "provide updates on how and when tasks were accomplished from the lists and ideas that were generated throughout the journey. It would have been nice to have a timeline of events or way following and monitoring overall progress" seems kind of difficult.  I'm not sure how I would convey a timeline of events other than just listing them, but I think if I post my training plan and someone reads my blog then it's kind of clear.  I am not sure how to do this without blogging regularly and keeping a reader informed, which I feel like I already do.  But, I will keep it in mind when writing my posts and describing what I accomplish. 

Overall, I'm not going to lie, I think this review could have been a little more helpful.  I'm not sure if it's just the way I'm reading it or what, but it is hard for me to see exactly what the person is saying I guess.  I will keep these ideas in the back of my mind for future work on my project, though!

Last mentor meeting

Last time I met with my mentor was a little off schedule because I would be absent the day we would typically meet.  It was a quicker meeting than usual, just pretty much a check in because we had talked just a few days earlier (not a full week like usual). 

We didn't set any specific goals for me to complete over spring break because I decided to take some time off of my project.  I have since then created the list on the previous blog post and some shorter ones just as short term goals for myself, such as the entry about to come and to register for Buffalo. 

We meet again tomorrow so there will be another update soon!

Two Tramps in Mud Time- In Class 4/8/13

To start this post off, I want to tell a funny story to anyone who didn't witness it.  I was greeted by my WISE teacher this morning by, "Hi Molly! Oh, Molly, I have a confession to make....Your portfolio is one of two not completed." Naturally, I had a heart attack on the inside.  What part could I possibly have forgotten?  I thought I checked it over at least 4 times!  We worked on most of it in class, you would have thought someone working near me would have realized had I not? We went for a little walk in the hallway so she could explain what was up, and after a long explanation (that seemed to carry on forever as I was still thinking I was missing a piece of my project- she was up grading till 1 AM, then she got to mine, she started reading it and had to stop... (you can see where this is going)) I figured out she meant it wasn't graded yet.  She apologized profusely, yet I could not be more relieved that I do not mind a bit, and I'm happy Ms. G was able to save her sanity and get some sleep last night rather than read my portfolio.  :)

Anyway, class today.  We read a poem by Robert Frost "Two Tramps in Mud Time" as indicated in my title.  This, and the discussion after, made me really think about embracing myself in the work I am doing.

"My object in living is to unite

My avocation and my vocation

As my two eyes make one in sight."

Though I wouldn't necessarily consider running my vocation yet, I picked the project so it has to be something I at least can enjoy doing, right?  We discussed whether or not we had reached the point in our projects where we are loving the hard work that we are doing.  The first thing that came to mind was my run yesterday, how despite the fact that my feet hurt and I had never run so far before, there was something blissful about that run.  It may not have been my best, maybe my form slacked, maybe I should have kept a better pace, etc etc etc, but I really did use it as a way to blow off steam.  I had a huge take home calculus test to be working on and I decided to take an hour and a half to run before working on it.  I will admit running wasn't the first on my list to do to relax before embarking on such a hard task, but once I did it, I was really glad I did.  Actually, while I was running, I thought about hmm, an hour and a half run is about how long it would take me to watch two episodes of Gossip Girl, and I am very glad I made the decision to be productive.  I can imagine myself laying in bed watching two episodes in this amount of time, and this is so much better!  It would be a stretch to say I am loving it.  I still hesitate to run, I put it off, and I worry about the hard work.  I worry that it will interfere too much with rowing, I worry that I will be discouraged during the run or that I'll have to stop and walk.  But I think keeping going through this is what will get me to my goal- to really enjoy running.  I have said that since the beginning of my project, I wrote in my proposal that I (at the time) disliked running and wanted to learn to enjoy it.  

I think I'm getting there.  

During class today, I also made a running list of things that came to mind and things I'd like to complete by the end of this week, along with some reminders for the project in general: (this is separate from the lists I make at my mentor meetings, but we didn't make one at the last so here goes!)

• 24 minimum entries, 8 mentor meetings by now
• Last mentor meeting blog reflection?-- check if I did that
• What are you learning? post
• Continual log of research
• Interview Sydney
• Read resources from Ms. Bullard
• Blog about "interview facts" and those resources
• Sign up for Buffalo!
• Consult resources from bibliography
• Do a long blog post- What have I actually done?  What have I said I'd do but haven't done yet? How much of this is okay because plans have had to shift?
• Backward planning from ~June 5th ( I hope to present around then, enough time to reflect on the actual race because I do want to have that "finished product" so to speak to present on )
• Blog about journal review form feedback (which I need to get before I can complete this)

Well, if that wasn't a long enough post I'm not sure what is! Sorry for all the info and scramble of thoughts at once!

Happy Happy Day!

Today was such a good day!  I met with Ms. Bullard this morning (more on that to follow) but I got a lot of great advice, I got into my top school, I got a prom dress that fits- finally! and I'm going to see Taylor Swift in 2 days!  Plus it's now officially spring break for me, because I'll be on a college visit tomorrow.  So, needless to say I'm happy happy happy! 

The main thing I took away from my interview with Ms. Bullard was how much she emphasized that I should do the Buffalo half.  I have officially made that decision, and I think it will be good!  I will have more time to train and she said from what she knows it's a really good race.  Plus, she said especially for my first time, it'll be nice that I know someone there because it can be kind of overwhelming and everything.  Also, I learned that you can split up the longer runs into, for example, 4 miles at one time, 4 miles at another.  Or even 4 miles one day, 4 miles the next if it is hard to find the time to do it all in one chunk.  That was very helpful to learn! 

So today after talking to Ms. Maddren about all of this I knew I was planning on going for my 8 mile run before practice.  Then I got all of this news all at once and it was so hard for me to go out into the cold (which I actually did, and right as it did it started snowing like crazy.  I stook in my driveway for about 2 minutes and said nu-uhhh).  I took what I learned from Ms. Bullard and Ms. DeBoer to heart and thought about how they said sometimes there are the days when you just can't convince yourself to go out.  Running should be fun, and that would not have been.  Now I know it would have been the right thing for me to do, especially with all this positive energy from today, but I couldn't bring myself to do that when I really just wanted to celebrate in other ways. 
That being said, I will get back to my training schedule over spring break which I am feeling better about now that I realize my cross training (rowing) is significant and I will have more time over break, and more time because I am doing the later race.  YAY!

Wonder Woman!

I just got back from talking to Ms. DeBoer in her classroom at DeWitt.  I won't reveal all the gems she provided me with as answers just yet (I need to meet up with Ms. G to discuss what do do with them) but I wanted to reflect while it's still recent.

First of all, dang!  She is so impressive!  Not only is she crazy fit, but she has completed so many awesome races, including an Ironman!  And she's extremely modest about all of it! 

I am really glad to have met with Ms. DeBoer because of both her insight and reassurance.  There will be more obvious evidence of this when I share my whole interview, but I especially appreciated a few things she said. 

One of them was just about how running should be fun.  I have noticed that I have started to kind of dread running, especially since I have gotten off of my plan recently due to sickness and rowing conflicts.  I should have known this would come up and sickness isn't something I have complete control over, but it is frustrating none the less.  I have been very concerned about being fully prepared for a half marathon in time, especially if it is on May 5th which is creeping up.  She asked me if I could run 5 miles, though, and I said yes, and she said that if I can do that I can run a half marathon.  It's about pacing, but its definitely do-able.  That was helpful for me to not get too down on myself and keep up the motivation-- don't give up.

Overall, it was a great experience and I look forward to getting other perspectives and ideas from the other people I am going to interview! 

Interview Questions

Last mentor meeting we discussed what I should do with my interview responses (which is something I still have to figure out) but we decided I should at least present my questions to any readers before hand- a goal I have set to do before my next meeting.  So, here they are!

Have you always been a runner?

What do you see as your biggest running accomplishment to date?
What is one suggestion you would give someone who isn’t the best runner to keep on going?
What is one food you couldn’t live without?
What do you find is the most important nutrition aspect in regards to your training?
Do you have a typical race day plan/ritual/tradition?
How do you find your training plans?  Do you make them yourself?
What goes through your mind at the start?

Do you see races as more of a fun event or are you a big competitor?

What kind of cross training do you find most effective?

In Class 3/25- Lists

Quick Lists:
-7 things I want to accomplish in the next week

• continue reading "First Marathons" book 
• blog post with my interview questions outlined
• talk to Ms. G. about what to do with the interview questions
• conduct interviews
• research nutrition- amounts of various food intake, what to stay away from, etc.
• run 8 miles
• check on race registrations (make sure deadlines aren't approaching)
• decide on race 

-5 people I should talk to about my project

• Ms. Bullard
• Yvette DeBoer
• Sydney Derfel
• Ms. Gergely
• My coach (about scheduling regattas and my race to avoid too much conflict)

-Supplies I need to get, etc.

• None that I can think of at the moment!

-3 things I should talk to my mentor about

• interim evaluation
• plan over break
• my interview questions and what I have decided to do with them

-7 things I want or need to know more about

• race plans
• nutrition amounts (calories, etc.) for when I track my foods
• health benefits of running
• race schedules
• mid race snacks
• peeing mid race??
• what to do with my interview responses

Sickly :(

I've had a cold for the past couple of weeks and it hasn't seemed to be getting much better.  This weekend I had very little energy and was constantly coughing, sneezing, and sniffling.  Therefore, I have not gotten in my 8 miles yet.  My mom made me to go bed at 9 o clock last night and it did not seem conducive to getting better to run in the cold for an hour and a half today.  Hopefully after some Nyquil and a good nights sleep I can conquer those miles tomorrow!
Instead, I have been working on finalizing my interview questions for my interviews this week and doing some research!  Stay tuned for the results.

"First Marathons" Book

Below are some of my favorite quotes, or just things that stuck out to me in the book I am reading called First Marathons: Personal Encounters With the 26.2-Mile Monster

Although I am not running a full marathon myself, I still think it's relevant.

• "After running a few marathons I can explain to people why I run.  It calms me.  I can't imagine not having it in my life.  It helps me to sort through things.  It's like stepping outside myself and getting a better perspective of who I am.  Running helps me focus better, helps me take my life in the direction it needs to go.  It's not like I concentrate on those topics while I'm in the process of running, but running opens my mind to all kinds of possibilities and perhaps the solution is out there for me to find it.  Running takes me to that place."
• "I read an article about the three Cs of long distrance running: chow, chill, and I can't remember the other C, but I followed it and it really worked." 
• "As much as I was really into the idea of it all, it wasn't easy.  It was tough, it didn't feel good.  This was not my normal way of running; I was now in training, a different breed.  I learned to do things such as speed training, pacing, intervals, and drink tons of fluids, which was one of the factors that saved me in the end."

That's all for now, as all stories are by different people and some are better than others (and more informative, or relatable).  

Nutrition Pt. 1

I am really interested in looking into nutrition and especially for runners and athletes.  As I may have said before, I want to track the foods I eat for a week (not sure what I would do with them though...) but it would be cool to just have that log.
So I started very broad on this topic and just looked up runner's diet. 
I have found that the major constituents of a runners diet should be to:
1.  Eat seeds or food made from seeds
2.  Eat 5 different colored fruits and vegetables daily
3.  Eat plant foods with their skins intact
4.  Drink Milk and eat milk products that come from animals
5.  Eat foods that come from cold water
6.  Eat meat, poultry, and eggs from free-range or grass-fed animals.

I do very well at most of these rules, except number 5.  It suggests fish but I am really not a big seafood fan, so I should look to try to find some alternate.  Other than that, I think I eat pretty well!  I could eat more seeds and nuts, but I definitely eat my fruits and veggies and plant foods w/ skins (out of laziness more than anything else!)

Runners need 50% more protein than non runners! Chobani, Chobani, Chobani!!!

Probably next week I will be looking at the proportions and calories, etc that one should be consuming while training.  But this is a start for now, and good to know I'm on track!

Cross Training

With crew starting back up, I haven't been running as much as I would have liked this week (it's not our normal schedule...so it will be a lot easier to get back on my regular training plan when we have all morning practices).  Instead, I have been looking at the work I have been doing as cross training.  We have been doing erging, stationary bikes, ab circuits, weights, and rowing in the tanks, and I am pretty sure running will be added to the mix tonight and tomorrow. 

When I have gotten the chance to run, though, I am still recording and journaling about it both in my Runner's World Training Journal and my own personal training plan.

Ms. G. mentioned a Buffalo Half Marathon on May 26th the other day.  It seems ideal- gives me lots of time to train, seems like a well run marathon, will be recent in terms of my presentation date, but it is also the day of a race.  This race is a 2 day race, but also the last race.  So, I'd definitely be missing the last race but could possibly race in a smaller boat the day before and have that be my last.  Kinda a tough decision, so I am keeping the Binghamton one on my mind as well.  Once my coach is figured out for crew I will discuss with them my possibilities for that weekend. 

Tomorrow is another mentor meeting and I am feeling prepared!  I have gotten in touch with the people I said I would, and done some research and more reading (see next posts)

In Class-- March 18th

We are in class right now and have been assigned a few questions to answer about the gleaning from the past assignment that was due today.  At first I was really excited about the idea of this, and then when I saw the stack of paper being the journal I kind of dreaded it.  I am not too into arts and crafts myself, and it seemed like a daunting task.  But once I dove into it and started reading, I was very glad I got to read about something that I don't know much about and that doesn't interest me too much.

Real gems of the project:
-There was a journal entry from March 22nd that really stuck out to me.  It was pretty unrealated to the project, actually not related at all.  It described how the month of March was a rollercoaster for Anna and it was really cool for me to get a look into her life while seeing all that she has accomplished.  It made her project and journal a lot more personal and really put things into perspective in terms of her project and my own life. 
-Anna included many sketches, both doodles and plans for her jewelry in her journal.  I liked how it seemed to bring the journal to life more and spiced it up.  I'm not exactly sure how I would do that on my blog because it clearly isn't a written journal, but I will try to include more maps, lists, etc. to make it more interesting than just a bunch of text. 

Oops, could have been better:
-There could have been titles on all entries to know what the reader was going to be reading about and to organize the journal a bit better.  It wasn't completely horrible that headings were hardly ever present, but it could have helped the layout. 
-More actual research could have been present, as it often seemed that research was talked about (in the journal) but it wasn't too evident of how much of that was completed. 

Things I'm going to borrow:
-Pictures!! My blog needs some more life in it and I think that'll help.  It will definitely test my technology skills, as I'm not sure how to for example, take a screenshot and post it on my blog of my mapmyrun route, but I'll work on figuring it out!
-Personal!!  I have noticed on some other blogs this year that people throw in irrelevant posts just so if they look back on their blog in a few years, they can know what else was going on in their life at the time.  I will not make my posts completely irrelevant, but I think that sometimes some context of the project helps and this is a way to express different things going on in my life that could be impacting my project. 

In class today we also talked about the WISE Project Funding Proposal.  I won't be applying for a grant myself, but I would like to be on the student committee that reviews the proposals.  I think it will be an interesting way for me to get a look at other projects and I want to help out with that in any way that I can.  I'm fortunate enough that my project doesn't require huge expenses, but I can imagine if it does that would be stressful and I want to be a part of helping others get around that.  

That's all for this assignment, and the period is almost over! 

7 miler

Today I went out for my 7 mile run, which was not part of my training plan.  The reason I did this was because I wanted to see how well I could keep up if I bumped my plan up two weeks, which I would be doing if I ran the half in Binghamton instead of Brunswick (which is seeming better and better the more it's on my mind).
It definitely was a challenge, and I was kind of reminded why I am not the best runner.  I ran with music this time and I think that really helped.  I sometimes found myself slowly trotting along, cars nicely passing me.  I would start to get embarrassed when I consciously thought about my speed, etc. but then I'd just tell myself to keep on truckin'.  Towards the end of the run, about the last mile, I realized I was just a little slower than my ideal pace (10 min miles)- but hey, it's a learning experience.  It was a big jump for me to bump my training plan up like this, and it hasn't been the easiest week in terms of training.  Although I haven't had crew practice, I haven't been feeling 100% healthy for a while, and all things considered I think it's good that I could finish the run!  I thought about if this was the half marathon, I wouldn't stop, no matter how slowly I went.

...I also thought about how I cannot imagine running almost twice that amount, but I'll get there!!!

Mentor Meeting

Wow, it's been a while since I've written!!  I had a mentor meeting on Friday and it went well.  We discussed the possibility of switching my half to May 5th.  I mentioned how I thought the past week wasn't ideal, it felt more like a lot of clerical and business work than actual hands work, but I guess that's necessary.  

My goals to complete before next meeting are to:
-have finalized and completed my interview questions (which are in rough draft form currently)
-contact the people who I would like to interview and set up date/time to meet
-run 7 miles (✓!)
-talk to Ms. G and Mr. B about the possibility of switching dates to see if that seems doable
-blog post about the points I have been underlining in the "First Marathons" book I have been reading, and add that to my easybib as well
-continue research and look back through my proposal for research topics

I will continue to keep updates as I complete these goals throughout the week!

Sick Day

I have been doing a lot of WISE thinking and work on my sick day today.  I have been reading one of the books Val gave me, the one with many stories about people's first marathons.  It's very intriguing and a fun way to learn about running while hearing many different life stories.  So, I read that for a while in bed today.  I have also been charging my way through Anna's journal which I am reading for the class assignment. 

I got thinking and stressing about how I haven't signed up for a half marathon yet.  So much of it depends on my rowing schedule, but I don't have that set in stone yet, so I have to decide my priorities and make some decisions.  I was thinking the Make it a Good Day race would be good, but when looking into it more it isn't a very established race.  When interviewing Val, she told me to do my research about the size and reviews, etc.  I figured it wouldn't be as big of a deal for a half marathon compared to a full, but I am now changing my thinking.  Ms. Gergely had mentioned she might do the Binghamton Bridge race, and so that was kind of reintroduced to my thinking.  I noticed it from the start, (being significantly closer than Brunswick, NY) but was hesitant because of the timing.  It's the day after I have a race which I was not so worried about, although it isn't ideal, but it's two weeks sooner than the Brunswick race.  I will talk to my mentor, Ms. G, and Mr. B about this to see if that is do-able because it is cutting my training significantly. 

With the practice article, I was thinking about what I can do to practice rather than play while running.  I found this article on running technique that I will remind myself of during my runs to reconnect my actions and head to just check in with all these components to be actively practicing:
http://www.chirunning.com/blog/entry/10-components-of-good-running-form/

I'm feeling a bit better so I will enjoy the nice (yet chilly) weather on a run soon.

Practicing

Today in WISE, we read a short article about practicing that really relates to many WISE projects.  I had trouble finding the connection it has to my own.  It says that ""Playing" and "Practicing" are rarely synonymous."  I still don't know much about running and the proper way to conduct myself as I run, the exact foods I should eat and how to pace myself.  It was hard for me to see the difference between playing and practicing in that sense. 

When Ms. G related this to ballet, I finally got it.  That is exactly the way crew is, and I'm so used to it that maybe I saw past the connections it has in my own life.  At practice, we spend about half the time working on technique.  No one has a perfect rowing stroke, and there is always room to improve.  We practice, practice, practice, and then "play" when we do pieces. 

So, in regards to running, part of my practicing will be the mindset.  I hope to go to more yoga classes, and practice getting into my head in that way, in hopes that it translates over to running.  
I will research some on proper running technique because as of right now I just do my thing (unsure of whether or not I am running "correctly").

The article also talks about getting out of your comfort zone, which is an interesting concept for my project.  Because it is a physical project, and depends so much on my body, it is easier for me to do that while "playing" and "practicing" (my hands on work).  I can go the extra mile, and push myself to run a little bit faster.  I can choose the apple instead of the crackers and the ab circuit instead of watching Gossip Girl.  But that is mostly all within my own head, and so going out of my comfort zone will also be me reaching out the community members whom I haven't or hadn't previously met.  I will be doing this for the interviews I conduct in which I ask runners about their experiences and recommendations.

Well, today is my off day so I will focus on working through the "gleaning" assignment I have and other research I can do!

Water Facts!

• The adequate intake for men is about 3 liters (or 13 cups of beverages) a day.  Note: Total beverages, not specifically straight water)

• The adequate intake for women is 2.2 liters (9 cups) a day.

• Water makes up about 60% of your total body weight.

• Drink at least 2.5 more cups for short stouts of exercise, and even more for prolonged exercise

• Food provides about 20% of total water intake.

• It's uncommon but possible to drink too much water.  Hyponatremia occurs, and that is when your kidneys can't excrete the excess water and the mineral content of the blood is diluted.  The result is low sodium levels in the blood (not exactly sure what that leads to, but it doesn't sound too good). 

Drink Up

Like I have said before, this is a place not only for me to post about my successes but also my mistakes.  This weekend was one of those.  I have been keeping up with my running and journaling butttt about half a mile into my run this morning, I thought to myself "when was the last time I drank a good glass of water?"  I couldn't remember, but I knew I'd had milk with dinner last night and a little bit of OJ with breakfast.  I definitely felt it on my run, and I want to avoid that at all costs.  I had so carefully planned what and when I would eat this morning, but I had forgotten to drink a good amount of water before my run.  I keep very well hydrated at school, but when I'm home I seem to forget to drink even when I'm not thirsty to keep myself well hydrated.  But, lesson learned!  And what I'll do to fix it is over the weekend I will set out full water bottles in the fridge so I can keep track of how much I have had to drink and how much I need to drink to stay healthy. 
Something interesting I should look up is how much water should one drink a day?  And if they are exercising?  I feel like different numbers are thrown around all the time, so maybe I will also ask the people I interview what they find best/recommend. 

Take II

Prepare yourselves, this is going to be a looonnnggg post! 

First order of business- I had an impromptu talk with Mr. Bernstein yesterday.  Among many things, I asked him some of the questions I have come across while getting started with my training plan. 
          1.  If I am feeling up to it by the end of my run, should I continue and run more miles than indicated on my training plan?
               -No, I should stick to the plan as best as I can.  The most important thing is getting in those long runs.
     
          2.  Is it okay for me to switch the days around, for example doing my long run on a Monday (which would typically be off) instead of a Sunday, if I have a race on Sunday.
              - That's fine, and 4 days a week is a good plan for me especially with crew.

          3.  If I am capping my run at 3 miles, should I be running that fairly quickly?  Or at a pace I can sustain for a longer run?
               - Slow and steady, because I won't be sprinting the half when it comes time for that.

Second- I had my mentor meeting today and we went to meet Ms. Bullard.  She was really helpful and gave me tons of advice already, and also agreed to me interviewing her once I have the questions prepared.  She seemed very interested in helping me through this process which is awesome!  That brings me to...

Third- At our meeting today, Ms. Maddren gave me a long, letter looking piece of paper and told me I could read it later.  I read it as I was stretching after my run.  It was a lot of encouragement and helpful tips for my blogging and the whole process in general.  I am sure not all mentors would do something like this, and I am so lucky to have such an involved and supportive mentor!!!  You make me enjoy my project more and more every time we meet.  I really appreciate all you've done for me so far and I am ever so grateful that I get to work with you.  :)

Fourth-  I went back to the running store to exchange my shoes today, and it was a breeze!  I got lucky that the same girl was working and already knew about my feet, this project, and my goals.  She fitted me for a new pair of shoes.  If anyone needs any more reassurance that Finger Lakes Running and Triathlon Co. is the place to go, I hope this post is convincing enough.  They really are focused on helping the customer get what they need, and are ultimately about promoting the love for the sport. 

Finally-  My running has been going well.  I have been keeping up with writing in my training journal and I think I am finally getting the hang of forgetting about what I'm doing just enough to get in my head a little more, but still be conscious of what I am doing.  Everybody that I passed today was running with their ipods, and while I used to do that, I haven't been lately and I think that has helped.  Maybe I'll give it a trial run sometime soon to see if it makes a difference.  I have gotten some good routes down from my house, and I am now familiar with the distances and landmarks along the way.  All in all, the training is going well.  My hip flexors are a little tight, but I have been focusing on stretching really well.

Now I think that's enough for one post, if you even made it down this far, so I'll cut it off for now.  I will post this weekend about the old WISE journal assignment if not sooner with another update. 
So long!

Everyday's A New Day

This blog is for me to not only post my accomplishments, but my failures as well. On this beautiful day, I set out for a run even shorter than what I had been doing recently. I thought it'd be a piece of cake, until I got about a mile in. I have been feeling sick all day, but I suddenly felt like I couldn't stomach this run anymore. I stopped, which is very unlike me. Ideally, I would have curled up into the fetal position, right then and there, on the sidewalk. Of course I didn't. Instead, I walked it off, breathing deeply, very slowly, for about 5 minutes. At this point, I felt like I was well enough to continue.

I'm not sure this fall back was due to my lack of ability, as it was only a mile in. And considering I haven't been feeling well today, I attribute it partly to that. It was just frustrating and made me worry, god forbid this doesn't happen in my race. I wonder if there is anything that can be done while running to help stomach cramps/aches without slowing down that significant of an amount.

I ended up finishing the run alright, but taking it nice and steady. I added on about half a mile to my route to make up for the time I spent walking.

Well, I guess what I learned from this is that it is hard to compare one day to the next cause your body does funky things, and everyday is a new day.

Barnsong

Today in class we watched a video that a previous WISE student had made as his project.  It was interesting because it followed another WISE student's project, so it encompassed aspects of both. 

First of all, I admire the guy who was building (and did complete) his own barn.  It's amazing that he literally built it from the ground up- chopping down his own trees for wood even.  It was nice that it showed he did not complete his anticipated final project in time for his presentation, but rather a few weeks later.  But, he clearly learned a lot through the process that he underwent with this goal in mind.  It was a good reassurance that as long as you are learning and putting in the time and effort during the time, it is okay to have wrongly estimated the time the project would take.  Now this hopefully won't happen to me, but I think it helped show the project from a different aspect for me, as I have been set on my final product or goal, being the race, this whole time.  I also thought it was interesting how closely the boy worked with his dad and how he was really honest about it.  I could have chosen either as my parents as mentors but I did not because of this reason, thinking it'd be very hard to work on something I am so invested in with them.  I think it would be hard to have a good, working relationship, despite anything else going on that is involving our lives.  The bit of separation with a non family member mentor is very helpful because it is easier to be honest and critical without creating harsh feelings. 

We also received the journal, bibliography, and narrative of an old WISE student's project today.  I hoped I would get Valerie's because she wanted me to look at her journal anyways (but she, I, and her journal are all in different places).  I guess it will be good to learn from another student's project because it will provide a new, creative, perspective that I haven't really exposed myself to yet.

I'm off for my 3 mile run now- as week one of my actual training plan says!

Class Postponed

Ms. Gergely was out sick today (feel better!) so I will not be writing my weekly class entry today (Monday) but rather tomorrow, after our postponed class.  I was reading people's blogs from other classes and it looks like if we are doing the same thing, reading old WISE student's journals, then I'll have a post about that tomorrow.  That sounds like fun and will hopefully provide me with some inspiration or insight I hadn't thought of.

Also, what's new is the nice little gift I received on my front porch when I came home from school today! My dad had run into Valerie's mom yesterday morning and then she came over for breakfast.  Although I had talked to Val about my WISE project, it wasn't brought up with her mom yesterday.  But, her mom dropped off some of Val's old marathon books (in both English and German!) for me to use which is AWESOME!!!

Yay for new resources and good friends!

snow, snow go away!!

          So I recently realized how quickly WISE is already going and I really need to get to my training plan.  I will be using one that I found online and today was day 1 of that.  I really just wanted to go for a baseline run today to see how far I can go, and about what my pace is, and I hope to just build off of that.
          Despite it being a chilly 22 degrees, I dragged myself out the door and into the snow for just over a 5 mile run in just under 50 minutes.  I was pleased with it, considering I don't expect myself to just be able to run 10 miles without specific running training (which I haven't really been doing).  I also felt like once I was done, I was capable of more. 
          Because of one way, windy, and hilly roads, I was sometimes forced to run on the sidewalk.  That was pretty rotten because it definitely slowed me down a lot because I was being very cautious (most were not shoveled).  So, I can't wait for this snow to go away!!  As much as I love the white fluff covering the trees, it's making my running less desirable! 
          Also, since it was so chilly today I went to put some thicker socks on to run in and realized that my shoes are way too small.  I hadn't broken them in yet so I am hoping they can still be returned.  The socks I tried them on in the store with were very thin and probably not what I'd be running in anyways, so that was a mistake on my part.  I will go to the running store before the end of this week to try to exchange my shoes.  Until then, I am just using the shoes I use for crew which I am completely happy with so that's not a problem really.
          On a side note, I was at a dinner with my neighbors last night and one of their sons was there (who is grown and moved out now).  He asked me about high school and all that, and then asked if I was taking WISE.  He spoke really highly of it, and what's interesting is that both he and his brother ended up going into careers that related to their WISE projects.  They never would have guessed it as seniors in high school, but it ended up leading them to where they are more than ten years later!  So that's pretty cool. 

I'll be writing again after class tomorrow!  I'm excited to see how everyone else's projects are going, and I miss being in there 2nd period! :)

Namaste

This evening I went to vinyasa power flow yoga at Cornell with +Maja Alikalfic XD

It was my first time going there and I really enjoyed it.  I had only ever gone to Mighty Yoga on the commons before and not to talk smack, but that was awful.  Maybe cause it was like 97 degrees in there, or maybe it was the exercises far above my skill level, but it was my first time doing yoga and it wasn't the best first impression.

This time, though, yoga has proved me wrong.  I like how it is the combination of a workout and a nice long stretch which I think will really benefit my running.  Val suggested doing yoga and I am glad I took her advice!

Namaste,
Molly 

Early Morning

My plan for yesterday evening (as of yesterday afternoon) was to go to Barnes and Noble, then to the gym.  I got step one done, but not step two.  For a valid reason, though, as it was project related.  I picked up my "Runner's World Training Journal" and couldn't put it down.  It's full of training tips, injury prevention advice, and nutrition facts that all fascinated me.  So, instead I wasted (you could say, but I more like enjoyed) my gym time reading this book, and I haven't even started to fill it out!  It lays out my training week by week and I am excited to get started writing in it.  I am committed to taking notes in it religiously, as it can only help to see my progress, right? 

So, instead, I resentfully woke up at 5:00 this morning to get to the gym when it opened.  I did a lot of cardio and a short weight circuit, followed by a quick stretch, because I was running out of time and had to get to school! (Get it? Running out of time?)

I also spoke to my brother about the date for the half and he said wasn't sure about his race schedule.  I just checked online, though, and he has a big race the next day, so it looks like that won't work out.  Oh well.

Once I have gotten my training plan laid out and have gotten into the swing of things, I think it would be fun to track my nutrition for a week to see if and how much it affects how well I am able to perform. 
 

Make it a Great Day

Good news!!! I think I found the half that I can race in without it conflicting with my regatta schedule.  Today we received a tentative spring schedule, and my only free weekend was May 18-19th.  So I went on a website that I had used before that lists all the half marathons by date, and found that the nearest is in Brunswick, NY.  That's near Albany and about 3 1/2 hours away.  Not ideal, but not too bad.  It's called "Make it a Great Day" half marathon and benefits NYOH's Cancer Resource Foundation.

I had my second mentor meeting today, and it was a success!  I had completed all the tasks I said I would by this meeting, which were to contact one point of reference, look into training plans, get new running shoes, and continue to cross-train and run.  Ms. Maddren is full of great information and contacts for me to reach out to.  One idea we came up with was for me to interview a few of the elite runners who are on my resource list and ask them all the same questions (or very similar) and then see how their answers differ based on experiences and techniques.

Ms. Bullard couldn't meet today, but we may try to reschedule for the day when we have our next mentor meeting.  Instead, we went to see Ms. Gates, the school's lifeguard, because she is a runner herself.  She keeps a very detailed and up to date running journal that she let me take a look at.  I will be getting one myself because it seems like a very organized way to keep track of nutrition information, miles logged, and get tips each week. 

One question I have (and I think other WISE students do to) is- How much research do we need to do beyond what is necessary for us to complete our projects? 

Timeline and dates: (by my next mentor meeting I will...)

• ...have signed up for a race, hopefully the Brunswick one
• ...have set up a calendar and training plan
• ...have met with Mr. Bernstein to get advice on my training plan
• ...have gone to Barnes and Nobel to get my own running journal
• ...have started to break my new shoes in

I will start on these tasks and keep up with my journal entries in the meantime!  I think the 11 for a D was a wake up call for a lot of people, but more just motivation for me to keep doin' what I'm doin'.
My practice was cancelled for tonight, so I"m off to the gym!

More Advice

I stopped and talked briefly to Mr. Bernstein in the hall today.  He said he had some books and plans he could bring in to show me for my project, and we could sit down and talk about them.  He also said I should try to run my half as late as possible to give myself ample time to train.

I keep looking over the registration deadlines to make sure I am still okay for the races I have in mind, but I really need to figure out my spring regatta schedule as soon as possible to know when I can race (that's not really in my control, though).  If it all comes down to it, I can miss a regatta for this but I'd like to be able to plan it so I don't have to. 

I was also recently talking to my brother about my project, and he mentioned that he would like to do it with me!  I knew I could fall back on him as a running buddy if I need one to keep myself motivated through the training process, but I didn't expect time to say he'd want to race with me.  All of this is assuming we can find a race that works for both of our regatta schedules, so nothing is set in stone.  But, I'm excited at the thought of not having to run 13.1 miles alone, and who better to do it with?! 

My next mentor meeting is tomorrow, so I'll have more to share then!

Pumped Up Kicks

After completely not realizing that the running store downtown had moved locations (I don't even know how long ago) I finally got there on my second try today.

I knew I had gone to the right place when I entered- I was happily greeted and taken care of immediately.  I explain my situation, that I'm not much of a runner but plan to *hopefully* complete a half marathon.  The girl working helped me more than I ever thought was even possible- who knew running could be so complicated?  She watched me walk, took my shoe size, and fitted me.  She also tied my shoes, watched me run, and gave me so much advice along the way.  She also suggested that if I get blisters when running, to try a little thicker polyester blend sock instead of cotton, because cotton will rub.

(Check out these bad boys)

It was a really good experience and helped me get excited about my project! 
I will definitely be heading back down there if I encounter any problems along the way.