Tropical Storm Edouard has been kind to us runners! We've had rain storms for days in a row; when it's not raining, it's cloudy. Rain + clouds = lower temperatures!
With humidity it felt like 78 to me, but it was a shock to see this temperature on the app!
True story: I took a three hour nap Friday night and then went to bed at 10:30. I actually think this helped get me up and going at 4:30am when my alarm went off for my run. I may make Friday-night-naps a thing.
Due to my week off last week, I only scheduled 8 miles for my long run this weekend. I woke up at O'Dark Thirty and started my run in steamy post-rain darkness, but when sunrise started, the clouds overhead opened up a bit and I was treated to some light drizzle.
Cloudy and drizzly...just how I like it!
I ran without water in order to avoid chugging. I ate a ginger chew along the way and a Salted Watermelon Gu. (It was yummy, but I much prefer the Salted Caramel flavor.) By the end, my mouth was super dry. I would've stopped at a McDonald's on my route and gotten some ice to chew, but I felt kind of bad/awkward about doing it.
You know it's rainy when my run-selfie is blurrier than usual!
The run went really well. At the end I started to take a short walk break every mile because I was hitting the wall - I probably need more fuel next time. Actually, I need to eat a better dinner the night before. (I had a tiny bowl of pasta Friday night, and that was it. I just didn't feel very hungry, but I paid for it Saturday morning.)
I passed quite a few running groups as I was finishing; it makes me wonder why they all start their runs so late!
That evening, Matt and I headed up to St. Pete with his mom for our last Rays game of the season. I love going to games after a long run; it means eating ballpark food is totally acceptable! (The Trop lets you bring in food, so we brought Jimmy Johns to save money and keep it healthier...But you know I had to have dessert!)
I had to break $100 to get Dippin' Dots. Worth it.
We got free Joe Madden Potato Heads. Our baseball collection is exploding...
Matt also got some more autographs pre-game.
We played the White Sox and won it 3-1. Afterward, we did the "center field shuffle" and exited the stadium through the field. It was a nice way to end the season.
I'm really excited for training this week. My plan for my long run next Saturday is to just go for 3 hours and see how far it takes me. I'll use the same 8-mile loop that will let me stop for water without having to carry it with me. I'm also putting out feelers for my local running friends to come join me for part of the run so I'm not alone the entire time. I'm really looking forward to it; I think changing my plan from miles to hours is taking some of the pressure off of the idea of the long run, but I think realistically I'll still hit 16 or 17 miles.
Of course, that makes me nervous for how long the full marathon is going to take me, but I'll worry about that when I get there! After all, long runs are supposed to be slow, right?!
What time do you usually start your long run?
Do you prefer loops or out-and-backs?
Do you collect anything? Besides running stuff, of course!
The time I usually spend reading/blogging I've been spending writing. Which is great, because I'm a writer at heart and when I get bit by the bug and my writer's block fades, I'm truly happy. But it also kind of stinks because there are only so many hours in the day. So when I'm done teaching and grading and running, I can either finally get my words down on paper (er...word doc), or I can blog. And right now blogging has had to take a back seat.
Making progress...I took some time off writing this summer because of all the traveling, etc.
Last Saturday we went to a Rays game and I indulged in a treat I haven't had since childhood.
Banana split flavor > everything else.
We spent Sunday and Monday with friends, so I pushed my Monday run to Tuesday and I got to experience the first hint of fall weather. 75 degrees, almost no humidity (so like, in the 80% range instead of 90%), and clear. I had one of my fastest runs this training cycle, which was greatly appreciated.
Totally psyched for cooler weather!
I missed my run Thursday because I'd pushed it to evening to meet a friend, but when she had to back out, I couldn't motivate myself to go.
All prepped for my next long run...I'm trying a few new flavors!
I've been really tired, which caused a mini angioedema flareup, so I slept through my morning run Saturday and moved it to nighttime. It was cool out post-rain shower, but still so humid I was covered in sweat and so damn thirsty. My mouth and throat feel so dry when I run that I end up chugging water...I could probably still run like that, but the fuelbelt is so awful when my stomach gets full. And then mentally I just can't seem to deal.
At least it was pretty.
Mm, sweat.
All that is to say, blah blah blah, wah wah wah, I need to suck it up. Marathon training is hard. Running a marathon is going to be hard. The entire point of training is to build mental and physical toughness and grit so you can get through it. Some days I wonder if I'm cut out to run a full marathon, but I can't imagine not getting to that starting line, so if that's what I intend to do, I need to get serious about my training.
And I need to get back to your wonderful blogs! I miss you guys!
Link me to a post of yours I just can't miss, because I'm tempted to just mark my entire Bloglovin' feed as "read". I have something like 68 unread posts lol.
Monday night, I had the honor of throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at the beginning of the Rays vs. Brewers game.
Waiting my turn with my special ball.
Raymond wanted a photo with us, of course.
I was wondering if anyone would recognize me after my little TV debut. One of the staff members at the park recognized me in the security line and asked if I had been on the field at the All Star Game, so I guess that counts!
No one understood this sign, so my mom was able to explain to a bunch of people that I was throwing the first pitch; apparently they were all very excited for her!
I was really nervous, but had a wonderful time. The Rays put together a really nice slideshow with clips of the All Star ceremony and photos from the trip; an announcer read my bio from the All Star Teachers website. It was just surreal to be honored in that way.
Then, I walked out onto the field, took a deep breath, and let it fly!
I was lucky; I had been worried about pulling a 50 Cent or Carly Rae, but my "pitch" went right over the plate and didn't fall short.
Matt took video...it's short and sweet and I want to watch it a million times!
The professional photographer out there got frame-by-frame shots that I'll probably share on Instagram once I'm given my copies. Here's a really derpy preview:
It was daunting to be out there, but also really rewarding. It was the perfect cherry-on-top to this whirlwind of a sundae.
The game was a good one with some really exciting plays and some amazing pitching. The Rays won 2-1, and on our way out I heard a group of kids exclaiming, "Hey, I think that's the teacher! That's the teacher!"
Selfie with the fam. Dave (Matt's dad) and Nick (his fiancee's son) also came to watch! It was beyond rewarding to have them all there supporting me.
The head cheerleader!
Nick surprised me with a case for my new ball! Curt Casali caught my pitch and signed the ball for me, but his signature is hidden on the other side.
I think this event ends my 15 minutes of fame; I will kindly shut up about being an All Star Teacher now...promise!
Oh, except for this...in case you missed it, the All Star Teachers were featured in the August 4 edition of People Magazine!
Page 10...there we are!
And now, I swear...I'm done!
Are you sick of me talking about this yet? Because I'm pretty sick of myself! ABK
Check out my previous posts on the first and second days.
The final day in Minneapolis flew by. We met in the lobby of the Hyatt Regency at 7:30am and rode over to Target Field. We took the elevators down to the clubhouse level and the leagues divided. The AL went out onto the field from the 1st base entrance.
Here we learned that the ceremony had been practiced ad nauseam using stand-ins for all the players, coaches...and us!
Me and my stunt-double!
It was cool to see how the All Star Game is practiced beforehand; we got to hear the announcements before they were finalized and see how the ginormous flag is brought out. (Each strip is a separate section that's bagged up and stored individually; they clip together underneath!)
You know, this ginormous flag!
The AL waiting for practice to start.
We practiced walking on to the field. Imagine our surprise when we
realized that Idina Menzel was already there and ready for her
rehearsal! She was incredibly nice as we all broke ranks to take
pictures; teachers truly make the worst students. Once properly
chastised, we practiced walking a couple more times. Idina stood right
over my shoulder during the playing of the Canadian National Anthem!
Idina just hanging out between practices.
My attempt at catching her in my selfie haha.
From the ballpark, we returned to the hotel and got ready for the All Star Parade. But first, there was a surprise! Dr. Jill Biden - yes, the vice president's wife - came to see us. As a teacher, she wanted to show her appreciation and thank us. She took photos with each of us, and then with us a a group.
She gave us each a hug and was so friendly and wonderful!
Yes, that is the World Series Trophy. Yes, it is super shiny in real life!
The coolest part? She sat on the trolleys with us during the parade and watched the game with us in our suite!
I'm getting good at these "famous people behind me!" selfies!
The AL's trolley.
Anyway, the parade was maybe the most emotional part of the entire trip. As I waved at the crowds, I barely held back tears as parents and children shouted, "Thank you, teachers!" and "You deserve this!" and "We love our teachers!" Any teacher can attest that this kind of outpouring of appreciation is unheard of. As I made eye-contact with parents as we drove by, I could see the sincerity of their sentiments.
Click to view a video segment of the parade. I show up VERY briefly at about 50 seconds.
After the parade, we had a little time to eat and relax. I crawled into bed and had room service bring hot chocolate and coffee.
During this time, Matt was at the ballpark with some of the other winner-guests enjoying a special pre-party. When we arrived at the park, he found me as we filed through security. It was nice to get to see him quickly because my nerves were starting to set in.
In the downstairs clubhouse, we sat around and chit-chatted. It was so nice to just have a moment to sit and enjoy the company of the wonderful, talented teachers I was with. We got to work exchanging Instagram and Facebook accounts so we could stay in touch after the night was over.
Finally, it was time to line up. We waited outside on the ground level; seats of fans overhead shouted and waved. We were flanked on either side by children from the Boys and Girls Club who had been chosen to take part in the ceremony. If I leaned really far back, I could see Matt in our box overhead. We waved and blew each other kisses.
Waiting our turn. Can you spot my head?
Entering the field.
All set up on the field...for once being short paid off - I was front and center!
A cool shot of my giant head on the jumbo-tron. This must be what Godzilla looks like.
That particular shot was the one I kept seeing on Facebook as my friends took pictures of the TV and sent them on to me!
I kept doing this weird thing with my mouth because it was shaking and I didn't know how to stop it!
As the announcer began his spiel, we walked out onto the field. I spotted myself on the jumbo-tron and did a double-take. We filed past some of the MLB's greatest players. As Idina began to sing Bob Dylan's Forever Young, my lips and chin quivered; I did my best not to cry or look totally stunned. I had a clear view of Derek Jeter directly across from me on one side, but was too intimidated to hold eye-contact. (His eyes are super piercing and even bluer in person!)
When the song ended, I felt relief. We could clap and relax a little. We turned for the National Anthem and then exited through an archway of flags held by the aforementioned children.
Leaving the field.
Once inside, we cheered and hugged and made our way upstairs to our suite to catch the first pitch. It was here that I heard I had made it on TV for a good amount of time. My phone was going crazy with Facebook and Twitter notifications.
This was a favorite...Confirmed proof that although only like three people in Scotland watch baseball, we all made it on international TV!
Feeling much more relaxed!
I'll admit, it was hard to concentrate the rest of the game. I could hardly eat, even though the food was amazing. We kept getting called into the suite for pictures. Idina came up to take photos with all of us and Dr. Biden. During the game, Jackie Robinson's daughter Sharon Robinson (who is MLB's educational consultant) came to talk to us about Breaking Barriers. Hall-of-Famer Ozzie Smith was also in our suite and Matt got a chance to meet him and get an autograph.
Us with Idina Menzel and Jill Biden.
Sharon Robinson talks to us about Breaking Barriers.
To top it all off, the AL won the game for the first time in a couple years, so I was thrilled!
We all signed baseballs for each other.
Enjoying the game.
Rachel, David and I getting ready to part ways.
Saying goodbye to Jacqui and Gina.
After the game, Matt and I spent some time in the lobby of our hotel because that's where all the players were staying. I was able to meet Chris Sale of the White Sox and Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays, and we saw Robinson Cano, Josh Donaldson, and various other players. I wanted to see David Price (because, obviously, he was there for the Rays), but we never got a chance.
Chris Sale was incredibly nice!
Jose Bautista kindly took the time to sign autographs post-game.
The 30 All Star teachers; Jose Bautista; Chris Sale; Cal Ripken Jr.; Ozzie Smith. Guess which one means the most to me?
So what have I taken away from this experience (besides autographs)? That teachers aren't alone in thinking that we're crucial to the future. That there are actually those outside of education who respect and admire teachers. That I can rest assured that there are teachers across the nation (and Canada!) doing great things for their students and their communities. That maybe I need to learn to accept compliments and my accomplishments as what they are instead of trying to explain them away or attribute it all to luck.
I will never forget this experience. It will carry me through the hard days at work and it will help me to appreciate the good days. I will cherish forever the chance I had to meet these other teachers who put my meager accomplishments to shame.
I will forever be humbled and grateful for this experience. I will carry it with me always.
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