Tuesday, August 29, 2006

High School

So - things are good, pretty much going according to plan. Jennifer asked about my calorie levels, and I've been tracking them on sparkpeople. It turns out I've eaten right around 1450 calories for the past two days, which I think is pretty good. I've eaten on plan except for lunch today, where I ended up going out for a work lunch and had a taco salad without the shell. Pretty much lettuce, beans, salsa, chicken and sour cream. Not perfect, but I'm okay with it. Oh I've also been having some WW ice cream treats after dinner. Because I can!

So this morning I did my high intensity cardio (basically sprints) at the elementary school down the street where I usually do it. Only usually, there aren't any kids. Well I guess school started because today, there were kids. It was about 6:15 or so, and there were kids! Seriously what the eff time do they make kids go to school these days?

The kids weren't the elementary students, but I think high school and middle school age, and they were waiting for the bus. During the time I was running on the basketball court (about 30 minutes total), I think I saw four different buses come by and pick up a different cluster of kids. At various times mini vans or other random cars would pull up, and more kids would jump out and wait for the bus.

Now I live pretty much in the heart of Denver, in a neighborhood with probably not the best schools. I don't plan on kids for a while, so I don't really know about the details, but it appears they have some sort of crazy bus system going on that makes parents have to actually drive their kids to the bus stop, where the kids then get on the bus and go wherever they are bused to. At 6:15 a.m.! When I was in high school, 1st period started at 7:25 a.m. Could it be that it is taking an hour for these buses to get to where they are going? Eek! I'm not going to get into some debate about busing because I'm not informed enough to have an opinion, but what I will tell you is that high school kids can still make me squirm.

And I haven't been in high school for almost ten years!

I mean, running up and down that basketball court, I just felt like they were watching me, judging me. Most likely they couldn't give two shits about the chubby 20-something running around their bus stop, but still, it felt weird. How sad is it that I am still so insecure that some silly kids can make me question my healthy habits? I have GOT to get some confidence going here. COME ON!

At least I got my cardio in for the morning, and I guess I'll just have to deal with the kids whenever I want to do my high intensity moving forward. I think as the season starts to change and it starts to get cold and snowy, I'll have to move it to the gym, but for now, it's just me and the high school kids. :)

4 comments:

Jen C. said...

Calorie levels sound good! :-) From your menu, a couple posts ago, it sounded like way less than that. And with all of the exercising you've been doing, I was wondering if you were going to have enough to keep your energy up (and not get stuck in "starvation mode" where you body won't let go of anything). Good for you, for doing all those sprintes despite wondering what all of the kids at the bus stop were thinking. I think it goes back to our own high school days where we were always worried about what people were thinking of us...it never really goes away, does it?! :-P

The Relentless Reader said...

I agree with Jennifer...that "are they looking at me??!!" thing has never gone away for me either. I just care less now :)

When I was in school my bus picked me up at 6am. It was beyond awful. Especially because I woke up at 4am so I could primp and preen. Ridiculous right? Now? I would roll out of bed and go, lol.

Lynne said...

When I go out running I always hate passing a group of high school kids hanging out. I always think, "Are they looking at me? I hope they're not looking at me!" I guess that doesn't go away, does it?

K said...

From what I remember of being that age (I'm about the same as you) the kids will all be thinking far too hard about what others think of them to notice you, a grownup.

I agree, 6.15 am is an hour when all self-respecting teenagers should be asleep. Then again, school in Britain didn't normally start until 9 when I went; we were unusual in starting at 8.30 (and that was only registration). Were you awake in first period? I wouldn't have been!