Hard work does pay off!

I start my last clinical tomorrow, and briefly went to school today to talk to the first year students in my program about volunteering at the pro bono clinic my department is now affiliated with.  I gave a very short and brief description about what I do, and that they should basically get involved.  That was it. Short and sweet.  Also got a free lunch, which was awesome!  Then my department head got up and started talking about this scholarship the department gives out, and turns out I was the recipient this year!  I was so surprised, and had no idea.  I almost lost it, but I think I kept my composure pretty well, (maybe....).  It just goes to show you that hard work does pay off.  I work my ass off everyday, whether it be with school, work, or training.  At times it may not seem worth your time, but in the end everything does pay off!  It was a great day!

I hate to toot my own horn, but toot toot...

Training Side note:  Soooo I will be missing some swims and possibly some rides this week, due to an infection.  Also missed my long ride yesterday....No biggie (i like pain!!![?]), Doc just recommends skipping some of the workouts until the antibiotic kicks in.  I will just HIGHLY suggest making sure your equipment is clean prior to use, and ALWAYS shower after a swim!!!!!

Another side note:  Got weighed at the doc's office, definitely put on a few lbs after the long weekend.... Got some work to do now!

A change is coming...

My schedule these days is pretty awesome (ahh the life of a college student...).  A little more background on me,  I am finishing up my master's degree at KU in Occupational Therapy, while simultaneously getting started on my PhD.  Currently, I am taking 2 classes, both online and they aren't exactly the most time intensive.  This frees up quite a bit of daytime to train. My training plan has me doing 2-a-day workouts 4 days a week, with the other 3 days being 2 longer rides and a long run.  I try to stagger the 2-a-days bit with at least an hour of rest between, or just finish the 2nd one after work.  I work part time at a hospital, go to work at 1 and get off at 6, so that's not too bad.  Unfortunately, I work almost every weekend, which makes the long runs and rides a little tougher, but all-in-all, it gets done.

On Wednesday, June 1, this will ALL be changing.  I will be starting my last and final clinical rotation at an outpatient clinic, and I will be there for 3 months. So, Monday through Friday, 8:00a to 5:00p, I will be a little pre-occupied with patients.  (Side note: I really think some college/medical/business professional came up with the "wonderful" idea of clinicals, fieldworks, and internships based solely on turning a profit.  I joke about saying how I will be "volunteering" for the next 3 months full time, but honestly I am actually paying a significant amount to work somewhere for free.  Now, I know I am getting quality, real-life clinical experience, but it's still a little frustrating....).  Also adding to the scheduling changes is the fact that I will be commuting 40 minutes each way to the site. And I will still be working every weekend....

Okay, now I know pretty much everybody else has a fairly similar work schedule and still manages to fit in multisport training, but I am really starting to freak out about it.  Mainly because I don't do 5:00am wake ups.  At all. Seriously, the last 5:00a alarm went off the morning of the Heritage Park race, and I slept through it.  Twice.  My body just won't let me!  Somehow I woke up at 5:35a, and hauled ass out the door to make it there still pretty early.

I fully expect to be getting some "welcome to the real world" responses to this, and please, don't hold back. I don't have kids, there really isn't any excuse for me complaining, but I am just one for consistency in my schedule.

However, I do see some benefits for getting up early and knocking out some workouts.  Other than sleep, what else do I have to do?  Naaaaada.  Nothing.  Lately, I have been noticing the late afternoon/early evening training sessions I have always seem to have more conflicts come up, like eating dinner at the future in-laws, going out to eat with friends, OMG Papa Murphys just sent me a text with a pizza deal!!! (yes, all of the conflicts involve food).  Training in the mornings would limit the missed workouts in the afternoons, and also free up a little more time when I get off my clinical.  It would take a little more planning on my part, especially the night before. I read about all these different athletes with families and jobs, waking up at 4:00am to get a 40 mile ride in or a 12 mile run, and I kinda feel like I'm not as focused or motivated as they are.  This may be an important step for me.  And I think I'm ready to tri (lame, I know....). 

One thing that will need to change is my breakfast.  Everyday, I wake up AT LEAST an hour before I need to leave and make a legit breakfast.  It normally consists of 3 eggs (1 whole, 2 whites), maybe some bacon (center cut, no biggie), some type of carb (Oatmeal, tortilla, or english muffin), a lil bit of salsa, some OJ and coffee.  As I devour this, I watch Sportscenter and watch to see if the Royals made the highlights (yeah that was sarcasm....).

Typical breakfast, sans carbs

So, if I were to go run intervals or hill repeats after eating this, I can't image I will be getting any type of nutritional benefit from it, and due to retroperistalsis, it's going right back out my mouth. So, once again, I will need a change.  Maybe work on something portable, so I can eat in the car and save some time.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and training is going well!

Crazy weather in Kansas City...

The weather has been nuts in Kansas of late.  We've had tornadoes, lightening, severe thunderstorms, a few pleasant days, heavy rain, and apparently now snow.... As I walked to my car this morning, this is what I found in the backyard:

A handful of the fluffy stuff...

Okay no, it's not snow, but considering the weather of late, I wouldn't be surprised.  Strangely enough, though, I have yet to miss a workout this week.  But the weekend is just starting, I work both Saturday and Sunday, and will be partaking in some BBQ and minor boozery at some point.

Training:

As far as me logging my training, I use Beginner Triathlete.  It's easy to use, has a lot of information about triathlons in general, has many different training plans, and best of all, it's $free 99. Sure, you don't get the best analysis with the site, but I don't mind. Plus, it's Mac friendly.

Here is a link to my monthly training schedule, or my weekly with a few more specifics.



I hope everyone has a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend, enjoys some good BBQ, and knocks out some miles!

Background and what I use!

Well, a little about me and the blog...

I’m a 24-year-old from and currently residing in Kansas, going to school at the University of Kansas Medical Center, and starting a PhD curriculum focusing on stroke rehabilitation.  I have been a KU fan my entire life, stemming from my Dad.  I was lucky enough to go to KU for 4 years and still wish I was living in Lawrence!  Such an amazing place!  I also work at a local hospital in the Rehabilitation department, and volunteer at a pro bono clinic at the Med Center. 

Growing up in Kansas, I stayed very active in sports, and focused primarily on soccer, basketball, and baseball in high school.  My main sport was baseball, and I really focused on weightlifting and gaining power for hitting.  Weight lifting for me continued clear up to my graduation from KU.  I would lift weights 4-5 days a week, but never really did anything concerning swimming/biking/running.  As far as endurance training goes, my only experience before 2011 would be summer conditioning for soccer in the summertime, running with the cross country team and getting smoked by everybody!  The farthest I had run before this year was about 4 miles.  I had zero swim experience, other than the basics (aka drowning prevention) and I had the cycling skills of a 10 year old. 

I started multisport training on Jan 1, 2011, with the intention of just doing a triathlon.  This stemmed from completing P90X, and I was looking for something “hardcore” to try (Tony Horton was driving me crazy! Just his voice gives me chills now).  I participated in an indoor triathlon in February of 2011, and took first in my age group (out of 2, woot!).  Since then, I have been hooked. 

So, what do I use for all these days of training?  Well, I have been acquiring all of my equipment for the last few months.  For shoes, I use two pairs for training and racing now.  I have a pair of Mizuno Wave Rider 6 for longer runs because they offer a lot of support and cushion ( I over-pronate when I run).  For shorter runs, I use my Nike Free 3.0's, which are insanely light!  I have recently been using these more often, mainly because of their weight and also because they mimic barefoot running.

Green Nike Free 3.0

Mizuno's!

Now for my bike....

Haha, yeah right....  I ended up purchasing a road bike off of Craigslist, and have had so-so luck with it.  It's a Cannondale Caad3, made in the late 1990s.  It rides okay, but unfortunately the shifters are going out, and because it is a 7 speed (please, for your sake, don't buy a 7 speed....), I will need to buy a full set to upgrade it.  It would probably range from $600-$$$$$ to replace.  So yeah, making due with what I got.  But hey, it has a carbon fork...

That's about it.  I have a standard Timex watch with a 30 lap split limit.  I am hoping to get a Garmin watch for my birthday, but I am making due with the Timex.  I have a tri top and shorts for races, but just wear standard athletic clothes for training. Triathlons and multisport is fairly expensive, especially if you are starting from nothing.  I am planning on upgrading my equipment as I develop and get a "real" job, but right now I'm pretty content.  

Nice socks, right?