Getting near to the end of the year

Hard to believe that 2015 is nearly finished. Lots of great things have happened this year and I can't wait to see what 2016 brings. I am hoping to sort out what races I would enjoy doing this coming year. I have an idea, but I don't know exactly what I am going to be doing. Planning isn't the easiest thing I have ever done.

Training lately has been doing a run here or there and then biking to school. When I ride bike to school it usually takes me about 15-20 minutes to get there. It goes more quickly riding the Cross Check and longer riding the Pugsley. Some days I can convince myself that I did a workout when I was riding to and from school. I am hoping to use winter break as a time to recharge and get back into the swing of things. Not having snow makes it really hard for me to be motivated to do anything. I am still hoping for tons of snow. I have had my fingers crossed since November.

I am hoping to do another marathon or two in 2016. I really enjoyed Twin Cities Marathon and would like to best what I did last year. I also would enjoy doing some fat bike racing, and potentially doing some epic bike race. My definition of epic is 100 miles in mild weather. I don't think I could hack something like the Arrowhead 135 (yet) or the Ride the Divide. I am thinking more of doing a 50k trail race or perhaps doing Heck Epic. I know they are two totally different races, but I am in the mood for something different and new. I am always open to other suggestions.

Until next time!

Peace.

Hello?

Hello? Is it me you're looking for? I can see it in your eyes. I can see it in your smile. You're all I ever wanted.....

Ok, I am back. It has been quite some time since I have posted. Busy? Lazy? Forgetful? Lack of caring? You know it!

I will get better at posting more on here, but for now I will just keep it simple.

Updates would be: Lisa and I moved to Plymouth and live in a little condo that we are renting. We love living out here. I love that I am about a 15 min bike ride from school. Oh, I teach at Maple Grove Middle School now. I love it! 6th grade MN studies is super fun to teach and my students are all awesome. I am super happy where I am at. Love my new school. Oak View will always be my first home and I learned so much from being there.

I ran the Twin Cities Marathon back in October. It was the best race I have had in a long, long time. It may even be the happiest I have I have ever been during and after a race. Everything went perfectly for me that day.

I think that I shall hold out and save everything else for another post.

Later!

Wow. Time Flies

This won't be a long post. I am a busy man.
The school year ended very well. It was a great way to begin the summer. I learned a great deal that I will take with me into my 2nd full year of teaching! Which starts in just a few short weeks.

Summer has flown by too quickly. I have had a great summer thus far. Went to Oconomowoc over the 4th of July weekend to visit Lisa's parents and go to a graduation party. Lisa and I also went to Colorado for about a week. It was great. I will post more about that later. Then we were up in Duluth for All Pints North. Which was incredible and crazy.

Working at the bike shop has been good. It is a fun place to be. I don't work too much and it is nice to have a flexible schedule.

I have been doing some running, rollerskiing, and biking. Not as much as I would like, but I am enjoying what I am doing. Racing has been going well, nothing spectacular, but nothing bad. I'll take what I get.

Soon I will post more. When I feel like it.

Summer is soon

There are 8 days left of school. If I really want to count there are only 5 instructional days left. It still blows my mind as to how quickly the school year went. I am happy that I will be teaching 6th grade again next year.

I have also done 2 races so far this year! I ran the Race for the Cure and the Gear West Duathlon. I was happy with how both of those races went for me. Especially considering how I haven't been working out as much as I would like to. The duathlon was very fun this year. I have not raced a duathlon in quite some time. I forgot how much they hurt! My legs felt terrible after that race, as well as my lower back. I don't ride my El GoGo very much (maybe a few times a year). Riding in that position killed me. Am I getting too old???

May is here

It is now May. There are 22 days of school left. I still am in shock as to how quickly these days have passed. It is hard to think about the end of the year. I will do a big reflection at the end of the year, so I won't ramble on right now.

I have decided that I will only work at Gear West this summer. It was a very hard choice to pass over working for Three Rivers again. It was a difficult decision, but one that will make me happiest. Not because the job was bad. It boils down to the fact that I have a tough time not working too much and saying "no." I loved working for Three Rivers and I met some great people there. All of the fun I had working still cannot replace what is truly important- time with friends and family. I felt as though I had no time to relax and enjoy little things in life. I became stressed and didn't even know it. There were many days that I didn't even have time to go for a run, or bike for that matter. I don't want to go though that again.

 I remember a piece of advice given to me by a good friend from Three Rivers when I told her that I would be happy work weekends during the school year. She said, "Don't. I won't let you. You will be busy enough during the week and need time for yourself." I listened to her. It was the best decision I could have done. My teaching did keep me plenty busy and having the weekends to do as I please definitely helped me. I can't imagine how different the year would have been had I worked every single day. 

I think things turned out better than I could have ever hoped for. 

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I went on a bike ride today! 

33 days left

There are 33 school days left for me. This year has gone by very quickly. When I look back on this school year I can't help but think of how far we have come as a class, and how far I have come as an individual.

I can't say the beginning of the school year was easy. It was the hardest thing I have ever experienced. There were many, many long hours and times of frustration. Seemingly, I had no idea what I was doing. I understood the curriculum, but teaching is far from just the material. I had no idea what to expect.

When I look at our class now I know that we have a great community here in room 34. We have come so far this year. I am very proud of each and every one of the students that has passed through my door. It is hard to think that in just 7 weeks I will be saying, "See ya later," to them.

I will blog more soon. I promise.

It has been a long time

Wow. It has been quite some time since I have posted on the blog. Many things have happened over the past month. All of them are great things.

I decided not to race the City of Lakes Loppet. I wasn't doing a lot of distance when I went skiing. Most times I went out it was for about an hour, but not more than 90 minutes. I didn't want to embarrass myself out there and I just didn't feel like racing. The course is fantastic and the atmosphere is 2nd to none, but in the end I felt going for an easy ski was more enjoyable that day. Not to mention that it was very expensive. 

Teaching has been going incredibly well these past couple months. Everything seems to be coming together lately. Whatever we have got going on seems to be working. I don't go home stressed out anymore. We have had maybe 1 or 2 "off" days since the new year, but that is fine. Many people have commented to me about how things have changed for the better in this classroom. The atmosphere is a far more cheery place. the students are happier and we get along very well. I believe there are many factors that have played into making our classroom a far more positive place. The biggest one being that I am happy. I didn't even realize how unhappy I had been, nor how that was affecting my entire life. I am enjoying and loving life now. I have found a great balance between school and my life outside of the classroom. It feels great to be happy.

I am also looking at getting a new car. Yes, a new car. My Subaru is at the point where it is leaking coolant too much and I really need to get it fixed... The big part about fixing it is that it will cost me about $1,000 to do that. I don't want to invest in a car that I have no idea how long it will last! I am thinking I may be better off buying a new car that will be in great condition and I won't have to worry about it. I have test driven a couple cars and I am pretty certain that I will be getting a Volkswagen Jetta. They get great gas mileage, are reliable, look cool, and I know people who have and love them. I just need to make it happen!

I will post again soon...