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 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!
No comments:
Post a Comment