Rolly Ball?!

I found this Rolly Ball at REI which is supposed to increase blood flow to your arches/feet. It seriously HURTS but think it's going to be great for my feet. My feet/legs have been feeling really great lately, and I'm afraid I'll jinx it. I also found these shoes, Brooks Pure Connect, that I have been debating trying. They are close to the "barefoot" running sensation that seems to be storming the running world right now, but they have a little more cushion. I just finished reading, Eat & Run, and they spend a lot of time talking about barefoot running in there (and in "Born To Run") and I'm interested in trying it out...but, I don't want to blow my arches out either. I haven't committed yet, so we'll see. For now, the rolly ball and I will have a nightly date to see if it helps me to stay strong in my feet.

Back To The Grind

I can tell that school is back in because I haven't had too much to report on lately :( Working, working, working. Second semester has started off swiftly and we are forging ahead. My Forensics class was a one semester class so that has opened up some free time for me in the middle of the day, which is great for planning. Swimming runs for another 4 - 5 weeks depending on State but my girls are undefeated right now so I imagine we'll be doing pretty well at States this year. My Infectious Diseases course is winding down on Module 1 (Microbial Pathogenesis) and I'm gearing up to start Neurological Disorders. I know very little about the brain so it freaks me out a bit but I'll just stay one step ahead of the students and should be fine. We start off next week by dissecting a sheep brain, should be interested. I haven't done one of these in about 6 years so I think Brad and I are going to go over this weekend and I'll walk him through it as a trial.
I was running like crazy over the Christmas Break which was wonderful, but, that has again come to a screeching halt due to swimming and our crazy schedules. That's ok, a few more weeks and I can get back to it. I'm feeling good with some serious distances right now so I may try to find some longer races in the spring. Creighton and I are trying to run a race/month this year, that will be great. Our first race of the year is this weekend...a 9 mile run through Hollywood Cemetery and the surrounding areas. I haven't done it but heard it was great.
Brad and I are planning a ski trip for Spring Break in about 6 weeks, to Steamboat. I can't wait to get out there and do some skiing. Cy is going to stay behind with his grandparents and Alison for the week, I'm super nervous about that as we have NEVER left him for that long, but, he'll be fine.
All and all, we're doing fine on this end!!

Rare Old Times

Another faculty evening at Rare Old Times. Cy came again, which is fun. He is getting super comfortable with our faculty friends and they are totally fine with having him around. Some of them are much older and some are much younger, none (in this group) that have small children and I recognize that having one around all the time can become annoying. Luckily, Cy is easy going and never fusses.
There were about 15 of us tonight and it's so much to listen to stories of old from the Old Timers of Collegiate. I really love my job.

FOUR!!!

Cy & I decided to spend the day with my parents on Sunday. I hadn't seen them all week and wanted to catch up with them a bit. They came over and we went to see a house they were relatively interested in that was supposed to be hosting an Open House. When we arrived at the house, there was a sign saying that the house was under contract and the Open House was closed. Oh well. After, we went to Qdoba for lunch, Dick's Sporting Goods so Cy could play with the golf clubs on the little putting green, and finishing up at Sweet Frogs! It was a wonderful afternoon:) I love having my parents here.

8:00AM Running Group

My friend, Ashely, and I have been talking forever about getting together to go for a run or swim. She is a fellow triathlete and actually taking it a step above me this year and training for a full Ironman. Someday, maybe for my 40th bday, I will plan to run a full Ironman but with Cy being so young and working full time, it's just not going to happen anytime soon:( Oh well. Anyway, so Ashley said she would be running 10 on Sunday morning if I wanted to join her. I thought, why the heck not. So, I met her at the Starbucks on Libbie & Grove and "her" turned out to be about 10 other people. She runs with a group on Sundays. I was a bit intimidated at first b/c I never run with other people due to my scheduling and I sometimes have a hard time matching other peoples' paces. But, it was all for not, there were lots of varying speeds in the group and I easily settled into a rhythm with some triathlete guys and the miles just ticked away. It was a nice way to start the morning and actually really fun to do it with other people. Richmond has a huge running/triathlon community here. Everyone is really tight and encouraging, I hope to be able to find the time to fit some group workouts in with them this year, especially swimming. I get so bored by myself sometimes!!

REI

Brad's conception of Outdoor Collegiate has been really well received since inception last year. The school has not have an outdoor program in the past and the students love it. Actually, one of the parents loved it so much that he has made multiple donations in his kid's names on a number of occasions. He's received a number of $5000 donations, a brand new Ford F150, and most recently, a fleet of kayaks and a trailer. It's amazing really, on many levels. Anyway, Brad just got his most recent donation of $5000 to essentially spend at REI to get camping equipment, including tents, ground pads, sleeping bags, hiking packs, cooking sets, etc...we spent HOURS there, trying all the equipment, putting the tents together, laying on the ground pads, weighting the packs, and such. It was so much fun and a great way to spend a rainy afternoon!

Techno Jamuary

I got roped into chaperoning a dance tonight at Collegiate. Let me be clear, I really don't like chaperoning dances for a few reasons...generally, they tend to drag on and on and on. The music is too loud (yes, I am old). I don't necessarily like to see my students turn into gyrating, grinding machines, and, it's my Saturday night. However, Brad had volunteered his time to do it and then was elected onto the Faculty Health Team which is a group of faculty that stay on top of who's drinking or using drugs on campus and alerted by other students. So, they can't really be at the dance in case someone shows up drunk or high. The take a passive approach and work with students that they think have the potential to use illegal substances and they do so without alerting the Administration or Parents, but, if they were to actually see a student drunk they would have to do both and that would ruin the integrity of the program. Anyway, so, Brad needed me to cover for him. The theme of the night was techno...oh my ears...but it ended up being great after all. Tim and Chris also chaperoned and we actually danced as much as the kids, it was really fun. I'm not saying I would do it again, but I did have a good time;)