Out Season: Week 14 - Mixing Things Up During Test Week

Alright, another crazy, tired, nonstop week of action. I have not updated my training every day like I normally do as I simply don't have the time. So here is a brief catch up of all things training which as you will see is SO not what the plans call for on the last week of November Out Season.

I will say that I have hit a wall with motivation which is why I have chosen to mix things up. Why did I not just wait one more week you ask when OS is done? I feared that waiting one more week would lead to complete disconnect. That cannot happen. So I made the change this week.

Monday - Swimming!

Since I did not race Sunday due to ice and snow I wanted to swim. I jumped in the pool and knocked about 1500 yards. I can tell it was my 2nd swim in 5 months. I need to get back to the basics and build the endurance up slowly.
Warm Up - 200 free, 200 kick, 200 pull
Main Set - 10 x 50 every 60 seconds
Cool Down - 100 kick, 100 swim with paddles, 100 pull, 100 free
Total 1500 yards

Tuesday - no training due to very poor sleep.

Wednesday CrossFit - I decided to give this a try. I needed something different and a new challenge. This was a great group of people and look forward to finding a way to make this happen more in my training.

Part 1)
Dynamic Effort Bench Press
On 45sec interval 3 Reps for 9 sets
50% of 1RM (3 sets at close grip) (3 at med grip) 3 at wide grip)
learn something with this speed!

Part 2)
5 Rounds
On the 2 minute Interval
5 Deadlifts (335/225) (255/175) (185/125)
15 Medball Cleans (30/20) (20/14)
scores are the time it takes to complete each round. score your fastest and slowest.
rest 5 min
50 ball slams for time
Part 3)
Banded Good Mornings
3X25 FAST

Thursday - I could barely get out of bed from Crossfit. Holy smokes I have not been this sore in a LONG time. I can barely walk. Instead of testing my bike today, I decided to hit up the Tuesday workout I missed just to loosen my legs and back up. I am glad I did not test as my legs and mind were not ready.

Tuesday workout done today

MS: 3 x 8' (4') @ 95-100%/Zone4/Hard. Remainder of any time you have available (if any, not required) @ 80-85%/Zone3/Mod-Hard.

There you have it. 3 workouts. 2 not part of the plan, but 2 that I really enjoyed. I plan to do my run test tomorrow. It will have to be on the TM as it will be sub zero here in Iowa. My goal is to break 20 minutes despite not running in two weeks! We shall see what happens. My bike test will happen Sunday to wrap NOS! Here is to Getting It Done! and doing what you need to do to stay the course.

How Does A Bald Eagle Stay Warm In Sub Zero Temperatures?

http://eagleeyecamera.wordpress.com/2013/01/31/how-does-a-bald-eagle-stay-warm-in-sub-zero-temperatures/

Coffeechug Sources 01/31/2013

• Map Your World with Google Map Maker

  Map Your World with Google Map Maker http://t.co/DKiF56gz #EducationalResources

  tags: EducationalResources

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Bald Eagle Project 4th Grade Bettendorf Students Learning Update 1.29.13

http://eagleeyecamera.wordpress.com/2013/01/29/4th-grade-bettendorf-students-learning-update-1-29-13/

4th Grade Bettendorf Students, Learning Update 1.28.13

http://eagleeyecamera.wordpress.com/2013/01/28/4th-grade-bettendorf-students-learning-update-1-28-13/

Out Season: Week 13 - End is Near and All I Do Is Bike?

So things have.......what shall I say, "fallen off the bandwagon".

I have been focused on diet and training after being spotty in early January.

Last Saturday I had my Lego Robotics State Competition with my students. That day and some other family matters sent my focus in a whirlwind. Making excuses, yep! But it is called life and life is something we all deal with.

Saturday I fell off track eating and ate like a pig, like 12 cookies, chips, 8 sanwiches of Jimmy John's platter, and various other debris of unhealthiness.

It tasted so good! This pretty much ended my eating clean process of the AdvoCare 24 day challenge. I was doing so good up until this point. I was good with cravings out the window and a system in place. From that point on I could not get back on track. I ate good from that point on, but each night I fell apart eating chocolate, drinks, or Cinnamon Toast Crunch before bed.

Added to that my treadmill quit working and I hit a wall of fatigue.

Monday I did the weekend bike workout that I missed out on from being out of town.

MS: 2 x 18' (4') @ 95-100%/Zone4/Hard, 1 x 10' @ 95-100%/Zone4/Hard. Remainder of any time you have available (if any, not required) @ 80-85%/Zone3/Mod-Hard.

On Tuesday I was back on track

MS: 12' (4') @ 95-100%/Zone4/Hard, 18' (4') @ 95-100%/Zone4/Hard, 12' (4') @ 95-100%/Zone4/Hard.

Due to feeling extremely tired and worn out, a busted treadmill, and super busy schedule of life I did not get anything done Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. Saturday I got the bike workout out done, but did not have time to run

MS: 2 x 18' (4') @ 95-100%/Zone4/Hard, 1 x 12' @ 95-100%/Zone4/Hard. Remainder of any time you have available (if any, not required) @ 80-85%/Zone3/Mod-Hard.

Sunday I was to do an Indoor Triathlon, but snow, ice, and sleet kept me from traveling. Not the best of training this week. Life deals you cards and you have to deal and adapt. The good thing is that my races are not until the summer and fall. The bad news is that I test next week and I have not ran in 12 days. I will see where I am!

Bettendorf, Iowa Students Eagle Learning Updates

http://eagleeyecamera.wordpress.com/2013/01/25/bettendorf-iowa-students-eagle-learning-updates/

Coffeechug Sources 01/25/2013

• The Robodawgs were impressive and exhibit why is

  tags: STEMeducation iagov

  The Robodawgs were impressive and exhibit why #STEMeducation is so important for our kids and their future. #iagov http://t.co/nocqujlS

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Grab this book for your Kindle for FREE while you can

Brian Jacques' Redwall: snag it while you can!

First Lego League Team #7473 website is starting to look really nice!

First Lego League Team #7473 website is starting to look really nice!

robodogs.wikispaces.com/home 

We still have some work, but getting better!

Robodogs Present At STEM Meeting to Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds

The Robodawgs were impressive and exhibit why #STEMeducation is so important for our kids and their future. #iagov twitter.com/KimReynoldsIA/…
— Kim Reynolds (@KimReynoldsIA) January 24, 2013

@firstlegoleague Robodawgs Team have a great presentation on the product they developed called "The Tongue Lift". twitter.com/KimReynoldsIA/…
— Kim Reynolds (@KimReynoldsIA) January 24, 2013

Robodogs Make Bettendorf Website Headlines

http://bettendorf.k12.ia.us/

Some Ideas For Gifted Education, Schools, and Clasrooms

I received some great stuff lately through some networks that I am part of and thought I would just go ahead and share the wealth. There are so many amazing ideas and teachers around the world and without them sharing we cannot get better ourselves. I feel like I need to help share ideas when I can.

Please enjoy! If you find any good use of this information please let me know. I always love hear how we are using new ideas.

Here are some projects, studies, independent and group challenges:

For Educators:

School System of Finland (one of the top systems in the world)

What the World Can Learn from Finnish Schools

http://www.amazon.com/Finnish-Lessons-Educational-Change-Finland/dp/1470826151

Slow and Steady Reform

http://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisaproducts/46581035.pdf

System and School Organization

http://www.ncee.org/programs-affiliates/center-on-international-education-benchmarking/top-performing-countries/finland-overview/finland-system-and-school-organization/

Why Are Finland's Schools Successful?

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/Why-Are-Finlands-Schools-Successful.html

http://www.english-online.at/news-articles/education/finlands-school-system-is-successful.htm

26 Amazing Facts About Finland's Unorthodox Education system

http://www.businessinsider.com/finland-education-school-2011-12?op=1

___________________________________

Studying History Through Jokes

History classes can be dry and heavily information laden. Here is an idea for injecting some life into them. Have students determine what the life was like for people of specific cultures by studying their humor.

What was important to the people based on the topics that were the focus of their jokes?

Who did the poke fun at that we still poke fun at today e.g. politicians? What deserved the jokes?

What buildings, institutions were important enough at the time to have jokes created in their "honor"?

Can you get a feel for their political system based on the jokes?

What people got a lot of attention and had jokes told on them?

Do the jokes tell us anything about how sophisticated the society was?

What would aliens from outer space determine about our society and culture if they studied jokes about our modern day?

- police

- politicians

- farms and businesses

- young people, old people

- teenagers

- animals

- jobs (lawyers, doctors)

- interpersonal relationships

- criminals

Roman Jokes -http://www.hadrians.com/rome/romans/emperors/ancient_rome_history_jokes.html

African Jokes - http://jokesafrica.blogspot.ca/

Australian Jokes - http://stuffucanuse.com/all_jokes/jokes%20Aussie.htm

Chinese Jokes - http://www.chinesejokes.net/

Latin American Jokes - http://www.lol-jokes.com/international/latin-american

Icelandic Volcano Jokes - http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/iceland-volcano-jokes-top-10-215869

http://www.thepilot.com/news/2010/apr/25/icelandic-humor-is-an-acquired-taste/

Find jokes of other cultures and build a library of them and the summaries of the cultures based on analyzing the jokes.

________________________________

Human Library Day - Jan. 26, 2013

This event can be the catalyst for developing a human library in your own home-family, school, district, province, state, etc.

Approaches

Have students create an audio records "book" of:

- their family members and especially their oldest relatives

- the living legends in their city/neighborhood

- residents of local seniors homes

Human Library Organization

http://humanlibrary.org/national-human-library-day-in-canada.html

FLL RoboDawgs 2012-2013

FLL RoboDawgs 2012-2013, a set on Flickr.

Here are some images from our First Lego League Season dealing with the theme Senior Solutions. There will be videos and much more added as I have time to sort and process everything.

TGIM Season 6 Episode 2: From possible to Impossible

Out Season: Week 12 Thursday Bike VO2 Ride

I had to really muster up some energy this morning. After doing my AdvoCare weigh in I had to get on the bike and ride. My legs were tired from the run last night. My knee was tender from the stupid treadmill.

I had to do the following workout

MS: 2 x (5 x 1/1) @ Vo2/258/Very Hard. Take 2' easy between each set of 4 x 1/1's. Remainder of any time you have available (if any, not required) @ 80-85%/172 - 182/Mod-Hard.

Rides - TrainerRoad http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/163001

I got off to a late start and therefore the rest of the morning was a mad scramble to get out of the door in time. Thank goodness my kids are awesome and helped make ends meet. I hit all intervals except the first which I missed by one power.

Tomorrow I have to decide whether to hit the pool and swim at least one more time before my race next weekend or do the Sunday run workout as I won't have time to get both weekend workouts done. What shall I do?

AdvoCare 10 Cleanse Over - 11th Day Results

Okay, the first of two big moments of the AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge. After the 10 Day Cleanse we step on the scale and remeasure ourselves. I was not sure what my results were going to be. I felt like all I did was eat, eat, and eat during the last ten days. All very clean and healthy with no slip ups which I was surprised to not have one cheat meal.

This morning I was up at 4:15 and ready to weigh in before my bike workout. I stepped on the scale and was surprised to see my results. To be honest I don't feel much different in my pants or clothes so I was worried my results would be nonexistent.

Day 1 Weight: 222.6 lbs
Day 11 Weight: 216.4
Difference: -6.2 lbs (BOOM!)

Waist 1: 38.75
Waist 11: 37.25
Difference: -1.5

Hips 1: 43
Hips 11: 42.5
Difference: -.5

Neck 1: 16
Neck 11: 15.5
Difference: -.5

Right Thigh 1: 26.75
Right Thigh 11: 25
Difference: -1.75

Left Thigh 1: 26.5
Left Thigh 11: 25
Difference: -1.5

Right Arm 1: 13.75
Right Arm 11: 13.25
Difference: -.5

Left Arm 1: 13.5
Left Arm 11: 13.5
Difference: 0

Right Calf 1: 16.5
Right Calf 11: 16.25
Difference: - .25

Left Calf 1: 16.75
Left Calf 11: 16.5
Difference: - .25

I forgot to measure chest and shoulders as there was not enough time this morning to ask Amanda for help.

I am quite pleased with these results. Today we enter the Burn and Refuel Phase for the next two weeks. This will be tough. During the Burn days I am going to try and go without fruit which was the key to me surviving during the cleanse phase. If I struggle really bad, then I will eat fruit. My biggest concern is finding enough food to replenish my body during my training. I have to monitor this very carefully. Very important as I enter the final two weeks of my out season training.

Discipline and healthy eating go hand in hand. You have to be disciplined. It is not easy to change habits. Trust me I crave things like you would not believe. I am trying to wrap my mind around other things to eat, but it has not really helped yet. When this whole challenge is over it will be all about moderation and keeping things in perspective.

Here is to the next 14 days!

Out Season: Week 12 Wednesday Night Run

I had to dig deep to get this run done. I really did not think it was going to happen. After getting the kids to bed we had to figure out the next phase in the AdvoCare 24 day challenge and what we can and cannot eat. I finally made it down to the treadmill around 8:30 and took some time to get set up and took off.

My treadmill is struggling lately. It kept jerking as I ran. It hurt my knee by the end of the run, but after about 30 minutes it finally stopped the sudden stop motions. I started off watching the pilot episode of American Horror Story, but had to change because that opening sequence was too much for me handle before bed. I hate scary movies and shows so this was not a wise choice. I went back to Breaking Bad and knocked out the workout.

The workout was a 60 minute run consisting of

MS: 1 x 200, 1 x 400, 3 x 800 all at @ IP/6:39/Very Hard with full recoveries between each.

Tip: Build your pace across each repeat here so that your final set is your strongest.

 My 800's were 6:17, 6:18, 5:58. I was way below my 6:39 pace, but it felt easy and for some reason my watch was not showing these numbers. It kept bouncing around at an above 6:39 pace. This was a blessing to see for me personally to see that numbers this low. I have not seen numbers this low in training ever!

I felt good to get this workout done. I know this weekend will be tough to get both workouts in as I am out of town with my robotics team competing at state. Trying to manage and coach ten 5th - 8th graders is a workout itself.

My knee was sore and I hope a rest day will do it some good.

Out Season: Week 12 - Tuesday Bike Workout

Woke up early this morning knowing that I had at least a 75 minute bike workout. I did not look ahead at the workout as my new system is just to figure out that morning of so I don't back out. Today called for only 70 minutes, but it was tough. My legs were tired from the Sunday run and getting after it in practice yesterday. I get so fired up coaching. If I could bring that passion and fire into running I would be winning races!

I had to finish up a couple loose ends on my Netflix watching. I finished up Coach Carter. That movie is great. It was even better not knowing it was based on a true story until the end. I thought it was just a good feeling type movie and not based on a real world team. Very cool! I finished the final episode of The League and am sad to not have more to watch. I started watching It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia or something like that. It is okay, but not worth the hype that some have made it out to be.

Enough of movie watching and onto the workout. Here was the plan

MS: 10' (4') @ 95-100%/204 - 215/Hard, 18' (4') @ 95-100%/204 - 215/Hard, 10' (4') @ 95-100%/204 - 215/Hard. 70 minutes

Rides - TrainerRoad http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/159605

I had to work to keep in the zones today. My legs were tired and you can I had times where I very quickly dipped and had to regather. I had issues with my bike seat. It became loose on the ride and kept moving up and down which was a real pain. I did not have time to stop and fix it as I have a very short window to train in the morning before all three kids wake up and need breakfast, lunches, milk, etc. Thank goodness for a great wife.

I felt great when I was done as I always do. If only I could bottle that feeling of greatness after a workout and sell it I would be a millionaire.

My eating has continue to be healthy. Still struggling with snacking but Thursday I weigh in after the 10 day cleanse phase of the AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge. I hope that I see some results.

Now to mentally prepare for the run workout tomorrow which I am sure is going to be a joy!

Eagle Is In The Nest

If you hurry over to our Bald Eagle Project Page and click the webcam you will see the eagles. Go quick to our project page and click the eagle cam to see.

http://eagleeyecamera.wikispaces.com/

Bald Eagle Photo Album Updated - Bald Eagle Days

I have updated the photo album pertaining to our Bald Eagle Project taking place now. This weekend I attended Bald Eagle Days and was able to snap some pictures of an eagle about 4 feet from me. Very cool.

4th and 5th Grade ELP Class - New Year and Christmas Cards from Japan

I have updated our picture album from cards and letters from our friends from Japan. Last week students were able to see their cards that were created by their friends from Japan. This week we will finish making our cards and send them on their way. We are always amazed by how artistic each card and letter is when they arrive. So amazing.

Out Season: Week 11: Sunday Long Run Late At Night

I was not able to get up in the morning early enough to run. I have found that despite the struggles to train at night when the family is sleeping is tough, I think sleeping in a bit on Saturday and Sunday has kept me on the right track by not sacrificing sleep.

Tonight I got off to a much later start than planned. I was not able to run in the afternoon. I had to much too do and still have not got everything done quite yet.

The workout called for a 75 minute run  consisting of

MS: 4 x 800 (3'), 1 x 1 mile all @ TP/7:05/Hard (5').

Creating a 75 to 90 minute run from this run, where personal and physical bandwidth allows, is recommended. Simply settle into a pace between LRP/Zone 1/Easy and MP/Zone 2/Steady.

My zone 1 pace right now is 8:49 and my Z2/Marathon pace is 7:32.

I started off running much earlier like around 8:15 but was having troubles getting my foot pod to connect to my watch. I have to have data. Plain and simple. No just getting out and running. I have a plan and goals and I must visually see them. After running on and off trying to calibrate and such I realized that the battery in the foot pod was dead. I scrambled around the house and found another watch battery and was good to go. Hopefully this solves the mystery of inaccurate readings of my Garmin.

I watched the majority of the movie Coach Carter. I don't know how it ends, but I cannot wait to find out. I thought about only running 60 minutes, but decided to stay tough and get the 75 minutes done. No more excuses with this training.

I feel good. I am glad to get it done. I had some minor tightness in my right hamstring, but other than that I felt great. Off to the pool for some easy swimming just to get back in the flow before my first race in two weeks. Off to cool down and bed.

Robodawgs Team 7473

155-IMG_0047 (2), a photo by pobarnes1 on Flickr.

Robodawgs Team 7473

148-IMG_0041 (2), a photo by pobarnes1 on Flickr.

Robodawgs Team 7473

139-IMG_0030 (2), a photo by pobarnes1 on Flickr.

Robodawgs Team 7473

098-IMG_7208, a photo by pobarnes1 on Flickr.

Robodawgs Team 7473

143-IMG_0035 (2), a photo by pobarnes1 on Flickr.

AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge - Days 4-6

Well, Saturday(Day 6) is just about done for me as I cool down from my run and get ready for bed. I know, what an exciting life I lead!

After reflecting through almost one week I have many thoughts running through my head.

1. This is much harder than what I imagined. I like routine and being in a comfort zone. I thought eating the same things would work well for me. I am discovering I need variety. I feel like I eat the same egg, chicken, turkey, tomato, salsa, onion concoctions over and over. I have tried new things which I will post about soon, but I have found these to be my next problem.....

2. Domino Foods - I have found some healthy options for snacking which I think are good for me to implement. However, they are domino foods as I keep eating and eating. For example, almonds. I have found these to be so delicious with sea salt. The problem is that a serving is 1/4 cup. That does nothing for me. I could and have eaten easily 1 cup of almonds no problem. This one cup is more calories than a Whopper. I am not kidding check the calories. I eat a cup of almonds and am still starving where I could eat the garbage of a Whopper and be full for hours. I understand the health benefits, but the issue I have is that I when eating almonds I will just move on to another snack item. Am I really being healthy? I don't know, but it is something for me to monitor.

3. After a few horrible days of days 3 and 4, I am starting to feel much better. I was at a low for those couple days. I felt tired beyond tired and just was not digging things. I stuck it out and did not lose focus, but I was ready to pack it in. My ultimate goal is to create healthy habits to lead to me racing well in my triathlons this year as well as getting back to race weight. I have about 22 lbs to drop to get to race weight and I have a long time to get there, but as I feel so tired I worry about not replenishing my body properly with my training. My training has not changed. I am putting the same time into my training as before this challenge, but before I was cranking out 7 workouts and gaining weight. That is not good.

4. I am quite curious about my measurements and weight on day 11. I want to know if anything has changed with my eating.

Here is my food diary
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a-xEHcf9q-ZiA8YloGPPEIHcEiZy4-5ge1FaX1T322U/edit

5. I have found 6:30 - 9:00 to be the hardest part of my day. I want snacks, carbs, and drinks. To not have these has been brutal. I miss creamer in my coffee at 4:15. I miss my chocolate. I really miss all my dairy.

6. I think when it is all said and done the key comes down to the thing that everyone knows - self control. Anyone can follow any cleanse and diet and anything will work if kept in moderation. For me it will be all about not going right back to bad habits, but incorporating the habits I am slowly creating during this challenge. Greek Yogurt will not hurt me. The massive amount of cheese that I ate prior to this does hurt me. A bag of pretzels will hurt me, but a handful would be okay.

7. I struggle with different views of this challenge. Some say yes to one thing while others say no. They say to avoid fake sweeteners, but it is in all the product. I like things precise and I know everyone does things differently, but this is one aspect that is making it hard for me to stay the course when I feel like I can always find an exception somewhere.

This challenge has been good for me mentally. I have made it through the hardest part of the weekend of Friday and Saturday. I snacked a bit too much today, but I did not jump to the darkside of bad choices, but I had too many servings of certain foods.

I head back to the grocery store tomorrow and get ready for another week of this challenge. Stay strong everyone!

And don't forget water. Keep drinking water. I think that was a big issue with they days I struggled. I drank a ton of water the last two days and have noticed a change.

Out Season: Week 11 - Saturday Run and Bike Workouts

Today around 12:30 I was able to get on the bike. My legs were sore still from the workouts this week and they were tired. I think the AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge is working me a bit more than usual. Without all my snacking and junk food I am seeing a difference in recovery. I am not saying my junk eating helps me recover, but my prior eating kept my glycogen stores up for sure. I need to eat healthy and I am only 6 days into the cleanse so my body is adapting. I know the end result will be good as I slim down and continue to fill my body with healthy foods. This week has been a tough one.

The workout today called for

MS: 2 x 15' (4') @ 95-100%/204 - 215/Hard, 1 x 8' @ 95-100%/204 - 215/Hard. Remainder of any time you have available (if any, not required) @ 80-85%/172 - 182/Mod-Hard. 90 minutes on the bike.

I was able to hit the zones once again but it was tough. I moved my bike to the main basement so I could watch college basketball. I love college basketball! I watched the Hoosiers hang on to win and also Duke lose. Lots of great things to take away for my own coaching.

Rides - TrainerRoad http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/156258

After the kids went to bed I had to pry myself out of bed and head to the basement to run. I started watching Coach Carter and started up the treadmill. This bad boy was struggling tonight. It was real choppy at first and I about blew my knee out a few times. Finally, it was able to get going and I could start the workout.

Running at 8 mph on a treadmill at 2% incline is equivalent to 7:13 mile pace. When I run sub 6:39 for my interval workouts I run at 8.5. Tonight for some reason my watch was not converting and it was making me mad. I needed to run at a 7:32 pace.

MS: Steady run as MP/7:32/Steady out and back. If bricking, do 20' only.

You can see that as I picked up the speed on the treadmill the time was going slower for my mile pace. I know I ran at least 4 miles. I know I should not let something like this bother me as I know I put the work in, but this kind of thing drives me insane. I NEED to see the data. It is just the way I am.

I toughed it out mentally and got both workouts done. It feels good to stay committed. Tomorrow I head out for a 75 minute run to end another great work of training. I need to hit up the pool next week on the rest days to make sure I am ready for my race in two weeks. Woo-Ha!

Is the common core sending children over an educational cliff?

Is the common core sending children over an educational cliff?: Guest post by TimeOutDad

As an aspiring school leader, as an educator, as a parent, I am deeply worried about the education of our children.  There’s been a lot of buzz about the Common Core Standards and how they’re supposed to somehow get our children college and/or career ready by raising the standards for all.   Sounds great, right?   Well, the message that seems to have been sent to the test-makers is, “Let’s make these high-stakes tests harder than ever.”  Since higher scores in the past haven’t gotten our students ready for college, then we need to “raise the bar” even higher with even harder reading passages and even harder math problems.  That’ll create more success, right?   REALLY?

Imagine yourself as a third grader.  Eight years old.  Now, let’s click on the latest Sample 3rd Grade English Language Arts sample questions (from EngageNY.org, a New York State Education Department website that provides resources for educators and parents) and scroll down to the first reading passage written by Leo Tolstoy.  After reading the passage, go ahead and take a look at the sample test questions.  Go ahead.  Give it a try, and come back when you’re done…

So, what did you think?  Reasonable?  Fair?  How about some math?  That’s our reality.  Our children.  Anyone else see an educational cliff?

(In case you want to see other sample tests for other grades...  http://engageny.org/resource/new-york-state-common-core-sample-questions

The Power Of Flattening Our Classroom

I am currently running a Bald Eagle Project and I wanted to share a blog post written by the teacher who is participating from the Netherlands. It just goes to show how powerful global connections and projects can really be.

http://eagleeyecamera.wordpress.com/

Lego Mindstorm EV3 and Culture of Play

8th grade test from 1912 - can you pass it?

Are you smarter than an 8th grader from a century ago?

 click here to see the entire test

.Click here to see the answers. 

Do you think your students could pass this test? How does this test compare to today's tests?

Check out what Snopes.com has to say about it:

http://www.snopes.com/language/document/1895exam.asp

Out Season: Week 11 - Thursday Bike VO2 Workout

Woo-Ha, gotcha all in check! Today was a tough one. What a week of workouts. Period. This week has been no joke.

Today the workout called for:

MS: 10' (4') @ 95-100%/204 - 215/Hard, 15' (4') @ 95-100%/204 - 215/Hard, 10' (4') @ 95-100%/204 - 215/Hard.

Remaining of ride should be Zone 3/173-182

Rides - TrainerRoad http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/153044

I hit all intervals except for #2 where it read 258. I missed it by one. My legs were burning today. They were tired from the previous workouts. I had to dig deep to hit my goals. Flat out tough ride. Love it! When I preach to my players about going hard I had to do the same! I have to live by my words.

I am so excited for a rest day tomorrow.

Bald Eagle Project - An Eagle Eye To The World is off and running

A project that a few Bettendorf teachers and former students created over the summer is underway. As of right now I am running and operating the global project. We are now up to 5 schools participating which is pretty good for the first year of doing this project. We will be using the Alcoa Bald Eagle Camera to drive learning and enhancements of 21st century skills.

You can see the project page here - http://eagleeyecamera.wikispaces.com/home

Right now students and teachers are in the handshake phase getting to know one another through the use of Edmodo. We are having a great time learning how to use this site and to establish some relationships. Already we have been able to see the eagles the last few days. It is very cool. The wiki project page has a lot to offer so be sure to check out all the pages. The school from the Netherlands has created a book in both English and Dutch on the artwork page.

You may not be a participant in one of the classes, but that does not mean you cannot join in the fun. You are always welcome to follow along, create artwork or projects, and join us on this expedition.

It is off to a great start and I look forward to seeing how things develop. Teachers and students are all learning at the same time and shouldn't school be about everyone learning and growing? I think so.

If you have questions, suggestions, or any great ideas please let me know. Until then, check the camera, watch the eagles, and watch our learning grow along the way.

AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge: Day 3

Well, last night was another night of me struggling with snacking. I came home from basketball around 5:30 and had dinner. We had some awesome turkey burger patties thanks to Amanda. She mixed something good up there and they hit the spot. I actually ate 3 of them. Probably should not have had 3, but I was starving. I also need to make sure I am fueling enough with my training. I find it difficult to see if I am overeating or perhaps not eating enough. I know with many of the vegetables that you can eat a ton, but there is very little carbs or protein that come of it. We had green beans and I made some quinoa as I was just not filling up.

I have found some things interesting only a few days in. Whenever I enter the kitchen I always become hungry and that feeling of starving just kicks in. The bad part is that as a family we do everything centered around the kitchen. It leads the way to our sun room and has the table for homework and basically all our operations start in the kitchen. This makes it tough. I held a bag of pretzel rods and just salivated along with sweaty palms just wanting to destroy them with sugar and candy. It is weird because I am struggling much more with this eating scheme than Amanda. If you ask her it should be the other way around. She is doing awesome. She hates when I talk about her, but I am so impressed with her focus on this 24 day challenge.

I finally had to do what I did the other night and simply go lay in bed. I had to avoid the kitchen. Around 8:30 I realized that I needed to prep chicken for today so I went back down to the kitchen and my hunger kicked in so fast after feeling normal up in bed. It is all about breaking those habits.

I did find myself loving some carrots and hummus. I had the red pepper and garlic hummus. It was great. Probably the best snack so far hands down. I also figured out that Crystal Light is legit as it has identical ingredients to Spark besides amino acids and sucralose(which I don't really want in my body anyways...the sucralose not amino acids).

Today I am doing well. I am hoping for better control with snacking tonight. I am devising a new strategy so we will see how it pans out.

I am also very tempted to step on the scale to check for progress, but I know not too until the time comes. I have read that you check on Day 11 and again on the last day. I will be interested to see the progress if any.

Lastly, I have observed that I am more tired earlier at night, but I sleep so much better. I don't wake up 3-4 times like I used to. It is not as easy to get up in the morning, but I know my sleep is improving. I think Amanda is having the same thing happen to her.

I know that tonight I need to track down some new recipes and ideas for snacks and breakfast. I need a bit more variety so I will be searching.

As always I am tracking my eating here in case you are interested.

Have a great 3rd day on the cleanse and stay strong.

Out Season: Week 11 - Run Workout - Holy Treadmill Sweat

I thought the bike workout yesterday was tough. Today I had to run and man it was a challenge. This was not easy at all anywhere at any given time. This was a mental and physical challenge for me. It made me realize that my lack of run training is catching up. It made me realize that I cannot afford to miss any more workouts. PERIOD.

I woke up sore and tired from the last few days. Getting back to coaching and training wears this body out. I am on my feet and very active as a coach. Lots of lateral movements that I don't normally do.

Today I had to muster up some mojo to get going. I really wanted to find an excuse to not run, but I knew that I would be mad later today.

I jumped on the treadmill to watch Netflix instead of trying to gauge pace outside in the darkness at 5 am.

I did a nice easy warm up as my legs were sore and motivation was pretty low

WU: 10 minutes easy at 9:39 pace, 5 minutes at 8:16 pace, I then picked it up just a tad for a .25 mile at 8:02 before getting into the main set that called for

MS: 4 x 200, 2 x 800, 4 x 200, 2 x 400 all @ IP/6:39/Very Hard with full recoveries between each.

 This workout was no joke. 12 intervals all at 6:39 pace is not a slacker of a workout by any means. I hit all intervals all at 6:36 or faster. I was proud to get this done and be able to hold on. I had to run a bit slower during the rest intervals towards the end, but pretty happy getting in 7.5 miles in 60 minutes.

I can only wonder how tough tomorrow will be on the bike. I have not even looked at the workout yet as I know Thursdays are always the toughest.

AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge: Day 2 with yesterday recap

I talked briefly about day 1 yesterday, but after going about 5 hours without eating due to basketball practice and a school board meeting, I came home around 7:00 starving. I just could not get enough to eat.

I ate some multi-grain pasta which I don't I really should have had, but I did. I was still starving so I had two tilapia fillets. I thought for sure this would satisfy me, but I could tell my evening eating habits were kicking in. I don't really think that I was "hungry", but my mind and body is used to me grazing every 15 minutes from about 7 - 9:30. I just wanted to eat some pretzel rods like you would not believe. It was making me twitch I was craving snack foods so bad. I ended up eating another serving of almonds and a celery stalk with peanut butter before finally just going to bed. I figured in bed that I would not be taunted by the food pantry calling my name.

Overall, day one went well. I stayed the course. I need to make sure I am eating enough with my triathlon training which I think I am, but just need to monitor closely so I don't wear out and burn this body.

Heading into day 2 I felt good. I had really good energy yesterday considering my caffeine intake was cut back my a large amount. Today I am low on caffeine and feeling pretty good as well. I am just waiting for all the fiber and herbal pills to begin to clean me out which has not happened yet so I fear the moment it hits.

I am still documenting my eating in case you care - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a-xEHcf9q-ZiA8YloGPPEIHcEiZy4-5ge1FaX1T322U/edit

Always looking for feedback, advice, tips, and perhaps maybe some guidance for the others doing the same thing. I know it sounds cheesy, but I feel lighter on my feet and don't have the afternoon crash like I had before. Probably due to lack of caffeine levels dropping and no carb blowout either.

Tonight the plan is to eat every hour or so to hopefully deal with the hunger monster that struck last night. If you have any great snack ideas throw them my way!

On to the next and to everyone doing the cleanse keep up the good work. Keep posting comments, asking questions, and letting us know how you are doing in the FB group. That is what it is there for!

Out Season: Week 11: Tuesday FTP Ride

Woke up this morning ready to take care of business again. Got in my AdvoCare Rehydrate, Spark, and Arginine to get ready for the workout. Today the workout was 10 minutes longer than previous Tuesday workouts. I really did not think it would be a big deal. Actually to be honest I have enjoyed these workouts as they seem to be the easiest of the week.

Today was not the case.

I had the following workout to knock out:

MS: 10' (4') @ 95-100%/204 - 215/Hard, 15' (4') @ 95-100%/204 - 215/Hard, 10' (4') @ 95-100%/204 - 215/Hard.

This was a tough workout. I stand corrected in my thought process of Tuesday workouts. I had to work to keep up above 203 - 215 power range during the intervals.

Rides - TrainerRoad http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/150181

It felt good to get another quality workout in. I am planning on actually getting in the short run tonight. I have not done the Tuesday run in about 8 weeks so it is time to stay on task for once.