I'm going to credit this to the runner's high phenomenon. Even though I KNOW I struggled in the last 6 miles of the last marathon, now that it's been a few days, I want to run another one. Right now you might be asking yourself, WTF is wrong with this girl? If you are, just know I'm asking myself the same question. There's no reason for me to run another marathon. Now, I just want to. Is that weird? Maybe. Sadly, as the winter rolls in, marathon options around here are supremely limited. Most of the big marathons are being held on the West Coast or the Southern states, where it's probably a good 30 degrees warmer than the East Coast in the winter. Since Ryan basically ruled out all travel for the purpose of running a marathon, I'm kind of limited here. Not that I can argue his point. We have a wedding to pay for and spending money to run 26.2 really isn't the best idea. I suppose if I could find a marathon in, say, Saugus, he'd probably tell me to go for it. Unfortunately, the closest marathon I've found that's coming up, is in Delaware. Aside from the fact that I don't really even LIKE the state of Delaware, it would require another road trip, and neither of us is up for that. In regards to why I don't like Delaware, I really don't have a good reason, or any reason at all. We just paid a lot of tolls traveling through, so that made me sort of hate the state. Oh well.
Louisiana has a marathon in January, which COULD be do-able, since Ryan has family there, so at least we'd have a reason to travel, but I'm pretty sure that's still out of the question. Airfare is expensive, especially for a weekend trip. You know what's really funny about this whole thing? My original goal was to run one marathon, and one marathon only. Walt Disney World 2014. You know what marathon I'm not running? WDW 2014. Though, 2015 is certainly an option in my mind at this point. I'd also like to run Boston, but I can't fathom asking people to give me $4000 just to run, and I'm not in any shape to BQ anytime soon. Plus, that's sold out too.
You know what I really want though? Another running club. The Lynn Woods Running Club was great for the summer months. I really enjoyed having a group of people to run with every week. Since those runs are over though, and most of my friends don't run long distance, I'm left with two, occasionally three, running buddies. That's great and all, but if the others can't run with me, I end up either not going, or turning around earlier than I plan. Running long distances alone is harder than you may think. I know I can convince myself to run to a certain point, but eventually I end up turning around, even if I didn't make the distance I intended. With a running group, I feel like I would have more success in running longer distances more often. Knowing that I had to meet others would get me moving on days I didn't want too, and having people keep pace would keep me moving even when I started to feel done. Ideally, Title would start a running club on the side. I'd run with the people I box with, and I think it would be good for their business. Or at least for their trainers, who could add in some extra workouts on the side. But what do I know? I'm not the head of that business, and really, what I think and what is true are not always the same. Either way though, all I know is that I could really use a winter running club, preferably one that meets more than once a week.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
IIIInnnnnnn West Philadelphia....
Is where we hit mile 8 and I got a high five and morale boost from Ryan. In East Philadelphia, where the race started and ended, and indeed, spent most of the time, is where I ran through every possible emotion a person can have while running a marathon.
Let's begin at the beginning. Another early start, because apparently Boston has a super late start compared to fall marathons. The race went off at 7 which means we had to be there by 5. Yea, right, I got there at 5:45, and still had plenty of time. I met Cynthia and Murdock around 6:30ish and we headed straight for the porta-potty lines. There we waited for about 20 minutes, and actually heard the race start. So, maybe I didn't have PLENTY of time, but this wasn't like MCM. In Philly they corralled people and walked the corrals to the start. So our corral actually didn't cross the start line until 20 past. I was actually not nervous at all this time around and was really just in it for fun. At the start, the crowd was pumped and the mayor was handing out high fives. (I totally got one on my way over the start line!) Basically right from the start the energy was awesome.
Since the crowd was a lot smaller, we were able to get a better start. In fact, most of our first half was in the low 10s/high 9s minute wise. That comes back to haunt me later on, but one mile at time for now. We started out at the Philadelphia Art Museum and ran a bunch of streets which I have no knowledge off. I can tell you that we ran by the oldest four masted ship still afloat, near Drexel University, by Chinatown, and the market. My working knowledge of Philly's streets and our race route beyond that is pretty much non-existent. The first miles were amazing. Spectators were out in full force and having a grand old time. I knew Ryan was at mile 8, so I was having fun counting down the miles to him as well. We got lots of high fives and even some beer offers from the Frat Houses. A little after mile 8 I got my high fives from Ryan and kept on trucking. Of course we found the dreaded up hill at mile 9, but honestly, it wasn't that bad. There were worse ones later in the route. Plus, after the uphill, there was some lovely downhill coasting. Somewhere in there we ran past the Philadelphia Zoo, but there wasn't much to see. Around mile 11/12 we started splitting and seeing the signs that sent the half-marathoners back to the finish and the rest of us off to the other half. I'll admit, for a brief moment I wished I was running the half and almost done, instead of only half way in.
At the half split, we passed the art museum again. I got a nice surprise when I saw Ryan at the steps of the museum, waiting for another high five. Then we turned the corner and tackled the second half of our run. For the second half, we basically ran a straightaway up the Schulykil River. The scenery was nice and for a couple more miles there were crowds and cheering. We even saw the first place female finisher coming down the stretch as we were heading up. That was exciting, even if it was a little disappointing to know that she was almost done and I still had an entire half left to go. Around mile 16 the crowds really started to taper out and things got a little boring. Part of that was because Cynthia and Murdock, once again, ended up far enough in front of me that I was basically on my own. This time though, I used my playlist as a little extra push, so I didn't feel totally bad about being behind. Plus, since it wasn't my first, I knew I could finish and just find them at the end if I had to.
I'll admit, this straightaway was far worse than any part of the MCM. Including the bridge. Some people really enjoy straight roads, but I hate them. I need changing scenery and direction. Seeing everything in front and knowing there's no turn around in sight is damaging to my energy. Aside from that, it was actually a fairly warm day out, which was not helping. I was drinking plenty of water and taking in gels, but it just wasn't enough. I was burnt out totally by mile 20. The hill at mile 19 didn't help. Who puts a hill at mile 19?!?!?! This isn't Boston people.
I'll admit, I almost called Ryan and told him I was walking the last 6.2, and to come meet me half way if he wanted too. Luckily, my stubborn side kicked in and I couldn't let myself walk. Having some spectators reappear at miles 19 - 22 really helped too. I've noticed that people must really be able to tell when us runners are struggling, because people were yelling my name, telling me I was looking good, all sorts of encouraging cheers that pushed me to keep going, even though I really just wanted to stop. Around mile 22 the 4:30 pace team caught up with me. This was a surprise, as I actually thought I was way behind my goal time. I ran with the pace team for a mile or longer, I'm really not sure, I think I made it to mile 24 with them. They helped me pick up my pace, but also offered a distraction. The woman holding the pacing sign just kept up a steady flow of talk, which I was listening to, more to forget about the pain in the entire lower half of my body, than to actually care about what she was saying. Following with the pace team, I actually caught back up to Cynthia and Murdock and found out I wasn't the only one struggling. We ran through to the next water stop, then I sort of fell behind them again. But, I made it to mile 25.5 with them, so by that point, I was at least close enough to be basically on track. At mile 26 a rush of adrenaline kicked in. I've never given much thought to that whole adrenaline rush thing, but I finally know what it is. Honestly, I didn't think I could move any faster or even keep running when I was at mile 25. At mile 26 all I knew was that I was almost there and I had to run. Suddenly I heard the crowds yelling and even though I'm sure they weren't, it's like they were all cheering for me. I could hear the DJ at the finish line and more importantly, I could SEE the finish. Those last .2 miles I all out ran, faster than I even knew I could at that moment, just to be done. So fast, in fact, that I caught back up to Cynthia and Murdock and crossed 1 behind Cynthia. Quite a feat, considering I couldn't even see her anymore when I got to mile 26. I also got a high five from the mayor on the way over the finish. My final time was 4:37 and some seconds. If we're going by recorded times, it was almost 10 minutes faster than the MCM. If we go by Garmin times, it was a minute slower, and that was without a bathroom break. I'm a little disappointed, because I was really hoping for a faster time, even just by 5 minutes. Part of it was the weather and the fact that I had too much caffeine in my energy supplements, but part of it was that I didn't do much running between MCM and Philly. I did a few 5Ks and a 10 miler last weekend, but I should have done more. Oh well.
Of course after we finished we took pictures with Rocky and ran the steps to the museum. We wanted to buy finisher shirts, but they were all sold out! The car ride home wasn't too bad, mostly because it was shorter, but it was still fairly uncomfortable.
Comparing the two, this is what I've come up with.
MCM Pros: Better course, in my opinion. More spectators along the miles, or so it seemed. Great volunteers and Marines, who were inspiring and happy to give a high five. Plenty of food stops along with the water stops; four altogether, oranges, gels, sports beans, and munchkins. Awesome medals at the end, given by a Marine. Fantastic jacket for body temperature regulation and a food box for the finishers. Bananas, water, and Gatorade as well.
MCM Cons: The Gauntlet and Beat the Bridge time limits are terrifying for a first timer. Even though I knew my training time was well inside the time limit, I was still nervous for both milestones. Lots of runners go off together, making a very crowded first few miles. No time clocks at every mile, instead someone calling out times as you run by. Hard turnaround somewhere within miles 6 - 9, not sure exactly which miles, but seriously hairpin turn which caused a giant bottleneck again.
Philadelphia Pros; Much smaller pool of runners and more controlled corral releases, which spread out the runners, giving a better starting pace. Lots of scenery at the beginning. Nice to run with half-marathoners too. Time trackers at every mile marker. Great volunteers. Awesome medals at the end. Food bag at the end with orange juice and other small snacks. Astronaut blanket for body temp regulation.
Philadelphia Cons: Longest out and back of my life. Not enough spectators in the later miles, which is when I, at least, really needed them. Only one food stop, gels at mile 9. A bit hilly, in which the downhills caused a bit of an issue with my knees.
Overall, I liked them both, for different reasons. Now though, I really want to do Boston, just for a straight course from one end to the other, without looping back around. I think it would be fun. If only I could get myself in there. Someday. All in all though, I'm not sure I'll ever run two marathons in 3 weeks ever again. You never know though. Stranger things have happened.
Let's begin at the beginning. Another early start, because apparently Boston has a super late start compared to fall marathons. The race went off at 7 which means we had to be there by 5. Yea, right, I got there at 5:45, and still had plenty of time. I met Cynthia and Murdock around 6:30ish and we headed straight for the porta-potty lines. There we waited for about 20 minutes, and actually heard the race start. So, maybe I didn't have PLENTY of time, but this wasn't like MCM. In Philly they corralled people and walked the corrals to the start. So our corral actually didn't cross the start line until 20 past. I was actually not nervous at all this time around and was really just in it for fun. At the start, the crowd was pumped and the mayor was handing out high fives. (I totally got one on my way over the start line!) Basically right from the start the energy was awesome.
Since the crowd was a lot smaller, we were able to get a better start. In fact, most of our first half was in the low 10s/high 9s minute wise. That comes back to haunt me later on, but one mile at time for now. We started out at the Philadelphia Art Museum and ran a bunch of streets which I have no knowledge off. I can tell you that we ran by the oldest four masted ship still afloat, near Drexel University, by Chinatown, and the market. My working knowledge of Philly's streets and our race route beyond that is pretty much non-existent. The first miles were amazing. Spectators were out in full force and having a grand old time. I knew Ryan was at mile 8, so I was having fun counting down the miles to him as well. We got lots of high fives and even some beer offers from the Frat Houses. A little after mile 8 I got my high fives from Ryan and kept on trucking. Of course we found the dreaded up hill at mile 9, but honestly, it wasn't that bad. There were worse ones later in the route. Plus, after the uphill, there was some lovely downhill coasting. Somewhere in there we ran past the Philadelphia Zoo, but there wasn't much to see. Around mile 11/12 we started splitting and seeing the signs that sent the half-marathoners back to the finish and the rest of us off to the other half. I'll admit, for a brief moment I wished I was running the half and almost done, instead of only half way in.
At the half split, we passed the art museum again. I got a nice surprise when I saw Ryan at the steps of the museum, waiting for another high five. Then we turned the corner and tackled the second half of our run. For the second half, we basically ran a straightaway up the Schulykil River. The scenery was nice and for a couple more miles there were crowds and cheering. We even saw the first place female finisher coming down the stretch as we were heading up. That was exciting, even if it was a little disappointing to know that she was almost done and I still had an entire half left to go. Around mile 16 the crowds really started to taper out and things got a little boring. Part of that was because Cynthia and Murdock, once again, ended up far enough in front of me that I was basically on my own. This time though, I used my playlist as a little extra push, so I didn't feel totally bad about being behind. Plus, since it wasn't my first, I knew I could finish and just find them at the end if I had to.
I'll admit, this straightaway was far worse than any part of the MCM. Including the bridge. Some people really enjoy straight roads, but I hate them. I need changing scenery and direction. Seeing everything in front and knowing there's no turn around in sight is damaging to my energy. Aside from that, it was actually a fairly warm day out, which was not helping. I was drinking plenty of water and taking in gels, but it just wasn't enough. I was burnt out totally by mile 20. The hill at mile 19 didn't help. Who puts a hill at mile 19?!?!?! This isn't Boston people.
I'll admit, I almost called Ryan and told him I was walking the last 6.2, and to come meet me half way if he wanted too. Luckily, my stubborn side kicked in and I couldn't let myself walk. Having some spectators reappear at miles 19 - 22 really helped too. I've noticed that people must really be able to tell when us runners are struggling, because people were yelling my name, telling me I was looking good, all sorts of encouraging cheers that pushed me to keep going, even though I really just wanted to stop. Around mile 22 the 4:30 pace team caught up with me. This was a surprise, as I actually thought I was way behind my goal time. I ran with the pace team for a mile or longer, I'm really not sure, I think I made it to mile 24 with them. They helped me pick up my pace, but also offered a distraction. The woman holding the pacing sign just kept up a steady flow of talk, which I was listening to, more to forget about the pain in the entire lower half of my body, than to actually care about what she was saying. Following with the pace team, I actually caught back up to Cynthia and Murdock and found out I wasn't the only one struggling. We ran through to the next water stop, then I sort of fell behind them again. But, I made it to mile 25.5 with them, so by that point, I was at least close enough to be basically on track. At mile 26 a rush of adrenaline kicked in. I've never given much thought to that whole adrenaline rush thing, but I finally know what it is. Honestly, I didn't think I could move any faster or even keep running when I was at mile 25. At mile 26 all I knew was that I was almost there and I had to run. Suddenly I heard the crowds yelling and even though I'm sure they weren't, it's like they were all cheering for me. I could hear the DJ at the finish line and more importantly, I could SEE the finish. Those last .2 miles I all out ran, faster than I even knew I could at that moment, just to be done. So fast, in fact, that I caught back up to Cynthia and Murdock and crossed 1 behind Cynthia. Quite a feat, considering I couldn't even see her anymore when I got to mile 26. I also got a high five from the mayor on the way over the finish. My final time was 4:37 and some seconds. If we're going by recorded times, it was almost 10 minutes faster than the MCM. If we go by Garmin times, it was a minute slower, and that was without a bathroom break. I'm a little disappointed, because I was really hoping for a faster time, even just by 5 minutes. Part of it was the weather and the fact that I had too much caffeine in my energy supplements, but part of it was that I didn't do much running between MCM and Philly. I did a few 5Ks and a 10 miler last weekend, but I should have done more. Oh well.
Of course after we finished we took pictures with Rocky and ran the steps to the museum. We wanted to buy finisher shirts, but they were all sold out! The car ride home wasn't too bad, mostly because it was shorter, but it was still fairly uncomfortable.
Comparing the two, this is what I've come up with.
MCM Pros: Better course, in my opinion. More spectators along the miles, or so it seemed. Great volunteers and Marines, who were inspiring and happy to give a high five. Plenty of food stops along with the water stops; four altogether, oranges, gels, sports beans, and munchkins. Awesome medals at the end, given by a Marine. Fantastic jacket for body temperature regulation and a food box for the finishers. Bananas, water, and Gatorade as well.
MCM Cons: The Gauntlet and Beat the Bridge time limits are terrifying for a first timer. Even though I knew my training time was well inside the time limit, I was still nervous for both milestones. Lots of runners go off together, making a very crowded first few miles. No time clocks at every mile, instead someone calling out times as you run by. Hard turnaround somewhere within miles 6 - 9, not sure exactly which miles, but seriously hairpin turn which caused a giant bottleneck again.
Philadelphia Pros; Much smaller pool of runners and more controlled corral releases, which spread out the runners, giving a better starting pace. Lots of scenery at the beginning. Nice to run with half-marathoners too. Time trackers at every mile marker. Great volunteers. Awesome medals at the end. Food bag at the end with orange juice and other small snacks. Astronaut blanket for body temp regulation.
Philadelphia Cons: Longest out and back of my life. Not enough spectators in the later miles, which is when I, at least, really needed them. Only one food stop, gels at mile 9. A bit hilly, in which the downhills caused a bit of an issue with my knees.
Overall, I liked them both, for different reasons. Now though, I really want to do Boston, just for a straight course from one end to the other, without looping back around. I think it would be fun. If only I could get myself in there. Someday. All in all though, I'm not sure I'll ever run two marathons in 3 weeks ever again. You never know though. Stranger things have happened.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Sallie Mae, the Student Loan Monster
Excuse me while I rant for a moment.
I've had student loans since I graduated from Framingham State College in 2006, and along with those student loans I've had countless problems from Sallie Mae, the loan company. All my life I was told to go to college and get a job, it's what you're supposed to do. So, I did it. I went to college and got a job, eventually getting the job I wanted, which was to be a teacher. But then it wasn't enough. The state of Massachusetts says you have to go back to school to be a teacher. A bachelor's degree won't cut it, you need a Masters. So, I got one. Even though it's a requirement in the state of Massachusetts though, they don't necessarily help you pay for it. So, I had to take out another student loan, because I couldn't afford to pay the cost of graduate school on my own and my job didn't offer tuition reimbursement. (Here's a fun surprise, a lot of places don't!) It was either take out the loans and get the degree, or find a job that you don't want to do, because you can't afford the state requirements. All the while though, is there any hope that the loans will be forgiven or spread out over a certain amount of years so that you're not loaded down with payments every month? Not a chance. Apparently, you can try to get up to $15,000 worth of loans forgiven, IF you work in the inner city schools, IF you teach ELL or STEM, and only IF you teach for at least 5 years. Even then, you can only APPLY after 5 years, that guarantees nothing. Forget the fact that most loans are way over $15,000 anyways. If you can't meet two of these requirements, 5 years and one of the others, you're S.O.L. Way to set a great precedent Massachusetts. Require teachers to work like Doctors to achieve their goals, but refuse to pay them anywhere near enough to afford the bills that come with it, or offer any sort of plan that will help hard working teachers out.
But enough about Massachusetts, let's discuss Sallie Mae, the bane of my existence. I'm fairly certain that there's a department in the Sallie Mae offices, whose job is solely to hide people's records and send their customers into a tailspin every year. Seriously, it's the only logical explanation at this point. You see, two years ago I applied for an income based repayment plan, which makes your monthly payments lower, based on your income. Oh, don't worry, the full loan is still due, it just takes a bit longer to pay it off. For the first year, the plan worked and it was easy enough. Then it came time to renew, so I sent in my paperwork and never heard anything back. Suddenly my loans went up to $700 a month. Fantastic. Having no idea what just happened, I called up Sallie Mae only to find out that they had been missing some piece of paper from my renewal application, so they hadn't processed my request. Because it was after the time period, I had to pay the full amount of the loan for the next two months while they processed everything. While I was on the phone with an employee, I asked about different repayment plans, ones I wouldn't have to renew yearly. The woman was very nice and told me that I could extend my loans to pay them out over longer periods of times. For instance, I have a ten year loan payment period, but I could change that to a thirty year, making my payments smaller. "Great plan!" I thought, let's do it. So the woman tells me she will update my account to reflect that and I'll see the changes in two weeks. I let the two weeks go by and no changes, so I called back to find out what exactly was happening. After all, I just don't have $700 a month to drop on loans, when I have other bills to pay too. This time though, I got a different customer service rep. I re-explained the whole situation to him and he looked up my information. Then he went on to explain that I actually CAN'T extend my loan re-payment plan into thirty years, because even though my loans COLLECTIVELY are more than $50,000, there is not one INDIVIDUAL loan that is that high, and that's the criteria they use to decide on how many years you get to repay your loans. (WTF??? HOW DOES THAT EVEN MAKE ANY SENSE???) He goes on to tell me that my only options are: repay in full each month, re-apply for the income based repayment plan, or request a forbearance due to hardships. Seriously, those were the ONLY three options I had. Well, I'm certainly not getting a forbearance, and I can't afford to pay the whole payment each month, so I re-applied. When that finally went through, everything was fine for a bit. Until September. Once again, I got the renewal packet. This time, I even faxed it in, making sure it got delivered exactly where it needed to be, in a timely manner. I got the emails stating that my request had been received and then another that my request had been approved. Fantastic! Everything worked out and there's no hassle this year. WRONG.
Today, I got a bill from Sallie Mae, once again stating that my loan is due for next month. Which is understandable, they almost always send the new statement the day after the bill is due. My loans for this month were paid, so I was just waiting for the new statement anyways. Here's the fun part. My statement for next month says I owe them $900 in loans. ARE YOU KIDDING ME SALLIE MAE? After everything I went through with them last year, all the idiotic rules they have about income based repayment, even after I got the confirmation email that my request was APPROVED, they still managed to f* it up and screw me over. Apparently, Sallie Mae and the Department of Ed think that people who take out loans take them out for fun, not because they can't afford to pay college tuition. They also seem to think that their loans are the only place people are spending money. Let me break this down for you, Sallie Mae. I'm a TEACHER. I only get paid the months that I work, due to the way my city pays us. So, instead of getting paid 12 months out of the year, I get paid September through June and then have to hope that money will last me through July and August, or get a second job to pay the bills. On top of that, not only do I have student loans to pay, I also have; rent, car insurance, car payment, utilities, and health insurance, not to mention everyday needs like gas for the car and groceries for the house. In short, there is no way I could afford your $900 all year long, even if I wanted too. Which believe me, I do. There is nothing I want more than to have my stupid loans paid off, but guess what, that's just not a feasible option for me at the moment.
And so, once again, like clockwork, I'll be on the phone with Sallie Mae tomorrow morning, probably being told that sure, we can fix this, only to have it not be fixed two weeks later. Then I'll have to call back, only to have them tell me I have to resend the application, which will take two months to process. Did I mention the best part? Today, even though all my loans have been paid up to date, they all say past due. Awesome. Thanks for everything Sallie Mae.
I've had student loans since I graduated from Framingham State College in 2006, and along with those student loans I've had countless problems from Sallie Mae, the loan company. All my life I was told to go to college and get a job, it's what you're supposed to do. So, I did it. I went to college and got a job, eventually getting the job I wanted, which was to be a teacher. But then it wasn't enough. The state of Massachusetts says you have to go back to school to be a teacher. A bachelor's degree won't cut it, you need a Masters. So, I got one. Even though it's a requirement in the state of Massachusetts though, they don't necessarily help you pay for it. So, I had to take out another student loan, because I couldn't afford to pay the cost of graduate school on my own and my job didn't offer tuition reimbursement. (Here's a fun surprise, a lot of places don't!) It was either take out the loans and get the degree, or find a job that you don't want to do, because you can't afford the state requirements. All the while though, is there any hope that the loans will be forgiven or spread out over a certain amount of years so that you're not loaded down with payments every month? Not a chance. Apparently, you can try to get up to $15,000 worth of loans forgiven, IF you work in the inner city schools, IF you teach ELL or STEM, and only IF you teach for at least 5 years. Even then, you can only APPLY after 5 years, that guarantees nothing. Forget the fact that most loans are way over $15,000 anyways. If you can't meet two of these requirements, 5 years and one of the others, you're S.O.L. Way to set a great precedent Massachusetts. Require teachers to work like Doctors to achieve their goals, but refuse to pay them anywhere near enough to afford the bills that come with it, or offer any sort of plan that will help hard working teachers out.
But enough about Massachusetts, let's discuss Sallie Mae, the bane of my existence. I'm fairly certain that there's a department in the Sallie Mae offices, whose job is solely to hide people's records and send their customers into a tailspin every year. Seriously, it's the only logical explanation at this point. You see, two years ago I applied for an income based repayment plan, which makes your monthly payments lower, based on your income. Oh, don't worry, the full loan is still due, it just takes a bit longer to pay it off. For the first year, the plan worked and it was easy enough. Then it came time to renew, so I sent in my paperwork and never heard anything back. Suddenly my loans went up to $700 a month. Fantastic. Having no idea what just happened, I called up Sallie Mae only to find out that they had been missing some piece of paper from my renewal application, so they hadn't processed my request. Because it was after the time period, I had to pay the full amount of the loan for the next two months while they processed everything. While I was on the phone with an employee, I asked about different repayment plans, ones I wouldn't have to renew yearly. The woman was very nice and told me that I could extend my loans to pay them out over longer periods of times. For instance, I have a ten year loan payment period, but I could change that to a thirty year, making my payments smaller. "Great plan!" I thought, let's do it. So the woman tells me she will update my account to reflect that and I'll see the changes in two weeks. I let the two weeks go by and no changes, so I called back to find out what exactly was happening. After all, I just don't have $700 a month to drop on loans, when I have other bills to pay too. This time though, I got a different customer service rep. I re-explained the whole situation to him and he looked up my information. Then he went on to explain that I actually CAN'T extend my loan re-payment plan into thirty years, because even though my loans COLLECTIVELY are more than $50,000, there is not one INDIVIDUAL loan that is that high, and that's the criteria they use to decide on how many years you get to repay your loans. (WTF??? HOW DOES THAT EVEN MAKE ANY SENSE???) He goes on to tell me that my only options are: repay in full each month, re-apply for the income based repayment plan, or request a forbearance due to hardships. Seriously, those were the ONLY three options I had. Well, I'm certainly not getting a forbearance, and I can't afford to pay the whole payment each month, so I re-applied. When that finally went through, everything was fine for a bit. Until September. Once again, I got the renewal packet. This time, I even faxed it in, making sure it got delivered exactly where it needed to be, in a timely manner. I got the emails stating that my request had been received and then another that my request had been approved. Fantastic! Everything worked out and there's no hassle this year. WRONG.
Today, I got a bill from Sallie Mae, once again stating that my loan is due for next month. Which is understandable, they almost always send the new statement the day after the bill is due. My loans for this month were paid, so I was just waiting for the new statement anyways. Here's the fun part. My statement for next month says I owe them $900 in loans. ARE YOU KIDDING ME SALLIE MAE? After everything I went through with them last year, all the idiotic rules they have about income based repayment, even after I got the confirmation email that my request was APPROVED, they still managed to f* it up and screw me over. Apparently, Sallie Mae and the Department of Ed think that people who take out loans take them out for fun, not because they can't afford to pay college tuition. They also seem to think that their loans are the only place people are spending money. Let me break this down for you, Sallie Mae. I'm a TEACHER. I only get paid the months that I work, due to the way my city pays us. So, instead of getting paid 12 months out of the year, I get paid September through June and then have to hope that money will last me through July and August, or get a second job to pay the bills. On top of that, not only do I have student loans to pay, I also have; rent, car insurance, car payment, utilities, and health insurance, not to mention everyday needs like gas for the car and groceries for the house. In short, there is no way I could afford your $900 all year long, even if I wanted too. Which believe me, I do. There is nothing I want more than to have my stupid loans paid off, but guess what, that's just not a feasible option for me at the moment.
And so, once again, like clockwork, I'll be on the phone with Sallie Mae tomorrow morning, probably being told that sure, we can fix this, only to have it not be fixed two weeks later. Then I'll have to call back, only to have them tell me I have to resend the application, which will take two months to process. Did I mention the best part? Today, even though all my loans have been paid up to date, they all say past due. Awesome. Thanks for everything Sallie Mae.
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Warm up run
This morning I went to my usual 8 am kickboxing class, run by Lucas. It's far and away the best class at Title, except it's getting a little too crowded. I know I have to expect that, but I find it difficult to kick and punch to the fullest when there's people on all sides of me. Mostly I'm afraid I'll miss the bag and hit a person instead. Hasn't happened yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if it ever did. I would also like to take a moment to reflect on the fact that I can go to kickboxing and then run 10 miles less than 5 hours later and my legs are fine. However, ask me to squat for more than 30 seconds and I feel like my legs are on fire....
After kickboxing I went home for a few hours and took a break, mastering decimal division, until my afternoon run. If you're wondering why I was mastering decimal division, it's part of a program we use at school. The students play math games and earn points. As a teacher, we get a log-in to play as well, which I use to challenge the students. Sadly, most of the children are ahead of me in sticker points. However, that means that the students are learning and playing, which is really what's important here.
Anyways, we went for a 10 mile warm up run this afternoon. It was a pretty basic route, through Salem and Peabody and then back into Salem. There were some hills, but I hear there's a large hill in Philly at mile 9, so I'm ok practicing on hills now. During the run, I managed to somehow spit in my own eye. Honestly, I can say that's a first and I have NO idea how it happened. Later I side-stepped a curb (or pothole) and sort of rolled my ankle. Except it was really my foot, but I'm not sure how to describe that. No big deal, but it came seconds after I almost fell face first into the street after slipping on some leaves layered over the brick sidewalks. I love the fall, but I would love it even more if the leaves were being taken care of on the sidewalks. The weather was actually nice even though it was fairly cool. Luckily I have an Adidas Climawarm running hoodie built specifically for this weather, so I felt good. I also practiced some toe running. I noticed during barefoot kickboxing, that when I run around the gym, it's easier to run on my toes than on flat feet. So I attempted it during the run today. I'm fairly certain I'll never adopt it as my long distance running technique, but it wasn't so bad for short distance. I was able to make it at least a mile without any serious problems.
So I'm excited for next weekend, even if I don't PR. Now that I know I can run a marathon, I'm going to have fun in Philly. I'll be running for time, but if I end up having to slow it down, at least I know it's not a big deal. I am way more excited for this one than I was last time. Last time I was excited but mostly nervous. This time I'm just excited. CAN'T WAIT FOR NEXT WEEKEND!!!!
After kickboxing I went home for a few hours and took a break, mastering decimal division, until my afternoon run. If you're wondering why I was mastering decimal division, it's part of a program we use at school. The students play math games and earn points. As a teacher, we get a log-in to play as well, which I use to challenge the students. Sadly, most of the children are ahead of me in sticker points. However, that means that the students are learning and playing, which is really what's important here.
Anyways, we went for a 10 mile warm up run this afternoon. It was a pretty basic route, through Salem and Peabody and then back into Salem. There were some hills, but I hear there's a large hill in Philly at mile 9, so I'm ok practicing on hills now. During the run, I managed to somehow spit in my own eye. Honestly, I can say that's a first and I have NO idea how it happened. Later I side-stepped a curb (or pothole) and sort of rolled my ankle. Except it was really my foot, but I'm not sure how to describe that. No big deal, but it came seconds after I almost fell face first into the street after slipping on some leaves layered over the brick sidewalks. I love the fall, but I would love it even more if the leaves were being taken care of on the sidewalks. The weather was actually nice even though it was fairly cool. Luckily I have an Adidas Climawarm running hoodie built specifically for this weather, so I felt good. I also practiced some toe running. I noticed during barefoot kickboxing, that when I run around the gym, it's easier to run on my toes than on flat feet. So I attempted it during the run today. I'm fairly certain I'll never adopt it as my long distance running technique, but it wasn't so bad for short distance. I was able to make it at least a mile without any serious problems.
So I'm excited for next weekend, even if I don't PR. Now that I know I can run a marathon, I'm going to have fun in Philly. I'll be running for time, but if I end up having to slow it down, at least I know it's not a big deal. I am way more excited for this one than I was last time. Last time I was excited but mostly nervous. This time I'm just excited. CAN'T WAIT FOR NEXT WEEKEND!!!!
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Going big
I'm in! Philadelphia in 11 days. Yea, I know, I just ran a marathon. Since I'm already in marathon condition though, I really like the idea of just getting another one done now, instead of waiting and having to re-train. But the best part is that it's only a 5 hour drive instead of an 8 hour drive like Washington D.C.. Unlike the last marathon, this time I'm just excited about it. The first one was nerve wracking, with all the time limits and the beat the bridges, etc. Of course Philadelphia has time limits too, but now that I know I can make it, I'm not as worried about it.
You may be wondering how exactly I made it into Philadelphia with only 11 days left to go. Well, Cynthia never gives up when she wants to find someone something, so she searched high and low until she found me a spot on Team Lung Love, which is apparently a lung cancer association. I think that they were running out of time because the marathon is so close, so they were giving away spots for less than they usually would have. For example, if you register through them, for the basic fee, you get the bib and marathon shirt, just like you would if you registered through Active. You do not get any of the team benefits BUT you also don't have to meet a fundraising goal. As you well know, I'm not against fundraising in any way. Clearly, as I tend to spam the world with Donorschoose links when I need supplies for my students. However, fundraising for $1500 in just 11 days is way beyond my reach. I know I'd never make that goal. It's nice that they have the option of running with the team though, and if you wanted to donate some money, here's a Link.
That's basically it for exciting news. I don't even have any pictures to share with you today. I'm sure you're all bummed.
You may be wondering how exactly I made it into Philadelphia with only 11 days left to go. Well, Cynthia never gives up when she wants to find someone something, so she searched high and low until she found me a spot on Team Lung Love, which is apparently a lung cancer association. I think that they were running out of time because the marathon is so close, so they were giving away spots for less than they usually would have. For example, if you register through them, for the basic fee, you get the bib and marathon shirt, just like you would if you registered through Active. You do not get any of the team benefits BUT you also don't have to meet a fundraising goal. As you well know, I'm not against fundraising in any way. Clearly, as I tend to spam the world with Donorschoose links when I need supplies for my students. However, fundraising for $1500 in just 11 days is way beyond my reach. I know I'd never make that goal. It's nice that they have the option of running with the team though, and if you wanted to donate some money, here's a Link.
That's basically it for exciting news. I don't even have any pictures to share with you today. I'm sure you're all bummed.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Flip, flip, Flip-a-delphia
So, my marathon buddies are running the Philadelphia marathon on November 17. They signed up on a whim today. Am I crazy for wishing I could do it too? By that I mean, wishing I could afford to go to Philadelphia and run it. I know I can do it, it's more the lack of funds and having any time to get there and back home again. Maybe I am crazy. I can't really explain why I desperately want to run another marathon, especially so soon after the MCM. No, I take that back. I can't explain it at all. There's just some burning desire to run another one. Mostly I think it stems from the idea that I'm all trained up and I'd rather do another one now, with people I know, at my pace. If I wait, I'll end up having to re-train and who knows if anyone will be available to run with me. At times like this, I really wish I had a running club to go with. With a running club, I wouldn't be so reliant on two or three other people. Maybe I can convince some work and boxing people to start a running club. Then again, maybe not. Philadelphia still has 250 spots open and 14 days left, so I have some time to sort out my feelings and my money situation. We'll see where that goes.
In the meantime, yesterday I ran a 5K with Cynthia and Holly. I went to boxing in the morning and then decided to join them in their 5K. The run went around Marblehead neck, but it was a doggy 5K. If you're not sure, that's exactly what it sounds like. You bring your dog and you run a 5K together. Originally I was going to run it solo, because Nala doesn't get along with other dogs (or people really) and I didn't think Stella would be interested in running. She likes to stop and sniff things constantly, so I figured she'd be more interested in the sidelines than the actual running. At the last minute though, I decided to bring Stella along anyways. When we arrived, she was pretty scared. Usually she gets a little nervous in crowds, whining, putting her tail between her legs, regular scared dog behavior. Of course the start of the race was no different. While we were waiting to line up and go, she was trying to get away, all she wanted to do was run back to the car. I managed to keep her in line, but just barely. Then, the race started and she was a totally different dog! She took off, I can only assume to try to keep up with or pass the other dogs, and basically dragged me along with her. Now, I know Stella can run fast, especially off leash, for at least a few minutes. Occasionally when she's off leash, she'll gallop in circles for a good minute or two, and then calm down and continue to trot along for the rest of the walk. I've never seen her run at a consistent gallop for more than 5 minutes tops though. Until yesterday. She took off at a gallop and tried to keep that up for the first 2.5 miles. Basically, Stella was running and I was struggling to keep up. Stella especially sped up whenever another dog got close to passing her. Apparently this is an ingrained trait of being the leader of the pack. In the end, we ran just under 26 minutes. Here's the official time:
Time: 25:56
Pace: 8:20/M
Division: 5K
Remember how I said I wanted to get faster? I found the perfect solution. From now on, I just need to find a pack of dogs and take Stella out for a run with me. I'll have my time back down to 24 minutes in no time! She did kind of taper off at the end, but she pulled through, making it across the finish line, and even speeding up just a little bit again on the last hill. Of course I have some awesome pictures to share in a moment.
Today, Morty ran his first kid's race, so I HAD to go see it. He ran as part of Katie's Race, in Wayland. First, his dad ran the 5K while pushing Mort in his stroller, then Morty got in his gait trainer and ran a lap around the gym. It was super cute. There were a ton of other children there too, and everyone was cheering Morty on. He loved every minute of it, he was laughing and smiling the entire way around. Then there was a longer kid's race that we watched. I'm fairly certain it was a mile run, since the children seem to have lapped 4 times. There was one boy running though who looked like he was in it to win it. He was wearing serious under armor running gear and was really pushing hard the whole race. I'm sure he'll be winning 5Ks and track meets in a few more years. Overall, a fun little weekend, filled with running, even though I said I wasn't going to run anymore.
In the meantime, yesterday I ran a 5K with Cynthia and Holly. I went to boxing in the morning and then decided to join them in their 5K. The run went around Marblehead neck, but it was a doggy 5K. If you're not sure, that's exactly what it sounds like. You bring your dog and you run a 5K together. Originally I was going to run it solo, because Nala doesn't get along with other dogs (or people really) and I didn't think Stella would be interested in running. She likes to stop and sniff things constantly, so I figured she'd be more interested in the sidelines than the actual running. At the last minute though, I decided to bring Stella along anyways. When we arrived, she was pretty scared. Usually she gets a little nervous in crowds, whining, putting her tail between her legs, regular scared dog behavior. Of course the start of the race was no different. While we were waiting to line up and go, she was trying to get away, all she wanted to do was run back to the car. I managed to keep her in line, but just barely. Then, the race started and she was a totally different dog! She took off, I can only assume to try to keep up with or pass the other dogs, and basically dragged me along with her. Now, I know Stella can run fast, especially off leash, for at least a few minutes. Occasionally when she's off leash, she'll gallop in circles for a good minute or two, and then calm down and continue to trot along for the rest of the walk. I've never seen her run at a consistent gallop for more than 5 minutes tops though. Until yesterday. She took off at a gallop and tried to keep that up for the first 2.5 miles. Basically, Stella was running and I was struggling to keep up. Stella especially sped up whenever another dog got close to passing her. Apparently this is an ingrained trait of being the leader of the pack. In the end, we ran just under 26 minutes. Here's the official time:
Time: 25:56
Pace: 8:20/M
Division: 5K
Remember how I said I wanted to get faster? I found the perfect solution. From now on, I just need to find a pack of dogs and take Stella out for a run with me. I'll have my time back down to 24 minutes in no time! She did kind of taper off at the end, but she pulled through, making it across the finish line, and even speeding up just a little bit again on the last hill. Of course I have some awesome pictures to share in a moment.
Today, Morty ran his first kid's race, so I HAD to go see it. He ran as part of Katie's Race, in Wayland. First, his dad ran the 5K while pushing Mort in his stroller, then Morty got in his gait trainer and ran a lap around the gym. It was super cute. There were a ton of other children there too, and everyone was cheering Morty on. He loved every minute of it, he was laughing and smiling the entire way around. Then there was a longer kid's race that we watched. I'm fairly certain it was a mile run, since the children seem to have lapped 4 times. There was one boy running though who looked like he was in it to win it. He was wearing serious under armor running gear and was really pushing hard the whole race. I'm sure he'll be winning 5Ks and track meets in a few more years. Overall, a fun little weekend, filled with running, even though I said I wasn't going to run anymore.
I love this picture, mostly because of Stella's face. She looks nervous, like she knows it's her first race.
All lined up at the start
Finishers! Holly and Cynthia came in 1st and 3rd in our age group!
Crossing the finish
Stella was walking at this point
Whew, all over!
Running buddies
Morty having a great time running.
Getting his medal
So proud of his medal!
Friday, November 1, 2013
Why, candy, Whyyyyyyyyyyy?????
Ever since the marathon I've been super, super hungry. I'm talking abnormally hungry. No matter what I eat, it doesn't seem to be enough. Here's a little list of all the ridiculous food I've eaten since running 26.2
Sunday after the marathon: A banana at the finish line, obv that doesn't count for much, that was necessary just to get some calories back after the 2700 I burned. Then, about a lb of watermelon, an entire cheeseburger with a side of fries, a cinnabon, (regular sized), a small-ish bag of Doritos (well, only half of that), and some Jelly Belly Protein recovery crisps. BTW, amazing, I need to go get some more them.
Monday: still starving, I ate a chocolate belvita for breakfast, some macaroni with grated cheese for lunch, and two pieces of pizza, some Parmesan bites and a quarter of cinnastix from Dominos.
Tuesday: Not getting any less hungry, a Snickers Marathon bar for breakfast, a piece of leftover pizza and two or three fun sized Three Musketeer bars for lunch, and then some pasta with ground chicken and sauce for dinner. Oh, and almost a whole bag of beef jerky for a snack on the way to boxing, and some more fun sized Snickers/Reeses in between, as well as the rest of that marathon bar.
Wednesday: Seriously, am I dying? STILL starving. Chocolate belvita for breakfast, leftover dinner for lunch, more than necessary Halloween candy for a snack. For dinner? HALF OF A LARGE PIZZA from Papa Ginos.
Thursday: I might not be hungry anymore, maybe I'm just in full gluttony mode at this point. Seem to have lost track of which is which. Anyways, breakfast, Munchkins because duh, Halloween. Lunch, two slices of leftover pizza, four homemade cookies, and probably worst of all, 2/3 of a package of Chips Ahoy Halloween cookies. I wish that was an exaggeration. For dinner I had my leftover dinner from Tuesday, as well as an absurd amount of Halloween candy that I can't even count and don't want to.
Friday: Breakfast, chocolate belvita, lunch was planned leftover pizza, instead I ate cheese fries. Great plan there.... of course Halloween candy for in between snacks. Then I had pretzel bites for another snack. After that I had dinner....chicken and rice. With a side of Halloween candy. Does anyone see a trend here?
Ok, so clearly I've gonea bit completely overboard in the eating department this week. Usually I eat mostly ok, and I don't even order out on Fridays when we order at school. This week was an outlier though. Let's not get totally ridiculous though. I did workout after all. I went boxing on Tuesday and Thursday and I intend to go tomorrow. Walking the dogs is a daily activity and if you had to conquer the stairs I have to every day, you'd understand why sustenance is necessary sometimes. If we're following patterns here, it's clear that the main culprit is Halloween candy. All the extra candy everywhere has taken over my life. Let's just take one moment and realize that this week was a ridiculous week for eating and I'll try not to relive it every week. Just because Thanksgiving is coming doesn't mean I have to eat for 12. I'll leave you with one more picture from the marathon, a picture I forgot to post last night, and one of my favorites. And a picture or two of the sunset, just because.
Sunday after the marathon: A banana at the finish line, obv that doesn't count for much, that was necessary just to get some calories back after the 2700 I burned. Then, about a lb of watermelon, an entire cheeseburger with a side of fries, a cinnabon, (regular sized), a small-ish bag of Doritos (well, only half of that), and some Jelly Belly Protein recovery crisps. BTW, amazing, I need to go get some more them.
Monday: still starving, I ate a chocolate belvita for breakfast, some macaroni with grated cheese for lunch, and two pieces of pizza, some Parmesan bites and a quarter of cinnastix from Dominos.
Tuesday: Not getting any less hungry, a Snickers Marathon bar for breakfast, a piece of leftover pizza and two or three fun sized Three Musketeer bars for lunch, and then some pasta with ground chicken and sauce for dinner. Oh, and almost a whole bag of beef jerky for a snack on the way to boxing, and some more fun sized Snickers/Reeses in between, as well as the rest of that marathon bar.
Wednesday: Seriously, am I dying? STILL starving. Chocolate belvita for breakfast, leftover dinner for lunch, more than necessary Halloween candy for a snack. For dinner? HALF OF A LARGE PIZZA from Papa Ginos.
Thursday: I might not be hungry anymore, maybe I'm just in full gluttony mode at this point. Seem to have lost track of which is which. Anyways, breakfast, Munchkins because duh, Halloween. Lunch, two slices of leftover pizza, four homemade cookies, and probably worst of all, 2/3 of a package of Chips Ahoy Halloween cookies. I wish that was an exaggeration. For dinner I had my leftover dinner from Tuesday, as well as an absurd amount of Halloween candy that I can't even count and don't want to.
Friday: Breakfast, chocolate belvita, lunch was planned leftover pizza, instead I ate cheese fries. Great plan there.... of course Halloween candy for in between snacks. Then I had pretzel bites for another snack. After that I had dinner....chicken and rice. With a side of Halloween candy. Does anyone see a trend here?
Ok, so clearly I've gone
When you finish, a new LT gives you a medal. Cynthia got mine perfectly in mid-award.
Sorry they're not more exciting.
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