Acceptance Letters

After weekends of filling out college applications and follow-up phone calls, standing over my son and making dire threats about what would happen if he didn't complete his essays, and all those worries that he wouldn't get into any college ... Ryan was accepted at Frostburg State University, Western State College of Colorado, and McDaniel College (which surprised me because I didn't even think I had completed that application!!!). I have no idea which school he'll ultimately pick, but I'm so gratified that he has a choice of schools to attend. Acceptance letters mean a lot to parents.

And now FAFSA season begins.

Dare I Dream?

When I wrote the "Rebuilding" post back in November, I wasn't feeling positive about running and wanted to quit. So I started to play mind games with myself. One trick was to write a blog post that was positive to give myself positive throughts to rally around. Another strategy was based on what Jenny Hadfield wrote:

"Follow the three-week rule. Practice patience. Being a runner takes time. It takes 21 days to create a new habit. Running regularly will become a habit over time. A body that is active, will want to stay active. A body that is inactive will want to stay inactive. The first 3 weeks is the most challenging."

After reading this, I decided to wait 21 days before I quit running to get in the habit again and rebuild. If I felt like quitting, I could write that in my log -- in big bold letters if need be. Of course, if there was anything actually enjoyable about the run, I had to write that. Pretty soon, there were more entries about enjoyable moments than not.

As the result, I didn't give up and I didn't quit. It's still challenging around this time of year to go out on cold, dark, windy days and watch the steam rise from my breath in the light of my headlamp. Some days my motivation seems to be gone with the daylight. I'm truely just getting back into running and have an itty bitty teeny weeny very small recreational base from which to build. Swimming is going along well, and I'm swimming 1,000 yards to a mile. Cycling is still my weakest link and I can barely spin in lowest gear for any length of time.

Dare I dream?

Photo courtesy of Steven Glass, Colorado Runner

It's Over

We were all told that nobody knows how they did at the end of the exam, and I certainly find this to be true. I can see that I'll have fun tormenting myself about this over in the coming weeks as I remember questions and my responses and wonder if I answered them correctly. I'm not expecting to pass. 'Twas the weeks before Christmas and visions of scantron sheets with red slashes dance through my mind. My mentor for the exam suggested that if I didn't pass, I should hit the books and try again during the next exam, stating that the material would still be fresh in my mind. If I choose that option, I'll take this goal underground.

I keep a running long, and I almost wish I'd kept a studying log because I'm curious as to just how many hours I've spent studying in preparation for this exam. The one good thing is that it's over.

Farewell to 10801 in Pictures

Farewell graffiti

Outside of building

Packing crates piled high

My desk

Trees

Courtyard

Rebuilding

I haven't been running regularly at all, except for going out on the weekends with my husband. I've introduced him to my favorite trail which is a path through the woods where the leaves are turning color. I only run 2 miles now, so that means that I follow him for a mile, and then walk while he goes to the turnaround point and comes back, at which point I follow him again. I like the feeling of running and gliding along with a thick carpet of leaves beneath my feet. That's the enjoyable part.

Getting back into running regularly on the weekdays has been a huge challenge. I think I'm going about it all wrong. I finally Googled up articles on returning to running after injury, and I now believe the best way to do this is to start by walking 30 minutes with a 5 minute run, gradually increasing the length of the running portion, and then increasing the run to walk ratio, until I'm running 30 minutes. This should take about 4 weeks. I'll see how this works out.

Just to make it more challenging, my treadmill broke. This means no indoor running in the comfort of my basement, even if I'm staring at my insulation. I've been getting up in the wee predawn hours to jog outside, armed with a headlamp and dressed warmly, although the temperatures keep dropping. My biggest surprise is that I'm not the only one stirring at this hour. I see about three other cars warming up and getting ready to go to work.

Right now, swimming is the best thing that I've got going. It always makes me feel like a million, like running used to. After swimming, I'll get in the car and drive to work in bumper-to-bumper traffic, and it won't bother me. Ohmmmmmmm! I actually decided to cut back on swimming and gradually build up. I'll warm up, then swim about 800 yards working on my flip turns. Then I'll do another 500 free at a very relaxed pace, almost a cooldown, until I've been in the water for 40 minutes or so.

I'm reaching to the finish line with CAE studying. I've got one more domain to tackle and a final exam with my online course. I also need to produce notes for my study group on D10. After that, I'll begin taking practice tests and reviewing everything as I head for the finish line.

With the half marathon, I was completely unprepared for any alternate outcomes. But with the CAE exam, I've met *more* than a half dozen people who didn't pass the test the first time around--really bright people--and I'm mentally prepared for either outcome. And as I head into the final stretch, I have this feeling that 2008 is going to be redemption year -- the year that I try to accomplish what I don't accomplish in 2007.

Cleared

I was told I had knee arthritis -- until I actually had x-rays taken and they came back clean. Turns out it was simply an overuse injury. That's the good news. Not having joint problems is really a very good thing.

Doesn't change anything else though.

Inspirational Link of the Day

Triathlete leaves competitors, self-pity behind

I hope the day comes when we talk about an individual's accomplishments first and their disability second.