Ellicott City Labor Day Running Classic

Somehow, I manage to keep running. This year I began running in the early months of the year and then cut my running down to once a week during the 7-week semester. When that was over, I slowly added runs back into my week, running about 1.5 miles with a generous walk/run ratio. Then I built up to 2 miles at a time for weekday runs with 3 miles on the weekend.

At this point in life, I had no desire to increase my base miles or increase the number of times a week I run. My whole goal has been to maintain a very small base. Instead, I've experimented with longer ratios to increase my endurance and added speedwork to the mix. I was trilled that I was able to keep running throughout the buildup to our summer conference and after.

Running add so much to my quality of life, and I believe that I feel better, think better and function better on the days that I run. This is no longer simply a personal belief or a fuzzy notion that I've encapsulated in my personal philosophy of "yin and yang" in which I seek to counterbalance the mental activity and stress of work and school with the opposing physical activity of running (and swimming and biking). It is now backed by scientific evidence in the book "Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain" by John Ratey and Eric Hagerman that suggests that exercise affects the brain cells in specific ways that boost our mood and improve our focus.

I've put aside racing because my mileage is so low...but of course, I couldn't resist a 5K and scheduled the "race of the year" for the end of summer, when I had time to prepare and establish a small, but consist base.

Ellicott City Labor Day Running Classic

I'd known about this race for a long time, but somehow never ran it because I was in the midst of preparing for other races and it didn't fit into my mileage or schedule. This year, they offered a new 5K route in effort to attract runners interested in a shorter distance.

The fluorescent yellow race shirt left something to be desired. Although wearing the race shirt on race day is supposed to be bad juju and one shouldn't wear a shirt unless it is earned by running the race, I decided to eschew these traditions and wear the shirt that I probably wouldn't wear anywhere else.

The race is held at the Shrine of St. Anthony, which is located on the IronGirl bike route. I'd ridden past this many times in training and racing and even driving along the route always brings back IronGirl memories.

The entire race was well run, from the volunteers that guided our parking on the grass surrounding the monastery, to the abundant and helpful announcements, to the well-positioned course marshals and the post-race food.

The event organizers made clear in the race materials and at packet pickup that half of the route was on paved roads and half was on paths. However, it was much more of a trail run than originally described and was very different than the wide, smooth paths through the woods that I'm accustomed to running on. The trail that winds through the woods on the property is narrow and the ground ranges from spongy material to a solid dirt path with tree roots emerging. The volunteers had done a wonderful job of spray painting the roots so that people like me would not trip over their own feet and there was plastic tape so that people would not wander off the path.

The trail run provided interesting mental and physical challenges that kept me focused as I navigated the uneven and changing terrain and avoided the spraypainted roots. It a nice diversion that kept me externally focused and prevented me from thinking about myself and my fatigue during the race.

I did an 2/8 ratio throughout the race and from the beginning, I found myself in competition with another middle-aged portly man who seemed older than me. I would run forward and then he would catch up and pass me. He also was using a walk/run strategy, although his walks were shorter and did not seem to fall according to any pattern. During the middle of the race on the trail he charged ahead and was a good distance in front of me as I focused on navigating the trail.

Normally, I follow the ratio strictly, with a rule that I must run when the walk interval ends, even if that is a hill...but the hills on the trail and the grassy portions were unexpectedly steep and I found myself walking up a few. I was glad to be out of the woods, but knew I would encounter one last hill as we climbed toward the finish. It was there that I passed the older man who was my personal competitor. I still had energy in my tank as I charged toward the finish and conquered the final hill. Due to the terrain and the hills, my time was much slower than it ordinarily would have been, but I was satisfied all the same.

Running into the Future

Will I be able to keep running into the fall? I don't know. I'm headed into a very busy fall with work and school. I'm strategizing ways that I can keep my momentum, rather than continue the cycle of stopping and starting as I've done over the past several years. I am anxious to complete the grad school marathon, and to move on to other things in life...but I worry that my running ambitions could be eclipsed by age and injury. We'll see what the future holds.

Of Kindle Paperwhite and TaQualla Butler, the United Airlines Kindle Angel

I left my Kindle Keyboard 3G in the seat pocket on a United Airlines flight from Baltimore to Denver in December. I couldn't believe that I'd been so careless. We filed a missing item report but after reading Steve Silberman's blog, I quickly lost all hope in getting it back. I deactivated my device and went on with life...and even got a wonderful new Kindle.

 

But then a month later, TaQualla Butler tried to send a document to my Kindle account. A quick web search showed that this is her modus operandi. TaQualla Butler is a United Airlines Kindle angel who reunites devices with their owners. She sends a document to a Kindle account to let the owner of the device know that United Airlines has located the device and to ask the owner to make arrangements to have the device sent back to them. A week later, the device was back in my hands, or rather, my husband's because I gave him my old Kindle. I am now enjoying the latest and greatest device...

 

Kindle Paperwhite

When I left my Kindle on the plane, I felt guilty about being so careless, so I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a replacement and I resolved to get one of the lower-end models. I originally was going to get the regular Kindle for just $69, but then when I read the reviews on Paperwhite on Amazon, I was convinced to spend more money and get the new Kindle Paperwhite for $119 model.

I am loving it. I immensely enjoy the light on the device that allows you to read in bed without disturbing anyone - and without the need to attach a separate light. Another advantage to having backlight text is that the lighting is even across the entire pad, unlike a clip-on light. The light feature allows you to read in any lighting condition, from a dark room to outside in the sunlight.

I also really like the touchscreen, which makes the device easy to use and similar to other touchscreen on other devices like a cell phone, etc. The touchscreen makes it easier to access the dictionary and look up definitions and to make notes, etc., just by pressing and holding the screen over the word or phrase.

The Paperwhite has a very simple shape and it feels nice to hold. Because of this, I don't have a cover for the device yet and I'm in no big rush to get one.

I was a bit leary about getting a device with "special offers," i.e., advertising, but the ads are not that distracting. In fact, I admit that I sort of like them. All the Kindles sold in stores have special offers; if you absolutely don't want any offers, then you need to buy directly from Amazon for $20 more.

There are certain design considerations that users should know about. For example, there is no audio on this Kindle, unlike my older model. Audio is now available only on the high-end Fire device. In addition, there is less storage, so you need to keep more on the cloud.

And of course Jeff Bezos' marketing is great with a personal letter to tell you what a great purchase you made.

In summary, I think a key deciding factor is: Where do you like to read books? If you like to read books in bed in the dark, Kindle Paperwhite is for you. The device is by my bedside and I just reach over and grab it if I'm awake at night or first thing in the morning on weekends so that I can get in a little reading before cycling or running. Kindle is helping me beat my winter blues.

Grad School By The Numbers

 

There has been rumbling in some quarters that I “try too hard and study too much” and I “do extra credit.” To respond to these notions, I’ve put together an educational post designed to shed light on the grad school workload. There are NO opportunities for extra credit in grad school. One earns grades from the required assignments and everything is graded on a rubric.

I’d like to debunk the notion that I “try too hard.” On my first assignment for class #2, I realized that I’d spent several hours doing the wrong assignment and then proceeded to quickly do the correct assignment and hand it in. I got the top grade. I was surprised to hear that this was not the case for my peers who were complaining that their case study papers were considered not long enough and there was not enough information provided in the case study to work with (but did you know about Google? It’s a very useful research tool). I do, however, put more effort into high-value assignments for instructors that have strict grading requirements.

This semester was one of my most difficult semesters ever for multiple personal and professional reasons. For the first time in my current job, I decided to take 2 classes because both are completely online (saving travel time) and one was easier. The second 7-week class ran concurrently with the first 14-week class and began in mid-semester when the first was well underway and major projects were due.

By the Numbers

Class #1

• 1,500 words weekly for several essay response questions and a journal entry
• 50 words weekly for discussion board
• 100 pages of reading a week
• 28 total double-spaced pages for final paper (plus reading and researching to gather information for paper; 15 pages minimum, excluding title and reference pages) 
• 12 total double-spaced pages for 3 short papers (plus reading journal article that formed the basis for the papers; 9 pages required, excluding title and reference pages)

Class #2

• 120 pages of reading each week
• 300 words weekly for discussion board
• 14 total double-spaced pages for final paper (plus reading and researching to gather information for paper; 10 pages minimum, excluding title and references)
• 8 single-spaced pages for business case studies
• 5 PowerPoint slides for group project (plus 3 conference calls and reading to develop slides)

The Result

My grade point streak continues!! I now have 3 more classes to complete and will graduate in December 2013 or May 2014.

Run for Your Life, Part II

It was the end of the academic semester and three months before our major convention. In addition to part-time staff, I had an intern last summer, but this time I didn't. And there are only so many hours in the day. The stress wrapped itself around me like a vise. I felt tense all of the time. I developed problems sleeping and would wake up before my alarm went off and start thinking about work. Getting back to sleep was impossible, so I just went to work. I developed problems with eating.

Out of all this...a really great thing happened. I once again decided to get on the treadmill at 4:30 a.m. to run and walk. Just 1.5 miles at first. Then 2 miles with a generous walk/run ratio. Just two weekdays. My "long" runs on the weekends were at most just one more mile. Running is always hard at first because there are a lot of aches and pains. It was the only time when the stress melted away. I felt like a million and sometimes the effect lasted for the rest of the day. And sooner - or later - running gets easier and 2 miles isn't so hard. I still have a tiny base, and I have no plans to do anything except increase my base little by little. Consistency is still a challenge. I've run two 5Ks this summer and I hope to find another one. I hope to continue.

Run For Your Life

Not long ago, I left a staff position at a large association that I’d held for 13 years and took a management position at a small nonprofit. I had stayed in my previous position due to many externalities related to being a married working mother and longed for a change. The new position was one that I’d said I’d hoped one day to hold on my graduate school applications. The career move changed my entire life, but left me wondering if it was for the better.

I’d previously worked about 40 hours a week, commuted two hours daily, and completed two graduate classes a semester. I ascribed to a philosophy of yin and yang—as I understood it—and counterbalanced work and studying by the equal and opposing physical activity of training for and running my third half marathon. However, my training plan and fitness level were modest. In my new position, I worked about 50 hours a week, commuted up to 3 hours daily, and completed a single graduate class a semester. As the pace of the job sped up and the months flew by, life got out of balance as I found it difficult to get back into a fitness routine and fended off minor stress-related physical problems. At my lowest point, after a difficult day at the office, I sprained my ankle getting up from the couch, and after sitting on the couch another month to recuperate, I could barely walk two blocks without getting winded.

I've greatly enjoyed the ups and downs of running and multisport. I originally started running to lose weight. Then I ran for various other reasons...

Reasons Why….

• I run because it’s a back-to-nature experience and I enjoy seeing the local ecosystems change with the seasons
• I run for the endorphins
• I run because I want to give it another season
• I run because it allows me to run away from my stress at the end of the day
• I run because it wakes me up in the morning (if I can get up to run!)
• I run because it allows me to review my class material
• I run because I think it might reduce migraines (of course, there’s no proof, but it’s motivating!)
• I run because I want to tri

But now, I'm not running to race or to have a racing season. I'm running for my life. I want to run because it's the only way that I can relieve stress.

I'm ready to ponder the central theme of Joanne Ciulla’s book, The Working Life: The Promise and Betrayal of Modern Work (2000), which focuses on the meaning of work, it's place in our lives, and leisure. Send your muse my way because that's the topic of my next paper.

Raise Your Hand When You Want to Change the Subject

Every semester, I always debate whether or not to mention that I'm deaf when classes begin, and so far, I've always let my instructors know that I'm deaf. Although I'm documented with the school's office of disability services as a student with a disability, I've never actually used any accommodations because I never felt the need. I simply let instructors know that I am deaf and will not likely use accommodations, but may do so if I face any unforseen challenges. What could be wrong with this picture?

I became deaf just before middle school. Now I'm in grad school and can finally hear the teacher in class with my cochlear implant without the need for additional assistive technology or other accommodations. Do I hear everything? No. There's always a student in the back of the class in the cornter that I can't understand. And I'm sure that I miss a thing or two that the teacher says. But to me, being able to understand most, but not all, of the instruction and dialogue is good enough and I'm happy with what I do hear. One of the reasons that I wanted the cochlear implant was because I knew one day I would return to school and I thought the implant would make it easier -- and it has. I'm thrilled to be able to sit down in class and understand the teacher.

However, not all the instructors seem to react so positively.

In one class, I would raise my hand and not get called on. Then I wrote a paper in which my grade was 20 points higher than the average grade in the class on the project. After that, the teacher began to call on me.

This semester, I got an A on my paper. I had my hand up numerous times during a discussion in which I had a lot of opinion. I was called on just once, although others in the class were called on repeatedly during the conversation.

I don't like to blurt out responses in class because I prefer to clearly have the conversational ball.
But what does it take to get called on and participate?

The solution to this situation is:
a) Nothing. It is all in my imagination.
b) I should disclose my disability only if I need an accommodation.
c) Do my homework and keep quiet in class.
d) Stop writing multiple choice questions!
e) None of the above

Grad School Math

I take that back. I don't think I have the grad school blues. School is actually the easiest way to feel successful right now. It is unbelieveably easy. I barely study. I get good grades. I wrote 4 papers in 4 weeks, and then just showed up to present. The only thing that mattered was whether I cited peer-reviewed journals, and for the most part, I did.

I am surrounded by students who have easier lives. They have a short commute to school and home. They get off at 3-4 p.m. in the afternoon and then they go home to refresh themselves before coming to school. I commute 3 hours a day - on non-school days. I don't want to think about how much time I spend in a car on schooldays.

I work 8-12 hours a day and I still feel that I am drowining in the deep water. And then I contemplate trying to take 2 classes next semester and trying to add a 4 hours of studying every night to that schedule, with more on the weekends. Everyday, I wake up and think about how I'm going to finish and everyday it's the one question I can't answer. To be fair, next semester I'm taking an online class and a Saturday class, but I'll still need to actually study, unlike this semester. I also know I'll need to take at least 2 more semesters of 2 classes to gradute in the next 1.5-2 years. I try to balance and accommodate eveyone else's needs and then I wonder how I'm ever going to meet my own.

Let's do the grad school math:

10 hours work - and I still feel as though I'm drowning
3 hours commute on a non-school day. 4.5 hours on a school day.
3-4 hours of studying each night for 2 classes. No weekend work despite the work buildup!!
2 hours get up and care for son
1 hour eat/talk to spouse
= 19-20 hour day