Tough Mudder, phase one- registration

Well it seems like this blog that used to be a travel blog has now turned into an exercise blog. I have been blogging about once every three months and it seems like it always to do with something about training for some event we were talked into doing. Well, here is another one.

Gordon signed us up for a Tough Mudder that will be held in Lebanon, Oregon on August 9th, 2014. He has been talking about doing once since we finished the Portland, Oregon Marathon (26.2 miles) on October 7th, 2012. I can't let him commit to such an endeavor alone, so I told him I would do it with him.

This is total craziness I know. Mainly because I have a fear or plunging, swimming, or walking in water that I can not see in to and this event will have several obstacles with mud and water involved which implies little to no visibility. The race is 12 miles long with 25 obstacles including monkey bars, jumping off 30 foot ledges into a muddy creek, crawling through culverts and climbing up 12 foots walls. All of this will require immense upper body strengths, endurance, and fearlessness. Some have said it is more difficult than running a marathon. Since we have done a marathon, well, why not attempt the next level? Right?

So, here we go, phase one- registration is complete and we are on to training physically and mentally. We made list of five goals to start. "1) run 2-3 times a week 2) yoga 3)pullups-rope-climbing gym 4) muddy hill work 5) obstacles at Joe's".  I am riding my bike to work on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays as long as it is above freezing and not raining- that is good for endurance, cardio, and lower body strength- 20 miles round trip.  I have run twice this week and Gordon actually ran with me this evening, our first run together since the marathon.

Gordon broke his back (again, after getting it fused in June 2010 after having it broken for 13 years from snowboarding events) May 25th, 2012 while we had just begun our training for the marathon and unknowingly finished the training up until 6 weeks before the marathon. He ran the marathon anyway after the doctor urged him not to. Gordon has not really run since the marathon on October 7th 2012. So he will have to slowly ease back into it.

More to come as we continue our journey in another lifetime accomplishment. Here is to life and living it to the fullest!

Triathlon, take three

Saturday I competed in my third triathlon and made the best time yet. I think the key is to not train, since this is the triathlon that I trained the least for. Also, I think another thing I did is just go all out on every event and not try to conserve any energy for what might be ahead and not worry about hitting a wall. After all, it was just a sprint. I swam 500 yards in 11min53sec, biked 12 miles in 45min20sec, and ran 3.12 miles in 26min54sec with a motion time of 1hr24min7sec and total time from start to finish including the transitions of 1hr32min18sec. I placed 8th overall in the race and 4th in my age group.Pretty god for not training. I would like to thank my Mom and Dad for athletic genetics, my Husband for his support and photography skills, my students Kate and Sierra who encouraged me to sign up for the event, and Susie who did it with me. 

The beast of the bike that I bought on Craigslist two summers ago for $125, a total bargain.

Somewhere during the 20 lengths of the 25 yard long pool.

Finishing the 12 mile bike, still smiling.

Pretty much exhausted after the 3.1 mile run. I am pinky red color, showing that my blood was definitely flowing good.

Transitioning from the bike to the run.

Susie, a good friend I made during my time of teaching at Woodburn High School.

Susie and I with the students who talked us into the ordeal, Kate and Sierra.

Summer Coursework for my ESOL/ Bilingual teaching endorsement

I have spent some of my summer completed a Computer Science Education course from WOU and the assignment have been focused on exploring and creating resources for ELL students in our classrooms. I have had a lot of fun and these are some things I have done for this course:

A: A YouTube video I created to encourage literacy of the Spanish language while reading the book "El ALmuerzo Sorpresa":

B: A Prezi Presentation on the Literacy Landscape Project created for ED 692 course, a graduate level course to learn about teaching Reading and Writing skills to ELLs:

C: A Screencast which shows teachers and students how to use Khan Academy website resources:
 

D: A Podcast I created while talking about strategies to unpack word problems in Math for ELLs:

listen to ‘Real Life Math Problems’ on Audioboo

E: An Animoto picture slideshow with music that shows some brief highlights of my life so far:
 

Enjoy the viewing!

FINAL PROJECT

I have embedded a link for a video I made on Screen-O-Matic that shows online Web 2.0 resources for ESOL students learning high school mathematics. 

I had some difficulty finding exactly one website that satisfied my expectations. I wanted a website that combined lessons on the CCSS High School Mathematics content and also provided a variety of skill practice, involving real life word problems that gave feedback and explanations to practice exercises. I found that Khan Academy met the lesson aspect with informational videos, and IXL met the CCSS skill practice with feedback expectation.
Although neither of the websites were ESOL specific, both meet the needs of ESOL students because of the visual aids and interactive content provided. It seems that all of the ESOL websites are primarily geared towards a K-8 grade level. So it made it difficult to find one website that was high school Math and specific to ESOL needs.
The websites I chose to use have a registration process. Khan Academy is free, but a login is nice because it remembers what videos have been viewed and scores that have been earned on practice tests. The videos are developed in detail using manipulatives and diagrams, entertaining and lively to watch, and full of real life applications. Khan does a good job of making the math applicable to real life situations and interesting. IXL requires a registration process and a fee. I was able to sign up for a 30 day trial. It seems like the really good websites that store more information than usual are the ones which cost money. IXL starts at $199 per year. It lets a teacher set up a virtual classroom and creates sign in accounts for each student. It keeps a detailed account of assessments that students have taken and are passing, informing the teacher of strengths and weaknesses. This would minimize the amount of time a teacher might spend on creating and grading formative assessments, and might even allow the teacher to give their summative assessments online. I really like how the skill practice questions are multiple choice, interactive, and use a lot of mathematical vocabulary.

Beaver Freezer

Saturday, April 6th, 2013 I finished my second triathlon. Two friends, Andrea and Susie, joined me in the event. It was awesome!

 Right, Left, Right BREATH,... Left, Right, Left BREATH, ...

 I finished the 500 yards in about 12 minutes. A little slower than I was hoping for. I was nervous and there were so many people and so mush pressure to do good and go fast.

 The transition area.

 Now for the 12 mile bike ride.

Off for the 12 mile bike ride! Ready to go from being soaking wet to dripping wet!

 It was very wet on the road and a little rainy.

 Back to the transition area to leave my bike and prepare for the 3.1 mile run!

 Bert and Ernie?

 I had a hard time getting my feet to move since they were wet, cold, numb, heavy, etc.

 Overall, I was able to finish (according to my own gps watch) with the swim in 12:00 minutes, the bike in 48 minutes, and the run in 28 minutes. My goal was to complete the course in less than 90 minutes and I succeeded! Now we will have to see what the official race time was and how I compare to the other 617 contestants. I am hoping to be in the middle (of the women) somewhere. Results should be out in a few hours or days or something. 

 Me and Andrea. She had a super muddy face with her mountain bike slick tires!

 Here comes Susie!

 Racing stripes!

 Curtis and Andrea- so proud of you mommy!

 This is what the super crazy triathletes look like! The guy on the left has placed 2nd for 8 consecutive years!

Horray! Yippee! We did it!