Still here!

Yes, I am still alive. School is CRAZY! But I love it, I really do.

And, I think I have managed to somehow find the happy medium - what I can do vs. what I should do. I have decided that sticking to a rigid schedule right now just isn't going to work for this first year of teaching. It might actually mean giving up triathlon and racing in general for another year. There is just too much to focus on.

This is not to say that I'm sitting around! I have decided that in order to take care of my kids, I need to take care of myself as often as possible. With a rail trail just a mile away, there is no excuse not to exercise! Every chance I get, I grab my mountain bike and head on down for 40-60 minutes of varied paces. If I'm tired, I just go slow. If I feel okay (but was still contemplating a nap - something I haven't done YET!), I go "one-notch-above" what I think would be leisurely. (I'm pretty proud that I've figured out that pace... I can go for a very long time! And, if I'm feeling adventurous, I go pretty darn hard.

The weird thing about the bike is that I've always noticed that the first 5 minutes just suck... no matter what I feel like before starting. There is just no getting around it. I feel drained and my quads feel trashed. I tell myself just to give it a few minutes. And, inevitably 15 minutes later, I'm happily sailing along... Weird stuff! Note: I don't even ride everyday. Right now I'm averaging 3-4 times a week, consistently.

Anyway, I just wanted to share. Life is different now. Really different. I keep hearing that the first year of teaching is the worst... So, I'm just going to put my head down and get through it, and hope that next year I might have a LIFE! :)