Dear friends,
 

This livejournal started back on October 11^th, 2004 with the hopes that it would help me put some of my random thoughts down every now and then.  It soon turned into a blog with almost daily entries capturing my running experience, everyday anecdotes involving the kids I teach, and some personal experiences.
 

I’ve loved writing in this livejournal and love the new friends I’ve made.  I’ve reconnected with old friends, made new friends, and have had a very deep, personal conversation with many wonderful, supportive people.  I think that one of the greatest things about this experience is meeting so many positive people who will give you an internet pat on the back, high-five, or hug when you need it.

 
But, my mind is elsewhere now.  Perhaps it’s the thought that I have so many things yet to accomplish.  I have a children’s book that’s been waiting to be sent to an agent or publisher for the past three months.  I have a couple of ideas for other books; childrens’ lit or crazy surreal lit inspired by some old Buñuel films I saw when I was in Spain.  I want to study and grow in my profession.  I’m not saying that these things could not be completed because the livejournal takes up too much time; it’s that my energy is being refocused.  

 
I will continue to do what I do.  I will continue to run.  I will continue to raise money for charity.  I will continue to teach and hopefully inspire a new generation of activist citizens.  I will continue to write.

 
Though it saddens me to think that I am “leaving,” it is also exciting to think of what may come.  Maybe one day through inspiring books, a legion of inspired former students, and through inspired running, El Profe WILL run the world.  And then maybe you can say you knew that guy back in the day.

 
I’ll leave you with this last snapshot:

 
Yesterday, a second grader, Agamba, came up to me, shook my hand, and said, “Thank you!”

 
I was confused because it came out of nowhere.  I wasn’t sure of what he said, so I asked him to repeat it.

 
        “Thank you!”

 
        “Agamba, why are you thanking me?”

 
        “For what you do everyday,” he said as he smiled and walked away.

 
I’m writing this in the last few minutes of my Prep before I have to go teach Agamba’s second grade class.  So, I must go.

 
Thank you to everyone who has read, followed, and supported. 

 

Enjoy,

 
Christian Alberto Ledesma

El Profe

I've been having a hard time writing here recently because I've been spending a lot of time reading and writing.

I'm still reading everyone elses journal, just having trouble writing. In the meantime I've been keeping up my own private journal, writing more possible children's books, and outlining an idea for a novel. So, I'm trying to decide how to best use this journal or whether to use it at all.

I'm going to try to continue writing, jotting down notes about daily encounters with the kiddies, but if I start focusing on my other writing these entries may suffer.

Please forgive.

My comeback into running and being active is coming along. I did an "easy" Speed workout last night and felt great, though I probably went a little harder than I should.

In the three months that I was inactive I gained 9 pounds. On my frame most people would say that it's OK. Unfortunately it was all in belly fat. I made attempts at weight lifting, but I'm pretty sure I gained little to no muscle in the process. All 9 pounds were right around the waist.

So, I did what any smart wannabe athlete would do; I looked at my eating and exercise habits and investigated.

I noticed:
- With the exception of a bike here and there and a few weight lifting sessions thrown in, I was pretty inactive in those three months.
- I was eating more than an active person should eat.

So I did the following:
- Once I got the OK to start running, I did. I also started biking and swimming a bit. I'm up to 5 days of cardio exercise and will start incorporating 2-3 days of weights.
- I dropped 250 calories from my diet.

So far I feel awesome!!! And, I've dropped 6 of the pounds I gained in three weeks. Woohoo!

Once I start the weights, the muscle is gonna come.

With Spring Break in Puerto Rico about a month away, I'm looking forward to getting my beach body on.

On June 11th some staff members form my school (myself included) are running Avon's Need For Speed Relay to help raise funds to help victims of domestic violence. 

I seem to be running for fundraising this year.  This will be my first race since my injury so I'm really looking forward to it.  I'm also looking forward to bonding with my colleagues over the course of a 60-mile race.

Training has begun.  I feel strong.  Of course, I volunteered to run the longest leg of the race, a 10 mile leg, simply because few others had the experience of running that distance.

I have three months to prepare for a 10-mile race.  Done.

Been fighting off flu symptoms since Saturday night. Feels rotten.

But, I would say that I'm at about 80% back to full health. That's a helluvalot better than where I was this morning.

Plus, while watching TV in my sickly state today, I came up with an idea for a new novel. Time to start writing?

Hopefully, I'll feel 90%ish tomorrow and be able to run with my team again.

I've been listening to the Juanes CD for months now,  but it's only recently that I've been paying really close attention to the lyrics.  He's a beautiful writer.

Nada Valgo Sin Tu Amor
cuando el tiempo pasa y nos hacemos viejos
nos empieza a parecer
que pesan más los daños, que los mismos años
al final...
por eso yo quiero que mis años pasen
junto a ti mi amor eterno
junto a mi familia, junto a mis amigos y mi voz
por que nada valgo, por que nada tengo
si no tengo lo mejor
tu amor y compañia en mi corazon
y es que vale más
un año tardio que un siglo vacio amor
y es que vale más
tener bien llenito el corazón
por eso yo quiero
que en mi mente siempre
tu cariño esté bien fuerte
aunque estems lejos o aunque estemos cerca
del final

por que nada valgo, por que nada tengo
si no tengo lo mejor
tu amor y compañia
en mi corazón

coro:

ven amor...
me siento debil cuando estoy sin ti
y me hago fuerte cuando estás aqui
sin ti yo ya no se que es vivir
mi vida es un tunel sin tu luz
quiero pasar más tiempo junto a ti
recuperar las noches que perdi
vencer el miedo inmenso de morir
y ser eterno junto a ti
por que nada valgo, por que nada tengo
si no tengo lo mejor
tu amor y compañia
en mi corazón.

por eso yo quiero
que en mi mente siempre
tu cariño esté bien fuerte
aunque estemos lejos o aunque estemos cerca
del final
por que nada valgo, por que nada tengo
si no tengo lo mejor
tu amor y compañia
en mi corazón

(coro)

See previous post.

BooooOOOOOoooooOOOOOOooooooOOOOOO!

I was going to post something else until I checked Drudge.  NASA is about to anounce that they've found life somewhere in our Solar System!

Everything will just have to wait for now. 

This is exciting stuff.

I'm a believer. A lot of you know that. I'm not religious in the organized way, but my religion is in my heart. I do not believe in an active God, though there are still things that happen, some miracles that seem unexplainable.

So, I'm calling out God on this one:

Dana Reeve, wife of Christopher Reeve, died of lung cancer.  The woman was as strong as a rock, being the caregiver of her husband when he became paralyzed.  Then, through her diagnosis, kept working hard to continue the work of the foundation.

She leaves a thirteen year old son who has now seen his father paralyzed and die in ten out of his thirteen years, and now his mother pass on too.

At least they're together now.

But, this was one of those miracles that should have happened.  I'm voicing my discontent to my inactive, yet sometimes miraculous God.  Dios, she wasn't even a smoker!

Last night I went back out there with my team and ran a full 4 miles. It's the first 4 miles I ran in three months. We started at an easy pace, about 10:30 per mile and slowly picked it up. By the end I was running about an 8:30 pace. It felt great!

My legs feel fine, my breathing was OK, and I finished the run with a smile on my face. I'm going to keep it at no more than four miles for a few weeks before trying a big 5 miles! Little by little. I'm excited to be back.

I've been busy recently. Very busy. Lots of stuff going on. That's my excuse for not writing many entries. Running is going great. I've even been swimming. It's a little tiring, can't go as fast or as far as I use to, but I'll get there.

Bear with me. Once I figure out my schedule a little better, I'll have more time to write.

I still love you though.

2 miles!!!!

I went to the doctor and the doctor said, No more fracture messing up your leg!

So, I went home, suited up and went for a run. I ran the warm-up part of a Speed workout and then jogged to the bus stop to go back home. It was short, but it felt good.

It's on!

A kindergartner walks up to me in the hall and says, "You got some dirt on your head, Mr. Profe"

"It's not dirt," I replied with a smile.

But, before I could explain, he said, "I like your tattoo then."

Then he ran off. So, there may be rumors of Mr. Profe getting a tattoo on his forehead going around...

Happy Ash Wednesday!

Today, on my last day before Lent, I will have a cheeseburger, fries, and a beer for dinner.

Tomorrow I get my Ash on!

I've had a great ol' time with Lent for the past few years. I've done some crazy things like giving up sex for Lent (I think I made it to Day 37 before falling off the wagon) >:-O

Two years ago I gave up TV. Last year I went vegan. This year I'm going to give up three things:

1) Alcohol. That's right, no drinky drink for forty days.
2) Biting nails. I do it too often, it ain't pretty.
3) Take-out or fast food (eating at restaurants is ok). It'll help me eat healthier.

Yay for Lent. It'll be tough, but I'm tougher.

I'm back from my travels in Prague and Vienna! I'm tired and have to work tomorrow :(

I'll write lots soon. Promise.

going crazy packing for my week-long trip to Prague.

Woohoo!

A co-worker sent me a link to this story about a HS teacher who uses the N-word and gets in trouble for it.

I understand the teacher's thinking . . . a little bit . . . but I still think he's clueless, disrespectful, and for some reason, I ended up laughing a lot while watching this.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I am not a fan of the holiday, think it's too commercial, and doesn't really mean much.

I do think, however, that it sometimes serves as a reminder to tell the ones we love that we love them.

So, here goes, ahem . . . I . . . l-l-l-l-ove . . . you!

It's going to take some work, but I'll get there.