Monday, May 19, 2014

The Finish Line

I don't know how I measured time before I became a runner. Now I have all these convenient analogies to draw from when talking about the culmination of...anything.

We have seven more school days left. Report card time is always stressful and super busy, but it's especially so at the end of the year. This is it. Students are scrambling to save their grades after slacking a bit during the last quarter, and teachers are scrambling to grade finals in time and get that last set of grades into the gradebook.
Research papers to grade...Check!
My finals consist of a 3-page short answer/essay test (reading), a writing prompt (language arts), and final research papers for all students (ranging from three to 14 pages). Oy. So I spent all weekend grading...five hours Saturday, and another three Sunday.
Adorable bird keeping me company...Check! (Notice the pile of graded papers in the background.)
Yes, this is the finish line...summer is almost here.

Luckily I had Archie around to keep me company, as Matt left at 5am Saturday for a 10-mile SUP race. Actually, being home alone was really helpful; I'm not sure I could have concentrated for that long had he been home.
Matt at the starting-line of his race. (He's in the blue shirt.)
He's used to placing in smaller races, and most SUP races are relatively small...so when he races bigger, I always wonder if he enjoys it as much. But, much like a running race, he loves the rush and the exhaustion, even if he doesn't place.
A better solo shot.
Despite sleeping in both Saturday and Sunday, I still managed to get my run in on Sunday evening. And boy did I need it!
Post-run, feeling fine. I'm officially back up to my base mileage!
 We're going out of town Friday, so I'm trying to figure out how to get in my runs this week without overdoing it. After successfully getting up to four miles - and feeling great - I'd like to start upping my mileage again...but not too quickly.
Some of Sunday's playlist.
Also, I totally chose to run to a slower playlist, just to enjoy the music, and the run was so nice. I was literally singing out loud during most of it. I'll have to do that again.

How was your weekend?
What do you find yourself comparing to the finish line of a race?

ABK

12 comments:

  1. Where would we be without running analogies??? lol. That is a super cool shot of Matt's race! Lola usually lays over my paper/books too when I'm grading. I see that grading the work of grade one and two students looks slightly different than grading the work of your students. ;) You'll get there, the finish line is in sight. ;)

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    1. I love when pets see us sitting still and think, "Oh look, a perfect time to cuddle!" haha

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  2. I had a great weekend b/c I actually won a race I had no idea I could win!!! Love the shots of the SUP race - I didn't know they did that?! Very cool. Good luck making it to the end of the year :-)

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  3. Great job on getting some grading done. When I was a TA in university, midterms and final exams did me in. Reading the same answer...just worded differently....to the same question for 100's of papers was boring!!!

    The end is near....you'll make it!

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    1. Yeah, reading the same answer 65 times is definitely NOT fun! But at least by the end you know what you're looking for and it gets pretty easy!

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  4. Summer is soon here for us teachers! Our kids are done June 5th and I'm done the 12th. 8 weeks of peace and quiet are upon us, Ali...

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  5. Good luck with the end of the year! We get out on June 6th and I CANNOT wait!

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  6. I cannot imagine grading that stack of papers! I hope Archie provided a lot of assistance :)

    I sing out loud during runs too (as long as no one else is around)!

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    1. Oh yes, Archie was VERY helpful, especially in helping me to take breaks every time he threw my pen on the floor!

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