Nasty Trick...

Today I played a nasty trick on myself. On my plan I was supposed to run 3.5 miles. I had gotten up at 4:45am and been on my feet for 6 hours in the OR. It was a crazy intense day including a one year old pediatric patient crashing in the middle of surgery (no worries..he was fine). Everytime I checked my pulse throughout the day it was like 85-90 = STRESSSSSED OUT! So off I go....after about 1.5 miles I'm frusterated. I feel like I should have ran 2.5 by now....this SUCKS! Then my mind starts tricking me...."If you get the long run done today...you won't have to get up at 5am tomorrow to do it"....Thats what it said....foreal! So next thing you know I'm cranking out 6 miles completely unprepared in several ways:
1)Exhausted
2)Not mentally prepared for a long run
3) Not hydrated...no H20 with me..No nutrition with me
4)Not properly paced for the first 2 miles...(to run a long run)
5)Very hot outside...midday

I felt like it would be a great mental challenge...a way to train my mind not my body. It was pretty awesome...but I still think it's a cruel trick to play on yourself. Maybe it won't be so bad when I'm not running 6 miles tomorrow :) So here she is folks.....and get this...the avg pace was still 9:18! I think that was the same pace I had last week for my 5 mile run? How long can I continue to run long runs at this pace?!?

Ok sidenote. I have been feeling pretty crappy about myself bc of my consumption of diet coke. I know it is horrible for me...yet I basically pour 4-5 cans in my veins a day. I feel pretty embarassed of my uncontrolled habit...and it's so bad that I actually got migraines on the cruise when I wasn't drinking pop. I had to break down and buy one a day to avoid the headaches. But check this out! While i was trudging up 3 flights of stairs with my new purchase (12 pack of diet pepsi)...feeling horrible about myself...I look down and discover this!!!!!!!!!!You might have to click on it to make it bigger to see it better. But basically..its saying that Diet Coke is not only totally A-OK for the bod....but it's HYDRATING!!! say that with me.....HY-DRAT-ING!!!!!!!!! I jump for joy in the stairwell and drop all the groceries! All this time I'm feeling bad about myself and I'm really just hydrating my body!!! HOW SILLY! So next time you crack open a diet pepsi (or 10).....don't feel bad. Think of the hydration you are giving your bod...bc THE COCA COLA COMPANY SAYS SO! I might even start carrying them on my run for hydration.I'm sure you all can sense my sarcasm here...I know it's still bad for me...but maybe I won't beat myself up so much. Just about everything we consume these days is full of chemicals and garbage...at least I'm not addicted to crack cocaine (although sometimes I swear caffeine addiction is worse)

Is the week over yet?

Oh my gosh! Its been the longest week of my life...and its only hump day! Started school and clinical Monday....and it's so exhausting to be back. Im at a new hospital this quarter...so I am completely lost and feeling stupid a lot. Today was really hard bc we had to deal with a patient that had lost her baby. She was sooooo upset....and finally I broke. I was exhausted...and I couldn't watch this girl cry anymore. Someone told me that in this profession I can't let my emotions get to me...and I'll see much worse things.. (which i know)..but for some reason I just started crying.

Here is my run from last night.....I know the pacing looks a little scary. I had to do it in the parking lot of my condo and part on the dreadmill. To make my path outside longer...I was weaving back and forth across the road (thank gosh it was dark and no one could see me). SO this is why my pacing looks crazy! The things I do for running...I'm telling ya! But I didn't want to leave the gates when it was dark by myself....tooo scurrred!


Wow I'm beat. No worries...I'll find time to get my 2 miles or X training in today! Tata for now!


*Edit*
I went to bed at 7pm...haaaaa!

ahhhhhh! D DAY TOMORROW!

So today I again was awesome....and woke up at 11. Missed church...sorry God. Then decided to go check out the hospital I will be at tomorrow (diff from last quarter). I make my way to the surgical suite and next thing you know I'm scrubbed up in surgery and there are intestines flying everywhere. (not really what I had in mind for my last day of vacation). I found an appropriate time to duck out thank god..and decided to go do a recovery run on the track. I had in mind about 2-3 miles...seeing that my long run yesterday was 5. I start running around this trail..and forgot my nike sensor so I have no way of tracking how far I was going. After 2 loops...I'm thinking I've gone about 2 miles..thinking its a mile long trail. I make the decision to go one more to run 3 miles. I'm finishing up my loop and stop and ask a biker how long the trail is. 1.45 miles!!!!! So yes...my recovery run was about 4.5 miles to recover from my 5 mile run yesterday...hahaha! Also..heres some cute pics of my puppy Bentley :)

Calm before the storm....

So with T-2 days until my alarm blares in my face at 4:45...I managed to pull my lazy ass out of bed at............... a whoppin 10:50. I am soooooooooooo screwed. Its so weird but I can't get to sleep at a decent hour...and even when I do get my heiny in bed by midnight..I lay there until 1 or 2 am. It's now 12:31 and I'm still sitting on the couch in sweats...dreading the moment my hubby walks in and says "what did you do today so far?" I will have one of those George Bush dumb looks on my face. (I like GB....don't worry I'm not hatin...but he does give a lot of dumb looks).

Anywho..yesterday was my rest day and I did about 27 mins on elliptical....5 mins on the bike...and ran for 5 mins to calibrate my nike ipod kit. So I chalked it up as about 40 mins of cross training. Sometime this weekend I have to get in a 5 miler..I know..doesnt sound bad. But when you are training for your first half mary...each long run sounds SUPER scary.

One other thing I wanted to point out to all my new running blog friends. Here is my product of the month (or more like marketing gimmick I fell for this month)!! Its called oxygen plus!
Its a little personal can of oxygen that you can give yourself oxygen shots of when you need a pick me up. Theres peppermint, regular and grapefruit flavors. Its supposed to take the place of a caffeineated (sp?) beverage....cigarette...50 mile run...whatever you use as a pick me up!
as some of you may know, I am currently studying anesthesia and have 24/7 access to free O2 shots whenever I may need them....so why you ask? Would someone like me be interested in such a product packaged at 17.99 for 3 canisters (20 shots each)?

1) I fall horribly for marketing gimmicks. The thought of having this cool gadget in my purse and people getting excited and asking what it is...is enough to make me blow 17.99 of my hard earned school loan money on it
2) Im extremely addicted to caffeinated beverages (AKA diet coke)..maybe this would ease the pain of the addiction?
3) peppermint sounds sooooooo invogorating
4) Its not plausible to carry around a huge E cylinder (anesthesia) with me for whenever I need a pick me up...and going to the school lab is likely to cancel out any pick me ups the oxygen tanks could give me

Sooooo........new training tool for 2008? Oxygen plus! Whos on board?


p.s. this is not a paid advertisement for oxygen plus...however when 4:45 am on monday rolls around...I may be looking into a new career.. "Oxygen Plus Marketing"

*edit* I rocked out my 5 mile run today. Started off nice and slow...ran strong and hard the whole way. I realize the best thing for me is to run out half way....so for a 5 mile run..I need to run out 2.5 miles..then turn around and come back. That way...not matter what...if I'm crawling, skipping, jogging, walking, whatever.....it clicks 5.0 when I get back. Also the next week...I know I only need to get a half mile further..which sounds so much nicer than saying I have to run 6 miles. But today I ran hard...on a 9:15 pace...never stopped..never slowed...never got tired. I feel amazing..and proud!

new look...new feel

Got my 3 miles in today....didn't feel as good as it should have. Funny how one day you feel like a gazelle flying across Africa effortlessly and the next day you feel like a 300 lbs hamster running aimlessly in circles sucking wind. Ok ok...it wasnt that bad...but like I said...should have been more gazelle like. Still lovin me the new shooz though. I'm so scared now that I booked my hotel for AtLaNtA! Did any of you have similar anxiety issues when training for your first run? You start investing so much money and you are scared you are going to cop out...well I better go get my stinky ass in the showa! Peace :)

New shoes.....

Theres something about getting a new pair of running shoes that makes running so much more fun! Its like you put them on...and wonder how you continued running in the old ones..and vouge you wont wait this long again before getting a new pair. And each time...they seem like the most comfortable running shoes you've ever owned. Well anyway....Brooks Trance 6 are awesomeeeeeee! Today I did my two mile run like I was supposed to...and pretty much sprinted the last half mile. Then I walked about a half a mile..and stretched out. I didn't have a ton of time bc I'm making an exotic dinner for the hubby tonight. I think I might get dressed up and put a skirt on for him too....just one of those moods. New years does that to people. No fancy graphs of my run...I have to wait until I get the adapter for my nike+ sensor for the new shoes. Stupid nike! Hope everyone is starting off 2008 on the right "foot"...hahahaha (bad joke).

*edit* booked my hotel for aTlaNtA (hotlanta) for the half marathon........eeeeeeeeeeeek. THere are stakes on the table now :)

2008 here we come!

New years was super fun. I finally took a day of rest...(long story). I wanted to X train but it never happened. I needed it....my body is starting to hurt all over. We went to a fancy dinner at this Sushi Lounge here in Savannah. Our neighbors own it so we got lots of free drinks. Then we came back to our condo and celebrated new years out on the dock with friends. It was so nice...the weather was perfect...the stars shone bright..and the water was peaceful. The pictures look a lot crazier than the peacefulness that surrounded us.

.....also...my new running shoes never got here....I'm so bummed. Here is my half marathon plan...let me know what u think! And here are some crazy pics from new years...laugh all you want :)