Ha, Ha, Ha, Son, Real Funny

So I started taking my running a little more seriously this year, and by this year I mean 2012 (hey, I'm a teacher, so "this year" could also mean "since last August" right, and, you know, I like to be real clear-like when it comes to important stuff like this).  

So I'm trying to become a better runner…I even joined a running group, and I'm trying very hard to get in four runs per week.  So far I've been successful.  I'm feeling pretty good about myself…making the commitment and all, and also getting a wee bit faster.  Yay, me!

I have a 10K coming up and so I emailed the amazing leader of our running group and asked him what he recommended I do, running-wise, the week before the race.  His suggestion for the Sunday run was, "5 miles easy, with five 30-second strides after the run, resting for one minute between each stride."  

We do strides as part of our weekly track workout, so I know what they look like in that environment, but I wasn't quite sure what they would look like doing them on my own (and after a long run - we have always done them at the beginning of our track workouts, never at the end).  Since I'd never done strides after a run, and since I'm more than a little, um, OCD, I wanted to be sure I did them right.  

My son runs for his school's cross country team and so I asked him for clarification.

Me:  "Um, son, I need to do these strides, but I'm kind of confused because I usually do them before a run, not after.  So do I, you know, cool down first, after my run, and then do the strides, or do I, just, like, do them right away, with no cool down?"

Him:  "Um, mom, you know, the pace you run is pretty much a cool down, so, you know, you don't really need to worry about doing an actual cool down after your run, since your entire run will, um, be a cool down.  You know, you'll already be running a cool down, so, you know, you, like, don't have to do another cool down."

(Seriously?!  I swear to gawd if he had said "cool down" one more time with that smug, self righteous look on his face, I would have smacked him!  Well, you know, not really, since he's bigger than me and all, and, since, well, you know, I don't want to go to jail and all, but, you know, you moms all know what I'm talking about, right?)

"Your run is a cool down."  Ha!  Real funny, son, real funny…punk!

Funny Thing 1 and Funny Thing 2

Dr. Seuss's birthday was the other day.  (I'm sure you already knew that.  And, for the record, can I just say how much I love that man!)  He would have been 108 this year, but age, for someone like the beloved Dr. Seuss, is truly irrelevant.  His stories, and his legacy, will live forever. 

I love him just as much today as I did when I was a little girl.  (Psst, here's a little secret:  The real reason I became a teacher of the little ones is so I could read Dr. Seuss books year after year after year.)  I can't even express to you how much I look forward to reading his books to my students, not just on March 2, but all throughout the year. (When I am old and gray and in a nursing home, it is my sincere hope that someone will visit me every March 2 and read my two all-time favorites, Yertle the Turtle and Gertrude McFuzz…I promise I won't fall asleep in my soup…or, well, I'll try not to!)

This really wasn't supposed to be a mushy, gushy ode to Dr. Seuss, but I just can't help myself!  I really did have a point when I sat down to type this little story, um, 30 minutes ago! And that point, my friends, was to share with you two funny things that happened this March 2.  In honor of Dr. Seuss, I'm calling them Funny Thing 1 and Funny Thing 2. 

Funny Thing 1:  On Dr. Seuss's birthday last Friday, there was a sprinkling of First Graders who dressed up as various Dr. Seuss characters.  On the playground I spied Thing 1 and Thing 2, Sam I Am, and one of my cutie pies was wearing a beautiful, full-on, Cat in the Hat costume.  One little boy had on your basic, run-of-the-mill black jogging suit.  Upon seeing the other kids dressed up,  he looked at them, he looked at me, he looked down at his black jogging suit, he looked back up at me, and he said, "I dressed up as a black man today."  This kid is as white as white can be, but, hey, he's got a black jacket on, he's got black pants on, and, like most First Graders, he doesn't want to be left out of any fun goings on, so, well, he's a black man!  And, really, why not? 

Funny Thing 2:  Later that morning, as I held up the first Dr. Seuss book that I was going to read, The Cat in the Hat, a student very excitedly shouted out, "I like it teacher style."  Teacher style? Oh, my, do I dare ask?  You know me though, curiosity always trumps common sense, and so I said, "Teacher style?  What do you mean?"  

"You know," she said, "when the teacher reads the book."  

Oh, whew!  You can imagine how very relieved I was to learn that she was talking about reading!  And, of course, I think she's absolutely right:  Dr. Seuss is way better "teacher style."

So that's my story, and now it's done, and I really, really hope you had fun!  

And if you'll just indulge me for one more minute, I'll leave you with two of my favorite Dr. Seuss quotes. 

Favorite Quote 1:  "Don't cry because it's over.  Smile because it happened."

Favorite Quote 2:  "Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."