I've moved!

Hi everyone, I've moved my website to wordpress - enjoyed using that with the class last term. So... should you still wish to read some of my ramblings you can sign on to follow me there. www.leadershipontherun.wordpress.com Thanks, Craig

That wasn't the plan

Ever have one of those days where things just didn't work out how you'd planned or hoped? I had one last Sunday. It was marathon day in Christchurch and I was signed up to run. I ran the same event last year and had a great race taking quite a bit of time off my previous PB and finishing strongly. I was hoping to do the same this year. In fact, it was pretty much what my race was all about - I had to go faster or I wouldn't be satisfied. I didn't have a great lead in to the race with both injury and a bit of sickness. When I woke on Sunday morning though, I was feeling good and felt the plan was ready to execute. I went through my usual race morning rituals and when I made my way to the start line I felt 'today is the day to push it hard'. The Christchurch marathon course is particularly boring. Lots of out and backs, flat as a pancake and not in the least bit scenic. The only thing to keep it interesting, I thought, was to push the pace and run a faster race. That plan went pretty well - for half the race at least. As I ran through the first half I felt strong and crossed through the half marathon point under goal time. All good. Things started to change at around the 27km mark. I started to feel a bit tight and sore in the lower back and the hammys and quads were beginning to feel like they were running out of a bit of juice. I felt my pace start to slow and two runners who I'd been running with started to move away from me a bit. I turned a corner and hit a strong head wind - oh dear, didn't need that at that point. I kept pushing and the previous chirpy persona I'd tried to maintain started to turn to a bit of a grimace. At about the 32km mark I felt my first cramp. Basically, the whole hammy and quad of my right leg went into lock down - ouch! I had to stop at that point and try to walk it out. After a few hundred metres I felt up to running again and set off, albeit at a pretty slow pace. I managed another 500m before, bang, more cramp. This pretty much continued right through to the end of the race. I kept a bit of an eye on my watch and saw the pre-race goals slip away. In my head I reconfigured my goals and worked to try to achieve them. By the last couple of k's, this reworking had pretty much got to "I just want to make it to the end so I can stop this hurting". I managed to run / walk my way to the finish shoot, and about 20 metres from the end I experienced another cramp. There was a collective groan from the supporters on the sidelines - the shouts of "you can do it, keep going, you're nearly there". I crossed the finish line... 30 minutes slower than I'd hoped to. I went and lent on the fence hoardings, my legs feeling leaden. The event Dr came up behind me and asked "apart from the obvious cramping you've got, do you feel ok". I grumbled a reply that I was alright and I just needed time for my legs to work again. I remember feeling pretty mixed up emotionally. On the one hand I was relieved to be finished and it wasn't the worst time I'd ever run either, on the other hand I was really disappointed that I didn't achieve the goal I thought I could. For the next hour I felt like rubbish - not only in the legs but physically wrecked all over. I just wanted to lie on my back and not move. Family and friends were concerned, wanting to make sure I was ok. In my head I kept going over and over things, trying to work out how I'd got it wrong. I felt sorry for myself for about half an hour, but then decided that wasn't going to help. Since then I've reflected lots further. My thinking at this point is that I went out too hard early on - it was a pace I couldn't sustain for the entire length of the race. Had it been a 25km race I would have been right, but it wasn't, it was a 42.2km race. I've also decided that how I respond to and feel about the event is up to me. I can choose to dwell on the result, feel like a loser, or even decide to never run again cause I might fail to achieve a goal... or I can choose to use it as a growth exercise and try to learn from the experience and grow stronger from it. I've just purchased a book called Mindset by Carol Dweck. This is a book that a number of colleagues have read and given positive feedback about. I'm looking forward to getting into it and learning from it. Hopefully I can add more 'growth mindset' to my picture, and be stronger and wiser for the next parts of my running 'hobby'. Maybe getting back to the original plan I had when I started running- that involved enjoying running, trying new events, and being fit and healthy. Maybe I've been closer to that than I thought - I've generally been achieving the big picture plan, but missed a couple a small parts on the way. It might be part time to refocus on the bigger picture again. The bigger plan.

Taking time to reflect

This week I've had the privilege of spending two days in Christchurch as part of a Principal learning team that I'm part of. Our team have been meeting together once a term for the last 3 years. We spend time in each others schools where we share thoughts and resources we find valuable, thinking regarding puzzles of practice, and engaging each other in challenging dialogue around what, why and how we do the things we do. As a group we have a great working and learning synergy. Our schools are different in context (size, decile, location, ethnic make-up etc) but are all connected through wanting to achieve the best possible learning outcomes for our children. We also face many similar circumstances in our roles, such as the sense of urgency in getting the audit report signed and sent off (as I've experienced this morning), the question around the building project, the newsletter that needs to be completed, the class we want to visit. I used the word privilege in my opening sentence because I so value being part of this group. I value the friendship, the challenge, the sharing and the opportunity of being given another lens on which to reflect on my own learning and leadership practice, and our school pathways and priorities (I had to get that pathways word in somewhere!). I appreciate being able to take the time to step out of the busyness of the day and to view things from the wider perspective. Having the breathing space to be able to think in creative and innovative ways, to reflect and re-imagine where we are heading. If we believe that active reflection is an important part of learning process then we need to ensure that we build it in as a priority in our busy lives. Not always easy, but being part of a learning group such as this, and regular writing of a reflective blog as an appraisal goal can certainly help. I am extremely grateful to the crew back at school who keep things trucking along and have to take on more while I'm out. Thanks team!

Control

I was just out walking the dog and got to thinking about the Board of Trustees elections which are currently on the go. We've had 12 nominations at school, which is the most ever. Yesterday I read the bios of each of those nominated and got a bit of a feel for them. The wide ranging skill-sets of people nominated, and their desire to give positively to our school community shone through. 3 of those nominated have served as board members for the past 3 years, whilst the other 9 would be new to the role. Personally I can find election time a bit disconcerting. That whole element of not knowing what will happen, who I will be working closely with, how relationships might develop, what pathways the new board might want to explore... will this align with our current vision for learning, and practices in place to achieve this??? As I walked, I reflected, and came to the conclusion that much of it might come down to control - do I feel disconcerted because this is a process for which I have little or no control... and might like to? I then made a connection back to running (as I do). In a couple of weeks I'm entered to run in the Christchurch Marathon. In choosing to enter, I did so knowing there are a number of things I can control, and some that I cannot. I can control my preparation - choosing how far I run, how often, how fast. Choosing other things that will positively influence performance like nutrition, speed work, having good gear, sleep, mental attitude. Things I can't control though, include the weather on the day of the event. Last year there was a howling gale for the last half hour and the weekend after there was snow - I can't control the weather. I could get ill - last year I picked up a spew bug 2 days before the Rotorua Marathon and had to withdraw. I couldn't control that. I can't control the number of other people who enter or the speed they're going to run. I can prepare for a range of circumstances, but I can't control all of them. I think this reflection reminds me to spend time and energy on the things that matter and that I can control. I can be aware of the 'range of conditions' I might encounter but I can't choose them, so until marathon day I just need to focus on what's important, like why I like to run and what I hope to get out of the day (which is essentially to give my best and have fun). I think this could be the same in the school sense - I can prepare a bit for a range of outcomes, but the big thing is to ensure I keep prioritising what is most important - the learning of our children. Stay true to our vision and moral purpose and other things will happen accordingly. Don't over think the things I can't control. What do you think?

Posting a poem I wrote this morning. Formatting has all gone wonky. If I add punctuation, maybe that will help? Why I do what I do. Tentative knock at the door, Smiles of nervous excitement, Knowing she's achieved, Awaiting acknowledgement, Encouraged, A story once unachievable, Now is enjoyable, Conquered easily, Accomplished. Delight in knowing, Comprehending successfully, Understanding. Self esteem, Glowing, Whakanui!

Why we do what we do...

Enjoyed this post from Seth Goodin today so thought I would repost. Accept applause, sure, please do. But when you expect applause, when you do your work in order (and because of) applause, you have sold yourself short. That's because your work is depending on something out of your control. You have given away part of your art. If your work is filled with the hope and longing for applause, it's no longer your work--the dependence on approval has corrupted it, turned it into a process where you are striving for ever more approval. Who decides if your work is good? When you are at your best, you do. If the work doesn't deliver on its purpose, if the pot you made leaks or the hammer you forged breaks, then you should learn to make a better one. But we don't blame the nail for breaking the hammer or the water for leaking from the pot. They are part of the system, just as the market embracing your product is part of marketing. "Here, here it is, it's finished." If it's finished, the applause, the thanks, the gratitude are something else. Something extra and not part of what you created. To play a beautiful song for two people or a thousand is the same song, and the amount of thanks you receive isn't part of that song.

Empowered by new learning

Today I attended a running workshop held by James Kluegger. It was advertised at our family chiropractor and when I saw it my interest was plucked because I've never before had lessons in running. Although I've been running for the last few years, entering races and setting goals, I've never had the science or biomechanics shared with me, and to be honest, I'd never really looked for it either. Running is something that pretty much most people can do, and have done as children. I just look at Kaea, she will pretty much run anywhere if she wants what's at the other end. Anyway, this workshop today reminded of the old adages 'you don't know what you don't know' and 'the definition of stupid is doing the same thing you've always done but expecting different results'. Today I learnt some things and had my thinking challenged. This is going to lead to a change in practice where I will apply some of my learning and monitor the results. I'm excited by the possibilities and the challenge. Will I be able to run more efficiently? Will I be able to increase my pace? Will I be able to achieve the big goals I've set?
When I think about it, it is right along the same lines of what we aim to achieve through 'teaching as inquiry' in our appraisal. The principles behind it are the key I think.
I look forward to more running, reflecting and learning.