Back to school

 

Yesterday marked the start of another school year for many including myself. August 20th actually marked the start of the school year for both Matt and I in the true sense as a student as we each began yet another year of graduate school, taking one more small step to finishing a grad degree in biology for him and a DNP (doctorate of nursing practice) for me. Tuesday began another milestone in my school life; I started my first day in front of the classroom! The job I took last month after my short stint as a stay at home mom was a full time faculty position in a small bachelors nursing program.

I have always been a procrastinator and that part tuck even as the teacher as I sat awake at 10pm on Monday reading part of a novel for the class in order to give the students discussion topics for the following week. This was followed by a 4am wake to get rest in place before hitting Boot Camp at 5am. And only continued when I was making last minute copies 15 minutes before class started. I strive on this stress. I soon learned this last minute copying meant my first teacher fail: Only half my lecture printed for the students, oops. I learned this as 1 student shying raised her hand "Mrs. MarathonMom, we only have the odd pages". Guess it was break time!

On another note I honestly don't know how I feel about this formality, I have never been one to expect this of others and actually don't like it. I feel like I am saying I am better then others to expect this, maybe the reason I never went into teaching before. Who knows, maybe I will like it more when I am Dr. MarathonMom! Maybe it is a midwest thing, as I saw this formality a lot more as a grad student in Alabama. What are our thoughts on addressing others with formality?

Anyways I can say the first day was a success overall and now the fear of the unknown is no longer an issues. And only an endurance athlete can manage to incorporate marathon and Ironman examples when teaching gerontology. I always love this inspiring story of Sister Madonna who has completed multiple Ironman Kona. The 70 year old woman running the marathon last weekend and immediately heading to her next marathon the following day. What better examples of older women defying the social norms of aging.



Comments

  1. Mindy BobeSeptember 5, 2012 at 8:39 AM

    Congrats on getting the first day done! I always dread the first day of school as a teacher...you have to go over rules, expectations, etc. (in elementary school) I like the routine to already be established! :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Coach JenSeptember 5, 2012 at 9:02 PM

      Yes, it is so important to establish those rules on day 1, so much tougher to back track.

      Delete
  2. Rachelle QSeptember 5, 2012 at 3:28 PM

    Congrats on your first day of teaching! It always sounds weird to me to be called Mrs., I'm not too formal. Love the story of Sister Madonna! So inspiring!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Coach JenSeptember 5, 2012 at 9:03 PM

      It is a great story, makes me feel like I can accomplish a triathlon too :)

      Delete
  3. Mommy Run FastSeptember 5, 2012 at 7:10 PM

    That's so exciting about your new job- sounds like a great fit for you! I always strive on stress too... makes me so much more efficient, I think better, am more creative, write better... some people just work better under pressure, I think.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Coach JenSeptember 5, 2012 at 9:03 PM

      Thanks, striving on stress is a great trait of an endurance athlete too :)

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

GoMacro Thrive Review and Giveaway!

Image
All runners know that post marathon week(s) are filled with the fight to keep eating healthy yet indulge a little. I try to carry healthy snacks wherever I go to avoid the munchies. Needing gluten free makes finding healthy foods quick even tougher. I have my go to foods but love finding new options with such variety. I think my only complaint is the carb to protein ratio which for each bar is 3 or 4:1. I prefer a snack more along the 2:1 carb to protein ratio. To help this I add a few extra nuts to the bars when I have them for a snack, problem solved! Like all GoMacro products, Thrive are USDA-Certified Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, Kosher, Gluten-Free certified, 100% Vegan, and soy-free. Thrive is currently available to purchase online and will become available to Whole Foods this month! GoMacro is offering 30% off to all my readers with code Thrive30 for online purchases Here The Thrive Bars come in 6 flavors: Caramel Coconut, Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip, Blueberry
Read more

A few Races...

Image
Stillwater half was my final pre-marathon race. The weather was a mess, hot humid and gross! I ran with the 1:40 pacer to keep a nice pace and actually held myself back the first haf but yikes then we turned to the road and no shade and it all faded! I struggled to keep the "easy" pace as did everyone around me. I was happy to finish just 45 secs behind the pacer 1:40:45 and not too far off my goal of 1:38. That heat was brutal... Photo credit Stillwater Gazette Grandmas Marathon  For those who don't follow me on IG  @marathonmom28  here is the short version... I started great, on pace to PR then I became hypothermic (yes in June) and once the rain started it was painful (thank you Raynaud's). I finally walked off the course between mile 19-20 where Matt met me with dry clothes and a warm car. Grandmas this is strike 3, I think I am done!  I spent the car ride home thinking of next races and wondering if I could jump back in, (dumb I know). As we drove
Read more

Turkey Day 5K

Image
We have run this "race" many times, through name and sponsor changes, course changes and nasty weather. This year I went into it with hopes of a PR considering the perfect weather, but I failed to think about the massive amounts of people who would decide to run now that it wouldn't be too cold. I'm not sure the exact numbers but there had to be well over 5000 people, many who had no clue how to line up for a race. I lost track of the extreme numbers of walkers, kids, strollers and dogs I passed after it took almost 10 minutes to cross the start line! I spent much of my time weaving and trying not to trip over dog leashes or people stopping in mid course. I pleased to hit Mile 1 with a 7:40, still 1 minute over where I hoped but I figured much slower given the conditions. I finally found a guy to follow who making a path through the course and was able to hold that pace with a little trail running through the downtown parks. I didn't care since it was Nove
Read more