I guess I have a couple of things to update my readers on today (though if you follow my Facebook you probably all ready know about these - if not, then some new news!)
First I guess I'll post on the education stand point. I got accepted into the Master's in Health Administration program I was applying to! I didn't THINK it would be an issue, but despite WHERE I went to school, my GPA wasn't stellar (in the middle of the class). If I'd applied to a master's program at Harvard I doubt I would've gotten in, but this school has a pretty decent reputation around here and I've heard good things about it from other students (interns who I've worked with since I've been back stateside, actually). And the class sizes are small, and so far my experiences with them has been good in helping me through the admissions process. They've also shown up on a few top online school listings, though I'll get the same degree as someone who goes to face-to-face classes AND it's close enough that I'll once I can drive again (three more months... *sigh*), I'll be able to head down to the library on weekends if I need to do research and whatnot. All in all, I'm really excited to start the program. I'll be doing as close to full time as I can while I can. Since I'm not exactly doing a real JOB right now, I have the time, and I'm going to take advantage of it to the best of my ability. I'm also putting in for an internship at the clinic here on post so I can actually get some experience in the health care field. It's too bad the military doesn't let you CHOOSE what field you want to go into as an officer, unless you're top of your class. I did decent considering everything, but I wasn't in the top 10-20%, which is where medical service went out at (West Point's branch picking is all based on your class rank. Top of the class gets top pick, and then from there it's basically whatever is left). Of course, Finance isn't exactly a bad branch either, and I liked my job while I was deployed... It's just not what I want to do for the rest of my life. Anyway, to say the least, I am excited! With the possibility of me having to get out of the military at some point sooner than I thought, I have to start actually thinking ahead as to what I want to do once I'm out.
Next up on the list of things to discuss is running! Hooray! I really do think I get way more excited over running than people who are significantly faster than I am... I know so many people who are actually fast who just don't even like running that much, it's just what they've always done, so they keep doing it. I guess I'm decent considering I didn't run in high school and only ran a short time in college (yah for IT Band syndrome - stupid injury)... I usually place somewhere in the top three for my age group in smaller races, and even in bigger ones I do well for my age group, though I have yet to get top three overall for women :) I think I need to stop being injured all the time so I can actually train enough to get faster. Anyway, beyond that... I've been getting into much better shape again! And I get really excited once I start getting in shape again! (Hence all the exclamation points). This evening's run was just under nine miles as this week is supposed to be a step back week, which basically just means I'm not doing a longer run and am sorta letting my body recover from the last couple of weeks of building up, though my runs have gotten faster this week, so I'm not sure if I'm "recovering" as much as doing different types of workouts (faster rather than longer).
I felt overall pretty good on today's run. My average heart rate has been dropping for similar speeds and distances, so that is a plus. The average for today was 159 according to my Garmin (I think it was a little faster than that, but who knows). I was able to run the close-to-nine miles pretty easily, whereas a few weeks ago when I started building miles again, it was a struggle. It also helped that it was cooler I guess. Unfortunately, my right foot started giving me trouble toward the end, so I had to slow it down and walk a little more than planned in my last mile or so... I'm currently icing the area like crazy and wearing my compression socks to let them recover... Of course, I've had this injury before, and I was able to run through it without causing too many issues. I also took along my brand new Nathan Intensity hydration vest (women's specific model). I actually liked it quite a bit. Once I got it all adjusted to fit me properly, it was great. I like the pockets in the front, though I kind of wished it had a strap beyond just the waist strap, but it was designed for a shorter torso so it worked out pretty well. Once I got it fit right, it didn't bounce around, which is a huge plus, as hydration vests/packs tend to cause a lot of issues with chafing if worn for a long period of time. So for any of my girlfriends reading this who are looking for a good hydration pack, the Nathan Intensity is nice! Tomorrow I think I may go for a decent-length bike ride, pending how my body is feeling (as much as cycling is okay for my feet, my IT Band doesn't like it much, so I have to be careful with it).
Alas, I should probably clean up and make some dinner :) Good night and happy Olympics-watching too all my readers.
Nina
First I guess I'll post on the education stand point. I got accepted into the Master's in Health Administration program I was applying to! I didn't THINK it would be an issue, but despite WHERE I went to school, my GPA wasn't stellar (in the middle of the class). If I'd applied to a master's program at Harvard I doubt I would've gotten in, but this school has a pretty decent reputation around here and I've heard good things about it from other students (interns who I've worked with since I've been back stateside, actually). And the class sizes are small, and so far my experiences with them has been good in helping me through the admissions process. They've also shown up on a few top online school listings, though I'll get the same degree as someone who goes to face-to-face classes AND it's close enough that I'll once I can drive again (three more months... *sigh*), I'll be able to head down to the library on weekends if I need to do research and whatnot. All in all, I'm really excited to start the program. I'll be doing as close to full time as I can while I can. Since I'm not exactly doing a real JOB right now, I have the time, and I'm going to take advantage of it to the best of my ability. I'm also putting in for an internship at the clinic here on post so I can actually get some experience in the health care field. It's too bad the military doesn't let you CHOOSE what field you want to go into as an officer, unless you're top of your class. I did decent considering everything, but I wasn't in the top 10-20%, which is where medical service went out at (West Point's branch picking is all based on your class rank. Top of the class gets top pick, and then from there it's basically whatever is left). Of course, Finance isn't exactly a bad branch either, and I liked my job while I was deployed... It's just not what I want to do for the rest of my life. Anyway, to say the least, I am excited! With the possibility of me having to get out of the military at some point sooner than I thought, I have to start actually thinking ahead as to what I want to do once I'm out.
Next up on the list of things to discuss is running! Hooray! I really do think I get way more excited over running than people who are significantly faster than I am... I know so many people who are actually fast who just don't even like running that much, it's just what they've always done, so they keep doing it. I guess I'm decent considering I didn't run in high school and only ran a short time in college (yah for IT Band syndrome - stupid injury)... I usually place somewhere in the top three for my age group in smaller races, and even in bigger ones I do well for my age group, though I have yet to get top three overall for women :) I think I need to stop being injured all the time so I can actually train enough to get faster. Anyway, beyond that... I've been getting into much better shape again! And I get really excited once I start getting in shape again! (Hence all the exclamation points). This evening's run was just under nine miles as this week is supposed to be a step back week, which basically just means I'm not doing a longer run and am sorta letting my body recover from the last couple of weeks of building up, though my runs have gotten faster this week, so I'm not sure if I'm "recovering" as much as doing different types of workouts (faster rather than longer).
I felt overall pretty good on today's run. My average heart rate has been dropping for similar speeds and distances, so that is a plus. The average for today was 159 according to my Garmin (I think it was a little faster than that, but who knows). I was able to run the close-to-nine miles pretty easily, whereas a few weeks ago when I started building miles again, it was a struggle. It also helped that it was cooler I guess. Unfortunately, my right foot started giving me trouble toward the end, so I had to slow it down and walk a little more than planned in my last mile or so... I'm currently icing the area like crazy and wearing my compression socks to let them recover... Of course, I've had this injury before, and I was able to run through it without causing too many issues. I also took along my brand new Nathan Intensity hydration vest (women's specific model). I actually liked it quite a bit. Once I got it all adjusted to fit me properly, it was great. I like the pockets in the front, though I kind of wished it had a strap beyond just the waist strap, but it was designed for a shorter torso so it worked out pretty well. Once I got it fit right, it didn't bounce around, which is a huge plus, as hydration vests/packs tend to cause a lot of issues with chafing if worn for a long period of time. So for any of my girlfriends reading this who are looking for a good hydration pack, the Nathan Intensity is nice! Tomorrow I think I may go for a decent-length bike ride, pending how my body is feeling (as much as cycling is okay for my feet, my IT Band doesn't like it much, so I have to be careful with it).
Alas, I should probably clean up and make some dinner :) Good night and happy Olympics-watching too all my readers.
Nina
No comments:
Post a Comment