Changing Your Mindset..Improve Times?

I recently read an article about improving race times and mindsets.  The article states that sometimes the only thing holding a runner back is his/her own mind.  Your mind can be intimidating at times.  When you think that there is ever a possibility of not accomplishing your goal you won't. If you think that you can't do something then you won't do it. So how do you improve your times? You believe that you can do it. Don't let your head lead you to a racing plateau, jump over the mental hurdle that will dramatically change your whole mindset. Even elite runners struggle with the mental side of improving. The article that gave strategies to improve your mindset. The first suggestion is to switch up your measurements.  For example, if you run in kilometers then switch to miles and vice versa.  They say that this could be beneficial because it will change your perception on the difficulty of your workout. The second suggestion is to take a work out step by step. They say that you should break it all down and condition your mind to believe that you can do every step. Another suggestion given is to find a faster group. They say that if you surround yourself with individuals who run faster paces than you will change your perception of your goal pace and time and that it won't seem so unrealistic. Changing your mindset could help you gain confidence which in turn can help improve your race times. I believe that changing your mindset when running will help with results.

Running Faster :)

I recently read an article that was all about running faster and what they suggest will help you become a faster runner.  I compared a few of the article's tips to my coach's philosophies. The first tip was to learn proper running form. The article states that if you don't learn the correct placement of your head, chest, and shoulders you are more inefficient rather than effective and that you have a greater chance of injuring yourself. My coaches focus on the alignment of my body and the movement of my arms to help me be more efficient. The next thing the article says is to focus on leg turnover drills and that they are often called foot strike drills. They say that it probably has the greatest potential in increasing speed. My coaches focus on heel recoveries (similar to a butt kick but my coach doesn't like the concept of butt kicks), anklets (making your foot go over just your ankles), straight leg skips (you have to focus on making the maximum power with your foot), we also do leg cycles, and the variety of A, B, and C skips. All of these lower body drills focus on the power that you put down and back on the ground. The article states that resting more will help you see results but I disagree with this. Between school and practice and homework I don't have rest days very often. Saturday is my rest day when I remember that I can take rest days. The articles states that practicing and perfecting your drills will help you increase your speed.  My coach says that getting our drills down will not only improve our times but our balance, coordination, and power. In the article they suggest that plyometrics will help increase lung and cardiovascular explosiveness which in turn will help increase running speed.  My coach likes plyometrics because he believes that it increases your explosiveness from the ground. The final suggestion that I will compare to my coach’s philosophies is to strengthen your core. They say that by strengthening your core you will be lighter on your feet and that it helps you avoid sinking in the ground.  My coaches simply state that everything you do comes from your core and your hipflexers and if those muscles aren't strong you aren't strong at all. By strengthening your core you can keep yourself upright and everything aligned while running.

Practicing the Mental Game....

My coach once told me to picture my 5K, imagine how it will feel, imagine how you will look, just visualize it.  At first I thought that she was crazy but I did it anyway and the next day when I raced I did better.  I had run the course multiple times so I could remember how it looked in my head I just had to use the most crucial tool ever.  The mental side of running is more important that the physical part of running.  According to an article I recently read there are three different types imagery:  internal, external, and kinesthetic.  Internal imagery is done in first person, the athlete runs through the whole race in their head alone.  External imagery is done from another perspective other than the athlete like an outside observer.  Kinesthetic imagery, however, is different in the sense that an athlete will run through their race in their head but they move their body along with it.  The athlete doesn’t have to be in full engagement but they do need to think of as many physical situations that could happen as possible.  Just like anything you want to be good at you have to practice at visualization.  It doesn’t just come overnight. When mastered, visualization can become very helpful and powerful for an individual athlete.  No athlete is the same so each athlete will react differently to this new skill.

 

 I feel as though visualization may help me when I race in any race.  I want to get the best out of every race and I want to know that each time I get into the set position that I am ready to take on the challenge of only beating myself.  That is my only goal every time I race, beat my previous time and set myself new goal.  I love the feeling of getting a new personal best and I think that I might initiate imagining all of my races and see how my year changes. I think that reading the article may have helped me look at preparing for my race in a different view.

Asperger's and My Brother

My brother Drew was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome when he was younger. Recently my brother joined a school play and he had an incident with another student that was also in the play.  When the incident was addressed I calmly explained that my brother was on the spectrum and that he had Asperger's syndrome and the director told me that it was no excuse that he should know the difference between right and wrong and that if there was another issue with my brother that he would be out of the play.  This spiked my interest in Asperger's syndrome more than it had before because I knew that these directors had to have specific training to work with kiddos. I googled Asperger's syndrome and found an article that I liked and thought was interestng. My brother is a very literal perosn and asks questions to find out the answer.  He is such a sweet little man but he can be semi awkward in some social situations. Sometimes he doesn't make eye contact when he talks to people. Drew sometimes twirls and spins around in a room if it is too loud in a room and generally tries to be louder than the noise already going on in the room. When he spins and twirls he seems like he is really clumsy and uncoordinated  He is so set in his ways that I wasn't shocked to see something about routines and rituals that they refuse to change and if they change can deeply upset them. He has to do things the same way when he does them every time he does them because he likes the repitition. He also owns more orange and more tie dye tee shirts than any eight year old I know and he wears them repeatedly.  Drew really likes Transformers and Switch and Go Dinos. Everytime we are at the store he drags me down to the toy section and we see if there are any new ones. It is so cool to see the fascination he has with them. He is really musically talented. When we were cleaning up the yard once I was playing music and he fell in love with the song "Ho Hey" by the Lumineers.  We are always singing it when he asks to sing it and I find it adorable that he is learning the notes and words! Drew's teacher told me one day that he had asked to sing a song in class and she started humming it to me.  Turns out Drew stood up and sang my solo from District Music Festival last year.  He had only heard me sing it once and that was at Districts and he remembered it.  He asks to sing this along with "Ho Hey" now. Drew is very energetic and loves his hamster.  He is a joy and a laugh every single day and I love him.

Drew goes to occupational therapy every Friday morning. One of the many routines that he follows weekly. I found it interesting that Asperger's syndrome has only recently been recognized as its own disorder and that it is actually becoming more common than autism itself. I also found it interesting that it is four times more likely to occur in males than females. Children are normally diagnosed between the ages of two and six.  Children if they have Asperger's are also likely to be linked to other conditions like ADHD, depression, and others.  There isn't a prevention for Asperger's nor is there a set way to treat it. Some children, like Drew, go to occupational therapy and social skills therapy. And like any child support of the positive behavior can help reduce the negative. I have seen all of the therapies first hand and I know that my family is extremely thankful for all of the support that Drew gets from all the people around him. I am so proud of the person Drew is and who he is becoming. Drew has touched my heart and I know that the transition from high school to college will be difficult on both of us. I know that I will have to call and talk to him all of the time and that we will have to Skype twice a week!

Running Barefoot

I recently read an article in the New York Times that was all about barefoot running and its benefits.  A man was told after his surgery not to run because he would make his condition worse.  The man couldn’t do that so he sought out ways to run that wouldn’t be harmful to his body.  This same man did research on shoes and what I got out of it is that less shoe is more. He quit wearing shoes and his injuries ceased and he went on to win many marathons as he got older and older.  When humans first starting running way back when we didn’t have shoes and we didn’t run for sport or profession.  Humans ran barefoot and time has evolved us to believe that shoes are the only way to run better and to prevent injury.  In the seventies shoes were lighter and not ‘supportive’ this made people have to depend solely on their bodies natural shock absorption. Injuries were also less in this time. Since shoes have evolved and are made for specific types of feet and how the foot specifically strikes the ground.  If shoes are a problem take them off. 

Is there really one way to run? People run in so many different forms and in so many different shoes.  Running fast is all about mechanics.  How your arms are in relation to your body, how much you swing your arms, how your body is leaning, and how your foot strikes the ground.  For some it isn’t even about running fast but about running efficiently.  There is so much that goes into making your body move forward and it is fascinating to think that shoes could be something that causes your body harm rather than helps it.  Shoes, those things that you put on your feet every morning to wear because it is socially unacceptable to be barefoot and they protect your feet from harm. I would have never thought that shoes could be a problem and cause possible injury.  As a runner, I am curious to see the further development about barefoot running.  If I am feeling up to it, I may even try it but for now I am going to stick to my handy Sauconys and Nikes.

Writ 101 First Quarter Reflection

In this quarter of Writ 101 I have learned a lot.  We have completed four essays; our memoir, our mascots, our political cartoon, and our research paper. Each one is different from the next. I have found that because of the different expectations in each essay I have had to learn how to be more conforming as the author of the essay.  We spent a week on citations which really helped me in my research paper.  I hadn’t known all that much about citations and to have all of it clarified helped me. I have learned that the most important part of writing a paper is discussion.  When we peer edit I get so much feedback that I can immediately apply to my paper and help improve it all together. I hope to become and learn so much more about myself as a writer throughout the rest of this class.

Out of all of the essays that we have completed I have found that the mascots essay was the hardest for me to figure out what was expected of me. I found that it was difficult to establish an opinion and write in length about it but when we were in class and had discussions about mascots it helped. 

I have enjoyed being in a college class with my high school classmates.  I love seeing how each person writes and how different all of our thought processes are.  I like getting feedback on my work and how we all help each other get better in our peer editing sessions.

I was surprised about how easy I took to citations! It shocked me that it wasn’t quite as complicated as I thought it would be.  I was also surprised by all of the actual comma rules.  There are so many to actually remember, however, I caught on.

I hope to learn so much more about myself as writer as we continue on in this semester. I am really grateful that I got the opportunity to take this class!

IPads and Tablets in the Classroom

            When I think of iPads and tablets I think of Angry Birds and racing games but not in a classroom setting, doing class work. I think that it would be helpful if we could use one in class. Would the use of iPads and tablets in the classroom beneficial or is it harmful? Further, do they help with retention of information and engagement in schoolwork?

            Mark Gentile said that iPads and tablets bring “…new and exciting educational opportunities…” I interpret this quote to mean that because of iPads and tablets students are given something different to use and get class work done. IPads and tablets allow students to do things that they cannot do in a class room (Murray and Olcese 43). IPads and tablets invite students to learn how to navigate through different programs and websites (Maloney and Wells 13).  Documents can be easily shared throughout different applications and viewed in the same sense.  There are applications out in store to fit everyone you just have to find out what you like to work with best and stick with using it (Hedge 51-52). Teachers also have this ability to find programs and stick with them.

            Teachers can engage and interact with their students more with the use of tablets.  There are programs that can allow a teacher to give and receive comments regarding work.  A student’s work can be viewed immediately and comments can follow and the student’s peers could do this also (Enriquez 78). Tablets and iPads can be taken anywhere with you and this easy transportation can allow for more interaction between students and teachers (Hedge 50). There is also the choice to implement the use of a blog or a social media site like Twitter or Facebook (51). Teachers can have immediate conversations with their students via email and give personal comments on students work which in turn can improve work and work ethic (Enriquez 78).

            In an article I read by Amelito G. Enriquez, students improved test, final exam, quizzes, and overall homework scores when they were allowed the use of tablet . They studied two groups of students, one used tablets and the other did not. The group that used tablets and iPads had more class participation and engagement in all aspects of the class . The students could follow along with their teacher and mark up their own presentation or document with information they found relavant (Enriquez 81). “Students not only learned the material but gained confidence such that they were more successful in completeing homework assignments and were better prepared for quizzes.” The students managed to keep a better score in the class and turn in better quality work because it was all at their fingertips (83).

            One problem that could arise, however, is security and the sites students view.  Teachers can control what their students are watching and what they are learning by using certain applications and make it so only certain students, the ones in the class, can view it (Gentile 12-13). I believe that this could be beneficial to students so that they don’t get off task or distracted because of the iPad or tablet itself.

            Some could argue that the initial cost to get an interactive tablet or iPad could be too much and when you add in the additional upkeep costs a damper could easily be put on a school’s budget.  The cost of an iPad or a tablet is on average $600.00, going both directions in pricing depending on the amount of memory (The Apple Store ).  I believe if we regard this and just buy them that eventually the school budget would come out even.

            Another problem that could arise is that applications may not be manipulated easily enough and students could have trouble using them. Some applications don’t have the collaboration factor that is essential in a classroom and that can be harmful to a student. There isn’t one application that would do it all for the student and teachers would have to outline the exact expectations. Research has been done to see if there is a single application that could figure out exactly how a student learns and they haven’t found one. They have, however, found applications that configure to an individual based on their answers to questions or games (Murray and Olcese 48).

            I believe that everything is worth a try.  The school could pick a class and implement the use of a tablet or iPad and see what happens.  If implementing an iPad or tablet in the classroom engages a student and helps them produce better work why not try it?  We could see if the benefits outweigh the risks of buying them.  I don’t think that we would even have to make them a requirement for every student.  We could try it out on a single class and see where that takes us. I believe that giving students the option of trying out an iPad or tablet could be beneficial.  I would personally use them in a class if we were provided one.  I think that being about to conform something specifically to me would help me make my education better.  Regarding the initial price of an iPad or tablet and the upkeep costs I think that students could use a tablet or iPad to their benefit. So the next time you think of an iPad  try to picture it in your hands, at your school desk, doing classwork.

           

Works Cited

Enriquez, Amelito G. "Ehancing Student Performance Using Tablet Computers." College Teaching n.d.: 71-84. Web. 14 Oct. 2013.

Gentile, Mark. "The Importance of Managing iPads in the Classroom." Education Digest Feb. 2012: 11-13. EBSCO.Web. 13 Oct. 2013.

Hedge, Stephanie. "Teaching with Tablets." Education Digest Feb. 2013: 50-52. EBSCO. Web. 14 Oct. 2013.

Maloney, Michelle M. and Veronica A. Wells. "iPads to Enhance User Engagement During Reference Interactions." Library Technology Reports Nov./Dec. 2012: 11-16. EBSCO. Web. 14 Oct. 2013.

Murray, Orrin T. and Nicole R. Olcese. "Teaching and Learning with iPads, Ready or Not?" Techtrends: Linking Research & Practice To Improve Learning 2011: 42-48. EBSCO. Web. 14 Oct. 2013.

The Apple Store . 2013. Web. 20 Oct. 2013.

Obvious Needs

The political cartoon by Daryl Cagle suggests that the government isn’t fulfilling the needs of the people, needs that the people are clearly expressing in their signs such as jobs and “no-bailouts”.  The cartoon proposes that the ‘pigs’ (government) are claiming that they couldn’t possibly know what is expected of them.  The pigs are feigning ignorance to the surrounding situations and the people around them.  

One can pick out the visual irony pretty simply.  The speech balloons capture the pigs stating that they don’t know what is wanted of them from the people when below them the people are holding signs and hoping that their demands are met.  The way they sit on the piles of money seems to say, “Look at us, we are indulging on your dime and enjoying ourselves and we don’t know what you want from us.”

                The cartoon places the pigs on top of the people which suggests that they are higher in the society and that is a slight exaggeration.  The size of the pigs and the money bags compared to the people they are crushing is substantial. The size seems to say “I’m more important, my needs come first,” when this is not the case at all. Another form of exaggeration is the cigar smoke in the background; it is really thick and black. This seems to be common among wealthier people.  Making the government people pigs is an exaggeration in itself because it suggests that the government people are greedy which isn’t necessarily an exaggeration but could be seen as one by some.

The cartoon is just as rich with symbols as it is with visual irony and exaggeration.  The large money bags are a universal symbol of wealth and are widely recognized.  Cigars are also connected with wealth.  Suits and ties can symbolize a wealthier class of people. Pigs are often associated with greed which is fitting because the pigs in this cartoon are sitting on many large money bags.

                While the cartoon is missing some of the key features that most political cartoons have like iconography, caricature, and a caption it has many important features such as context, exaggeration, visual irony, and symbols.  I think that the cartoon brings up good points and kind of calls out to the government of this country to take care of its people before taking care of themselves since they have that obligation to.  The cartoon suggests that we as a people don’t want to hear the excuse of not being able to know what we want when we are clear to say what we want.

Native American-Themed Mascots

            All schools around the United States have mascots that range from Rams to Tigers to Bulldogs to Warriors.  A school bases many traditions off of a mascot and most all schools are honored to have a respectable mascot. Unfortunately not all mascots, like Native American-themed ones, are respectable and some tribes see them as offensive.

In the Arlee area we have Warriors, Scarlets, Chiefs, Maidens, Red Devils, Bulldogs, and the Savage Heat.  Around the United States we have the Cleveland Indians, the Fighting Sioux, the Braves, the Red Skins, the Apaches, and the Mohigans. The list goes on and on for Native American-themed mascots. Are all offensive? Are they all bad or dishonorable? Hot Springs Savage Heat used to be called the Savages.  The name was seen as offensive because it portrayed that Native Americans are hostile and violent, savage.  This characterization is not at all true, in this case the mascot was seen as offensive and the school changed the name. Some tribes do not feel honored because some mascots do disrespectful things while in an untraditional costume that isn’t regalia.  Some dance around and inappropriately poke fun at traditional dances.  In this case I believe that they should have to change their mascot if they can’t be respectful to the tribes surrounding the school.

 Schools in Oregon, when faced with a bill to change all of the Native American-themed mascot names fought back and said that they would get permission from the nearest tribe, however, after the legislature approved the bill the governor recently vetoed it saying that the legislation wasn’t strict enough. The people of Oregon are going to continue to fight for their mascots as the bill is set to have all the mascots’ changes by 2017.  The majority of tribes that are in Oregon don’t want the mascots to change they want them to stay. Most of the tribes feel honored and respectfully represented in cases of Native American-themed mascots. The tribes of the Flathead Indian Reservation are actively involved and show support for area schools such as Ronan and Arlee.

            The students of Ronan High School are honored to be called the Chiefs and Maidens. The students of Arlee High School feel the same way about being Warriors and Scarlets. When I moved to Arlee three years ago I had my eyes opened up to the amount of work it takes to be a Warrior or a Scarlet. I found pride in being a Scarlet. I learned the amount of dedication it took to finally call myself a Scarlet. To me being a Scarlet is an honor unlike any I have ever had because I had to earn it. 

            Native American-themed mascots are sometimes seen as an honor.  The Browning Indians take a tremendous pride in their mascot.  They wear headdresses and war bonnets to state basketball games, an honor that the boys received and continue with tradition each year.  The mascot for Arlee High School is an elder in full regalia and his is honored during the homecoming football game.  We have an honor song played at every graduation, senior night, and homecoming game.  Our traditions as a school are intertwined with Native American traditions and the people of the valley find pride in being Warriors and Scarlets.

            To return to my questions from above there are no solid answers. Are all Native American-themed mascots offensive? Depends on how you view the schools actions. Are all bad or dishonorable? No but there are some that are.  Some schools want mascots changed to be more politically correct so they think that names and mascots should be changed.  Other schools value the traditions of the tribes around them.  I believe that if a Native American-themed mascot is not respectful and honorable to a tribe, helping to demonstrate some of the traditions of that tribe, they should have to change names and mascots so that there is no further controversy. I also feel that my opinion may not be best because I am not a Native American, I do not know what is seen as offensive or honorable within the Native American culture, so I can’t give the best opinion when it comes to this subject.

Go

 

I picked up my blocks and remembered to breathe. Sun, grass and dirt flashing through my mind.  I step out onto the track, a place I feel comfortable.  I find my lane and I begin.

Adrenaline courses through my veins as I kneel down and measure out my spot, one palm from the start line, place blocks. One foot, set left front block. Two feet, set right back block. Breathe. Check angle of both blocks and adjust if needed.  I knew this process by heart; I had them burned into my memory.  Breathe. Check the angle at the curve. Adjust. Breathe. Time to test my abilities.

My body has wanted this moment since I stepped off of the bus.  A chilly wind came up and caused my warmed skin to goose bump.  I jump up once, twice, three times and throw my arms back to stretch.  I slowly jog to the front of my blocks. Kneeling down I place my fingers just before the white line and stretch my legs back places one foot on the back right block and the other on the front left. Lean forward, spring up and go.  Check my breathing. Check my balance. Adjust if needed. I repeat this process until I feel adjusted enough then I wait. Breathe. Listen.

Orders come and soon I stand behind my blocks.  More orders and I come to my marks and when everyone stills, set. My chin, placed almost against my chest as I stare at the ground in front of me. The only though I have is to breathe; I have to let my body remember each movement as I had practiced for countless hours. Listen for the gun, you have this in the bag, breathe. Bang! Spring up and forward at the same time. Right foot, left foot, right again, go! Inner corner, don’t cross the line and go! Straight stretch, stride out, breathe, go! Inner corner, don’t cross that line, listen for others, breathe, go! Straight stretch, give it all you have left and go. Beat the ones to your right, pass the ones on your left, no one in your peripheral, keep them behind you and go. Hear the screams, the screams that aren’t just for you. I can pick out my Dad yelling, “Go Jess!” I hear Dori screaming, “Yes Jess!” as I cross the finish line and break that ribbon.  Inhale, exhale and smile. I turn around and hug each girl, giving them my congratulations. I walk back to the finish line and I get my time. Breathe, you did it.

I walked away from the track that day as a district champ in the 400 meter dash.  I also took home district champ for the 800 meter run. When I began my race I knew that divisionals was on the line. The end of my track season depended on my race. The race overwhelmed me and gave me a motivation. I wanted that race; it belonged to me and no one else. I set my mind and I followed through. I took a deep breath and went.