Classroom Emergency

Last night, in class, one of my students had a seizure.

It was the very beginning of class, like within the first minute. I was standing near the front, getting ready to distribute their quiz, when she began convulsing in her chair. She was in a desk in the front row, so I quickly threw the quizzes down on my desk at the front of the room and went to her side. Two other students quickly responded, and between the 3 of us, we were able to ensure that she didn't fall out of her chair or smack her head. One other student called 911, and another student called campus safety and security.

The seizure only lasted about a minute, maybe two, but it felt like forever. Then, after her convulsions subsided, she slipped into unconsciousness. She was breathing evenly then and she had a strong pulse, so I figured that all had to be good. She had a light sweater with her, so one student balled it up and put it under her head, and I remained next to her, along with another student, and we just held her gently so that she didn't slip out of her chair. I don't know much about how to treat someone who has experienced a seizure, but I figured it was best not to move her and to just wait for the paramedics to arrive.

A few minutes later, she woke up, but she was disoriented, confused, and seemed lack any verbal ability. I told her where she was, who I was, and told her that help was on the way, but I'm not sure if she comprehended anything I said. I remained next to her, gently patting her back, and telling her that everything was okay. Then, as she became more aware, she collapsed into me and wrapped her arms around me and leaned her entire weight against me and began sobbing. I held onto her and continue to rub her back and repeat soothing phrases, like "It's okay, you're okay. Everything's gonna be alright."

By this time, other students had returned to their seats and just sat quietly. Soon, the EMTs arrived. They asked me a few brief questions, and then carefully loaded her onto a stretcher and wheeled her out of the classroom. Security lingered behind and asked me a few additional questions, and then they too left. The whole thing probably lasted 20 minutes, yet it felt like it had taken hours.

After the paramedics and security left, I found myself facing 20-something expectant faces. What should we do now? I felt like the choice shouldn't entirely be mine, so I asked them to vote. There were less than a handful who voted to stay and carry on with our evening's work as planned; the rest -- a clear majority -- voted that the incident was too much of a distraction for them to continue on for the evening. So I thanked them for their help, as well as their patience, and then we all left.

Once I got back to my office, I sat down, called Jerry, and then cried. I don't know exactly why I cried, but in that moment, I felt overwhelmed by emotion. And still, this morning, typing this, my eyes fill with tears even recalling the event. I can't pinpoint exactly why it all felt so traumatic, but I suppose it's a combination of feeling surprised, terrified, and then finally, relieved.

Since then, this student has been on my mind. I sent her an email (her college account is the only contact information I have for her), but I don't know if she'll check it or respond. I spoke with my department dean this morning and he assured me I did everything I was supposed to do. And, thinking back on the incident, I know I reacted calmly and with my best intentions, but I can't help but wonder if there was, or is, something I could have done differently, or something I should be doing now in response. I don't know what hospital she was taken to, and I don't have contact info but her email address, so I'm not sure what options there would be for me to reach out to her, but I still feel as though there should be something within my means.

In the end, I suppose it's natural to second guess my reaction in a stressful situation, but I think I did the best I could. I also really appreciated the students' responses and reactions. A few of them, in particular, reacted with grace and speed, and made the situation much easier to handle. Additionally, all of them respectfully sat and waited patiently while we were all awaiting the arrival of the paramedics, and then after all the commotion was over, they silently waited for me to dictate how we should proceed. I'm not certain how they judged my reaction, but I'm thankful for theirs.

82 Days and Still Streakin

I have been a bad blogger as of late: I haven't been posting much or reading and commenting much, but that's because life has been busy, not because I'm not running. In fact, as of today's 3 miler, I have logged 82 consecutive days of running.

At this point, you can probably guess that I have my eye on 100 days, but we'll see. I'm trying not to be too restrictive in my goals right now.

I've discovered that streaking is no different from a typical running schedule: Some days you love running and are eager to get out there and do it, and other days, you feel like skipping it. The difference -- for me -- is that with the streak, even when I don't feel like it, I still go out and do it. So, if nothing else, I think streaking has instilled a new kind of discipline in me.

That, or it just speaks to the power of habit, I don't know.

New iPod Shuffle

I don't always run with music. In fact, I mostly run without it since I run most of my runs with Norah, and I don't listen to music when running with her -- I like to be able to hear her. However, when I run solo, it's a treat for me to listen to my iPod and, I know that some people dismiss this, but I think I run better with music.

A few weeks ago, my iPod Shuffle took a digger. It was 2 and 1/2 years old -- in iPod years, that's like 99 -- and after getting thoroughly soaked on a rainy run, it could never fully be resurrected, and I had to accept its passing. Since the old Shuffle's demise, I've been running sans music, and I've missed it, so this weekend, I bought myself a new Shuffle! After running with it over the weekend, I have some thoughts about its new design and configuration.

To begin with, the new device is smaller and slimmer than the previous model, but the previous model was pretty small to begin with, so I don't really know if this is truly an advantage. In fact, I think it creates one disadvantage: Where the buttons are.

As you can see from the above pics, there's no place for the buttons on the device itself. So, where are they? On the earbud cord! Kinda awkward, in my opinion. This also makes the earbuds indispensible to the device, which kinda sucks because on my last Shuffle, the earbuds went before the device itself, so in the case of this new model, if the earbuds go, you have to buy a new pair of Apple buds -- not just any cheap replacement pair.

I chose to not confirgure the Voice Over program, which has an electronic voice announce each song and artist -- I don't need that while I'm running. I know what music is on there, no need for the device to tell me.

Lastly, I don't love the fact that the device automatically orders the music in ABC order, according to artist. Sure, you can set it to "Shuffle" mode, but I never liked that on the previous model because I sometimes had songs repeat while on longs runs; instead, I prefer to be able to manually arrange the songs in a playlist in iTunes, but from my limited use so far, the device doesn't seem to allow this sort of configuration. Which means that for my 7 miler on Saturday, I ended up listening to about 30 minutes of Foo Fighters. Don't get me wrong, I love the Foo Fighters, but I don't want to listen to all of their songs in a row. Perhaps I may need to re-visit the "Shuffle" mode and hope that it doesn't repeat.

On the whole, I'm pleased to again have music at my disposal when I run by myself, and again, I think it helps me run better, or at least it helps me believe that I run better!

Awards

I've been given two awards this week by fellow bloggers, so I figured I'd tackle them both in one post.

First of all, Jamoosh bestowed upon me the "Cherry on Top" Award.
For this, I was asked one very difficult question: If I had the chance to go back and change one thing in my life, would I and what would it be?

Like others who have already answered this one, I have made lots of mistakes and have done, and said, some regretful things. I've had "failure" in nearly every sphere of my life thus far: family, romance, parenthood, friendship, finance, career, and running, and there are certainly many instances that beg to be re-written. However, each "error" taught me more than many of my successes or triumphs ever did, and much of who I am today has been shaped by many of those unfortunate, and sometimes harmful, choices. I think that what most of us come to regret are not the things we DID do, but the things we did NOT do.

So, this may seem like a cop out, and admittedly, it is, but I've been thinking on this topic for several days now, and I honestly can't think of a single opportunity I feel as though I've missed out on so far. Therefore, I opt to focus on just one smidgen of the question: "Would I?" Would I change anything if given the chance? My answer: Nope. Not a thing.

The other award was given to me by AJH, and this is the "Happy 101" award.
Here, I need to list 10 things I like. Phew! Much easier than the previous one! Here ya go:

1. Norah hugs.
2. Jerry's cooking.
3. Scooter's soft ears.
4. Coffee.
5. Beer.
6. Reading before bed.
7. Norah's naptime.
8. Running.
9. "Mad Men."
10. Friday nights.

Now, I'm supposed to tag 6 people for the first one and an additonal 10 for the second award. Ummmm...You know that I think that's too much work, right? So, if you haven't yet been tagged by either of these awards, considered yourself thoughtfully selected by yours truly.

Lastly, "thanks" to Jamoosh for the first award. He's been a long time reader of my blog -- and I think the only reason he began reading was his amusement at my drunk post-bowling posts, and for some reason, he stuck around and seems to still find me entertaining enough to continue reading although I never get drunk enough anymore to mistype my blog posts.

Also, thanks to AJH for the second award. Her blog is always full of positive inspiration, and she always leaves thoughtful and encouraging comments here that I appreciate!

MN Trip: The Running

If you'd like to read about the non-running part of the trip, you can scroll down to the post below, or go directly here.

So then, the running part of our trip:

Friday
Was the day we left for MN, and my alarm went off at 4:30 am. I got up, drank coffee, etc and got ready for my run. I was out the door by 5 am and did a 3 miler. It wasn't easy getting up at o'dark thirty to fit the run in, but with travel and then rehearsal dinner plans as soon as we landed in MN, I knew there wouldn't be time for it any other place in the day. And, I was glad to get it done early.

Saturday
The day of the wedding. I got up at about 7, had breakfast with my family, and then headed out for a morning run. This was a GLORIOUS run! Our hotel was near a small lake, so I ran about a half mile to the lake and then followed this lovely path around the lake, which was 2 miles, and then ran the half mile back to the hotel for a total of 3 miles. The weather that morning was perfect: Sunny, clear, but not hot, and certainly not humid. The scenery around the lake was so pretty and I really wish I had taken my camera!

Sunday
I woke up feeling like poop. I think there were several contributing factors: alcohol consumption at the wedding (I didn't overdo it, but I still had more than I usually do and since I don't drink much anymore, my tolerance has bottomed out, so more than 3 drinks and I'm kinda worthless the next day), lack of sleep (at this point, we'd had two terrible, sleepless nights with Norah), exhaustion from the hectic schedule of the trip, and a wee bit of dehydration. So, I didn't run that morning, but come evening, I really was feeling the itch to run, but was left with little time to do so. Thankfully, our hotel had a gym, with a treadmill, so I hopped on there and pounded out a quick 2 miler (especially quick for me: I ran the 2 miles in 18:20, which averages to 9:10/miles!). I hate treadmills, but this one helped me fit in the necessary run and I was thankful to have it handy.

Monday
We left MN early and had a full day of travel. We got home at about 7 pm, and by the time I got Norah to bed and unpacked our suitcases, it was 8. Still, I wanted to run. What can I say? Streaking almost makes running a compulsion. When I told Jerry I was gonna head out for a run, he asked, "So, how long is this streak gonna continue?" I told him I didn't know, and I really don't know, but what I knew on Monday night was that it was NOT ending then. So, I headed out in the dark and got my miles in.

Thus, I was able to maintain the streak over our brief trip, and I'm proud of myself for fitting in these runs in a variety of ways. It required some creativity and running at some inconvienent times, but I got it done and proved to myself that I could stick to this streak even when life made it difficult.

Then, last night I ran a nice 6 miler to round out August with 100 miles. And, this morning, I kicked off the first dayof September with a run with Norah in the stroller. So, total number of days streaking so far? 74.

Lastly, on a non-running related note, you demanded pics of Norah's pink hair, so here's my delivery: It's kinda hard to capture on film even though it's distinct in person. So, you may have to click on the pics to enlarge them to see her little swatch of pink, but it is pretty punk of her.

MN Trip: The Non-Running

I figure I'll divide my posts up about our recent trip to MN into "running" and "non-running." That way, it's not one, giant post. Although, I suspect both will still be long, so forgive the length.

The Travel
Flying with Norah was, on the whole, good. She did pretty well on the plane, especially considering we didn't have a direct flight either way. She mostly slept, and while she did fuss a bit, it wasn't for long and it wasn't terribly disruptive. I think giving her some Baby Tylenol beforehand helped a bit.

Also, all of our flights ran on time, and every other matter concerning travel -- parking, shuttles, rental car, hotel reservations -- went smoothly and we had no hiccups. Still, despite how easily everything went, it still made both Friday and Monday very long days. This is Norah and I on one of our flights: In addition, Norah had a tough weekend. For one thing, she's starting to experience some separation anxiety, which is normal for her age, so that means she's extra clinging with Jerry and I. So even though we had tons of family around who wanted to take care of her and hold her and play with her, she didn't want to go to them, which is a complete 180 from how she was when we visited with everyone back in May. For another, she didn't seem to be feeling well and her nose has been running for a week. And lastly, perhaps because of the travel itself and being in a strange place and having her routine upset, she didn't sleep or eat well. In fact, the only way we could get her to sleep was if she slept with us, and even then, her sleep was restless and she woke up multiple times each night.

Plus, Saturday night, which was the wedding, she was supposed to stay the night with my MIL, but Norah was having such a terrible time that my MIL actually drove her back to our hotel at midnight. So, that sucked because Jerry and I had been looking forward to the night without Norah so we could sleep in in the morning, but no dice there.

So, on the whole, all 3 of us were exhausted throughout the weekend.

The Wedding
Was really lovely. I was busy all day Saturday helping to get ready and then getting ready myself -- since I was a bridesmaid -- but the day felt joyful and celebratory, and it was so cute seeing my brother so nervous and anxious for his nuptials. I kid you not that he was dressed in his tux at about 9 am. I had to basically force him to eat a turkey sandwich at noon because I was worried that with nothing in his stomach, he'd pass out during his vows.

The wedding ceremony was beautiful and blessedly short, and the reception was a lot of fun. The hotel where they had the event was beautiful, and we had a lot of fun eating, drinking and dancing the night away. My family all got along well; even though there's no cure for awkwardness, we all managed to have fun together. Plus, it was wonderful for me to get to see some family that I haven't seen in a few years: like my grandfather and my youngest brother.

Here's me and my two brothers: Sam, on the left, just got home from Iraq a few weeks ago, and Matt, on the right, was the groom.
Here's Jerry and I at the reception:

And me and Matt (groom) at the reception:

Also, I managed to be pretty well-behaved and didn't overindulge on the liquor, which was especially good since Norah was returned to us earlier than we expected.

Other Visiting

On Sunday, we got to go see some of Jerry's family and hang out with them for the afternoon, and despite the fact that Norah was a Crab Apple for most of the afternoon, this was probably the most relaxing few hours of our trip. And, the most exciting part of that afternoon? Norah got to have a swatch of her hair dyed pink!

My SIL is a hair stylist and owns her own salon, so she gave Norah a little pink chunk of hair. So, Norah may not have had her hair cut yet, but she has had her first foil! The pink will wash out in a few weeks, but we have gotten SO many comments on her pink 'do.

What can Norah say? She's a cool chick.

So, those are the highlights. We got home last night, and we were all relieved to be back. Now, today it's back to work and back to routine. Which is a good thing!

I'm Back!

We got home this evening from our long weekend in MN. Overall, the trip was good, and we had a wonderful time seeing so much of our family, but the weekend was also challenging and stressful, so I'm happy to be home!

Also, I did manage to get all my running in, so the streak lives on!

More on everything in upcoming posts. For now, I'm pooped and SO ready to go to bed. But, to tide you over a bit, here's a picture of Norah entertaining herself during our layover in Atlanta: Apparently, it's all kinds of good fun to dump out the contents of Mom's purse!

My Bags Are Packed / I'm Ready To Go

All set for our trip to MN tomorrow, but while I'm excited to go, I also feel anxious about the trip. Let me break down the mixed emotions:

I'm excited because:

• It's going to be Norah's first airplane ride, and even though traveling with her is gonna be more complicated than the old days of just Jerry and I, I'm looking forward to her new experience.
• I get to see all my family, and some of my family members haven't even met Norah yet: My youngest brother just came home from a deployment in Iraq a few weeks ago, so this will be the first time he sees her, and my grandfather, who lives in Denver, will also meet her for the first time.
• I get to see all of Jerry's family. I enjoy my in-law family, and it'll be fun to see everyone.
• I get to see my brother get married and be a part of his wedding. A few years ago, I never thought my brother would be the kind of person to get married, but I guess he just needed to find the right person, and I'm so happy for him. He and his wife-to-be seem like a good fit, and I'm so happy to see him get to enjoy and celebrate that kind of companionship.

However, I'm anxious about:

• The traveling. Flying with Norah adds a few extra logistics, and in general, I don't fly that well. I am really sensitive to motion and have to take Dramamine to fly. Plus, flying always seems to leave me with lingering vertigo for a few days.
• Seeing all my family. I love my family, I do, but they're like that TV show "Modern Family" -- but not funny. Just thinking of having my mom and dad in the same room together makes me want to crawl into a cave, close my eyes, and wait until it's over. Granted, that's just me blowing things out of proportion: My parents have been divorced for 30 years and have always behaved with nothing but respect, dignity and poise, yet it is the eternal curse of the child of divorce to cringe when thinking of those two people within close proximity of each other. There are other strained relationships here as well, but it would take too long to explain it all. Just know this: The forecast for me drinking too much is HIGH.
• Organizing the visits with everyone when we are only in the state for about 60 hours. Needless to say, it involves a lot of driving back and forth, and as of late, a lot of calls that go: "Well, we'll be there between 9 am and 11 am, and then we'll be here between 11 am and 1 pm, and then..." It doesn't make it any easier now that Jerry's parents are also divorced. It feels like we have 4 families to see instead of 2!

But, I'm sure everything will be fine, and if it's not, I'm sure it will be comical a few years from now. That, or I'll drink enough champagne to blot out the bad stuff :)

So, I'll probably be MIA for the next 4 days: Don't cry, I'll be back. And hopefully, I'll be able to report that not only was the entire trip great but that I also managed to maintain the streak. Cross your fingers!

Mama Goes Masters Virtual Race Report

Last night, I stepped out into the thick, steamy air for my planned four miler for MCM Mama's Virtual Race.

Seriously, it was humid. The temperature itself wasn't too bad, and it was overcast, so that helped as well, but the humidity? My god, the humidity! We've had a lot of rain lately, so the air outside is so humid that, honest-to-god, when I walk out the door, my sunglasses fog over. Not great for running, but at this point in the summer, I kinda feel like high heat and humidity are old news.

I was solo for my run, so I hoped to be able to push myself to be a little faster, and while I did manage to be faster than I am with the stroller, I certainly wasn't speedy. What was funny, though, is that I passed this guy who was walking, and then when I turned around at the halfway point, I passed him again on my way home, and he turned to me and commented: "Whoa! That was fast!" I guess it's all relative, right?

So, here are the final digits: 4 miles in 40:10.

It's certainly not my best "race" performance for a 4 miler, but it's the best I can do right now. Thanks for hosting MCM Mama, and happy birthday!

What Are You?

Thanks for the comments on yesterday's post. I know everything that needs to get done this week will get done, and already, between yesterday and today, I've been able to cross quite a bit off my "to do" list, and that's always satisfying and helps me feel a little less overwhelmed.

I don't have much that's exciting today, but as you know, yesterday was my first day of the term, and my students didn't fail in your expectations to have a "weird one or two." Most interesting anecdote? As follows:

After class, students typically stay and speak with me about a variety of concerns or questions, and after my last class, I had a young woman who was standing there with the others and when it was her turn to approach me, she asked simply: "What are you?"

At first, I honestly had no clue what she meant by her question. "What are you?" Was she being practical or existential? With such a perplexing question, I think you'll admire my incredibly astute follow up question: "What?"

She answered: "I mean, what race or ethnicity are you?"

Me: "I'm white."

Her: "Oh, okay." And then she trotted out the door satisfied, apparently, with my response.

Now, here I sit in my office, a full day later, and I am still puzzling over this question. I don't think I've been asked that (except on government forms and job applications), and I have especially never been asked that by a student. I've had students ask a whole rainbow of personal questions, from "How old are you?" to "Are you married?" And I got a whole host of oddball questions and comments when I was visibly pregnant with Norah, but I've never had this one before.

Ahhh, students! They make my life, and job, interesting! "What are you?" Indeed: What am I?

Monday Madness

I feel as though the past few weeks have already been busy, but this week, and then about the entire month of September, is gonna be a particularly busy one.

So, what's on deck?

1. Today is the first day of the fall term. My classes this week will actually be easy to teach, but the first week is always madness in terms of students -- students who want in to already full classes, students from 3 terms ago who suddenly pop up and want to request a grade change, students from last term who want a last minute letter of recommendation, etc. The start of the term is exciting, but it's also just a bit stressful.

2. Getting ready for our trip to MN this weekend. We leave on Friday to spend the weekend in the Twin Cities for my brother's wedding -- which, thinking about this weekend is a different kind of stress (more on that later this week). It's going to be fun, but planning everything that needs to get done for us to be ready and for us to fly (Norah's first airplane ride!) is a bit daunting. The "to do" list includes: picking up dry cleaning, getting my nails done, buying the gift, last minute shopping for a few items, packing, and cleaning. I kinda feel as though I need a personal assistant for all this!

3. Still working on that bathroom, and we're at a point where the countertops need to be ordered and, at some point this week, the tile people are supposed to come and measure and give us an estimate. It's good to begin to see it coming together, but right now, it feels like just one more thing weighing on us.

4. Through all of this upcoming stuff, I want to manage to continue the streak, and I think that thinking of how I'm gonna fit that in over the weekend is also kinda freaking me out. In reality, I know that if the streak ends because I can't find the time to run during my brother's wedding weekend, it's not the end of the world. I do have a sense of priority and I know that spending time with family is more important than running. But, dammit, I'm at 64 consecutive days, and I really don't want it to end now! So, I have constructed a plan for fitting in my runs, but it's probably gonna involve some very early morning running. Oh well, sleep is over-rated, right?

So, that's it. I know it'll all get done and everything will be fine, but for some reason, I woke up this morning feeling a bit grumpy and panicky. Like all of a sudden, I realized there was a crapload of stuff all converging at once. Thankfully, my morning's 3 miler with Norah helped ease my anxiety somewhat, but I'm still kinda wound tight today.

Sorry, for the mind-dump. But I do feel a bit better laying it all out there. And, perhaps, I need to stop drinking coffee now ;)

Of Side Stitches and Six Milers

A few of you asked yesterday what causes side stitches (I'd mentioned they'd been plaguing my recent runs), and like you, I wasn't entirely sure. I was pretty sure it was from shallow breathing, and this makes sense in my case because I am still really congested from the cold I had earlier in the week. And I can tell when I run that my breathing is really affected by the congestion, and I certainly haven't felt as though I have been able to draw really effective, deep breaths while I run.

Anyway, that was my personal conclusion this morning when I ran my 6 miler and again was plagued by side stitches in miles 2-3. I ran through them, as I did in the previous days, and I tried to just focus on slowing down, breathing as deeply and evenly as possible, and I was able to run through the discomfort and finish my full 6 miles. Still, they were slow miles.

For me, this kind of congestion almost always follows even a mild cold, like the one I had earlier in the week. I may only be sick for a day or two, but then, typically, I have massive mucus for a week or two following. I always figure I just have to allow it to run it's course, but perhaps I should be taking something to help thin the mucus -- anyone ever used products like Mussinex? If so, helpful?

Anyhoo...back to my theory on side stitches...so, after my run, I investigated side stitches as any self-respecting academic would: I Googled it. Turns out, my theory was correct! Side stitches while running typically are caused by shallow breathing because side stitches are the result of spasmed contractions of the diaphram. So, to avoid them, you should always aim to breath deeply and evenly while running -- which I do. When I don't have a head full of boogers.

A Few Things Friday

I had two crappy runs the past two days: A solo 4 miler last night and a 3 miler with Norah this morning. During both runs, I had similar feelings of crappiness, mainly fatigue and side stitches (which, I haven't had a side stitch in I don't know how long). Both runs were incredibly slow and somewhat demoralizing.

I can probably attribute such poor performance to several things: inadequate hydration, poor nutrition, hormones, still recovering from being sick, stress, and the toll of the streak itself. Could be one of these things, but is most likely a combination of them. It's disheartening to have two bad runs in a row, but I'm gonna try to not dwell on them. They got done, and that counts for something.

On a lighter note, for "Foto Friday," I figured I'd share these blurry cell phones pics with you. See, Norah still isn't a big fan of shoes, but she accepts that she has to wear them to daycare. But, first thing she does on the way home? Take 'em off! Yesterday, we weren't even a block away from DC, when I could hear the familiar sound of her undoing the velcro. Then, the "thunk" of one shoe hitting the floor, and a few minutes later, "thunk," the other shoe had literally dropped.

After she gets her shoes off, she starts working on the socks, but we typically get home before she peels them off. I understand her desire to be un-shod: You gotta let them doggies air!

Fall Race Plans

After the drought that is the South Florida racing calendar that is May through August, to scan the fall/winter race options is a bit like being on a diet and standing in front of a scrumptious buffet: I want everything!

However, I have to temper my plans and carefully select races that I really want to do; otherwise, it would be tempting to race every weekend, and I think both my family and my checking account would object. So, after some careful consideration and mindful planning, I unveil for your pleasure: Jess' Fall Race Plans -- ta-da!

October 17: A1A 15K
Technically, this is a "training run" for the Greater Ft. Lauderdale Road Racing Club that they host every year to kick start the SoFlo marathon training season, but it's a timed course, you have to pay to register, you get a shirt and a bib, and they provide course refreshments, so I consider it a race. I ran it 4 years ago when I was kicking off my Disney Marathon training, and it was the first 15K I'd ever run, and I believe maybe even the first time I'd run that distance period.

October 31: Miami Beach Halloween Half Marathon
This is a new race in South Florida (last year was the race's inaugural year), and it will be my first time running it, so it will be entirely new to me. The course map looks scenic and the after-race food is supposed to be awesome. Plus, go check out the medal! Pretty dang cool.

November 13: The Key Biscayne 10K
This 10K was my first post-Norah race last year, and I really enjoyed it. Plus, I like 10Ks and there are so few of them around here (it seems like many former 10Ks are getting re-made into half marathons these days), so the chance to run a "rare-breed" race is one I like to take advantage of. Plus, once you read my next race plan, you'll see how this fits into a grander scheme.

November 14: Ft. Lauderdale 13.1
Yup, I am going to try and achieve a mini-version of Disney's Goofy challenge. My version is half the distance of Goofy: 10K on Saturday and Half Marathon on Sunday. When I told Jerry about this plan, he remarked: "So does this mean you're just 'part Goofy'?" Guess so.

November 25: Tamarac Turkey Trot 5K
For me, this is the only 5K worth doing. It's become a Thanksgiving Day tradition for me and I've run it the past 5 years in a row. And how could I not? The course goes right by my front door and the start line is literally a block away. Best race location ever. This year, I think I am going to push Norah in the stroller and try to con Jerry into running it as well (it is our 5 year wedding anniversary afterall, and it's romantic to sweat together, right?). Thus, I hope to make this year's "trot" a family affair!

December 12: Weston Half Marathon
Yeah, I just can't help myself: I have to go for the trifecta of half marathons, so I can round out the year with half a dozen of these bad boys (one of these years, I'd like to race 12 HMs in a year -- one a month -- but to do so, requires a hefty travel budget to fit races in April-Sept and right now, there's no immediate forecast for that kind of travel moola). I've never run this race before, but I have run this course before since I used to run in Weston when I trained for the Chicago Marathon in 2007, so the course is familiar. That's about the only advantage, because otherwise, this course is bor-ing! (Oh, but it is also very cheap: Just $35! A bargain race!)

So, that's the plan, yo. When I told Jerry of my schedule, his response was: "I think you are focusing way too much on running. You should be directing more of your energy toward your fantasy football team."

His opinion.

But if I totally suck at fantasy football, at least I can blame running for taking up my time. Anyhoo...I haven't assembled a training schedule yet, but that's my next task. Doing so is a teeny-bit tricky because I plan to try and continue streaking while training (if I can manage it), but I'll be honest: I'm a mostly "fly by the seat of my pants" kind of girl so I'm not worried -- it'll work out.

Back to School

This morning, Norah and I were up a bit early, so we were ready to run by 7:15. I figured with the extra start, we'd do an extra mile, so instead of 3 miles, we did 4. It was an incredibly sweaty 4 miler (the temp wasn't all that bad, but the humidity? whoa, lordy, it was thick out there!), but it was nice to sneak in the extra mile.

Aside from the morning's run, the big event of the day was the return to school: For both Norah and I. My classes don't resume until Monday, but today was the start of the term for faculty, so I needed to be on campus (and I really needed that office time because I had done zero term planning before today). My return to school means Norah's return to school, so today was her first day back at daycare, and her very first day in "the big girl room" (aka, the toddler one room).No, she didn't wear the above outfit to school today. Goodness, I put her in pants! But a jersey and diaper are perfect for chillin at home ;)

In the big girl room, they sit in little chairs and eat their lunch at a table, they take their naps on little cots instead of cribs, they learn to wash their hands, and eventually learn to use the little toilet (if a toilet can be cute, this toilet is SO darn cute!), they wear their shoes, and they run around and play and do big kid stuff. Pretty exciting for a fresh faced 1 year old!

Admittedly this transition filled me with mixed emotions today: I am excited to start the fall term (my favorite "school time" is this time of year), and I do like being able to drop her off and go to work (where I can go to the bathroom alone!), it was still tough for me to drop her off and leave her. I was fine at the drop off, gave her a simple kiss and hug goodbye, but once I got out to the car, I choked up a bit. I figured it's fine to have a tear or two, and I'm sure every fall is gonna greet me with the same emotions, so I may as well accept them.

Norah? She was fine. She hardly noticed I left her; she was too engrossed in the yummy lunch they'd placed in front of her (I drop her off at noon). And when I picked her up at 4, she gave me a quick smile and wave "hello," but then she returned to the fascinatingly new toy she was engrossed in. Her attitude seemed to say, "Oh, you're here? That's nice. I'm gonna keep playin' with this."

All in all, we both had a good first day back: She slept and ate well while at daycare, and seemed to l-o-v-e the stimulatingly different environment; and I had a productive afternoon getting my course's syllabi ready. I can't believe the summer is already over, but the next few months are my favorite time of year, so there's lots to look forward to: Football, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and...

...cooler weather, which means: Racing season is nearly upon us!

In Sickness and In Health

Last night, I took a decongestant around 9 pm, then got in bed with my book. An hour later, I was out. Like, out, out. Gotta love the power of pharmaceuticals: I slept like a rock and because it was Jerry's morning with Norah, I slept solidly until 6:45.

Of course, the downside to taking a decongestant is that while I sleep well, I always wake feel groggy and like my head has been stuffed with cotton balls. Thankfully, the perfect remedy for that is a quick run, so once I'd had my coffee and was dressed, Norah and I went for a 3 miler, and when we finished, I did feel like the lingering effects of the drug had worn off, and in general, I felt better.

I still feel and sound stuffy today, but on the whole, I feel worlds better than I did yesterday.

Do you run when you're sick?

Personally, I usually go by the "neck up" rule, but everyone seems to have their own set of syptoms of feelings that dictate if they run or don't run while feeling under the weather.

Finding the Good

This evening, it seemed that there were a lot of factors conspiring against my planned run: It was pouring rain, I have been feeling sick (it's not much, just a head cold, but I still feel a bit run-down and fatigued), and then to add insult to injury: my iPod died. But, I was still determined to get out and run, mostly because we had 2 movies to return to Blockbuster Express, and I had to get the movies back before 7 pm.

At 6:15, the rain seemed to be abating, so I slipped into my running stuff, grabbed the movies and headed out the door. Admittedly, I wasn't in a great mood: Like I said, I haven't been feeling well today, I was pissed that my iPod was among the dearly departed, and it wasn't entirely done raining. Well, my mood didn't improve in the first mile: I got splashed by a careless motorist who splashed through a lake-sized puddle at 40 mph and I got hit by a tsunami of rain water; plus, on my way to the store, I had to wade through ankle-deep puddles while running in a steady rain.

A mile later, there I stood -- dripping and grumpy at the grocery store returning my movies. After my video return, I had a simple choice: Take the easy 1 mile back and just call it good with 2 miles for the day, or take the rest of my planned route and run the additional 2.2 miles that would loop around and also bring me back home for a total of 3.2 miles.

I chose option #2, and just like Robert Frost declared, that made all the difference.

Option #2 took me off the busy street and through the quieter residential area, and in those 2 miles several things happened, none of them significant, but each one meaningful in its own small way: Without the iPod, I allowed my thoughts to just drift and it felt good to mull and dwell on a few things that have been cluttering my brain as of late; my congestion cleared a bit and I could breath comfortably; and the rain slowed to a light, almost refreshing, drizzle.

Those 2.2 miles made me think of the back of this Goldfish package: Cheesy, yes, but it is true sometimes: It can be tough to find the good in a situation that seems frustrating and annoying. But, there I was, squishing through my run in wet shoes and socks, and I didn't feel bad -- instead, I felt good.

Granted, now that I'm home and not running, my nose has returned to being a snot faucet, and Jerry just walked in and informed me that while he was sawing a piece of cabinet for the bathroom, he accidentally knocked a chunk out of our bed...but, I'm trying to see the good. Hmmm...the good here? Well...it's good that Norah can sleep through the sound of a table saw in the next room, right?! Also, I foresee some Nyquil, my book and my now damaged bed in the near future :)

Streakin Injury Free

Some of you have left comments in the past few weeks asking how I've avoided injury during my streak (currently at 55 days), or if I have any tips for avoiding injury during a streak. And, honestly? I do not feel qualified to dole out advice on this one, and I'm not sure if my current methods have actually enabled me to avoid injury, or if I've just been lucky. But, what I can give you are a few details about the streak and about me -- personally and as a runner -- that might provide insight into why I've been injury-free so far on this quest.

1. Low mileage. My runs during this streak have been short -- the longest singular distances have been my weekend 6 milers -- and while I did run 100 miles in July, each run was an average of 3 miles. And really, 100 miles isn't much when compared to many of you and your running, especially those of you currently training for fall marathons. However, I am in the process of planning my fall race calendar, so I plan on a slow ramp up of mileage over the next few months, and it'll be interesting to see if I will be able to do both: Train and streak.

2. Keeping it slow. The heat and humidity of summer seem to naturally slow every runner, add pushing the jogging stroller, and it's not hard for me to reel in the pace. While I still do attempt to run at a faster pace when I run solo, for the most part, the runs during this streak have been done at a very moderate pace. So without much distance or speed, my legs don't really need recovery from particularly demanding runs.

3. Age. I'm only 32 and at the peak of my physical prime. This is true for almost all of us: For most, the peak of our physical condition occurs between ages 25-35. So, in my early 30s, my body is not prone to much injury, and is instead apt to perform at its best for the next few years. This means I'm at an ideal confluence of attributes: I have enough age and experience to give me considerable self-confidence and to make sure that I measure my satisfaction with running in personal terms, but I am still young enough to recover quickly and easily.

4. Personal history. I'm not really prone to injury. Yes, a few years ago, I suffered from a painful bout with ITBS, but I believe that was more from inconsistent and reckless running than it was from overuse. And since then (that was 2007), I haven't had any trouble with any injury. (Although, I should also note that I have not trained for a marathon since 2007 and that too may be a significant reason why I have been able to avoid injury for 3 years.) Some of us, no matter our age, just may have innate injury-propensity. That could be because of past athletic endeavors, or it could be because of our unique physiology.

Certainly there may be other intrinsic and extrinsic factors that have been important along the way, but I think these highlight the few that have been most significant for me. Those last two words are what's important here: Every runner has to know his or her own abilities and limitations when it comes to injury propensity or prevention, and we all have to make choices according to that knowledge. Streaking is not for everyone, nor should it be. It has just happened to be right for me, right now.

The Pros and Cons of a Bathroom Remodel

Right now, this is what my master bathroom looks like:

So, there are a lot of obvious cons to such a remodel -- I mean, c'mon, I have a table saw sitting in my bedroom -- but I am trying to focus on the positive, so I figure I can list a few pros to the situation:

• Interesting conversation piece. Who doesn't want to talk about toilets?
• It means I only have one bathroom to clean.
• And because the constructions spills into our bedroom, it's pretty pointless to clean in there as well.
• Norah thinks showers are fun.
• Picking out all new stuff. In some ways, it's a pain trying to decide on every detail, but in other ways, it's also kinda fun looking at tile, fixtures and new tubs.
• The end product.

I'll keep you updated as the construction moves along, and in a few weeks, when everyone wants to line up to take a bath in my new tub, you'll have to pick numbers.

In the meantime, while Jerry is getting his workout in chipping up tile, I have been doing the usual: running. Yesterday, I snuck an afternoon 3 miler in between thunderstorms -- we got approximately 18 feet of rain yesterday -- and it really was the only 30 minutes of the day that it wasn't raining. Tonight, I plan to do something in the range of 5 miles. Now that I don't have night class, I have my evenings free and that means I have the opportunity to run sans Norah and the jogging stroller, and I'm looking forward to doing something a bit longer than the standard 3 miler that I always run with Norah in tow.

Lastly, I know I have largely been absent from regular commenting on your blogs. What can I say? I've been busy, but I've also been taking afternoon naps. But in my brief break before the start of the fall term, I hope to get back to some regular reading and commenting. So the crying and hair pulling can cease.

Happy Birthday Norah!

It's hard to believe that August 10th is Norah's 1st birthday: Every cliche that people tell you about the time flying is true -- it goes way too fast, so it's tough to believe that it's already been a year. A year ago, I had a small baby who seemed to be no bigger than a loaf of bread; today, I have a walking, talking toddler who is pushing her own "babies" around in a stroller! In this sense, I can't help but think: Can it be possible that it's only been a year?

I mean, look at how much she's changed and grown:

Birth

1 month

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months

7 months

8 months

9 months

10 months

11 months

12 months

But, I have to say that the other cliches are true too: Having a child is one of life's greatest joys and this has certainly been a wonderful year with Norah. She's such a sweet, easy-going girl, and it has been so fun to watch her grow, develop, explore and discover her world.

Of course, parenting is not all joyful. At times, it has been challenging, difficult, tedious, and frustrating, but in all ways, having her in my life has made my existence richer and more fulfilling. Sure, she's pooped on me, puked on me, sneezed in my face, made a mess of my house, put a dent in our bank accounts, and woken us up at all sorts of terrible hours of the night, but when she laughs or gives me a hug or one of her trademark wet kisses, all of those small difficulties become meaningless. And even though I know there are lots more challenges ahead of us, I look forward to the years we have in front of us, and I can't wait to see what kind of person she'll become.

So, happy birthday Norah! I love you very much!