Who knew Fairview had so many hills?

This past Saturday I ran my first half marathon in 7 months, The Showdown Half in Fairview, TX. And there were many differences between this one and the first one. Some were good differences and some were bad...

1. I was definitely less nervous about this one. But I still didn't sleep all that well the night before. I dreamed about forgetting stuff and getting stuck on the course. (neither of which happend, by the way)

2. I was NOT in as good a shape as I was for the Rock 'n Roll one. I didn't train the way I should have and did pretty much none of my mid-week runs. And I only trained to 8 miles. And I felt every bit of my lack of training on pretty much every mile.

3. I carried my own water this time. It was so much better than having to depend on aide stations.

4. Because I didn't train past 8 miles, I miss judged my food. I was crazy hungry by the end of the race. Not good. But definitely a lesson learned.

5. Heidi and I stayed together for most of the race. In the Rock n Roll I went ahaed and finished about 10 minutes ahead of her. Not this time, we finished together. She might have even beat me. But it was good to run together. We pretty much kept each other going.

6. This was a much smaller race. It was easy to get to, easy to park, and easy to grab lunch right after. I LOVED that part of it. Not sure I will ever do a big race again (okay, I MIGHT do another one, I just really liked the size of this one).

7. Greg met me at the end. I loved seeing him at the finish line after I had just ran 13.1 miles AND he gave me a kiss even though I looked gross and I didn't even want to touch me.

8. I finished 30 minutes slower this race. That's not good BUT it has given me motivation to get in more training (and maybe loose a few pounds between now and my New Years Day half)

9. Hills. I hate hills. I pretty much stay away from hills on all training runs and I don't look at elevation maps before races because its never been an issue before BUT I was mistaken this time. Who knew Fairview had so many hills? I do now. Because I ran EVERY. DANG. ONE. of them on Saturday.

Elevation for Showdown Marathon

 And since I was fooled on this race, I thought I would look up the elevation for my next half in two weeks...

Elevation for Chosen Marathon

AND now I am officially scared for the Chosen Marathon in New Braunfels. Maybe I will 'injur' myself between now and then and I can just cheer Evie on rather than have to run it myself? It's not like I get a medal at the end. Hmmm...

I have made the decision to not run the Dallas Half (which I had sort of set my sights on before Saturday) and drop my training all the way back down to 6 miles before training up to a New Years Day Half.

In other news...

I am still in grad school (and beginning to have lots of assignments due)
I am still a high school teacher (and beginning to drown at work)
I am still dating Greg (and it just gets better)
I am still trying to loose weight (this will be a life long struggle)
I am still hanging out with my fantastic friends (although not nearly as often as I would like)

That's all for now...

Love Always,
Cynthia

This Weekend...

Okay, friends, my first half marathon in 7 months is TOMORROW. I am nervous, scared, and really, just praying that I finish. So, please join me in that same prayer. I AM excited about the meal after though.

Here are the statistics for the weekend...

Goal: FINISH

I will write more when it is over. :)

Happy Friday!

-Cynthia

My heart grieves

When a young person dies, my heart grieves. It grieves for memories not made, loves not realized, fun not discovered, and a life not lived completely.

This school year has been like no other. 2.5 weeks ago we lost a senior boy. He was a member of the Varsity football team and was popular around school. I didn't know him but I knew his sister and many of my students knew him and were friends with him. I grieved for him, as the school grieved for him, but I wasn't as affected by it because I didn't notice the absence or quiet in my class that day, or any of the weeks that have followed.

Then, this past weekend, I got the news that one of my own students had committed suicide. A life cut short too soon. A death that could have been prevented. And I ask why.  Why did he think things were so bad that he needed to end his life to escape? Was he looking for attention? Did he really understand what he was doing? I don't think we will ever know. And we are left to question what we did to affect this kid. What was the last thing I said to him during 4th period on Friday? Was he thinking about what he was going to do while sitting in my class doing his work? Did I spend enough time getting to know him and too much time teaching geography? Because when it comes down to it, my job is about people and relationships. Have I invested in my students enough? There are so many questions.

And because I don't have answers, I cry. Because I don't know what else to do, I cry. I can't bring him back and have a chance to help him seek help. I can't make the hurt any less for those he left behind in his classes, in his school and in his life. I can't cure the silence that now haunts my 4th period because they all know he is gone. So, I cry. Life has been put in perspective. And things that used to matter don't matter as much. Is it more important to count calories or just enjoy the company I am with when I eat? Is it more important to get up and work out at the sacrifice of spending time with the people I love the night before?

So many questions. Not enough answers.

So, I cry for two lives lost too soon. And I cry for a group of students who have been confronted with the reality of life in a very real way.

And I pray. For the administrators, counselors, and teachers that work with a school that is grieving. I pray for Jesus to wrap his arms around Creekview HS. I pray for this to make us stronger. I pray for us to be able to seize these teachable moments that have been given to us. But mostly I pray for comfort and peace. For that is what we all need right now.

But I know, at least for the next few weeks, my heart will grieve for two high school boys lost too soon.

Love Always,
Cynthia

The Stats:
# of workouts: 6/7
# of days eating right: 2/7
# of lbs lost (total): 8