GOBAMA!

Roll Tide! Last night Clay and I went to our first UT game and had a blast! Our friend and my department chair, Will (in red), was kind enough to invite us along with his cousin, John. Clay was lovin' life as the Crimson Tide dominated the game and won 29-9. I was just as impressed with the UT band--my gosh, they can spell anything they want to on that field! It was incredible. Check out these pics:

We enjoyed the drive to and from Knoxville, tailgate, and game even more because we were together. Man, we love coaching, but when we are both teaching and coaching at different schools, life gets a bit full. Luckily, our teams have been doing pretty well, so we are both enjoying our time with them. Clay's team won on Thursday night and is now one game away from coaching a 20-0 team over 2 years. Pretty exciting. He is done coaching on Monday night, and my CC team finishes on Saturday at the State Meet. Cross your fingers for us. It will surely be competitive but also exciting. We have one or two more hard workouts until we begin to rest up for Saturday--but hopefully none as un-fun as Friday's workout when our head coach drove us to a drop-off point and told us to run back to the weight room in the pouring rain. We felt pretty hard core after that run :-). On Saturday, Ashley and I had a great 10-miler on the half-marathon course we are running in 2 weeks; I can't wait to race after coaching other runners all season! I want to see what these old legs can do!

So life will look a little different for the Gahans in one week's time--hopefully more time together, more walks with Cam-dawg, more time to sleep and read and plan for thoughtful classes. As the leaves begin to turn gorgeous colors and the evening air gets a bit nippy, I am more ready than ever to curl up with the ones I love and appreciate the "little" things--which I am continually learning mean more to me than ever.

Livin' for the weekend!

The week that grades and comments are due usually isn't much fun. You buckle down, gear up, and basically accept the fact that you won't be doing much else besides grade, write, and teach for close to five days straight. But....the weekend AFTER grades and comments are due is always GLORIOUS. The "to-be graded" files are empty, the lesson plans are usually in place, and the bed never looked so good.

Unfortunately, Clay and I celebrated in two different places on Friday night. He travelled to Knoxville to cheer on the Varsity team (they won! they are going to the playoffs!) and I got together with a dear new friend, Kat--who just closed on her first house an hour before we met. We had some celebrating to do. After some yummy margaritas, sangria, and enchiladas at Taco Mamacitas, a new restaurant in town, we headed over to her new home on the South Side. I brought along a little champagne to toast her new house, but before we could enjoy it, we saw that every light on her house was on...and the door was wide open...and there was a house key sitting on the front counter in plain sight. Uh-oh. After freaking out and then gathering out wits, we headed into the adorable little yellow house only to find...the adorable inside of an adorable little yellow house. All was good. And by the time I got home, I hit the bed hard.

Ashley and I had another fantastic 70 minute run together Saturday morning--only 3 weeks until the half-marathon. We're excited. Then Clay and I finally got the chance to relax together, enjoying a little time in the gym, yummy smoothies, a few errands, and a nap. Again, glorious. We capped off the evening on Lookout Mountain at our friend's Nick's birthday party.

Sunday morning ushered in another good Sunday School class. We aren't getting the highest attendance count ever, but the people coming are solid and thoughtful and nice, so we are enjoying it. We hope they are, too. The story for this morning was Raymond Carver's sad "A Small Good Thing." Powerful story, but man, it's a tear-jerker. After church with Kat and Nate, we headed home and took Camden for a long, fun walk. He gets cuter and cuter every day. We might also be a little biased :-).

Tonight we made our favorite chicken noodle soup, watched the end of Sicko (makes you really want to know for sure the two candidates' stances on HealthCare--wow), and did some school work. It's been a treat of a weekend--and it feels so good to go into another week of teaching and coaching rested.

Happy weeks to you all!

Inspiration

"Racing teaches us to challenge ourselves. It teaches us to push beyond where we thought we could go. It helps us to find out what we are made of. This is what we do. This is what it's all about."
--PattiSue Plumer, U.S. Olympian

"I always loved running...it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs." --Jesse Owens

"Ask yourself: 'Can I give more?'. The answer is usually: 'Yes'."
--Paul Tergat, Kenyan professional marathoner

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift."
--Steve Prefontaine

“When you’re hurting in the middle of a workout or race, it’s easy to hold back or let yourself off the hook from running faster. But regret is the worst feeling in the world to me. You want to challenge yourself. The more you get out of yourself, you more you start wondering, Maybe I could get even more. It’s fun to see what your body can do.”
--Kara Goucher

“To motivate yourself every day, the most important thing is to set a goal. If you have a goal, you know what you must do because you have a plan. And if you don’t reach the goal, try again and again.”
--Haile Gebrselassie (of Ethopia. Ran 2:04:26 in the 2007 Berlin Marathon to notch his 24th World Record)

Today was our last big meet of the CC season. We came in second out of 19 teams. We should be pumped, right? Well, I was excited because all of the members of the team did better than I ever could in a 5K race, so I was proud of them. but there was a bit of a somber mood after the race. We came in second. Again. To the same team who always beats us. AND they ran two 8th grade runners today, so their program doesn't look like it is going to open the door wide any time soon.

I think we all went home wondering what else we could each do to improve our team and individual performances. I went to the gym to burn off some of my thoughts and feel healthy after a week of grading papers and writing comments and teaching classes, and I picked up several back issues of Runner's World. Flipping through them on the eliptical, I couldn't get enough of the inspirational stories in this magazine. And isn't that what running is all about? Creating memories of that beautiful trail run or the breakthrough race or the training run when you got great ideas for a lesson plan...Running is so inspirational to me. It's painful, it's dirty, it's often unglamorous, it's exhausting. But it's also freeing and rewarding and life-enhancing and revealing. So I culled (my favorite word of the week) some of my favorite quotes to send to our players--one a day for the next two weeks as we prepare mentally and physically for State on Nov. 1. The ones above are my favorites so far. If you know of any others and are willing to pass them along, I would LOVE to hear them!

Perhaps what I love most about them (and the sport itself) is the fact that running is a perfect metaphor for life. This week has been incredibly long and exhausting, but as is so often is the case with teaching (and many other professions), it's when we don't think we can get it all done and actually still be able to teach every day that we prove to ourselves just what we are made of. It's the same way with writing--sometimes we must push through the painful, tiring parts to actually come out on the other side with rewards we wouldn't have received otherwise.

For example, comments were due today, but an English Dept. Gathering had been rescheduled for last night. Sure, I was tempted to back out and spend the evening finishing and revising my comments, but I felt I had committed to attending and that I should go. And I am so glad I did. I learned more in one hour or engaged discussion with my colleagues and other English teachers in Chattanooga than I could have found in a book in the same period of time. After an evening of talking about poetry, I came home inspired and refreshed. Sure, I still had a class of comments to write, but I was okay with that...

Sure, I think there are some times in life when you shouldn't give any more or yourself or else you will explode. But there are some pretty neat moments hiding behind many doors we are either too tired or distracted to open. Inspiration is contagious--and often happens when we aren't looking for it.

Have a great weekend, friends.

Fun Times In Louisville!

What a great weekend we had with Sara's family in Louisville! It was such a treat to see Mom, Dad, Brittany and Jason, Gege, Lynne, Marguerite, and Nonna (and Max and Maggie) all in 48 hours. As always, we wish we had more time with them all, but we are grateful for the good times we did have :-). Here are our top ten highlights:
1.) Yummy tomato and mozzarella salad and grilled kebobs on Friday night with Mom and Dad.
2.) Going for our traditional walk up and down the street with Gege, Lynne, and all the dogs
3.) Watching Camden try to eat all of Max and Maggie's food AND take over their doggie beds. He wasn't the greatest of guests, but boy is he getting cuter and cuter...
4.) Seeing Brittany try on her bridesmaid's dress for Blair and Jurgen's wedding! We can't wait for Jan. 3!
5.) Going for a long run around my old neighborhood.
6.) Getting to see Marguerite
7.) Driving a large, white cargo van with no windows to and from Kentucky with our puppy wedged in between the two front seats. We felt so sketchy!
8.) Going out to Varanese with Mom and Dad on Saturday night. It was so yummy and the conversation was even better!
9.) Seeing The Duchess (Clay: B, Sara: A-)
10.) Going out to Panera with Nonna on Sunday and hearing about her first years of marriage to Poppops. Ahhh, I love hearing her tell stories...

Thanks for a great weekend, Hume family!!!! We love you!!!

Finding Joy In Unexpected Places

So this week I lost my cell phone. Now, I am not a big cell phone person--I have the bare bones model and the lowest rate package possible--but losing your cell phone does get tricky...especially when you don't have anyone's numbers written down. For the past five days, I have been searching high and low for this tiny object, finally resigning myself last night to the fact that it was gone and that I would have to buy another one and try to replace all the numbers. I do confess that I did entertain the idea of not replacing it at all...living simply has been a personal challenge to myself lately...

And then I walk into my classroom this morning at 7:15 a.m. and lo and behold! There it is! Right on my desk! WHAT??! I LOVE it when things like this happen!! I did a little dance in front of the student who I was meeting with and knew immediately that it was going to be a good day.

And a good day--and week--its been! Monday night Clay's team won a close game against the Red Raiders 3-0 (last minute field goal) and once again Clay's defense held their opponent to a shut-out. Clay was pumped when it was over--and exhausted. Camden was also exhausted--he sure is popular with the kiddos at football games! They all love holding him and running around with him.

Cross Country practices continue to be a highlight of my day. With the exception of Friday's tough conversation, our afternoon workouts make me smile and sweat. Tuesdays are our speed days at Greenway Farms, and today we transitioned into phase three of our Vo2 workouts: 12 minute warm-up, 4 accelerations, 3:00 sprint for distance, 10:00 cool down, and then five 3:18 runs where we have to cover the same distance as we did during the 3:00 sprint. As always, Tuesdays push me hard, but I love it. I have never been a fast runner, so I have tried to compensate by focusing on distance, but CC challenges to me run harder and often for longer. As a coach, I must be focused on the well-being and success of the girls, so the workouts often fly by without me really even realizing it (well, kinda). But the mental game for me is now gone--I have no choice whether or not I can do the workouts. I MUST do the workouts if I am to coach and ask them to do them, so I don't even second guess or doubt myself anymore. I am still not fast, but I think I am fastER, and I am loving the sport more than ever. With all this in mind, I signed up for the Chickamauga Half-Marathon on Nov. 8--one week after the State CC championships. When considering whether to do it or not, I finally realized that I too have been training for a race but have yet to run it, so why not test myself right after the close of the season? I am a little worried about the distance since the most we run on a daily basis is 8 miles, but Ashley and I are set to clock some long runs together over the next few weekends, so hopefully we will cross the line in under 2:00 in just over a month.

We are so excited to head to Louisville this weekend to see some of my family, including Brittany and Jason who will be in town for a wedding--hurray! Clay and I have rented a cargo van so we can bring back Marguerite's dining room set (thank you, Marguerite!), so imagine Clay, me, and our little dog trekking 5 hours each way this weekend in a huge van. Kind of makes me laugh just to think about it. This weekend is our long weekend, so we are grateful for a break and a chance to see dear family. When we get back, only 2.5 weeks left of each of our seasons and then we are off for the winter season. Man, life will change. I have to admit I am looking forward to the chance to breathe and get some more sleep (hopefully), but I will miss miss miss this team and these workouts.

Happy Week to All!

WAHOO!!!!!!!!!

The brilliant people at the Blogger Help Desk helped me figured out why my gadgets were appearing at the bottom of our blog...and now they are back on the right side! Oh boy, now the possibilities are endless...

Love you all!

For the Love of the Game

What a week! Can it really already be Saturday night? This week has been full of excitement and powerful moments, many of which revolve around coaching. One reason I love reading our friends' Jamie and Mary's blog is because they are so thoughtful about the joys and challenges associated with coaching water polo. Clay and I can really relate to a lot of what they say. Coaching young people to love and do well in a particular sport can be a source of endless pleasure and frustration because at some point we have to let go, step back, and hope they can translate the hours of practice and dedication to actual performance. Mix in some tricky team dynamics, illnesses, mental blocks, and just plain bad luck, and you have a recipe for obsession.

Case in point: On Friday's practice, I was asked to take three girls on a 35 minute run before our race today. One of the girls immediately dropped back--frustrating for sure, she never feels she can keep up with the pack no matter how fast or slow we are going. Thus, I was running with two girls, and 25 minutes in, one of the girls heads home--too early. I signaled to her to keep going with us before finally turning back to see if she was okay. When I reached her, it was clear she was close to tears: "I can never go as fast as you all. You always push me too hard. You want this for me more than I want it."

Oh. No.

That last sentence is a coach's worst nightmare. There is simply nothing we can do when a player/athletic doesn't care about doing his best. You can coach talent and ability, but I've learned that it is very, very tough, perhaps impossible to coach heart. And when you have pushed a kid too hard, its similarly tough to pull them back in. Sure, we as coaches want to win badly, but I would venture to guess that the best coaches, at least at this level, want even more for their players to do their best. We want to see our athletes reach THEIR goals and exceed their own expectations, reaching some level of success along the way. We also want to have fun, get and stay fit, and enjoy a team dynamic that provides friendship, support, and encouragement. We as coaches don't get to play--but I have found in my 5 years of coaching that some of my favorite lifetime victories have been when I am on the sidelines, not on the field/court/race course. But when one of your athletes looks you with tears in her eyes in the middle of a workout and confesses she doesn't love it nearly as much as you love it or want it for her, you can't help but feel utterly defeated. You don't have to play to win or lose in the game of sports.

I still can't stop thinking about that girl, but it was refreshing to come home from that practice only to head back out to cheer on McC in our annual football rivalry against the Red Raiders. We joined thousands of fans dressed in blue (yay!) or red (boo!) at Finley Stadium last night. It was so exciting to see McC take control and keep it the entire game as they went on to win 24-3. The streak now stands at 11 games in a row. Clay knows all of the players, and so we knew how much time and effort--and heart--these boys had put into preparing for this game, so we couldn't have been more pumped for them that it paid off. Gotta love days when the two extremes of coacing--joys and frustrations, victory and defeat--are both displayed so prominently. It's just one of the many reasons we love teaching and coaching: we never stop learning.