Exercise/Healthy Eating Craze at Woodstock!!!!:):):):):)

For as long as I've been here at Woodstock (my 4th year at the end of June) I have been dying to see exercise and a passion for healthy eating start to take over students!!!! AND IT HAS BEGUN!!!!!!:):):):) I AM SO PROUD RIGHT NOW OF THE STUDENTS AT WOODSTOCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:):):):):):) Well at least 50%!!!!!!! Especially the graduating seniors and juniors!!!!!!!!

The best part of this craze is the HUNGER and THIRST for knowledge!!!!  They aren't just following some crazy, online diet plan, they are actually coming to staff who are knowledgeable about proper nutrition and exercise regiments!!! I mean for goodness sakes, students are starting HEALTHY eating clubs for PASSAGE next year!!! These clubs require students teaching other students (and some staff helping) how to cook healthily and how to ENJOY it!!!!:):):)  Never would I have expected this level of dedication!!!  Well maybe a little, but not to this extent, and it is AMAZING!!!!!!!:):):):):):):)

Coming from the states and the "fried food" kingdom, it is so refreshing to see students learning how to cook with fresh NATURAL ingredients, no packages or store bought products!!! But actually combining ingredients and tasting the texture, etc.!!!!:):):) Using whole wheat flour, fresh vegetables, fruits, all of that!!!!:):):) And then to add on top of that, a regular exercise routine!!!!!:):):):):) AWESOME!!!!!!!!!

So it has been a FANTASTIC year at Woodstock from a physical standpoint!!! Now yes, we are not at every student being this dedicated, but it all has to start somewhere!! And right now it has started!!! Oh and THANKS TO A SALAD BAR to jump start the healthy eating craze!!!!!!!:):):):)

Keep up the AMAZING work Woodstock students and keep up the passion towards a lifetime of fitness and healthy eating!!!!!!:):):):):)

GOTTA LOVE IT AND HAPPY SMILING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:):):):):):):):):)

A dream come true!!!!!!!!!!!:):):):)

September 2, 2003 was the first day of school for my Senior year of high school!!!!!! And this day would forever change me!!!! For the first day of school was my first time doing the morning announcements over the loud speakers!!!!!! And let's just say I had the most fun EVER!!!!! Started off every morning with GOOOOOOOOOOOD MORNING SHAKOPEE SENIOR HIGH!!!!!!!!!!! One of my teachers told me that I had a great radio voice and should look into radio sometime!!!!  I told them OH I will one day try and be on radio!!!!!  It is a dream I have!!!!!!

Wednesday, April 17th 2013 will be a day I will remember forever!!!!  It was the day I went live for radio!!!!  A month ago I e-mailed some of the ICT and AV crew staff at school asking if it was possible to do a live radio broadcast, since last year we tried the video streaming and failed horribly!!!  2 weeks before Win Mumby Mike Pesavento (which I'll get to him later) said he has found this site and it looks like it will be possible to do a live stream!!!  At that time Mulan (our 7-9th grade Spring drama) was in full force so I didn't want to overload Mike and cause him a mental breakdown so we would work with this after Mulan was over!!  Well Mulan finished and sure enough he had Spreaker, the same link on the bottom of this post, up and ready to try out!!! Only problem is we had NO games to try it out on before Win Mumby!!! So our first LIVE broadcast would be WIN MUMBY!!!!!

Wednesday night!!!!!! Woodstock Girls vs. Lawrence School, my first live broadcast and a game I would never forget!!!!!!! I was SO freakin nervous!!!  Not sure how I would sound, if I would talk to loud, fast, mumbley, etc.!!!!!!  The great thing about Spreaker is you not only get to go live BUT it gives you the option to record all of your broadcasts as well!!!! So I knew, okay let's get through tonight and I could go back and listen to them and analyze and change things if I needed to!! And man were there things to change!!!! However, first night went AWESOME!!!!!!! It was SO much fun!!!!!! The games seems a THOUSAND times faster when you try and call out every single play!!! I'll get to that part at the end!!!!!;) During the first 3 games that night we were also unsure if anyone would even listen or comment!!! But sure enough we saw listener after listener log on live, AND we even had comments!!!!!  One of the girl basketball player's moms was AWESOME over the 3 1/2 days!!! She would be the first one to comment and would comment multiple times with such inspiring and positive words!!!!!!!:):):)  So I did 3 games on Wednesday night, that was the easy part of the entire tourney looking back!!!!!!!:):):):)

Thursday!!!!!!!!! And I do mean THURSDAY!!!!!!! 7:30am Mike and I set up for a LONG day of basketball!!!!!!!!:):):) Listening the night before I talk with Mike about the things I heard, and both he and I were up until 1am listening, editing, taking notes, etc.!!!! I'll talk about Mike later as well!!:):) So 8am the first of 10 games for the day!!!  Games 1-4 in the morning and 5-10 in the afternoon/evening!!!:):) And between the morning and afternoon there was about a 2 hour break!!!! So really Mike and I were sitting on that freakin wooden bleacher from 7:30am to 9:30pm with a 2 hour break, broadcasting BASKETBALL!!!:):):) You REALLY have to enjoy what you do to do that!!! Which we did!!!!!!!!:):):):)

Friday!!!!!!!!!!! And again I do mean FRIDAY!!!!!!! Same thing, 7:30am Mike and I were there, and 9:30pm we were done!!!!!!:):):)  We had 11 games that day 5 before lunch and 6 after lunch, so break that day was only an hour or so!!!!  And this is where I could tell, okay you best start being smart about your voice, because it was fading a little bit!!!!:):) Of course though, the BIGGEST games of the tournament were that night!!! Both Woodstock teams were undefeated (2-0) at this point and Friday's games would decide if they were #1 or 2 seed in the Saturday fixtures!! So I knew it would be a full house and energy would be high!! No boring broadcasts coming up that night!!!!!!!:):):) Woodstock ladies played Modern School (future Win Mumby champs) and lost, followed by a great victory by the Woodstock boys team over Doon School!!!!!!!!:):):):) After the games my voice was in trouble!!!!:)  It wasn't gone, BUT it wasn't strong either!!! I knew Saturday was going to be 50/50 getting through it!!!!!!!

Saturday!!!!!!!!!! Again got to school at 7:30am ready to go with Mike!!!!!!:):):) Voice took a while to warm-up, but once it did it was decent!!! Not great, but not bad either!!!:):) Decided after the first 5 minutes of the first semi-final game that this was going to be a blow out so would save the voice for the next two games, which happened to be back-to-back Woodstock games!!!!! And being bias towards Woodstock, those two games were FAR more important!!!!!!!!!!!  Ladies played Welham Girls, and let's just say you need to listen to that one to see what the crap happened there!!!! The most bizaar and childish event ever by a visiting coach!!!!!  And sadly that coach was the Chief Official of the entire tournament!!!! So Woodstock unfortunately lost that game vs. Welhams!  But then Woodstock Boys played Modern School and THAT to me personally WAS the Championship game!!!! Back and forth all game, winning score was 83-79!!! Only in the last 1 1/2 minutes was the lead more than 2!!!!!!!!:):):):) And got some EXCITING comments from listeners!!!!!!:):):):)  However then we had a break after 1:30pm and that is when the voice went sour!!! And when I mean sour, I mean like NON-EXISTENT!!!!!!!! I drank some hot tea, an entire liter of water, sat down for the girls game, practiced talking a little bit and thought it might work out!!! Mike gave me the thumbs up and BAM...................... nothing was coming out except some squeaks!! Instantly I knew that the 2 Championships game would not happen!!!! I saw David (another Woodstock staff member) sitting in the far bleachers and we had talked a couple days before how he used to sit at home and commentate during basketball games to his wife!!! So I immediately stood up, tried to wave him down, mimed with my hands to get over here ASAP, and take over!!! My heart sunk!!!! The entire tournament lead up to these two games, the most important games that people want to listen to, annnnnnnnnnnnd I can't even say a simple sentence at this point!!! I wanted to struggle and try it, but didn't want to do that because the listeners would have a tough time!!! So David took over for me and I just filled out my stat sheet for him!!!! Woodstock won the Championship and all was well with Woodstock!!!!:):):):)

Now back to the things I said I would get to!!! Listening to the growth from Wednesday night to Saturday morning was so much fun!!!! From a frozen deer in the headlights with everything moving so fast on Wednesday night, to the feeling of the Matrix when they slow everything down was awesome!!!! I went from saying the visiting teams players numbers only on Wednesday to saying both numbers and names, while writing down the stats of the game!!!:):)  It got to a point I could watch a part of the game, memorize that part, replay the part via radio while writing down the stats!!! It was truly an awesome feeling!!!:):):) And during Win Mumby and my breaks I would listen to different play-by-play broadcasts and memorize their descriptive terminology and use that to paint a better picture on the court!!!:):):) Oh it was the BEST time ever and would not have changed a single moment!!! And holy crap the experience within 3 days was MIND BLOWING!!!!!!:):):):)

Now back to Mike!!!!!!!!!! I don't even know where to begin!!!! The silent hero of it all you could say!!! Even before Win Mumby started Mike was working on this and trying to get EVERYTHING ready to go so once we went "On Air" it would be perfect!! WHICH IT WAS!!!!!!!:):):):) And the fact that Mike sat with me at my side for EVERY SINGLE SECOND OF EVERY SINGLE GAME was a blessing!!!!!:):):):) Without Mike, my dream of doing this was impossible!!! I didn't even know where to start and without his equipment I could have never done it!!!!!  Also, the fact that we got so comfortable as the games went on was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!! I still remember the first couple of games where we were both trying to communicate what was going on, how we had to quickly cut off air to fix things or pause something!! And by the end it was a simple gesture of a thumbs up, or a single finger in the air (without a single word mentioned) and Mike knew EXACTLY what that meant!!! And I could give him cues over the air and he knew what to do right at that moment!!! I would say things and now we have a 1 minute time-up and we'll be back in 45 seconds, which he knew and took that cue as play a song for 45 seconds!!! Then once the timeout would be up I would give a thumbs and I knew he knew what that meant!! He would lower the volume of the song and within 2 seconds I would be in broadcasting again!!! Like I said we were a well oiled machine!!!! And cannot wait for next year!!!!!!!!!:):):):) I would have had no one else except Mike sitting next to me!!!!:):):):)

And of course Shubhra!!!!!!!!!!:):):):) Who when I got home finally on Saturday said, watching you doing the broadcasts and interacting with the crowd like you do makes me think how much I would have regretted not marrying you if something were to go wrong before!!!!  Love is as simple as that!!! I responded by saying "............................................" :):):) Yeah I had no voice to respond!! Just kissed her!! But again without her at my side through all of this, there is no way I could have made it!! Just like when I run my marathons!! Without her, family and friends there, what is the point!!!:):) She is my rock!!!!!:):)

This was such a dream come true that the moment this entire weekend and tournament was over I just burst into tears!!!!!! It was the same feeling as finishing a marathon within my goal time it was THAT amazing!!!! Reasons for bursting into tears, exhaustion!!! Emotions ALWAYS run higher when exhausted!! The boys winning Win Mumby and coming over to me and giving me a big group hug saying thank you!!!  Seeing the girls emotionally shattered after there game hit hard as well!!! And then being so thankful for everything, Mike, the broadcast, my wife, just added as well!!!!!!:):):):)  Which again I have to say to always go after your dreams no matter how hard or easy that will be!!!!:):)

If you would like to check out the broadcasts please check out this link, I did every game except #'s 29 and 30!!!:):)

http://www.spreaker.com/user/kwsm

That is all for now!!!! HAPPY SMILING AND TALKING!!!!!!!!!:):):):):):):):)

26.2 Miles of Sadness

Where to even begin with this blog.  If you have not heard already about the Boston Marathon terrorist attacks, and that's exactly what it is absolute terror, the finish line of the Boston Marathon had two back-to-back explosions (within 15 seconds of each other), killing 2 on the spot and injuring more than 130 fans.

It is no secret that the Boston Marathon has been my life's ambition for running, which is why I have taken this horrible event to heart.  To have finished so many times, and to think what the runners and fans must have been going through is unimaginable.  Why Boston?  Why running?  Just why?  What the hell has running done to any political, environmental, military topic (the usual cause for terrorist bombing)?  Why did these runners and fans today deserve to die and get injured?

It was the same reaction I had when a close friend passes and I didn't even know anyone involved this year in Boston.  It was shock for a good hour, followed by an emotional 2nd period.  Again just can't get over this and how for so long I have dreamed to run THE Boston Marathon, and to hear something like this happen is disgusting and makes me literally sick to my stomach.

My heart and prayers go out for all the families and the city of Boston with this horrific event.

From a running perspective I, and all other runners who are aiming for Boston, have NEVER been more determined now than ever to qualify and run Boston! THOSE RESPONSIBLE WILL BURN/HANG FOR THIS, BUT THEY WILL NEVER TAKE THE FIRE AND PASSION OUT OF THE RUNNING COMMUNITY!!!!!!  THIS EVENT HAS GIVEN ME EVEN MORE MOTIVATION AND PASSION TO QUALIFY IN JANUARY!!!!!!!!!!

Rest in peace those who lost runners and fans today.

Never ever thought it would happen!!

There are thoughts that come to mind of my days back in middle school and Jr. High when we had to do the mile run in PE, and of course I was one of the slowest students and had to run/walk almost every 2 minutes it seemed!!  Mile time was never better than 11 minutes and until college my thoughts of ever winning a race was 1 in a billion/non-existent!!!!

Then last weekend something of the unimaginable happened!!!! I WON A MARATHON!!!!!!!!!!!!!:):):):):):)  We went to Corbett National Park where RunningandLiving hosts the Corbett Full Marathon, Half Marathon, 10km, and 5km races!!!!  Having just finished Mumbai 2 months prior, I basically maintained for the last 2 months and signed up for the full, goal time of 3:15 (record time for the course is 3:16:35)!!!  So I thought since I ran a 3:06 in Mumbai, a 3:15 would be quite doable without putting too much strenuous training!!! Coming off 6 straight months of strenuous training for Mumbai, I didn't want another 2 additional!!!  Needed to give my mind and body a little break!!!!:):):)

Now this Corbett Marathon to me is something special and something of a chip on my shoulder!!!  Last year we went to Corbett and I ran the full marathon and had to quit at mile 22!!!  The heat was too much and I know I wasn't as prepared as I could have been!!!  So finishing Corbett was my ultimate goal, just to say "yeah I dominated it"!!!!  Placing top 3 in Corbett was somewhat in the back of my mind, but more of a bonus to finishing!!!:):)

Day before the race we went to pick up our race packets and of course I looked at the number of runners running the full marathon, and there were roughly 60-70 runners signed up!!  So about 10 more than last year, meaning the field should be a little more competitive!!!  Now between 2009-2011 I really didn't compete to seriously in any marathons so even though I've been running for 7 years, there was a gap that I took off from serious competition (at least in fulls, did many half's)!!!  So establishing a race week and pre-race day routine was something I wanted to do for Mumbai, which I think I have established now!!!:):)  Running the exact same distances and time that I did the week of Mumbai and having almost the exact same meals the day before AND morning of, I was feeling  a LOT more confident mentally than I was last year at this time!!!  It's amazing how much a routine can help settle the nerves of an athlete!!! You don't have to worry about what will negatively effect you because you've done it so many times!!!  Even though this is the second time I did this routine, with my time in Mumbai I know I did something right!!!:):):)

Morning of the race had my granola bars, snicker bar, cup of straight black tea, gatorade, and 2 bananas (my marathon morning meal)!!!!  Arriving to the starting line was a little more hectic than I imagined since they moved the starting line 1.5km's and that meant taxi's had trouble getting to the starting line!!  The guards wouldn't let the taxi past the 1.5 point so I did my begging and pleading, which in India I have found out if you stay persistent enough they will soon bend the rules!! So it worked, we got our taxi (of few) to drive all the way to the start!!! Like heck I and my runners were going to walk 1.5km to the start THEN run an entire full or half marathon too!!!;):):)  Gotta look after Woodstock of course!!!

The race started and there was one runner out in front of me: BENDIX!!!! That made me feel good!!!  Knowing that Bendix was on his way to winning and his pace was slightly faster than mine!!!!:):):)  The course was a down and back (for half), down and back, soooooo pretty much saw the same thing the second time out!!!!  I don't like these types of courses, but hey what can you do!!!:):)  On the way out to the first turn-around I kept pace with these 2 guys from Delhi!!!!  Ironically enough we started talking and one of them graduated from Doon School (the town down the valley from Mussoorie) and I told him I was the CC coach for Woodstock and he said that being an alumni he knows the CC coach for Doon and they were looking for teams to run against!!! I said GIVE WOODSTOCK A CALL!!!!  Having this conversation with these two guys made me solidify my theory that running is by far the MOST competitive-friendly sport out there!!!!  What other sport can you be competing but have friendly conversations, cheering on other runners, and still stay in motion/keep the heart rate up the entire time (said that last part to eliminate golf!)!!!!  I mean the friendly competition you have in running gets beat no where else!!!!  You are mainly competing against yourself, WHILE competing against others!!!  But it's the personal goals that make you bond with the other runners and make you want them to succeed just as badly as you do!!!!  IT'S AWESOME!!!!!!

After finishing my first down and back, things got very quiet!! The two guys I was talking to and Bendix had now finished their half and it was basically me and mother nature!!!!!  Picture a road with trees and bush on both sides, and a small village every 3-4 miles, with NOTHING else!! THAT is what this marathon consisted of!!! There were water stations with some volunteers every 5km, but other than that it was deserted!!!  No groups of people cheering with cowbells and signs, no other runners to give you hope and reminders of why you are this crazy to run a full marathon in the middle of no where!!!!  There was nothing!!! So this was by far the HARDEST mentally full marathon you could do!! You don't have the distractions to make time go by faster, or get that small boost of energy from the crowds!! It is YOU and the sounds of nature!!!

On the final turnaround (31.5km) I was in the home stretch!! The same spot I was in last year, but this time feeling energized and a LOT better and less exhausted!!!  After turning around I made sure I checked my watch and looked for the 2nd place runner!!!! Yeeeeeeeeeeeeah he didn't show up until 11 minutes after I turned around, which means I had a comfortable lead of around 22-25 minutes, assuming he was slowing down!!!  I couldn't believe it at that point!! That is when it hit me that not only am I going to finish this race, but I am in a very good position to actually win it!!! HOLY CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:):):):):):) I got to my spot I quit last year and took a nice big gulp of water and spit it out on that spot, basically gesturing NOT THIS YEAR!!!!!  That alone gave me a huge energy boost!!!  With only 1.5km left of the race, I took my right hand turn into the final and by far HARDEST (literally hardest) part of the race!!! Picture a narrow, single lane, dirt, rock, and puddled road, THEN multiply that by 10 because you have just ran 25.2 miles at that point!! THAT is the pain level my feet were fighting against!!!!

I took a deep breath, sucked it in, told myself SCREW YOU 1.5KM TO FINISH, I'M GOING TO DOMINATE YOU!!!!!!!!!!  I picked up the pace, basically leaping at some points over puddles and rock patches, and got to the Woodstock cheer squad!!!!  There was Owen and Tara about .5km away, THEN my row of high fives about 500mts from the finish, and then Judy and the rest waiting at the finish line!!! WHAT A WAY TO FINISH RIGHT THERE!!!!!  Feeling so pumped and full of life, the feet were not even a factor anymore!!! Finished acrossed the line with a ginormous "YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" and flexing double arm fist pump and then quickly sat down exhausted!!!!!!!:):):)  Immediately I was surrounded by my Woodstock running family, and felt a feeling I have NEVER experienced before: winner!!!!!!!:):)

I didn't know what to feel, all that was going through my head at that time was I KICKED THIS MARATHONS BUTT AND I FINISHED FOR MY WIFE, FUTURE KID, FAMILY BACK HOME, ALL OF WOODSTOCK, AND ME!!!!!!!!  First place was a distant second!!!!  With 2 miles to go that is all I was thinking about: wife, future kid, family, and Woodstock!!! There was no way I was quitting that race!!!:):):)  Not after all the talks about never quitting and giving it your all, always!!!  2 failures in a row was NOT happening!!! Winning was not expected either!!!!!!! SOOOOOOOOOO BONUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!:):):):)

Looking back at Corbett and the FUN we had, I think it's these life experiences that only running can bring!!!!  People so often see running as pointless!! Why run from one point to another!! Not even thinking of WHERE running can take you!! Literally!!:):)  With races on every continent, every country, world travelers are made because of running!!!  I would have never seriously considered Finland as quickly as I did if it wasn't for the Turku Marathon!! I wouldn't be talking to people I met in Mumbai, Delhi, and Corbett because of the races!!!  There is SO much more than running from Point A to Point B!!  Friendships, personal goals, connections, world exposure are one of the many reasons why I love running so much!!!!!:):):)

Overall Corbett was ANOTHER lifetime experience I will cherish forever!!!!:):):)  And the students/staff I went with will all have a common bond for the rest of our lives!!!!!:):):) CORBETT 2013 FOREVER!!!!:):)

HAPPY SMILING AND RUNNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!:):):):)

Monumental 169.4!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:):):):):):):):)

I don't know why I did it, but today after my run I had to stop by the gym to pick up some things for basketball practice, which is where I keep the scale now!!!  Not knowing what made me weigh myself, I usually like to do it after a couple of weeks have passed, I stepped on the scale, waited for the scale to give me back my weight and sure enough:

169.4 POUNDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:):):):):):):):)

Now granted prior to the weigh-in I ran 11.5 miles and that has a LOT to do with it, HOWEVER, I have weighed myself after runs before and NEVER have I been under 170 pounds!!!!!!!  In fact the last time I have been under 170 was back in 5/6th grade!!!!!  For as long as I can remember (4th grade or so) I have been a fat kid (until Freshmen year of college)!!!!!!!  I was the slowest one in the mile test, least amount of push-ups, a lineman for football, and always the anchor for tug-o-war!!!!!!!!!  My highest point of my weight was around 220 pounds, around 10/11th grade football season!!!!  And no, not all muscle, in fact it was about 30-35% body fat I would say!!!!!!

Stepping on the scale today has really opened my eyes on how far I've come, through my passion of not only running, but eating healthy and controlling/stabilizing a healthy weight once and for all!!!!!!  People ask me how did you do it, what are your tricks????  My answer is simple: PASSION!!!!!!  Every single person that tells me they want to lose weight, I simply tell them, how badly do you want it?!?!  I compare it to something they're passionate about!!  Reading, cooking, teaching, gardening, etc.!!!!!! I tell them, look you have to treat losing weight and exercising the same way you treat your passion!!!!!

If you REALLY want to achieve something, like losing weight, you better be ready to live and breath change and determination!!!!  This is something that doesn't last for 2 months and then you're good to go, this is a LIFESTYLE change that you better be ready to commit for your ENTIRE LIFE!!!!!!  How did I do it, I changed my eating habits, I had self-control (stopped eating out, junk food, etc.), and it also helped that my other passion was long distance running!!!!!!!:):):):)  But I felt and lived obesity for 5-6 years and once I started to change I got addicted!!!!!!! In a good way!!!!!!! I LOVED the way I felt after I would eat a healthy, yet delicious meal, or finish a nice 15 miler!!!!!!!:):):):)  I'm lucky in the sense I have lived both worlds, because it gives me motivation to NEVER, EVER go back to being obese ever again!!!!!  Sitting on the couch doing nothing, eating crappy foods, feeling tired all the time!!!!!! NEVER!!!!!!!  So before you start your journey of losing weight, you need to really ask yourself, deep down, are you ready to do a complete lifestyle change?!?! If not, you better take some more time and really think about it!!!!

For it is not an easy path you are about to take, and without mental toughness and self-control it will be even harder!!! BUT the rewards, if you do complete your conquest, will be ASTRONOMICAL!!!!!!!:):):):):) Take it from me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HAPPY SMILING AND LIVING HEALTHY!!!!!!!!!!:):):):):):)

Hard Grader or Not Easy A anymore!!

So this past week in PE I've heard things that please me:

"This is PE, why are we doing all of these extra things.  Why can't it be like my old school where we just play sports and that's it.  I don't like all this extra work."

"I heard you (Mr. L) were a hard grader for this. And why does African Dance have a grading rubric?"

"Why do we have so many assignments in class, it's only PE"

YES!!!!!! YES!!!!!!!!! AND YES!!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS is what should be coming out of students mouth if they are receiving the NEW and IMPROVED type of Physical Education!!! The credited, assessed, and valid Physical Education the new generation of students NEED!!!!  Why?!?! Because no longer do we live in a world where kids will go out and play on their own and get the natural physical activity I got as a kid playing tag for 2-3 hours STRAIGHT!!!! I never even knew I was doing interval training, which is what ALL tag games are!!! You sprint hard for 1-2 minutes, take a break, sprint again, take a break!!!  Who knew!!!:):):)

I hear my 11/12th grade students say thankfully we didn't have to do this when I was in PE, oh you mean actually LEARN something in class!!  Instead of doing the same thing over and over, year and year out!!  I remember my high school experience was focused solely on sports and barely anything outside of that, like heart rate, muscles, over training, etc.!!!!  I loved it, but looking back at it what did I get from it?!? Barely anything!! It wasn't until college that I opened up my eyes and realized, wow, I really didn't get that much out of PE like I thought!! There is SO much more to physical education than just learning sports, sports, and some more sports on top of that!!  Why does your body react to that, why does your heart beat faster or slower for these certain things!! What the heck is this muscle and why do we use it?!! Oh you mean we should be challenging ourselves more and more after each session in the fitness room to actually grow stronger?!?!

At the end of the semester Physical Education students ACTUALLY have to take a test, assessing them on all the knowledge they gained throughout the year!! WHOA, shocker!!!  And it's not just a test asking what are dimensions of the court or how many fouls can you get before you're out in a basketball game!!  It's actually pleasing to hear comments like this, KNOWING, that these students actually have to work for their grade in PE, and NOT receive the "Easy A"!!!  Fail Physical Education?!?! Heck yes!!  You don't put forth the effort and work, you bet you'll fail!!  Not that I am promoting students failing, obviously that is not the point!! I will help them with everything and anything!! BUT, they don't put in the work and/or effort and you better believe they will earn the grade they receive at the end of the year!!  The stigma of "Easy A" is no longer associated with Physical Education at Woodstock!!  Students are working and LEARNING at the same time!!!

Like I said, students more than ever now need to be equipped with knowledge about their bodies and how to stay healthy, because we are heading towards a very lazy future generation!!!  Unless some changes happen!!!!!  Oh and I definitely love when even teachers say "wait, you're doing what in PE????"  Yeah, this is a whole new generation of PE, and the old school/outdated way of teaching one dimensional is OUT of here!!!!  To a HEALTHIER and more ACTIVE future!!!!!!!!!!!!:):):):)

HAPPY SMILING AND BEING ACTIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:):):):):):):):)

Oh and the VERY first thing I do in the beginning of the year is cut out an A and tell them to try and get it!!! Then I proceed to run around the entire court, making sure they have to WORK to get it!!  Thus, setting a tone for the year and getting the point across, yeah not so EASY to get an A in PE is it!!!:):)

Eye of the FATHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:):):):)

FINALLY I CAN OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCE THE WONDERFUL NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SHUBHRA IS PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:):):):):):):):):):):):)

We wanted to wait 3 months before announcing, to ensure the baby's health and growth were all normal!!!!! WHICH THEY ARE!!!!!!!!!!!! It has already been a magical 3 months and 3 days, and now not only the next 6 months but our ENTIRE LIFE will be magical as well!!!!!!!!!!:):):):)

Before announcing the news to the entire school, I wanted to tell my 11th grade homeroom first!!! So I sent all of Grade 11 an e-mail saying we needed to urgently meet 6 minutes before assembly started to go over some Talent Show things!!!  Not thinking anyone would buy that or read the e-mail in time, about half the 11th grade actually showed up to the media center this morning (more than I expected)!!!! I got started by saying some jumble on behalf of the Head of Senior School, then said he had a document he wanted the students to look over!!! That's when I pulled out the ultrasound and held it up!!!!!  Not knowing what the heck was going on the 11th grade looked shocked and confused, then I said the words finally through tears and smiles: "and with this document I will be a father in September!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  The 11th graders mouths dropped and couldn't believe what they just heard!!!!!!!  I excused them so they wouldn't be late for assembly and on the way out all of them came up and gave me a huge hug and said their congrats which really got the emotions flying!!!!!!:):):) Then I announced the wonderful news in assembly (grades 7-12) with a surprise fashion ensemble!!!!:):):) Some staff were displaying their "modeling" talents for the Fashion Club, and I was planning on today as the grand reveal!!!! So I wrote on my running singlet "Future Father" (on the front) and then when turning around to model the back I had written "In September" (on the back)!!!!!!!!!!!! Needless to say that go the crowd really going and talking!!!!!!!!!!!:):):):):):):):) With all the energy at that point, definitely let out the biggest "OH YEAH" and ginormous fist pump a new future father could let out!!!!!!!!!! It was a FANTASTIC moment!!!!!!!!:):):):)

Throughout the day congrats were said, names were suggested, and babysitters were lining up!!!!!!! It was amazing!!!!!! Emotionally I was freakin unstable as heck!!!!!  Whenever I would have a couple of minutes between class to myself I would just sit there and think about how real this has just gotten!!!! I think making the news public makes the baby THAT more real, and looking at the ultrasound throughout the day!!!!!!:):):):) But even the way students looked at me today compared to the previous 4 1/2 years was different, like a more adult and parental look!!!!!  And the way I looked at them, a more caring and "fatherly" type of way, if that makes any sense?!?! The whole day just felt more mature and ready to "take the next step" in this world!!!!!!:):):) Maybe it was just because of all the emotion from the morning, but I really think something changed in me today, something for the better!!!!!!!:):):):):):):):)

The students reaction though was the best!!!!!!!:):):) I am in my cultural 9th grade dance unit, and our theme for this week is African Dance and they have to create their own African dance and tell a story through dance!!!! So some ideas, after the big announcement, were to tell a story of my kid growing up!!! I couldn't help but laugh and have a huge smile!!!!! My kid's life story!!!!!!! It just stuck with me for the entire rest of the day and it felt so surreal to think about "my kid's life story"!!!!!!!! I know my kid has already started their journey, BUT in 6 months my kid will actually begin their journey on Earth and with it comes the fear, joy, enthusiasm, support, care, role modeling, mentoring, love, and all the other type of emotions a father can have for their child!!!!!!!!!:):):):)

When students weren't making dances of my child, they were just SO freakin cute!!!!!!!!:):):) They would say you should name your child after me, it means _____ or _____!!!!!!! Or they would volunteer to babysit, EVERY night!!!!!!:):) Or just smile at me, but not the same smile I've seen these past years, a HUGE HAPPY SMILE that I loved to look at today!!!!!!!!:):):):):):):):)

All in all it was the most perfect day any future father could have!!!!!!!!!:):):):) I think Shubhra was also relieved to have the news finally in the open so she wasn't worried about who knew or didn't knew!!!!  And she, as me, is also VERY excited for this journey into a new chapter of our lives!!!!!  I cannot think of a better mother to have at my side in life, and together we will make, hopefully, an amazing parental team!!!!!!!!:):):):):):):):)  Full of love, laughter, and guidance!!!!!!!!:):):):):)

Today was the Eye of the Father type of day I was hoping for!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now I can only pray and hope for a healthy baby boy/girl, it doesn't matter, just as long as it's healthy and happy!!!!!!!!:):):):):):):):) Oh and you better believe the music and reading to the stomach will begin now!!!!!!!!:):):):) That music of course: FINAL COUNTDOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahALBEn8HJI

HAPPY SMILING!!!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY LIVING!!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY PARENTING!!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!:):):):):):):):)

Quality OVER Quantity!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Having just registered for the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in Phoenix, AZ on January 19, 2014, it got me thinking!!!!!!!!!!!:):):):) I get asked a lot "how many marathons have you ran, what's your fastest, etc." and when I respond at this point I honestly (off the top of my head) do not know the exact number of marathons I've ran, it's either 8, 9 or 10!!! And it gets me thinking, does the number of marathons I have ran really matter when my overall goal is running THE Boston Marathon??!?! No.  It does not matter!! I don't run marathons to say, oh I've done over 50 marathons in my life, I run marathons to achieve a lifelong goal of qualifying and running in THE Boston Marathon!!!!!!!!!  Now if you ask me what is my first marathon's time I'll say instantly 3:48:32 and what is my fastest 3:06:24, because A. everyone who has ran multiple marathons will ALWAYS remember their first finishing time!!! That's a milestone for anyone!! B. anyone who is going towards a goal time will always know what time they have achieved and how much they need to take off, BECAUSE it relates to their goal!!! But that quantity of marathons sits behind all of those other things!!!! Which brings me to the point of all of this:

Here at Woodstock, we are trying to change the lifestyle of students from doing AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE and being excellent at almost nothing, but being okay at everything, to really focusing on a couple of passion-related things and EXCELLING at them!!!!  If you go through life and NEVER truly focus on one thing and try your hardest at it, well I think you're missing the point in life!!! What makes you the happiest is when you achieve something fantastic!!!  Even when you fail at that one thing you've been working hard on, it's still a great feeling, because you know you've worked your butt off at something!!! And if you really love that thing then you'll learn to try again until you succeed!! A WIN WIN!!!!!!!:):):):)  AND not only will you learn determination but you'll learn perseverance as well!!! You'll learn what it takes to really excel at something you love, AND if you work hard enough, to see you improve over time is the BEST thing ever!!!!:):):) I think back to my very first days of running and thinking how I had stomach cramps and muscle aches after a 1/2 mile run!!!!  Now I use that 1/2 mile to warm-up my legs for an ultimately longer run!!!  And you want to talk about perseverance, I'm on year 7 of running and it's now that my warm-up 1/2 mile is equivalent to my "race" pace long back!!!!!!:):):)

So no, it doesn't have to be running, or anything physical that you want to be good at!!! All I'm saying is to choose a couple of things that you TRULY love and GO ALL OUT with them!!!!!  See what it takes to go from good to GREAT or from bad to AMAZING!!!!!!  Yes, there will be times when you feel like you're destined to always fail or you're not progressing like you wanted to!! Guess what, if you truly love it you'll suck it up and continue down the hard road!!!!!!!!  Quality over quantity will win any day of the week!!!!!

Find your passion, chase after it, and don't let anyone or anything get in your way of achieving GREATNESS!!!!!!!!:):):):):):) HAPPY SMILING!!!!!!!!!!!:):):):):) 

Failure leads to hunger!!!!!!!!!

As I came upon mile 24 of the Mumbai Marathon last weekend (20th of January), I noticed myself fading from my goal pace of 7 minutes per mile!!!! Previous to mile 24 I had a little bit of a hill problem for mile 23 which completely ate up the rest of my fading hamstring muscles!!!!!!  Doing quick calculations in my head and figuring out if I can still salvage a sub-3:05 time I figured I had to do exactly (and no less) 2 consecutive 6:58 miles once reaching mile 24.2 of the race!!  I thought in my head and repeated "I trained to hard for this, I want Boston" I noticed my pace recovering and speeding up quite a bit!!!  My heart was tearing, legs were feeling of jello, and desire was never higher!! I WAS going to finish this marathon below a 3:05 time AND qualify for the Boston Marathon!!!!!

One thing I DID not count on at the finish was a traffic jam, however!!!  Apparently all 3 races (Full, Half, and Dream Run) were finishing at the same time, which meant the last 1.5 miles I had to bob and weave the walkers and runners who were not serious about the race, but instead were focused on taking pictures and getting the free water and oranges along the way, quite frustrating for those who actually took these races seriously and had goals to accomplish!!!!  As I bobbed and weaved I notice that that alone took more and more energy, more of which I could not afford at this point!!  Thus I felt my pace, once again, was fading and not stabilizing the 6:58 I desperately needed just to finish a couple seconds faster than 3:05!!!  It was around the final turn (500 meter checkpoint) that I realized that my goal and Boston would once again be put on hold and again would take another marathon to try and achieve and conquer this white whale of mine!!!!!!

As I crossed the finish line I stopped my watch and looked down to see a torturous time of 3 hours 6 minutes and 36 seconds!!!!!!!  I want you right now to stop everything, look at the clock and watch as 1 minute and 36 seconds tick away........... not so fast is it!!?!?!?  When you're running a race you desperately wished time would tick away that slow!!! Instead it does quite the opposite with minutes seeming to turn to seconds!!!!  I swear those last 3 minutes of the race lasted 30 seconds!!!  For all the heart, guts, and determination I exerted into my legs it just didn't seem to help, I was not going to have the stamina to finish this race as I so many times had hoped I would!!!!!!

Crossing the finish line and taking a moment to reflect on what just happened, I had no other option than to sink to the ground on my hands and knees, put my forehead to the ground and just crouch there.  Being completely exhausted, not even enough to put forth some tears of which I felt were coming soon but never came, I was defeated.  Here I trained for 6 months, roughly 260,000 minutes, and I fell 1 minute and 37 seconds short of my dream!!!!!  I didn't have the energy to pick myself all the way up, but instead to go half way and sit on a chair for what seemed like 4 hours, but was about 5 minutes, sitting there, thinking of what is to come.

At this point in time, and we ALL have faced moments like these, there are two roads one can CHOOSE to go down:

1st road: Give up, convince yourself it will never be, and move on not looking back, but always having a question of "what if" in the back of your mind.

2nd road: Pick yourself up, reflect, learn from it, use it, and try even harder the next time!!!!

It was at this moment, on that chair, I thought to myself, "I am TOO damn close right now to just give up and let failure take over!!!!!!!!!!"  I could feel an appetite, similar to the one I felt immediately after Grandma's Marathon in June, when I missed 3:05 by 7 minutes!!! This appetite was PASSION AND DETERMINATION COMING BACK INTO MY BODY!!!!!!!!! MY SOUL!!!!!!!!! MY HEART!!!!!!  To be that close to something and still fail is torture, but also a GREAT motivator!!!!  And that's exactly what Mumbai is now and forever will be, the marathon that motivated the crap out of me!!!!!  I WILL not miss the next marathon by 1 minute and 36 seconds, but instead DESTROY it!!!!  My goal will be a sub- 3 hour time, taking another 6 minutes off of my personal best!!!!!  I have 1 year to prepare for this marathon, and yes the United States of America, be ready, because I am coming after one of your marathons!!! Houston, Phoenix, or Disney World are the options and one of you will be at my mercy!!!!!!!!  Come next January you will see the most determined and passionate Minnesotan Marathon Runner you have ever seen or met!!!!!!!!!

THE HUNGER IS BACK AND I WILL BE QUALIFYING FOR BOSTON NEXT TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!  362 DAYS UNTIL THAT MOMENT HAPPENS, LET'S GET STARTED RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This year's theme (going old school):  "No Pain! No Pain! No Pain!"


HOUSTON, PHOENIX, OR DISNEY WORLD I'M COMING FOR YOU NEXT JANUARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY SMILING AND TRAINING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!