2:55:45! The satisfied slow poke

So I didn't make my pretraining goal of 2:43:45 (12:30 min miles), but I am pretty satisfied for the result regardless. Finishing in 2 hours, and about 56 minutes put me at about 13 1/2 minute miles.

Longest straight distance I did before the mini: 4.75 miles in an hour on a treadmill (12 min 37 second mile average)

Longest straight distance I did on the ground: 4 miles in an hour last Wednesday (15 min/miles)

It felt great. I didn't start getting tired until around mile 10. I loved the scenery and the atmosphere. I never even wanted to pull out my iPod. I probably passed more people than passed me. I mostly just tried to walk really fast- kind of like the pace that Dad likes to walk whenever we leave a crowded venue. For the first 9 miles, I had no problem picking up my pace and jogging a few hundred yards every time I saw a mile marker. It probably helped that for the first time, I was wearing all real running equipment (except shoes, but running socks made a HUGE difference! NO blisters today!), and I took an excedrin right before the race based on advice. I was on TV near mile 6, clutching my iPhone in its ziplock bag that I was using to time myself, and waving at the camera. Dad just happened to catch it by surprise, and has it on a VHS at home.

The last couple miles were rough, I was getting anxious for the end since it was all downtown and I kept feeling like I should be closer than I was. I pushed as hard as I could down the last 3-4 blocks, just before I turned onto Preston and then the last so many hundred yards to the way-too-far-away-at-that-point finish line. The idea of walking anymore once I crossed it seemed very awful, but gosh does the pain really set in once you just stop after constantly moving for 3 hours.

I went in just hoping to finish with an official time (3 hours, 15 minutes). Then when I got there, there was no 15:00 minute mile pacer, just a 13:45 minute pacer so I ended up setting that as my goal. I followed him for a couple miles, but he was doing more like 15 minute miles for the first two miles so I got impatient and went ahead and made up the time to have 13:45 min/miles. While making up that time during miles 2-6, I got ahead by like 3 minutes and ended up keeping that until my little sprint at the end.

After the invite from a friend at school, I'm doing a 5K in 2 weekends. I'd like to finish that in like 30 minutes, which I think I could do. Maybe faster, if it works out like the Mini goal did. Another 10K sometime this summer, I can't remember when my friend said it was.

Now I'm wondering what the official time limit for a triathlon is. Just curious.

Doing a mini-marathon

I got an email in November(?) from a 2nd year student recruiting other students to participate in a initiative he started last year which he calls "Medals for Mettle." It involves med students vowing to do a mini-marathon or marathon, and finding a sick pediatric patient a month before the race to dedicate (and give) our medals to at the end of the race. Last year, the organizer had the patient meet him a quarter mile before the end of the race and they finished together. Then he handed down the medal to the kid. Apparently, the kid wore it for weeks.

Sounds extra noble right? Totally. Something that a strong, well-fit, and good hearted person would do. Something inspiring.



So I evaluate myself:

1) I am and always been an awful runner. When I was little I hated tag because I was not fast enough and didn't have the endurance to EVER catch someone once I was it.
2) I really don't seem to be athletic. I'm competitive, I love sports, but I suck at them. Then again, maybe I just never tried hard enough.
3) I am a mom and pretty much consider myself to have no extra time to train for something like a mini.
4) Doing a mini is very impractical at this time of my life and considering my athletic abilities, probably impossible.

So I really want to do it.

My coach and the leader of M4M, Riley, hosted a few training sessions and put out a schedule for beginners like me. He taught me some good techniques that I've been working hard to incorporate into my work outs as I try to build muscle and cardio endurance.

I've been kind of following it. It involves a 5 day/week schedule including sprint excercises, cross training and a long run on Saturdays. I've been trying to work that many days a week, but most of it has not been real running. I'm doing a lot of work on the Wii Fit. Riley said that I needed to focus on leg balance to keep a smooth form so I spend a lot of time on yoga. My wii fit based plan mostly involves the balance activities in yoga, strength training my torso and legs with strength exercises and cardio with aerobic excercises. The aerobic excercises that I use are the "running" ones, which are of course running in place. My calves were super sore the first week but it feels like I have to work harder this week. I've unlocked a "free run" excercise which estimates your "distance." I know its incredibly inaccurate based on how much I can handle running for real, so my goal is to do double the distance on Wii to hopefully make up for it.

Probably what is tying me down to stick with it the most right now is I went with Mom to babys r us and got a good jogger to work with, each of us splitting $200. If I feel even more tied to it in the next month, I think I'll throw another $100 for shoes. I've used the stroller 3 times now, twice on the scenic loop in Cherokee. It is probably heavier than I realize yet (not sure what I can do running alone), and it complicates going up and down hills, obviously. It's also not so good for practicing form, but just like Wii, I just hope it is something to get some work in.

I want to run/jog the whole thing. No walking. 10-12 min miles would be totally fine with me (what even is normal?).

The weather isn't helping so far either. I'm not interested in getting out in the snow. It's funny because I usually like snow and don't care about the traffic issues but it annoys me now that I want to try to run. I also don't want to take baby out in the stroller if its under 40 either, so its a real obstacle. Even if it is warm, we have to get the trip in before 6, which squeezes up my time at school to study (what time am I posting this.......?).

I need to open up my options at the gym. Many of the other students involved (there is probably like 40) work out before school at 8 which sounds nuts to me but if so many other people wake up at 6 why can't I? I'm really trying to make a stricter schedule for myself. And then on Saturdays/Sundays I need to remember to try to do some outdoor running on my own.

mini-marathon early registration ends Sunday the 31st. I'm not going to do it today, but I'm pretty sure I'll make that extra step this weekend.

So am I nuts? Probably just kidding myself...

New House

Whoops guys (jennifer, maybe darren, and mom), I just now remembered I had a blog. I've really enjoyed Jenn and Darren's the past few days. You guys might not be checking here anymore, but oh well, the entries are probably mostly for me in the long run.

Yeah, there is plenty to say since last July, but I don't want to make a totally random list of updates so I'll just say: We Love our new house.

It's perfect. Lucky for me, Jeff was ready to jump on it and make an offer within hours of seeing it. I was being hesitant out of being exciting to shop around, but even on my list I knew it was exactly what we wanted. And it always seemed ridiculously well-priced, although I don't think anyone told us that it was, necessarily.

So out of our priorities?
#1 somewhere for Jeff's tools and junk....check.....
#2 2 bedrooms, preferably better suited for a baby bedroom....check!
#3 office space...check
#4 storage spaces.....double check
#5 convenient litter box spots......check

perks:
fireplace
beautiful garden and yard
that storage space is a two car garage
updates, updates, updates

I've already accepted that the next place we live will not be as nice as this one. Even if we don't leave Louisville for residency, we would still need more space in 3 1/2 years (wow, the countdown to the last graduation has begun!) for baby #2 (yes, we still plan on doing that).

I obviously need some pictures to exemplify our pride, but I can't say I've assembled a collection. Something to do next time the house is well-groomed.

For now, here are some baby photos in each place of the house...except the bedroom and laundry room.

still new Garage for our 2 and a half cars
Bathroom with a big tub that actually has jets in it. Remodeling this room. It was yellow, is now blue, and the wood trim will eventually be white.
Family room with a gas fire place and cathedral ceiling, lots of flood lights (is that the right name...)
Baby's bedroom. Previously shades of pink (which was not obvious until you took a close look), now winnie the pooh green. Still needs its second coat, eventually. Carpet needs to be replaced. Cute and little, should be just enough room for baby the next few years.
Front yard. Entire property fenced in, even with the inconvenience of no back gate (just the garage)."Dining room," although with carpet and 5 doorways it is probably more appropriate as the office and fish room.
Backyard. Fenced in on both sides, with a red fence on one side. I think the color and style is pretty, but it is rotten and will need to be replaced. A project I wouldn't mind taking on. Also a great back deck, just the right size for us. Lots of garden back here that I hope I can maintain.
Kitchen. Updated new probably 15 years ago. Cabinets still look great and appliances are pretty nice compared to the Preston house. There are great skylights in here. Lots of timers and clocks, goody! Hoping to replace the linoleum in here and the bathroom.
And the cherry on top. Not just any playground, a baby playground steps away. Love thinking about how we'll be going there so often in the next few years.

Too many teens and preteens on the internet

So maybe I was asking for a pile of garbage, but I googled how to get rid of my sunglasses tan line... and the results are just awful.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081003221018AADPXzh

People who post comments on youtube are the same way. At least twice, I have seen comments on youtube along the line of this:

"This music video is really good! I would know because I a have been a musicion 4 8 yrs and I am 14."

I am so not under exaggerating the age either. This is definitely a downside of the internet being a largely youthful phenomenon.

Sigh. Anyways, I'm trying to get rid of the sunglasses line with some fake tan lotion. And I think it showed up because I stopped bothering to use sunscreen...so I guess I'll start doing that again.

However, I do plan on going to the tanning bed to get rid of my super white swimsuit lines before I go the the white coat ceremony in my dress... I don't know though, it might take quite a lot more tanning than I feel like buying or doing- I'd probably be freaking black by the time I was even! I am getting super dark... and I thought it just couldn't happen anymore since I was older.

Getting tan

Like I've mentioned in my last few blogs, I've got plenty of things to talk about. But I'll talk about "work" now.

I'm getting tan, and it may be the only thing I'm happy about with guarding right now. The summer started off fine, but went through a major decline over the past week and a half. I haven't actually told anyone yet, and the longer I've put it off, the more reluctant I feel to bring it up but... they took away my assistant manager position. I didn't get my lifeguard certification until a couple weeks into the season and I didn't realize how big of a deal that was. I don't even feel like explaining my excuses because coming up with them and trying to explain to the head guard and our supervisors has just been one huge dampening pain.

The head guard was the one to let me know, and I really wish the supervisors would have told me themselves because I would not have argued with them the way I did with him. I suppose me being the same age as him, and getting the impression that I am more responsible than him doesn't make me feel very obligated to respect his authority, especially since as an AM I felt like I should treat him as a managerial partner.

But whatever. Him and I are not getting along at all. Or rather, he pretty much hates me after all of this. I came to the job ready to take leadership and I apparently overstepped my boundaries. No, I haven't bossed people around, I just tried to learn as much as I could and did as much work as there was to do, hoping someone would notice and go ahead and give me a head guard position. I wanted to do what JC told me I needed to do weeks later, "take initiative." The supervisors, JC and Scott, may have agreed that I needed to be demoted for the certification issue, which I don't have a problem with now, but they let me know that my lack of experience was still an issue and when the head guard teaches me enough to overcome that, they want to repromote me.

I can't even talk to the head guard without him twisting my words into a reason to get pissy at me. The head guard is such a ass with me that he wouldn't even let me go to the pump room to turn on the fill for the baby pool the other day. And he keeps the keys when we work together, I assume to keep me out of the pump room altogether. The last time I actually talked to him he got pissed at me for two completely ridiculous things and tried to mention me transferring, and seemed very disappointed when I said I wouldn't think of it. Guess what I said during that conversation? I checked if he remembered to fill out a guest form for someone coming in and when he mentioned that break was called one minute late, I said it looked like 10 til on the other clock. And when I asked if he wanted me to fill the baby pool, and later if he wanted me to turn the water off, both times while he was in the guard chair, he says, "I can take care of the baby pool."

If you can't tell, it feels pretty much impossible to describe all of the frustrations I've had. All of the miniscule details blowing up into one huge pain in my butt and crappy summer job

I've hoped maybe this guy could just get over his issues if I leave him alone and practically don't talk to him at all for a week or something. Then I could start trying to ask him to teach me the pump room stuff I need to know to be promoted. But when I sit back and think about the situation, I just feel like becoming a guard was a mistake. I wanted to do it because I thought it would be a chill way to spend a summer. I was a little worried about working with high school kids, but I thought if I played my cards right I could get past that. I've been pretty friendly with everyone, including my coworkers, the patrons, the supervisors, and it seemed to be working out just fine. But I feel like trying to do good at the job in general is just a waste of time now.

I'm too old for this job, too qualified for this job! And even if I did do it another summer, the next would be the last I could possible do it. I should've never even applied; I can't give KPM enough time to really be an asset to them, like I'd like to be. I'd always thought about doing what Jenn and Julia did, but I waited way too long. I really don't think I should do it next summer. I don't know what specialty I'll choose but I want to do some clinical research to have that broader range of opportunity when the time to choose a specialty comes.

I need something that looks good on a resume. You can't imagine how unhappy I will be to have to put that I spent this time as a regular "Guard." Wow, how pathetic. I'll probably leave it off my resume altogether as if it never happened. Jenn said that I could juggle the two jobs next summer, but I think I'd like to have that extra job time with the baby. Hell knows that if they don't offer me a real managerial position next summer, there is no way I will do it again. I don't need another head guard feeling intruded by me and telling me they "like to mix up" the schedule.

I think I will enjoy clinical research and wish I would have tried to do that this summer instead... sigh. I've hardly told anything to Jeff about work and he asks why I don't quit just from what I have told him. Man, I planned to have money from this summer in my 09-10 budget...! And it's as simple as that... Not that I'll even have hardly half of what I planned to make but that's just one more piece of the frustration...

Ugh. Another reason it sucks I waited so long to let everyone know about the situation is that it just sucks to talk about it now. I want to just settle into the regular guard position, not worry about being repromoted, get back on decent terms with the head guard and just smooth out the rest of the summer... The stress is totally not worth it and I've learned from my mistakes.

So time for a complete subject change. I decided to write this blog because I wanted to talk to somebody I guess. Having this job has made me appreciate my free time more than usual (obviously), and I've been more unhappy when Jeff doesn't think to make time for me. He mowed when I got home and went to take a nap afterwards. Clueless Jeff :(.

Commenting on my photo. I am tanner. It's nice I guess but I can't say I care too much for the one piece tan line. THere are 3 girl guards and I'm the only one in a one-piece. I'm sure that they have no idea that I wear one because of my mutilated tummy. :( I never knew that older women were so tummy conscious because they were Moms! It's so simple... and sad. God I want my tummy back. It's awful looking at girls in their cute bikinis all day. I think about how I'd love to go shopping for some of my own. I don't know what to expect in the future. I haven't weighed in a while but I think the job is helping me lose more of the tummy chub. Why?...less time to be bored, less time to eat... I also notice that Mom's tend to cover their legs, but other than a few stretch marks I've noticed on them, I guess I managed to miss that prego side effect... Gosh was I clueless about why pregnancy sucks for your body image so much.

Well I suppose I should save some energy for less depressing things. Many blogs due from me... I'm supposed to move this weekend so some of them I can't put off any longer or it will be too late!

Gotta post the baby pic! =D

Obviously he is not actually close to standing, just flexing his chub chub legs :)

Graduation 2

Here is a pic I mentioned putting up.
I could've done my hair better.

Over the past couple of years I have increasingly regretted not making more of my "college experience." This mostly involves the part where you meet lots of people and have a plentiful social experience. I'm hoping I can make up for it a little in med school.

Newport aquarium

Time to post more IJ videos. Today we went to Newport to see the aquarium. Although it was crowded and a lot of things took a lot longer than I'm used to them taking after being accustomed to Dad's way of doing things- it was a nice relaxing trip. I think in part because Dad wasn't there to freak out about how slow and crowded everything was. Hah.

I was inspired by some of the freshwater displays to revitalize my fish tank. Thinking about trading in my Office fish for a collection of Rio Negro fish, which I know I can find in the pet store. I know Mom had a lot of these fish, was she going for that theme on purpose?


Who knew angel fish could get so HUGE? I don't recall Mom's ever getting bigger than an inch or two. You can use the tetras as a reference of the scale.


I think I could just sit in those water tunnels all day, watching the fish go by. IJ could have, too. The people and noise bothered him from time to time, but otherwise, I think he had a nice trip.

He's now been to four states, in just four months! KY, TN, IN, OH. Going to be a well-traveled kid by the time he can talk. In a couple of weeks, he will be driving through OH again, then PA, then NJ. Then he will take his first plane trip...with Dad of all people, just the two of them! Jeff hasn't even been on a plane before- it's pretty sad his four-month old son will beat him to it.

Summer has officially started, and other than for some budget stresses, I have the next 4 weeks to be practically stress free. And plenty of blogs should be to come too- we're probably moving in around a month to a fantastic new house- which is going to be super fun, I'll have Atlantic City to blog about, graduation + photos, Julia's wedding, my new lifeguard management job will be starting, and I can post new videos of IJ who will be starting solids in the next few weeks and will probably get down rolling over soon.

Also, btw, IJ is officially ticklish. Don't tell Darren! I tried to get him to laugh on video but I couldn't get it, though here is a video I took anyway.