what's next
I'm realizing more and more that I tend to live in the future quite a bit. Not that I don't fully enjoy the present, I'm just a planner. I want to think ahead so that I'm prepared for the next step. So, I am constantly thinking about what I'm going to do next in life...This is especially true right now in several aspects of my life. On Friday, I submitted my final paper to complete my master's degree (a BS in Kinesiology with an emphasis in pedagogy). For the most part, it was pretty much just a review of everything I have learned in the past in my (two) undergrad degrees, but it reminded me how much I absolutely love fitness, exercise, and the human body. I really do feel that even though it was pretty busy-work intensive (it was 100% online), I do feel that I gained a lot more understanding of physical education and teaching.
Yet, finishing has left me asking myself, what am I going to do next? I think as a teacher, I am supposed to be a lifelong learner. While I haven't always loved school, I love learning new things. Part of it is just a personality trait in that I hate feeling dumb. I was the kid in class who never raised their hand out of fear of looking stupid. So, I think part of it is that I just always want to be in the know. My favorite books are non-fiction books about running, exercise, and nutrition. Yup, the secret is out: I'm a huge nerd.I would love to go back to school and earn another degree in something non-teaching related. I've always wanted to be a doctor of some sort, but just never thought I was smart enough to do it. Plus, while I wanted to go into orthopedics, broken bones and hip replacements just aren't my thing. But, after I started going to the chiropractor, I realized I was more into preventative medicine than anything else. I still dream about becoming a chiropractor, but 3 years of school with 2 young kids and house and car payments just isn't going to work right now.So, instead I've started looking into other avenues to continue my education. I do love teaching but there are definitely aspects of it that I could do without (as I'm sure every teacher would agree). What is similar to teaching that also involves fitness? Group exercise certifications. Yoga certifications. Running certifications. Kinesiotape certifications. Right now, I'm just looking into all of these, but we will see where this takes me. A little extra side money wouldn't hurt right now...
I've also started thinking about what's next on the training front. I've been doing this non-training thing for a little over a month now, and I have to admit, I've kind of enjoyed it. It's nice to just go for a run and not worry about hitting certain paces. My runs have been more relaxed, but I've also seen my paces drop and my endurance get better. But, while I've enjoyed some time off, I'm getting to the point where I think I'm ready to race again. I have a half marathon on the race schedule in April next year, but I still am wanting to get competitive running 5Ks and 10Ks. We are getting to the point in the year now that I do actually have to start thinking about my 2016 racing schedule - or if I'm just going to take another few months off of training. I'm going to give myself a little more time to decide for sure, but I have my eye out for some good 5Ks to run in the spring and summer - and maybe a late summer triathlon?!
Miles' first birthday is quickly approaching which means having to think about what's next in terms of children... but that's for another post... ;)