Week six report: "Here, I guess you earned this?"
Weight: 138
Miles ran this week: 29
Miles ran so far in my training: 138
Largest middle measurement 38"
In 1976 my family moved to Great Falls Montana. Instead of attending East Jr. High School I asked my parents if I could attend the smaller St. Peter and Paul Elementary School. I was teased and picked on at this new school too. I was called "Luge Ruge" this all changed by springtime when it was discovered that I was a fast runner and I made the track team.
 |
| 8th Grade Graduation 1977 |
For the fall of 1977 I had no choice but to attend East Jr. High. I was picked on horribly, girls kicking me down stairs and being terrorized in the locker room. Looks like the friends I had made at St. Peter and Paul forgot about me. Things were so bad that my Mother had to make arrangements with the School Principal for me to be released from school 15 minutes early every day so that I could walk home and avoid the girls that were terrorizing me. This too all changed when I made the track team. One of our coaches was pretty/young/popular and LOVED the "mean girls" that picked on me. She was one of my PE teachers too that turned a blind eye to the girls that picked on me. It was the last day of school for me at East Jr. High and my family was preparing to move once again, this time to Knob Noster Missouri. I was getting my stuff out of my locker and she came up to me and threw an envelope my way saying "Here, I guess you earned this?" Her tone was mean/rude and and I could tell that it made her somewhat sick to give my my chenille letter for lettering in track. I will NEVER forget her cruelness towards me and I think about it often. Especially when a student of mine might be driving me crazy. I NEVER want to imprint that memory on a kid. I was so proud of that letter (even though my brother Todd cut a corner of it off!) It made me feel like a real runner.
Had decent workouts this last week. Attempted to run more on Monday night due to incoming bad weather. Big mistake, HUGE! Got 5 of my planned 7. Tuesday brought a snow day and 6 miles on the treadmill (made easier by watching Sons of Anarchy on Netflix). Wednesday brought another snow day and Brad and I shoveled the driveway so I counted that as cross training. Thursday I did 4 miles on the treadmill. Today Start to Finish was cancelled and it is still icy and very cold outside. Mandy, Kathy and I ran 14 miles inside at the Down Town YMCA. It was not easy, but we got it done!..
 |
| My sister Michelle(on the right) and I 1978 |
Here are my workouts for the week
Monday: 4 mile run, 20 minutes elliptical.
Tuesday: 7 mile run pace.
Wednesday: Extreme Ride
Thursday: 4 mile run, 20 minutes stair climber.
Friday: REST
Saturday: 15 mile run.
Sunday: REST
Natalie, I usually don't have much time to get on the computer but the title of your post today caught my attention. My 6th grade daughter, Holly, has struggled with bullies this year and is having a rough time in school for the first time ever. I too am in the S2F group, but I am training for my first half-marathon. I am a very new runner and super tickled to be part of a community of runners, both new and seasoned. I never would've developed a joy for running had it not been for my own little girls. They started running with their after school group, Girls On The Run, and of course I signed up to be their "Running Buddy" even though I've never been a runner before. In my attempt at training for our first 5K together, I ran very little and was disappointed at my performance in our race. The next season rolled around and of course my youngest was all excited to run and guess who signed up to run with her again? Yep, yours truly, only this time I took the training a little more serious and we had a blast running together. Now both of my girls are my biggest encouragers! They are both already registered for the upcoming spring session of Girls On The Run while I will be running with them, I am now training for my own races and having the best time challenging myself.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to jump in there and say that I am so sorry to hear that you were treated so awful by both your peers and your teachers. I can only imagine the pain that you endured and how it affected your self-esteem and self-worth. My daughter has found support and help in our community through our Pink Gloves Boxing coach, Lisa Vermillion and various people in our church and her youth group. Not everyone has a great support system but I am so glad that she does. Because of this, Holly has used her bullying to help others in her school that she notices being treated unfairly. She now has gained strength to speak up when she sees someone being picked on and I am so glad that she is blossoming and growing from the experience. As soon as I saw your post I read it aloud to her so that she could see that you suffered at the hands of others as well, that she is not alone. Thanks to running, my girls are developing a new hobby along side their mother and we are getting closer in the process. Thank you for sharing your story and for all of your encouragement for those of us trying to find our way along the running trail. I consider runners to be a big family and I am happy to now call myself a "runner". I hope to meet you some day at one of our group runs and give you a big hug. ~Connie L. :)