An (Extremely) Informal Poll Regarding Our 2016 Presidential Candidates

     This last Friday, my warm-up for the first 5 minutes of class was "What do you think of the presidential candidates? Why do you think that? Use at least 3 complete sentences." Here are the results, transcribed by yours truly. For a selection of high schoolers, I feel like their responses accurately capture the concerns of many Americans. But what do I know?  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 "There both retarted. Because there both crazy. They both have stupied ideas" This sentiment was pretty common - many of the students and people on my FB feed are disenchanted by both candidates.

 "I think that we don't have much of a election. We should have better people to pick from. I just think it's a waste of time" Again, not a fan of either candidate.

 "I think this year presidental candidates are the worst ever. We are screwed this year for president. Both Trump and Clinton shouldn't be president." ...and again.

"1. I think that Hililary Clinton will ruin the United States.
  2. I think that Hiliary Clinton will be too much emotional to rule the country.
  3. Donald Trump doesnt have a period so he dont get mad easy once a month."
First (and only) response I saw that detailed how Hillary's status as a woman will so clearly screw the United State.

 "I do not like Hillary. I love Donald Trump. I think he is going to do a good job if he keeps his mouth shut." ...but he can't keep his mouth shut??

"I think Hillary Clinton should win. Donald Trump is not the president I want to have. Hillary is planning to take guns and I dont argree with it but she better than Donald." This student is going with the lesser of 2 evils approach. I think there are a lot of people with this feeling as well

 "I think they are both not suitable for the job. They both make fools of themselves. However, it is fun to watch because they make fun of each other." Isn't this the sole reason anybody is still tuning in to the debate...?

 "I think they're both bad. One of them are racist (Trump). Hilary can't be trusted. Both are not good with people." I'm not sure how anyone who isn't good with people can become the nominee for their respective parties...?

 I don't like either of them. Hillary doesn't seem to be firm in what she believes and Donald is terrible towards women, pocs, disabled, in general trash, etc."
Doesn't like either of them, Trump is an asshole, etc. etc.

 "I do not like trump or hilary. I don't want neither one of them to win because they are both irresponsible." No love for either candidate yet again!

 "It's sad wha that The choices we have to choose from are ridiculous. They are both immature. Our country is screwed either way." Note: The student asked "Am I gonna get written up if I use the word 'screwed' in my answer?"

 "I'm not sure what I think. Not sure what I think because they aren't good. Half of my family aren't voting this year." The candidates are so bad they're driving voters away! :(

 "Terrible because they are bad people who are trying to ruin the world. All Trump wants to do is talk down on people. All Hillary wants to do is make herself look good." This "both candidates are shitty" theme is real real strong for this group....

 "I think we're screwed. Cause they are both bad people. Who ever wins the election is bad either way" You get the point if you've made it all the way down here. But there's a few gems if you keep going to the end!

 "I think we need to get new people. There are no right answers. I think they're both terrible"

 "They are both horrible. Trump is arrogant. Clinton is an email deleting liar"

 "I hope Trump looses b/c he has bad ideas and he is racist. Actually IDK anything about the election. :(" This kid's a real one. I don't know anything about the election yet (either), kid!

 "They are all garbage trash. I'm tired of only two parties. Third parties have no chance." Honestly, I don't know how old I was when the idea (finally) entered my mind that not every country in the world was governed in the same way and that some had more than two parties.

 "I think Trump will be elected. I think this because Clinton is a woman. Then again I do not know anything about politics"

 "I think no matter who win the world just won't be okay. Both candidnates aren't that good. But I think + hope Hillary win."

 "Our presidential candidates suck. I like Trump more than Hillary because she's an idiot. They should build that wall." Haha, taking the lesser of 2 evils went the other way this time. And this is the only mention of the wall I saw all day!

"I don't care about either! Personally, I feel like america should be single for a few years :). God for president #2k16. #MakeAmericagreatagain" Aaaand another answer to really reinforce the idea that these students are not having anything to do with either candidate! Punctuated with a great face and a couple hashtags. Excellent work.

What It's Like Being Asian

     After writing my last post, somebody remarked to me that they had expected more anecdotes. It's not that I don't have any to share, but I'm also kind of reluctant to share. On one hand, I don't feel like they're worth sharing because I truly don't consider it a big deal - whenever someone says or does anything racist, I know it just reflects a lot more of their character than it does mine. On the other hand, I guess it's nice just to get it off my chest and get it on paper to look back on some time. Plus, y'know, sharing experiences and perspectives and all that good stuff. So, I've made the decision to share a couple examples of what I'm referring to when I write about being Asian. I'm describing one microaggression and one outright racist incident that, combined, have contributed to making me more conscious of my Asian-ness than ever. [Also, if you don't know the definition of the word microaggression: "indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group" (Oxford Dictionaries)]. There have been more than just 2 instances, but I feel like these 2 sum it up pretty nicely as far as my experiences go.
     At a professional development session for my school district, the math teachers got together for some planning. As part of the training, we did some ACT word problems. At some point, there was a word that the person running the session didn't know how to pronounce, so I read it for her. Just a few problems later, she was reading another word problem and then stopped and asked me how to pronounce something else. I hadn't really been paying attention, but I figured she'd just come across another long or difficult-to-pronounce word. My eyes darted through the word problem looking for anything that could be tricky - y'know how word processing doesn't take very long? Well in microseconds, I had looked the problem up and down and my eyes lit up on the only word she could be referring to - "Zhang," as in the name. The word problem involved car sales and the name of the person selling the cars was Zhang. Which she didn't know how to pronounce because she's not Asian. Which I didn't know how to pronounce because I'm not whatever background you need to be to recognize it. Anyways, I give it my best shot and pronounce it "zang" (...like any-fucking-body would, Asian or not). Immediately after I do, though, I look up and make eye contact with one of my friends to give each other the double-take, like did that really just happen? I laughed it off afterwards, but my take on the whole thing can be summed up with this photo:

     The part of me that doesn't feel bad at all thinks it was inevitable - Asian-looking name, ask the Asian guy. No-brainer, right? The irritable side thinks ... well, was it inevitable? If I'm reading and come across a name that's foreign to me, do I just gloss over it, knowing it's irrelevant to the problem? Probably, yeah. I mean at the end of the day, when things like that happen I'm just not really sure what to make of it. Does it hurt me? No, not really. It makes me feel unusual, sure, but I'm no stranger to that feeling, nor do I find it one to be particularly harmful. Someone with more tact than me could have probably found a way to turn it into a learning moment, but I just let it slide because I didn't really care. I'm not really tryna make waves and I don't know how to react otherwise, y'know? So yeah, that's it for that story.
     Another time, I was out playing some basketball with a couple roommates. A few young black men in their 20's rolled up to play with us, and one of them was being very aggressive. He kept calling me Jackie Chan and saying I was Chinese, then told me not to worry because he isn't racist. O...kay...? I didn't say much because I had just met the guy and... I mean, I teach high schoolers. The ignorance runs strong at school. So anyways, we proceed to play. Turns out he's from Akron, Ohio (where Lebron is from). This tidbit's important. Later on in the game, he decides to chuck the ball really far and has to run to go get it. He takes his sweet time, and we're waiting around for a long while. As he nears the court upon his return, someone on the court tells him to "Speed it up, Akron" (pronounced "ak-rin") and he's immediately fired up - "Did you just call me African?!"
     "No man, I said Akron!"
    "Oh okay, good. 'Cause I was gonna have to tackle you or something"
     Cue the eye rolls. This black guy spends the first 5 minutes on the court calling me Jackie Chan and referring to my Chinese background (which is wrong)... then gets upset at being called Akron (because he thinks he's being called African).
     So.... yeah. It's weird because this situation, while having everything to do with skin color, actually doesn't have anything to do with skin color. At least, that's not how I'm reading it. What it does involve, though, is ignorance, insensitivity and sensitivity alike. Ignorance on his part to assume I'm Chinese. Then the insensitivity on his part to single me out for my skin color. Then the sensitivity on his part to be offended for what he perceived to be getting singled out for his skin color. IT JUST MAKES NO SENSE. I didn't even care that he thought I was Chinese - I only cared when HE started caring about being called African. Like... what kinda ass backwards processes are going on in your head? Just recently you were being wildly aggressive about me being Jackie Chan, and now it hurts because you heard somebody call you African (which didn't even happen lol)? It boggles my mind how people could be like that: you assume something about someone else and still find the feelings to get upset when someone else does the same to you. This is not exclusive to race, but of any features. It eats at me because it boils down to a few things:
     - You made it this far through life without realizing that when you assume, you make an ass of u & me.
     - You feel the need to obnoxiously broadcast your assumptions
     - You are an overly sensitive baby back bitch. The world doesn't owe you shit!
     - You just don't have the good sense to shut your goddamn trap
     I say that last bullet because we all make assumptions - it's fine, that's exactly what your brain was made for. It stores information and remembers things for a reason. I'd be lying if I said I don't make assumptions all the time. However, just  have the sense to make the distinction between what you are assuming and what is real. And if you can't do that, then try not to be so loud about your ignorance. And if you can't do that, then it's probably a good opportunity to reevaluate yourself.

     At the end of the day, it's just weird to be singled out for my skin color. It doesn't bother me in the sense that I wish I weren't Asian or anything stupid like that. I just keep coming back to one adjective: weird. It's a complex thing and I don't have any expectations because I just expect these issues to go away with time. It's all solved with some decency and sense, but I'm not sure how to effectively bring that about. So...what do I or we (as a society) do? Who knows.
     When I first started this, I wrote that these weren't a big deal to me, and I stand by that. You can tell the two different events get me worked up to a certain degree, but even still... I just chalk them up to a couple of life experiences. I appreciate that Asians don't have it anything like minority groups who feel like their lives have been marginalized, but it also makes things more confusing. So the way I deal with the confusion? Just to always try and be a decent person, mostly. Because I'm pretty sure the concept of race isn't one we'll outgrow in our lifetime, unfortunately. Oh well - what can you do  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯?

Being an Asian American Teacher

    Some time during the application process for TFA (it might have been answering questions on the app, or during my interview), I was asked about how my identity would impact my role in the classroom. I thought it was a strange question because I hadn't ever really considered my identity in the first place. Asian American, male, recreational athlete, son, friend, brother, director, teammate, teacher - those are a few descriptors of many that make up my identity.
     After having been here for a year, I've thought a lot more about my identity as it pertains to my classroom role. It isn't fully formulated (hard to say if it ever will be), but here is my view on being an Asian American in the classroom (currently in the South).
     Even though I'm Vietnamese, everybody assumes I'm Chinese. I've explained to some students that Vietnam is a different country entirely (by showing them Vietnam and China on Google Maps). I've also explained that just because I'm Vietnamese doesn't mean I'm not Asian. So in this regard, I get to teach students a little about geography (Vietnam≠China, Vietnam & China + other countries = Asia) and ethnic background.
     I also try and use the opportunity to teach them some cultural awareness. Although some students are willfully and maliciously ignorant, those are few and far between compared to the number of students who simply lack an accurate cultural education. This could be something simple as dispelling the notions that I know kung fu, that Asians all speak the same language, or that all Asians are good at math. I guess, from their perspective, the last idea (that all Asians don't excel at math) is hard to believe when I am the math teacher and the 3 Asian students are all high achievers in math. But... whatever.
     Lastly, I feel that my responsibility on a personal level (after the professional level of getting them to want to learn and emphasizing better attitudes) is to give the students some exposure. Exposure to someone who looks, speaks, and has different ideas from them. The best thing is - it doesn't even take any effort besides being me! And the benefit is that it helps to normalize Asian people in their eyes. In case you haven't realized it, Asians are still really exotic in the eyes of the majority of the American population. It's fair, considering we make up less than 5% of the population (as of 2011, according to the CDC). I don't know about y'alls experiences, but just this past week after telling someone I am Vietnamese, he felt the need to tell me that he has a Vietnamese friend. & for some strange reason, some people feel the need to tell me they love fried rice and/or phở. Like... that's irrelevant. I don't tell black people I love fried chicken. I am willing to tell anybody that Popeye's > KFC, if it comes up in context. But it doesn't have any more to do with black people than it does to anyone, really.  I also don't tell white people I love meatloaf - it's delicious, for sure, but once again irrelevant.
     So in summary, I guess I like being a teacher in order to:

1. Normalize Asian people to others
2. Combat stereotypes
3. Give students some greater awareness and understanding of other cultures            

It's not why I became a teacher, but those are some positives I draw from being an Asian American teacher. They're also reasons why I think we need more Asians in the classroom - so if you're at a point in your life where you're not sure what to do with your life, come on in to education and see if it fits you. If  it helps to entice you at all, summer is 10x better as an adult than it ever was as a student, haha. 

(Almost) A Year on the Job

     That title is incredible to consider - although I feel like I've barely just started, the school year is about to end. Due to the many events coming up, I'm faced with a wide range of feelings: anxiety, happiness, dismay, regret, humor. These feelings come for many reasons:

•  I'm real excited to return home (after almost 6 months, probably my 2nd longest stretch from SJ) 
• I'm nervous about state testing for my students (and the corresponding results)
• I'm haunted by the knowledge that I haven't done absolutely everything I could to prepare my students for success
• I find hilarious (as a way of coping with despair) the possibility that 10% (or more, even) of my students will be returning to my class
• and best of all, the ~2.5 months I get off for summer break. 

     It's a lot going on in the coming weeks, but I wanted to take some time to reflect on the past year (well, the last 10 months, really). Here's a list of of things that have come to pass since June 2015:

• I completed a 5-week training program at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi. In a word, the experience was surreal. And that's by the closest definition - not with positive or negative connotation, but strictly bizarre. 
• I spent more time than ever with family that I typically never see. I stayed with them for a week of summer and we celebrated Easter together. After the school year ends, I also get to head down to celebrate my niece's graduation.
• I moved from San Jose, California (population 1 million) to Natchez, Mississippi (15k)  so I could teach in Vidalia, Louisiana (4k).
• I went on spring break. As a teacher, it's different. You might end up gambling at Harrah's New Orleans with a teacher from DC who is also on spring break. & who is also going to Vegas the next day with his teacher friends, just like you are going with yours. And you might end up hitting it off and hanging out the next night, even.
• Then you might spend another 3 awesome days there, going to places you hadn't before and chopping it up with strangers.
• A student told me I was her favorite math teacher ever. I said it didn't count because she's only a freshman and had a lot of math classes to go, but inside I was still proud.
• I had a few students tell me that I was the first math teacher that bothered explaining the material to them - that made me real proud.
• A student (who is in his 2nd round of Algebra 1) wrote that he hadn't cared about math until he had me. 
• I celebrated Mardi Gras in New Orleans with Daisy (and various friends) - we snagged a gazillion beads and souvenirs, went to some spots for bomb food, and had a heck of a few days together.
• I visited my brother in Washington, D.C. Went on some amazing tours and just soaked in the grand feeling of our nation's capital. 
• Went to Baton Rouge a few times - spending a number of weekends eating, dancing, and gambling.
• Went canoeing in Texas (at Lake Caddo State Park, in particular).
• Moved in with 4 strangers, with whom I spend a great majority of my time in close proximity. We spend something along the lines of 15 hours every single day within 50 feet of each other. The sole reason we're apart is that we don't all work at the same school.
• Out of those 4, I got placed in a classroom next to one of them, Brett - we hang out 24/7. Since moving in to this house, we've probably spent 95%+ of the time within shouting distance of each other. To really sell the point: while living here, there is probably just one hour a day where I can't walk over and talk to the guy.
• I was told to go "back to Mongolia" by an ignorant college kid outside of a bar. 
• Some students still insist that I'm Chinese. I honestly can't tell if they're joking or not. I'm pretty sure they are, but then again...
• When I said I was Asian, one of my students goes, "But I thought you were Vietnamese??" Bless her heart. 
• Overheard some students arguing in homeroom - "Chinese? Japanese? Vietnamese? Ain't they all the same? They got all them -ese's." So I walked over and asked, "Ameri-CAN and Afri-CAN - are those the same?" and then the kids he was arguing with laughed at him. 
• The staff at the casino (which is a 10-minute walk away, if that) recognize me and no longer ask for my ID.
• Speaking of staff at the casino - a student's mom works there, and we chat about once a week about how her daughter is doing in my class
• Although I've gotten used to it by now, when I stop to think about how far I've come from San Diego and San Jose, it's still a trip that the only Asians I encounter on a regular basis are the 2 in my homeroom. Everywhere else I go, I can count on being the only one. Besides Brett - he's half Indian, so there's that. 
• I cook once a week - that's been an awesome and super underrated feature of living with roommates. We take turns cooking Sunday-Thursday and it works out pretty well (except for the duds, but we all have off days lol).
• I've had fried chicken much more than I used to - I'm not saying I make weekly trips or anything, but definitely having it more than I used to. That goes for fried food in general, at least when we go out.

     So there you have it. I'm surprised by how non-school-centric that list is. I think that's just because that side of things doesn't make the highlight reel for me for a couple reasons - when I started off the school year, I was a shitty teacher. I still am, but slightly less so. I've had my moments of success, but they truly are just moments - most of the time, I am not doing a good or even mediocre job. I'm working on it, but I've heard a million times that the first few days count SO so much. Unfortunately, my first few days were pretty loose, and my classroom (zoo?) reflects that. 

     Besides the fact that things in my classroom haven't been pretty, the other reason I haven't written about it much is because of how mundane it is. Not that it's boring to me - just that it feels boring to share, I guess. I'm trying to get better by planning ahead of time, making the material understandable, having a better handle on my class, and a million other little things. None of those sound particularly interesting, but I realized that self-improvement never seems sexy. There's nothing inherently impressive about reminding myself that I should pace the room, take different disciplinary tactics, or that a class should have a point added or taken away based on their behavior. But they are things, and they're my things, which is really all that matters. 

     Fortunately, I'm still really into the profession. As much pressure as there's been, and as much as I've felt that I've done an awful job thus far, it's nothing compared to the gratification of seeing the moment of understanding, or when a child hands you a quiz that he/she knows is perfect and tells you that you "made [them] like this." Contrary to the students' popular belief - I don't really give a damn about math. I never liked it much as a student. Pretty much the only reason I rated math highly in my application is the need for math teachers. But if I can help students realize that a challenge isn't impossible, that even if something that seems like the worst thing in the world can be solved - then I've got that much, at least, and that's something I can come back to every day. 

     Here is the stat line from Tom Brady's 2nd career start: "he went 12-for-24 for 86 yards and lost two fumbles while the Patriots lost 30-10" (http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/18/tom-brady-said-im-going-to-be-a-great-one-after-his-second-start/). Afterwards, though, he still said, "I kid you not, it’s not that hard. I’m going to be a great one." While I don't have the obsessive mindset or work ethic of the guy, I'm on the same level of confidence. I've got a long way to go, but I can honestly say I still feel like a million bucks about it. It was a shitty year, and I'm a shitty teacher. But the start isn't what matters - hardly at all, really. As long as I have the desire, I will always be able to improve my skills. With some luck I'll be building myself up over not just years, but even decades. If you can't tell, I'm real excited. I'll update you with test results in a few weeks, and I'll make sure to let you know how things go next year. Til next time, ✌️ 

The Awesome Impact of Running

     A few months ago (some time in September or October), I started training for a marathon. A friend was registered for one in February and wanted to get others in on it too. There were a couple reasons I was open to the idea - it was a concrete goal and I needed some way to keep fit. Also, the idea of running a marathon just sounded cool - a real achievement to be proud of. However, I wasn't exactly a big fan of running. Even though I had started running more often my last 2 years of college, it was a relatively sterile running experience; I'd hop on a treadmill and run a few miles, and that was that. Not a great experience by any means, but it was still an effective way for me to push personal boundaries and improve myself.
     At the time, my accomplishments were pretty heady to me - running a mile was no big deal, but going for 2 then 3 were more than I'd expected to run pretty much ever, really. I ran anywhere from 3-5 times a week, sometimes getting up as early as 5:30 or 5:45 to squeeze in a few miles before leaving for class. My crowning personal achievement during this period was clearing 5 miles in <40. Running a mile in less than 8 minutes seemed a pretty decent standard to me - to take that pace and keep it up for 5 miles seemed like a lifetime achievement. Fast forward a couple years, and things are pretty different.
     Earlier, going for 3 or 4 miles was something I made a conscious decision on - most days I'd run just a mile or 2 before lifting weights. Now, 3 miles is pretty much the bare minimum - and that's on a day where I feel sluggish or after a long break. More representative of a typical run lately has been 4 miles, with a 5 or 6-miler thrown in every 2-3 runs. Although this is my new normal, it's still astounding to me because I never would have guessed that I would have such a routine: get home after work, change into some shorts, and take off for ~30-45 minutes and clear 4 or 5 miles about 4 times a week. The difference between then and now goes way beyond the length or pace, though.
     Now when I run, I start from my house and have a pretty set route that's 4 miles long, with additions for my longer runs. Instead of a treadmill, I'm out in the neighborhood - and it's definitely a beautiful one. I get to take in some fresh air and for about 3/4 of a mile near the end of my run, I'm sandwiched by beauty: a row of gorgeous houses to my left and the Mississippi River and the setting sun to my right. Although I'm not going at the <8-minute pace that I had been on earlier, I feel like there's a major gap in difficulty of running on a treadmill vs. running outside - namely, that running on a treadmill is much easier. The quality of my runs are so much greater. Running outside allows for variations in pace and flow, where I used to just throw on a set pace and go until I finished on a treadmill. Now, I can push to go fast, aim to keep the pace, or slow down on various stretches throughout the run. Particularly, it forces me to stay mentally sharp while I'm running - I have to push the pace if I feel like I'm going slow, try and maintain my speed if I feel like I'm coming up on my limits, and push myself real hard when I know I'm past the more difficult length of the run and can try and empty out what's left in the tank. It's such a different, deeper, and definitively more fulfilling experience.
     The fulfillment comes from the fact that, even though I'm always keeping track of the pace I'm on, the consistent, relatively predictable action of running allows my mind to wander. I get to think about lots of things - things going on in my class, things going on in my life, things I need to do when I get back home, things in the world that interest me. I'm so amazed at the level of thinking that I get to do while I run - it's almost like meditating in that it's an opportunity for me to get inside my head. Plus, thinking about things that interest me, having the opportunity to reflect on my opinions, or taking the chance to more fully flesh out my thoughts - those are all things I love to do but haven't set aside the time for. Running has opened the opportunity to make sure that I'm flourishing both physically and mentally.
     Beyond those needs, running consistently has really helped to ground me in the belief of improvement and hard work. Like I said, I never thought I'd be running this much. Here I am, though, doing it on a regular basis and at a pace I am proud of. This has really helped me professionally because those ideas/values are what I really try to impress upon my students- that no matter how bad they may be or think they are at math (or anything, really), hard work and self-improvement are all that really matter. Until (relatively) recently, those were things I could appreciate and promote intellectually, but that I had never really believed myself. Working hard and improving myself are things that I honestly haven't known for most of my life - I've always maintained (and still do, to a great degree) that I was born into the features that have made life such a breeze for me: a brain that can pick things up, a body that does most of what I ask it to, and a sense of humor that helps me connect to others. Starting some time in college, though, I (somehow) began to develop a work ethic.
     While I've still got a long way to go concerning my work habits, I've already covered quite some distance. I'm proud of my college GPA - not because it's particularly good (or even good at all...), but because it feels so much more earned. Similarly, I have a much greater appreciation for my accomplishments in the past couple years - a good score on the GRE, getting into TFA, doing more pull-ups than I figured I'd be able to, starting to run a gazillion more miles than I used to. I haven't done anything outstanding or exceptional, but those are some of the things I feel like I worked particularly hard at. & now that I've seen the fruits of my labor, I can talk about hard work and self-improvement from the perspective of someone who's done some of it. Even as I'm discovering this, I know that I've got a long way to go - about a lifetime, actually. Still, though, the knowledge that hard work pays off is exciting because now I know and believe in it 10x more than I used to - and from there, I'm able to sincerely communicate that to my students without feeling like a fraud.
     With regards to training for the marathon - I tanked. I started off with a pretty good schedule - I ran 3-4 times during the week, and on Saturday or Sunday I could pop off a long run. Some time in November, I think, my longest run was 12+ miles, and I had a few runs of 10-11 miles as well - on track to make a marathon if I could just add on one mile to my long run each week. Then I went home for winter break, and over those 2 weeks ran about 7 miles... total. By the time I came back to Natchez in January, running 3 miles was much more of a struggle than I was used to. I'd say it's taken me since then - about a month and a half - to get back to the grind. I've been running between 4 and 6 miles pretty consistently, but haven't tried any long runs in a few weeks. Not only that, but the marathon is next Sunday and I'm going to visit DC from Wednesday to Saturday to see my brother with Anne & Jeremy. Needless to say, 26.2 miles is not currently on the horizon for me, but that's okay - it's a much more real goal to me now that I'm a bit more familiar with what running such a long distance entails. Plus, this should finally be the year I average over 1 mile/day (365 miles in a year)!
     Thanks for reading - I hope I've inspired you to lace up your shoes and go enjoy a run! Take your time, or push yourself - it doesn't really matter. Walk a quarter mile, jog 10, or sprint 1 - that doesn't matter either. As soon as you've made it outside, you're doing better than you were before - & that's what really matters.