So obviously, I didn't quite follow through with keeping this blog up-to-date since the last post.  My rotations (and life in general!) have been absolutely crazy.  Plus, whatever free time I've been able to get, I've been traveling and running races, which further limits my ability to post about them.  Awful, vicious cycle. ;)

But to do a quick rundown of all that's happened since my last post:
-I finished my intern year - hooray!  Unfortunately, that means that now I am able to do >24 calls/shifts when previously I was limited to 16 hours.  Already had two 24-hr shifts this week - not much fun!  Plus, my new rotation is quite time-intensive, which is severely limiting my running.  And I'm on Saturday call every other weekend and on back-up call (no traveling!) one of my two weekends "off."  So, my racing is basically on hold at this point.  I was considering traveling to Vermont this weekend (my one weekend off) for a half, but I am just too exhausted.  It looks like my next race then won't be until August.  Bummer.

-I've finished 4 more states:  I ran the Rite Aid Cleveland Half Marathon on 5/20.  Then, my boyfriend and I spent my June vacation weekend exploring the northwest US.  I ran the Casper Half in Wyoming on 6/3, then the Governor's Cup Half in Helena, Montana on 6/9, and finally the St. Joe's River Half in St. Maries, ID on 6/10.  It was a LOT of driving, but totally worth it.  Even found a little time to fit in Mt. Rushmore and Yellowstone National Park for a completely amazing vacation.  

-Unfortunately, my 3 races in June were my worst 3 half marathon times ever.  Granted, I have to factor in altitude (I was not acclimated at all), some pretty intense climbs (in Montana, I climbed a mountain!), and some pretty nasty weather...but it was still pretty disappointing to have fallen so far downhill from where I started.  That's not the way it's supposed to be.  I think the disappointment has caused me to question my love of running entirely.  It's been unbelievably hard to get myself out the door to go for a run since returning from my June trip.

-In response to my lack of motivation/desire to run lately, I started a new challenge for myself a couple of weeks ago:  to run every day.  Due to my crazy schedule, every day is actually not possible.  But I at least wanted to run every day where I had the opportunity to.  It didn't have to be far or fast.  The only requirements I set for myself were that I actually run and that I go at least 1 mile.  So far, I think it's been helping.  I've been remarkably good at getting myself out the door to run.  Aside from call days where I don't have an opportunity to run, I've only skipped 1 running day - and that's because I was sick.  However, I haven't been very good at getting myself to go longer than my required 1 mile.  The most I've done is a little over 2 miles a few times.  Part of this is due to the ridiculous heat right now.  It's incredibly hard to get myself out the door to run after a long day at work - and it's even harder to get myself to keep running longer in 95-degree weather.  But I keep telling myself that 1 mile is better than nothing.  And I'm trying to think of new ways to motivate myself to go on longer runs.  Hope I can figure something out. ;)

Anyway, I'm currently post-call and still have a lot of stuff I need to do before heading back to work in the morning.  I hope maybe I can set a new challenge for myself about posting in here more regularly.  It's such a good release for me, and I would love to have a record of my running journey...I'm gonna try to find the time!

And I mean it this time. ;)

Catching up

It's been a super long time since I last posted in here.  I, unfortunately, started some rough rotations since beginning this blog, which have severely limited my free time and hence, my blog posts.  But even worse than not having enough time to blog is not having enough time to run!  I did not get a chance to run a half marathon (or any race, for that matter) in the entire month of April.  It was torture!

I'm at least done with my worst rotation now.  I'm on one that's slightly better in terms of hours, and I now have some weekends off, which I didn't have at all in April.  So, naturally, I'm back at my running.  Just finished half #18 (state #14) yesterday.  I originally planned to devote a blog post to each of my half marathons as a sort of race recap/review.  But, given my limited time right now, I'm going to have to settle for quick mentions.

Going backwards to March...

                        Half #15, State #11: Cherry Point Half Marathon, Havelock, NC
                                                              3/24/12 

                          Half #16, State #12: Caesar Rodney Half Marathon, Wilmington, DE
                                                               3/25/12

                        Half #17, State #13: Cox Providence Half Marathon, Providence, RI
                                                               5/6/12 

                Half #18, State #14: Western Mass. Mother's Day Half Marathon, Whately, MA 
                                                                5/13/12 

I have a lot I want to write about, but don't have the time right now.  I'll try to keep up with this a little better so I don't fall so far behind again, but we'll see how it goes.  For now, though, it's time for a little rest and sleep before getting back to work again in the morning. :)

Redemption

It's been a little while since I last posted in here.  I've been crazy busy - mostly with running and traveling.  On St. Patrick's Day, I made the trip home to Virginia to start my vacation week.  I hadn't been home or seen my parents since New Year's, so I was really excited to head back to Virginia.  Plus, the very next day was the Shamrock Half Marathon - a pretty big event back home.  I ran the Shamrock Marathon back in high school, but never tried the half marathon before.  Since I was gonna be home anyway, I figured, why not?  I'm not one to turn down a half marathon. :)

But I was super nervous about my IT band since it started acting up at the Miles for Music 20K.  I rested it for a few days following the 20K and then did a short 2-mile run a couple days before Shamrock without any issues.  I hadn't had any pain in several days, so I decided to go ahead and give Shamrock a try.

So glad I did.

It was a really fun race - great crowd support and a nice, flat course.  And, best of all, I set a new PR!  This was just what I needed.  I'd been feeling pretty down about running due to a not-so-great race at the Mercedes Half, followed by a very disappointing 20K.  Now I'm mainly just running for enjoyment, so time is not a huge concern for me most of the time.  But I was starting to feel pretty discouraged that I just kept getting slower despite running more.

This was a great victory for me.  It totally reinvigorated me and reaffirmed my love for running - just what I needed!  Granted, I didn't PR by a whole lot.  My previous PR was 2:06:12 set at the Norfolk Freedom Half Marathon in November.  My official time for Shamrock was 2:05:21, but my Garmin time was 2:05:08.  I had to stop to tie my shoe around mile 8, and I paused Garmin.  Now I'm not sure which time I should count as my new PR.  Big, big problems, of course. ;)  Either way, it's still a PR, and I'm super happy about it.

   Post-Shamrock Half: yes, I ran with a tiara and wand.

PLUS, no IT band pain!  It was amazing.  Things really couldn't have gone much better for this race.  We had great weather, a nice course, fantastic support, and absolutely incredible finisher premiums - a gorgeous medal, hooded finisher sweatshirt, and finisher hat!  Throw in a PR to boot, and this is about as close to perfection as I can imagine. :)
  
And it was a great motivator for my double the very next weekend...but I'll save that for another post. :) 

Miles for Music

 
My finisher dog-tag from the 1-miler :)

Well, I had another race today, but not a half marathon, unfortunately.  I did the Miles for Music 20K and 1-miler that took place this morning not too far from where I live.  

It went horribly.

I want to point out, however, that the horrible experience I had today was in no way related to the quality of this event.  It was actually a pretty organized, well-put-together race, especially for an inaugural run.  Parking was made easy and accessible.  Packet pick-up was available race morning and was a breeze.  There were more than enough water/gatorade stations, lots of people directing runners on the course, and yummy post-race food (the soft pretzels were AMAZING!).  [Although, I think a finisher's medal would have been a nice touch, but that could just be cause I love bling. ;)]

I wasn't sure about running this race when I first heard about it.  I have a half marathon a week from today and two more the following weekend.  This wasn't a half.  It wasn't a new state.  There was no bling.  And it would result in not being able to sleep in on my day off this weekend.  But I decided it might be a good idea to use this race as a sort of training run for my half next weekend.  

The race started off pretty well.  I maintained a pretty good pace (well, good pace for me) for about the first 6 miles.  I haven't been able to run since my last half two weeks ago, so I was excited that I was running at such a pace without feeling too much fatigue.  But then the trouble started - my IT band became unhappy and made sure I knew it.  By mile 7, I seriously considered walking off the course (something I have NEVER done before).  The pain kept getting worse.  I eventually did finish, but it took a LOT of walking in the last 5.5 miles, and even then, it still hurt. 

My time was pitiful.  I've been too embarrassed to even tell anyone else.  My only 20K time was worse than most of my half marathons.  Not cool.  

I've actually been pretty bummed about the whole experience all day.  I generally love running races because even if I don't do anything else that day, I still feel like I accomplished something.  And today, I didn't.  I wasn't expecting to shatter any of my speed records today, but I was hoping to at least do reasonably well.  It doesn't help that I had a poor performance at the last half I raced too.  Plus, I've been really worried about my IT band.  I had similar problems with it back in May and had to miss a half marathon.  With 3 half marathons coming up in the next two weeks (and two new states), I'm a little scared.  Getting this injured over a race that isn't a half and doesn't help me with my challenge just seemed like a giant waste.

But I'm trying to look at the situation in a better light this evening.  My IT band is already starting to feel a little better.  Still quite painful, and I'm still worried, but I at least have some hope that I'll be able to run next weekend.  And as for my disappointment about my terrible finishing time, I'm trying to put it in perspective.  I was in significant pain for almost half of the race.  I had to walk more than I ever have before.  I can't expect to have a stellar time.  

I'm trying to be proud of what I did accomplish today:  I completed a 20K, and then right after, did a 1-miler...in significant pain.  While it may not be the smartest idea to continue to run through the pain, I guess I have to give myself some credit for persevering and finishing.  And I guess it's pretty amazing that I made it out there at all.  I worked a late shift in the ED last night, and then with the Daylight Saving Time, I lost an hour of sleep.  I gave up sleeping in on my one day off this weekend to run 13.4 miles.  And it wasn't for a medal.  Or a new state.  Or a PR.  It was for the love of running.  I don't think I would've done that a year ago today.  And I did it without having run in two weeks.  I'm proud of myself that I have the ability to just randomly wake up and run over 13 miles.  That's not easy.  And even though I haven't done super well in my last couple of races, I got out there.  And I finished.  And that's what really matters.

I'm gonna try to stay positive.  And try to get my IT band better.  I guess that's all I can do for now. :)

Hello!

I started this blog as a way to capture my experiences and track my progress on my current challenge: to finish a half marathon in all 50 states (plus DC) by the time I'm an attending.  But first, I guess, I should tell you a little bit about me.  

I'm Amy, and I'm currently in my first year (otherwise known as my intern year) in a psychiatry residency program in New Jersey.  I'm originally from Norfolk, Virginia and lived there up until I graduated from medical school in May 2011.  I started running back in high school and did pretty well competing on my school's cross-country and track teams.  However, by the end of the college, I had pretty much fallen out of the running habit.  By my 3rd year of medical school I could count the number of times I had run in the last 3 years on one hand (and still have fingers left over!).  In my fourth year, I found myself with more free time than I'd had in ages and no ideas on how to fill it.  I remembered how much I used to love running in high school and thought that maybe I could enjoy it once again.  In January 2011, spurred on by one of new favorite books (The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin), I registered for my first half marathon.  I finished my first half on April 9, 2011, and my addiction was born!

I originally just started running whatever half marathon I could feasibly get to, but after finishing my 6th half marathon in October, I realized that I had run 5 of my 6 half marathons in different states.  After sharing this tidbit with my boyfriend, he asked me if I was trying for all 50.  I laughed and shrugged it off - what a crazy idea!  But I couldn't get the idea out of my head.  A few days later, I finally made up my mind to do just that - but I wanted to make it even more interesting.  I decided to attempt to run a half marathon in all 50 states and DC by the time I'm an attending.  For those not in the medical field, that means once I finish my residency/fellowship training and am able to practice medicine completely independently.  Right now, this means July 2015 at the earliest or July 2016 if I pursue fellowship.  

As of now, I have completed 10 states (in order of completion):  Virginia, South Carolina, New Jersey, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Texas, Alabama, and Florida.  And I already have several more planned.  This is the story of my journey (and whatever other random things pop into my head!) on what I hope will be the challenge of a lifetime.  I hope you'll join me!