Nerd Factory - Season 2 - Episode 2

Topics discussed this week.
1. Make up artist named Cat
2. Teacher Mystery Challenge 2.0 - Week 1 answer
3. T-Shirt Challenge
4. Shout Out opportunity for the video next week.
5. Don't forget to vote for favorite books of the year in sidebar

Teacher Mystery Challenge 2.0 - Week 2

Here is the next batch of questions for the Teacher Mystery Challenge 2.0

I will have a video posted tomorrow that will discuss the voting results of week 1 and the correct answer.

Don't forget to also add your favorite books read this year in 2010 to the poll over in the sidebar.

Here is the next teacher. Voting is open until next Sunday at midnight.


1. What was your favorite toy when you were a kid? Easy Bake Oven
2. If you have to choose a movie title for your life story, what would that be? Kickin’ Around the World
3. What really gives you the creeps? Walking around outside after dark
4. Why do women shave their armpits and men don't?
5. If you could be any male/female sports star, who would you be?
6. If you were going to be stuck on a deserted island, which 5 books, movies, people and foods would you take along? My husband, three children and Survivorman- chocolate, steak, potatoes, water, and chicken- any 5 movies to keep my kids entertained- Not sure about books, I’d have to look at Mr. Maurer’s blog for suggestions!
7. What do sing in the shower, if you do sing? Any song that I have recently heard that gets stuck in my head
8. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of bees? Hmm.. Neither!
9. What was the last concert you saw? Musical- Billy Joel’s Movin Out

Other random fact- I won the “Big Mouth” contest in our 1st grade Olympics, which is somewhat ironic because I consider myself to be a pretty quiet person.

My sister and I raised ducks one summer to buy a 9” black and white t.v. for our room.

I thought my parents were the meanest parents ever when I was the only girl in 6th grade who did not have a Cabbage Patch doll.

Half Marathon Training - Week 8 - Sunday - Half Marathon Benchmark Set!

I can't believe I am going to say this, but this morning I actually enjoyed my two hours of running. Am I kidding? No, but I still cannot believe I feel this way. I woke up this morning at 4:30, did my rituals for a long run, one cup of coffee, coconut water, water and a gel pack, bread with peanut butter and honey, load up my gadgets to make me robot like, pick a direction to run and away I go. I had to run 13 miles this morning. When I finally left around 5:15 it was already 73 degrees outside. I was like oh no, this is going to be another tough run like last weekend. However, that idea left my brain and I was mentally strong. For some reason, I never doubted myself, only had good thoughts, zoned out many times through the run, and finished feeling really good. I have never had a run where I did not try to talk myself out of running or being able to do it. Maybe it was all the stress I have had this week that allowed me to just run freely and get away from it all or something. Anyways, I ran the 13.2 miles in 2 hours 5 minutes. That is 5 minutes away from my race goal of under 2 hours. I finished and did not feel dead like last week where I had to stop. I really watched my water and food intake yesterday so I know that is one difference and it was not quite as hot. I also changed up what liquid I carry with me. This time I had water in one and Powerbar Endurance mix in the other. I stopped at a water fountain to refill my water so that also helped.

As I continue to train I know that I have set my benchmark. I want to run under 2 hours, but even if I don't I know that I have to be under 2 hours 5 minutes. My first time running this pace and I feel quite good about the result. I was running at a 9:31 mile pace which is 8 seconds faster than my 11 mile run last weekend and 16 seconds fast than my 10 mile run pace from two weeks ago. I continue to make improvements and that is all that is important. Nothing like burning 2345 calories by 7 am!!

What I am I learning along the way? I have learned several things and yet I have so much more to learn. Here is quick list.

1. Hydration is so important. Drinking water throughout the day, all day, and avoiding those sugar laden drinks. I see so many people consuming unnecessary calories in beverages. If one would record all calories from what they drink, they would probably poop an egg in shock.

2. Training is important, but not as important as what you do the rest of the day. What you eat, when you eat, and how much you eat is extremely important. I eat all day, but due to watching what I eat has caused to continue to push myself and at the same time losing weight in a healthy way. I have not lost any strength or muscle, just the fat that is not needed.

3. Strength training - despite running all the time, my legs still need to get stronger as does my core. It is interesting to see what parts of the body wear out on the long ride. Early on it was my legs, but now I feel it in my lower back, shoulders, and some other parts that I need to continue to work on in my circuit training. You need your whole body to be strong to be able to be successful. I still hate those guys who have huge upper bodies, but toothpicks for legs.

4. Love what you do! If you absolutely hate what you are doing, then try something new. Don't be afraid to get out there and try something that you think you cannot do. I never would have dreamed of running 13 miles until a few months ago when I made it a goal. When the racing is over what will I do? I already have a goal to train for a triathlon over the winter to keep things fresh and new. Mix things up and have fun with life. It is too short to do something you hate.

Alright, I now need to quickly rest my legs for the next hour before I go golf 18 hole in this 90 degree weather. Stupid? Yes, but how does one say no to a 6 foot 7 father-in-law who lives for this weekend? You don't and hence the reason I am golfing. My goal is to shoot under 180 as 10 strokes is the cutoff per hole. I have no legs so this goal may not be reached. Have a good Sunday!

Two interesting articles on YA books

Two pretty interesting reads on YA novels that I came across as of late. Feel free to read post your thoughts in the comments about the articles whether you have an opinion on what they are stating or maybe you read one of the books mentioned and want to recommend.

Link 1 about YA dystopian fiction

Link 2 rising popularity of young adult books among not-so-young adults

Book Review: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins **NO SPOILERS**

I accomplished two goals today.

1. I finished reading Mockingjay
2. I read my first complete book on the iPad

A weird way to start off a book review, especially a book with so much publicity. I will bring you up to speed on all of my thoughts as they whirl around in my head as I just literally finished this book minutes ago. I had pre-ordered the book through Amazon.com months ago. I was so excited last weekend to receive the message that it had been mailed. I expected the book on Tuesday on release day, but nobody came to drop it off. I could not wait and purchased it on for my Kindle app on my iPad. I read 30% of the book the first night. Wednesday, the hardcover did not come once again, so I kept on reading, but not too much as I was busy with my kids going back to school. Thursday, the book is finally delivered and I considered switching over the hardcover, but in the end decided to stick with the iPad. I will admit that I still love the good old feeling of a classic book in my hands. The iPad gave me a headache at times, but by Thursday my eyes had finally grown used to the back light of the screen. It was also quite nice to have while reading in bed and not needing a light source. I will continue to read on my iPad when I don't have the luxury of owning or borrowing a book.

On to the book. I was just reminiscing about when I finished Hunger Games when it was first released. I remember thinking clearly how I wished that book would stay a stand alone novel because it was that good. At that time the whole concept of creating a trilogy was really taking off and it seemed(still happening now) that any possible storyline that could be popular was automatically turned to a trilogy whether it was needed or not. I remember finishing the book, thinking it was the best book I read that year(which it was) and begging for no more in the series because I did not want it to be ruined. However, I knew two more books were coming whether I liked it or not.

I am so glad she wrote two more books. I felt that Catching Fire was parallel to Hunger Games. The story just sucked me in as I reviewed that novel this week as well. So, as stated above I was super excited for the final installment. I was as excited as waiting for book 7 of Harry Potter in hopes that he would be killed off(great book even though he lived).

The final book I felt was different from the other two. I never imagined the storyline to encompass such a large scope of events. Going from a Hunger Games of kids fighting each other to the death was tragic, but it was still not a major event(many books have a similar premise). I never thought while reading Hunger Games that a revolution would eventually unfold where politics, rebels, technology, and trying to decide how run the world would be involved. But I love it! I really do. It went beyond my imagination and captured it completely.

The book is different as we really delve into the mind of Katniss. We spend much of the beginning(well, I guess throughout the whole book) really in her mind dealing with her thoughts, who to trust, what to do, herself, her love, etc. Then the plot takes off like a rocket when the decisions and plans are put into place. I will not give anything away, but There were about 5 situations that I did not see coming my way. The book caught me off guard and here I thought I knew how things would go being a YA novel and knowing how kids/teens like things to unravel.

Honestly, the best trilogy I have ever read. Hands down, no argument(note to readers, I have not read all trilogies so there could be another one lurching on the shelves for me discover and change my mind). Arguably, one of the best series period with Harry Potter always being in the mix, Lord of the Rings, and my weak spot for Skeleton Creek.

I really want to go back and start a book club on this series. I think my Twitter book club would be a perfect place to do this. We could start with Hunger Games, create a calendar for when we post certain chapters, and work our way through the three books. Reading them slower and digging deep into the writing. If interested leave a comment and if there is enough interest, then we will get it going.

Go read this now! This is the read of year and it has lived up to the hype.

Friday Recap

There was a lot of postings this week. Here is a quick summary in case you missed anything.

1. Teacher Mystery Challenge Voting closes tomorrow at midnight
2. Nerd Factory Season 2 Episode 1 video that includes a challenge to design a T-shirt for the blog
3. Vote on favorite book over in the sidebar
4. Book Review: Saga of the Bloody Benders, The Goon, Catching Fire
5. Tuesday Listography Challenge
6. Wednesday - Word and Research Topic of the Week
7. As always my half marathon training rants

If you want anything added for next week please let me know. Have a great weekend!

Here is a little trivia for you. See if you can discover the answers without googling the direct answers. Try to challange your brain.

1. Finnmark, punctuated by fjords and inhabited by reindeer herders, is the northernmost county of what country?
2. Roraima, a state with a shoreline on the Rio Negro, is located along the equator in what country?
3. What is the capital and principal city for the state of Western Australia?
4. In the 1960s, Rwanda and Burundi gained their independence from which European country?
5. The Pilcomayo River forms part of the border between Paraguay and what country?

These five questions come from National Geographic. Do a little research, examine some maps and try to learn something on your own. This is what we did back before Google gave us an instant answer.

Half Marathon Training - Week 8 - Thursday

I have not posted yet this week about the training. As I get back in the swing of school I have began to transform the blog back to more book reviews and middle school type posting. However, my training has not stopped at all.

Monday - I was very sore from my 11 mile run on Sunday. I was tight and it took a while to get my body going for the day. I did not run, but we did lift. We followed the same lifting as the week before.
his morning we did workout.
We completed the following workout. It was a good one.

1a Incline Bench 5 x 5 (70%,75%,80%,85%, 70%)
1b. Seated Cable Row 5 x 5 (70%,75%,80%,85%, 70%)

2a. DB Bench 2 x 10
2b. One Arm Row 2 x 10 each side
 
The following lifts are done using a TRX Suspension Trainer
3a. Suspended Push-Up - max out
3b. Inverted Row - max out

We wrapped up with some various TRX lifts like curls, I/Y/T, and a few others

Tuesday - I was scheduled for an easy 3 mile run. I was still sore and legs felt tired, but the run really helped to knock off the soreness and get me back on track. I ran the 3.03 miles in 27:42 for an 9:08 pace. It felt nice and easy. However, I got home and when I check the pace I realized that is the pace I need to run the half marathon in to meet my goal of under two hours. YIKES!

Wednesday - In the morning I lifted weights focusing on the legs. I have to force myself to do legs during this training as it is easy to find excuses to not lift. However, it really does help improve strength, running times, and muscle fatigue and soreness. 

We performed the following workout
1. Squat 5 x 5
2. Dumbbell Split Squat 2 x 10 each leg
3a. Suspended Pistol Squat with TRX Suspension 2 x max
3b. Hanging Knee Raise 2 x max

I was supposed to run 3 miles, but as the day wore on it became later and later. By 8:45 I decided it was too late to run as I know my body. It would have taken at least until 10:30 to cool down and start to become tired. I felt it was not worth risking my sleep for a 3 mile run. I decided to play it safe and not run. I don't need my body wearing out now. I have put too much time in for things to fall apart now.

Thursday - Today or I should say this morning I had to run a 7 mile run with 5 miles at a  9:00 pace. I felt really good this morning. I took a gel pack, noticed the nice bright moon, 57 degree weather, some good old country music, and took off. As I started to run my body just felt like it was ready to be pushed. Being that I did not run last night I decided to push it a little bit harder than usual. I did this for two reasons.
1. The weather was perfect to push myself as I knew I would not overheat and sweat too much.
2. Mental Toughness - I need to pick up some of my runs to allow myself to realize that I can achieve my goal. I need to get out there and push to convince myself that I am on the right track.
I ran 7.35 miles in 1 hour 23 seconds. This put me at a 8:12 pace. I did not feel tired at all at the end of the run and my legs don't feel fatigued at all either. This was a huge confidence booster. I can add about another 45-50seconds to this pace for another 6 miles and there is my half marathon goal. This felt like one of my best runs to date besides any official races.

I have a 4 mile run tomorrow and a 13 mile run Sunday. Sunday will be a good check for me.
"Attempt easy tasks as if they were difficult and difficult as if they were easy."

Book Review: The Goon: Chinatown and Mystery of Mr. Wicker

I heard about The Goon: Chinatown and the Mystery of Mr. Wicker from one of book blogs that I follow and read to see what is all out there in the reading world. I decided to give this graphic novel a try for several reasons.
1. I always trust the judgment of this blog.
2. I needed something quick to read as I wait for Mockingjay
3. I love the graphics in this graphic novel and was intrigued to read the storyline
4. I found out it is going to be a movie and that made me super excited after I finished this graphic novel.


Here is a quick summary from Amazon

Eric Powell, multiple Eisner Award-winning creator of The Goon, explores a darker and more intimate side of the genre-busting cult hit in The Goon Volume 6: Chinatown - a formative chapter from the Goon's early years as the Labrazio family enforcer. Collected in softcover for the very first time, the critically acclaimed Chinatown marks Powell's first self-contained graphic novel, which chronicles the misadventures of Goon and his wisecracking sidekick, Franky. When a mysterious new figure enters the crime scene and begins taking out the Goon's business operations one by one, the Goon struggles to keep the city's organized crime under his control as his mind is haunted by the memories of his darkest moment... when his mind and body were left scarred... and his heart was left black.

My thoughts

Not until writing this review did I realize that I was reading Volume 6. I did not even know this was a series. I try not to read too much about the things I read in order to avoid any spoilers. I really enjoyed this graphic novel. I think the credit goes to Eric Powell who created a graphic novel that despite me not reading the previous works I still understood the storyline and loved the scenarios that unfolded. Another part of me is very excited to know that now have more to add to my TBR pile as I want to read the rest of the storyline of The Goon. I really liked Goon. He does some things that are not always good and positive, but you cannot help but like the guy either. He is one of those comic characters that is good, but does not always go about doing good things. He is an unlikely hero…in many ways it strikes a chord with some of my favorite characters in books and movies. That character who is bad and does not take crap from anyone, but at the same time is trying to do well. The examples are endless of this type of character.

The artwork was amazing. I am not a critic of graphic novel artwork by any means, but as a not so regular graphic novel reader I really enjoyed looking at the pictures. The use of black and white with times of sepia tone and subtle color really sold me. The few cases of blood in red really showcased the fighting and violence of the storyline.

I read this one sitting which I have not done in some time. I read this while my kids were outside. I was sucked into this world and when it ended I was like, “Oh man!” The libraries around me do not have any other of the collections to check out so it looks like I will be spending some money to buy the rest of the series. It will be worth the money.

I will give caution that there is some violent scenes. I don’t want to say that is not YA, but I know YA is not the intended audience. However, I know that the YA audience is also the one that will most likely read this graphic novel. There are some uses of profanity and some other situations that may not be kid appropriate. Nothing is over the line and many elements are suggested through the excellent artwork. However, as I always state my reading audience ranges from 4th grade on up and this is something that I would not suggest to a younger crowd. I would aim for 8th grade and above, but some 7th grade could probably handle it. Just beware of these things.

Overall, a great surprise as I wait for my book to come in the mail. The graphic novel was a pleasant surprise that just opened my eyes to a great new series (new to me anyways). A pleasant surprise as the website is super cool. And a pleasant surprise knowing that a movie is in the works.

Book Review: The Saga of Bloody Benders

Another graphic novel goldmine my good friends. Just like the previous review of The Goon, I put on hold another graphic novel that came in right on time to get me through the wait of Mockingjay. This time it was a graphic novel by Rick Geary who has an unbelievably extensive resume of work that he has done in his lifetime. This particular graphic novel is part of the A Treasury of Victorian Murder series. This particular graphic novel that I read is the 9th book in the series. This is not a series that you have to read in order. Rather, he has taken a historical timepiece and crafted and well told story about a crazy family called the Benders.

From Amazon.com

From School Library Journal


Grade 10 Up—The Bender clan—nearly silent mother, German-speaking father, voluble adult son, and flirtatious adult daughter—arrives in Kansas in the early 1870s. On the prairie, along the Osage Trail that travelers take from northeast to central south in their new state, the family builds a combination dwelling, inn, and grocery. It's just a small frame house really, with family quarters curtained off from the larger area of the building where the public stops in for provisions, a meal, or perhaps a night's rest. There's a basement underneath, with a large, flat stone serving as its floor. Travelers in the vicinity are disappearing, but for a long time no one realizes it. As ever, Geary's details are well researched and presented in suspenseful, Victorian-like perspective, moody with minimalist detail. Period social concepts are folded into the storytelling, including the use of the term "savages" by a visiting missionary who manages to escape alive when he senses movement behind the curtain partition-the movement of Mr. Bender passing, carrying a small sledgehammer. True-crime fans will enjoy this book and history teachers may find inspiration for joining research to compelling storytelling.—Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA

I really enjoyed this story. The illustrations are fantastic. They are not disturbing or gross. There is no physical violence displayed, but the storyline itself is quite gruesome. What I like about this graphic novel is that it was well researched. It was written in a very simple, fact only, type story. Nothing was glorified or as I call it "Hollywoodized". He took the facts and created soem fantastic illustrations to go along with the storyline. I kept thinking of new ideas to implement in my teaching using graphic novels. I had about 3 cool ideas that I am going to try and pan out in my classroom. As with Eric Powell, Rick Geary has a very cool website. I am now hooked on Rick Geary and will have to track down some of the other graphic novels in this series. I actually learned a few things about the time period of Kansas 1870 that I did not know prior. If you like true crime, murder, history, and a good old fashion story, then this is for you. SLJ has it marked as grades 10 and up, but I don't see any reason why a younger crowd could not read this except for the storyline of a murderous family who killed many, many people. It all comes down to what families decide, but another good one to check out if this is your cup of tea.

Word and Research of the week

Another new series that I am trying out is my Word and research of the week. I will post a word for you to try and use in casual conversation. If you are successful, then leave a comment stating how you used the word. I will also give you an item, word, topic, etc. for you to provide a little research. Find a fact or two about the topic and post it as well. Let's give it a try.

Word: Taciturn

Source of definition: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/taciturn

Definition of TACITURN


: temperamentally disinclined to talk

Research Topic: Eight Day Clock
 
**Both the word and topic come from the graphic novel The Saga of the Bloody Benders

Tuesday Listography Challenge

A new series that I plan on incorporating to the blog this year. I will provide you a topic and you are to come up with your own answers to the topic by creating a list. This will hopefully lead some of you to finding something new to enjoy.

List Topic #1: What are some of the best movies you watched this summer?

Here is my list and I will tell you upfront that it is not too exciting. I just don't have time to watch movies anymore and when I do they are titles like the following:

1. Despicable Me

2. Shrek 3D
3. Toy Story 3 in 3D
4. Princess and the Frog
5. Deep Sea 3D at the IMAX

Go ahead and post your list in the comments section below. Maybe it will motivate me to watch something one of these weekends.

Nerd Factory - Season 2 Episode 1

Here is the first video of the year. As always, if you have ideas and thoughts for a video please let me know. Still compiling a question and answer video so please continue to submit your random questions for me to answer. Enjoy!

Teacher Mystery Challenge 2.0 - Week 1

We held this little challenge last year where I submitted some random questions out to the staff and the ones that took the time to complete the questions I posted here on the blog. I would post a new mystery teacher each week and students and staff had the chance to read the clues and vote for who they thought the teacher was for that week. I am hosting this little challenge again this year. I have sent new questions out for everyone to answer and here are the questions I had them answer.

1. What was your favorite toy when you were a kid?
2. If you have to choose a movie title for your life story, what would that be?
3. Which is your wish that is not yet fulfilled?
4. What really gives you the creeps?
5. Why do women shave their armpits and men don't?
6. If you could be any male/female sports star, who would you be?
7. If you were going to be stuck on a deserted island, which 5 books, movies, people and foods would you take along?
8. What do sing in the shower, if you do sing?
9. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of bees?
10. What was the last concert you saw?

Last item is for you to provide at least three things about yourself that others may not know or clues you want to offer about who you are. This will help us with the voting of the mystery teacher. You could throw in a photo of yourself or whatever you feel. 

Here is the first contestant on the Teacher Mystery Challenge 2.0. Read the answers, maybe go out and ask some questions to the teacher(s) that you think this could possibly be and then vote over in the sidebar. Next week, I will announce the correct answer to see if you were correct and post another round of questions. Good luck!

1. What was your favorite toy when you were a kid? When I was a kid I was very excited to get an ATARI video game system.  Pacman was new at that time and I was very good at it.  I remember scoring so many points that the score started back at zero again.  I also enjoyed playing the football game on it.  That game had only 3 men who were all in a row and they chased the ball around the screen.  The graphics were definitely not like today’s games.
2. If you have to choose a movie title for your life story, what would that be?  My title would be – “An education is the magic carpet that can take you anywhere.”  My sisters and I were the first generation in my family to earn a college degree.  Those degrees have helped to shape our lives for the better.
3. Which is your wish that is not yet fulfilled?  I have always wanted to visit Australia.  There are so many interesting and unique animals there and I would love to see the Australian Outback.
4. What really gives you the creeps? I am someone who always sees the good in other people.  It gives me the creeps to know that there are so many people in the world who are willing to harm others; especially children.
5. Why do women shave their armpits and men don't?  Well, have you ever watched monkeys at the zoo?  Men have and think that it is cool for women to check them for ticks.  Women think men are stupid!!!
6. If you could be any male/female sports star, who would you be?  I am a big Donald Driver fan.  He is a receiver for the Green Bay Packers.  In college Donald promised his mother he was going to give her a better life and has.  He is a blue collar type player.  He doesn’t need the fans to notice him yet he does whatever it takes to help his team to win. 
7. If you were going to be stuck on a deserted island, which 5 books, movies, people and foods would you take along? I would want to bring the Professor with me off of Gilligans Island because he is so good at inventing things.  He was always so close to getting everyone rescued and now with experience I am sure he could accomplish the feat this time around.  I also would want to bring the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High because I can watch that over and over again but I never get tired of it.  I would bring a fishing pole.  I might not catch anything but I could always send a fish tale message in a bottle about the one that got away.  I would also have to bring my sunglasses because you never know when a talent scout may come along looking to create a Reenactment of Tom Cruises Risky Business.  You have to always be ready.  Finally, I would bring along my Spanish textbook from College.  Not because I would want to read it I might just need to start a fire and I did not get a good grade in this class.
8. What do sing in the shower, if you do sing?  I do not sing in the shower.  I do however love to sing in my truck when my daughters are with me.  Whenever I drive by a group of their friends I roll down the window and start to sign “Skydiving” as loud as I can.  Believe me – my girls love it!!!
9. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of bees?  I would rather be attacked by a Bear because I would first paint a white line around me and I know that I have never seen a “Chicago Area Bear” cross a white line at any time.
10. What was the last concert you saw?  I haven’t seen many concerts lately but I do go to Disney on Ice every year with my family.  We take my children’s Great Grandparents and Grandparents along and have a really special time every year. 

Last item is for you to provide at least three things about yourself that others may not know or clues you want to offer about who you are. This will help us with the voting of the mystery teacher. You could throw in a photo of yourself or whatever you feel.

I had 7 brothers and sisters.  Our mother died at the age of 37 leaving children from the age of 16 – 6.

I graduated high school and college with Mrs. Fausts’ sister.  She was younger than Mrs. Faust.  I earned my masters while attending school with Mrs. Reid. 

I had two dates for prom at the same time when I was a junior in high school – until they found out about each other!!!!

Half Marathon Training - Week 7 - Sunday

I thought I might die this morning. I had a 11 mile run to complete this morning. I will be honest and learned the hard way today how important diet and hydration is to training, especially when you have a big run like today. Being back in school has really helped me create a routine during the day that is quite beneficial to my goals. It is just that 4:00 - 6:30 time frame when I am home in the evening that has been my challenge. Aside from that I went out on the river yesterday for a few hours and then spent all evening in a heated pool celebrating a friends birthday. Being in water all day was not the best for my legs. They felt quite heavy this morning. This was probably more from the pool than the river as I did not really swim much, but just chillled on the beach. The other problem was that I did not eat properly to fuel my body for this race. I ate food from the grill and did not eat every few hours, but instead hit and miss. This was also the case with my fluids. I did not drink water like I normally do.

With all that being said, I took off this morning later in the morning around 9:00. It was warm, but not really hot and a little muggy. I took off and knew that 11 miles would be tough. My mind was not strong out of the gates and when battling with your brain it makes it even more difficult. I drank some water prior to running and ate a peanut butter and honey sandwich along with a gel pack(courtesy of Jeff Paul, thank you!). The first few miles were not bad at all and I slowly began to think it would not be terrible. I decided to take on some hills during this run to make up for the runs I missed earlier this week(I missed two 3 mile runs due to my knee). These hills about killed me. The knee felt really good. The shot has started to take effect. It was still sore yesterday, but today no pain even after the run. I still pressed on, but was sweating at a crazy rate. By mile 7-8 I had depleted all my fluids in my water bottles that I run with and knew that was not a good sign. I really started to slow down. By this point I had already ingested a gel pack and the gel chews(GU brand is the best by the way). I pushed on and finished the third nasty hill that just took everything out of my legs. I ran until mile 9 and at that point I did have to stop and walk for a little bit as my body felt extremely hot and I began to feel light headed. I was close to home and considered walking it home and calling it good. However, I knew that my mind is not as strong as my body so I gathered up the mental toughness from all corners of my mind and made myself get back running to complete the 11 miles. The last two miles were not as bad as I thought they would be.

I learned a few things this morning that are vital to training and life.
1. Do your homework and prepare yourself. In this case, I knew that I should have packed my meals and water for the day. I thought this to myself all day and never did anything about it. I learned the hard way that if you don't prepare, you won't achieve the desired results. The same things I tell my students and players on a daily basis. DUH!!!
2. The body is incredibly tough. It is much tougher than the brain. I have read multiple stories and multiple research journals about this topic and today i finally witnessed it myself. My body just trudged on through while my brain was trying to talk itself out of it.
3. I need a better stretching plan for after a long run because my legs hurt beyond any soreness I have ever felt. Part of this is probably due to dehydration, but I really need to revamp my stretching. Any advice I will gladly take.

After a hectic week of injuries, school, my children going to school, etc. I feel I ended on a good note. I ran the 11 miles in 1 hour adn 46 minutes which is a 9:39 pace. This is 8 seconds faster of a pace than last week when I ran 10 miles at a 9:47 pace. Slowly making my way to my race goal pace of 9:09.

Another big week coming up where I have to put in 30 miles with a big 13 mile run which will really give me good insight into my running time for the race.

  

“When things aren’t working, try something new and different. Be creative. Never give up. Never.”

Keep believing in yourself and continue to push through the challenges to reach your goals. Desired goals are never met to be easy to achieve. Have a great week.
-Aaron

Book Review: Catching Fire

Whenever you read a book and later find out it is going to be a trilogy you always worry about the second book. I think movies are always worse when it comes to trilogies, but books can be the same way. You know that essentially the second book/movie is just a bridge between the amazing and coolness of the first part and the final WOW factor the third and final part to the series. Many times I have started a series, loved the first book and slowly my excitement for future titles slowly fades as the storyline loses my interest. CATCHING FIRE is not this way.

Holy Cow, Batman! This book was incredible. I honestly think it was just as good as the first book HUNGER GAMES. I have not been this excited for a new book release since the final book in the Harry Potter series and hung out at midnight at a bookstore. Catching Fire might be my favorite read of 2010 so far. Yes, I know I am a little behind in reading this book, but it was intentional. I held off reading it as I wanted to read it right before the third book was released to keep everything fresh in my mind. From some miracle from above I was never provided any of the storyline of this book. Amazing, right?

As many of you know, Catching Fire continues the story of Katniss and Peeta after they tricked the Capitol in the Hunger Games and were able to keep themselves alive after fighting and killing off the rest of the kids selected from the twelve districts.

Here is the summary/description from Amazon

Warning: Includes THG spoilers.Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

I started off this book and at first was not really blown away by the storyline. The little love debacle of Katniss was wearing on me, but soon I was hooked and this book never left my side. I understand the love conflict as that is one of the driving factors of this storyline(like pretty much every book). The action, suspense, violence, new ideas from the author were all mind blowing. I could go on and on about this book. The only book that might be better would be the first book. This might go down as the best series ever depending on how book three pans out. That is a big plate to fill as I was blow away by Harry Potter during the craziness of that series. Tuesday is the big day.

Here are some links that I came across while reading http://www.teenreads.com/
» Click here to read more about MOCKINGJAY.


» Click here to read an interview with Suzanne Collins.

» Click here to read Suzanne Collins’s bio.

» Click here to visit the official website of The Hunger Games series.

Half Marathon Training - Week 7 - Friday - Weights and Knee Update

I am supposed to run 3 miles today. I am not sure if I am going to run today or not. I finally made it to the doctor yesterday and arrived at the correct time. Dr. Ellis was a great help. She ran me through some tests, asked some questions, took a few X-Rays, and shot me up with cortisone. What I have is nothing serious, but just a pain the butt(er...knee). My plica band is just becoming inflammed. This is not some rare thing, but most people do not have issues with their plica band as it is just left over tissue from when we were growing up as kids. What causes the inflammation is repititious movement, bending, and increased training. I went out on the internet when I got home from the doctor and did some research as I have never heard of this part of the knee before and found one site that was really good. I will link it here. This site also discusses that not stretching properly can cause the pain. I guess I need I need to rethink my stretching routine as that may help matters. Ellis gave me a cortisone shot on my band and moved it around. My knee is a little tender today, but it should get better and better each day. I may try to run tonight to get ready for my 11 mile run Sunday. It should be good to go by then.

This morning we did workout. We completed the following workout. It was a good one.

1a Incline Bench 5 x 5 (70%,75%,80%,85%, 70%)
1b. Seated Cable Row 5 x 5 (70%,75%,80%,85%, 70%)


2a. DB Bench 2 x 10
2b. One Arm Row 2 x 10 each side
 
The following lifts are done using a TRX Suspension Trainer
3a. Suspended Push-Up - max out
3b. Inverted Row - max out

Question to Ponder

So we're a little over halfway through 2010! What is one thing you could change, starting today, that would put you in a better place for 2011? Whatever it is, why not start? Six months from now, you'll either be glad you did, or wish you had. Go for it!!

Half Marathon Training - Week 7 - Thursday

What a week! I had a great 10 mile run last Sunday which I think is the last post I created in my training log. I felt really good after that run. As the day wore on, my knee really started to flare up with pain. It is just one specific spot. I tried to blow it off as just a factor from running so much. I knew I had Monday to recover and figured it would be fine. Monday rolled around and my knee hurt even worse. I did not run, but I did lift upper body that day going through 3 rounds of 3 rotation upper body workout for a total of 9 different lifts. Tuesday I woke up to run as I had a 3 mile easy run scheduled for my program. My knee was still in really bad pain, but I figured I would try. I ran like a 90 year old man. It was not until the end of the run that it finally was pain free, but as soon as my body cooled down the pain returned. I decided that I have to call a doctor.

Yesterday I had an appt. to see a sports doctor which I thought was 11:30, but they had me scheduled to be there at 8:30. I missed my appt. I did not run yesterday skipping my 3 mile run. I did however lift

1a Alternate DB Press 3 x 12
1b Goblet Split Squat 3 x 15 each leg
1c Bentover Lat Raise 3 x 8

2a Rotating DB Row 3 x 8
2b DB Romanian Deadlift 3 x 15
2cLumberjack Press 3 x 10 each side

3a Garhammer Raise 2 x 12
3b DB Goblet Squat 2 x 10

This was a good workout. I went light on legs to I did not ruin my knee. It actually felt much better all day yesterday after lifting.

This morning I got up and ran 6 miles in 51 minutes which is a 8:32 pace. I felt really good. The extra day of rest helped and I am glad my wife talked me out of running last night because that would have been a bad choice. My knee is tender, but obviously not that bad as I was able to run at a pretty good pace this morning. I do go to the doctor today after school just to make sure I am not doing some major damage.
 

“If you quit you don’t give yourself the chance to find out what you might have been.” That is the quote I have been living by. I could just give in and throw the towel in because of some knee pain or I can just suck it up, read my body and rest when needed and run when it feels good and continue to push to achieve my goals. Going to the doctor is a huge step for me as I maybe go to a doctor once every few years. I am doing it as a precautionary measure just to make sure I am not really damaging my knee. I have another run tomorrow morning and another big run Sunday.....11 miles. 

Good luck in your pursuit of your goals and dreams and don't let a few obstacles throw you off course!

Book Review: Shadow Riders by B.J. Bayle

Here is a summary provided from the publishing company www.dundurn.com

In 1874, after their father is wounded by hard men who have stolen a number of mares and Smokey, a prized stallion, 15-year-old Rob McCann and his adopted Native brother, Luke, ride frantically to Fort Ellice, Manitoba, in the vain expectation that the horse rustlers have stopped there. Learning that a new force called the North-West Mounted Police has come west, the brothers continue south to locate them and ask for help.
The NWMP commander, Colonel George French, desperately attempts to have the boys escorted home. However, the brothers manage to tag along on the 800-mile march of NWMP men and wagons headed for Fort Whoop-Up, in what will one day be Alberta, with the hope that they will catch up with the thieves.
Besides the terrible life-threatening hardships brought on by bad weather and brutal terrain, Rob worries about his mother and wounded father and fears he might even lose Luke and never find Smokey or the other horses.

My Thoughts

I need to be upfront and honest right away. You can look at my entire reading collection and check out all of my reviews and the hundreds of more books on my Librarything.com account and what you will not find are any historical type novels, especially ones that deal with moving to the new frontier(in this case Canada) and the whole world of Indians, plains, buffalo, etc. I just don't really get into that type of story. I never have as you can tell that I like about the complete opposite.

With that being said, I did enjoy this novel. It was a pleasant surprise. I was asked to review the novel and I was sent a copy to review. After reading Ghost in the Machine, this was a whole different world for me to enter. I was hooked right away in the beginning and was fascinated to learn about this time period as many of the people in the novel were real people. I am assuming that with a death in my family and the craziness that happened during my reading of this novel, I lost my interest. I don't blame the author. My mind was just in a different place. However, The last 50 pages sucked me right back in. Following Luke and Rob on this journey was engaging. I was not sure how it would turn out in the end(I figured a happy ending, but not sure how the happiness would evolve and play out). I really liked how the author tied things together, but one part felt really rushed to just wrap things up(I won't mention this one part as it will ruin the story)

I read this book for a purpose. In my middle school, there are many students who read stories of historical fiction. It is one genre that they always gravitate towards. The other purpose is that many female students read novels about horses in my school. This book has a focus on both. Horses have been stolen and the action and adventure of chasing down some thieves will grab the interest of any student. I liked the book, but not one of my favorites. But, I know that many students will love this novel. I will be promoting this book to my students because this will appeal to their interests. It was nice to read something outside of the norm for me. Go ahead and give it a try if you can track it down.

P.S. I will be putting together a book giveaway contest soon so pay attention for the details.

Chinese man eats 1,500 light bulbs over 42 years

You need to check this article out. Next time you wake up and feel hungry, go ahead and try this! I'm kidding, don't actually try this.

Welcome Back to School - A little challenge to begin the year

If you are like me, then you are ready to be back to routine, but probably not in school shape quite yet. It always takes a week or two to get in the flow of school. I want to welcome all of the returning students back to my blog. Many of the 7th and 8th graders are used to this blog and many things will operate the same, but I have many surprises to throw your way this year. More challenges, more games, puzzles, videos, etc. If you are a 6th grader you may have heard of this blog already, but many are new to this blog. I welcome you to a site that is designed to provide some good laughs and hopefully find a way to brighten up your day.

To begin the year off in the right direction I have a little challenge for those of you who are reading this.

Here it goes
1. I am putting some finishing touches up on a few videos. I am going to be creating another Question and Answer video again in a few weeks. Please email me or post in the comment area questions that you would like for me to answer. They can be whatever you want as long as they are school appropriate. The questions will be answered, but may or may not be the right answer!

2. I am looking for some funny and/or just plain interesting videos. If you know of a video that I can post here on my blog, then please email me the link at aarmau@gmail.com

I would like to post a video each week and many of you know of more videos than I can possibly view in a lifetime. Send me those links.

I will begin and post the first video. This video makes my palms sweaty watching this guy walk on these beams. It is quite amazing. The crazy parts of this hike are around the 5 minute mark, but the beginning gives you a sense of how high up they really are.


Two easy challenges. Please join in and I look forward to another great year of providing you useless information. Adios!

Half Marathon Training - Week 6 - Sunday

BOO-YA!

That is all I have to say to myself after my run this morning. This morning I woke up at 5:00 to prepare for a nice 10 mile run. I was not sure how this run was going to turn out after a long couple days of returning to school, the death of my wife's grandfather and all the mental and physical fatigue that comes with a funeral. We got home late last night from the last of the family get togethers for the weekend to only crash instantly. I was not sure I was going to be ready to run this morning. However, I forced myself out of bed, ate peanut butter on some raisin bread, drank a cup of coffee, hooked all my gadgets to my body and took off. I was a little nervous to run because I tweaked my knee a couple days ago just doing stuff around the house. I am not being dramatic as I have been involved with sports and injuries for my whole life and I know that this pain I have on the inside of my left knee right below the knee cap is not a good thing. It hurts, but I went out anyways because I know how important these long runs are to my training.

I started out nice and slow and kept a good sustainable pace. I took off on a new course which was fun to see different parts of the city by foot. I felt great. The last two miles I was running between 8:00 - 8:20 pace to push myself in the end as I felt I still had plenty left in the tank. My legs will be tired all day today, but I feel great! My knee pain subsided during the run, but now that I have returned home, it is not feeling too great. I will be jumping into an ice bath here in a few minutes to help my muscles and hopefully that will help.

I finished up running 10.01 miles in 1:38:01 with an average mile pace of 9:47 and burning a nice 1789 calories. Now back to the stress of getting things ready for school tomorrow now that we actually have a day to get everything done.

The quote I leave with you today is one that hits the nail on the head and my run today was proof of this quote.

"What lies before us and what lies behind us are all small matters compared to what lies within us."

Good luck achieving your goals.

Who Is Alex Trebek?: newyorker.com

Who Is Alex Trebek?: newyorker.com

Surprising Study Says Inactivity Not The Cause Of Childhood Obesity

Surprising Study Says Inactivity Not The Cause Of Childhood Obesity

Book Review: Groosham Grange by Anthony Horowitz

I will admit that even though I am an avid YA/middle level book reader, this is my first novel by the talented Anthony Horowitz. I also know his Alex Rider series is extremely popular among boys and I have never even checked one out of the library. I am not sure why and after reading this book I am interested to read the series. This book is an easy read intended for grades 4-6.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4–6—This dark, sinister tale, which reads like a cross between Lemony Snicket's books (HarperCollins) and R. L. Stine's "Goosebumps" series (Scholastic), involves maniacal parents, supernatural monsters, and some difficult choices for its characters. David Eliot's parents make the Dursleys from "Harry Potter" seem like a loving family. Not only are they mentally abusive, but they are also horrifyingly physically abusive (Mr. Eliot throws a knife at David and is nonplussed when it ends up in his wife's chest instead). After David is expelled from school, a mysterious letter arrives, offering him a place at a boarding school located on its own island off Norfolk, England. On the train trip to Groosham Grange, David meets a boy and girl who have also been sent away for not measuring up to standards. Once they arrive, they discover strange, otherworldly teachers and students who behave in a secretive manner, rising from their beds at midnight and disappearing without a trace. David and his friends must discover the secret of Groosham Grange before their 13th birthdays, when they will be forced to make a difficult decision that will change their lives forever. Though the author portrays punishments and moments of cruelty as absurd and unrealistic, these instances may disturb some readers. Still, the mysteries, elements of witchcraft and the supernatural, and occasional instances of humor may appeal to fans of (mostly) bloodless horror.—Debra Banna, Sharon Public Library, MA

I enjoyed the book. It was nothing too gross(I would have liked more, but it was just fine for the intended audience). It was just a nice, fun, entertaining story. If you like R.L. Stine, then this will be right up your alley. I know that there are some other books in this series as well so you have more to read if you enjoy the book. I still would like to know how they played soccer with a pig's intestine? What will the decision be for David? Go ahead and read to find out. 

Half Marathon Training - Week 6 - Thursday - Making Our Goals

Last night I could not stand it. I had to run to make up for the run I missed on Tuesday when my wife's grandfather passed away. I was back to school Wednesday, feeling stressed out a little with all this stuff that needs to be organized for my job and just needed to work out the stress. I took off last night around 9:00. It was still very hot and very humid, but I felt great. I really felt good. My minor injury to my calf felt fine after giving it an additional day of rest so I decided to just pick it up a little and see how my body responded. Besides sweating profusely, I ran my 4 mile run in 35:14 or an 8:47 mile. I was happy with that. When I finished I did not feel tired or drained at all so that was a good sign because I knew that I was waking up this morning to run 6 miles. I drank some water, ate a bowl of cereal and off to bed I went.

This morning I woke up at 4:30 to run. My legs felt a little tired and heavy as I just ran not even 7 hours prior. I did some stretching and ran to the high school as my 1 mile warmup. On the track I had 3 x 1 mile repeats with a goal of 8:20 pace. I knew that I could do better than this, but was not sure about pushing myself harder and making the goal 3 times. I told myself to get after this morning and I was really doing some major talking to myself the last two mile repeats. Here were my times which I was not aware of until I got home as it was pitch black outside and I could not read my watch.

1 mile warm-up - 9:50 pace
Mile Repeat #1: 7:07 pace
.5 mile run cool down
Mile Repeat #2: 7:12 pace
.5 mile run cool down
Mile Repeat #3: 7:33 pace
1 mile cool down run back home - 10:06 pace

This whole workout took me 51 minutes to complete with stretching excercises afterwards not included. I felt really, really good. I was surprised by my times as I can guarantee you there was no way in the world I could run this 3-5 weeks ago. It was a please surprise to plug my watch in and see my times.

I feel like this was a goal that was accomplished. It was not one that I had set out to break, but just seeing my times helps me to realize that I am on track to achieving my goals. Many of my goals are long term and this I think is a short term goal that was reached. Even more important than that is I weighed myself this morning and I have happy news. I am now the proud owner of a body that weighs 217 or a weight I have not been too since my freshman year of college prior to Winter Break. That brings my weight loss down to a range of 15-18 pounds as my weight fluctuates 2-3 pounds on the hour it seems like. This is awesome and I am very excited. Yes, I still eat like crazy, but it is healthier and wiser.

Well, keep pushing for your goals because I tell you what....it feels awesome when you reach them. I have more insight to bring on goal setting, but time is running short this morning as I have to get my kids ready for a long day of school, visitation, and unpack your backpack for my sons kindergarten class. Have a great day!

Half Marathon Training - Week 6 - Wednesday

Once again my training has been affected by the surprises life throws my way. I woke up yesterday to get my 4 mile run in and as I looked out the window all I saw was downpour and lightning. As soon as my wife left to go to school the sun came out and I was not able to run as I had my kids with me all day. I just thought I would run later that night. Amanda received a phone call around noon yesterday telling her that her grandfather passed away. He was in the hospital, but he was doing really well and nobody thought this was going to happen. Needless to say we left to go back to be with the family and hang out and remember good times. It was a tough day for Amanda and her family. I saw some of her family members with tears in their eyes and that was honestly the first time I have seen tears or emotion from many of these people. Obviously, I did not get my run in last night either. As I type this I realize that maybe it was a good thing to give my leg one more day of rest as the pain and soreness seems to have subsided by resting and not running. I was going to run this morning, but of course the rain and lightning returned so I went to the Y and performed the following workout: Each one was done for one minute

1. Alternate Should Press
2. In and Out Bicep Curl
3. Two Arm Tricep Kickback
4. Deep Swimmer Press
5. Concentration Curl
6. Chair Dip
7. Upright Row
8. Static Arm Curl
9. Flip Grip Twist
10. Crouch Cohen Curls
11. Lying Tricep Extensions
12. Seated Should Fly


I might try to run tonight, but we will see how things go. I have a 6 mile run tomorrow. With the passing of my wife's grandfather I cannot stop but think about everything that I am grateful for. It always makes it real when there is a death that we do not live forever. I simply ask that anyone who is reading this post to just stop and reflect about what is good in your life and what you appreciate......and maybe think about the things/people that we should appreciate even more. Someone in the family last night said something that was powerful. My father in law and his sister were sitting together and it hit them that they have now lost both parents and it is just them. Tears were shed and there was a moment of silence followed by, "Even though we have lost both of them we will always have our family. We will always be here and there is nothing more powerful." How true is that? Having loved ones and friends is what we need in life. Whether it is to help each other out in times of grief or maybe just having that friend push you when your motivation or self doubt kicks in. Don't forget how important your friends and family are and in return be a great friend and family member in return.

 I am off to start another year of school. A day of meetings and time to work in my classroom gathering data and this and that. Have a great Wednesday and don't forget to reflect on what was asked above.

  “Success does not come to those who merely have great ideas. Success comes to those who have great ideas and who follow through on them.”

Book Review: Ghost in the Machine by Patrick Carman

This book is AWESOME! This book is the sequel to Skeleton Creek. Skeleton Creek was a huge hit in my middle school last year after a few book talks. The kids loved watching the videos and reading the book to see what would happen next. This novel is the sequel about what  happens next(duh..hence the reason it is a sequel, but I don't want to give too much away). I think I can honestly say I liked this better than the first one and rarely does that happen. A few videos scared the crap out of me. I am not gonna lie. I was reading the book alone in my house on my iPad and boy did I jump one time. I love the storyline. Ryan and Sarah are perfect compliments of one another. They continue their sneaking around via email and video feeds to discover what is going in the dredge. If you have not read the first book, Skeleton Creek, stop reading this right now and go read and watch! I am not joking. Then go read the sequel because book three is slated to come out in September. So many good books coming out this fall. You better go. This storyline is scary, but not inappropriate for middle grade audience. No bad language, not blood or gore. Just a great story with some good spooks along the way. I don't want to say anymore about this book in case you have not read the first book. I am coming close to reading about everything by Patrick Carman and I swear he has never left me disappointed and I can honestly say I think he is currently one of the best YA writers out right now. I don't know of many others who can write books and keep you wanting more. Come on September, I am ready for book 3 even if my psyche is not yet ready.

Go to his website to learn more about this series and the other books he has created.

School starts for me on Wednesday

For those of you waiting for any of the following:

-Teacher Mystery Challenge 2.0
-My wonderfully crafted videos(yes, I am being sarcastic here!)
-Weird posts that have no rhyme or reason
-Book Reviews
-Various challenges
-Wreck This Journal for the Nerd Clansmen
-Any of the little surprises I bring to this blog

I just want you to know it is all coming soon. I am working on a few videos and I have the rest all about ready to go. Just waiting for students to arrive Monday. I go back Wednesday so I will probably start to post things then. I know many of these have been missing for the summer, but don't worry they are all coming back. Yahoo for school and Yahoo for me!

Half Marathon Training - Week 5 and 6 - Sunday and Monday

I took the kids to my parents house this weekend in Indiana. Needless to say I did not eat the most healthy. All those darn snack items that grandparents love to have out for the grandkids yet it was me who polished off the whoppers and frosted animal crackers. After arriving home Sunday evening from a long drive, I went out for a run in the heat and humidity. I felt pretty loose after mowing the yard so I did not stretch too much. I have been battling an injury of some sort on my right leg between my Achilles and my calf. I don't know what that ligament or tendon is called, but has been hurting for about 5 days. I did not run Saturday and the pain did subside, but Sunday night while out running my 5 miles, it started to hurt at the 2 mile mark. I know that probably the only thing to help it is to stop running, but I just cannot do that right now. It is not painful enough to force me to just rest, but I know that it does hurt and is not going away. Anyways, I ran my 5 miles at a 9:11 pace to finish in 46:06. This was too be an nice easy run and for the most part it was. I will be honest it turned out to be a mental challenge. Not even an half mile into the the run I started to cramp in my stomach so I had to learn how to run through the pain. This was good for me because I have not had to experience that much at all yet in my running so it was important to teach myself that I can run through the pain. I started to get tired around the 3.5 mile mark and that was probably due to losing so much liquid. When I finished running I weighed myself and I dropped 5.5 lbs just in that one run. That is how much I sweated with the heat and humidity. I woke up this morning and felt good so that is a sign that I took care of myself properly after the run.


I do not run today. Today is a rest day which is good as my leg is sore and it is supposed to rain all day today. We performed the same circuit from last week this morning. We performed sets of 45 seconds of the following exercises. This was tough. We completed one round and called it good again. We finished with some light ab work to top things off. We just are not quite ready for round two even though we gave it more thought this week.
1. Standard Push-up
2. Wide Front Pull-Up
3. Military Push-Up
4. Reverse Grip Chin Up
5. Wide Fly Push-Up
6. Closed Grip Pull-Up
7. Decline Push-Up
8. Diamond Push-Up
9. Dive Bomber Push-Up
10. Back Fly

I will be running 25 miles this week with a nice long run of 10 miles on Sunday. I off to get more coffee and make sure Amanda is up as she starts school today. Keep working hard towards your goals!

Half Marathon Training - Week 5 - Friday

I made a vow to myself that I would run this 4 mile run nice and easy. I finally was able to slow myself down and just have an enjoyable run. I ran the 4 miles in 37:21 for an 9:20 pace. This is the slowest I have ran since I started training. It was nice to be able to just run and not worry about time or anything. My body was not ready to be pushed as it is still a little tired from running everyday this week. I look forward to not doing any running or lifting until Sunday when I have a 5 mile run.

After finishing up my run, I jumped in my car and headed to the Y for a shoulder and arm workout. I will admit that I am still sore from lifting on Wednesday. I really liked this workout today. We only did one circuit today, but plan on adding another round next week. Here is what we did. This workout will give you a nice pump.

1. Alternate Should Press - 50 seconds
2. In and Out Bicep Curl - 16 reps
3. Two Arm Tricep Kickback - 35 seconds
4. Deep Swimmer Press - 1 minute
5. Concentration Curl - 1 minute
6. Chair Dip - 45 seconds
7. Upright Row - 45 seconds
8. Static Arm Curl - 16 reps
9. Flip Grip Twist - 45 seconds
10. Crouch Cohen Curls - 1 minute
11. Lying Tricep Extensions - 45 seconds

These lifts are adapted from the P90X program. We just eliminated some items and rested as needed. We did not follow the dvd as prescribed, but just took some of the lifts and modified to create our own circuits. I used anywhere between 25-35 lbs dumbbells for the lifts.

God designed the human body so we can neither pat our own backs nor kick ourselves too easily. I am halfway through my training and I still have a long way to go. I cannot believe how far I have come in my training and running threshold. I still need to sign up for the Park to Park half marathon and begin to start adding a day of Urbanathlon training as well. I forgot to weigh myself this week, but I feel good about myself and think I am back on track after falling off the tracks in Chicago last weekend. As the quote states, I am proud of myself, but cannot pat my back yet as I still have a long way to go and on the flipside I cannot beat myself up when things don't go according to plan because that does not help out the situation. 

I will be back in Elkhart this weekend visiting my parents with my kids. We will be spending all day bug hunting and looking for animals. Should be fun! Will post again on Sunday after my 5 mile run.

Half Marathon Training - Week 5 - Thursday

Today I woke up at 5:00 hoping to get my run in right away and have some quiet time this morning to just read. I decided to close my eyes for 3 more minutes and those 3 minutes turned into an hour. It was a bad night of sleep as one of our dogs had to have surgery to have a bump removed. Simon has one of those funnels on his head and he was up all night running around the room running into things trying to get to his stitches. It was a long night. Anyways, I finally got out running around 6:30 and the plan for today was to run 4 miles with 2 miles at my HMP of 9:09. I ran the 4 miles in 35:49 which is a 8:56 mile pace. I was faster than the 9:09 pace, but I really felt like this was an easy pace. I would love it if I could keep this pace for 13 miles, but that has yet to be seen. I love this Garmin Forerunner as it told me I ran an average speed of 6.7 mph with a max speed of 8.1. Yesterday I was exactly .1 faster of an average of 6.8 and max speed of 8.2 on my 3 mile run. I really wish I had this watch earlier in my training so I could see my speeds and heart-rate on the days that I felt like I really pushed myself hard. It would be interesting to know if I truly did or not. I think this watch will help figure out where my threshold is and how hard I can push.

I will be honest and admit that the workout from yesterday has made me incredibly sore. I cannot think of the last time I did a body weight circuit where I felt this sore. My whole upper body is sore. My back was really tight after my run. But, it is a good sore as I know I need to continue to work on these exercises to prepare for the Urbanathlon. My calves are also pretty tender. My legs just feel tired. I don't like this week of running everyday for shorter distance. I know it is a recovery week and I added the extra day of running on Monday, but my body needs those three days of rest. I run again tomorrow making it 5 days in a row. I have a 4 mile run that is to be easy. I am really going to try and force myself to run slow.

I leave with this quote
"The easiest thing is to react. The second easiest is to respond. But the hardest thing is to initiate." 

As school starts next week it will be easy to become tired and find excuses to not continue to train or do my best for my running or my job or my family. I can react all I want to my surroundings by becoming irritated or having fun. That is a choice, but is easy to do nonetheless. I can also respond to all the emails and the calling of my name at work or my own kids calling my name for this or that because that is also my job. The most difficult thing will be to continue to wake up in the morning to INITIATE a purposeful day. To initiate my training program to help me achieve my goals. To initiate the learning process with my students to get them excited about learning, reading, and just being alive everyday. Those things are hard. I can wake up grumpy, find an excuse to not train and just go through the emotions of my job. Or I can initiate a positive attitude, make kids laugh in the hallways and let them know that goals are achievable with a little hard work. 

A rose may be a rose but perhaps a calorie

A rose may be a rose but perhaps a calorie

Half Marathon Training - Week 5 - Wednesday

Today was a good day. I finally had a day with technology working wonderfully. I had a spending splurge when my iPod Touch broke down a week or so ago. I had enough of the Nike+ not always working and this and that so I bought a new iPod Nana which you know already(later I realized I did not need as my iPod Touch started working flawlessly). The other purchase was the Garmin Forerunner 305 watch. This watch is way too cool. I tried it this morning on my 3 mile easy run to see how it worked and felt. I love it. It keeps track of the my heart race, mileage, pace time, total time, calories, and it actually records my running route via GPS. I got home, plugged it into my computer and was blown away by how it charts my heart rate zone and how much time I spent in each zone. I need to learn about my heart rate and where I should be when running as this is something I have never considered before. I can plug and chart my route on Google Earth. I have much to learn, but from the first run I love this device.

Anyways, I ran my 3 mile run in 26:31 burning 528 calories, and an average heart rate of 149. It felt good to run nice and slow and just take it easy. The humidity was crazy as it had just stopped raining. It stormed like crazy all night. I had moisture flying all over the place while running. I completed this easy run after doing a tough circuit at the Y right before.

We performed sets of 1 minute of the following exercises. This was tough. We completed one round and called it good. Will probably try two rounds next week.
1. Standard Push-up
2. Wide Front Pull-Up
3. Military Push-Up
4. Reverse Grip Chin Up
5. Wide Fly Push-Up
6. Closed Grip Pull-Up
7. Decline Push-Up
8. Diamond Push-Up
9. Dive Bomber Push-Up
10. Back Fly

I figured this circuit is good when preparing for the Chicago Urbanathlon. I would really like to combine parts of this circuit among a run. I will try to put something together and give it a try next week. I would like to devote one day a week to prepare for the Urbanathlon. I don't want to devote more as I am really focusing on the half marathon, but I don't think adding some strength exercises among one of my training runs will hurt my training. I need to prepare for the obstacles as well. I will figure that out later.

Today was a good day. My motivation is slowly coming back as is my eating habits and all that good stuff. It is so easy to fall off the bandwagon and so much harder to get back on. I have stay devoted. Nothing worthwhile is achieved easily so these are just more obstacle for me to overcome as I learn the ropes of training. Keeping aiming for you goals and stay on track. Find your motivation and remind yourself that you are doing a good job. Time to drink some coffee and play some games with the kids.

Book Review: I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder

I am back in my YA book reading mode. I had a bit of reading inspiration a few weeks ago, but it quickly diminished, but now with school around the corner I have found my interest back in the world of the printed word.

I decided to go ahead and read this. I have had this book checked out for a few weeks from the library and honestly cannot remember why I put this book on hold. This is not a typical Coffeechug book. A girl and boy are in love, but this high school relationship ends abruptly when the boy dies. I will not give away the reason why, but the novel is a free verse story of her life after his death. Being a free verse I read through it rather quickly. She has to deal with life without him, but the catch is that he is a ghost in her house. The novel is not scary, but she now has to learn to deal with never wanting to leave the house because she wants to be with him.

Overall, this is a love story of Ava and Jackson. I am not a fan of love stories, but for some reason I finished this story and was quite glad I read it. This girl is sad, has moments of depression where she won't leave the house or go out with her friends, etc., but the novel had such a lighthearted, heartwarming feeling. The parents are not treated poorly for once and actually she is so glad to have parents who support her through this tough time. I cannot think of a YA novel where the parents are not seen as evil, abusive, or a flat character. She is smart as she knows she should go do things even though she does not always listen to her advice. This is just a honest story with a good theme of love, moving on, and dealing with our emotions.

Half Marathon Training - Week 5 - Monday and Tuesday

For the third week in a row I have had to make some modifications to my running schedule. Last week I moved the 9 mile run to Friday due to my travels to Chicago for the weekend. This left me with a run of 4 miles on Sunday when I returned. Well, we got home late in the evening and I was too tired to run and my body felt worn down and fatigued. Part of the problem was running at 5 in the morning Friday and not going to bed until 2 in the morning. Not a very good recovery after running 9 miles. I played it safe and did not run Sunday nor did I get up early Monday morning to workout. I woke up, but felt fatigued and did not want to push too much. After teaching in the morning and do some things I felt much better and decided to go ahead run the four miles Monday night. I felt like I needed to sweat the unhealthy toxins of eating Chicago style pizza and all the other junk food I threw into my body while in Chicago. I took off at a good pace and ran the 4 miles in just a shade under 35 minutes. I felt really good on this run. I had about a mile or so where I was under 8 minutes a mile or right at that pace. Monday was supposed to be a rest day, but I just needed to get that run in for my own mental well being.

Today(Tuesday) I woke up to run my scheduled 5 miles, but of course it was raining pretty good out. I decided to have a cup of coffee and see if it would stop raining. I will admit that the Chicago trip really dropped my motivation of running for some reason. I was sore this morning and the rain really started to convince me that I just could not run. However, after charging up my iPod and watching the rain continue to come down I started to gain my motivation and finally at 6:35 I decided to just get out there and run. I knew that the rest of the day would be hot and humid and I hate running in those conditions. I went out in the rain and completed my running. I so bad wanted to just get back to bed, but I am glad I ran this morning. I know I would have been mad at myself for not running. I ran the 5 miles in 44 minutes and some odd seconds. I will admit that I am tired this afternoon and really could use a nap.

The rest of the week is supposed to be easy as this is my recovery week. I am to run 3 miles tomorrow, 4 miles on Thursday with 2 miles at HMP of 9:09, 4 miles Friday, and 5 miles Saturday for a total of 21 miles. I will actually have put in 25 miles by adding the 4 mile run on Monday. I will have to go for a run Saturday at my parents house Saturday as I am taking the kids back there to hang out for the weekend before school starts. Next week has be putting in 25 miles with a new long run of 10 miles. I still have not signed up for the Park to Park Half Marathon, but I need to so I can gain some experience and keep me motivated. I am back to questioning whether I can really run 13 miles. That just seems way too long. Next Sunday will be a good test. I know if I can run the 10 miles, then 13 will be manageable.

I keep reminding myself that “Things achieved without effort are seldom worthwhile or long lasting.” I know the feeling of achieving these goals of mine are going to feel great. I also keep reading about how mentally tough another teacher in the Quad Cities is. He teaches with my wife and Pleasant Valley and is a pro triathlete. He has been dealing with an injury this year and I have to laugh at myself when I feel tired running 5 miles while he is hurt riding a bike 400 miles. I know that I can achieve my goals and when I doubt I always read his blog. You can check it out here

School starts next week so if you have not made any goals or set any expectations for yourself now is the time to do so. Make some short term and some long term. Write them down and make them visible to keep yourself reminded of what you want to achieve. Post them here and if you need a friendly reminder from me to keep you going, then I will be willing to do that for you. Or send me an email if you don't want the world to know. aarmau@gmail.com

I am off to clear some items off my list of things to get completed today.

Don't worry!

I have not posted in a few days, but I have not lost ideas or motivation. Rather, I was in Chicago all weekend, am teaching a summer class, and just have not had time to make some posts. However, I have been working behind the scenes to get ready for school to start. I have many posts ready to go that I have been saving for when students return to school and actually check the blog. I have begun reading YA novels again for more book reviews. I also have been working on some new ideas for some videos and getting myself ready to go for another great school year. Last, I have some new things to add to the blog as well as a new edition to our "Wreck This Journal" series that we started last year. Be patient and good things will be coming down the pipeline. Now, I am off to go run if it is not raining too hard.