Excitement!!

Okay, so I've been wanting a Garmin running watch with GPS functionality for a long time now. Last time I asked for one was right before PA school started (about 2 years ago) and then came the school-induced hiatus from running. Now that I'm back on track and I have a plan, I've decided to take the leap and make the investment.

I'm so excited! I just ordered my Garmin Forerunner 210. They have a bunch of really neat models, but after doing some research and reading some reviews (namely this one, http://www.dcrainmaker.com forerunner 210 review and this one http://www.dcrainmaker.com forerunner 405 review), I decided that the forerunner 210 more than meets my needs.

Check it out:

If you're at all interested in getting a sports watch for running, check out the links to the reviews I referenced above. They're really thorough and provide all the information you could possible need when deciding on what product to purchase.

You can get the Forerunner 210 with a heart rate monitor and foot pod - i didn't get either one (due to price), but I would really like the foot pod. It's for use when training indoors on a treadmill (yay for training in Midwest winters).

Anyway, I should get my lovely device tomorrow - which means I'll have it when I go to Miami next week. I'm really stoked about this because it means I can run to the marina near my parents' house, and wherever else, without having to map out my route ahead of time to ensure that I cover the correct mileage for my training plan. Sweet freedom!

Another piece of happiness: being back on a training plan means that I get to meet up with my old runner buddies at Lake of the Woods (LOW) this Saturday morning. It'll be like old times (except that Joanna won't be there). This also means that we will definitely be hitting up Panera for post-run sustenance. 

Next Friday I'll be taking exams for the end of my Surgery rotation. Weird, right? It's the end of my 7th rotation out of 9. I'm stressing a lot less because I've realized a few things: 

1) Test day will come. No use freaking out, because that won't postpone the inevitable.

2) I WILL pass my tests - there isn't really any other option for me.

3) I know more than I give myself credit for. Relax and breathe.

4) I will be home in Miami in 8 days. This is what those 4 days will look like for me:

My parents' amazing backyard

Tiki bar @ Islamorada

I hope everyone has a wonderful day and stays positive
-Damaris

relaxing & studying

Long weekends are always so nice. My only issue is that I have so much to work on for school, that I feel bad relaxing. Then I feel bad for not taking advantage of my time with the boys. Then I spend less time on school stuff, which then makes me feel bad all over again. Anyway, this time I decided to relax & be productive simultaneously. :)

On Saturday, Lucien joined me outside and we enjoyed the sunshine while listening to Pandora and working on some assignments for school. It was a lovely day and being in the sunshine made me resent my school work a little less. Here's a pic of Lucien helping me with some studying.

The rest of the day was mostly spent relaxing.

On Sunday I slept in and then ran 8.56 miles. There's only 6 weeks left until the Indianapolis Health Network half marathon on Oct. 16. My training has been sporadic to say the least, but there's only so much I can do with such a crazy schedule for school. I'm trying not to feel guilty about it. Arielle tells me that this race will be my "first race of PA school" and that it's important too, even though it won't be as fast. I won't be expecting a PR, this race will just ensure that I'm not becoming sedentary.

For lunch we ate outside at Buffalo Wild Wings. We sat in the sunlight and chatted while eating. It was glorious - we stayed for almost an hour and a half (long after we finished our food!) just enjoying each other's company and the beautiful weather. Last night before falling asleep I finished some reading for school, so at least I got a little bit done.

This morning I'm currently lying in bed with my boys while they sleep. I've been up for about 2 hours and have been working on school assignments & listening to Pandora. It really makes me happy that I can work from bed - it means that I can still enjoy knowing that Justin & Lu are beside me. :) Yay for laptops!

I'm not sure what the plan is for the rest of the day, but I don't even care. I'm a happy woman. Blessed, blessed, blessed!

Everyone have a wonderful Labor Day. I'll be heading back south on the train tomorrow morning, so I'm going to enjoy every moment of today.

All out mile

I like to consider myself pretty gangster... the truth is that I'm not. But frankly, I'm okay with that. Today I was scheduled to run my first ever all out mile with some friends. These friends are much faster than I am - one of them is working towards qualifying for the Boston Marathon! (THAT'S pretty gangster!) This said, I was pretty nervous about this all out mile.

Since state track championships are being held at EIU this week, we headed over to the Charleston High School track. We putzed around (and stretched) for a while before getting started with our warm up. We were clearly trying to put the whole thing off. I wasn't the only one who was nervous - that made me feel a little better. :) We jogged 2 laps to warm up and then toed the line.

I took off too quickly and was gassed at the end of lap 1. As I started lap 2 I seriously considered running straight to the bleachers instead of finishing! How pathetic. Anyway, I toughed it out and completed my mile in 8:34.59. I wish it had been better, but I can't really complain. Prior to today, my fastest mile had been 9:51 (mile 1 of the IL half marathon just 18 days ago).

Now I know where I'm at and where I'd like to get to. I'd like to continue working on this and come in at a sub 8:00 mile. I can do this. It just means incorporating speed work into my schedule. I'll keep you posted on my progress with this goal.

Happy running!!!