Some People Do Care About Teachers

Despite the fact that my school is making major decisions about how to balance next year's budget, thanks to the Governator, the New York Times still loves teachers. I've signed up for every day delivery of my favorite newspaper for about $20 a month! I would pay that much just for the Sunday Styles every week. Reading the paper takes a lot of time. Yesterday, I spent most of my day working through it, including two hours completing the crossword (with some East Coast help).

I wanted to share the following with you. This is a vote that you can't miss out on. Quoting from Monday's Arts section: "The polls are open in the annual balloting...honoring the world's oddest book title." Click here before March 28 to vote. Here are your choices:

• I Was Tortured By the Pygmy Love Queen
• How to Write a How to Write Book
• Are Women Human? And Other International Dialogues
• Cheese Problems Solved
• If You Want Closure in Your Relationship, Start With Your Legs
• People who Mattered in Southend and Beyond: From King Canute to Dr Feelgood
  

I won't try to sway you by letting on how I'm voting, but it is a touch choice.

Ughh...Plastic!

This is a fascinating article that you may have seen in Saturday's Times. It's about Ireland's five-year old tax on plastic bags. It has totally changed how people carry around their purchases. I know that Ireland is much smaller than we are and the politics of getting rid of plastic bags is complicated (read: relations with China), but does anyone else feel like we are so behind? Environmentally, fostering healthy individuals, education...it's overwhelming and a bit depressing.

So, go vote tomorrow for someone who you think can take us in the right direction.

It's A Race, It's A Race!

Today I ran my first road race in more than 13 months. It was awesome! I have been battling this weird leg injury, which mostly consists of incredibly tight calves whenever I run. I took about 10 months off and got back to running happy in November. I've stuck to about 2 or 3 miles, four or five day. Given how bad things were in the fall of 2006, everything has been going well. I run at the gym and while running on the treadmill is not my favorite, I am able to do my full dynamic warm-up in the gym (it's harder to do outside because I have to take my shoes off for one part).

A few days ago, I found out about a 5K in Golden Gate Park (in conjunction with a half marathon). The entry fee was steep since I was signing up so late, but it was worth it for me to get to race. It's been a rainy, rainy two weeks here, and today was no exception. Although today was intermittently rainy; sprinkles before the race then a brief pour when I hit mile three. I drove up to the city in the dark, but once I hit Great Highway (runs along the Pacific), you could see the white waves crashing. It was windy! Parking was crazy and I rushed to get on the buses to the park, since I still had to pick up my number. I ended up having almost an hour to warm-up, which is too much when you're only running 5K. It was weird being at a race and recognizing no one. I was in the Boston running scene enough to know a few people at every race. It's nice to have running friends.

The race was fun...there was a girl in front of me the whole time...I think she was probably 10 years old. I'm not sure if I beat her in the end, so I guess it didn't really bother me. I ran a 24:38 (my time, not gun time), which is more than a minute faster per mile than I can maintain on the treadmill. There's just something different about the roads...I can always run faster.

I'll try to run another 5K in three weeks or so. I'm doing my best to stay patient and stick to low mileage. I would rather be able to run for years and years than to be able to say that I have run x half-marathons and y marathons. I'm working on being patient!