A very chilly run

So, I got my Garmin Forerunner 210 yesterday!! YAY.

It took her for a spin today on a very cold 6 mile run through Lake of the Woods. It was 33 degrees with about 17mph winds - so the wind chill was about 22 degrees. Ugh. It was my first run in the cold in a looooong time. It was also my first training run in this weather wearing my Vibrams (and injinjii socks). My toes were numb for the first 2-2.5 miles, but then they warmed up and thawed out. Thankfully!! Today's run is the highest mileage I've run in the vibrams, and I'm pretty happy with them. I don't feel any more sore than when I ran in my Brooks. My step may not be as springy, but what can you do? No biggie.

It was great to meet up with my old TNT buddies - Jaymie, Randy, Kathy, and Coach Mike. A few of us went to Panera afterwards, like old times. I was really conscious of the caloric value of my meal, since I've been logging all of my calories on MyFitnessPal. Let's just say it was a good thing I ran today, cause my breakfast sandwich (bacon, egg & cheese on ciabatta bread) was 510 calories!!! But it was damn good. Pure yum. And I had a cappuccino too.

So I came home and plugged in my Garmin to upload my info and look at all of the info it gave me:

And it's really easy to plug in and upload all of the info to GarminConnect

In case you can't tell, I'm pretty stoked about this investment.

Anyway, I'm off to study like a good PA student. Happy Saturday!!
-Damaris

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

Back on track

So, I've mentioned before that I put on a good chunk of weight during PA school. 18 pounds to be exact. Ugh.

On January 1st I started logging my calories with an app on my iPhone called MyFitnessPal. I love this app. It's helping to keep me accountable with my food intake and motivated with my workouts. I've been working out 4-5 times a week and sticking to 1250 calories a day. So far I've lost 7 pounds. :)

I also started running again in January. I started slow for a few weeks, but I just registered for the Illinois Half Marathon in Champaign, IL on 4/28/12. The last time I ran a race was Spring 2010, right before PA school started. I'm stoked to be on my way back to the pre-PA school me. 12 pounds to get to my goal weight of 125.

Here's a look at my training schedule for the next 9 weeks: I'll be running on Mondays, Wednesday and Thursdays with long runs on Saturdays.

The Vibram Komodosport's I've been running in

        week ending   3-Mar      3,4,3 and 6 miles
        week ending   10-Mar    3,4,3 and 8 miles
        week ending   17-Mar    3,5,4 and 10 miles
        week ending   24-Mar    4,5,4 and 11 miles
        week ending   31-Mar    4,6,4 and 12 miles
        week ending   7-Apr       4,5,4 and 9 miles
        week ending   21-Apr     3,4,3 and 8 miles
        week ending   28-Apr    3,3,2 and RACE DAY!!!

Another piece of exciting information... I'll be home in Miami in < 9 days!!!! WooHooooo! I haven't been home since July of last year and I reeeeaaalllly need some sun on my skin and some sand between my toes. Can't wait to see my family and friends.

The Civil Wars

I am currently listening to The Civil Wars on repeat. Their album is titled "Barton's Hollow".
They're a duo - a male and female song writer with hauntingly beautiful harmonies. Not a couple, like most people think. Their music is absolutely beautiful.

Poison and Wine - The Civil Wars

My Father's Father - The Civil Wars

Barton Hollow (live) - The Civil Wars

I've Got This Friend (live @ Eddie's Attic) - The Clivil Wars

Enjoy!!!

Less than 6 months to go... and here's some music!

Can you believe I have less than 6 months until I graduate as a Physician Assistant! Nuts.

We'll be having our program's white coat ceremony and pinning on August 4th, but we recently found out that the school cancelled the August graduation ceremony. So, we'll have to walk in the May ceremony- which is terribly anticlimactic considering we'll still have to do our two month preceptorship before we're actually finished. Oh well. They were going to make us wait until December to walk. But it sucks because a fair few of my classmates have decided that they're not going to walk in the May graduation. :(

Anyway. I just finished my 6th rotation last week. It was internal medicine, which I was lucky enough to do with our local Hospitalist (who is amazing). It was a really great rotation and I feel like I learned a lot. I started rotation 7 this Monday, which is surgery. I've already gotten to see some really interesting procedures - like a loop ileostomy takedown (look it up on youtube). My attending is a firecracker and I really like her. She also listens to really great music in the OR.

Just so you know, I'm currently obsessed with Gotye and Kimbra - they're both musicians from the Australia/New Zealand area. Really great stuff. Here's a video or two... or four ;)

Someone that I used to Know - by Gotye featuring Kimbra

Save Me - by Gotye

Settle Down - by Kimbra (looooove this one!)

Two weeks by The Grizzly Bears/ Head over Heels by Tears for Fear - Mashup of the two by Kimbra

Enjoy!! And I hope everyone is staying warm this winter. I can't wait for warmer weather!!

by the way...

It's December 6th and I'm almost finished with my OBGYN rotation. I know it's been a while. But I just wanted to let you know that I have been loving this rotation. I've been blessed with the opportunity to see a fair few babies born, and have even had the incredible pleasure of delivering 5 or 6!! I can't even describe the feeling after that first delivery. I was actually bouncing around. It was amazing.

I've only got a week left in this rotation and I"m really going to miss it. I'm working with awesome providers and great nurses - everyone is so much fun. And I'm learning so much. I've got nothing bad to say about this experience. Since my last post I had the opportunity to do my elective rotation in orthopedics, which was also very cool. I got to see a lot of surgeries. :)

Anyway, finals are approaching quickly, so I should go study. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving surrounded by loved ones.  Here are some pictures from my Thanksgiving.

Love and blessings,
Damars

this made my heart pitter patter...

This website made my heart pitter patter as I envisioned getting a do-over on my wedding day. It's so beautiful and not over-the-top. Whimsical and perfect. ::sigh::

http://greenweddingshoes.com/harry-potter-wedding-inspiration/

Love and hugs,
Damaris