A Perfect 100, x2

As I posted about on my previous post, this past weekend was filled with some non-running athletic activities. Friday was the faculty vs. student basketball game at my school. We played the 8th grade team of mixed boys and girls. I played basketball for a long time, however, that was not the case for all other members of my team. We had trouble getting the ball past half court. I tried not to show any frustration, but it was hard not to be when my teammates turned the ball over almost every possession. But, I had a good time and the students beat us, just like it should be.

Saturday morning I got up early to get in a short run of 5 miles. I had ran Friday in the late afternoon but wanted to log a few miles before my canoeing trip later in the day. I ran at a fairly slow pace, but it was so nice to just jog along and not worry about how fast I was running. I think I need to do this more often...it is good for the mind and the body!

Saturday afternoon I met my friends and we drove up to where we were starting our canoe adventure. I started was in a canoe with 2 other people and got to sit out the first shift. It was nice to look at all of the beautiful homes along the Fox River. They were all so big and many had docks that led out to the river. It was very picturesque. There were 2 other canoes as well - one that held 3 people and another one that held 2.

After the first switch, I took over the front position in the canoe and stayed their for the remainder of the trip. We stopped a few other times, though, so it wasn't like I did not ever get a break.

We stopped at a Mexican restaurant along the way to eat some food. Most of us were hungry and wanted to refuel our bodies for the remainder of the trip. I took out my meter and tested - 100. I am never 100. The girl that was sitting next to me was impressed (she is in grad school for sports nutrition). After our short meal, we continued on.

We canoed for 12 miles on Saturday. Now when I think about it, 12 miles does not seem like a far distance; however, in a canoe, it is very far! We did it in about 4 hours or so, arriving at our destination just as dusk was approaching. My muscles were tired from canoeing so many hours and my arms felt like wet noodles. However, it was all worthwhile because it was such a fun adventure.

Saturday was my first time canoeing and I could definitely feel the result of the exercise in my muscles when I got up on Sunday morning. I have fully recovered today, and even got another 100 blood sugar reading this afternoon. Maybe canoeing is very good for my blood sugars?

MC200 + more

The past week I feel like I've been going nonstop, always with more things to accomplish and less time to sleep. Even right now as I write, I keep thinking about everything else I should be doing, like grading papers, entering grades, preparing report cards for 3rd quarter, planning lessons, registering for races, stretching...the list goes on and on. But that is mostly because things are busy for me as a teacher right now.

My "big news" is that I am running MC200 this year! I am beyond thrilled and excited to do this. It is a race from Madison, Wisconsin to Chicago and is 200 miles; hence, MC200. You do it with a team of 11 other runners and run in shifts three different times. I am either doing an 18 or 19 mile shift. They are broken up differently, though. The 18 mile shift is 6, 6, 6 and the 19 mile shift is 3, 7.5, 8.5. One of my friends wanted to run and there was an open spot on her team and she asked me. Apparently we are not going to be competitive, which is okay, but I know I'll be competitive with myself.

One reason why it will be hard not to be competitive is because my brother has run this race 2 times before. Although my brother is a pretty good runner (Boston qualifier multiple years and is running it this year and is training for the Leadville 100 mile race = craziness), his team won the relay one year. I'm sure he remembers their time and will be interested in knowing what my team's time will be. He'll probably tease me about my shift time and how slow I am. But, although I'm competitive, I just love running so it will be fun no matter what.

Monday and today I ran 8 miles in 1:04-1:05; however, I feel completely out of shape. Maybe it is because I am so tired? I know I'm not getting enough sleep at night which hurts my running a lot - this week I've averaged 5 hours which is not good. This weekend I plan on sleeping a lot, or at least hope to. Tomorrow I'm playing with other staff members in a basketball game vs. the 8th graders at school for a fundraiser. Hopefully I'll still be able to make shots - I haven't played since the fall. Saturday I'm going canoeing all afternoon. I am excited to do it since I've never been canoeing. I'm hoping to run some serious miles tomorrow and during the weekend as well. Don't you love active weekends, or is it just me?