First summer session oVeR!

Today was the dreaded chemistry final, and it was not easy by any means. I think I did reasonably well and should pull out an A in the class, but it was the kind of test that left you a little uncertain of your answers, and made your brain hurt by the end. But it’s over, which means I get a worry-free weekend before the new session starts Monday. And to think that I almost had this next session off… haha, it’ll be worth it in the end to get these classes out of the way and put me in line to get the second degree w/in a reasonable amount of time.

Anyways, running is what I really want to rave about.  It has been so nice being able to get a full week’s worth of running/training in.  It’s not completely pain free, but the few trips a week to the chiro are atleast keeping things manageable.  Hopefully the pain will go away for good soon.  Today was really my only unsuccessful run, and I’m proud of myself for just letting that go and not dwelling on it… afterall, I picked a horrible time of day to run and the humidity pretty much killed all the fun. 

The week’s workouts went a little something like this:

• Sunday- 30 minute test run to check out the SI joint– success!
• Monday- 40 minute run with teammates that went really well! Afternoon 30 minute elliptical.
• Tuesday- 15 min elliptical, 25 min morning loop to the hill, 2 sets of 5 steep hill repeats, then a quick run back to the rec
• Wednesday- another run with teammates (42 minutes), pilates in the pm
• Thursday- a wonderful 1600 yards of swimming laps
• Friday- 47 minutes/ 6.25 mile run in the awful humidity. 2 rest stops just to cool down… some leg and arm lifting upon return.
• Saturday- looking at an easy run or off

Total mileage: 23 or so miles running, not a lot, but I’m getting there!

I probably shouldn’t have stopped the two times I did and just sucked it up so that I could get some more toughness built up that I have lost from not being able to train a lot the past couple years, but I also have to learn to take things slowly and give my body a break once in a while! I’m going to take it easy this weekend and then attempt the longer run again Monday morning when I have teammates to run with and much cooler temps.  And next week is the Fourth of July, which means the annual Rotary Run 5k race! This week’s workout is a 10-15min tempo, so to keep the pace up there where I’d like it, I think I’ll just race the first 2 miles or so of the race and keep it around 6:00 min miles, then branch off before the finish.  Plus, that will save me $30 I really don’t need to be spending   I’m actually really excited to get in some 400m repeats this coming week to see how my speed it… it’s been probably a month and a half since I last did speed and that is my weakness, so I’d really like to get it back so I can hang with my teammates in workouts and races this year.  Yeah, I’m super pumped!

Let’s see, a look at the weekend ahead:

• Friday- driving home for the Relay for Life event, I’ll probably walk an hour from 10-11 or so.
• Saturday- working 8-6pm at the zoo (gross gross gross), followed by a 7:30 Crew game where my mom scored us seats in her office SUITE with catered food! Awesome!
• Sunday- working 10-5, then back to BG for a new week of classes. Joy.

***Hopefully catching some TF Olympic Trials on tv this weekend! So excited!

I’d totally NOT work at the zoo anymore if I could get more hours at the rec at school. Such is life, though.

The Halfway Point of Summer, already?!

Well, technically today is the FIRST official day of summer, but in terms of summer vacation, my first 8 week session is nearly over and the second 8 week session is about to begin.  Too bad I haven’t gotten in the running I had been hoping to… boo! A minor set-back with the funky hip pain, but that wasn’t so bad and I was back in 4 days. Now I have this SI joint mystery. 20 minutes into a great run a couple weeks ago and the mysterious pain began and has gotten worse since, despite NO running.  I was glad to see Dr. Noftz and have him send me to a chiropractor because the simple pelvic adjustment she performed cleared up a lot of the radiating pain that had me wincing just when walking.  But there is still some lingering tailbone/SI pain that I’m hoping will get aleviated with a follow-up adjustment today. In any case, I think I’ll attempt a run next week. I’m really eager to run with my teammates and coach who meet in the mornings, and then get some good workouts and long runs in.  I’m feeling strong and ready so now I just need my body to cooperate!  One thing that I’m super pumped about is my new lifting program created by MY SISTER!  I have performed it twice now and it is super awesome!  Kicks my butt and that’s what I like! 

Chemistry is going very well also, far exceeding my expectations.  Had my third exam today which I hopefully pulled out an A on, then a final next Friday.  And…. one more lab! Thank goodness!  Lab drives me crazy, especially with the room being an icebox.  Oy.

Low key weekend for me. No work at the zoo, just helping out at the rec for a couple hours, then watching some hardcore Olympic Trials on tv (gymnastics).  Should be nice, and I’m going to take advantage of the time to sleep in and whatever.  Love it.

That’s all for now, folks!

Summer training has officially begun!

Ahhhh, I love when summer training begins for xc in the fall. In fact, I’m not quite sure what I am going to do with myself next year when I will be done with college running… yikes! I guess I’ll have to pick a fall marathon, lol. Well, actually, that’s not a joke, and I think it is reasonable to consider doing the Columbus marathon next fall, or at least the half that I was planning on doing this year but am choosing to skip in order to get in some more xc races as an unattached runner.  I figured I might as well take advantage of so many home meets and try to get some of my times down from the past few years when things have not been going so well.  Plus, I love xc races, not going to lie.

Well the first week of training started off a little sketchy since my hip was feeling a little weird last week and I decided to take some time to crosstrain as a precaution, but after a ten minute test run yesterday I took my legs for a spin this morning for 5 miles and it went well.  Actually, I felt pretty light on my feet and ready to get at it, so that’s a really good sign.  Edit: I also went for a quick 2.7 mile “morning loop” run today and it was crazy how good I feel… yay! I’m still going to be very cautious, though, and pay close attention to my body’s signals that tell me when to back down.  I was going to race a 5k this weekend, but decided that I’ll wait until the July 4th run just to be safe since that would be 20 minutes or less of pavement running on myhip.  Especially since I plan on putting the stress fracture business behind me and staying strong and healthy through my entire last year of college running.  And the major goal is to be at peak form when indoor and outdoor track roll around and I will have my red-shirted eligibility to use.  It’s been too long since I’ve gotten to compete in a MAC meet for a podium finish and I’m really craving an awesome race…

Other than that, my summer class/lab is going well.  I just need to really buckle down for this next exam and really make sure I know what I’m doing! I did finally get my heart rate monitor put up for sale on eBay this morning, though, so hopefully I can make some money on that since it has just been sitting around.  Or else I could end up losing money if eBay keeps charging me fees for putting the item up for sale, who knows! I’m living on a thread right now (okay it’s not that bad), but I am definitely not willing to give up any money.  Anyways, hopefully next time I check in I’ll have more good news…

My last week before summer classes.

Well, I got A LOT of hours in at the zoo this past weekend (Thurs-Sun) and it was a great relief to know that I will be getting some more money in my checking account soon, phew! Another good thing, I got some loans for the summer, so that means the amount I owe right now is MUCH less, and I can easily get that bill taken care of in the next month or so.  Things aren’t going too bad for me right now… I know I get depressed and frustrated, which was obvious in my last post, but I really can’t complain.  Yesterday’s run was absolutely SUPERB, and as much as I would rather be tapering right now and be competing in the MAC 10k race on Thursday, I feel much better about getting in some good runs, getting my confidence and strength back, and not having to worry about how my body will feel on race day.  Plus, I’m so excited for my teammates in their races! I am looking for some really exciting things to happen in the next few days for them! And I will just keep plugging away and making smart decisions so that at this time next year I will be healthy and strong so I can run my last college 10k!!!!

Well the two most notable occurances yesterday included my first day working at the campus rec center (5-8pm) and planting a new garden.  Let’s just say one went better than the other, haha.  I thought I would totally be good at the front desk job at the rec, but the person that was supposed to be watching over me did not pay close enough attention and also didn’t understand that it is all really foreign to me and I don’t remember everything! So basically, I messed up more than a few times, oops! The good thing is that I never make the same mistake after I become aware of it, so that will not happen again.  But I just felt so bad for not being able to do what seems so easy for everyone else.  Bleh.  Well I know I will catch on sooner or later, and hopefully I’ll do better when I work Friday. 

       

Now back to my favorite part: the garden!  My roommate and I decided to put our veggies along the side of the house because there was the most room and the most sun, and the flowers (most of which I got donated from my mom’s leftovers) I made into a lovely potted plant and a front garden area.  It took a lot more time than I thought it would, but we had to use shovels and other tools to dig out the grass in order to get a soiled area for the plants.  Luckily the ground was nice and moist from all the rain the past few days.  The pictures above show the “before” results of my labor, of which I am totally proud

So after a restless night, I got up and had breakfast this morning and then went back to sleep for a lovely 2 more hours, and am just waiting around for a call from my 10k teammates to go out for a super easy run since they race tomorrow.  Then it’s just bumming around until I go to dinner with my roommate at Subway tonight (her treat, with a gift certificate), and then maybe an early movie tonight with a bunch of girls… “Made of Honor,” I think?  Should be a relaxing day.

 

 

 

My summer so far…

Well the first two weeks of summer classes have officially gone by, and life in my new apartment with a new roommate is going pretty well in fact.  I LOVE my apartment, and so far (fingers crossed) it stays nice and cool even on warmer days.  And the best thing is that the landlord had a window air conditioner put in our apartment the other day and I didn’t even ask for it! How cool is that?! With that, ceiling fans in every room, and 2 extra box fans, things should be nice and comfortable this summer!

Now about classes in particular, I I got my first exam back today… and I got an A+! Seriously, a 100% on my first exam in a CHEMISTRY class?! I hope things continue to go this well.  Lab is another story, not that I’m doing poorly, but I hate going.  It is like 3 hours of boring, monotonous work that I would rather just learn about in the classroom.  The GAs are not as helpful as I would hope, and I get quite a few points taken off my labs when I don’t get the “correct” answer, which is annoying.  Oh well, just have to get through 6 more weeks of it, then I can start over with the next Chem class/lab.  Hopefully that will be less dry.

As far as running/workouts are going, I’m pretty happy! I am planning on doing a 5k race in about 9 days, and I’m just looking to get a good effort out of it and possibly lower my 5k time from the one track race I did earlier this year.  A quicker pace seems to be coming much more easily for me now, and I generally feel much more “normal” and “natural” while running than I have in probably over a year.  Just a bit of soreness from the extra leg lifting I’ve been doing, but I have been really trying to focus on getting my legs stronger and not being afraid to leg lift in fear of getting too sore.  Oh, and the weather has been BEAUTIFUL these past few weeks and it’s quite a mood booster.

Oh, and did I mention how much I LOVE my job at the rec center? People have finally started putting shifts in the sub box, so I have picked up 4 shifts already, and I just got the opportunity to get an additional permanent shift each semester so that will help with the money.  It’s nice that I can make so much money working at the zoo each weekend, but it’s really tiring to keep driving home and back each weekend, not to mention the money spent on gas with the stupid economy the way it is.  $4.20 for gas? Seriously?

And I’ll end by commenting on the LOST finale last night… cRaZy!!! And having John Locke in the casket at the end (off the island, BTW) was quite a surprise! Oh, and the island disappearing, was interesting… where did all those people go, and where is that darn island now? Obviously it is found if John is in future episodes…  And I’m so glad Desmond found his Penny! Now if we can just figure out why Jack NEEDS to get back to the island…

Enough for now… I’ll check back in after my race next Sunday!! Wish me LUCK!

Not the greatest day.

I am in serious need of some venting today.  Overall, it’s just plain been a frustrating few years.  It started with the frustration of having come into my junior year of xc in such great shape and running the fastest I had EVER run during the first week of preseason, and then having things constantly going downhill clear through track season when I finally had to stop doing things altogether to get over the overtraining syndrome.  Then I gained 20 pounds while taking time off and going easy to try and build back up, and I know a good 15 pounds of that had to be from the stupid birth control taking over… and the worst part is that the stupid weight will not go away no matter how well I eat and the fact that I am getting in some pretty good training now.  The fact that I am running much slower now just makes the extra weight seem magnified, because I just feel like a slow chubby thing, in a way.  That sounds really vein, but I totally miss having a lean runner’s body and feeling fresh and fit. 

Anyways, I had a subpar 5k performance last Friday to add to that.  I just snuck in under 20 mins, and I was very proud that I did not let the number of laps get to me and I really ran with all the energy I had, but being so far behind my teammates than I should be able to stay with was very discouraging.  My legs were not feeling great to begin with, and after each track workout they seem to be that way the entire week, but I just keep hoping to catch a break. Please! My real hope was that I would be able to run a pace that would be worthy of a conference spot in the 10k, an event that used to be my specialty, but it’s hard to justify that chance when I can’t even do a decent 5k. 

And the worst part of the day was when I found out that I do not get my athletic scholarship for my fifth year of eligibility. I hate that I can’t run well again in order to earn the money, especially after I had some promising first two years, but I totally understand why my coach would choose to use the money on new recruits, it’s only fair.  It doesn’t make sense to give money to someone who doesn’t even get close to scoring anymore.  So that is why I am most mad… I am mad at myself for getting this way.  I love to run, I love to compete, and I want to be competitive, but my body apparently doesn’t understand my dreams.  And so I am left to live with constant frustration at myself.

Plus, this is the first day in my new apt. with a new roommate, who is NOT my sister.  She is a really good friend of mine, but I hate not having Caroline there because we are used to being there to nag at each other, chat, yell, laugh, etc.  I’ll just be here for a day or two more, though, and then I’m going home to work for a few days to make some money to pay off all these bills I have now that I am getting very little aid.  I can’t wait for this all to just be over so it can be summer training and I can run and try to get better for the fall. We’ll see what happens.

Okay, I guess that’s enough ranting for now.  I am thankful for this blog because I need to get this stuff out.  Now I just need to get my computer’s internet figured out so I can do this from my own room.

My very first blog…

Hi! Well this is my first time every blogging. I can honestly say that I never thought I would start a blog, but I’ve found others’ to be so interesting and seems like a great way to get some thoughts sorted out.  Especially since at the end of the day tomorrow I will no longer live with my twin sister.  Times are changing, that’s for sure.  I don’t think I’ve been away from my sister for more than a few days at a time, but now it is the end of our senior year in college and we are starting to go different ways for our careers.  She has an internship this summer and will be living at our “home” home, while I will be in a new apartment 2 hours away to take summer classes at my university.  We’ve been roomates throughout college as well (except our first semester freshman year when we tried the whole “random roomate” thing and ended up back together by winter.  Actually, I’ll be graduating in exactly 2 days, but long story short, I am pursuing a second degree in Dietetics so that I’ll actually be headed into the type of job I will ENJOY. Plus I have an indoor and outdoor track season in which I have athletic eligibility to compete for my team, and after a year of struggles I will gladly get those two seasons back after redshirting them due to injury and fatigue from overtraining.  Maybe tomorrow I’ll post more about my background and how my running career has come to what it is…

Well, probably the best news is that I had my last final exam of the semester today. I’m pretty sure it was another A, and it is looking like I’ll graduate with a perfect 4.00 GPA! It wasn’t easy, but it all worked out and I can stop freaking out now.  Hopefully I’ll be able to be a little more relaxed about my GPA for my second degree. 

The highlight of my day was definitely the super easy pre-meet run (25 minutes, about 7:40 min/mile pace with a couple of my favorite teammates.  The weather channel said it was only 50 degrees out, but I was actually a little hot in my tee and shorts.  But the sun was out and it was so relaxing and nice.  I’m actually very happy how good I felt considering my legs have been quite sore since the Monday track workout and felt absolutely horrible yesterday. Tomorrow is a very important 5k race at our rival school, and I’m REALLY hoping things go well (aka my legs don’t kill and I don’t freak out about the laps again).  I need to get a good race under my belt so that I can get a spot in the 10k at our conference meet.  It would be great if I could run as fast and easily as I used to my first two years of college, but a lot has happened since then and I’ll just be happy to get a solid race in to get me back on track. 

Well, this was fun! I’ll definitely be doing this more often. I’ll probably be back to update after my meet, good or bad. Here’s hoping for some good luck for once!