God I love memes. This one is pretty spectacular – and also pretty representative of my thoughts toward work right now! I feel like every day there is a new meeting scheduled, which means writing new goals/objectives, current performance, and evaluation reports, i.e. plenty of quality time with snacks in front of my laptop. For those of you who know what I’m talking about, let’s commiserate, and for those who don’t – IEP stands for Individualized Education Plan and is a legal contract that outlines the educational goals, objectives, and accommodations that the school district must provide for any student accessing special education services. Each IEP is reviewed annually to address progress toward objectives and development of future skills. This is a very simplistic explanation, but if you want more information you can check it out on the National Center for Learning Disabilities’ website. Since all of the students I see for speech therapy have an IEP, that means I go through this process about 17 times per year. Sometimes the meetings are spread out nicely, and other times, like now, they all seem to get scheduled at the same time, which forces me to become hyperfocused on work and basically socially impaired.
So, with all of the work stuff going on right now, I’ve again fallen into a rut of not working out like I want to be. I decided to take a short break from running after the Disney World Marathon and focus on strength training, which I’ve done a grand total of 2 times. I guess it’s alright, but lately I’ve been feeling really lazy about my training. During the fall, I ran 3 marathons with some pretty disappointing times, which was no fault but my own. My “training” regimen consisted of running one long during the weekend and on a good week, maybe another 5 mile run during the week. Such low mileage does not a fast runner make. After my unpleasant experience at the Philly Marathon , I told myself I would train harder for Disney and really give it my all. But I didn’t – I blamed my lack of training on the cold Boston weather (as if that was something new to deal with) and let my laziness take over AGAIN. With just running once or twice a week to prepare, I’m lucky I didn’t seriously injure myself during any of my recent races.
Anyway, enough with being a Nanc’ – I need inspiration. And I need it BAD. I’ve been reading lots of other running blogs lately, which has left me feeling like a lazy a-hole – so I’m thinking maybe this will give me the push I need?:
where did this even come from?!?!
Okay, this did not actually inspire me to get my booty out the door, but it did make me ROLL with laughter. Does anyone else watch Dance Moms? This is rich.
Since I’ve been trying to workout at the gym lately, I figured buying some cute new workout clothes would be a good idea. I went to Old Navy & the Gap Outlet and actually nabbed a few good finds:
Oh Lawd – sorry for how disgustingly dirty this mirror apparently is (add that to the Saturday to-do list). You can tell I usually get dressed in the dark.
The Striped Bubble Active Tank is from Old Navy - I got it in Lotus Orange Neon & Black for $16 each. I HATE tight shirts and anything sticking to my mid section, so I really appreciate the lose but flattering design of this top. It’s also made with moisture-wicking fabric so if I ever decide to sweat again, I’ll be ready.
The bottoms are GapFit gFast capris which I got on sale for $20.99. I also bought them in a darkish purple color. They’re awesome because they have a wide waistband that sucks in all the junk and prevents any muffin-top business that could happen. There’s also a little pocket in the back for energy gels or a credit card. They’re also moisture-wicking.
Unrelated, but important, is that I need to stop drying my sports bras. After I wash and dry them, putting them on is like binding myself to pretend I’m a dude. I won’t even show you a back shot of this outfit because I know you’ll all be really jealous of how big my back boobs are. Sorry.
Tomorrow I’m getting new running shoes, which always motivates me to workout, especially when they’re cute. After a really unfortunate incident at the Disney race (I’ll explain later), I had to throw out my good pair of shoes and switch to an old pair that I have hated since I bought them. They’re the Brooks Ghost 4, and they’re way too wide for my feet. They also look like orthopedic shoes and are not even slightly exciting to wear. I usually buy Brooks shoes, but I’m thinking tomorrow I might try something totally different and go with some Mizuno’s. We’ll see.
Since I’m already dressed for the gym, I’m going to get my butt moving for a NROLFW workout, then come back and watch Nashville all night while trying to write an evaluation report for one of my students. #winning
What do you do to motivate yourself to workout?
What brand of shoes do you wear?
Do you dry your workout clothes?
Why is Kim Kardashian pregnant?
Tags: Boston, gear, Individualized Education Program, marathon training, motivation, running, shopping, Special education, Speech and language pathology
