first brick of the season
themarshal™ and i have just completed week 3 of training and going into week 4 tomorrow. this meant that we completed our first "brick" training this weekend: a bike immediately followed by a run. the sensation you feel in your legs (and body overall) trying to run after cycling for a long period of time is very odd. your legs have been used to going in a cyclical motion for 30+ minutes and now they have to pound hard on the ground. you also are using your arms in a different way and your core muscles, as well. even when i was sorta training with marshall last season, i don't believe i completed any bricks, at least in a serious training capacity. this time, though, it's the real deal and i can't simply back out of it now. this afternoon, after enjoying a hosted TBC brunch of a chorizo/bell pepper/onion scramble and jalapeno corn muffins, we set out for a 30-minute bike ride, followed by an "easy" 10-minute run. marshall also wanted me to get used to setting up my transition area. since i wear dedicated cycling shoes, i have to get used to taking off those shoes quickly, while getting my running shoes on. at the same time, removing my helmet and gloves, get a drink of water, and putting on anything else i need for the run (namely my running hat). it turns out, though, our bike should've been 45 minutes, but apparently marshall shouldn't have trusted me to give the right time for our workouts (his words. nice, huh?). anyway, we toodled around the neighborhood for 30 minutes, making sure to make it a nice easy ride and nothing too strenuous. we came home, ran inside the house and set our bikes down. even though i didn't NEED to hustle, i tried to get through the transition as quickly as possible. i'm trying to get enough water at the same time, too. we finally get out for the run and a minute into it i'm huffing and puffing, more than usual. i've been getting better on the regular runs, but the transition from cycling to running just took a lot out of me. my body didn't know how to move energy and oxygen around and i was left gasping for air. i survived, at least, and downed an entire bottle of water in mere seconds as soon as we got in the house. i know that i'll get stronger over time, but just when i felt i was getting better, i got knocked down. i'll pull through, though. it's a good thing tomorrow is a day off. i know i'll be sleeping good tonight!
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yesterday marshall and i headed over to my niece and nephew's school for their annual school fundraiser. the big event is the caminata, or walk-a-thon, where all the students get people to sponsor them as they make laps around the school's softball field. i got to see where they go to school, which is a really neat place. it's a spanish-immersion environment, where the students are taught in both english and spanish. both my niece and nephew can carry on full conversations in spanish just as well as they can in english. it's awesome to see and hear! we sponsored both of them in their walk-a-thon and also bid on few things in the silent auction. they had some great items, too. i enjoyed myself and really had fun watching my niece and nephew interact with their classmates and their teachers. i also got to see the rare interaction they had with each other when they're actually encouraging one another, instead of beating each other up. we also enjoyed some homemade tamales, which were yummy. we had other things to take care of that afternoon, so we couldn't stay until the end. i'm wondering if my sister was able to go home with the planters that my niece and nephew's classes created (they were very cool). i learned that the school they attend is a K-8 school, which means they'll be there until high school, which i think is pretty awesome. i went to a K-8 school, too, and i loved it. i don't know how i would've felt if i had to leave the people i had known from first-fifth grades to go to another school.
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i've been feeling a little stagnant recently. i see people left and right coming up with goals and things they want to achieve in the near future. marshall and i were talking last weekend about what his goals were for the next few years. he wants to get an MBA, which is awesome, and certainly doesn't want to be at the same company he's at now doing the same work and still living in an apartment. i started to think about what i wanted to be doing within the next 5 years. i couldn't really come up with anything. i'm, of course, working to get my masters, but a masters in a subject i can't really relate to outside of classes. i don't work in the field i'm studying and i think i'm not getting as much out of it as i could have and that i see other classmates getting out of it because they're in the field. the library community is a strong one and one that looks out for its members. at this point, i have nothing invested and i don't feel that same urge to help or get involved. because of this, i feel like i got into the wrong field. i've been finding myself in these periods of regret where i think "what am i doing? i really should be doing something that i really and truly enjoy doing. why didn't i try to go to culinary school instead?" these questions have been buzzing around my head recently and i don't know what to do with them. i pretty much unloaded on marshall while we waited for a table for dinner this last friday. he suggested that because i'm not in school right now, i'm feeling detached and also bored from not doing anything. i am bored, but i don't know what to do with myself. i feel like i don't have enough hours in the day to do all that i want and then i think "well, what is it that i want to do?" i mean, i would like to look into getting into a yoga class or a cooking class, but i feel like i don't have enough time once i leave work and get home. or, i could just be telling myself that as a defensive mechanism; shielding myself from possible discomfort and/or frustration and/or rejection and/or a million other uncomfortable feelings that come from pursuing something new. i just feel like i need and should be doing more with my life. if it were any other kind of economy, i would be out searching for a new job right now, but the fact is my current job is pretty damn stable right now and it's hard to stray too far from that.
i'll figure something out. in the meantime, i've offered my help to marshall with figuring out where to get the classes he needs to qualify for an MBA program and looking into how to apply and what tests to take. i feel like a heal sometimes, considering all that was required for my masters program was a bachelor's degree and at least a 3.0 GPA. i didn't have to take a test of any kind or prerequisite classes. anyway, as i promised, i will be as supportive as i can for marshall in whatever he wants to do. :)
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this week is easter week. i haven't heard anything about dinner at my godparent's next sunday, but i'm assuming it's still on.
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yesterday marshall and i headed over to my niece and nephew's school for their annual school fundraiser. the big event is the caminata, or walk-a-thon, where all the students get people to sponsor them as they make laps around the school's softball field. i got to see where they go to school, which is a really neat place. it's a spanish-immersion environment, where the students are taught in both english and spanish. both my niece and nephew can carry on full conversations in spanish just as well as they can in english. it's awesome to see and hear! we sponsored both of them in their walk-a-thon and also bid on few things in the silent auction. they had some great items, too. i enjoyed myself and really had fun watching my niece and nephew interact with their classmates and their teachers. i also got to see the rare interaction they had with each other when they're actually encouraging one another, instead of beating each other up. we also enjoyed some homemade tamales, which were yummy. we had other things to take care of that afternoon, so we couldn't stay until the end. i'm wondering if my sister was able to go home with the planters that my niece and nephew's classes created (they were very cool). i learned that the school they attend is a K-8 school, which means they'll be there until high school, which i think is pretty awesome. i went to a K-8 school, too, and i loved it. i don't know how i would've felt if i had to leave the people i had known from first-fifth grades to go to another school.
+_+_+
i've been feeling a little stagnant recently. i see people left and right coming up with goals and things they want to achieve in the near future. marshall and i were talking last weekend about what his goals were for the next few years. he wants to get an MBA, which is awesome, and certainly doesn't want to be at the same company he's at now doing the same work and still living in an apartment. i started to think about what i wanted to be doing within the next 5 years. i couldn't really come up with anything. i'm, of course, working to get my masters, but a masters in a subject i can't really relate to outside of classes. i don't work in the field i'm studying and i think i'm not getting as much out of it as i could have and that i see other classmates getting out of it because they're in the field. the library community is a strong one and one that looks out for its members. at this point, i have nothing invested and i don't feel that same urge to help or get involved. because of this, i feel like i got into the wrong field. i've been finding myself in these periods of regret where i think "what am i doing? i really should be doing something that i really and truly enjoy doing. why didn't i try to go to culinary school instead?" these questions have been buzzing around my head recently and i don't know what to do with them. i pretty much unloaded on marshall while we waited for a table for dinner this last friday. he suggested that because i'm not in school right now, i'm feeling detached and also bored from not doing anything. i am bored, but i don't know what to do with myself. i feel like i don't have enough hours in the day to do all that i want and then i think "well, what is it that i want to do?" i mean, i would like to look into getting into a yoga class or a cooking class, but i feel like i don't have enough time once i leave work and get home. or, i could just be telling myself that as a defensive mechanism; shielding myself from possible discomfort and/or frustration and/or rejection and/or a million other uncomfortable feelings that come from pursuing something new. i just feel like i need and should be doing more with my life. if it were any other kind of economy, i would be out searching for a new job right now, but the fact is my current job is pretty damn stable right now and it's hard to stray too far from that.
i'll figure something out. in the meantime, i've offered my help to marshall with figuring out where to get the classes he needs to qualify for an MBA program and looking into how to apply and what tests to take. i feel like a heal sometimes, considering all that was required for my masters program was a bachelor's degree and at least a 3.0 GPA. i didn't have to take a test of any kind or prerequisite classes. anyway, as i promised, i will be as supportive as i can for marshall in whatever he wants to do. :)
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this week is easter week. i haven't heard anything about dinner at my godparent's next sunday, but i'm assuming it's still on.