Category Archives: Running

Running

Ready to Race!

I made it.  I finished my last training run.  (And survived another Thursday!)

Now all I have to do is finish packing, fly to Phoenix, and then run the darn race. 

On an unrelated note:  I spent about 40 minutes today on teaching busywork.  After thinking about my post from this morning, I think I ought to just spend 30 minutes each weekday on the work, and try to keep it at that. 

I am more than halfway done with War and Peace.  I’m doing pretty well keeping up with all the characters.  Prince Andrew is my favorite right now…I keep wanting more of that storyline (right after Natasha spurns him) and instead it takes me into a boring part about Napoleon and Alexander the Great.  Less “War”, more “Peace” please, Tolstoy!

 

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Running, Teaching

So Cold!

I guess it’s a good thing I’m going to Phoenix, Arizona tomorrow!

Friday in St. Louis:  High of 34, Low of 27 (all temps Fahrenheit)

Friday in Phoenix: High of 73, Low of 46.  MUCH BETTER!!

So I’ve got my “spring” clothes packed, and I can’t wait.  I haven’t been out to AZ in about two years, so this trip is long overdue.  And after my little race on Sunday, I’ll have four days to relax and celebrate, before returning to the cold.

Race day weather:  Partly Cloudy, High of 73, Low of 52.  I think that’s actually hotter throughout than the Lewis and Clark Half in October…I hope it’s not too hot for me to run decently!  I am planning to run in black capri leggings, a purple tank top, and start with a light jacket.  I’ve got a special “13.1” Sweaty Band for the occasion as well. 

Can you tell I’m excited?

 

I do have some teaching to do beforehand, and one last training run to squeeze in.  I’ve got 8 students at the school followed by 9 students at home.  I just hope some of them have practiced since last week—I think I gave out some darned good practice assignments last week, and there shouldn’t be any excuses—after all, most of the kids had a snow day, perfect for extra practice, right?  *sighs*

I do have to finalize the Solo and Ensemble stuff before I leave, but I’m also taking my laptop with me so I don’t get too behind on “business” stuff.  I need to streamline the paperwork/email/phone calls process.  I  spend way too much time doing that sort of thing each week without actually getting everything done. Maybe I need to dedicate a certain block of time on a few days to working on that stuff (and nothing else)?

What is generally involved?

  • Inputting payments into my computer program
  • Invoices and receipts
  • Dealing with special events such as concerts/contests—planning, emailing parents, memos
  • Rescheduling lessons
  • Resending invoices for parents who haven’t paid
  • Returning phone calls from potential and current students
  • Returning phone calls from potential and current clients (wedding business)
  • Returning emails from the same
  • Putting together wedding contracts
  • Signing checks
  • Taking checks to the bank
  • Planning classes
  • Making practice charts
  • Keeping up on repertoire ideas for the groups and orchestra
  • Xeroxing of important handouts for the students who continually lose them
  • Keeping travel bag clean and up to date (some music I use on the go and at home, I have to make sure it gets back into the bag afterwards)
  • Directions to gigs
  • Organizing gig music if needed (for instance, getting trio music or quartet music out, making sure I have the correct songs for the event)

If I have a week with regular teaching and a wedding or too, that is all the stuff I might have to get done!  Obviously the phone calls and emails vary, the invoices are primarily a end of month thing…but many of those things have to be done at the end of each teaching day or by the next morning for  sure.  I often feel overwhelmed by the paperwork (computer work, what have you.)  I am thinking I should just dedicate, say, 1 hour, three days a week to this stuff and then stop.  Does anyone else deal with this stuff in a better way?  (Other than having a personal assistant…)  When I get back I may try that—scheduling a few hours a week to dedicate to the about list as needed, and then not go past that time.  Maybe an hour Tuesday, an hour Wednesday and an hour Friday?  And if I don’t need that time, great.  If I need more time, I’ll just have to carry the work over till the next day. Then again, emails I generally want to respond to quickly.  But I could do that once or twice a day rather than all the time?  Help??

(I’m actually writing this on Wednesday night, and I’m exhausted, but I want to read a bit of War and Peace before bed, so I apologize for any incoherentness.)  Have a fabulous Thursday!

Random thoughts, Running, Teaching

Stress and a little rant

Today’s topic idea:  “Are you stressed out?”

Answer:  Of course!  I’m way too high strung to not be stressed out.  I set my standards for myself very high and constantly berate myself for not meeting them.  Of COURSE I’m stressed out—that’s why I constantly chew on my fingers and fingernails.  Duh.  *kicks blog impatiently*

Unrelated jump to teaching:

My students at Child of God School were great today.  I am very pleased with my new class arrangements (completely by grades, not level) as the behavior was better.  I have totally spoiled them however, as they were begging today “when is the next party?  can we play a game?”  Today was review day, since FEW had practiced over break.

Got a 4 mile run in this afternoon.  It’s not that cold outside, but my ear headband thingy kept slipping and my ears kept getting cold.  Boo.  Also I stepped in a pile of mud.  I should really just run inside.

Now I’m off to the Ballet School to teach my four students there.

Other random thought:  I was surfing the web (yes, I am old to use that term) and ran across a quiz called “how bad is your diet?”  The quiz intrigued me since it assumed my diet was bad (I think it’s actually pretty good, since I lost 35 pounds on it and now have maintained for months…).  The questions had to do with chocolate, caffeine, and artificial sweeteners.  Now, I’m not a diet expert.  But—what I needed in my diet when Joe changed it was more fruits/veggies and more lean protein.  What was the key for me was thinking of food as something GOOD for you.  Food gives you energy to live.  Versus, trying NOT to eat certain things, or eating dark chocolate because it’s “good for you” and using that as an excuse to be 100 pounds overweight.  Seriously.  More vegetables, lean protein, whole grains, cut out the junk.  Oh, and portion sizes.  I consider vegetables to be an unlimited portion, just fyi—as much as you want.  (I will stick to my old “nobody gets fat from eating too many fruits or vegetables”).  And guess what people:  every meal doesn’t need dessert, and if you want to lose weight, you’ll probably need to go to bed hungry on occasion.  And I probably should drink less coffee, but seriously, I’m not a saint. Okay, rant over.

HBBC:  January 5: 4 miles: 4 points, 7 f/v: 1 point, total: 5 points, January 6: o points, January 7: 1.3 miles: 1.3 points, workout with Mike: 4 points, 7 f/v: 1 point, total: 6.3 points

Running

Running in the snow

Wow!  I just finished my first cross-country 5k.  I didn’t mean to run a cross-country 5k…but the race director decided the roads/sidewalks were too icy (true!) so the course was rerouted through the grass.  The race was the “Reindeer Run.”

I had signed up to run it because it is literally right across the street from my house and I figured, hey, I’ll get in a good run on the morning of a busy day AND have the home field advantage (hoping for a personal record, or “pr” as the “cool kids” say.)

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The race started here at the Sons of Rest Shelter in Tower Grove Park (picture not from today—) and took me 38:49 to finish…a very long time.  At least, as I crossed the finish line the clock said 38:49.  Worst 5k time yet…but again, the snow, the grass, not tripping over tree roots, definitely slowed me down so I’m okay with it.

It is REALLY hard to run in the snowy grass and try not to fall.  In any case, I succeeded in not falling, I finished the race (maybe a few seconds faster, it wasn’t chip-timed), AND I tried out my new running tights, which were awesome.  It was probably 22 degrees outside and I thought I would feel much colder than I did, so evidently my layers paid off.

PSA:  My race bib (#82) didn’t have any sort of tracking device or chip to put on.  There was just a part that I could rip off with my name on it.  I assumed that was for the store to know who to give the bibs to…so I tore it off and left it at home (besides the bib was assymetrical with it on).  Evidently we were meant to leave them on and they were taken at the very end of the race.  Oops!  Other races I had torn that part off.  So, if there isn’t a shoe thing-y or a tracking device on the back of your bib, leave the name part on, just in case.  The word bandit was used by the volunteers taking the “toe slips?” (I think they called them that?) for me and several others—I’m betting that we all just didn’t know.  I was too exhausted at the time to say anything…I’m sure most people know this, and somehow I missed the memo.

HBBC:   I’m giving myself 4 points for the race/warm-up—it seemed longer, plus took me longer/more exertion, so I deserve it.  I’ll edit if I meet the f/v for the day!  total:  4 points

Christmas, Running, Teaching

Christmas ornaments

Let me tell you a little about some of the ornaments on my Christmas tree.  I have been collecting ornaments for a long time!

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This was a gift from my very first violin teacher!  I saved this for a long time until I had my own tree Smile

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This one was a gift from my very first violin student (I was in high school!)  She decorated it herself.  I love it!

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A gift from my “host mother” when I was at the National Repertory Orchestra in Breckenridge, Colorado for two summers.

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Got this in the Cayman Islands on my FIRST trip there.  I was fortunate enough to spend almost a week on Grand Cayman and just had to play a few orchestra rehearsals and a concert.  Wish I could have done that again! But I did return to the Caymans at least.

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I got this one in Mazatlan, Mexico on my second cruise (with my sister Leslie and good friend Sarah).  Yes, it’s an adorable cow.

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A gift from my sister Leslie.  Unfortunately it sustained some damage when the tree fell over last year.  I’m happy to report that so far this year the tree has remained standing!

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Another gift from my sister Leslie!  It’s a sock monkey. 

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Got this cutie at World Market this year.  Or at least I think it’s cute!

I’ll do another round of ornaments soon—there are several violin ornaments from my mother along with some other sentimental type. 

I am QUITE nervous about tomorrow afternoon’s concert at Metro East Lutheran School.  It’s a joint concert with students from a variety of Lutheran schools in the area, and I wasn’t able to attend the rehearsal today to see how my students did and meet the other teachers (due to my other gigs…I had thought the rehearsal was in the morning), so that means that tomorrow I will be doing that.  I always get nervous on behalf of my students (especially because technically they could have used more time on this music, even though they did work really hard!) plus I get nervous meeting new people.  Basically I’m afraid that my students are ill-prepared and it’s my fault…you know, the usual Winking smile  (Wow, I sound like a basket case describing myself!)  I didn’t hear any bad news from parents though so I’m hoping that means today went just fine.  Nonetheless I’ll feel better when it’s over.

Woke up this morning at 8:15 and it was pouring rain.  Figured if I was going to do a treadmill run, I’d do it on Sunday, the normal day.  So I hope it doesn’t snow too much overnight to get to the gym!!  There is a treadmill with my name on it wanting 8 miles…

HBBC:  20 minutes weight-lifting: 1 point, 20 minutes stretching: 1 point, total: 2 points.

Running

Gloomy Friday

I don’t know if the sun has really come out at all today, and that makes me sleepy.  It’s a gloomy day.

I slept in a bit, and then had a workout with Mike.  Today he decided I needed to work on running better—evidently my stride is too short and thusly I have to move my legs faster.  Also I swing my arms too much, and clench my fists.  I need to relax.  He then decided to demonstrate how HE runs, setting the treadmill to 12 (yes, mph) and showing me how “easy” that is for those of us who are tall.  (It was really funny in my head, because while he was doing that there was a very slow moving elderly man walking down the treadmill aisle…and I pictured Mike sliding off the end and crashing into the poor man!  This didn’t happen, but would have if I had tried to go 12 mph on the treadmill.  I could barely do 7, make that 6.5).  Anyway, I guess it’s something I have to work on, but I like my short stride Sad smile I feel more secure in it (I am quite afraid of falling off the treadmill or stepping off to the side by accident and somehow breaking my ankle) and it doesn’t bother my hip.  Which I forgot to ask him about.  Which stopped bothered me when I started shortening my stride the other month.  Oh well.  I’ll just keep working on it.  He also suggested I should move up .1 mph on my jogging each week.  That is definitely doable…I think… ugh, I am really awful at taking criticism.

Tonight I am playing at an advent service at a Catholic Church in Manchester.  It should be easy enough—based on the music I was given it looks like one of those gigs where you just do what you can, and stuff will work out just fine.  I am hoping tonight’s service will put me in the Christmas mood—I haven’t been playing any Christmas music and as a result am not feeling the spirit yet.  I miss Sleigh Ride Sad smile

I am thinking Sunday is a good day to get a tree and decorate the house.  I also want to get my Christmas cards and start working on those.  Who wants a card?  (I will have to search for my addresses, as I do each year, though I think I have many of them saved in my gmail under the label “addresses.”)

Tomorrow I plan to try out some longer strides in my running and then have a wedding and another church service, followed by dinner with a friend (not sure where yet, but we’ll come up with something good!).  It should be a fairly relaxing weekend!

I’m glad I took this morning off.  I felt great after my workout, not completely spent.  And I know it was a good workout nonetheless.

Edited to add:  I decided to try a holiday theme for my blog!  It’s not great, but it’s not bad.  I think it’s festive at least!