I don't get many days off. Most weeks, I am working 5 days at school, a couple at night after school either at Copps or the YMCA, and then both Saturday and Sunday at Copps. I guess this classifies me as a "workaholic". It's better than alcoholic, I guess.
Today is a PD day for the elementary schools, so my only work options were to come from the secondary panel. I wasn't expecting anything to pop up, considering how many supply's would be looking for work, and how few high school's there are with EA's being away today. I had a staff meeting at the Y last night, and seemed to have missed one call from SFX (smart find express.... the pain of my existence). I jumped on to the online version once I got home around 9pm, but nothing was there. Still, I stayed up to my usual 11pm before shutting it off and going to bed so I could get up at 5:45am to see what was available in the morning. Nothing there for a good hour, then one came up.
Now, normally I'd jump all over that. 6:45 is usually my limit to accepting jobs because most start at 8am. If I start at 8am, I have to leave my house by 7:30. If I have to leave at 7:30, I have to be up and out of bed no later than 6:30. Today I had nothing to really do to my hair, and really only had to make my lunch (it's normally made the day before), and the usual brush teeth and put on make up before leaving. But I didn't take anything that came up.
I admit, I absolutely hold out for schools I love. Number one: Parkview. Number two: Glenwood. Numbers to follow: Westdale, Saltfleet, Sherwood. None of these were coming up (Glenwood is an elementary school, so that was immediately impossible). Normally, at this point, I would go into panic mode.... that whole stomach in my throat, foot-tapping, yelling at the computer for something that suits me to appear on the screen. Today I didn't do that. I decided today that I would not work at all! People reading this who know me well are probably calling a psychiatric hospital to come pick me up right now, because I have never chosen to not work... ever. I have this idea that that if I don't work a day, I am a bum. Of course it isn't true, when I've just worked two weeks straight. Anyway, for whatever reason, today I decided it was ok to not find work.
Instead, I plan to do some banking, and later meet Kathi for a 10k and weights at Les Chater. It's such a beautiful winter day today. I'm a little glad I'm not stuck in a building, unable to enjoy this rare winter sunshine, even if it feels like -24C. So what, I'll wear an extra sweater and a hat.
My weekend consisted of work and working out. Friday night saw me bartending at Copps for the Bulldogs game, which I didn't get home from until 11:30 (and it takes a while for me to come down off a busy night and settle myself into sleep. It was probably closer to 12:30ish before I actually fell asleep). Then I was up at 6:45 Saturday to have my whole wheat English muffin and yogurt before scooting off to run my 18k from the Runner's Den. Now, about this 18k run...... IT WAS HARD!! But also awesome. I love to run in the snow! But Saturday posed a bunch of different challenges: the snow was falling fairly quickly and piling up just as fast, and footing was difficult (it was a good move on my part to wear my new Brooks Cascadia trail shoes!). You couldn't really run with your head up, unless you were wearing ski goggles to prevent snowflakes from blinding you square in the pupil mid stride (it happened to me 3 times!). People had not yet come out to shovel their sidewalks off, and so at times we were trudging through some pretty deep passages. This fact became particularly clear and annoying as we made our way up the Osler Dr. hill in Dundas...... I don't think I've ever moved that slowly, ever. Even the long-time veterans complained of the conditions this week! But at the same time, it was a brilliant sight to see.
My route this week took me from the Runner's Den in Westdale, through the Mac campus, down Cootes Dr., around the Canadian Tire to Hatt Street, down some other street that eventually led us back to Cootes. Cross Cootes to get to another street that led us to Osler. UP! UP! UP! Osler and yet another snowy, sludgey hill, and down a side street leading back to McMaster. Through Mac and down Stirling, hanging a left at Haddon. Haddon leads back to the store, BUT we're not done there.... that was just 15k, and I needed to do 18 this week. So I kept going, past the store to Macklin. I followed Macklin all the way past Coronation arena, past Shalom Village Retirement Home, all the way to the Bayfront trail. THEN I pushed my way up the Longwood hill, to finish the tough part, and sailed down Longwood back to the Den. It was the toughest run I've had to do in quite a while, but it was SO satisfying once it was over. I was pretty proud to have pushed through it... a lot of people turned in early, or didn't even come out at all. This is probably a sure sign that I am crazy.
I am starting to train with gels for this Around the Bay and Mississauga Marathon. Last year, I used Cliff Bars throughout all of my training and during the actual race. Good fuel, but not a great idea. They're great because they're organic and hearty enough to keep you sustained for quite a while. One bar contains 250 calories, and they come in really great flavours. The problem rests in the fact that you have to actually stop and chew it so that you do not choke while eating it on the run. I think this slowed me down at last year's ATB and this year I decided to give the gels a try. Gels, plain and simple, are GROSS! But they work. On Saturday I bought a GU gel, vanilla flavour. The consistency is the worst part... it's actually like gel in a little package which you tear the top off of, squeeze into your mouth, try not to gag and take a swig of water to make it go down. Each gel contains 100 calories, and provides a significant boost in energy when you find yourself running low. Gels (or fuel in general) are recommended to be taken every 45 minutes on a long run. At week only week two of a very long training haul, I predict I am going to need a mad detox once Mississauga is over.
Spin class yesterday was ridiculous. Or I could have still been recovering from Saturday's run. Either way, I slept like a baby last night.
Ok, I think I'll get dressed now.
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