Running Laps and heartbreak.

Oh man, I am TIRED. I mean all over tired. My body, mind, and soul, all just tired. I volunteered to run the scoreboard at the Boy's regional Basketball games. I worked one game last night, and two games tonight. I also have to work one game on Friday. Because of this, I had to figure out a way to workout at school. I decided that I would run near school. Yesterday I did not have much time to get a long run in, plus it was supposed to be a light rest day. Since my run was so bad on Sunday i decided that I would just do an easy one miler. I ran completely around the outskirts of my building in 13 minutes. It was just over one mile. It felt good to stretch out my legs. I found it somewhat easy, well except for the running around school. I was nervous that students would make rude comments from their cars, but alas, no one saw me! Yeah! I then worked the basketball games. I received many compliments about my running jacket. Maybe I will go back and see if they still have them; I mean, I am super cute in the jacket, might as well own more than one! ;)

I also had to run at work today too. I had a little more time so I decided it might be a good idea to run on the track. Here's the thing, I hate running. I REALLY REALLY hate running. I especially hate running on a track. This is something I learned today. At least I know for sure that my phone does keep accurate mileage. After the IPOD debacle, I was really unsure. After running two miles on the track, i decided to run one lap around the building for the last mile. I did run into the softball team finishing up their tryouts, but that was no big deal. i think I taught or coached 85% of those girls, so i was not worried about what they would think of me. I am not sure why I care what the kids think of me. I guess I don't want to get weird-ed out that I am running around the building. I ran 3.1 miles in just over 37 minutes. I felt good until I stopped running. My back is killing me and so are my knees. Yikes.

After the run I had to work the games. My school's game was heartbreaking. The boys were so determined to win. I have NEVER seen them play so hard and with so much passion. With 2 minutes left in the game, the boys were up by 10 points, by the time the clock reached 30 seconds, the boys were only up by 2.... then with 1.2 seconds the boys were down by 2.... Yikes. They ended up losing by 3. It was a heartbreaking loss. It was sad.

anywho! Goodnight!

=)

It's been a long week

Seriously! It has been a long f-in week! I have been quite the bitch. I feel bad for all people that have had to encounter me this week. My week started off with my bi-weekly fat doctor appointment. I stepped on the scale fully thinking I would lose at least 3 of the last 5 pounds to hit 100 pounds; however, I only lost 1.4. Needless to say, I was bummed at hell! 


This Friday was also "Black Friday" at my work. What that means is that teachers are non-renewed or pink slipped. I knew I was safe from either of these situations, but it doesn't make the day any easier. OK, that's a bold faced lie. The day is much easier knowing that I am "safe" because I am tenured, but I still get really really worried about all my young teacher friends! I was right to worry. One of my good friends was RIF'd (reduction in force), and so was one of my English department members. Two good teachers. Two teachers that do a great job and love working at my school. There were other losses, but these two were the hardest for me. Friday sucked, royally. 


I did get to hang out with my work buddies twice this weekend.WAIT! I got to hang out with them Thursday, Friday, AND Saturday! Man, I hope they are not sick of me! Last night I went over to Bill and Garrett's. They spent all day smoking 4 hams. We ate and drank, and played Cranium. It was really fun. It helped me get out of my funky mood.

Chris and Bill discussing something

Garrett and Molly being cute

Alex and Liz

Liz explaining something

me being a big giant geek

Today was another four mile run. I felt great when I headed out my door, but then the wind hit me. IT HIT ME HARD! It was so hard to run! By the time I ran 1.5 miles, I was so tired. I almost threw in the towel because I was so tired. I admit, I had to walk much more than I usually do. I blame the wind. It took me way  longer than it should have. I might have to run another 4 miles this week just to see the time difference. Here is the my running schedule as of now.

10k Training Schedule
Week	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
1	walk or XT	run 20-25 min	walk or XT	run 20-25 min	walk or XT	off	2 miles
2	walk or XT	run 20-25 min	walk or XT	run 20-25 min	walk or XT	off	2 miles
3	walk or XT	run 25-30 min	walk or XT	run 25-30 min	walk or XT	off	3 miles
4	walk or XT	run 25-30 min	walk or XT	run 25-30 min	walk or XT	off	4 miles
5	walk or XT	run 30-35 min	walk or XT	run 30-35 min	walk or XT	off	4 miles or 5K
6	walk or XT	run 30-35 min	walk or XT	run 30-35 min	walk or XT	off	5 miles
7	walk or XT	run 30-45 min	walk or XT	run 30-45 min	walk or XT	off	5 miles or 5K
8	walk or XT	run 30-45 min	walk or XT	run 30-45 min	walk or XT	off	6 miles
9	walk or XT	run 30-45 min	walk or XT	run 30-45 min	walk or XT	off	6 miles or 5K
10	walk or XT	run 30-45 min	walk or XT	run 30-45 min	walk or XT	off	7 miles
11	walk or XT	run 30-45 min	walk or XT	run 30-45 min	walk or XT	off	3.5 miles
12	walk or XT	run 30-45 min	walk or XT	run 30-45 min	walk or XT	off	4 miles or 5K
13	walk or XT	run 30-45 min	walk or XT	run 30-45 min	walk or XT	off	10K Race

I cannot believe that I am starting week six of this program. I seriously cannot that in one week I will be running 5 miles. The Lord will have to be with me that day. I am already excited, yet completely scared out of my ever-loving mind!




Now I am sitting with my good friend Chrissy watching the Oscars. I never had an Oscar party before. I guess it's not a party if only two people are invited, but I like to say a party! Woo-hoo!

=)

Bonfires and Starved Rock

Last night, my friend Liz invited me over to her house in Kankakee for a bonfire. At first I was like WTF? It's February, who wants to sit outside in freakin' cold weather in February? I decided to go because I bail out on my friends so easily. I never go outside my comfort zone; Until now! I never thought I could run 4 miles, but I did. If you know me really well you know that i hate the cold. HATE HATE HATE the cold. I think it has to do with playing softball in the spring, the coldest time in Illinois and in Colorado. I played softball in the coldest area in Colorado, and staying out of the cold is very important to me! But I did it anyway and had such a wonderful time! I love my friends. They are so different from one another, but that's what makes them so fantastic!

It was just a fun low key evening. I am so glad that I got to go!

I did it, I ran 4 miles today!

I have been dreading this run for days and days! I was excited and anxious. When I woke-up this morning I laid in bed just thinking about how hard this run was going to be. I think I may have psyched myself out. Well, not out, but i have run over three miles before, and did it much better than I did today. At the 1.75 mile mark I had to stop and walk. There was absolutely no reason for me to have to stop, but I really believe that me worrying about the run psyched me out. After the first 2 miles, the ran got a little easier, I snapped a few pictures of the scenery.

When I have more time, i plan on climbing over to that cave and looking around. It looks so beautiful. Things like that really make me miss Colorado. I really need to get back to Colorado. I have been away far too lang! I was just so beautiful there. Wow, that was quite a digression!

Back to the run. 

At the three mile mark i realized that I may be lost. I had to stop again and look at the map on my phone. I am so glad that I started bringing my phone with me again! I realized I wasn't that far from home, but what I didn't realize was that Bourbonnais has a ton of hills! Man alive I had to climb a lot of hills! I finished the run exactly at my door step. It was quite nice. Although I was tired, and had to walk a few times, I was very proud of myself! 

Tonight I am going to a friend's house for a bonfire and tomorrow I will be hitting up Starved Rock with Chrissy to hopefully see some bald eagles!

=)

Nose piercing?

I have had my nose pierced for almost three years now. Over the past two weeks I have had so many people ask me if i just got it pierced. when I answer no, that I have had it pierced for several years now, the person has responded, Really? 


Yes really! I am trying to figure out why these people are just noticing...? Who knows...

Damn Ipod

I found out today that my Ipod is not accurate. It has the ability to keep track of my runs: distance, time, split time..  etc. However, my Ipod is WRONG! ERR! Allison told me about a website that tracks runs. It has google maps and you can see how long the run actually is. The run that i thought was 1.4 is really 1.1. Today I ran 2.7, my Ipod said i ran 3.42. It is rather irritating. Based on time and all that jazz, I am pretty sure that I did  run a 5K a few weeks ago, but I cannot be entirely sure. 


Valentine's Day was splendid. I went for a short run after work and then went home to get ready for my date. I went out to dinner with Chris, the guy I've been dating for awhile now. I got all glammed up and then headed to Orland Park for a lovely and quiet dinner. It was a splendid evening!

I was a little sad yesterday though. My past always seems to haunt me, and last night was no exception. I'm not sure how to feel about it, but well, I guess that's it.


Tonight's run was difficult. I am still quite weak from being sick last weekend. I ran almost two and half miles, but it took so long AND I had walk a little. I did change up the path, which was, literally, a good change of pace. I ran towards the river, it was beautiful. I am excited for Chrissy to come over so we can walk the path. She will really enjoy it. I had to walk the last .5 miles, it was uphill and I was SPENT! I am getting antsy about getting to the four mile run. I should have been there by now, but being sick has pushed back all kinds of progress! UGH!!


=)

Crucial Conversations?

I'm pretty upset. I mean it, I am. Someone gave me a pretty hellacious stomach virus. I was bent over the toilet all weekend, which means I am now a few days behind on my training for the 10K. I still couldn't run today because my stomach is still very sensitive. I only ate saltines, 7up, and a little bit of chicken soup in two days. I even lost two pounds. Tonight was the first time I ate and my stomach feels like I ate a very large Thanksgiving dinner, when really, I ate very little. Hopefully tomorrow I will feel a little better so I can try to run may be 2 miles or so before going out for Valentine's Dinner.

After school today I attended the bi-weekly teacher book talks. We are reading the book Crucial Conversations. It is a pretty excellent book. It is basically about having high stake conversations with people. The kind of conversations that can ultimately change the outcome of a relationship. we discuss so many important things. Many of the subjects open my eyes to how I communicate with the people around me. I learned that I am one kind of communicator with my work peeps and with my personal relationships. 

One of the questions that Really got to me today was... How do you respect someone that you have no respect for? Yeah I know. I guess for me I try and find at least one positive thing about someone and roll with it. It is hard. If I have no respect for someone, I try to avoid them at all cost. But the thing is, when I am at work, I have to deal with people that I dislike and maybe have no respect for, but still have to be work friendly with them. It's called "being professional", right? RIGHT????

Anyway, I really enjoy hanging out and talking with my co-workers about a book. It really reminds me of being in college. Man I love talking about literature and stuff! Love it, love, love it!

Here are some pictures of some of the people involved in the book talks. I really didn't warn them that I was taking the pictures!

******EDIT EDIT*****

Question--What do two roommates do when their bored? STICK GOOGLY EYES ALL OVER THEIR FACES!

"I SEE YOU!" 

Bahahahaha!

=)

Feelin' Blah and Jesse Jackson Jr

I have been feelin' blah all day. I have been dating a guy for a few weeks now, and we had a pretty significant argument last night. I'm not going to get into why we were arguing, but it sucked. It really got to me. I was in a funk since 9 pm last night. Usually I can go into my classroom and teach and it will get my mind off of whatever is bothering me, but because I have a student teacher, all I did today was think and think and think about the situation. When 8th hour arrived I was almost besides myself. Lucky for me though, there was an "awards" assembly for the High Honors students. Jesse Jackson Jr. was there to shake the kids' hands and congratulate them. All I am going to say is, yes, that did happen, but other stuff did too that I should not comment on publicly. I did enjoy hearing him tell the young men to pull up their pants and for the ladies to leave the boys alone that have no future! It was just great to hear that! 

                 

Many of our students were able to register to vote today too. That is kind of awesome. I hope that they actually vote come November!

Curly Hair?

I decided to wear my hair curly a few times this week. I never imagined I would get so many comments. People acted like they have never seen hair touched by an iron that curls! It was actually comical.

Here's me with the curly hair this morning. Nothing special, just a bit of curl, that's all! I actually like the picture I took this morning. My collarbones are visible and everything! It's been awhile since I REALLY liked a picture of myself. A few years ago, November of '08 I believe, I was visiting my mom and dad and sister in Georgia. My sister wanted to take pictures of me with my niece and nephew outside the Georgia Aquarium and I wouldn't let her. At that moment, I didn't realize why, but a few days later I realized what exactly was bothering me. What was bothering me was me. I didn't like who I had become physically, and how the physical change affected my behavior. I am a camera whore. I love being in front of the camera. I have been told many times over how photogenic I am and I just wouldn't let anyone take a photo of me, nor would I take a picture of myself. That Thanksgiving I got into a really big fight with my sister. We were both so angry at each other for no good reason. After much reflection, I have realized that I was upset with myself. I mean I WAS aggravated with my sissy too, but probably more upset with myself. Although I didn't decided to start losing weight until many months later, that was the first time I realized there was something wrong with me. That I wasn't who I was meant to be.

____________________________________________________________________________
My run today was pleasant. I did a 25 minute "easy" run. I say "easy" because it wasn't, but I believe it was supposed to be. After 8 minutes or so, the run became easier, and I finished with no issues. I definitely could have run longer, but I am following the schedule! I followed my run by going to the gym and doing some weight lifting. It was also nice. I push myself a little more than I usually do with the weights. I have to get these arms in check! They are gross!

=)

Training Schedule

Since I decided to sign up for the 10K race, I thought I should probably figure out a schedule to help me make sure that I am ready on April 22nd.  Today I searched online for different training schedules and found one I think will suit me. Although I call this a race, for me it's a race against myself, not against other people. As I have said before, I hate running. I mean it. I was telling one of my co-workers today that for me running is a punishment. While growing up, at practices and in PE in school, running was ALWAYS a punishment. Always. I still kind of feel like it is. I have to get that out of my mind. Running is not a punishment, it's the best way to lose calories in a small amount of time. You see, I am trying to change my mindset about running! Here is my schedule for the next 11 weeks or so. I am on week three.

10k Training Schedule
Week	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
1	walk or XT	run 20-25 min	walk or XT	run 20-25 min	walk or XT	off	2 miles
2	walk or XT	run 20-25 min	walk or XT	run 20-25 min	walk or XT	off	2 miles
3	walk or XT	run 25-30 min	walk or XT	run 25-30 min	walk or XT	off	3 miles
4	walk or XT	run 25-30 min	walk or XT	run 25-30 min	walk or XT	off	4 miles
5	walk or XT	run 30-35 min	walk or XT	run 30-35 min	walk or XT	off	4 miles or 5K
6	walk or XT	run 30-35 min	walk or XT	run 30-35 min	walk or XT	off	5 miles
7	walk or XT	run 30-45 min	walk or XT	run 30-45 min	walk or XT	off	5 miles or 5K
8	walk or XT	run 30-45 min	walk or XT	run 30-45 min	walk or XT	off	6 miles
9	walk or XT	run 30-45 min	walk or XT	run 30-45 min	walk or XT	off	6 miles or 5K
10	walk or XT	run 30-45 min	walk or XT	run 30-45 min	walk or XT	off	7 miles
11	walk or XT	run 30-45 min	walk or XT	run 30-45 min	walk or XT	off	3.5 miles
12	walk or XT	run 30-45 min	walk or XT	run 30-45 min	walk or XT	off	4 miles or 5K
13	walk or XT	run 30-45 min	walk or XT	run 30-45 min	walk or XT	off	10K Race

At the gym today I just went on the elliptical for 30 minutes. I didn't want to push my luck with my back, which is really sore from my run yesterday. I have to make sure to listen when my back "speaks" to me. If anyone wants to join me, I will be running the Perry Farm path tomorrow after work!

Again, I took no picture today, so here's one I took last week of my new shoes...

They are pretty awesome and well worth the $$

I am also loving all the compliments I am getting from people, however, my doctor says not to like this too much. I cannot live on what other people think of me. If I did live like that, I probably would be living in a hole somewhere because I am kind of a bitch! 

=)

You did WHAT? I ran a 5k today! Hey hey!

That's right friends, I ran a 5k: 3.2 miles without stopping in 29 minutes. It felt amazing to accomplish this! I mean just amazing. I never thought I would be able to do such a thing and I have done it! woo-hoo!

I started off pretty slow until I warmed-up a little. At the 1K mark I had a good kick going. I was feeling great. My breathing was steady and I was actually enjoying myself. There was no one else on the path, which was nice. 

I started to get tired at the 3.5k mark. That's just over the two mile mark. That makes sense because I was running two miles before, but I just kept telling myself that I could keep pushing. One thing that is difficult for me is controlling my breathing. I sometimes freak myself out and my my breathing gets a little out of control. I have to focus on the steady breathing so I can keep the running at a good pace. 

At the 4k mark I was beginning to struggle. I mean really struggle. It will probably take me a week or so to get strong enough run the 5k with no problem. I have to get there though. Last night I signed up for a 10k in April. It was a bit adventurous of me, but I want to do it. The race starts and ends at US Cellular Field. I get a White Sox jersey shirt thing to run in. I'm pretty excited. I am worried that I won't be able to do it, but with the training that I will be doing in the next few weeks, I know I can do it!

In other news, I went to my weight-loss doctor last night and had my bi-weekly weigh-in. I lost 4.8 pounds. Since May of 2009 I have lost a total of 94 pounds. I started seeing my doctor in April I have lost 68. I have 43 left to go. I have to stay motivated to lose these last 40+ pounds. I would like to lose them by the end of the semester, but that will be very difficult. 


Since I didn't take any new pictures today, here is a picture of my sweetie pie niece Nalina from Saturday when i was babysitting.

=)

Sunday is not my Funday

Superbowl or SuperBlah?
I hate the Superbowl. wait, that's not true, I hate football. It's sooooo boring! So needless to say, I am NOT watching the Superbowl tonight, not even the commercials. Ok, maybe I will check it out for the score...


So for me, tonight's is Superbowl is Super Blah!


I had a date last night. It wasn't the best date I've ever had. Let's just say dude was tired and I ended up watching the movie 50/50 all alone. It was a good movie. I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

This is my shadow fist pumping my personal best time!

This morning afternoon, I ran the best 2 mile run I have ever run. I was so very proud of myself. It was BEAUTIFUL, I mean, absolutely beautiful out. I started out pretty slow, but as I warmed up pretty quickly. At the one mile mark I was at a 8:45 pace (my Ipod tells me all the stats. Um? Exsqueeze me? 8:45? Not this girl... Not Amanda! There's no way that I could have done that! I always stop my run at the one mile mark to stretch out my legs, so I took a look at my Ipod, and sure enough, 8:45. At this point in the run i decided to take my brand new running gloves off because my hands were on fire. I continued on my run, only slowing down on the course where there is a steep hill. I finished up the run and then walked back to my car (about half a mile). Along the way I took these pictures.

The Running Path

Right after finishing the two miles

So I get back to my car and I am a very happy lady. I reach  for my gloves and OMG one of them was missing! My brand new gloves that I just bought yesterday was gone! AHH! I decided to walk the train again looking for the place where I took out my camera to take the above pictures. When I got to the place, NO GLOVE! I continued on my way asking everyone along the way if they had seen the glove. I got to the very end of the path, I probably had half a mile remaining and asked one last couple and yes! They had seen it.... except they saw a lady take it. Uh-oh.... I asked what she looked like and they tell me that she was an older woman with a white dog! I began to run tio get to her.... AND I found her! Yes, she had seen my glove, BUT she set it on a bench about a half mile back! ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!? So, I jogged back to the specified location and yes! There it was! Hurray!

My found glove!

Back to the shadow picture. I plan to take another one when I lose more weight. I think that will be a pretty cool side-by-side picture. 

=)

Motivation

MOTIVATION?


Motivation, well the lack of it,  is something that has stopped me progressing in my weight loss. I try to keep up the motivation, but sometimes it just disappears. I decided that i needed to compile a list of things that motivate me that I can look back on when I am having a weak food moment, or a day where working out isn't in the cards for me. Here are a few of the things I think about to motivate myself!


Being able to shop at a store that is not for plus size ladies- This has never been an option for me. Never have I been able to wear "regular" sized clothing. This is one of my major motivations for doing what I need to do!


Not being the fat friend- In my whole life, I have been the "big" girl that hung out with a whole bunch of skinny girls. The one that didn't have a boyfriend. The funny girl that everyone could count on for a laugh. The one who sat idly by while everyone else found their happiness because she was too scared, or thought that she was not good enough for it.


Being able to hug my knees- I know it sounds silly, but I have always wanted to be able to pull my knees up to my chest and hug my knees. Before losing weight, I wasn't able to do this. When it was finally a possibility I might have cried a little. JUST A LITTLE! 


Maybe, just maybe, competing in a road race?!?- So running is something I tolerate, right? I think I could possibly run a 5k? Even if I don't participate in a race, I want to be able to run 3 miles WITHOUT stopping! The one thing that may make this hard is my back! Stupid f-in back! I hate it!


and finally, the most important reason- MY HEALTH! Before losing the 90lbs, I wasn't completely unhealthy, but obviously, I wasn't healthy! Duh! Losing this weight, and changing my lifestyle makes me so very happy. Not only am I going to look good, I am extending my life!


Please say a prayer for my nephew Daniel. He is in the hospital right now with the RSV virus. 

I do get to hang out all day with his twin sister Nalina all day though! 

=p

Madonna and Collar Bones

My roommate Allison and I are sitting here watching American Idol. We both LOVE Idol.

 Anyway, the geniuses   at Fox decided that it would be a good idea to air the newest Madonna video. So Madonna is 57, and was dressed as if she were 24. She did look good. I wish I looked that good. The video was very weird to say the least. After it was all over Allie and I just looked at each other and giggled. It was quite a humorous moment. I wish there was a camera pointed at us for that exact moment. I think that both of us were like WTF Madonna... Seriously? You're 57, wearing a slutty outfit, walking on a wall while being held up by men. Weird.


I ran two more miles tonight. It was much harder than last night because I was tired from yesterdays run. It was beautiful outside. The sun was shining and was fairly warm out. I loved it.

My back is killing me though. I think I might have to take the day off tomorrow from running and just do the elliptical at the gym.


COLLARBONES
I was sitting at school this morning itching my neck and realized that I wasn't actually itching my neck, I was rubbing my collar bone. This is something I have found myself doing since losing weight. All of you skinny people out there will not understand this, but if you have ever been pretty overweight, you will get what I am about to say; for me, having a collarbone is new. Yes, I have always had them, but I was never able to see them or feel them. I sometimes forget this and run my fingers over them. It's such a weird feeling, and even after all these months of "having" them, I am just not used to it. Some of you may have seen me in the past few months doing this.... feeling my brand new collarbones. On some days, as I am able to do things I have never been able to do, I feel like a brand new person. It's a great feeling. I wish I could truly express how great it feels, but alas, I am not a very talented writer, just one that now has collarbones.


=D

Role Models and running....two very different things

I was driving to the state park after work today thinking about what I wanted to write my blog about tonight. Nothing really came to mind except one thing that was discussed a little at my staff meeting this afternoon. That was role models. A group was presenting about teaching kids in poverty and they mentioned that students living in poverty need role models. I find that funny because I think ALL kids need role models, but I get it, students living in poverty might not have the best role models at home, so we as teachers need to be that for them. It got me thinking though. Thinking about who my role model is. I mentioned to my student teacher that I have several role models for different parts of my life.

Mom and Dad

Two of the best people I know. Their marriage has lasted the test of time. January 2 was their 41st wedding anniversary. Their marriage is a true example of how two people in love should respect and love one another. They raised four FANTASTIC semi-normal people. when I finally find that guy for me, I want my relationship like my parents.

Dot Richardson
Many of you may not know who this person is, Dr. Dot is unmistakable. When I was 15, and heard that softball was going to be an Olympic sport, I was introduced to Dot Richardson, as well as Lisa Fernandez. I realized at this point that softball was something I could use to get ahead. It was something I could use to get a college scholarship. As many of you know, it is what I did. Without Dot and the other members of the 1996 Olympic team, I don't know if I would have had the fire to to be so competitive in the sport.

Kevin Seidel and Stacy Salz
These two people are very important to who I am at this point in my life. Mr. Seidel was my junior English teacher and inspired me to want to be a high school English teacher. Stacy Salz was a teacher I had when I was in high school in Colorado. She showed me compassion and love when I felt like no one in the school was there for me. I try to be as compassionate as she was to me everyday when dealing with my students.

I guess that's it.... there have been many people in my life that have helped make me who I am, but these are the ones that have helped shaped me the most.

In other news.....
I ran two miles today at the state park. I hate running, but I love tolerate running at the state park. It is so beautiful there. I have decided that running on a treadmill blows is not for me. I like the idea of actually running somewhere. Now, all of my coaches from college are probably laughing hysterically at even the thought of this... I mean, I was ALWAYS the last one in from the runs... ALWAYS way behind everyone else. I always felt like it was punishment, but running next to the river is amazing. I hate that I get home so late from school and that it is almost dark. The state park is just a great place. I can't wait until the spring to go hiking and to buy a bike and ride the trails.

=)