Canceled!

Sooo I was out running some errands before work, and I got a phone call from my manager saying that the census is really low so I'm being "mandatorily canceled" for tonight. I was secretly terrified to check my voicemail because I thought I was being fired or something. Anyway, three day weekend for me! I don't know if I'm going to have to take "vacation time" (which I don't really have yet?) or if I just won't get paid for today...I'll find out next week, I guess!

This morning I got up early ("early"...like 8:20) to beat the heat for my long run! It was actually pretty nice out for July...low 80's and humid, but cloudy cloudy cloudy so I didn't have to fight the sun! Fantastic. After some MISERABLE runs this week, it was so nice to have an awesome long run. Thirteen miles were on the schedule, but I added on a little so I could say that I ran a half marathon today. :) My roommate is training for her first half in September, and I caught her before she headed to work...I feel a little bad about my training run being the length of her big race! I'll just have to get her into marathoning!

There were actually a fair amount of people on the trail today. I usually don't see many people, which is probably what I get for trying to run at 11:00 in the morning...most people are smarter and beat the heat! For this run, I really wanted to focus on keeping it slow and relaxed. After a terrible run earlier this week, I just needed some confidence that I can still run long! One bad run doesn't make a bad runner, but it's been a long week. Looking at my splits, I had thought that I was running slower during the run, but I guess not...I could still run slower.

Friday, July 31
13.32 miles in 1:50:05, avg pace of 8:16
Splits of glory: 8:34, 8:30, 8:22, 8:21, 8:12, 8:19, 8:15, 8:10, 8:13, 8:14, 8:02, 8:15, 8:09, 2:20 (7:17...yikes!)

Halfway to the marathon distance!

Thanks for your input on my gym question this morning. I'm the cheapest person alive (...almost), so I find it hard to justify joining a gym when my main activity is running...outside, year round. Then again, it would be money well invested (it's my health!) if I actually used it. I'll think about it a little more...

Off to watch Ellen Degeneres (I miss her show!!) and curl up with a good book...loving this day off!! Read More......

Joining a gym??

Fly by posting to ask a quick question!

I'm thinking of joining a local gym...It's still being built and is supposed to open in late October, so they're having membership specials to get people to sign up before it opens. Any thoughts from those who belong to a gym? It's an LA Fitness and looks really nice! It's only about 5-10 minutes away and would offer all the cardio equipment, weights, and, classes. Just looking for some thoughts...I've never been one to run on a treadmill, so I'm not sure how much I would utilize a gym. Maybe I could actually take up cross training?

Thanks for your thoughts! Have an awesome Friday, I'm heading out for a long run! Read More......

MIA

I've been a bit MIA this week, both in posting and commenting. It's been a very, very trying week at work slash in life. I made it through Saturday at work, and I was scared of going into work on Sunday. When I arrived, I was given five patients, one with eight million things to do, including hanging tons of blood. I've never hung blood by myself before (it's really not that hard), but I was already overwhelmed and worked up from Saturday night, so I just lost it. I spent the first three hours alternating between crying and trying to pull myself together. If it weren't for the other nurses on the floor, who essentially took over half my assignment for me, I wouldn't have made it. There's no time for an "off day" in nursing, or even an off couple of hours.

It's always interesting when one patient is telling you how happy he is with the care he's received during his stay, while another is telling you that you're just not doing enough.

Monday rolled around, and I had eight miles up. I was supposed to do ten strides with it, but I considered it a blessing to just be running...I was so physically and emotionally tired.

Monday, July 27
8.09 miles in 1:06:02, avg pace of 8:10

I was DREADING going to work on Monday. I couldn't do it. I kept trying to figure out if I could afford to move home/in with the Rocket Scientist and pay my loans/live off of tips from waitressing again. (I loved my days as a server...I actually liked going to work!) Of course that's a bit silly, so off to work I went. My manager took me into her office to talk about what happened this weekend, so I started crying then and just saying how hard everything was. At this point, we set up a time to go over "how everything is going so far" and to have my trial period review session. Is it just me, or shouldn't this have been set up a long time ago? Or shouldn't we have talked about this before I've been there for ten weeks? The only feedback I've gotten is from my preceptors, which is basically "you need to be faster" and "good job today." I'm not sure what else I expect, but I don't feel like there's much help in the development department.

ANYWAY. I survived work on Monday and had a MUCH MUCH needed day off on Tuesday. Of course, I slept in because I was so exhausted and then attempted to run ten miles. In the hot humidity. Worst. Plan. Ever. As a result of the combination of being emotionally and physically exhausted, not eating dinner for the past five nights (and therefore scarfing ice cream and animal crackers at one in the morning), and the heat, I had a terrible, terrible run. I ended up turning around after 3.25 miles and ran/walked back. Garmin ended up with a little over six miles, so I walked about half a mile of the way back. It was hot, I was miserable, and I spent part of my run crying. This was the first run I haven't completed in a looooong time. (Ever?) For my long time blog readers (okay, it hasn't been that long), I'm not even sure if I've had a "bad run." This resulted in me being more upset because not only was I so depressed about my job, I couldn't even complete a run.

This, of course, was a stupid thing to think because trying to run ten miles at noon was a terrible idea anyway. Stats, for no good reason at all:

Tuesday, July 28
6.04 miles in 50:46, avg pace of 8:24
Plus: another half a mile of walking, total stoppage time of 14:47 (go garmin!)

So basically those numbers mean nothing. Oh well.

With the rest of my glorious day off, I went grocery shopping and headed off to Nerdville (also known as Princeton). I ate an entire bag of Swedish Fish (small bag, but still). Don't listen to my nutrition advice.

Okay, this is getting long. Speed blogging!

Work on Wednesday was AMAZING. All the nurses had four patients, and we all got out ON TIME. I was wrapped up with everything by 10pm. I attempted to eat dinner (my sandwich was bad since I actually made it like three days ago...), and I wasn't rushed and I had time to spend with patients and help out other nurses. So good! I only had four scheduled medications to give (versus the usual bajillion...or 15-20). Getting out on time makes a HUGE difference, and it's exactly what I needed. I hope the next two days go smoothly before my weekend off.

Run this morning! I slept in a little too long, so it was a bit toasty when I was out, but not too bad. My legs are tired from this whole being-on-my-feet-forty-plus-hours-per-week, but we made it. Five "recovery" miles, which went well. My legs rarely feel fresh anymore, so I take what I can get. If anyone has any tips for not destrying my legs, please let me know. Should I wear recovery socks every night? Nightly ice baths? Anything?

Thursday, July 30 (When did that happen??)
5.31 miles in 43:36, avg pace of 8:13

My parents are currently driving through Indiana on their way here for a week! I'm so excited to see them, but it may also mean that I may continue to be a bit MIA for the next week or so. We shall see.

Sorry for the massive non-running-related talk. I don't know too many people here so I need to vent my life to someone...even if no one is actually listening! (Just kidding!)
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First Breakdown

Everyone told me it would happen...I'm not sure I believed them. Everything finally got to me yesterday at work and I broke down and teared up a little. I had five patients to start, with two who were demanding right off the bat and one who needed to be transferred to another room closer to the nurses' station. The transfer itself took awhile since the patient was pretty much non-weight bearing and was sitting in a chair, not in the bed...so that was quite the effort. Two families called about half an hour after I got there, and I hate when families call for updates right after I get report because at that point, I haven't even met the person (except to say "Hi, I'm Susan, I'll be your nurse tonight"...which, FYI, is still so weird to say) and don't really know what's going on quite yet. I was still behind, and I was told I was getting an admission, moving me up to six patients...which is about when I lost it. Luckily the other nurses weren't as crazed and someone else took the admission.

So that was fun. I was wayyyy behind until about 7pm, then I thought I'd be good. HAHHAH, not quite. I was reassessing one of my patients, and something just seemed...different than before. Blood sugar low? No. Grabbed some vital signs...whoaaaa! Something's not right. Put on some oxygen, called the doctor on call...who immediately came up. The patient went into new-found atrial fibrillation (thank you, EKG) and was then transferred to a monitored floor.

Soooo that was a good find on my part (nurses were like...how'd you find that? "Something just seemed...different"), but the rest of the night was terrible. At the same time that the above event was happening, another not-really-with-it patient had a low blood sugar. Time for some dextrose! Blood sugar came up, life is good.

Another one of my patients was having a terrible time getting her pain controlled, so I finally called the doctor and got her pain medication switched. By the end of my shift, her pain was at a 0/10. Victory!

Overall, I felt like a good nurse and an absolutely terrible nurse all at the same time. Someone please tell me if I just totally violated HIPAA. (I always want to write "HIPPO"...oops?)

Anyway...running! I'm moving my schedule around so my long runs are minimal when my parents are here...They're arriving Friday night, so I'm hoping to do my long run on Friday before work. I'm doing the schedule shuffle, which basically means cutting out some rest days, which will be added in next week when my parents are here...good plan. This past Friday I headed out for four "recovery" miles. I did a new route, which apparently included a gigantic mile-long hill. Recovery certainly doesn't feel easy with giant hills thrown in, but I can't escape the hills, so I guess we'll make it work.

Friday, July 24
4.03 miles in 33:49, avg pace of 8:24

The Rocket Scientist came over Friday night (he was sleeping in his car until I finished work...I should get him a key for the house...), so we did a long run on Saturday morning. In a perfect world, I would be home by midnight and we'd be able to get up at a decent time, but I think I got home more around 12:45 and didn't get to bed until 2. Let's just say that we didn't exactly beat the heat for our long run on Saturday. By the time we woke up and finished getting sucked in by the Tour de France (did you see that mountain they had to climb?? I hurt just watching them), it was about 10:30 and in the high 80's.

Saturday, July 25
12.03 miles in 1:37:48, avg pace of 8:08

We passed few other runners on the trail...mostly bikers. We stopped at the water fountain along the way, and it's not until I step into the bathroom that I realize how drenched with sweat I am...what a lovely feeling! The run felt good until we had about 2.25 miles left to go, when I just felt...tired. We took a little stretch break and were back at it. It was the first time in a long time that I actually stopped in the middle of a run (water stops not included), so I was really feeling it. I love summer, but running in the heat isn't so fun.

Time to mentally prepare for work. Ugh.
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It's like Monday all over again

It feels like Monday all over again...why?? Because I work for the next five days! At my hospital, we're required to work one weekend per month, so starting this weekend, I'll work every fourth weekend. (I think that's how it works?) It was nice to have the day off yesterday, but I'm not looking forward to the next five days! I hope that the weekends are a little slower than the week days...When I worked weekends during nursing school, the weekends were easier because people weren't coming and going for tests and procedures all day, and the census was generally lower...less patients! A girl can hope, right??

Since I had yesterday off, I had big plans to hang out by the pool...but it was cloudy soooo I scratched that idea. I was feeling a little homesick yesterday, so I figured I would get some retail therapy in at the HUUUUGE mall by my house. Of course, the only person I really like to go shopping with is my mom, so that led to a little breakdown. I think I called my mom five times yesterday...that might be a record.

I ended up going shopping anyway, and I'm a TERRIBLE shopper by myself. Half the stores I walk into, I walk out thirty seconds later because I'm like...I don't actually NEED anything from Pottery Barn. I'm not good at browsing by myself...unless I'm in a bookstore, which is a bit like a time warp because you walk in and then don't walk out for an hour...and you would never know it! I ended up buying these shorts (in navy), which I realize are $10 cheaper online...but then shipping is $10 so it's not worth it to buy it online. Why is shipping $10?? That makes no sense.

I headed to Princeton after my retail therapy, and we stopped by Dick's on our way home from getting pizza (yum!) for dinner. I needed some more therapy, so I bought some Nike compression shorts (in black, although the hot pink would have been...well, hot. Red is a possibility as well for future purchases.). I went running in them today, which was definitely a...freeing...experience. They're very short! But nice to wear in the muggy weather we're having. According to Pfitz, week one, nine miles were up for today. I extended my semi-hilly route a little and it ended up being a little over nine. Perfect!

Thursday, July 23
9.18 miles in 1:13:16, avg pace of 7:59

I got this run in just before the rain...it POURED about ten minutes after I got home. I still need to slow down my runs a bit...the first few miles are uphill, so I think I'm doing okay with pace, then the elevation levels out/goes downhill and I realize I'm running faster than I thought I was. Good, but bad! I think I found a trail that connects to the other trail I run on (that makes sense, right?), so that will be exciting for long run purposes!

Kind of dreading going to work today...I'm not sure I like my job. More importantly, I'm not sure I like missing dinner on a regular basis. Need to work on that...
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Let the Marathon Training Begin...for real this time!

Since we've officially decided to run the Philadelphia Marathon, marathon training got moved back a week, making this week the official start of training. Woo! Sooooo basically I'm doing the same thing I did last week. Good enough for me!

I went to bed around 2am last night...It seems that I go to bed about an hour and a half after I get off work, and I clocked out around 12:30. By the time I drive home, snack shove my face full of ice cream and animal crackers (need to work on that...), read some blogs/play on the internet, and get settled in to sleep, it's about 1.5 hours. The funny part is that I was SO tired when I was driving home last night, but it still look the usual time to actually get into bed. I think I need that time to wind down. Maybe.

This morning I woke up around 9am (I know...life is rough) so I could be running around 10. I drank my coffee and had an English muffin with Naturally More peanut butter and a banana. Not sure how I feel about the peanut butter...I saw it in the store and decided to try it, but it is a bit different so maybe it just takes some getting used to. Maybe I didn't wait long enough after eating, but breakfast kind of felt like a rock in my stomach for the first three miles. Perhaps I should go back to toast instead of the English muffin? My old standby!

Tuesday, July 21
7.09 miles in 55:51, avg pace of 7:52

I was doing so good on keeping it slow for the first three miles, and then I picked up the pace without even knowing it. I realized that I was heading uphill for the first half of the run, so once the elevation leveled out, I naturally ran faster. Oops! Working on keeping it slow! I threw my strides in on mile 6, which also made for a speedy mile (7:02), so that factors in there.

Also, awesome day for running...66, cloudy, barely misting. However that really cuts into my "sit outside and read" time. Hopefully it'll clear up for my day off tomorrow!
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Twitter!!

I just joined Twitter...We shall see if this sticks! I'm still not exactly sure what it's all about, but it could be fun. :)

Follow me either on the link above or on the sidebar...Yay! Read More......

Weekends > Work Days

The weekend has come and gone! They always go so fast. Luckily I got out on time from work on Friday, but I didn't eat dinner...again. Friday was such a mess...We had 16 patients on the floor with three nurses, no nursing assistant. That might not have been so bad, except the nurses included me, the nurse who started a month before me, and the nurse who precepted both of us. I don't know who thought that staffing was a good idea, but even I could tell you that it was a recipe for disaster. Since we each had so many patients of our own, we can't really help each other...and I need LOTS of help. Annnnnd then a doctor called and yelled because I hadn't called with the results of blood work yet...mainly because I didn't have results yet! I drew the blood on time, it's being tested in the lab, don't yell at me. Thanks.

No wonder nurses always talk about leaving this hospital.

ANYWAY. Good weekend. Saturday was a short four mile recovery run, which I definitely took sloooow. Neither the Rocket Scientist nor I were feeling like moving too fast, so that worked to our advantage.

Saturday, July 18
4.02 miles in 34:23, avg pace of 8:34

I normally have a hard time slowing down, but my legs were not feeling it, so it was quite easy. I'm actually not sure how much faster I could have ran if I wanted to. I guess that works out well. After running, we headed into town to check out a farmers market, which I was sorely disappointed with. I'm not sure what I expected, but it was so tiny and the produce was super expensive, so we left after five minutes. We ended up going to a giant produce stand where everything is super cheap, but you have to buy in large quantities. I sent half the fruit home with the Rocket Scientist, but I still have TONS left. Fruit filled week, for sure!

Saturday night we went to see The Proposal with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. It was HILARIOUS. Seriously. Go see it.

Long run Sunday!! After some debate over which marathon we're actually going to run this fall, I think we finally decided to go with the Philadelphia Marathon. We're crossing our fingers that it's not actually as cold as it was last year, but otherwise it should be a good race. The website says that the average temperature at the start is 45 degrees, with an average finishing temperature of 54. Hard to imagine with summer running, but that sounds pretty good to me.

Running Philly means that training actually starts TODAY instead of last week, but we decided to go ahead and do twelve miles yesterday anyway. It was cool-ish when we started...low 70's! I felt terrible for the first five miles...until we got to a bathroom and then I felt MUCH better. The trail near my house is awesome to run on, and the miles can (almost!) fly by.

Sunday, July 19
12.13 miles in 1:38:55, avg pace of 8:09

First six miles: 49:31, avg pace of 8:15
Second six miles: 48:23, avg pace of 8:04

Good run overall, with the second half faster than the first. Can't ask for more than that! When we got home, we showered up and then my BROTHER arrived!! He was at a conference in Lancaster this weekend, so he booked a late flight home so he could spend the afternoon with me! We went out to lunch and then played some mini golf...I won. :) We hung out for a little bit at my house before he headed back to the airport, so it was a short but sweet visit. It's good to see my family because I miss them, and it was quite convenient that my brother's conference was nearby. I can't wait to see my parents in a couple weeks!!

Back to work today, but I have to share my beautiful breakfast with you! On days where I don't run, I'm a big yogurt + fruit + granola fan, and it was so pretty today with all the fruit from the fruit stand.

Stonyfield French Vanilla + Zoe's Granola + Banana + Blueberries + RASPBERRIES!!

So good. Hope everyone has a great Monday!

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Let the Marathon Training/Posting Begin!

Whoaaa...it's been a whole week since I posted!! Oops! I had a busy weekend in Princeton, and then when I got home on Monday, the video card on my computer was making dying noises, so I put in a new one that the Rocket Scientist got me from school. However, that didn't work with my internet (or something?), so I was without internet until just before heading to work on Tuesday. I ended up having to get a USB wireless thing, and it works MUCH better than the internal wireless card I originally bought. Back online! It was so weird to be without it, much like The Laminator. But now we're back. :)

Like I said, it was an eventful weekend! On Saturday, the Rocket Scientist and I dragged ourselves out for a hot, hot eight mile run. After driving from work on Friday night, I was tired and don't like to get out of bed early anyway, so we didn't leave until the early afternoon. Oops! RS does not do well in the heat, but we managed okay. I just wish there were more public water fountains! Most of our arguments tend to be around running, which is probably a good thing if that's all we have to "fight" about. He doesn't necessarily like the garmin nearly as much as I do...he goes by "feel" much more than I do. (Because I don't at all!) I think we'll make it.

Saturday, July 11
8.13 miles in 1:04:55, avg pace of 7:59

Saturday night was GUSTO 2009! It's a game that one of the grad students played in college, and it's basically drunken kickball. We divided into teams, East/South vs. West/Midwest/International, and then we played kickball. You get a point for traditionally scoring a run or for, of course, drinking a beer. It definitely gets interesting as the night goes on, and I think the West/Midwest sneaked out a victory by a few "runs." Being a native of Chicago, I played on the West/Midwest, so go us! :)

Sunday we headed to the driving range. To sum it up very quickly: I am not Tiger Woods. Done and done.

Onto this week! I will divide it into Running and Nursing so you can read the section of your choice...or both!

Running!

Let the marathon training begin! We are undecided about which marathon to do (kind of?), but we're leaning towards Richmond. We've also thrown the San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon into the mix. Philly is a possibility, but RS thinks it might be too cold, and I'm probably working that weekend...I don't know how "switching weekends" works yet. We still have time to decide, although I would like to avoid the "sign up ten days before the marathon" that happened this spring...oh well! Either way, I've decided to go with the Pfitz 18/55 plan. I've used Hal Higdon's plans in the past, and it's time to step it up with some speedwork! Plus, I think it will be good to try a new technique/outlook and see what works best for me. I'm already in for Boston 2010, so it's time to experiment.

Monday started off with a bang...rest/cross train! I consider nursing to be "cross training," so, um, I guess it was a rest day for me. :) Tuesday, the real fun began! Seven miles with 10 x 100m strides. I want to keep the paces under wraps, not doing all my runs at the same speed...I did well, maintaining 8:05-8:10 until I got to the "strides" part, where my overall mile pace was 7:15. I just worked the strides into the 6th mile, leaving mile seven as more of "cool down" mile. I'm not sure if that's how you're supposed to do them...any Pfitz followers have some recommendations??

Tuesday, July 14
7.09 miles in 56:21, avg pace of 7:57

My next run was yesterday...nine miles! Only four runs this week, so they are a little on the longer side. Before heading out, it was partly cloudy and a little breezey so I thought it would be a nice run. WRONG. It was so toasty outside! I ended up trying a new route which ended up being very scenic, through some fancy, big house neighborhoods. Annnnnd HUGE HILLS. They never ended. I like to think I did well, only stopping when I realized that I missed a turn somehow and was lost. :) I retraced my steps and figured out where to go, but I ended up adding half a mile to my run. Oh well.

Thursday, July 16
9.51 miles in 1:17:13, avg pace of 8:07

And that was that. Good start so far!

Nursing!

Gahhhh first week on my own! I haven't cried yet, although I was close on Tuesday. I don't even currently remember what happened, but I know I didn't eat dinner (common theme). Oh! Now I remember. I started with five patients, then two went home. One took FOREVER to discharge and ate up and a bunch of time, and then I got an admission. Basically that amounts to an obscene amount of paperwork, and it's really hard to get organized, especially as a newbie and no real time to get organized. I think I got out around 1:15am.

Wednesday was good...busy, but good. Two patients on contact isolation, all four with accuchecks (blood sugar checks!). We rarely have a nursing assistant, and those accuchecks and just eat up your time! I ask a bajillion questions throughout the shift, so I feel bad for the nurses I'm working with. They assure me that I'm not bothering them and that it's good to ask questions. I still feel like nuisance.

Thursday was a train wreck. I had four patients to start, and then we got tons of admissions right at shift change. Being new, I managed to escape them at that time. However, in the first hour of being there, one patient's IV came out and another started to vomit. Behind from the get-go. I missed dinner again...I'm going to lose so much weight with this job, and that's not a good thing! Annnd a doctor that I called wasn't exactly pleasant and told me to tell the other nurses on the floor not to bother him tonight with requests like mine. I'm sorry that my patient was requesting something to help her sleep, but it's my job to call you and have you say yes or no. I'm not allowed to do that. Luckily the other two doctors I called were nice and (gasp!) professional, but I hate how one can ruin the reputation for the entire bunch. (I'm sure all my doctor readers are nice people!)

We had a nursing assistant last night, but with one for twenty patients, they just do vital signs and accuchecks, and I'm not sure it's enough to really reduce my workload as a nurse. At Rush, where I went to nursing school, the aides were awesome...They cleaned patients, helped them to the bathroom, etc. While I don't mind doing that, it's so nice to have an extra hand when two patients are ringing for you, or when one is in the bathroom and you can't just leave them there.

I keep asking the nurse who started a month before if it gets better, and she says it does. Other nurses on the floor tell me to give it a year. I hate feeling like I don't know what I'm doing and being frenzied all the time. Nursing is much harder than I ever thought it would be. One more night tonight, and I'm totally ready for the weekend.

I need to blog more often...thanks for reading my marathon of a post!
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Random babble

Yesterday I took a much needed rest day...my legs were really tired when I woke up! Instead of running, I spent my morning washing and waxing my car. I bought a hose and everything so I could wash my car at home, but when I hooked it up, it didn't work! Apparently the pipes aren't completely hooked up...or something. I'm not sure. Don't tell anyone, but I stole the neighbor's hose to rinse my car. It was all hooked up and just sitting there...maybe I'm a bad person. But now my car is clean and shiny!

I actually got off of work on time last night...third time this week!! It was a busy day (what day isn't?), but I think it went okay. Two of my patients were on contact isolation, so you have to gown up and put gloves on every time you go in the room...everything takes twice as long, and if you forget something, you have to take all the protective gear off and then put it back on again. Woohoo!

Run today...I really didn't want to! Six miles, which were fine once I got going. I almost got attacked by a dog, but a truck almost hit the dog instead! I was running on the left side of the road, and I see a truck coming at me. At the same time, I hear a dog barking so I turn and see it run into the road. The truck slams on its brakes and honks at the dog, which stopped in its tracks. This dog has run after me before, so I'm thinking the owners need to keep better tabs on it.

Friday, July 10
6.22 miles in 48:36, avg pace of 7:49

I'm all packed and ready to head to Princeton for the weekend. If I get out on time/early enough tonight, I'm just going to head straight there instead of waiting until tomorrow morning to leave. There's not any traffic at midnight, so it would be an easy drive.

Tonight's my last shift on orientation...yikes!!
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