Spring break-woohoo! I started off my spring break with taking my car in for service. It was normal maintenance stuff so it wasn’t a big deal. When you’re a teacher, spring break is usually reserved for doing all the things you don’t have time to do during the school week. Or schedule is just long enough to kick the crap out of the whole day. I drive a Honda-nothing fancy- so I don’t get the luxury of a loaner car, so I hung out at the dealership for about an hour and a half which gave me the good excuse to read a non-school book for a change. I need some new reading material though. I’m just rereading a series I really loved about 13 years ago.
I briefly entertained the thought of wandering around and looking at the newer models of my CR-V, but I didn’t want to get tackled by a salesperson. I know they are offering big money for used cars right now. They even texted, emailed, and called me to say they’d over me 10k over what I paid for my car. I don’t know if it’s stupid of me or not to take advantage of that or not. I have a ton of equity in my car as it is. It would be nice to get one that has a dark interior. I ended up getting a really good deal on my current car, but it has light grey interior which I don’t love. I’m not a dirty person by any means, but shit happens. Like leaving a 12 pack of mini-sprite cans in the back of my car and a barely hot day-they ended up exploding and got sprite all over everything! Thank goodness it was Sprite and not Dr. Pepper or something dark. As it was, the heat and the sugar from the soda made it appear darker the longer it sat. I had to take it somewhere to have them steam clean everything. It looks great now, but I can tell where the spots are and it bugs me.
After I left the dealership (without looking at a new car) I took myself out to lunch at my favorite place. It was so nice out that I requested patio seating. It was one of those rare days in Arizona where it’s not too hot and there is a slight breeze. We had rain and a ”cold snap” (cold for AZ) this past weekend so the temperature was hovering around 65 degrees. There were actually two places I was thinking about going to for lunch, but I decided on Nandos because I really wanted to sit outside and enjoy the day.
It was a gorgeous day too! I sat in the sun (outside of the shaded areas) and just basked in it. It was such a beautiful day I sat out there far past how long it took me to actually finish my meal, just so I could sit in the warmth and enjoy myself. It was so quiet too. Most of the diners were inside so it was me and one other person outside and she was doing her own thing. We both had our iPads out and coincidentally ordered the same meal. However when they brought hers, she had ordered her enchilada without cheese. Is that even a thing? At that point isn’t it just a tortilla with Red sauce on it?
I thought about running today since the weather was so nice, but I actually ran yesterday. I am still on my mission to not overdo it, so today I gave myself a rest day and I’m planning on running tomorrow. It was a little chilly yesterday too! It was about 50 degrees when I set out, but I quickly warmed up of course. I ran my normal route which continues to bore me, but I let myself zone out and think as I ran. Zoning out is good, unless you are zoning out and not paying particualr attention to where you are going. I ran face first into a tree branch. I focused just as it was about to hit me, (or to be more accurate, I was going to hit it) but my momentum was too great that I couldn’t stop it from happening.
Luckily no one was around (that I know of) and saw me first hit, and then get tangled up in the branches. I had to back up and take a picture because it was typical klutzy Jamie. To be fair it was hanging out into the street. I generally run closer to the curb because I don’t want to risk a car sneaking up behind me. The branch was also so long hit hung down to about my knees.
The rest of my run passed uneventfully. It was just me, my thoughts, my music and the sunshine. Toward the end of my run this song came on and it made me laugh so hard I had to share:
For some reason as I ran, I started thinking about my response when people comment on me running again, or if someone asks me how it’s going. Generally I downplay it-a lot. More than I should I think. I’m actually selling myself short. I’m always quick to say things like, ”I only ran two miles”, or ”I don’t run the whole time-I alternate walking” or ”I’m really slow”. It’s almost like I don’t want people to think I’m just out there running two to three miles and it’s all hunky-dory that I’ve got to tell them I’m not ”really” a runner. But is that true though?
I am getting out there and getting into the swing of it again. I am running. I’m definitely not anyone’s definition of a ”real” runner, if there is such a thing. I for sure don’t have the typical runners body. I’m shaped like a woman, I’m soft, I have curves, and I have a few extra pounds I’d love to lose forever. I’ve always been told ”If you run, you are a runner”. I just need to start listening to that more and start seeing myself as that girl who used to run full and half-marathons for fun. Just like my mileage, I’ll get there.
My students at school are super invested in the Russia/Ukraine conflict. I think it’s because this is really the only war they’ve been alive for. They ask a lot of questions which is awesome. They are too young to know anything about 9/11 and the conflicts that followed. We’ve also been studying World War I and are starting World War II so I think the concept of war is sinking in. I know this has nothing to do with running, but I saw this image the other day and I think it summed it up perfectly so I want to share it. M*A*S*H has always been a favorite show of mine and I think there are a lot of lessons to be learned from it, even though it was billed as a comedy:
Be good to each other. Right now there is a lot of bad energy out in the world and the only way we are going to get through it, is together.
Runs Through Sprinklers 