Marathon Training Week 8

Miles:  23.66  School rooms set up: 2  Surprise student encounters: 1

This week certainly lived up to the “Rockstar” part of the blog. Well, rockstars who also double as roadies, sound techs, and HR managers. As I alluded to last week, I start teaching for a new school district this year, and I’m happy to make music with not just one – but two schools. Not the most ideal situation – I get to see the kids less and feel like I’m being split in half trying to remember which school has which mascot/colors/policy – BUT they are 2 schools that have NOT HAD MUSIC PROGRAMS IN SEVERAL YEARS. Can you really even imagine elementary schools with no music class? So sad. That’s where I come in! I have spent the last week getting to know two sets of the most grateful teachers and administrators who are happy to see music back in the school. I honestly can’t wait to meet the students over the next few weeks and make music with them.

But what about the running?!?!

Well, let’s just say that if you are looking for someone to party with on a weeknight between now and November 1st – it ain’t gonna be me. I’m what you might call a gotta get it done girl. So there are some insane wakeup times in my future. Nothing new, I just have had the luxury of the first 7 weeks of training to call 6:45 a.m. an early training run. I’ll be showered, dressed, and fed by that time next week. And shout out to all my Badass Mother Runners in the Find Your Strong Marathon Challenge group who have been getting up at the crack of ass all summer long. These ladies always get it done.

This week featured a new type of workout: HILLS. To be honest – I have never done a hill workout in my life. On top of that, I live at sea level. In every direction. Sea level. After much research, I found I had 4 options: a bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway, a parking garage, a treadmill, or a former landfill-turned-park. I opted for the landfill park. When I got there, the place was packed! I’m not going to lie – I almost turned around to find a treadmill. I was overwhelmed. I spend so much time running alone that, quite frankly, I wasn’t sure I belonged there. There were bikers, a BootCamp class, and a high school cross country team. And little-‘ole me: you know, the insecure fat girl, who despite having run 15+ half marathons, and logging nearly 200 miles since July 1st while marathon training I just didn’t feel athletic enough to belong. I was there…with a plan…and a coach….to purposely run up a hill several times…and I didn’t feel athletic enough?!?! It took about 10 minutes for me to get the lay of the land, figure out where the loops and trails went, and pull up my big girl pants: but I got it done. In fact, it was fun that because it was different. And once I looked around, there were lots of people “not athletic enough” getting it done. We are all, in fact, athletic enough.

I bailed on Friday’s optional run: the toll of a week’s worth of instrument moving and unpacking had just beaten me down. I planned to run 10 miles early Saturday morning. Even though I was up and out the door by 5:15, I just wasn’t feeling it. When I had my awful long run fail a few weeks ago, a friend of my told me “hydrate to dominate.” I laughed, but it is totally true. I realized that between the school, district, and benefits meetings, I was severely low on my water intake. So I did what any insane runner would do: I ran 8 miles, took a shower, went to a workshop, and came home to run another two. I really credit proper hydration for my good 16-miler last weekend. It will take a some consciousness to stay on top of the hydration now that school is starting. Singing and dancing with little ones is fun, but I actually get too busy to drink my water!

To get ready for school to start, I went to the South Florida Orff workshop on Saturday morning. Nothing like being around other happy music teachers to get yourself psyched up for another year. At a midway break, a very nice young man came up and asked,”excuse me, but you didn’t happen to teach at Woodland Middle School, did you?” O.M.G. Why yes – yes I did. Devon was in my 6th grade band class my last year at that school, ’99-2000. I started him on saxophone – and he is now a music teacher. In the five years I taught at that school, I have two former students that went on to teach music (and several others have contacted me to let me know they still play – and some professionally!) That’s probably about as close as I will get to feeling like a Rockstar, and that’s ok with me. Crazy, right?