I’m not sayin’ its an excuse for going AWOL on you guys, but I just wanted some proof to back me up – this chick has been BUSY. My last post was over a week ago, and the days have just been going by so dang fast! In addition to anything on the ToDo list, I’ve had class, training, we had a yard sale this weekend, work, and work #2. Luckily, my trusty iCal has helped keep me on top of the game.

Like I said.. no excuses though.

So anyways, now that the school year is underway, I wanted to share with you guys my schedule, and how I fit running/training into that. I have talked to some med students here that I know are runners, or people who are in residencies, and asked them the same thing. Not gonna lie – sometimes it scares me to think I could find myself already in scrubs at 5:00am, working all day, studying, and before I know it it’s 11:00pm. I think of that and the image that comes up in my mind is this blood-shot med student (OOOMG. Do not go type that into flickr.) decked in scrubs, falling asleep over a text book. Well, I don’t have to worry about that yet because I’m still working on undergrad, and then oh yeah – I still have to get in to med school! Haha.. I’ll worry about it when the time comes. So without further ado, here is my current class schedule:

Every semester up until this point I have alway had a 3 day weekend – either Monday or Friday off. Honestly though, I feel like this is the BEST schedule I have ever had, and especially for training purposes. Because that’s why I’m going to school.. to train.. right? If you can’t see.. my earliest class starts at 11:15 M/T/W/TH, and I don’t start until 1:25 on F. I’m done with class at 3:25 M/W/TH/F, and done by 12:30 on T!! I also have two nice little breaks on M and TH in between classes. Wednesdays are my packed day,  but honestly, it’s still not that bad. These are the classes I’m taking this semester:

So then what about school? Because that IS what I am here to do. As much as I joke around about it, school is my number one priority. Scary as it may be to think about not getting to do what I want to do when I hit med school.. or even now.. I just gotta suck it up! There are days when I have had to just say forget it – you’re not getting a run in today. As much as my running (and now, slowly but surely, my biking and swimming) is my one grounding element in my life, there are times when you have to sacrifice and make adjustments. This has been a good challenge for me and my type A++ self – learning to accommodate! Maybe I don’t have time for the 8 miles that I wanted, but I can still fit in 5 – then I can still do the 5! I come from a very black and white/all or none mind set.. and this is good practice for getting ready for real life, when you don’t always get to be the one in charge.
 

has never sounded so good. I am writing to you from my desk in my dorm – room mostly bare – 0n my last night at Northeastern University (for the year). I am SO looking forward to getting home to Minneapolis and sleeping in my OWN BED!

So where have I been?

• Drowning in A&P
• Suffocating in Chem
• biking all over the city
• because I currently can not run
• because I got hit by a CAR 
• on April 8th
• 12 days before the Boston marathon
• Hows that for an FML post?

Like any other college student during the end of their semester, I’ve been stressed, busy, frantic, the usual. I’ve also been pretty bummed to be completely honest – having to pass up on Boston this year was really hard. I have met some great amazing people over this last year though, and they have all been very supportive along the way. I know deep down that I would not have had a good time running injured, and the last thing I want to do is create this fear or anxiety associated with running. I never want to not look forward to running. Ever. So that meant sitting this year out. I am looking forward to opening a big old can of whoop ass on 2010.

As for the future of the blog.. I’m gonna have to wait and see. I like blogging.. but more for a personal thing. And no offense, but I’m really not a fan of an “online diary”. I may or may not keep it up, but either way, I am very thankful for everyone I have met through RRR! 

I hope everyone finishing their school year is hangin in there, and everyone beyond school, well you need to hang in there too! 

Peace out peeps. See ya later Boston!
-E

Aright.. well due to multiple comments I received on that last post (two which were kind and respectful, several which were very NOT), I decided to delete it. Apparently people can’t take the MEDICAL pictures for what they are. Glad we’re all so mature.

So. Here is an altered version of those apparently promiscuous xrays I had up. This first one is from October 30th, before surgery. You might not be able to see the fracture.. but it’s there. If you look at the xray and go left of the greater trochanter, and coming about 2/3s of the way up from the bottom side. 

This is from January 16th, one month and one day after surgery. I had no idea the screws were this big! 

This next one is from the same day. This position is called “The Frog” haha for obvious reasons.

I donno about you.. maybe it grosses you out, but I think it’s pretty awesome. I am so thankful for all the amazing doctors I have been privileged to work with – Dr. Millis, Dr. Clohisy, and Dr. Troung – and then there are all the doctors I saw in the beginning who first diagnosed this problem – Dr. Corrado, Dr. Stein, and Dr. Gephart. I wonder how long I could have/would have kept running on it if Dr. Corrado hadn’t referred me to Dr. Stein. I remember his exact words and the tone of his voice – caring, but serious, “Hey kid, you know your limping? You’re gonna need to get that x-rayed before you can be cleared to run.” Thank you all times 1,000,000. 

I just sent these latest x-rays off to my surgeons at the U of MN this last week, so they should have them by now, and hopefully I can get in touch with them this Monday. I am also supposed to go in for a visit with my surgeon here in Boston for a follow-up. He went out of town last week, but he should be back this week, so hopefully I can get scheduled! My physical therapy also starts up this week – two times a week for now. I’m really excited because I know it will only make me stronger.

Pool workouts and cross training have been going well. My hip honestly feels really good. I told my dad the other day.. I seriously had forgotten what “normal” felt like. I am also really happy with the lifestyle changes that this surgery has brought about. I feel a lot more flexible these days – I feel a lot less concerned with things needing to be so black and white, or so scheduled. Take this: I had signed up for Campus Rec today at the gym.. I’ve taken a lot of the GF classes before, but not this one. Well, after we warmed up and were about 15 minutes in, the instructor said we were going to do suicides, and then go up to the track. Yo dog.. I haven’t been cleared to run yet. And even when I am cleared, it will be easy and short stuff, not suicides and sprints. Instead of thinking “shit.. this was my workout for the day. and I’m already 15 minutes in..” I showed the instructor the big ass scar on my hip, and said “I think I’m gonna have to bail for the rest of class. I haven’t been cleared to run yet..” She was fine with that obvi, and I decided to just call it a day. I have a fun spinning class tomorrow, and I can just make today a rest day. I did some core work, went home and took a shower, and headed to my roomies swim meet!

This is the diving well where I do all my pool running.

My roommate is the one in lane 6 on the far left. She is a killer swimmer.. she made the championship team as a freshman! She rocked it. <3

As far as general life stuff, I have plenty of stuff on my plate right now. We find out if we make it to round 2 of the RA apps at the end of the month, and if we get the position we’ll know by the end of February. I am also toying with the idea of being an orientation leader this summer.. which means being here, in BOSTON, this summer. I’d get to be home for a month between the end of the term and the time OL training starts.. so I donno. It pays pretty dang well, plus room and (partial) board, so it’s something to think about. Sorry about the big gap in posting, but I’ve been adjusting to life as a pre med student and all my sciences classes. I LOVE IT. Greater trochanter? Yep. I knew that one. Maxillary alveolus? Hahaha… still workin’ on it. 

Loves you,
-E 

OH OH OH! Vegetarian disciplinarian?! You left a comment on my last post. I would LOVE to answer any questions you have about Northeastern!! But the email left in your link isn’t working for me for some reason.. shoot me an email with all your questions and I’d be happy to answer! e.imhoff@homail.com

Good morning my lovely bloggies! I’m currently looking out the office window (at home home, still in Minneapolis) at the sparkling snow covered roof above our porch glistening in the sun. I think it’s a little too cold for the birdies to be out and about (they built a nest into the point of the roof), but I don’t blame em’ – it’s still -10° right now, minus the wind chill! Cozying up in warm clothes.. sitting by a fireplace.. maybe a game of Scrabble? S.L.A.P.!  

(Just a taste.. I promise there are pictures at the end of this novel!)

My G-Pa's killer homemade bird feeder. And cutie birdies!

Well, here I am one day past the two week mark from surgery. I don’t have a day-by-day recap for you, since during the second week there were much less of the “milestone” moments. I guess to sum it up, I am still feeling good, not fantastic-amazing-go-run-a-marathon good, but good. I mean, I did have hip surgery just two week ago, so I think I should still be a little sore every now and then, right? I’m trying to get in to see Dr. Troung before I go back to Boston, but tomorrow is New Years day, and then it’s like the weekend.. and I fly back Sunday!?! Grrr. a) I want him to snip the strings.. he said I could do it at home on my own but I’d be much more comfortable in the hands of a trained doctor. b) I want him to see it and make sure everything looks just like it should. c) I need to talk to him about PT and if I need to go see one out in Boston.. and if I need new exercises to get increased mobility (like sideways movement vs. up and down, front and back..).

I know this isn’t part of “week two”, but I got to SWIM on Monday!!! And it was fabulous. I love the pool at my Lifetime SO much. It’s a saltwater pool and it’s not too cold but not nasty warm either. Perfect. Juuust perfect. So Monday was the first day I swam and yeah it felt great, but it still felt sort of tight. I only swam for half the time that I usually do, and all super easy – no need to pull/tear/strain anything on the first day. Then the 2nd day (yesterday, Tuesday) I pool ran for half and swam for half and tried to really focus on stretching out and staying loose with each stroke – it felt amazing!! Leaving Lifetime is going to be R.O.U.G.H. 

So there’s my 2nd week wrap-up for ya. But speaking of leaving Lifetime, I guess I should open this up to everyone and maybe get some feedback – you guys are all so amazing with sharing experiences and “oh.. I did that too!!” that sometimes it feels like were all at some big slumber party. Oh, memories of middle school. Anyway, here’s the deal:

As I think I mentioned before, I am applying to be an RA for next year. Not only is there the obvious benefit (or in my  case, necessity) of free room and board (which at my school is an astoundingly ridic. amount), but I would also be put in a leadership position where I can use my creativity and help other people, something I love. Aright, great. There are some 500+ RA applicants each year, and only about 150 spots. I know I am an Honors student and have a good “resume”, but that doesn’t guarantee Jack. And to be honest, without some extra source of financial aid next year, staying at NU isn’t a guarantee. Less than that actually.. it’s a probable definite no (or maybe I should say probable definite not-a-good-idea, knowing that I’m the one going to be paying too). 

[Warning.. sorry - this is turning into a Monster post!!]

No one is forcing me too, in fact it was sort of my idea, but I am applying to some other schools for next year. Sort of as a back up plan. Sort of. (And I guess I should say school (singular) because the 2nd school I applied to.. I really don’t want to go there. But hey – free app.. why not?) This school is an excellent private school here in MN, and I would not at all feel like it was a “back up” if I ended up going there. In fact, academically, they are a lot more selective than NU. I’m trying not to count my chickens before they hatch – I mean, I haven’t even been accepted there yet. The app. deadline is not for another couple of months, and I wouldn’t find out till I’m already done with the semester out in Boston. But.. by then I will know whether or not I have the RA position.. I’ll be able to weigh my financial aid at each school.. I’ll be able to make some good and fair comparisons. 

You’ve heard me rave time and time again about how much I LOVE Boston and LOVE Northeastern and LOVE LOVE LOVE etc. I know. But being home now for winter break, the FIRST time I’ve been home since I moved… well if you went to school anywhere far from home you know what I’m talking about! Seeing my family and spending time with my mom and my dad and seeing my sister (who is actually now moving to D.C… another story) and being at the lakes and seeing my old running team and AHH. I love Minneapolis! (You’ve also heard me say that one too, to be fair.) Part of me WANTS to transfer (what.. again?) and be close to home. I think my best bit of advice for anyone just starting their college career, or just about to, is that there is no ONE right college, at least IMO. I do love Northeastern. But I think I would equally love “the school” here. (And just to clear things up – no, I’m not headed back to the U. At least not yet.)

Anyways, that’s my dilemma as of yet. If you read through this entire thing – wow.. major props. 

I’m headed out with another DF (haha.. I will never not laugh typing that) to Lifetime for a “spa day” followed by lunch at Panera if we have time. I gave her a gift card there as part of the gift, but she might end up doin’ that one with the BF or another friend. I have movie plans for tonight, and a pretty low key new years - just the way I like it. Hope everyone has an amazing last day of 2008, but if not, hey.. it’s just the last day of the month.. like the last day of any other month. There’s always tomorrow.

(and as I promised, pictures from Christmas!)

The all star grandparents <3

Ry, mom, and me.

Playing with g-ma's manger. My grandpops BUILT that manger. Mad skills..

Working on a secret gift that won't be given until NEXT Christmas

Two of the cuzzos.. champin some Jason Mraz

Back in Minneapolis.. our Christmas tree at HOME

B-T-Dubs.. does anyone need to buy their kid a saxophone!? Hahah - you will find this ad on craigslist.

Lovves,
-E

As I said in my last post.. I wanted to share with you guys a lil bit of what I’ve been relegated to since this fracture – pool running. Now just bear with me and my elitist-runner-ness for a second (I can’t shake it.. even after boots, air casts, and crutches!) and let me explain the difference between aquajogging and pool running. Because believe me, there’s a difference. 

jog |jäg|verb ( jogged , jogging )1 [ intrans. ] run at a steady gentle pace, esp. on a regular basis as a form of physical exercise : he began to jog along the road | [as n. ] (jogging) try cycling or gentle jogging.

run |rən|verb ( running ; past ran |ran|; past part. run )1 [ intrans. ] move at a speed faster than a walk, never having both or all the feet on the ground at the same time : the dog ran across the road |she ran the last few yards, breathing heavily | he hasn’t paid for his drinks—run and catch him.• run as a sport or for exercise : I run every morning.• (of an athlete or a racehorse) compete in a race : she ran in the 200 meters. | [ trans. ] Dave has run 42 marathons.

Thank you iDictionary. OK.. so really those are just the the definitions for jog and run, no water or aqua involved. I’m not about hurting feelings or calling anyone out [unnecessarily] so I’m going to leave it at that and say that you know if you’re a runner or a jogger. You don’t need someone else to tell you. The same applies to pool running and aqua jogging – you’ll know. Just have faith, give it your best, and you’ll be just fine. Now.. down to the good stuff…

Injured or not, pool running can be a beneficial addition to your regular running and cross training regime. It allows you to go through the motions of running, while also being low-impact and non-weight bearing, giving your joints and bones a break from the constant pounding of running on pavement. Some people run in shallow water where they are actually touching the ground, and I’m sure that is also a great way to go about it.. but here I will be talking about deep water running because that is what I do and that’s what I know best!

Pool running: How do you do it?

The first thing you’re going to want is a waist float. This keeps your head above water and allows you to pool run for a sustained period of time. If you’re trying to emulate sprint work – like a track workout – you can go without the belt, but the workouts are typically shorter (though really intense) intervals. Fair warning: if you can’t swim to begin with.. USE A BELT!! The one I have is the AquaJogger brand.. and looks basically like this one (photo courtesy of AquaJogger’s website) 

You don’t NEED to buy your own belt (at least not right off the bat) – most gyms and pools have them along with the kick boards and the pool-buoys. I like having my own because it fits me just right and I can bring it with if I’m going to a hotel or something. They can be kinda pricey.. so it’s up to you.

The second thing you’re going to need is a game plan. How long do you want to stay in? Or better said.. how long can you take it? I’m not going to lie – pool running isn’t exactly entertaining.. at least not like running where you’re physically going places and seeing new things and interacting with the outside world. When I first started pool running.. I  thought it was about as fun as watching a creek freeze. Are you doing a workout? Steady? Ladders? Intervals? Here are a couple examples of what I do:

Steady = like a steady run. Even pace throughout, still working hard, but not so hard that you can’t sustain it for your x amount of time and still hold a conversation. 

Intervals  = An endless amount of combinations. I’ve done 3×8, 8×3, 1×20, 2×10, 10×3, 5×5, one song on x one song off x 5. Really – it’s whatever you want it to be. For me, I like intervals between 2 and 4 minutes.. longer than that and you tend to start slacking subconsciously. Here is an example of an 8×3 workout.

• Warm up (important!) Enough to get your muscles loose and warm in the water. Think jogging pace
• 3 minutes hard (think ~10K pace)
• 1 to 2 minute recovery (whatever you need to bring your heart rate back down)
• repeat the 3 minutes and recovery period until you have done a total of 8 of the three minute hard intervals. 
• Cool down. A lot of girls on the team skip this.. :/ but I think it’s important. 

My pace during intervals depends on the length of the interval. Shorter intervals = faster pace. I judge it sorta along these guidelines

• 1 min. interval ~ 5K pace
• 2-4 min. interval ~ 10K pace
• 5+ min. interval ~ tempo pace

If you haven’t raced a lot, or don’t have a clue what your 5K or 10K pace would feel like, just play with it! You don’t need to do it perfectly the first time (or any time).. it’s a learning experience and you figure out what works best for you.

For more information on form I’m going to direct you back to a page on aquajogger’s website because I think they do a great job of describing how to go about it the “right” way! 

But is it like running?

Well.. that’s up to debate. My personal opinion is nothing = running except running. I get pissed when I hear people say “I swam a mile.. so that’s like running 3″ or “I biked 15 miles.. so that’s like running 5″ (going by that .33:1:3 ratio). I would never write down in a running log that I “ran” an hour because I pool ran for an hour. Different game. BUT BUT BUT!! It is still a good physical activity that works you hard if you work hard, and employs many of the same muscles utilized during running. 

Contrary to what I believed prior to starting pool running, you can work up a sweat in the pool. Yesterday I legitimately had sweat dripping down my face during intervals. It took a while to get to that point where I figured out what I was doing, and I was doing it right, and then one day I broke this crazy sweat and was like WOW. Where’d that come from? Last week at the Y I actually had to STOP pool running and switch to swimming laps because I was overheating! 

It’s a plus if your pool has music playing, because it can help pass the time. Like you saw in sample workouts, you can use songs for your intervals and do repeats of one song hard followed by one song recovery. My pool usually has on Kiss 108 or 92X (or whatever it’s called..), and of course if you wanna drop $$$ on a waterproof iPod go for it. I recently heard the idea of putting your ipod in a ziplock, feeding the headphone cord out the corner, putting the bag+ipod under a baseball hat, and listening to music that way. I’m super tempted to try that.. but just nervous it’d slip out or something and there I’d be out an ipod! Depending on who the lifeguard is.. there is no music some days. I use this time to:

• Plan a paper out in my head
• Lay out my to-do lists
• Plan out a letter to grandma&grandpa/aunt/uncle/friend
• Plan out my grocery list
• Think of all the things I’m thankful for
• Think of all the things I’m looking forward to in the coming year

You don’t need music.. it’s just nice. On the other hand.. you won’t catch me dead listening to music on a run! Hahha it’s just funny that way. It is also nice when there are other people there doing it with you.. you’d be surprised how fast time can pass! I’ve been pool running with the rest of the injured kids from XC and track, so it’s nice to have company every now and then. Most of them aren’t off of running 100% though, so believe me – I’ve had my fair share of time alone. I will never be more mentally tough! I can’t wait to get back to training.. 14×400s? No biggie. If I can survive through a 2 hour steady session.. I can wait out anything!

I hope I helped you (whoever you are) understand a little bit more about pool running, and maybe encouraged someone to try it! Like I said – injured or not, it’s a great way to change up the routine and challenge the body in a different way. Happy Tuesday to all! 

By the way.. it’s not a free pool belt, but it is free, and it’s awesome! Check out what miss Grounded Fitness has over there!

Friday again! It was a quick week, especially with the day off on Tuesday for Veterans Day. It was a nice break since it was only the 2nd day we’ve had off since the beginning of the year. Well, once again – I’m sitting in World Arch right now, so I’m gonna keep this post short and sweet to the point.. here we go!

Hip Update:

Um. Nothing. Pretty much status quo here. I am a little frustrated because the surgeon in Minneapolis called, and of course I was in class so he had to leave a message. I called back and left a message with his secretary. She said he’d call me back. He hasn’t called me back. Gaaah.

I sent my doctor here an email asking if I could come in for a follow-up appointment. My mom sent him an email. She sent another email. Neither of us have heard back. Aaah!

Aright.. I get that both of these men are highly regarded and very busy. But shouldn’t I get a response within a week? Yes, right? I’m just starting to feel really desperate because for some reason, this last week I hit the realization that surgery should be a last resort. I would much rather take another month or so off now than have surgery and not be back on my feet until June. Maybe I’m just getting scared, but I really don’t want to have surgery (duh) and don’t want to jump the gun here. 

PLUS… both doctors were supposed to talk about me using a bone growth stimulator. And if I’m gonna use it, I want to get started as soon as possible. Everyone I’ve talked to who has used one said they wish they started using it sooner. Where did my doctors go? This is really unusual of them – I’ve always gotten responses right away either by phone or email, so I’m just not sure what to think right now. Out of town? I feel like the secretary would have called me back…

School Update:

I’m getting so excited for my major change. Did I talk about that yet? I think so.. but if not – I’m officially pre med!! Actually, not officially until the start of the spring semester I guess, but it’s official in my book! I register on Monday, which is possibly the most stressful experience EVER. Is that just me, or is it really stressful for all you other college kids too? I literally lose sleep over it. I have a pretty set schedule of what I need to take next semester, since I’m basically a semester behind everyone else. Damn architecture. Luckily I had all my general core classes covered with all my transfer credits from the University of Minnesota.. but that also means I will have zero electives until.. forever. I’m going to be in school till I’m like 30. And I’m SO EXCITED! :D I don’t have the times squared away yet, but next semester I’ll be taking:

• BIO 111 – General Bio 1
• BIO 112 – Lab
• CHM 211 – General Chem
• CHM 212 – Lab
• PSY 101 – Foundations of Psychology
• BHS 105 – Nutrition

I’m gonna be Dr. Sperl-Imhoff. Yessssir.

Don't you see the resemblance?

Other News…

My dad and sister are coming out on the 26th for Thanksgiving, and staying till the 30th (which is my birthday!!) and I can’t WAIT for them to get here! Unfortunately we wont’ be doing as much trekking around as my dad and I did when we were out here last January, but it should still be tons of fun. I’m so excited to see them, especially since I’ve been feeling a little homesick this last week. I really miss my mom too, but she was out here mid October for parents weekend, and I’ll get to see her in a month at Christmas. It’s good to break it up a little, so I’m happy with the way we set this up. 

Thanksgiving!

Pool running has been going well.. but one of my best friends who goes is going to be returning to running soon. Like tomorrow soon. I’m obviously really happy for her, but sad that I wont see her as much. 

I’ve been keeping up the group fitness classes at the Marino. I took Pilates yesterday, but unfortunately I gotta say I won’t be taking that again. It just wasn’t that challenging. I loved the pilates I did at home for all the core work it gave me, but this class didn’t really incorporate much of that at all. I took spinning again this morning (60min class this time – woo!), and I’m still liking that the best of the group classes. I’m pretty limited in what I can take, since all the other classes are like jumping around cardio that probably wouldn’t be a good idea for my little fractured friend FemoralNeck. So. Spinning it is. And abs.. I’ll keep that one too, even though it isn’t that hard – the teacher is a ton of fun.

Haha I just wrote for half of this class period. I will say though, I am quite an efficient multi-tasker. I’m still pullin an A in this class, and I’ve been doing this all semester. One more thing before I leave, as is tradition here on Fridays. BTW.. when I wrote this last week, you guys were supposed to add your OWN confessions! I can’t be the only one being a little bad all week..

Friday Confessional:

1. I conveniently scheduled my advising appointment to be right in the middle of class yesterday, leaving me unable to attend. Mind you, I’m rockin an A in there too.. everyone needs a break once in a while.
2. I skipped Students for Environmental Action (it’s just a club.. not a class) when I said I’d be there to take Pilates last night. Too bad pilates blowed..
3. Hmm.. I guess I really haven’t done that much this week. Good! Hahah I’m sure I’ll think of more as the day goes on.. 

Not gonna lie.. I’m not really really not satisfied with my mood lately. I feel like I’m either super-up, or super-down, but it’s always on one extreme or the other. Last Saturday was ridiculously miserable for some reason, but then Sunday was a new day and just fine. I’m not down with this whole roller coaster of emotions deal, so what am I supposed to do?

My days either seem to look like this:

or they look like this:

but there is no happy medium. What I attribute this to is my lack of an outlet. Everyone has (or needs) an outlet, and mine has been ripped from my hands [for the time being] and placed on a top shelf that I can’t reach. Clearly I’m referring to running.. and I just don’t know what to do. Whenever I was under stress in the past, I would run. It wouldn’t need to be for long, it wouldn’t need to be “on the schedule”, it didn’t matter the time of day, I’d just go and get out for a mile (or 10) and clear my mind. No music. No company. Just me and my breathing and my feet on the street, and my problems would melt away.

Here’s where I turn to you guys – maybe you have some suggestions for me. I know some people bake. Some people do yoga. Some people scrapbook. No offense to any of those things, they’re all great if you enjoy it, but it just doesn’t cut it for me. People say “you should be thankful – at least you can still do stuff to stay active” referring to swimming and pool running and cycling. Um, sure.. I can sweat. I can still “workout”. That doesn’t mean I’m enjoying it. I never ran to “work out”. Well, OK maybe that’s an overstatement – sure you have tempos and intervals when you’re in training, but seriously, I don’t even like that phrase.. workout. Ick. That’s what the gym is for. And I would take the outdoors, rain or shine, snow or 90 heat, ANY day. 

I know there are at least a few readers who have been through this before. Well, not this probably, but this as in an extended period of time off. And that’s what this is, because like I said before, I will be back. So I’m asking.. how did you do it? What did you find to release your stress when you couldn’t do what you love the most? I know everyone has “off days”, but this is different than that. I had “off days” still when I could run. All I can say is that these are just extremely unpleasant.. and not something I want to experience again. Ever. (Ideal world right? I know I’m being a touch extreme.. just indulge me for now)

As I desperately await suggestions, I want to introduce something I’d like to make a staple here on RRR (in attempts to hole me responsible to posting more frequently), and that something I’d like to call Friday Confessional. A little signature trademark, if you will, that you know you’ll always find here. We used to do this over on Runners World every now and then, but I haven’t seen anyone post up in a long time, so now I’m takin’ it and makin’ it mine. It’s a good way to let out some of the things you may feel guilty about. Hopefully no one takes offense at anything confessed, because it’s supposed to be all honesty – no holding anything back. Feel free to add your own in the comments! It feels good to get it off your chest.

1. I’ve become rather spiteful without running. I’ve seen other people running outside or hearing them talk about running and wished they couldn’t run too. It’s like if I can’t run, no one else should.
2. I stole my roommates pack of Cinnamon Spice gum off her desk. Sorry Laur – I owe you.
3. I ODed on Cinnamon Toast Crunch one night in the beginning of the week. I literally had FIVE bowls. Just dry. Back to back.  And I felt sick as hell afterwards/the next morning. It was completely emotional and very delicious. But I don’t need to do that again.
4. I paid $55 for unlimited group fitness at the Marino. And I’m yet to take ONE class. I signed up for abs tonight and spinning tomorrow morning.
5. I accidentally brought home a pool belt from the Y. And it is sitting under my bed. And it’s mine. 

Haha in efforts to not make myself look like a completely terrible person, I will stop there and call it a day. This week has been less stressful than the last for sure, and I’m hoping for a low key weekend. I signed up for a 30 minute abs class tonight which I’m excited for, and a 45 minute spinning class tomorrow morning which I’m not so excited for, but I gotta try it some time! One thing that could possibly annihilate my low key conquest is the fact that there will be FOURTEEN people in our suite this weekend (us six, plus L’s swimming recruit, T’s two friends, L’s two friends, and the other L’s three visiting boys). I’ll get over it sleep next door. It will look a little like this, minus the costumes, plus five people, plus lots more mess. 

Time for an exam.. I’m typing this in History of World Arch.. hope this stuff on Muqarna arches isn’t important! (KIDDING mom! Hope you didn’t just have a heart attack.) See you all soon.. and I wanna hear some Friday Confessions!

Read this with an angry face and try to understand my frustration:

GRRRRRRR >:(

Aright. First off.. the doctors appointment in and of itself was super frustrating. I got there 10 minutes before my scheduled appointment at 2:00 so I could fill out any paperwork they needed or get any health insurance forms copied. Done. I read a lil Family Fun while I watched patient after patient come in after me, and be called back to be seen. At 2:45, I start to wonder – wheeeere’s my appointment? 

When I finally went in at 3:00, I saw the doctor pretty quickly after all the basics. From there, she felt up my leg (in a very doctorly way.. good lord!) and bended my leg from the hip to try and localize the pain. In comparison to my last stress fracture in my fibula (circa last November = month of HELL), this was/is way less painful. Last time when the orthopedic doctor pressed on my bone, I had to stuff my hand in my mouth to keep from screaming. It was excruciating. This… this I could take. It feels different than I know it should, but I can’t necessarily classify it as “pain”. Although it did feel like my ankle was legit going to break off last time I ran on it (over a week ago). 

Mine is in the fibula, not tibia, which would have been way worse.

Four xrays later, it’s obvious I have a stress fracture in my lower fibula, left leg. My hip? Not so clear. My sports med doctor here at school is “SURE” I have a femoral stress fracture… but nothing showed up on the xrays. Then again, stress fractures almost NEVER show up on xrays. The time that they do begin to show is once the healing process has already started, and bone calcification is already taking place. I guess that’s a good thing in regards to my ankle, because that says the healing is already under way.

So.. this femoral stress fracture. I’m going back for an MRI, and probably a bone density scan. Sweet.. more copays, more waiting, more appointments, more non-running. WTF MAN…

Oh hey wait.. I was gonna be positive. I’m honestly trying. The good news is I’ve been going in the right direction this week – I can still swim and do the xt that I have been doing already. I’m not in tears (right now).. and I feel like since I’ve been through this before, there’s less of that hopeless/endless feel. 

And part of healing and recovery is sleep. And that’s what I’m going to do right now. I just told all of my roommates that I’m starting my “midnight rule”.. which is simply that I’m NOT staying up past midnight unless it’s a Friday or Saturday. S.L.A.P.

Night guys. I’ll be back with more, I’m sure. 

Oh one last thing. The Boot. Please believe it was brought up. I am going to try going with an air cast for now, and hope/pray that that’ll be enough. Luckily my doctor agreed to that. So hey – one thing I can put on my list of “to be thankful for.”

Ok.. night. For real this time.

Heyyyy kids.

Yesterday was basically nuts.. culminating with me in panic-mode, once again. In studio, all the sudden the profs were like “OK, put this into Adobe and save it as a PDF and go print so you can start your diagrams.” There are several problemas with this situation:

1. I don’ have Adobe. No one told us we needed to already have Adobe. 
2. Adobe costs a lot of money. A LOT.
3. We needed it by Monday. It was already Monday.
4. Even if I had all the money in the world to just drop on software, our bookstore doesn’t sell the physical CDs. You have to order it, and then it is shipped.
5. Shipping takes time. Time fails the Monday requirement aforementioned in #3.

Not to mention this was at the end of an already overwhelmingly long day. It was like 10:30 when I called my dad, while I was simultaneously trying to write note cards to study for a test that was this morning. (Didn’t find out about it until last night – don’t give me that disapproving “typical college kid” look!)

I ended up finding an older version of Adobe Creative Suite (3^rd edition.. not 4) and I bought it through our school’s partner tech site, so I got a student discount. I also got the Standard version (which I swear they made seem like it wasn’t even available) versus the more extensive (read: expensive) one. I overnighted it in hopes that it will get here at least by tomorrow morning. Long story short: lots of money saved (sans the $30 next day shipping charge) and I’ve learned by now I can’t stress about it anymore because I have no control over the situation from this point on.

photo from Chen Xin. I'm actually excited for the software to come though..!

Oh.. and that test? I either champed it, or failed miserably. It was in my Honors History of World Arch class.. and the last question asked us to diagram the Temple of Horus at Edfru, along with what year it was built. I wasn’t even sure if Edfru was one of the Egyptian sites, or if it was one from the Mesopotamian region.. but I did remember something about hypostyle halls and clerestory windows.. and I knew the basic layout of all these sites.. so I just started drawing the one I thought was right. Looking at my notes once I got back, I saw I got it right! But the year.. hahah lets just say I was about a millennium off. Oops!

Pylon at Temple of Horus

All my shifts for work this week are at the Cabot center.. grrrr. I love being at the Marino cause it’s always so busy and you always see all the people you know.. but Cabot is way less busy. The Cabot center is our building for all the varsity athletics, and the sports med center, and then it also has the pool. So yea.. I guess I shouldn’t complain when the guys varsity swim team comes in..

OH. And speaking of the pool:

I’ve been not running for a little bit due to a possible stress fracture (or two). I’m waiting on some MRI and xray results..  but until then I’m not going to [possibly] prolong my return to running. If it’s not a stress fracture, it’s a stress reaction, which would LEAD to a stress fracture if I kept running on it the way it was – something I don’t need. So I’ve made friends with the pool.  I only did 2000 yards today because that’s what I had time for, but here’s an example of my pool workouts for anyone else on the DL (or just looking to cross train).

• 500 warm-up (I usually alternate free/back every 50 yards)
• 3×100 kick (free, breast, back)
• 4×50 pull (free, breast, free, breast)
• 3×150 medley build (free, back, breast. hah.. like how I cut out the fly?)
• 3×100 build (free, breast, free)
• 250 cool down

I usually stay away from the pool cause I HATE being cold. But today I found myself looking forward to it. It was actually like a legit excited. I feel like I’ve still kept a lot of my good swimming skills from when I used to be on the team (wayyy back when), so I kinda feel like a BAMF when I get out of the pool or pull a flip turn.

Aright. Off to work. Seee ya!

Husky Staff!

[EDIT EDIT EDIT]

Back from work.. maybe I DON’T mind working at Cabot! It’s a lot slower than the Marino.. but I basically got paid to watch the Twins vs. White Sox game. And I think I ingested about 30,000 calories worth of Varsity eye candy. Gooood night.

I responded to the comments on the latest two posts two.. sorry for slackin on that! My response is in bold