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Running back to school with the Dingos: August 2013

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8K views 316 replies 17 participants last post by  Plady 
#1 ·
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Welcome to the August 2013 Dingo thread.
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New visitors to the Dingo Thread may ask, "but, what is a Dingo?"

Dingoes are mamas (defined loosely, when needed) who run, walk, cycle, tri, and participate in whatever sport they need to sustain their awesome mama selves in lives that are definitely dynamic. Sometimes, a Dingo is injured, or life takes a turn, and she has to take a break from her chosen sport. Whether active or aspiring, Dingoes support one another in spirit. When two Dingoes are in the same place at the same time, something incredibly special happens. This is called a Dingo Meetup. They are relatively rare, and so we try to record them with photographic evidence.

Are you a Dingo? You just might be, if:

You sometimes perform acts of brilliance in order to squeeze a workout into a busy week.

You're never ashamed of coming in at the back of the pack, even if you're used to coming in faster.

You have found yourself sincerely respecting and admiring moms in all forms, observing how they're doing it for love, and growing from their experiences as well as your own

You won't know until you try, and all comers are welcome.

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Awesome opening written by jo at some point in the past.
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#252 ·
rm~I would probably let it air dry...I feel like it just feels better once it's dried up and scabbed over. But that's just me. What on earth did that to you??

jo~
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for feeling better!!

DS and I went for a hike with a friend this morning. It could have very easily been a disaster, but it actually went really well. There was a minimum of whining, and I didn't hear "when are we going to be done?" until we were about 1/2 mile from the parking lot. 5.5 miles, albeit pretty slow, but like I said...minimal whining. Win!
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#253 ·
Wow, it's been busy here!

First, the GT stuff: R's now in her third year of a FT GT program. We all love it. It's a great opportunity, both academically and socially, and if it's a good GT program, emotionally for kids who struggle with perfectionism or anxiety about starting something new or a whole host of other issues.

Like Geo said, having a tribe is huge. It normalizes a lot of things, because yes, there are several children with crazy high reading levels and/or math skills and/or science obsessions and/or writing and creativity skills, and/or music/art/etc. One of the kids in R's class is an early-entry student (started kindy at 4), and also a gymnastics star who had a special scheduled that allowed her to come to do gymnastics practice twice a week and then come to school about an hour late in the morning. So there are kids with really strong talents and kids who struggle in some areas and that's all normal in there. Differentiation is assumed, especially because the asynchronous development stuff means that kids are light years ahead in different areas, and that some of the kids in the class may be on grade level for their age, but need a little help to keep up with the fact that they are working a year or more ahead academically.

They aren't completely isolated. When it comes time for gym/music/art, the three classes split into different configurations so people aren't restricted to only knowing the kids in their class that year. That configuration changes again after winter break. They see each other at recess and lunch. When it comes time for the science and social studies units, the teachers often will try to each specialize in a subject and the kids rotate around, much as they do in specials. One might take rocks, another dirt, and another minerals, for a science unit, for example.

I think our school generally tries to avoid pointing out that one class is the GT class, even though probably everyone knows it's the case. (ETA: actually, we never told R why she was being tested or that she was going to be in a GT class. She was in second grade before she came home and was asking me about GT because they'd been talking about it in class. I didn't think it was worth mentioning until it came up, especially because her best friend is in a mainstream class and I didn't want to change that relationship. They are still best friends now and really well suited to each other socially.) Our school and the district as a whole is very anti-bullying. Also, I don't think we have many, if any, teachers who are sort of anti-advanced students. If anything else, it helps that kids with an ALP can simply head over to the GT class for reading or math or something, and the teacher can focus on the mainstream and struggling kids, which, honestly, makes a lot more sense (or alternately, for the struggling kids to have a class of their own while the mainstream and advanced kids share; either way reduces the spectrum spread). Last year, one of R's friends was going to the 3rd or 4th grade GT classroom for her math, and she eventually ended up moving up a grade. (She is crazy bright; she also missed the cutoff by 10 days and really should have been able to start kindy in 2009 rather than 2010. The district's early entry policy was new and no one told them about it, so they have struggled some to get her appropriate services.)

That's not true in all schools. Our district only has like 6 or 8 GT centers and our school happens to be one of them, with a configuration of 1 GT classroom and 2 mainstream classrooms per grade. Kids not in the GT classrooms have an ALP and should receive the necessary services in their school, but the reality definitely varies. Some schools are really good about it and other schools aren't, probably due a mix of personnel and personalities.

Another neighboring district has a "challenge school" that's not strictly GT. From what I remember, kids have to take a bunch of tests and do an interview and all before kindergarten to get in. They may admit more after they all take the second-grade tests. At any rate, it's a stand-alone GT school. A friend's three children all attend and I think they were having struggles with the superiority stuff, but then again, Cherry Creek is kind of a privileged area (expensive houses and low poverty), so I think that has more to do with peer group than school setting.

If there are any downsides, it's that it can occasionally be awkward at PTA or something if parents are introducing themselves as parents of a GT kid. This got kind of ugly when we were forming a search committee for the new principal and some brand-new GT parents were sitting at our table, probably thinking they were the only GT parents in the world, and whispering about how one of the parents on that committee "better be" at GT parent. I couldn't resist rolling my eyes and then pointing out that about 85% of the room was full of GT parents. Morons. Anyhow, the other parents were defining themselves as "just regular parents" which was kind of awful--no one should feel like they're "just" anything. The issue was handled very well by our previous principal who left at the end of R's kindergarten year, but we've had two temporary principals and the first one was truly useless, so I think our sense of community suffered some. We have a brand new one who is extremely aware that some people feel like there are hostilities between GT and mainstream, and I think he'll be able to smooth ruffled feathers.

A full-time GT classroom should be a much better fit than a once-a-week pull-out or promises of differentiation, etc. It will be teaching on a higher level, even if it has to pull some of the asynchronous students along in a few subjects, and GT teachers know exactly what they're in for. Ideally, a GT teacher will have the GT certification; ours all do. A teacher in a mainstream classroom has a lot more to balance, and while yes, the super teachers do it all and then some, I suspect the super teachers either don't have kids at home, don't sleep, or the class size is small. (R's class has 24 students; my niece K's first-grade class has 27. K's class is a mainstream one and she desperately needs an ALP, but my sister hasn't gotten her tested and is kind of resisting. I don't think they'll move to our school into the GT center because she really likes being able to walk across the street--and I understand that--but I also think K's academic needs will get overlooked as the teacher deals with the IEPs and some rambunctious boys in the classroom. The teacher, after all, needs an evaluation that shows she was able to pull the struggling students up because her salary and job security depend on doing so thanks to idiotic and unfunded legislation passed three years ago.)

Also? I was the kid who had the once-a-week pullout. It was the only thing that kept me going but it wasn't at all sufficient. My elementary school didn't even do reading groups after first grade. I was bored all the time. I had a lot of impulse control so I didn't act up, but it wasn't until we moved to a different district before my sophomore year of high school where I was challenged. Then I was able to move into honors classes, discover that yes, I had academic peers, and no longer be the odd one out. It was also great preparation for college, because I hadn't spent my entire K-12 education being the bright kid who never had to work hard. I knew that among my honors/AP peers, I was pretty average. My husband had been told he was the wunderkind forever and had a rude awakening when he started the honors college at our institution and discovered that hey wow, the entire college was full of wunderkinds.

One last thing: we got a brochure for the Western Academic Talent Search in R's Friday folder and while I don't think we'll pursue it at this time, it immediately made me think of Dingoes who may or may not know about it. sparkle--we're in the same region, which is the Center for Bright Kids Regional Talent Center. I think kerc and geo are both part of the Center for Talent Development. The offer another round of tests but the scores on those tests can offer students the opportunity to attend some really cool summer programs and more data to give to schools to force them to give students appropriate academic challenges. We received it because we're in the GT program and our GT program is interested in the test data (we'd have to pay for the test), but there are other ways to sign up for the necessary tests and then get into the summer programs. They mentioned the tribe stuff as well as the challenges, and I think they would be a great fit for a number of our Dinglets. (We're not going to pursue it, because, among other things, we feel like her academic needs are being quite adequately met and because there's no way we're sending her off to a week of sleep-away camp at age 9. Happily, she has a tribe already and for that we are extremely grateful.)
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Originally Posted by kerc View Post

State fair. Whoa. One kid about an hour into it said, "My ears are tired."
That is 100% the reason I avoid (pop) concerts and so many other loud things. My kids too, though I don't think they've ever said that. Then again, they don't need to, with me around!
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Originally Posted by sparkletruck View Post

There are various potentially interesting outcomes; not that he will feel like he isnt a freak, but that he might have his superiority complex challenged. On the other hand. would I reinforce this by separating him from the "general population"where he does have to practice patience, sympathy, collaboration with different-minded peers, etc....
But he will have to practice patience, sympathy, collaboration and deal with different-minded peers, even in GT. The difference will be that he'll get to work on those skills in a setting where the range isn't as big. At least most of the time. Our school's 4th grade GT class includes the boy who had half his brain removed last year due to epilepsy that couldn't be controlled. He's in school, doing a partial day right now. He can walk though he's in a wheelchair because you know, he's busy training the remaining half of his brain to work the half of his body that lost it. He can talk, though there are struggles due to retraining half his mouth and face, and also because the side of his brain that was removed was his language center. He started talking shortly after surgery, so apparently his brain had adapted some due to all the seizure activity anyhow? In short though, his cognitive skills are enough that he'll be able to stay on track with his peers, and meanwhile, his peers are working with that delicate balance between helping and smothering.
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RR: canoeing today, duathlon tomorrow.

NRR: went to the school board's study session on inBloom on Thursday night. The district is planning to pilot it here, and if you haven't heard about it, it's a "classroom dashboard" that allows school districts to connect all of their various systems in one place so a teacher doesn't have to log into multiple systems and then map it all on spreadsheets or something. It would also allow them to connect curriculum data, lesson plan ideas, test scores, acuity scores, etc. The controversy is all over the board, ranging from concerns that data might be sold so that parties can market more educational programs to the school based on the data, to fears that the system will be hacked. Anyhow, a lot of people who clearly have never attended a board meeting came and they were rude and they kept cheering when someone said something they liked despite the president's repeated requests for them to do a silent cheer (yeah, it's a bit goofy but it also keeps the meeting running...and considering that I've attended 7-hour school board meetings I don't blame them!). These people refused. They actually laughed when the school board president said she couldn't even imagine selling student data (this is a woman who went to school here, taught here, and now is superintendent of the district that contained her entire educational life). I was irate by the time it ended. I have no patience for bad behavior, and less for the fact that many clearly came only to protest, never mind the fact that the district has set up an advisory committee, is still working on what data will and won't be included, and may not go ahead with the pilot in the end. It's in the discussion state and people are so convinced that the "truth" is that the district is busy selling their religious affiliation. (Fact check: the district has never asked about anyone's religious affiliation. How can they include data they don't have?) Anyhow, I think we're in for a very rough fall. And I thought last year was rough with the mill and bond stuff!

We took off for the mountains right after that (literally; DH had the car packed when I got back), so it was a nice break.
 
#254 ·
Real, you are a wealth of information! The differentiation is very cool! Good luck at the duathlon!
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Gaye, great hike! love the DRs.
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JG, that sounds like the perfect day.
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Kerc, how did the nanny interview go?

RM, ow! Is that from running?

Nic, pm-ing you.

RR: Any masters swimmers here? If so, do you know what the commitment level is? I wonder if I have what it takes to swim in a master's league. Friday's hour-long swim has left me so completely sore - even the arches of my feet hurt - but it's that fabulous kind of sore that I could get addicted to.

NRR: Ds (9) got his 1st piano last spring and has taught himself the beginning of "Falling Slowly." He taught himself the right hand first, but then played around with chords and made up the left hand. He hasn't worked his way through the entire song yet, but I've just uploaded part of it here. Anyway if you have a YouTube account, he'd love some comments!
 
#255 ·
I swam with a master's club several years ago, and they had one hour practices two evenings per week. There was a huge range of skill, from nationally competitive to the older man who did all of the workouts with flippers. We were divided into three groups and each given a different but similarly-focused workout. In the middle group that I swam with we typically did around 2000m in the hour, of varying strokes/distances/exercises. Though there were a couple really competitive types, 95% of it was fun focused, and more than half of the group did workouts only and no competitions.
 
#256 ·
Real - I think I'm in love with your GT program! I don't think anyone in our district has any idea what to do with a kid like Emily. And the 1 hour/week pullout really doesn't do didly for her.

RR: Yesterday, I did 4 really amazing miles with DD2. Each mile was better and faster than the one before. Our last mile we finished in a 11:06 pace. This included the walk breaks we took (5:1 run/walk). I haven't run that fast in years. Training for this race with DD has been really great for me, personally. Through watching her learn to love running, I've really started loving it again myself. It helps that everything is feeling good for the first time in a long time. Everything is clicking into place. Unfortunately, the exercise love was just for Saturday, as it turns out. I was supposed to have a 60+ mile bike ride this morning. 3 flats within the first 9 miles, and I called it a day. Turns out there was a small tear in the sidewall of my bike tire that was causing the tubes to blow! Lucky for me, the bike mechanic was riding with us today, so he changed my flats and stayed with me while the husband of another rider came to pick me up (my dh was out riding with a different pace group and had passed us at the first flat). Bike mechanic now has my bike and is going to put gator skins on it as well as give it a good tune up. Maybe I can carve out some time to get out for something of a makeup ride next week, but I kind of doubt it. I am on babysitting duty again next week (hopefully the last week of it).
 
#257 ·
Jo-I love how you said"cover it so that nothing has to rub against that again, ever!" My thoughts exactly!

Gaye-I wanted to leave it open to form a scab but hard to do since that means I have to sit cross legged in undies, not conducive to workplace, or sleep, lol.

Yes, my FAT THIGHS did that to each other on my 15 miler Saturday. Started at mile FIVE I tell ya. Mile five. Owie. Owie. Next week it's a 20 miler and I'm wearing DANG capri's for Pete's sake. Poor dh had to make a cvs run last night for gauze pads so I could work today. Lol!
 
#258 ·
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Originally Posted by Runningmommy View Post

Jo-I love how you said"cover it so that nothing has to rub against that again, ever!" My thoughts exactly!

Gaye-I wanted to leave it open to form a scab but hard to do since that means I have to sit cross legged in undies, not conducive to workplace, or sleep, lol.

Yes, my FAT THIGHS did that to each other on my 15 miler Saturday. Started at mile FIVE I tell ya. Mile five. Owie. Owie. Next week it's a 20 miler and I'm wearing DANG capri's for Pete's sake. Poor dh had to make a cvs run last night for gauze pads so I could work today. Lol!
body glide.

I don't know about after the fact.

swimming: yes. what everyone already said. It is super duper rare that you encounter a club that asks you to be more competitive than you want to. As in, I know about 5 guys who might be that kind of jerk who coach masters, but otherwise, nationwide very inclusive.

holy hot here. 104 heat index. And predictions of more of the same later this week. Super.

I just submitted a book chapter I've been sitting on all summer. Essentially I was good to work on it in may and then was struck with massive anxiety all summer and essentially could.not.write my one paragraph. Tonight I came to work. And I got that submitted. Now the 8000 other things I need to do.
 
#260 ·
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Originally Posted by Runningmommy View Post

Unfortunately body glide doesn't seem to help me during runs
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I did try it after on this chaffing (it has aloe in it plus I thought might prevent further issues) but it didn't help.
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What about Vaseline? When I used to swim a lot my suit would rub against my neck. Vaseline did the trick.
 
#261 ·
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Originally Posted by Runningmommy View Post

Gaye-I wanted to leave it open to form a scab but hard to do since that means I have to sit cross legged in undies, not conducive to workplace, or sleep, lol.
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Maybe time for different running attire? Body glide works for me, but honestly, I almost exclusively run in my skirt sports gym girl ultra that has the shorts that cover my thighs so I don't get any rubbing.

Wow, I'm tired. That was quite the weekend. With a decent amount of alcohol mixed in throughout.
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After our hike yesterday, we went to a friend's housewarming/end of summer bbq and were there for the duration, getting home after DS's bedtime. Then I got up early this morning to go meet the trail runner's group (for the first time all summer!) and get a run in. Got home just in time to get a shower and head back out to catch the final stage of the US Pro Cycling Challenge. It was very cool. We got to see the last stage last year, but it was a time trial, and so not quite as exciting. This was a circuit stage, with 8 laps of 9 miles, so we got to see the breakaways, the chase groups, and the peloton 8 times. As they came screaming down 17th ave and made a hairpin turn into city park. I'm still amazed that nobody went down on that turn. It was seriously amazing to be (literally) just a few feet from the peloton. On one of the last laps, I was standing right on the grass at the edge of the pavement and one rider who was trying to make it back up to the peloton whizzed by so close that the wind made my skirt fly up, lol. Way cool.

rr~An amazing 6-ish mile trail run that reminded me how much I love running trails. When I saw where the trail running group was running this week, I knew I needed to try to make it happen, because it was one of my favorite spots. Off the beaten track, totally peaceful, and just absolutely gorgeous. I need to do this more often.
 
#262 ·
Maybe a numbing spray like solarcaine (for sunburns)? or even better the similar but hospital grade spray I got for after childbirth?

I often wear a pair of mid thigh length compression shorts under running shorts. They help the chafe and act as a sports bra for my rear end.
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#263 ·
RM, yes to the Solarcaine, or any other numbing agent, unless it is somewhat dried out by now. SportShield is a silicone-based lube. I really like it. It rolls on and is super slippery. Kinda leaks from the roller, though, so does not pack well in my experience. But I am the queen of chafe--sports bras, armpits, thighs...remember, I used to weigh a lot more than I do now, and the skin never snaps all the way back--and this stuff really prevents chafing. Once the sting is gone, maybe Vit E or A/D cream to help it heal? Maybe Desitin?

I am all
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on the GT convo. I have two really plain vanilla kids. They knock it out of the park in reading, but math scores are pretty meh, which makes me feel bad because duh, they are learning with me.
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I know they will grow well beyond me, but I have a tempest in my brain over how to deal with all this for them. I need to chill out and trust that the combination of traditional learning and experience that we're providing is enough, and they will find their way. In good time.

Speaking of, on dh's insistence I booked train tickets for a long weekend in DC. I wanted to take them on a train anyway, and it's a ton cheaper than airfare, and time is something we have. I booked a "mystery hotel" and ended up with the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill for obscenely cheap pricing, considering location, etc. Should be an affordable, fun couple of days. Lots of miles to walk, for sure.

That said, I am starting to think that the half has become out of reach. I just don't see myself able to run 13 miles.
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Ramadan was such a smackdown, and now this cold has seriously leveled me. I don't see myself running for at least a few days with the way my breathing is now. I think I should take it off the list.
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Feeling like a Dongo.
 
#264 ·
Real - Thank you. Your post has me
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There are so many variables to consider, not just whether he is academically challenged. Honestly, I dont really know what the right fit would be for him. he isnt highly motivated, and is easily hurt by feedback that is anywhere near not-positive, but is insanely focused when interested in something, and a very quick study. I think he might like being better at things than his peers, even as he is frustrated by not being challenged enough. However, if that challenge included homework, he scrunches up his face, but then again, if the work was so interesting (which may be unimaginable to him, hence the homework-hate) then maybe he'd not care about being surpassed by peers and having to do homework/more work. Plan right now is to see how the GT goes this year, and at the same time, observe the full-day program, and then see what I think

RR: Yard work? A couple hours of weeding?...

NRR: Very sad tonight. The fire near Yosemite has burned our annual "family camp" to the ground. This place has been going for 80 or more years. The same buildings I sat in and used as a kid are the ones my kids use now (the dining hall, the bathrooms, the stage, the badminton/volleyball courts ....) Gone...

In other news, it's my anniversary today: 9 years since we married, 18 since we met - same week - (literally moved in together 2 wks. after meeting
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Hey, I'm a free spirit, what can I say
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)
 
#265 ·
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Originally Posted by 1jooj View Post

I need to chill out and trust that the combination of traditional learning and experience that we're providing is enough, and they will find their way. In good time.
Yes, I think the experiences you are providing are enough. That's sort of why we don't see a need for summer camps. We're up in the mountains as often as possible, hiking, canoeing, etc, and I think my introverts need that time to chill out too. Also, you are not a Dongo! There are always half-marathons available when you're ready for one.
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Originally Posted by sparkletruck View Post

He isnt highly motivated, and is easily hurt by feedback that is anywhere near not-positive, but is insanely focused when interested in something, and a very quick study. I think he might like being better at things than his peers, even as he is frustrated by not being challenged enough. However, if that challenge included homework, he scrunches up his face, but then again, if the work was so interesting (which may be unimaginable to him, hence the homework-hate) then maybe he'd not care about being surpassed by peers and having to do homework/more work.
If the GT program is one that also addresses the socio-emotional stuff, then he'll be fine. What you've described is pretty typical of that population (and my husband!).
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One thing you might want to look into is what the focus is in the full-day program. If it's one that's big on homework and challenging kids and talks a lot about that but not about the socio-emotional stuff, that needs some follow-up to see what they expect. I'm sure he likes being better at things than his peers (who doesn't?) but a good program expects that and is prepared to deal with a class of 25 kids who all like being the best. It may also be a relief. There is a great deal of pressure that goes with being the kid who always has the top scores. For me, it meant that either they'd make fun of me for being such a nerd, again, or they'd make fun of me because someone had scored higher than me. (I really, really hated junior high. And my first year of high school. Sixth grade wasn't so great either.)

tjsmama--sounds like a lovely trail run.

RR: West Side Duathlon! For reasons I don't understand, I was worked up about this race. It's easier than a triathlon so I'm not sure what my deal was, but suffice it to say I didn't sleep well last night. I also dreaded racing, 'til I finally reminded myself that I didn't have to race it. I could run it at an easier pace (shocking, I know!). Anyhow, the race starts with a men's start, the short-course start and then the women's and relay start. We headed out and pretty quickly separated into the fast and the slow. I wasn't as fast as the fast, but apparently no one else was as fast as me because I ended up running completely alone. At some points, I couldn't see any runners anywhere ahead of me. It was odd, like being out on my usual runs. But also nice because no one was breathing down my neck and I could just hold my own pace. I finished the run, headed into transition, realized I'd forgotten to unvelcro my shoes after I'd tried shoving my foot in (doh!), and took off--without the Camelbak I'd brought. Double doh! I had a water bottle so that would have to do. The bike course is fairly hilly, with one big hill up the busiest road (they closed off a lane for us but it seemed every motorcycle and loud diesel truck in existence was driving up and down the road this morning). Then we turned right into the canyon by Leyden, a former mining camp. That's a beautiful little canyon and it didn't have any traffic. It's also a little more flat and would have been my favorite stretch except for the memorial there. Not long after we turned back south and headed up a few rolling hills with a really ugly one right near the end. There's a downhill stretch that's ok but doesn't make up for the ugly hill, and the lap finishes with a long, moderate climb back to transition. We did two laps. Then it was back out to the run, where I realized I'd forgotten to take off my bike gloves. (But it saved time in transition, right?) The best part of this run was passing two women who'd passed me during the second bike lap. I passed them within the first half mile. Then I picked off people one by one. By the last mile there was no one around for the longest time. Eventually I spotted a guy heading up the long hill toward the finish. By the time we neared the finish I was probably only 100 yards behind him and still felt better than I did doing speedwork on Friday when I had to keep stopping to catch my breath and not throw up). I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected, the biking was fun, and I see more of these in my future!

Official results (5.2K/30K/5.2K):

Run: 27:52
T1: 1:39
Bike: 1:13:45
T2: 1:13
Run: 28:33
Total: 2:12:59
F35-39: 7/13
 
#266 ·
sparkle - oh, how very, very sad
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. I'm so sorry your camp is gone. I know how much it meant to you and your family.

Real - Congratulations on a great du! I am so envious of R's school too! If that kind of opportunity had been available to DS in 4th grade, he might not be so bored by school now. Honestly, his attitude toward education and learning in general just sucks
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.

RR - ran and walked 3 miles this morning before it gets too hot. After the mildest, coolest, wettest summer in years, we are now in the middle of 95+ degrees, high humidity and no chance of rain for the next 10 days. Ew.....
 
#267 ·
OH, RM! So very painful!!!! I always, always, always wear compression shorts. I love the look of those cute running shorts, but just can't wear them. Not for walking, certainly not for running. Of late, I have only been wearing capris, because my latest batch of shorts tend to ride up until I am starting to sweat. I agree with covering them when you need to be decent, but letting them air when you don't need to sit ladylike!

RR: or maybe this should really be a NRR! So aggravated. I had 60+ miles on deck today on the bike. The universe, however, had other things in mind. I got my first flat only a few miles in. I had a spare tube, and lucky for me, the bike mechanic guru of the group was riding with my group today, so he changed my tire. Two more flat tires in quick succession and I called for a ride and called it a day. Turns out, there was a small rip in the side wall of my tire. Same thing that happened before the race. So, I decided to replace both tires with Gatorskin tires. Hopefully, this will not happen again!
 
#268 ·
RM, I hope things are more scabbed over today. At times I've taken to wearing an Ace bandage around chaffed legs to get through a day. And, um, not fat thighs. You might have a gait where your feet land close together, but fat thighs? Give me, and more importantly, yourself, a break.

Ugh, bec. Between me and DH, we've had a tube curse, with 4 flats in the last 2 weeks. One slight silver lining is that we can each change a tire in no time flat, now.

IEP meeting was this morning. Ugh. The math teacher says he'll follow the law when his boss is in the room, but it was clear he didn't want to. I aired my grievances on the other stuff, and the principal was kinda like, "yeah, what's the problem?". The councilor followed me out of the room and promised that it would never ever happen again and I should call her asap if I so much suspected something like it again. She then gave me her home phone number. I think I found my ally in the school.
 
#269 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Geofizz View Post

IEP meeting was this morning. Ugh. The math teacher says he'll follow the law when his boss is in the room, but it was clear he didn't want to. I aired my grievances on the other stuff, and the principal was kinda like, "yeah, what's the problem?". The councilor followed me out of the room and promised that it would never ever happen again and I should call her asap if I so much suspected something like it again. She then gave me her home phone number. I think I found my ally in the school.
whew. Good

Fwiw: my poster is Monday at GSA. Yes!!!!
 
#270 ·
I've been reading but have limited time to post with the start of the school year. My students don't actually arrive until Thursday, but a week of meetings has me more than ready!

sparkle~ I am so sorry, mama. We've been watching coverage of the fire every day, and I can't help but notice that the containment percentages are going in the wrong direction. What a loss for your family. Hopefully you can rebuild even stronger.

jo~When are you heading to D.C.? That's not too far from here, you know?!?

jaygee~Yup on the last-minute summer surge. I have three 4-milers on tap for this week and am supposed to do them in the late afternoons. Not really feeling that in 95+ degree heat with humidity.
 
#272 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by kerc View Post

Fwiw: my poster is Monday at GSA. Yes!!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Geofizz View Post

Kerc, my talk is Monday at 1:15 pm. I have to be at the MSA meeting Saturday, so it looks like Sat-Monday evening I'll be in Denver!
Lisa googles "MSA." Finds meeting dates. Marks them on calendar. A Dingo meet-up, hooray!
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If you get really ambitious and don't mind skipping out of the Saturday morning events, you could join me at the Kooky Spooky 5K/10K/half-mary.
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Or you know, coffee's always good, or some mix thereof. I can't wait!
 
#273 ·
sparkle~I'm so sorry about your camp.
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But happy anniversary!
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real~Great race!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Realrellim [IMG alt="View Post"]https://www.mothering.com/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

Lisa googles "MSA." Finds meeting dates. Marks them on calendar. A Dingo meet-up, hooray!
joy.gif
My schedule request for that Saturday is due this weekend, so I'll request off just in case. I leave for NYC that following Friday, so I already have requested off for Thurs-Tues. That schedule request isn't due until the 22nd, so I have a little time, but just let me know, and I can request off either Sunday or Monday to try to ensure a meetup.
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First day of school for DS, and all went well. So far I like his teacher, and he seems to like her and his classmates. I like having the ability to run and such while he's in school.
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rr~I was theoretically supposed to run 14 this morning. I just did last week's long run on Friday, and hiked with DS on Saturday, and trail ran 6 miles yesterday, but this was the only day this week that my running partner could go with me, so I figured we would give it a try. Well, less than two miles in I knew that there was no way that it was happening. It was HOT by the time we were able to get started (almost 9, since I had to drop DS at school), and humid (shut up, non-CO people...it was humid for here!
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), and my legs were tired. So, we sucked it up enough to run 8. Even at that, we had to stop almost every mile to take a break. It was hot, hot, hot.

dr~He friended me on facebook this morning. I'm not quite sure I was ready for that, but it's not like I could really refuse, right? I can always unfriend him if things go bad, right?
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Meanwhile date #4, arranged for Friday.
 
#274 ·
Trip to Denver: right now I'm considering bringing my girls along and leaving Friday, spending Sat and Sun there not at the meeting, Monday at the meeting and flying out tuesday morning. This could change at any time. I'm also a coauthor on a project that has a poster on Wednesday, but I told Kaybee (coauthor, also a MDC mama) when we submitted that I probably couldn't make it Wednesday (fly home Thursday, do Halloween at home, get up at 4 am, drive to Madison, WI for a meeting on Nov 1. just doesn't work for me).

Gaye: I think the FB friend thing just is so different for some many people. I'm a -- I don't friend you until I know you fb user. Whereas lots of people FB friend me to get to know me. Also I can't keep up if I have too many friends.

So sad to see Yosemite's damage.
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and even sadder to hear NPR talking about how even though these trees need fire to survive, the fire is too hot for that.

No exercise to report. But excellent day yesterday with dd1 and at therapy for her. She has one more appointment to "check in" after school starts. She hid her anxiety about school starting pretty well, enough that therapist said in our pre-meeting, we could be done today and I said, let's do one more meeting after school starts. She goes in, meet with Erin and asks a small question about the end of summer and BAM hits a nerve. Reported at the end of the session, "I think one more meeting is a good idea."

Also: Erin overheard me call ped's office to try to get an appointment to have her checked for celiac (before we try going off gluten again). We have same day scheduling and I've been trying to get her scheduled for oh, 3 weeks now. And still no appointments. LOVE LOVE LOVE her ped. Hate this new difficulty scheduling. We have a friend who is a doc, I would switch to him, but I think Erin in particular will strongly prefer a female primary care doc. (friend is of dh and I, we see him in settings where our kids aren't around (triathalon training groups, etc.)).

I'm back to work.
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But here's hoping some semblance of a routine helps me find my groove again.
 
#275 ·
Conference - I have to be at the Saturday business meeting all day. I'm on the executive board...

Besides my afternoon session on Monday, I'm not that into the conference. I'm happy to take off Sunday and sleep/play (expecting jet lag from being in Japan the previous week)

RR~ RP needed to walk last night. I spent the second half of the walk trying to convince her to change jobs. Seriously, she's been at work until at least 11 pm every day for the last week. Not ok.
 
#276 ·
Sparkle, so sorry about camp. I hope it comes back someday.

Towson, we will arrive at Union Station afternoon of the 6th and depart the afternoon of the 9th. We will be entirely on foot, probably making the Smithsonian rounds for most of that time. I wish I had a second adult to come, but at the same time if we had invited my mom, that would have meant a lot more complications, and money.

This no-bcp thing is quite an adjustment.
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