I'm always making forward progress.
In school I'm working towards these last two assignments that are due Friday. Little bits at a time, that's how I work. Break the assignment down into chunks and attack it like that. It's more manageable that way.
In training, I'm super consistent right now. I've gotten a lot of volume in this week (4.5 hours of cycling, plus probably another hour tonight, and about 4 hours and 10 minutes of running). Ya I know, no swimming, but don't fret, I'll really kick that in AFTER the marathon. The cycling right now is for some extra cardio and it benefits my running more than swimming does, aaaaaaand the bike is right in the basement, so really convenient.
I've been doing a lot of reflecting these past few days. DAMN have we done a lot in the past year and a half, it's crazy to think of it all! And we've done SO much in the 4.5 years we've been together.
Jared and I were talking about where we were when 9/11 happened. I remember being at home and waking up and coming downstairs and dad had the TV on. He was home off work for some reason and he was watching the news. It was crazy, and then we saw the second hit! i couldn't believe what I was seeing, tragic. I remember going over to Kenny's place and he was washing his car, and then we watched more of the news coverage at his place. I couldn't believe what was happening, it was so surreal. I had class that day, one of my first days at University, and we discussed it further in the lecture. That was 8 years ago. 8 YEARS AGO! Jesus. I've been in post secondary education mode for almost a decade? This is ridiculous! Annie was 3 years and DONE and she's super successful! Why has it taken me 8 years?! Ah well, I guess it's all a part of not being "normal" right?
I love writing and I love sports. I love all sports, but obviously I love triathlon and running most. A dream job would be as a journalist for a magazine like Triathlete, or Triathlon mag canada, or runner's world or iRun... who knows, maybe I'll work towards a journalism degree while teaching primary school. Maybe not. Whatever. I'm just so incredible passionate about this stuff.
This was supposed to be an Australia blog.... ooops. Jubes is watching netball right now, like basketball but no backboard. It's a "girl's sport". It's on TV.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
I want, I want, I want...
I want a lot of things in life.
- I want a good, secure job that pays well, has good vacation and a great pension. On my way.
- I want a beautiful wife, some little kids (one day) and a healthy family. On my way.
- I want to push myself beyond what I ever think is possible, and the further I go, the further I have to go to keep proving it to myself. This is how I learn. This is how I truly measure myself and see what is possible.
- I want OTHERS to benefit from what I do. I'm vain, sure, but if I can somehow help people who need help whilst doing these events, then it's my duty.
- I want to pursue my personal legend. (Read "The Alchemist") Teaching is a great career. I love it already and it's super rewarding, both monetarily and by knowing that you're shaping and changing lives for the better. That being said, what I want to accomplish in my life, and what I feel will truly satisfy me in my time on earth is accomplishing these goals, these challenges that are more than just ordinary. I can't be ordinary. You're heard me say that before, and my feelings haven't changed one bit. I can't go through my life on earth, how many number of years I have and die having been "ordinary". I refuse to.
- I want a challenge. I've accomplished a bit in my life already, and am accomplishing more as we speak, but I want a true challenge. Have I been helped too much along the way? Is that why my accomplishments don't seem as satisfying as they should? I'm never satisfied, I never have the feeling of true pride and accomplishment. Graduating from uni was great, but not terribly difficult, same with marathons, 6Foot Ultra, Ironman. They were all great, and continue to be, but they're just not the true experience I'm looking for. I need to do something epic. I need to do something that will make a SIGNIFICANT difference in the lives of a few, or many.
It's not simply a matter of just wanting something though. I realize that gimme gimme never gets. I can't just sit back and want stuff. I realize that I've gotta make this all happen myself, and I will. When the time is right.
I'm lucky to have the support I do from my family and I'm immensely lucky to have complete support from the one person that believes in me more than anyone. :)
- I want a good, secure job that pays well, has good vacation and a great pension. On my way.
- I want a beautiful wife, some little kids (one day) and a healthy family. On my way.
- I want to push myself beyond what I ever think is possible, and the further I go, the further I have to go to keep proving it to myself. This is how I learn. This is how I truly measure myself and see what is possible.
- I want OTHERS to benefit from what I do. I'm vain, sure, but if I can somehow help people who need help whilst doing these events, then it's my duty.
- I want to pursue my personal legend. (Read "The Alchemist") Teaching is a great career. I love it already and it's super rewarding, both monetarily and by knowing that you're shaping and changing lives for the better. That being said, what I want to accomplish in my life, and what I feel will truly satisfy me in my time on earth is accomplishing these goals, these challenges that are more than just ordinary. I can't be ordinary. You're heard me say that before, and my feelings haven't changed one bit. I can't go through my life on earth, how many number of years I have and die having been "ordinary". I refuse to.
- I want a challenge. I've accomplished a bit in my life already, and am accomplishing more as we speak, but I want a true challenge. Have I been helped too much along the way? Is that why my accomplishments don't seem as satisfying as they should? I'm never satisfied, I never have the feeling of true pride and accomplishment. Graduating from uni was great, but not terribly difficult, same with marathons, 6Foot Ultra, Ironman. They were all great, and continue to be, but they're just not the true experience I'm looking for. I need to do something epic. I need to do something that will make a SIGNIFICANT difference in the lives of a few, or many.
It's not simply a matter of just wanting something though. I realize that gimme gimme never gets. I can't just sit back and want stuff. I realize that I've gotta make this all happen myself, and I will. When the time is right.
I'm lucky to have the support I do from my family and I'm immensely lucky to have complete support from the one person that believes in me more than anyone. :)
Thursday, May 28, 2009
The Good, the bad and the evil..
The good:
- My training is going awesome, I'm back to running 100% and I'm keeping up with some trainer rides to up the overall volume and fitness, I feel fitter and fitter all the time
- Two more assignments and then the first term is pretty much over, just another 3 weeks of prac! :)
- My first day back at prac we are going on a science trip to the observatory as we are doing a unit on the solar system
The bad:
- Julia's knee hurts, and she may not be able to run as much as she would like for at least a few days, but I'm sure it'll come back to life
- I emailed TD Canada trust to see if I could get a Student Line of Credit, but I can't do anything if I'm not in the country, ie can't visit a branch.
The ugly:
- My boss is pretty much the largest dick ever. I think he's dropped me in favour of 15 year old girls. He doesn't have to pay them as much. I don't have any shifts at all this week, he's ignoring my text messages and he underpayed me by two hours this week. BULLSHIT. I'm applying at the Collegians Club today, and gonna start looking more and more. It just becomes more difficult the longer we are here because people know that we're only here for a year.
ANYWAYS. That's it, that's all. Less time working = more time to focus on school and training, and more time to spend with Julia, talking about our dreams. If I'm not working, I might as well be productive in other areas until I find another job, and that includes the LOOKING for another job part as well. :)
- My training is going awesome, I'm back to running 100% and I'm keeping up with some trainer rides to up the overall volume and fitness, I feel fitter and fitter all the time
- Two more assignments and then the first term is pretty much over, just another 3 weeks of prac! :)
- My first day back at prac we are going on a science trip to the observatory as we are doing a unit on the solar system
The bad:
- Julia's knee hurts, and she may not be able to run as much as she would like for at least a few days, but I'm sure it'll come back to life
- I emailed TD Canada trust to see if I could get a Student Line of Credit, but I can't do anything if I'm not in the country, ie can't visit a branch.
The ugly:
- My boss is pretty much the largest dick ever. I think he's dropped me in favour of 15 year old girls. He doesn't have to pay them as much. I don't have any shifts at all this week, he's ignoring my text messages and he underpayed me by two hours this week. BULLSHIT. I'm applying at the Collegians Club today, and gonna start looking more and more. It just becomes more difficult the longer we are here because people know that we're only here for a year.
ANYWAYS. That's it, that's all. Less time working = more time to focus on school and training, and more time to spend with Julia, talking about our dreams. If I'm not working, I might as well be productive in other areas until I find another job, and that includes the LOOKING for another job part as well. :)
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
On the home stretch.......
With assignments: only two to go til prac
With my job: I'm looking for soemthing else
With my training: 5.5 weeks to the marathon
Wow, no post since Sunday! It's been a busy week!
This week was relatively busy/hectic with school stuff. On Tuesday we had our little animation thing due for science and I had to do my icon presentation in Aboriginal Education tutorial. My icon was my shoes. It went over very I think, and it was nice just to have that done and out of the way. It was a compulsary thing that we had to do but we don't actually get graded on it, how lame! :) Like adult show and tell basically, no real academia behind it at all.
Wednesday (yesterday) we had a 1000 word essay due for literacy that was our rationale for out set of lesson plans that we submitted as a group project. I was done that early though, so can't complain. Beyond that we had a pretty big presentation to do for English KLA class. There were 6 of us in my group and we had to present a literacy block to the class and a weekly planner that has all the day's lessons set out. Something we could atcually use in a class. We had a stage 1, year 2 class. We did some role playing with the 5 of them rotating roles as teacher/students and then I would give all the background info about why we did what we did. I think it went mediocre to good. Good enough to pass and get this class over with (it was hell for everyone). So we basically have two big things due NEXT Friday and then we're back in prac! That reminds me, I was going to email Ms Pigram and see what was up with the class, anything I should know about before coming back in. :)
Today is Thursday. Yesterday I sent like 3 text messages and two emails to my boss asking if I was working today. At first he said he'd text me i the afternoon, which didn't happen, and then I hadn't heard from him since. I'm assuming not, but it's still only 6:30AM SO WHO FRIGGIN' KNOWS! I'm going to apply at this place right around the corner from us called the Collegians club, kinda like where Julia works at the buffet. A restaurant/casino/sports bar sorta thing. We'll see what happens with that.
I ran on Tuesday, one hour on the treadmill at the gym. It felt good to get back at it and the leg held up fabulously. I've got a little catch up to do but I'm feeling like it's coming back and I don't feel as though I lost a TON TON as I did a boat load of cycling last week, so the fitness stayed up there. If I don't hear from my boss soon I'm going to plan a big training day. Maybe a 1.5 - 2 hour ride and a 15k run, then maybe some weights in the arvo (afternoon). :)
With my job: I'm looking for soemthing else
With my training: 5.5 weeks to the marathon
Wow, no post since Sunday! It's been a busy week!
This week was relatively busy/hectic with school stuff. On Tuesday we had our little animation thing due for science and I had to do my icon presentation in Aboriginal Education tutorial. My icon was my shoes. It went over very I think, and it was nice just to have that done and out of the way. It was a compulsary thing that we had to do but we don't actually get graded on it, how lame! :) Like adult show and tell basically, no real academia behind it at all.
Wednesday (yesterday) we had a 1000 word essay due for literacy that was our rationale for out set of lesson plans that we submitted as a group project. I was done that early though, so can't complain. Beyond that we had a pretty big presentation to do for English KLA class. There were 6 of us in my group and we had to present a literacy block to the class and a weekly planner that has all the day's lessons set out. Something we could atcually use in a class. We had a stage 1, year 2 class. We did some role playing with the 5 of them rotating roles as teacher/students and then I would give all the background info about why we did what we did. I think it went mediocre to good. Good enough to pass and get this class over with (it was hell for everyone). So we basically have two big things due NEXT Friday and then we're back in prac! That reminds me, I was going to email Ms Pigram and see what was up with the class, anything I should know about before coming back in. :)
Today is Thursday. Yesterday I sent like 3 text messages and two emails to my boss asking if I was working today. At first he said he'd text me i the afternoon, which didn't happen, and then I hadn't heard from him since. I'm assuming not, but it's still only 6:30AM SO WHO FRIGGIN' KNOWS! I'm going to apply at this place right around the corner from us called the Collegians club, kinda like where Julia works at the buffet. A restaurant/casino/sports bar sorta thing. We'll see what happens with that.
I ran on Tuesday, one hour on the treadmill at the gym. It felt good to get back at it and the leg held up fabulously. I've got a little catch up to do but I'm feeling like it's coming back and I don't feel as though I lost a TON TON as I did a boat load of cycling last week, so the fitness stayed up there. If I don't hear from my boss soon I'm going to plan a big training day. Maybe a 1.5 - 2 hour ride and a 15k run, then maybe some weights in the arvo (afternoon). :)
Sunday, May 24, 2009
I'm pumped!
This is going to be very much NON school related, but I'll throw a little in just so you think I'm still actually taking classes. :)
Yesterday was the Ottawa marathon/half marathon etc... Carley, Alex, Diana and Julia's friend Meghan were all racing. The marathon started at 9PM our time and the half started 2 hours later. I was up, following online Carley and Meghan from start to finish. The website gave us their 10k, 21.1k, 30k and finishing splits and it was exciting to see them go. BOTH girls KILLLLLLED the race, Carley in 3:20:xx and Meghan in 3:28:xx, both qualifying for Boston easily (women's 18 - 35 is 3:40). One thing I won't soon forget is when I asked Carley if she intends to go to Boston, her reply was "I'LL GO IF YOU GO, SO HURRY UP AND QUALIFY ALREADY!". WOW! That is motivation my friend! So I'm pumped now to do EVERYTHING possible to qualify. I know that if I do everything right I can get tht 3:10 I need, not easy, but confidently.
This morning I hit the weights at 7:45AM before WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A 9:30AM tutorial. I had an AMAZING arm workout and feel drained from it. I feel like I'm getting fitter and fitter and I just need to stay focused with nutrition and really put the time into it.
Julia is SUPER motivated now too to run her marathon and in the next couple of years to qualify for Boston herself.
Right now I'm sitting in class and they're talking about next term's schedule and such. We got new tutorial groups and I'm really excited with mine. I have Lee (the one housemate I like), Chris who does crossfit and is a nice guy, an Aussie named David who runs, and Michelle Majovsky who also runs and is a really nice girl. COOOOOOOOOOL! After this I'm gonna go home and work on Science and some English KLA presentation stuff.
That's it folks!
Yesterday was the Ottawa marathon/half marathon etc... Carley, Alex, Diana and Julia's friend Meghan were all racing. The marathon started at 9PM our time and the half started 2 hours later. I was up, following online Carley and Meghan from start to finish. The website gave us their 10k, 21.1k, 30k and finishing splits and it was exciting to see them go. BOTH girls KILLLLLLED the race, Carley in 3:20:xx and Meghan in 3:28:xx, both qualifying for Boston easily (women's 18 - 35 is 3:40). One thing I won't soon forget is when I asked Carley if she intends to go to Boston, her reply was "I'LL GO IF YOU GO, SO HURRY UP AND QUALIFY ALREADY!". WOW! That is motivation my friend! So I'm pumped now to do EVERYTHING possible to qualify. I know that if I do everything right I can get tht 3:10 I need, not easy, but confidently.
This morning I hit the weights at 7:45AM before WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A 9:30AM tutorial. I had an AMAZING arm workout and feel drained from it. I feel like I'm getting fitter and fitter and I just need to stay focused with nutrition and really put the time into it.
Julia is SUPER motivated now too to run her marathon and in the next couple of years to qualify for Boston herself.
Right now I'm sitting in class and they're talking about next term's schedule and such. We got new tutorial groups and I'm really excited with mine. I have Lee (the one housemate I like), Chris who does crossfit and is a nice guy, an Aussie named David who runs, and Michelle Majovsky who also runs and is a really nice girl. COOOOOOOOOOL! After this I'm gonna go home and work on Science and some English KLA presentation stuff.
That's it folks!
Saturday, May 23, 2009
A good week without running looks like this:
After the half marathon I thought it would be a good idea to just force myself to COMPLETELY lay off running for a solid week to let the leg fully recover. No sense in risking it THIS close to the race (even though it still a good 6 weeks away). I didn't however want to lose focus on dropping the pounds to get down to around 155 (I raced the NCM last May at 165lbs) and in the race report that "I simply can't be this heavy". It wears on me. So this week I figured it'd do both my metabolism and my leg some good to put in some miles on the trainer. The no pounding nature of cycling is good because it gets some blood into the muscle for active recovery, but it doesn't take the beating it would with running. I did a total of 9 hours on the trainer this week! 2 Hours Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday and an INTENSE 1 hour Saturday night. This morning's two hour ride was a killer, as the intense one hour ride was yesterday EVENING, not much time for the legs to recover, but that's all good. :)
I'm down to 163.6 AFTER this morning's ride, which is good. I started a couple weeks ago at 167 after training so I'm definitely making progress. I feel better when I throw these trainer rides in. I really feel like the fitness is coming around. So this week I'll get some run training going again, take it easy, build back up and then do two - three solid higher mileage weeks with one or two long runs at 36k+ and then back off again into a taper for the GCM. SHOULD BE A BLAST!
This week's work was also much better. I mean I was still pissed about my sched changing all the time and not knowing where I'd be til last minute but it was better than the previous weeks. I texted him and said that I was ONLY available for Wollongong from now on and he said OK. We'll see what that means but at least he knows how serious I am about it. Either way, I'm sticking with this for the forseeable future and Julia and I are really being money conscious and have a full-on budget set-up, saving a MINIMUM of $300 per week.
Today we'll be working on an animation I have to create for science. I'll post it somewhere for all to see. :P
OK, BACK TO WORK...
PS - THE TUNA IS 1:40 into a 28k run! EPPPPIC! Her longest EVER! I think I'm going to go out on the bike to see her in about 20 minutes. Just to see how she's feelin' and make sure everything is A ok. I'm so proud of her!
I'm down to 163.6 AFTER this morning's ride, which is good. I started a couple weeks ago at 167 after training so I'm definitely making progress. I feel better when I throw these trainer rides in. I really feel like the fitness is coming around. So this week I'll get some run training going again, take it easy, build back up and then do two - three solid higher mileage weeks with one or two long runs at 36k+ and then back off again into a taper for the GCM. SHOULD BE A BLAST!
This week's work was also much better. I mean I was still pissed about my sched changing all the time and not knowing where I'd be til last minute but it was better than the previous weeks. I texted him and said that I was ONLY available for Wollongong from now on and he said OK. We'll see what that means but at least he knows how serious I am about it. Either way, I'm sticking with this for the forseeable future and Julia and I are really being money conscious and have a full-on budget set-up, saving a MINIMUM of $300 per week.
Today we'll be working on an animation I have to create for science. I'll post it somewhere for all to see. :P
OK, BACK TO WORK...
PS - THE TUNA IS 1:40 into a 28k run! EPPPPIC! Her longest EVER! I think I'm going to go out on the bike to see her in about 20 minutes. Just to see how she's feelin' and make sure everything is A ok. I'm so proud of her!
Friday, May 22, 2009
It IS about the bike...
Lance Armstron wrote a book entitled "It's not about the bike" in which he talked about his cancer and how it put things in perspective for him. Well I'm here to say that in fact it IS all about the bike. :) This week I've put in 6 hours in the dungeon (2 hours, monday, 2 hours wednesday, 2 hours friday) and I'm not done. I think I'll just go to the gym today with Jared and do some weights and then head back down to the dungeon tomorrow morning for another 2 hours. It's helping me lean up and since I can't run this week it's good to be able to do that! On Wednesday I took the speedometer sensor off the front wheel and put it on the back and moved the display unit close enough so that it reads the signal and off I went, actually seeing my speed. It was tough! Right away I realized that some of my recent workouts down there have been mediocre and I forced myself to get an avg of 30+ for two hours. Wednesday was 31.1 for two hours, yesterday was 32.5! THAT was a tough workout. I love it down there, lots of inspiration on the walls and I bring my laptop down with me to watch some videos.
It's been a year since my first marathon. Yep it's race weeknd in Ottawa. I wish I was there for it because, well A) I want another shot at running that course in 3:10 and B) I just love the whole atmosphere of this weekend. I'll be checking tomorrow night for peoples' results as many friends are running it.
It's been a year since my first marathon. Yep it's race weeknd in Ottawa. I wish I was there for it because, well A) I want another shot at running that course in 3:10 and B) I just love the whole atmosphere of this weekend. I'll be checking tomorrow night for peoples' results as many friends are running it.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
I was thinking...
I was walking through the library yesterday and something occured to me. As I looked around i saw that the place was PACKED, but just about EVERYONE was on a computer and few actually had BOOKS on their desk. I thought back to just 5-6 years ago when I was at UofO and it was the opposite, most people didn't have a laptop with them. Most people still went to the library to look at and read books. Crazy stuff. as I reflected on this, I had memories of time spent in the library at Ottawa U, researching different Human Kinetics topics. I love it. I'm not sure what part I love the most about the whole thing but doing research on those topics I think is a true passion of mine. I remember thinking about doing a Master's in HK, maybe something in Sports Psychology, or Nutrition or Exercise Physiology. Hey, maybe I still will one day. This teaching thing is awesome, don't get me wrong, and I'll definitely do it for a number of years (maybe even a full career) but I love the thought of going through for a Master's in something related to sport/health/fitness. I'm so passionate about this stuff that learning about it is easy for me. I was also thinking, I love writing these petty little blogs. I know they're riddled with spelling and grammar problems, sentence structure is poor and the content is almost always irrelevant to all but a few people, but I love writing. I love putting my thoughts on paper and reflecting about this stuff. Journalism? Maybe I could write for runner's world? or Triathlete mag? Nah... that's a dream job, but how cool would that be?
I guess I've always wanted to achieve greatness, in some way. I'm terrified of being mediocre in life and that's what drives me everyday. I realize that time on earth is both precious and limited, and there's so much I want to do and accomplish before I'm gone. I don't care if I'm remembered, I just want to feel as though I've made some sort of significant contribution, and that people are better off for it. Obviously, a teacher is a perfect example of this, but I think I need more than that.
Anyways, today I work 9 - 3 at Wollongong (it was supposed to be 11 - 9 at Warrawong but boss changed it yesterday evening, as per usual). This is a better situation for me and less stressful, bt I lost 4 hours of work, that's $60 outta my pocket.
Jubes and I are really scrapin' th bottom of the barrel here to make things work at the moment. We've come up with a plan for saving, but realize that it's definitely a tight situation if we want to be able to see and do stuff while we're here. We live dirt cheap day to day, only buy necessities and never go out to the bars or movies or restaurants like a lot of the others. We're happy with that because we know that a few days going to the bars means we can't take one of our little weekend trips that we've been enjoying so much.
I love travelling around over here. Everywhere is so beautiful, people are very nice and the experiences and memories we've had so far we will never forget. We were talking the other day and were thinking about how amazing it is all the stuff we've done so far and we're only a third of the way through!
- Australia Day in Sydney - Darling Harbour, Circular Quay, Opera House, Aquathon
- Huskisson/Jervis Bay - Australian Long Distance Championships
- Mojo Surf - Crescent Head
- Blue Mountains/Jenolan Caves - six foot marathon
- Port MacQuarie - Ironman Australia, Koala Hospital
- Canberra - Half Marathon
- BALI!
Coming here has been an amazing decision and I'm so glad we made it. I really feel as though it's changed who I am. It's really given me a great appreciation for family also, as I didn't realize I'd miss everyone as much as I do.
I guess I've always wanted to achieve greatness, in some way. I'm terrified of being mediocre in life and that's what drives me everyday. I realize that time on earth is both precious and limited, and there's so much I want to do and accomplish before I'm gone. I don't care if I'm remembered, I just want to feel as though I've made some sort of significant contribution, and that people are better off for it. Obviously, a teacher is a perfect example of this, but I think I need more than that.
Anyways, today I work 9 - 3 at Wollongong (it was supposed to be 11 - 9 at Warrawong but boss changed it yesterday evening, as per usual). This is a better situation for me and less stressful, bt I lost 4 hours of work, that's $60 outta my pocket.
Jubes and I are really scrapin' th bottom of the barrel here to make things work at the moment. We've come up with a plan for saving, but realize that it's definitely a tight situation if we want to be able to see and do stuff while we're here. We live dirt cheap day to day, only buy necessities and never go out to the bars or movies or restaurants like a lot of the others. We're happy with that because we know that a few days going to the bars means we can't take one of our little weekend trips that we've been enjoying so much.
I love travelling around over here. Everywhere is so beautiful, people are very nice and the experiences and memories we've had so far we will never forget. We were talking the other day and were thinking about how amazing it is all the stuff we've done so far and we're only a third of the way through!
- Australia Day in Sydney - Darling Harbour, Circular Quay, Opera House, Aquathon
- Huskisson/Jervis Bay - Australian Long Distance Championships
- Mojo Surf - Crescent Head
- Blue Mountains/Jenolan Caves - six foot marathon
- Port MacQuarie - Ironman Australia, Koala Hospital
- Canberra - Half Marathon
- BALI!
Coming here has been an amazing decision and I'm so glad we made it. I really feel as though it's changed who I am. It's really given me a great appreciation for family also, as I didn't realize I'd miss everyone as much as I do.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Pilin' up again...
It's gettin' crazy yet again. I have a lot due next week. 3 Big things Tuesday/Wednesday. I'm gettin' it done though, and will have a lot of time on the weekend to finish it all up.
Today I already did 2 hours on the bike, gotta go to class now and then back to the gym at 12:30 with Jared, then class again tonight at 4:30 - 7:30PM. Tonight I will also be working on my science animation thing, hopefully with some help from Tunes I can get some good stuff done here. And maybe AFTER the workout and BEFORE going back to class I can get some work done on the essay that's due on Wednesday. It's not too big, only 1000 words.
Tomorrow will suck, I work 11 - 9 at Warrawong, but at least I'm ready for it, mentally. I'm gonna go in with a positive attitude and just remind myself that I need this money and it will all pay off when we're travelling and seeing all kinds of cool stuff and when I'm over at Ironman Western OZ. I can't do these things without busting my butt to make the moulah.
Alright! Back to work! YIPPPPPEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Today I already did 2 hours on the bike, gotta go to class now and then back to the gym at 12:30 with Jared, then class again tonight at 4:30 - 7:30PM. Tonight I will also be working on my science animation thing, hopefully with some help from Tunes I can get some good stuff done here. And maybe AFTER the workout and BEFORE going back to class I can get some work done on the essay that's due on Wednesday. It's not too big, only 1000 words.
Tomorrow will suck, I work 11 - 9 at Warrawong, but at least I'm ready for it, mentally. I'm gonna go in with a positive attitude and just remind myself that I need this money and it will all pay off when we're travelling and seeing all kinds of cool stuff and when I'm over at Ironman Western OZ. I can't do these things without busting my butt to make the moulah.
Alright! Back to work! YIPPPPPEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Monday, May 18, 2009
Canberra Chaos
This past weekend, Julia, Jared and I headed to Canberra for a half marathon and to see a bit of the city. We got lost on the way there, going down to Kiama, which is still right on the coast instead of heading inland at the same time as going south, so we ended up taking about twice as long to get there. The drive was REALLY scenic though and we got to drive through the mountains and get some amazing views.
Canberra is COOOOOOOOOOLD. It's inland a bit so it's about 8 or so degrees cooler than where we are in Wollongong. We got in around 1PM, dropped off our stuff in the room, had a quick bite to eat and then went out to where we had to go in the morning for the race. It's an easy city to drive in and kinda fun. Lots of big buildings everywhere but also very nice with parks and big trees. Kinda reminded me of Ottawa, a typical government city. We saw the race area and then headed back towards the hotel with a stop at the IGA for some milk and bread. Back at the hotel we chilled out for a bit, ate again and then went out for a little walk. We were staying at this hotel that is right on the Australian National University's campus. We walked around the campus and went into the library to check it out. We also found this big ole party going on at one of the residence buildings where everyone was wearing indian costumes. Neat!
Back at the hotel we just chilled out, chatted, watched a movie and then hit the sac nice and early. It was all setting up for a good race day.
We were up at 5 and went through all the normal race day morning activities. We left around 7:50AM to head down to the race start to find parking and warm-up. Warm-up and was good and I was excited for the race start. We lined up near the front of the start and the gun went off and we all said goodbye. I went ahead and got into a good rhythm just staying around people that were in and around the pace I wanted. At about 2k I felt a little pinch in my quad so I tried a few things while running to work it out, but it wouldn't go away. It was just getting worse. By the time 4k came around it was pretty painful and then by the 4.5k mark I knew I could kiss the PB time goodbye. I had to stop, it was just too much. I pulled over and tried to stretch it out but it was SO painful. After a bout 30 seconds or so I saw Jared blow by and thought WOW he's running WELL! Hope he can keep that up! Soon after I saw Jubes and she convinced me NOT to quit and to just go slow and see how it feels. Well I figured the further away I go the less of a chance there will be to bail (a good thing) so I just went slow. I'd have to stop periodically and stretch/walk for a bit as it was just too much. I finally hobbled in at around the 1:53 mark. SO PAINFUL! Jared killed the race in 1:38 and Jubes kicked some ass with a 1:50 in her first ever half.
It's time for me to forget about that race and get fit for the marathon. It may take a week or so to fully rehab this leg but hopefully I can get in some quality training in cycling or swimming and some weights while the running legs get fixed.
School is good right now too. I just found out my last two marks for one class and all things considered, I finished with an 80.5%! Not half bad! Now this week I have to finish one paper for another class, finish a science animation thing for Tuesday and I have a presentation next Wednesday. Then two more papers due in the following weeks. oyvé!
Tunes and I also discussed how we're going to go about saving for travel. Basically, my work covers rent, and then she pulls in about another $450 per week. So we're going to take $300 of that right away and put it away for saving and then what's left over we'll put towards groceries and try and save anywhere else.
Canberra is COOOOOOOOOOLD. It's inland a bit so it's about 8 or so degrees cooler than where we are in Wollongong. We got in around 1PM, dropped off our stuff in the room, had a quick bite to eat and then went out to where we had to go in the morning for the race. It's an easy city to drive in and kinda fun. Lots of big buildings everywhere but also very nice with parks and big trees. Kinda reminded me of Ottawa, a typical government city. We saw the race area and then headed back towards the hotel with a stop at the IGA for some milk and bread. Back at the hotel we chilled out for a bit, ate again and then went out for a little walk. We were staying at this hotel that is right on the Australian National University's campus. We walked around the campus and went into the library to check it out. We also found this big ole party going on at one of the residence buildings where everyone was wearing indian costumes. Neat!
Back at the hotel we just chilled out, chatted, watched a movie and then hit the sac nice and early. It was all setting up for a good race day.
We were up at 5 and went through all the normal race day morning activities. We left around 7:50AM to head down to the race start to find parking and warm-up. Warm-up and was good and I was excited for the race start. We lined up near the front of the start and the gun went off and we all said goodbye. I went ahead and got into a good rhythm just staying around people that were in and around the pace I wanted. At about 2k I felt a little pinch in my quad so I tried a few things while running to work it out, but it wouldn't go away. It was just getting worse. By the time 4k came around it was pretty painful and then by the 4.5k mark I knew I could kiss the PB time goodbye. I had to stop, it was just too much. I pulled over and tried to stretch it out but it was SO painful. After a bout 30 seconds or so I saw Jared blow by and thought WOW he's running WELL! Hope he can keep that up! Soon after I saw Jubes and she convinced me NOT to quit and to just go slow and see how it feels. Well I figured the further away I go the less of a chance there will be to bail (a good thing) so I just went slow. I'd have to stop periodically and stretch/walk for a bit as it was just too much. I finally hobbled in at around the 1:53 mark. SO PAINFUL! Jared killed the race in 1:38 and Jubes kicked some ass with a 1:50 in her first ever half.
It's time for me to forget about that race and get fit for the marathon. It may take a week or so to fully rehab this leg but hopefully I can get in some quality training in cycling or swimming and some weights while the running legs get fixed.
School is good right now too. I just found out my last two marks for one class and all things considered, I finished with an 80.5%! Not half bad! Now this week I have to finish one paper for another class, finish a science animation thing for Tuesday and I have a presentation next Wednesday. Then two more papers due in the following weeks. oyvé!
Tunes and I also discussed how we're going to go about saving for travel. Basically, my work covers rent, and then she pulls in about another $450 per week. So we're going to take $300 of that right away and put it away for saving and then what's left over we'll put towards groceries and try and save anywhere else.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
I've grown... a better situation
So yesterday I had to work 12 - 9. This is the text message I got from Charles the night before. Fine, 12 - 9 in Wollongong is good, close and I can have time in the morning to do my thing. I got there and was there for maybe 15 minutes and he told me I had to go to the Warrawong store. WHAT FU#$%$G PAIN THE ASS! So I got a lift from this women (very nice lady, Maria) over to the Warrawong store which is in a mall maybe 15 min drive from Wollongong. I worked there all day, until 9PM, and then Charles was supposed to give me a lift home but basically made me wait about 45 minutes while he helped some other dude close the till. I didn't get home til 10PM.
A few times while hanging clothes or folding stuff I got real frustrated in my head about all this BS of going here and going there unexpectedly and not knowing what my schedule ever was going to be. I started thinking though of two things. First was Terry Orlick, sports psych prof at the uni who taught us about "changing channels". I simply told myself to change my attitude, be positive and find the positive in this, and focus on it. "This whole year is an adventure, I'm going to go home tonight just the same as I would have and it'll all be good. At least I get to meet some new people and see a new mall in the area". Second was dad's email. He said I was one of the hardest working people he knows... So if I can just toughen up and get through this BS then I live up to that, if not then I don't deserve that label. So I got through it fine, kept positive and focused on dad's words. Tried to think a lot about this weekend and the race and such. Charles also gave me my sched for today and next week, I'm working 11 - 9 at Warrawong agin next Thursday, but at least not I can prepare for it!
Anyways, so today I work 11 - 4 and then I come home and start getting my stuff together for the race and the weekend in general. I'm excited! :)
A few times while hanging clothes or folding stuff I got real frustrated in my head about all this BS of going here and going there unexpectedly and not knowing what my schedule ever was going to be. I started thinking though of two things. First was Terry Orlick, sports psych prof at the uni who taught us about "changing channels". I simply told myself to change my attitude, be positive and find the positive in this, and focus on it. "This whole year is an adventure, I'm going to go home tonight just the same as I would have and it'll all be good. At least I get to meet some new people and see a new mall in the area". Second was dad's email. He said I was one of the hardest working people he knows... So if I can just toughen up and get through this BS then I live up to that, if not then I don't deserve that label. So I got through it fine, kept positive and focused on dad's words. Tried to think a lot about this weekend and the race and such. Charles also gave me my sched for today and next week, I'm working 11 - 9 at Warrawong agin next Thursday, but at least not I can prepare for it!
Anyways, so today I work 11 - 4 and then I come home and start getting my stuff together for the race and the weekend in general. I'm excited! :)
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
That was a bit of a scare...
After yesterday's run I was RUINED. I wrote that blog post from the comp lab but I was dying inside. I was dead tired and felt SUPER run down, my body ACHED and I was really cold for some reason. I went to class but had to bail 40 minutes in (at least I signed the attendance!). I came home and slept for maybe an hour and a half, got up and moped around for a while, feeling like I was going to get a cold. I pounded some vitamin C and some green tea and just drank a bunch of water and chilled out. OK, I also binged HARD on food. :) Whatever, so today I don't eat, big deal. :) just kiddin'. I think my body just wasn't ready for that HARD of a workout, that was like a race pace workout for an hour, 2/3 of what I hope to do on Sunday, so much for saving myself! It DID give me a lot of confidence though in terms of where my fitness is in general and what I may be able to pull off at this race. I hear it's a flat course, as was Ottawa when I went 1:27:47 two years ago, so I'm thinking I can go fast. Two years ago! Wow, I've been into this stuff for a while now! Regardless of the result I'm excited to get to Canberra and have fun, I look forward to cheering Julia and Jared on in their races!
I got a good 9.5 hours sleep last night and am feeling much better this morning. I don't know why I hadn't thought of this before but I looked up the race week for someone that was training for a half marathon (as my plan is for a full marathon so the volume is much higher) and apparently I'm supposed to run no more than about 7 - 8k this week, I did 14k yesterday. OH well, I'll back off the rest of the week and let my body absorb all the training I've been doing. I CAN'T WAIT TO RACE!!!
Julia and I are also looking at our travel plans for the break in about 8 weeks. We're deciding whether it'll be better to fly everywhere (flights are pretty darn cheap) or take the train (which would still include 2 flights)
I got a good 9.5 hours sleep last night and am feeling much better this morning. I don't know why I hadn't thought of this before but I looked up the race week for someone that was training for a half marathon (as my plan is for a full marathon so the volume is much higher) and apparently I'm supposed to run no more than about 7 - 8k this week, I did 14k yesterday. OH well, I'll back off the rest of the week and let my body absorb all the training I've been doing. I CAN'T WAIT TO RACE!!!
Julia and I are also looking at our travel plans for the break in about 8 weeks. We're deciding whether it'll be better to fly everywhere (flights are pretty darn cheap) or take the train (which would still include 2 flights)
Monday, May 11, 2009
Race week: Tuesday
Today started out with me turning off my alarm clock at 6:00 and resetting it for 7... I wasn't ready to get up yet. I was cold and tired so jumped back in bed. I slept another 20 mins or so then got up and decided to just get ready and have my coffee and do my normal morning routine, but hold off on the running until AFTER my presentation thing. The morning was relaxed (my FAVOURITE part of the day) as usual and I just chilled and rehearsed what I wanted to say.
I met up with Katie and Derek at the library and we organized and few thigns then went and got set-up in class. THE PRESENTATION WENT AMAZINGLY!!! The class was engaged throughout and the teacher said it was the best yet as we covered all the material perfectly and tied in a lot of the theories that we learned in class. So we're going to get some wicked marks there and it's worth 40% of my final mark and I already got an 8.5/10 for a poster thing that was worth 10% and then I handed in a paper last week that I THINK I did pretty well on! :)
After class Jared and I met up and headed over to the gym. I had ran through my plan of attack for the workout a few times and the general goal was to set a good tempo and just kick it for a while. Maybe to a 2k warm-up and then do a tempo run of 10k or so. Well I warmed up for 2k at about 4:40/k pace and then at 2k put it right up to 4:20/k pace and from there went up .1km/h faster on teh treadmill until I hit 14.0k at around 59:30 and then just sprinted home to the hour mark in 14.15km total, that's a 4:15/km pace! That means that I was on sub 1:30 pace and if I had warmed up BEFORE the run and got right into a faster pace (as I would do in a race) then I'd have been even faster. What made this run especially amazing was that I was so mentally tough during the "tough parts" which didn't even seem that tough! I'm DRAINED right now but feel amazing at the good workout I had. I still have 5 hours of class though. :)
So there's Tuesday! I look forward to sleeping tonight. :)
I met up with Katie and Derek at the library and we organized and few thigns then went and got set-up in class. THE PRESENTATION WENT AMAZINGLY!!! The class was engaged throughout and the teacher said it was the best yet as we covered all the material perfectly and tied in a lot of the theories that we learned in class. So we're going to get some wicked marks there and it's worth 40% of my final mark and I already got an 8.5/10 for a poster thing that was worth 10% and then I handed in a paper last week that I THINK I did pretty well on! :)
After class Jared and I met up and headed over to the gym. I had ran through my plan of attack for the workout a few times and the general goal was to set a good tempo and just kick it for a while. Maybe to a 2k warm-up and then do a tempo run of 10k or so. Well I warmed up for 2k at about 4:40/k pace and then at 2k put it right up to 4:20/k pace and from there went up .1km/h faster on teh treadmill until I hit 14.0k at around 59:30 and then just sprinted home to the hour mark in 14.15km total, that's a 4:15/km pace! That means that I was on sub 1:30 pace and if I had warmed up BEFORE the run and got right into a faster pace (as I would do in a race) then I'd have been even faster. What made this run especially amazing was that I was so mentally tough during the "tough parts" which didn't even seem that tough! I'm DRAINED right now but feel amazing at the good workout I had. I still have 5 hours of class though. :)
So there's Tuesday! I look forward to sleeping tonight. :)
It's coming back together...
Last post I made I was a little flustered with everything. School was piling up, SO many things due, and work commitments and the way my boss goes about it was frustrating me. To make things worse, the one thing that typically keeps me sane and gives me an outlet for frustration (my running) I couldn't do, and it became ONE more stress, instead of something to look forward to.
I didn't work Friday or Saturday and only 4 hours yesterday. THAT was HUGE. It gave me the time to put into school work and things slowly got checked off. I just have a presentation tomorrow to do and then this round will be DONE. Then we have a few more things due in the next few weeks and we'll be back in prac before I know it!
Secondly, I was able to run Fri, Sat and Sun. I had great runs those days too. Sunday was a beautiful run, one of those runs that reminds me why I love running. I was up and out at 8:30. I wanted to get out earlier but it was raining, so I was going to wait for it to die down a little before heading out and hopefully get in SOME sort of mileage. I was supposed to run 30k but wasn't sure if it would happen. So I started out and it didn't rain at all again! It stayed mostly overcast which kept me cool, and there was a nice breeze down by the ocean. I get goosebumps just thinking about it. I love it. I run down to the harbour, then turn right and go up to South beach and WIN stadium, turn around and run all the way back up, through the lighthouses RIGHT on the water. I run the cycleway all the way up to Bulli and then come home. It's an amazing run. Away from the water, then back, past suburb after suburb, seeing them all, dreaming of what it must be like to own a home with an ocean view... I see cricket and soccer fields, lots of surf clubs and lifeguard towers and more than a couple outdoor, ocean side pools. I love it. I can't BEGIN to describe how amazing it is (I guess I just did though). It's my absolute passion.
It's funny. For our Aboriginal Education class, we have to give a 3-5 minute "Icon Presentation". It's basically adult show and tell, but it's supposed to be something that describes your "culture", who you are. Culture in this sense is not Canadian, white, English speaking. It's ME, Brian, what's MY culture. WHO am I? People have brought in all sorts of stuff, things that represent their family, their Nationality, their personality etc... I'm bringing in my running shoes. Running gives me SO much. I can relate COUNTLESS positive things that it has given me. It gives me a healthy outlet for my energy, to releive stress and frustration. It gives me a sense of empowerment, when I realize what I'm capable of, both physically AND mentally. It teaches me perseverance, determination, discipline. It allows me to have an internal dialogue with myself that at any other point of the day is impossible because my brain is so many places at once. It lets me focus 110% on what I'm doing, ritalin free. It gives me the opportunity to set goals that are achievable in the not too distant future and that are attainable through my own hard work. It allows me to take 100% responsibility for the outcome of a goal, or a race. It teaches me WHO I am. It gives me a sense of identity. It gives me a sense of pride. It makes me different, and not like everyone else. It lets me see and experience things that I would have never otherwise had the opportunity to. Running brings my family together, whether it's at a race or at the dinner table. I hope it gives them a sense of pride in my accomplishments, because after all, WHO I am has a lot to do with WHO THEY ARE. I love running.
On Sunday, my friend Marco, who I've never actually met ran the Mississauga 1/2 marathon. See Marco and I BOTH raced Muskoka AND Peterborough last year. We're about the same age. He's a better swimmer by far, I'm a better cyclist (significantly) and he's a SLIGHTLY better runner. He beat me at Muskoka and I beat him at Peterborough though there was like 5 mins or less between us in both races. Anyways, he ran the 1/2 in 1:25:23, about 2 minutes faster than my one and only half marathon of two years ago. This Sunday he'll be looking out for my result, hopefully I don't embarass myself! I THINK I can go fast... NEAR that 1:27:47 from two years ago, but how close we'll hafta see. You better believe I'll be running HARD though. A half marathon is fun because when the pain actually sets in, you know you can handle it because the end isn't THAT far away.
On mother's day, mom and dad calle dus on skype and told us they wanted to help us out. They are FARRRRRR too generous, and the help is truly appreciated. More than that was the email I got from dad. It made me emotional and truly happy to know that they are happy with what I'm doing and are proud of who I am, and who I'm trying to become. The email is printed and up on the wall, just as a reminder to myself to never stop working hard, because I have THE hardest working man in the world as a role model, how could I ever let him down?!?!
I didn't work Friday or Saturday and only 4 hours yesterday. THAT was HUGE. It gave me the time to put into school work and things slowly got checked off. I just have a presentation tomorrow to do and then this round will be DONE. Then we have a few more things due in the next few weeks and we'll be back in prac before I know it!
Secondly, I was able to run Fri, Sat and Sun. I had great runs those days too. Sunday was a beautiful run, one of those runs that reminds me why I love running. I was up and out at 8:30. I wanted to get out earlier but it was raining, so I was going to wait for it to die down a little before heading out and hopefully get in SOME sort of mileage. I was supposed to run 30k but wasn't sure if it would happen. So I started out and it didn't rain at all again! It stayed mostly overcast which kept me cool, and there was a nice breeze down by the ocean. I get goosebumps just thinking about it. I love it. I run down to the harbour, then turn right and go up to South beach and WIN stadium, turn around and run all the way back up, through the lighthouses RIGHT on the water. I run the cycleway all the way up to Bulli and then come home. It's an amazing run. Away from the water, then back, past suburb after suburb, seeing them all, dreaming of what it must be like to own a home with an ocean view... I see cricket and soccer fields, lots of surf clubs and lifeguard towers and more than a couple outdoor, ocean side pools. I love it. I can't BEGIN to describe how amazing it is (I guess I just did though). It's my absolute passion.
It's funny. For our Aboriginal Education class, we have to give a 3-5 minute "Icon Presentation". It's basically adult show and tell, but it's supposed to be something that describes your "culture", who you are. Culture in this sense is not Canadian, white, English speaking. It's ME, Brian, what's MY culture. WHO am I? People have brought in all sorts of stuff, things that represent their family, their Nationality, their personality etc... I'm bringing in my running shoes. Running gives me SO much. I can relate COUNTLESS positive things that it has given me. It gives me a healthy outlet for my energy, to releive stress and frustration. It gives me a sense of empowerment, when I realize what I'm capable of, both physically AND mentally. It teaches me perseverance, determination, discipline. It allows me to have an internal dialogue with myself that at any other point of the day is impossible because my brain is so many places at once. It lets me focus 110% on what I'm doing, ritalin free. It gives me the opportunity to set goals that are achievable in the not too distant future and that are attainable through my own hard work. It allows me to take 100% responsibility for the outcome of a goal, or a race. It teaches me WHO I am. It gives me a sense of identity. It gives me a sense of pride. It makes me different, and not like everyone else. It lets me see and experience things that I would have never otherwise had the opportunity to. Running brings my family together, whether it's at a race or at the dinner table. I hope it gives them a sense of pride in my accomplishments, because after all, WHO I am has a lot to do with WHO THEY ARE. I love running.
On Sunday, my friend Marco, who I've never actually met ran the Mississauga 1/2 marathon. See Marco and I BOTH raced Muskoka AND Peterborough last year. We're about the same age. He's a better swimmer by far, I'm a better cyclist (significantly) and he's a SLIGHTLY better runner. He beat me at Muskoka and I beat him at Peterborough though there was like 5 mins or less between us in both races. Anyways, he ran the 1/2 in 1:25:23, about 2 minutes faster than my one and only half marathon of two years ago. This Sunday he'll be looking out for my result, hopefully I don't embarass myself! I THINK I can go fast... NEAR that 1:27:47 from two years ago, but how close we'll hafta see. You better believe I'll be running HARD though. A half marathon is fun because when the pain actually sets in, you know you can handle it because the end isn't THAT far away.
On mother's day, mom and dad calle dus on skype and told us they wanted to help us out. They are FARRRRRR too generous, and the help is truly appreciated. More than that was the email I got from dad. It made me emotional and truly happy to know that they are happy with what I'm doing and are proud of who I am, and who I'm trying to become. The email is printed and up on the wall, just as a reminder to myself to never stop working hard, because I have THE hardest working man in the world as a role model, how could I ever let him down?!?!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
I'M GONNA LOSE IT!!!!!!
It's finally all piling up on me and I feel like I can't breathe! Right now it's a constant struggle for my time between School, work and training and what's suffering the most is my SANITY!
I'm trying hard to fit it all in, and obviously school and work are pretty rigid in terms of scheduling, so what suffers? What suffers is the one thing that keeps me sane (other than my lil Tuna who has been amazing), running. I'm still trying to run as much as I can, following the program I've set for myself for the Gold Coast Marathon, but some days it's just not an option. Not to be cocky or anything, but I'm GOOD, REAL GOOD at time management. I do well with schedules and being punctual and getting things done and being where I need to be when I need to be there. What's screwing this all up and what's driving me insane is that my boss (owner of the stores) at work texts me the night before a shift and tells me I need to be somewhere in the morning, or somewhere different, or my hours are different. How do I work with that! For example two nights ago he texted me and said to call him, so I did, and he asked me to meet another guy at the store for 8 (I normally start at 9) to come to Bankstown (near Sydney) for the day because they were having a centre court sale and were under staffed. So I said whatever ok, but I need to be back in the Gong for 6 because I have a meeting with some people from school for a group project thing (not really, but if I didn't say that, he would have had me there til 9PM). So I was supposed to run 19k yesterday and obviously can't do that if I have to be AT the store for 8AM, and then we didn't end up getting back until about 10 to 7. Super frustrating. So last night at (NO JOKE) 11:23 he texts me again and asks if I can do the Bankstown thing again. I pretty much said no. I called him and said 3 things. When I applied and had my interview, I said I can only do 20 hours per week (he said that he'll pay me under the table for anything over 20 hours), I said I was looking for something IN Wollongong AND I need something with a regular schedule because I can't be THIS flexible, so if that's what he needs then cool but I can't be that person. He said alright, told me to take today OFF and maybe work one of the days on the weekend and to call him this morning. So I will and we'll see what he says.
What a headace. The job is wicked but this cat reminds me too much of Khalid. I have a bad taste in my mouth and it's not the terrible coffee I'm drinking right now. I can't wait to get home and have a good cup of coffee again.
School work is coming along. This week I handed in a 2750 word essay for Learning and Behaviour, an English Assignment of 5 lesson plans and a report, AND a Numeracy lesson plan with a report of 2000 words total. Today we have a group thing due for Literacy which is 4 lesson plans and about a 2000 word essay. Monday I have my Aboriginal journal due which is 4 entries at about 500 words each, about articles we are supposed to read. Then Tuesday we have a group presentation in Learning and Behaviour. HOLY MOLY BATMAN THAT'S A LOT!
Running is going well-ish. We'll see where it's at next weekend in Canberra when we run the half marathon. If I can kick my ass to a sub 1:30 I'll be happy. If I can beat my previous best of 1:27:47 I'll be both schocked and ecstatic. Either way I'm about 8 weeks from the Gold Coast marathon which is priority number one. It's a fastish course and I'm confident I can do the 3:10, I couldn't tomorrow, but by then I will be able to. I've just got to be consistent with training and dieting. I'm sitting around 167 or so and would like to get down to UNDER 160 by the time the race rolls around. We'll see how that shakes out. Tunes' training took a bit of a hit for the past few weeks. She's been sick and will probably just start running again this weekend so we'll see how she feels with that and go from there.
I'm trying hard to fit it all in, and obviously school and work are pretty rigid in terms of scheduling, so what suffers? What suffers is the one thing that keeps me sane (other than my lil Tuna who has been amazing), running. I'm still trying to run as much as I can, following the program I've set for myself for the Gold Coast Marathon, but some days it's just not an option. Not to be cocky or anything, but I'm GOOD, REAL GOOD at time management. I do well with schedules and being punctual and getting things done and being where I need to be when I need to be there. What's screwing this all up and what's driving me insane is that my boss (owner of the stores) at work texts me the night before a shift and tells me I need to be somewhere in the morning, or somewhere different, or my hours are different. How do I work with that! For example two nights ago he texted me and said to call him, so I did, and he asked me to meet another guy at the store for 8 (I normally start at 9) to come to Bankstown (near Sydney) for the day because they were having a centre court sale and were under staffed. So I said whatever ok, but I need to be back in the Gong for 6 because I have a meeting with some people from school for a group project thing (not really, but if I didn't say that, he would have had me there til 9PM). So I was supposed to run 19k yesterday and obviously can't do that if I have to be AT the store for 8AM, and then we didn't end up getting back until about 10 to 7. Super frustrating. So last night at (NO JOKE) 11:23 he texts me again and asks if I can do the Bankstown thing again. I pretty much said no. I called him and said 3 things. When I applied and had my interview, I said I can only do 20 hours per week (he said that he'll pay me under the table for anything over 20 hours), I said I was looking for something IN Wollongong AND I need something with a regular schedule because I can't be THIS flexible, so if that's what he needs then cool but I can't be that person. He said alright, told me to take today OFF and maybe work one of the days on the weekend and to call him this morning. So I will and we'll see what he says.
What a headace. The job is wicked but this cat reminds me too much of Khalid. I have a bad taste in my mouth and it's not the terrible coffee I'm drinking right now. I can't wait to get home and have a good cup of coffee again.
School work is coming along. This week I handed in a 2750 word essay for Learning and Behaviour, an English Assignment of 5 lesson plans and a report, AND a Numeracy lesson plan with a report of 2000 words total. Today we have a group thing due for Literacy which is 4 lesson plans and about a 2000 word essay. Monday I have my Aboriginal journal due which is 4 entries at about 500 words each, about articles we are supposed to read. Then Tuesday we have a group presentation in Learning and Behaviour. HOLY MOLY BATMAN THAT'S A LOT!
Running is going well-ish. We'll see where it's at next weekend in Canberra when we run the half marathon. If I can kick my ass to a sub 1:30 I'll be happy. If I can beat my previous best of 1:27:47 I'll be both schocked and ecstatic. Either way I'm about 8 weeks from the Gold Coast marathon which is priority number one. It's a fastish course and I'm confident I can do the 3:10, I couldn't tomorrow, but by then I will be able to. I've just got to be consistent with training and dieting. I'm sitting around 167 or so and would like to get down to UNDER 160 by the time the race rolls around. We'll see how that shakes out. Tunes' training took a bit of a hit for the past few weeks. She's been sick and will probably just start running again this weekend so we'll see how she feels with that and go from there.
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