Thursday, August 30, 2012

Goals for my next race

I'm running the Rock N' Roll half marathon this weekend at Virginia Beach! Although the course is supposed to be fast and flat, I'm not aiming for a PR this time. Instead, I'd like to use this race as a true "test run" for the marathon. If I break 2 hours again, great, but I have some other things to work on These are my goals:

-First few miles: START OUT SLOW. I need to learn how to pace myself and save energy at the beginning of the race. I don't want to start out too fast again, like I did at my last race.

-Middle miles: FIND A RHYTHM. I need to get into my "forever pace" during the middle of the race. I think this will be a key strategy for running the marathon.

-Last few miles: PICK UP THE PACE (slightly). I want to finish strong and I would love to have a negative split for this race!

Here's to a fun race and a great Labor day weekend at the beach!

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Matched

I finally found out where all my final clinical sites will be!

I will be at:
1. UVA hospital in Charlottesville for acute/inpatient rehab.
2. MFA in Roanoke for long term care rehab.
3. Retreat Hospital in Richmond for outpatient wound care.

I'm excited that I'm going to get a good variety of clinical experiences. I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get Sheltering Arms inpatient/outpatient neuro for the last rotation (it was my top choice), but I think wound care will be a really cool skill to have when I graduate.

I'm glad that all the guessing and stressing is OVER. I finally know where I'll be for the next 9 months! I'm also extremely thankful that I didn't get bumped! I'm praying that I'll have a good clinical experience and learn a lot at each of my three sites. I can hardly believe I'm starting my last year of grad school!

Saturday, August 25, 2012

When you have a bad day

This week has been rough for everyone in apartment #2231. Kelly, Audrey, and I have been stressed about our clinical placements. Tristan has had a couple hard days at work. We've all had to deal with a broken dishwasher and a bug problem in our apartment. Plus there's been some class drama and some major changes in the PT department this year.

To top it all off, on Friday (the day we were supposed to find out where we got matched for our final clinical site), Site Assign crashed and now we won't find out till Monday!

We dealt with the stress the way any responsible adult would. With this:
Bad days can usually be made better with good friends and junk food. :)

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Goodbye, summer

Here are the pictures from my last week in Maine. Audrey came up to visit and we had a great time kayaking, tubing, jet-skiing, swimming, and hiking up to several waterfalls.
Goodbye, summer. I'll miss you.

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Breaking down barriers

Today I ran my longest run ever- 16 miles! That's three miles more than my previous longest run, so it was an exciting milestone.
I could not have asked for better weather for this run. It was cloudy and breezy, and even though it looked like it might rain a couple times, it never did. The route had a lot of cutbacks and smaller loops, but it was still a fun route, and there was plenty of shade.

I've been a bit of a slacker recently with my running. Two weeks ago, when I was supposed to run 14 miles, I only ran 12. Then last weekend, I skipped my 10 mile long run altogether (Audrey came to visit me in Maine and I would've felt guilty abandoning her for two hours while I ran). So needless to say, I was nervous about being able to finish this run.

I'm happy to report the run was better than expected! The cool weather, running with the MTT, and five SAGs (water stops) along the way helped me have a great run. The SAGs especially were fantastic- they had water, gatorade, gummy bears, and gels for us. I loved eating the gummy bears midway through my run. I think they gave me extra energy, and they taste way better than a gel (although I did take one of those too).

I ran at a pretty slow pace. I didn't want to start out too fast and not have the energy to finish. I felt pretty good the whole time, up until the last 3 miles. By that time I was tired and I'd slowed down a lot- but I still ran the whole way, so I'm proud of myself. I ran part of the time with an older guy named Mark. He just turned 60 and is training for his second marathon. He helped pace me and was very encouraging!

Throughout my run, I focused on thinking positive thoughts. So much of running is MENTAL, so you have to have a strong mindset. I knew this run would be a new milestone for me, but it didn't seem out of reach. A couple years ago I would've never dreamed that I could run 16 miles, and definitely would never have guessed that it wouldn't be that hard! Today I had this mental image of myself breaking down barriers- like, running into a wall and having the rocks and debris explode to the side as I ran past the rubble. It may sound ridiculous, but that mental image made me smile and it was so encouraging to me today during my run.

After my run I hit up CVS for some post-race supplies, namely ice.
Then I took a nice cozy ice bath. Yes, I wear my clothes and socks in the bathtub. Only when it's an ice bath. An ice bath may not be the most pleasant thing in the world, but I've learned to appreciate them because it really does help with post-race recovery.
Now for some yummy food to replace all those calories I burned. Right now I'm loving flavored burgers. This is an Applewood Smoked Bacon and Cheddar burger from Kroger. It's a Private Selections brand (aka Kroger brand). I like to put TONS of ketchup on my burger. Don't judge.
Also good is Private Selections ice cream. They have many interesting and unique flavors.
The salted caramel pretzel was really good. The raspberry buttercream cake was just okay. But then again, I'm not usually a big fan of fruity ice creams. Give me chocolate over fruit any day!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Most ridiculous Olympic sports

Sadly, the Olympics are over after a fun and entertaining few weeks. I enjoy many of the Olympic events, even if it's a sport I don't normally watch. However, some of the events are pretty ridiculous!

Just for fun, here's my list of the Top 5 Most Ridiculous Olympic Sports:

1. Fencing. I never really watched fencing before, but I thought it would be like a sword fight. I didn't realize that all they have to do is TOUCH the other person with the tip of their sword. It's not very exciting.

2. Handball. Such an unusual game. It's like a cross between basketball and soccer.

3. Track Cycling. I think it's weird to have a race in which bikers go slowly for the first two laps and only really race on the last lap. It's not really about who's faster, it's about jockeying for position.

4. Triple Jump. It looks so ridiculous. Why won't a simple long jump do? Why is this a separate event? Oh yeah, and it's also known as the "hop, skip, and jump".

5. Trampoline. It used to be a training tool, now it's an Olympic event. Who ever thought that jumping on a trampoline would become an Olympic sport?

Can you think of any other ridiculous Olympic sports? I'm sure I missed a few!

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Mid-year book reviews

Jan/Feb: Anna Karenina
Anna Karenina was an interesting book about family life and fidelity in Russian society. The storyline keeps switching among three main characters/couples. There was one couple/storyline I cared about, another one was interesting because the characters were headed for inevitable destruction, and one storyline was rather boring. There were some sections I read where I couldn't put the book down and others where I struggled to make it through each chapter. In the end it was pretty good, but not amazing. Also, you have to have a lot of time, because it's a LONG book. Towards the end, I just wanted it to be over. Rating: 3/5

March: Hunger Games series
I loved the Hunger Games series! I thought they were creative and exciting books. I read them over Spring break - good thing, because I couldn't put them down! The first two books were amazing: suspenseful, imaginative, and at times heart-wrenching. The last book fell a little flat, in my opinion. There were so many action scenes and battle sequences, it read like a movie script rather than a book. However, the last book does have a satisfactory ending, so overall the series hits the mark. Rating: 5/5

April: Little Bee
Little Bee was an intriguing book. The summary on the back cover is intentionally vague because the author doesn't want to "spoil the story". So I didn't know much before I started reading, except that it was a story about two women and how their lives intertwine after some mysterious event. Part of the fun and suspense of the book is trying to put together the pieces of the story and figure out each woman’s secrets. The story goes back and forth between each character’s point of view. I liked one girl’s narration better - she was more original and witty than the other woman - so I found myself looking forward to her chapters more. Unfortunately, the ending seemed a little contrived. Rating: 3/5

May: Wake, Once a Runner

Wake was a fun book! It’s unique and interesting: it’s a story about a girl who gets pulled into other people’s dreams. Because of her weird ability, she knows other people’s deepest secrets, fears, and desires. However, she is powerless to change the dreams, and her “gift” becomes a curse at school as she gets pulled into dreams at inopportune times. This book was a real page-turner. It’s not the best YA book ever, but it’s a fun, fast, suspenseful read. 
Rating: 4/5

I thought I would really like “Once a Runner”. I enjoy stories about athletes overcoming obstacles and working hard to meet their goals, and I like to run! I’d heard that this was “the best book ever written about running”, so I had high expectations. The book was… unusual. The author used outdated metaphors, which was confusing. He also approached each chapter from a different perspective, which sometimes hindered the flow of the story. What the author did capture was the fanatical work ethic and unwavering dedication required to become a top-notch athlete. However, at times this obsession was depressing rather than inspiring. Still, the book had many memorable quotes and the highlight of the book was the final race, which was a true masterpiece. Rating: 3/5

June: What Happened to Goodbye
I usually like Sarah Dessen books for what they are- quick easy reads, perfect beach books. This one was kind of boring though. It seemed like it took forever for anything to actually happen. The girl was just constantly going back and forth between her house and her dad's restaurant! The last third of the book was a little better as the relationship between her and the boy next door starting getting interesting, but still it was just okay. If you want to read a Sarah Dessen book, I would try “Just Listen”, “The Truth About Forever”, or “Lock and Key”. Those are my three favorites, in that order. Rating: 2/5

July: Matched, Crossed, Peach Keeper
Okay, I admit it, I bought "Matched" because it was recommended to me on Goodreads based on my interest in "The Hunger Games". The thing is, it did not disappoint! "Matched", like "The Hunger Games" is set in a future world, where a central government controls everything. Other than that, the stories play out very differently. In "Matched", the Society controls what you eat, what you wear, even who you marry. This becomes a problem when the main character, Cassia, is matched to one boy, but falls in love with another. The first book was amazing. The second book "Crossed" was very good, and I can't wait for the third book "Reached" to come out in November! Watch the Matched trailer if you want to see a fun teaser for the book. Rating: 4/5 

Peach Keeper
The "Peach Keeper" was just okay. I have a friend who loves Sarah Addison Allen's books. Laura describes her books as magical, like a dessert that's too sweet, but you eat it anyway. I was intrigued by this description, so I decided to give one of Allen's books a try. At times it was funny and cute, but it was also corny and predictable. The main problem was that the relationships in the story seemed unrealistic, although I thought a few of the supporting characters were loveable. It was kind of a cute story about friendship, but ultimately very forgettable. Rating: 2/5

All in all, I've read some great books this year! I would recommend any of the books that I rated a 3/5 or higher, so if you're looking for some new books to read, give some of the ones on this list a try. I've been meeting my goal to read at least one book per month. I hope to read many more good books in the second half of 2012!

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Confession: I didn't run for a week

Huge confession: After my half marathon a couple weeks ago, I was really sore. In the three days following the race, I couldn't even walk up & down stairs, and I definitely couldn't run. That race completely wore me out!

Just as I was starting to recover, my mom and I took a trip down to Lynchburg to set up my townhouse for the new renters. I thought I would have time to run, but we were so busy, I didn't run at all! We literally got right to work every day from the moment we woke up. We had to clean out the entire house, repaint two rooms, and move Bud's furniture. It was no small feat to get all this done in 3 days. I was exhausted every single night. There was no time for any run, let alone a long run.

Then for a couple days after I got back home, I was lazy. I stayed up late watching the Olympics and I slept in. I was tired and lethargic and didn't feel like doing anything. I gave myself two more days off.

This is not good news for my marathon training! Yesterday I had to get my butt in gear. I planned to run 7 miles, but a storm was brewing, so I went back to the house after only 4.5 miles. Sometimes it just seems like the universe is conspiring against you.