20-Minute Park Workout

Hello, and happy Tuesday! Whew, life has been a whirlwind ever since my last post. I feel like I've aged about ten years, and it has only been a little over a week. The good news is that Houston is continuing to recover and rebuild post-Harvey while at the same time watching Hurricane Irma wreak havoc on Florida and the Caribbean. It is both devastating and astounding to me that weather can do so much damage in such a short period of time, but if there's one thing I've learned after experiencing it firsthand here in Houston, it's that so many around the world will do whatever it takes to lend a helping hand. You guys were here for us in one of our darkest hours, and we will continue to be there for you.

A gem recovered on demo day

And building off of that hurricane talk, we had our FIRST day back on our campus as an entire faculty yesterday! Many of schools around the city had either their first day of school, or their first day back at school yesterday after a very long two weeks off. Bellaire High School, unfortunately, was not one of those schools, but we are all feeling very fortunate that we get to get this party started on the 18th, and that we get to remain on our campus. It's tough being up there without any kids, knowing that we should be well into the swing of things and embarking on week three of the 2017-2018 school year, but I continue to be so inspired by the spirit of the people with whom I get to work. We've got our work cut out for us moving forward, that is for sure, and I'm not even sure we fully comprehend just what it's going to look like as our 3500 students arrive on campus next Monday, but we're ready. We were ready three weeks ago, yes, but we've got a newfound sense of what the words "strong" and "community" mean, and our Bellaire community (really, you could call it a family) is as strong and united as ever. This year is certainly going to be significant, and we are more than ready to open our doors for our students. Well, our building isn't physically ready yet, but it will be. We have an amazing crew who is working so incredibly hard to get everything back to what it was pre-Harvey.

Friday before Harvey -- all was still calm

Well, calendar, it was nice knowing you

And to continue on with the positive thoughts trend, the weather in Houston has been FANTASTIC lately. Upper 60s in the mornings and staying in the 80s in the afternoons. And the best part is that there has been endless sunshine. I have been doing many of my runs outside as opposed to on the treadmill, and being humbled all the while, and been trying to spend as much time outside as possible. It's rare that we are treated to such weather this early in September, so I'm determined to enjoy it while it lasts. I have also really been trying to be "all-in" when it comes to marathon training, and that includes going the extra mile - pun intended - with my workouts. It's not just running that is going to get me ready to try for that elusive BQ, it's also building strength and watching my diet and being disciplined with recovery. I'm still working on the last two. But I have been getting better about the strength training aspect, and I have a quick workout to share with you guys. It honestly probably took less than 20 minutes, and I completed it at my neighborhood park.

There were a couple of pieces of equipment needed -- a resistance tube and a resistance band, but seriously, you can find these at Target or any sort of equivalent store. Also, Amazon, duh. I'm sure you have done or seen most or all of these exercises before, but I have provided links to video demonstrations to all of them below:

• Step-ups
• Resistance tube bicep curls
• Resistance band side-to-side lateral steps
• Bicycle crunches
• Push-ups

It will certainly get your heart rate up! Take advantage of the cooler weather and get your workout on -- I guarantee you won't regret it.