My Other Sport (#tbt & TOL!)

Today, I'm thinking out loud about my other sport: volleyball.

I am really not a naturally athletic person. When I was younger, I was much more into indoor hobbies. I loved to write and read. I liked to draw. I took singing lessons and went to drama camp during summer when my friends went to sports camp.

But when we moved to Florida, my mom wanted me to meet people, so she encouraged me to sign up for volleyball. In 8th grade, everyone made the middle school team, but I immediately realized I loved it and had a little bit of natural talent.

My JV team; I think I was a sophomore here. Can you spot me?

Varsity players had much cooler uniforms, as you see here. This was junior or senior year.

I played all four years for my high school, attended summer camps, and joined a traveling team. I even played for the local junior Maccabiah Games one year. (I wish I had a picture of that!)

I was never talented enough to play in college, so I settled for intramural and played with my sorority.

Playing some intramural volleyball with my colleagues for our inter-school tournament for teachers.

For awhile after college, there were no opportunities for me to play volleyball. I took up running in grad school, and then started teaching. That first year, I co-coached the girls team with another teacher. When that teacher moved out of state the next year, I took over.

I've coached our team ever since.

I love watching the students play; they are so enthusiastic and have such a good time. They really learn to depend on each other, support each other, and gain confidence in their own place on the court and within the team. Running is a great sport, but I really believe team sports (especially those that include a bench) are one of the best ways to teach life lessons.

Our girls (in red and blue) playing a fantastic game while I nervously pace on the sidelines.

I've developed some habits from my high school coach; I never sit during games, instead choosing to pace outside the court and shout instructions and encouragement. My coach used to eat an entire tin of Altoids when he got nervous; the smell of Altoids still makes me think of him!

So  far this year our record is 2-1 with one more regular season game and then playoffs. Some of my girls have been on the team since 6th grade, and for the last three years or so I've had returning players. It gives me a chance to have a different kind of mentoring relationship than with teaching, and this year especially - because I have no students of my own - I especially appreciate being about to coach them.

I love running, but volleyball was the first sport I ever played, and the first that showed me I could be athletic if I wanted to try. It will always be a special favorite of mine.

Do you play a sport besides running?
What was the first team you belonged to?
Do you consider yourself a natural athlete?

ABK

Sorry if This Gets Controversial

I have some really random things on my mind right now! First of all, I'm thinking about Hurricane Matthew.

It's supposed to be a big one, and it's not on my side of the state, but who knows where it's heading? I'm currently (as of Wednesday afternoon) trying to convince my sister to evacuate and come to my coast, and I'm also waiting to hear if school will be canceled on account of high winds.

MAKE UP YOUR MIND ALREADY!

(Apparently buses can't run if the winds are over 40mph.)

On another note, I got my hands on some Pumpkin Spice Cheerios finally! I like to mix my flavored Cheerios with the regular kind so they're not too sweet. The PS were good, but they really reminded me of the apple cinnamon flavor with less cinnamon. They weren't anything really new.

Oh, here's a fun little thing I want to share...I got to meet Joe Biden on Monday! He was speaking in Sarasota so, despite having driven up and back already Friday and Saturday, I drove up again and met Britt, and we went together! After standing in line for about 90 minutes and then waiting in the auditorium (we almost didn't get in!) for over an hour, he, Bill Nelson, and mayor Fredd Atkins arrived. Biden's speech was invigorating, funny, poignant, and earnest. Basically I love him and he was everything I dreamed!

Britt and I can be seen in the background of this video. I give the newscaster quite the look at one point. (She's in the striped shirt and cap and I'm wearing my white Gay Pride Hillary tank top.)

After the event he shook hands with the crowd, and I shook his hand and looked him in the eye and said, "I met your wife at the All Star Game!" and he smiled back his beatific smile and replied, "You met the best part of my family!"

There he is!

My best selfie haha!

Here he is again!

I wasn't able to get a selfie with him, unfortunately. Hearing him speak live was still such a rewarding experience, even if rallies make me uncomfortable. I love the Bidens!

The last thing on my mind today is about religion. Fair warning, this may get a little controversial...I honestly don't mean to be offensive here - I'm just thinking through my personal bias and thought process.

Driving home from work I passed a van for an electrician that was named ABC ("Abiding by and Believing in Christ Jesus"). Their tagline was "Available 24 Hours, just like Him", which I thought was clever.

Now, the Christians I know and associate with are honest, friendly, dependable, and loyal. Those are traits that would make a great electrician! And if that's how this guy runs his business, then I think that's a really great example of displaying Christian values in all parts of his life.

I think we can all agree THIS is the Christianity we want to see more of in the world.

But the truth is, I have this lingering mistrust of Christian businesses because I worry they'll take the money they make and put it toward causes and campaigns I completely disagree with. I wonder if businesses that are overtly religious or political lose a lot of customers.

FYI, I feel the same way about company trucks with political bumper stickers and the like. I just feel like it's not a smart move to alienate potential customers...but I guess if they believe that strongly, then that's their prerogative, but it still makes me really uncomfortable.

Matt took this photo near his ceramics studio. He was wondering how many customers this bike shop owner had alienated by putting up a Trump flag.

How's that for deep (and random) thoughts this Thursday?

Have you attended any political rallies before?
Have you ever met a celebrity?
What do you think of overtly religious/political businesses?

ABK

The Purpose of Life

Funny the things you think about when you're up super early for a run and have some quiet time alone. In the quiet hour between the end of last Thursday's morning run and my commute to work, I was thinking about...life.

I don't often get too contemplative these days - I think I left a lot of that navel-gazing behind with my teens - but I had read this comic from The Oatmeal recently and I think it was lodged in my head:

This is just an incomplete snapshot of the entire thing. He goes on to write that the things he loves don't often bring him joy - sometimes they make him suffer but they are compelling. That's how I often feel about writing and running!

I hate the two ends of the "meaning of life" spectrum: the positive side that thinks life is meant to bring you happiness and that you should feel fulfilled always, and the nihilistic side that thinks we're all just existing and there's nothing more to it, and that life owes us nothing so if we're not happy who cares?

Although I do find the Nihilist Memes page on Facebook pretty damn funny if you're into dark humor.

Side note: There are a million articles online about how to find happiness in life, and I feel like if you're reading those articles trying to pick up tips, you're going about it the wrong way.

Then I was thinking, really, what do I think the meaning or purpose of life is? Because when I'm just living it, I'm not enjoying it, and when I'm enjoying it, it may all still be meaningless, but at least I'm not miserable. I came up with three things that, to me, speak to the purpose of life:

The reality of the world we live in is that we won't enjoy every minute of every day. We need to do some things we don't love or aren't passionate about in order to survive, and I think anyone who says differently has more privilege than I've ever known. But we do need to enjoy life if we want to thrive, and there's a difference between surviving and thriving.

When I'm satisfying my curiosity, learning new things, exploring, and experiencing the world around me, life feels a lot richer.

We need to seek out things that engross us and prioritize them in a way that makes them part of our lives on a regular basis. If you don't know what that thing is for you, it's time to explore. Take a class. Volunteer. Learn to cook. Read more. Take a day trip. Go to a museum. Try your hand at drawing. Go camping. Whatever. For me, obviously, one of those things is running. It doesn't always make me happy, but it compels me.

Life itself may not have a definite purpose (to paraphrase the Oatmeal: that's okay) but it feels better when we're engaged with living. It's like I used to tell my students: you have to be here, so you may as well make the most of it!

How's that for a marriage between blind optimism and nihilism?

Do you think there's a purpose or meaning to life?
What enriches your life?

ABK

Fall Running Clothes are Here, but I'm Still Waiting on the Weather

Today, I'm thinking out loud about fall fashion. Kind of.

One of the annoying things about working out pretty much everyday and being very consistent is that I have to do a lot of laundry. And if I don't do laundry - like I didn't last week because I was feeling sick and totally unmotivated to do anything - the first things I run out of are athletic clothes.

And underwear, obviously.

So I'm really happy that being an ambassador for Skirt Sports means that this year I suddenly own more workout clothes than I ever have before. And it's all cute stuff that makes me excited to wear it!

Anyway, this fall some new prints came out and I waited patiently for all the styles I wanted to be available in said prints, and now I can't get enough! Our weather may still feel like summer, but at least my clothes are feeling fall.

I knew I'd love the Enchanted print because black and pink are my favorites, but I was surprised by just how pretty it is!

I wasn't sure I'd like Frolic as much but I think I may like it best. The bright orange is surprisingly flattering!

Skirt Sports is having a birthday celebration, which means you can get $20 off your purchase using the code BDAY20...You might even be able to use it in conjunction with my 20% code (ABK20) for an extra deal.

Click here to shop. This isn't an affiliate link because I'm too lazy to figure out how those work.

I'm currently justifying all the stuff I have in my cart because clearly I need one of everything.

When Skirt Sports shared the birthday sale news, they posted a clip of founder Nicole DeBoom winning the 2004 Wisconsin Ironman in a skirt. LOVE IT.

Click here to watch the video.

I don't really know how to explain it...I wrote a post a little while back about this, but it was still so hard to put into words...I just seriously love when women accomplish great, badass feats while still totally embracing their femininity.

Do you follow season fashion/color trends?
What's your favorite thing about fall?
How often do you buy new workout clothes?

ABK

I have a Radio so I'm basically a Secret Service agent now

Today I'm thinking out loud with Amanda from Running with Spoons!

1. Despite being completely difficult, sluggish, and electronically glitchy, Tuesday's run felt amazing! Elizabeth and I ran the bridge and when we got to our usual 2-mile mark my watch clocked a single mile. I know the route well enough that I wasn't concerned about adjusting it afterward, but losing the data and our splits was frustrating.

I mean...what do I even say? The run was actually 4 miles, only 3 recorded, and the paces are clearly totally wrong.

The weather was overcast and the pre-storm humidity that so epitomizes the tropics in summertime was in overdrive. Basically we slogged through a run we couldn't even properly track...and yet it was awesome.

Of course, it rained as soon as we finished and got in the car to go home!

2. Kids are officially back to school! I spent my first day putting together teacher resource binders and helping with drop off and pick up; it felt really weird not to have students of my own. I love fostering personal relationships with students and I think that's the way to get kids to care about education, but I still think I'll be able to make a difference and feel fulfilled in this new position, too.

Check out my awesome secret service earpiece!

3. Last year, Kristin introduced me to these amazing gluten free "thin mint" cookies, but I could never find them anywhere. Then, they appeared at my parents' house and I happily helped myself, only to go through withdrawal once they were gone. I'm so glad my Publix is finally carrying them!

I honestly don't remember what real Thin Mints taste like, but I think these are softer, fudgier, and a little more plush than the originals with just the perfect hint of mint.

4. This year our school is doing a book study on The Happiness Advantage. I don't really care to wax on about the book itself, but it got me thinking: can we all afford to be more positive, or should we just accept who we are instead of forcing ourselves to change our personalities?

I'm naturally a realist. I border on pessimistic sometimes. I think I can afford to be more positive sometimes, but I also don't think there's anything wrong with the way I am!

5. Speaking of books, I pre-ordered Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and it arrived last Friday. I read it all that night! I plan to reread it to pick up on some nuance, but it was a nice way to end my usual rereading of the series. It's been eight years since I read a new HP book!

I will say that this is not a novel. It's a play; it's meant to be a play. I like reading plays and I think the stage directions in this one are just whimsical enough to give it a little extra literary flair. I liked the storyline but also felt, at times, that it seemed Rowling had listened too intently to fan theories when crafting it.

The wisdom of the Harry Potter world lives on in this installment.

I won't spoil anything major here, of course. But I enjoyed the added maturity that was sometimes missing when our protagonist was a teenage boy, and I'm considering this an enjoyable companion piece to what I will always consider the "original" series. I loved catching up with my favorite characters again and seeing what their lives are like now, 19+ years down the road.

Yes, I'm talking about them like they're real. Deal with it.

6. I've been thoroughly enjoying the Olympics! I can never sleep the first week of school, so I haven't minded staying up late to watch the events. As usual, I'm obsessed with our gymnastics team (and watch with the same intensity as Aly Raisman's parents) and I'm completely loving Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky's continued domination in the pool.

I think some of my motivation to get back on track this week is coming from watching the events in Rio!

Have you been watching the Olympics?
Do you plan to read the newest Harry Potter?
What is your favorite Girl Scout cookie?
Are you an optimist, pessimist, or realist?

ABK

Just Quickly

Thank you so much for your kind thoughts on my last post. Obviously last week I took a step back from blogging. Matt's Nana's passed Monday morning, and I went back to work full time last week. Needless to say, I didn't have much energy to spare. I didn't run or workout at all; I just let myself coast for a little bit.

Nana was the matriarch of Matt's family. She kept everyone in line and held everyone together. When Matt's parents divorced, she moved in with Matt's dad and helped raise him and Scott.

Matt's favorite picture - him, Scott, and Nana at school.

She's always been a pillar of strength and love for them. She was unconditionally loving; I never felt scrutinized or sized-up when I came into Matt's life, and she made me feel like part of the family with no strings attached.

She was simply a great woman.

Christmas 2015.

So last week was hard and I took it easy.

This week I'm slowly getting back into a routine. I've run in the mornings before work and have been settling into my new job. I'm really enjoying it! I feel ridiculously busy right now but I like that, and I also feel really useful, which is what I was hoping for.

Tonight we have open house, so I'll be at work until 8:30pm, and students start back on August 10. I'm hoping that as the school year gets underway, I'm able to continue a solid running/cross-training/writing routine.

What are you thinking about?

ABK

Summer Plans

Today I'm thinking out loud about what I hope to accomplish this summer. My break isn't normal this year because of my career transition, so I have less time off. Summer is short anyway because we got out June 13 but start August 1 (next year we'll get out in May); on top of that, I have CRT training in mid-July and then I got back to work for new teacher training July 25.

Saying goodbye to my classroom of seven years.

So in my few short weeks of free time, here's what I plan to do!

1. Housework. I hate to admit it, but from May onward I really dropped the ball on house-related things. I need to get back on track with daily stuff like laundry and dishes, but I also need to pick a backsplash for our kitchen and get that installed. I also need to finally unpack the last couple boxes from our move two summers ago!

2. Cook! I'm trying to put together a little recipe book over the summer so that during the year I have some easy and delicious recipes to fall back on. I'm getting so bored of the same old stuff.

Please share a favorite/easy/crockpot recipe in the comments! Remember to keep it gluten free :)

3. Read. I am so ready to read for fun! HP round 12 (or something), here I come!

4. Working out. I'm excited to try some new workouts and enjoy my runs without the added pressure of work the next day. I have my sights on the Race for FISH 10k in October; my PR for the 10k distance is on that course, and I'd like to beat it this fall.

It's been nice to have a schedule and an accountability partner over the last couple weeks because I've been pretty tired and just going through the motions. You may have noticed. I'm getting my workouts done, but my heart hasn't been totally in them. But I'm ready for summer rejuvenation and the energy and work ethic that comes with it.

5. Travel? Maybe? Matt and I may make a trip to see friends in July, and he'd like to fit a cruise in, but I'm not sure when that will all happen. We try to travel every summer but this year I'm not sure time is on our side.

6. Nothing. Seriously, I'm looking forward to turning off all my alarms and just letting my body get as much sleep as it wants. I have to confess, I like still being in bed when Matt has to get up for work because during the school year I always have to get up first!

I've been doing lots of research on Sleepopolis.

Speaking of beds, this year for our anniversary I'm buying us a new mattress. I can't wait! We're long overdue and I'm so ready to wake up feeling refreshed instead of super sore. I'm too young to be this achy!

Do you have any good summer recipes to share?
Do you like your mattress? Picking a new one is super stressful!
Do you have any trips planned this summer?

ABK

I'm Racing This Weekend

For today's TOL, I'm revealing my goal for this weekend's 5k, even though I told Matt and Elizabeth over the last couple weeks that this goal would remain a secret.

Keeping my race a "secret" at A1A turned out really well for me, but I wanted a place to think this through, so I'm letting you all in on it. (Maybe if I don't make it I'll reconsider ever telling people when I'm racing again! Just kidding...kind of.)

Thanks, Amanda, for hosting TOL!

My plans for 2016 have always been to focus on shorter distances and speed, to keep things simple, and if I manage a PR in the process, great.

Remember this?

This weekend, I'm running a 5k. It's the foot-race portion of a Sup and Run event at a park near my parents' house where Matt has had various races and where I've run with Montana before. It's a sunny, beautiful route around a huge lake (built for crew races) that is lovely to run but pretty brutal. The race starts at 8am. (Matt will be running the 5k and paddling a 5k; I'll only be doing the foot-race division.)

See? Gorgeous.

Obviously we're looking at sun and temperatures in the 80s (and possible storms), but I'm stupidly going to aim for a PR.

Only in Florida do you see a sun AND raincloud on the same weather image and think, those two things might happen concurrently.

I was going to keep that goal a secret. But I need to remember the lesson I took to heart after BDR: there's no shame in failing to meet a goal. Failing means you took a risk and faced a fear; most importantly, there's no growth without failure.

My current 5k PR is 27:40, and I earned it in 2013 in a July race. I know if I could "beat the heat" then, I can do it now. I won't have my sister to use as a rabbit, but I have the knowledge that I've been doggedly consistent in my training and speed work. I'll find another rabbit to stalk on race day.

A PR and the first time I ever placed in my AG!

My A goal is to run this race in 27 minutes flat, which seemed easy enough until I did the math and realized that I ran my 27:40 at a pace that scares me even now. I was sitting here going, "I'll run like an 8:58 pace to PR!" and then realized that actually I need to run closer to 8:50.

According to McMillan, if I can get my 5k PR it will mean I'm on track for a 10k PR when FISH rolls around in October.

So I guess my B goal is a PR of any kind, and my C goal is to beat 29 minutes. (Usually my 5k goal is to come in sub-30 but this weekend that's just not going to cut it for me.)

I want to run a smart race with even splits; I don't want to go out too fast and fade at the end. I want to warm up beforehand because my legs don't feel good before mile two of most runs these days. And I want to remember that I want this at the moment when easing up looks tempting.

I'm excited for this race. Nervous, but excited. I'm ready to see what I can do; I'm ready to see if I can turn off my brain for a bit and just haul ass for 3.1 miles. It'll be the first time in a long time that I push beyond "discomfort" and into "OMG WHY" territory during a race.

5ks don't scare me; I've noticed that very fast runners hate 5ks because they know how brutal they can be when raced all-out. I'd like to join that club. I hope this weekend's 5k makes me hate 5ks!

Are you one of those fast runners who hates the pain of a 5k?
Any advice on race strategy?
Will you still like me if I fail? Ha, just kidding. But no, really...This is a huge stretch goal for me, so I can use all the encouragement I can get!

ABK

Embracing "Girly" & Discovering Strength

Thanks, Amanda, for hosting TOL.

Teaching middle school serves as a daily reminder that those years are rarely solidly good. When you ask people what the best years of their lives were, does anyone ever say middle school? We wandered the halls hoping not to be noticed - or to be noticed by the right people - unsure of who we really were or if anyone would like us if they knew the real us.

If you were anything like me, you dealt with this anxiety by pretending to be above it all. Middle school is all about masks. I thought I was singularly unattractive and unoriginal, so I went the route of pretending to embrace that, and I forced myself into a kind of tomboy mold.

(I looked for pictures of these years to share with you guys, but I seem to remember avoiding cameras at all costs, and I must have burned all photo evidence of those years. Good thing Britt had this photo to share.)

I wore giant T-shirts and huge, baggy jeans - anything to hide my body. My hair was in a perpetual bun. The only makeup I used was worn to cover acne. When cotillions and dances came along, I wore my pretty dresses and heels with the grace of a newborn giraffe.

I developed a shell. I wanted to be tough, and I wanted people to know I was tough. In doing so, I turned away from all things girly. Even when I began to enjoy "girly" things - the color pink, makeup, dresses, etc - I'd try to be ironic about it.

But over the last few years, I've learned to love being girly. More accurately, I've learned to embrace the complex parts of my personality. I'm tough, yeah, but I'm girly too. Those things aren't mutually exclusive. In fact, over time I've learned that girls - women - are tougher than we let on. We might hide our steel under smooth skin and lipstick, but we're no less strong for our soft exteriors.

Feeling strong and girly at Gasparilla with Kristin.

I've come to realize that accepting who we are and having the courage to reveal every aspect of ourselves is what makes us tough. Hiding behind a tough exterior makes you seem strong, but masks are brittle. They crack. They're not meant to last.

Living as you are and as you want to be...that makes you actually strong. And personally, I don't think there's anything better. When you're strong, you can care for others, show compassion, experience joy, go after a dream, work hard, stand up, fight...

If I can be anything, I want to be strong.

This ended up being a totally different kind of post than I planned. I really wanted to rant about how women can kick butt even in a running skirt. I guess there was more to explore than I thought!

How do you define strength?

Do you consider yourself girly?

Are there any parts of your personality that you aren't comfortable with, or try to hide?

ABK