When 2016 began there were 2 goals that I wanted to accomplish this year. One was teaching a class for the first time at Seattle University. The other was completing a triathlon. And now I can excitedly say that I completed both goals this year!
Goal #1
Back in February, I thankfully received the opportunity to teach a 2-credit, 4-week class for all undergrad majors on campus. I was given the autonomy to design the class and come up with my own curriculum. The opportunity came my way because the university is trying to offer more 2-credit classes every quarter in case students have to drop a class, but need to remain full time or if students want to add on a shorter class for their quarter. I have wanted to teach a class since I started my job 10 years ago. I got to teach at my former job at the University of Missouri-Columbia. It's a much larger school and they relied a lot on staff members with masters degree to help teach some developmental type classes like Learning Strategies which is what I taught. A school like Seattle University is much different since it's private and smaller. They pride themselves on students having small classes with tenured faculty so there's not much opportunity for staff to teach. Finally after 10 years the chance to teach arrived on my doorstep.
To prepare, I came in on weekends for a couple weeks to prep, develop my curriculum and plan things out. I found myself getting very excited and feeling lots of energy every time I worked on my class. The big first day came in mid-February. I was so nervous that morning. Plus my class started at 8am which made it even more nerve racking. My students would be sleepy no doubt so it was up to me to keep them engaged and make the class interesting. The title of my class was Strengths and Career Planning. My whole goal was to usher students through useful, practical lessons and activities to help give them clarity and confidence around their career aspirations and strengths. Lessons included Gallup StrengthsFinder, resumes/cover letters, interviewing, networking, and LinkedIn. Some days I involved colleagues of mine as guest speakers. Luckily I ended up with about 19 wonderful students who were engaged and saw value in the class. They were all different majors, different stages in their college careers. Despite some coming in late and most of them feeling very tired at 8am, they were respectful, kind, eager, and made my experience very meaningful. I loved getting to work with a variety of students--not just business majors too just to change things up a bit.
All in all it was a wonderful experience. And I've even been asked to teach it again next spring 2017. I have some things I want to do differently next time, but it's nice that I've been through it once now and have most of the class curriculum established. It'll be much less daunting this time. But I'm having a lot of fun with this. I can tell there is definitely a piece of me that loves teaching. I don't want to do it on a regular basis, but it's a nice supplement to my normal job. And it's pushed me this year and rejuvenated me. Goal #1 complete!
Goal #2
Let's just say that living with a triathlete husband these past 3 years has lit a fire under me to get my butt in gear and get in shape. Especially after going through 2 pregnancies and infant stages. This year I finally found the window to pursue a fitness goal and fit in more of a fitness routine. When the year began I set my sights to complete a triathlon in the summer. I had no idea how I was going to fit in training, but thankfully James was supportive and helped me make some time.
With the extra proceeds I made from goal #1, I was able to purchase a road bike in March. That was the big catalyst to making goal #2 a reality. I'd always wanted a road bike and wanted to get more into the sport, but I kept making excuses that it's too expensive or I'll wait until the boys are older. I don't know why I waited so long! I've found a new love for biking. I just love riding on beautiful country roads which are plentiful in our area. And we have a trainer so it's even something I can do at home in the early morning or when the weather is bad. Plus it's much easier on my body than running. So I figured out the bike part of the training. Now how was I going to train on swimming?
After some research I found that the Mercer Island community pool actually has a evening lap swim schedule condusive to my work schedule. With James' support I stopped by the pool on my way home from work one time a week and got my swim in. I forgot how much I enjoy swimming as well. Just me in my own little world, letting my mind go and feeling refreshed. Much easier on my joints as well.
The most dreaded part for triathlon training for me was the running. I've had bad knees really since college. I used to run in college, but my knees were always so sore and in so much pain that I gave it up and instead did the elliptical machine at the gym or walked. I hit a moment this year though where I felt like "This is ridiculous! I'm 36. I should be able to run at this age. I want to keep up with my boys and be able to be active with them. I need to figure this out." After learning from an orthopedist that nothing was really wrong with my knees--just ware and tear, I started to see my PT on a regular basis. She helped me build up my leg muscles and also taught me how to massage and rub out the muscles when they're feeling tired/strained so I can take the pressure off my knees. It helped tremendously. I'm still not a major runner. I usually go on walk/runs. But I've made a lot of progress.
The big triathlon day arrived on July 17. I decided to compete in the ChelanMan Try-a-Tri. James was competing the same weekend in the Olympic Triathlon and I thought it would be fun to do a competition the same weekend as James and a lot of our friends. I'm so glad I did because it was helpful to be around so much support and to have friends cheering as I did my race. Plus what a gorgeous location!
The Try-a-Tri was a 1/4 mile swim, 13 mile bike and a 5K run. Based on my training, my goal was to complete all 3 in around 2 hours. I ended up finishing in 1 hour and 38 minutes! The bike route was much easier than what I had been doing in my training. It took a little while to get used to the swim because the water was cold and I couldn't catch my breath. But then I got into my rhythm and completed the swim in about 10 minutes. The bike was my favorite--a beautiful route along Lake Chelan. And it was a really nice morning. Overcast and cool. I tried to remind myself to pick my head up, look around and enjoy the moment. My least favorite part was the run, but it wasn't that bad. I took a break to walk a couple times and it actually went pretty fast. It was so fun to come across that finish line with my family and friends cheering me on! I felt strong and energized. And I'm so glad my boys saw me work for and complete a goal--especially a fitness goal. Goal #2 complete!
I need to start brainstorming some good personal/professional development goals for 2017. But for now, I think I'll just take a breath, put my feet up more, and soak in the rest of summer. Whew! :)
