Sunday, November 11, 2018

Recap - the Great Turtle Half Marathon - October 27, 2018, on Mackinac Island

If you had asked me a year ago about completing a trail race - much less a half marathon - I would have given you an odd look. Now, two weeks after completing one, I still smile and think fondly back on that race. It was tough and I would not consider it a true trail race. I loved that race, although I do not recommend it to a first timer.

Leading up to the race, I had a mostly strong and successful training cycle. I had slacked a bit on strength training and cross-training methods besides my stationary bike, but I had attended group workouts and, for the most part, completed the solo workouts on pace. I had four weeks of consistent 30 miles (only running) heading into that race. I had completed really tough trail races in preparation and mentally had developed a way to stay positive - for the entire race. I was ready to fly.

Unlike in many races, I was nervous and fidgety. Would I be able to race well? Was my training really where it needed to be? Then - three days before the race - I started having some issues, which plagued me in the May Kalamazoo half. Thankfully - I recognized the issue and fixed it pre-race.

I checked in and got bib the night prior to the race, because I would be taking a ferry in the morning. I wanted to be ok with the timing and I got lots of perspectives, but I ultimately decided to take an earlier ferry, which was definitely the right move. Thankfully, I ate a decent breakfast and my stomach was settled on the ferry ride over to the Island - the ride was a bit choppy and a passenger behind me was not so lucky.

This gave me about 90 minutes to shed layers, stretch, switch shoes, drop off gear, and do a minimal warmup. Usually, I try for a 15-20 minute run and strides, but the cold and windy temperatures put a hold on that idea.

Miles 0-2 - I went out faster than planned in a 9:28-9:38 pace. I checked my watch once just past mile 1. These miles were some of the flattest I would face and the wind was minimal. I even got a "bit warm," but I figured the time to be gutsy was at hand.

Miles 3-11 - Hilly, gorgeous, muddy, gravely, and lots of scenic views - between miles 7-8, I caught up with someone, who I had been following for awhile on social media, and I near fell over, when a fellow runner stopped abruptly in front of me to take a picture. Ahem - that was not pleasant - and I passed horse drawn carriages four times. My pace was in the upper 9 minute or just over 10 minutes for the majority of the race and - in this stretch - I had two 11 minute miles.

Miles 12-13.1 - back to the flat stretch, but the rain, which was present on-and-off throughout the race, and wind made these miles not fun and, in fact, very cold. At Mile 12, I glanced at my watch and knew, unless I collapsed in the last 1.1 miles, that I would be able to finish in a faster time than predicted by my coach. I was ecstatic.

I finished, caught up with my friend, cheered on two of her friends, and we parted ways. I was frozen but oh so happy. In short, I have not done much in the past two weeks, but I think mentally and physically this is what I needed.

I was at conference, completing projects, traveling, or racing, straight from end of May-October and I battled - what I hope - was my last case of Pneumonia in 9 months. My entire reasoning for doing a trail race was to take off the time pressure. 3 cases of pneumonia between Nov 2017-May 2018 left me not trusting myself and unsure of what I could do.

So what's next? I will probably do a holiday themed 5k and then focus on a half in the Spring and Fall. I might try to add in another half, but I am focusing most on staying healthy, being proud of myself, and - whenever possible - not freaking out before the race. If I can stay positive, then working out the "freakout points," is also possible.

To all those racing in Philadelphia, you got this! Congrats to all the Indy Monumental racers and I loved watching so many top female finishers in the New York City marathon. Also - to Jared Ward an the men - wow, I am so incredibly impressed by your performances.

Safe Travels and Happy Thanksgiving - I will probably not post anything until then!
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Sunday, October 21, 2018

Two Conferences, Taper Tantrums, Mackinac Island, Curly Hair Returns, Race Week

Hey There!

Yep - my daffodils are trying to make a bloom in late October. Are they crazy? Yes - they were only planted in early November last year and I think they did not make an appearance this spring. So what does this mean? Not sure - but these are the kind of noteworthy discoveries I make, when doing lawn work in the mid 40s of taper week.

Cleveland was frantic but fun. I then slept most of the day I took to recover. Wednesday was a bit tough and I started the drive to conference two in Traverse City. I arrived with enough time on Thursday to grab breakfast, take a class on Tableau, setup my poster, and begin the final preparations for my Paper presentation. I got great questions and thoroughly enjoyed myself, but I did not pack sufficient layers.

I then drove through snow on/off including the bridge to the Upper Peninsula. Let me tell you - driving in the wind and snow flurries was not so fun the first time. Needing to complete a speed workout, I got my stuff sorted, changed, and did it. No, I did not hit the splits and yes I resembled a Pillsbury Dough Boy, but I did it. My second to last long run was similar - cold, lots of turns, but I did it. The walking around the Island convinced me that I have trained on harder terrain and so the race will in fact be a reward. Will I struggle? Yep. And I may hit a point where I decide I cannot continue? When those moments hit, I will just take a second to re frame it, remind myself that I trained hard, and keep up on going.

And...yes, I posted some photos twice. Sorry, folks - I did spot some hilarious boots and I picked up a cute owl, which will be an excellent donation to the 2019 Midwest MLA silent auction.

I returned in the mid afternoon/early evening a week ago. I was pretty exhausted and not running well - as you might imagine -for more days than I care to admit. Wednesday night - I ran with my group and coach. The "tantrum" finally passed and I was told to speed up and I did. The last long run was easy and now the race week is upon us.

And...I got my haircut, after getting a recommendation, and the curls have returned. They are much more "prominent" in the initial cut and now my hair is back to doing its usual with little prompting (yay).

I will drive-up Thursday afternoon/evening, pickup stuff on Friday afternoon, run Saturday, and then return on Sunday. If I feel up to it, I will do a pre/post race write-up. The post race recap will occur happen within a day or two. In the meantime, Twitter and Instagram are the best ways to keep up with me for the next week or so.

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Saturday, September 29, 2018

It's Almost October....Happy National Medical Librarians Month - Debunking Some Myths about Medical Librarians!

Hey Everyone,

Yep - this is going be a more professional post than some, but I will give some highlights of what October will hold in terms of running for me - not to worry!

October is the month for many things, but the one I choose to discuss is National Medical Librarians month. Specifically, I will debunk or support 10 myths about my field and my area of expertise. Ready or not, here we go:

10) All librarians - especially medical librarians - own cats or dogs.

Nope - I am highly allergic to cats and, despite enjoying well behaved dogs, I will not have ever have an inside dog. They also have this horrible tendency to chase me, while running, and I even got bitten one time. So - I happily follow people on instagram with these pets. I may at some point have another inside pet, but given that I travel and work quite a bit, this pet is going to have be ok with being on its own.

9) Being a member of the Medical Library Association is a required for being a Medical Librarian.

 Most definitely no - I joined in 2007 and, with a few exceptions, I attend the annual meeting each year. For the past year or so, I have been leading one of the groups (Educational Media and Technology Section). The conference rates keep going up, but I feel it is important to attend, even if it means self funding part of the expenses. If you cannot justify the cost, state or regional health science association meetings are a great place to "test out" the conference scene. They usually are more affordable and it is fun to meet many people in a smaller setting.

8) What does AHIP mean? Why should I bother?

 AHIP - Academy of Health Information Professionals - is a way to keep up with the trends in the field. I delayed joining, because it is much easier to renew at a higher level. I entered at the Senior level in 2014 and I will be moving up to Distinguished in the next year or so. Not all medical librarians are part of it, but it is a good way to show your dedication to the profession. It is also a lot less painful and cheaper than getting a second masters degree or a doctorate.

7) Umm...I have issues with Blood, which means I cannot be a medical librarian.

 While most medical librarians do support health care professionals (doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physical therapists, etc), we rarely end up dealing with blood. Yes, HIPAA training is required, although most clinical faculty members do not discuss patients at all, even if they know you have the training. I respect this. So - no - if you are afraid of blood, this is still an area to consider.

6) All medical librarians do research and publish.

 This is so decidedly not true. Most librarians - maybe more so medical librarians - do not ever publish. Some decide to do it, but this is usually as part of a tenure track position or for promotional purposes. Then again, a group find it interesting and decide to do it,  because they want to do research.

5) All librarians knit or crochet.

HAH - this is so not true. Although, I do no knit and sometimes I attempt crocheting. I prefer knitting and usually have a couple projects on hand, because it is fun to switch and do different ones to get past the "oh my...I have xxx repeats to do and it is making me insane!"

4) I will learn everything I need to be successful in my Masters program.

 This is one of my major pet peeves. The masters program is highly theoretical and, quite frankly, I sometimes wonder why it is necessary. I decided to get experience - with little help from my program - and did 2 internships and a practical experience at three places in the DC area. Each one taught me what I did not want to do and assisted in determining the setting that would eventually work best for me.

3) Library School

 If you want me to be ready to yell, scream, and likely loose my temper, just mention the words, "Library School." It is a masters degree. Yes, it might be (quietly like is) easier to get than many, but it is still a requirement for most professional positions. If you don't have one, then promoting and career advancement are tough. The first step toward becoming acknowledged and well respected as a profession is to quit referring to the program as, "library school."

2) Tenure track positions are the best. All librarians should be required to get tenure.

 I am 2 years and nearly 3 moths into a tenure-track position. Whether or not I get will determine if I must quickly seek a job (after 6 years) and explain why I did not get it. If I get it, then it does ensure some stability. I am quite sure it is easier to get a doctorate degree than it is to achieve tenure. Most likely - whether or not I achieve it - I will write about this topic in detail, but first I want to get through it.

1) Why would I need a librarian? Google has all the answers. Let me just "google" it and prove it to you!

 Librarians use Google just as much as everyone else, but we should not be threatened by Google. Why? Medical databases, technology, an the practice of health care are always changing. People do not receive adequate training, get stuck, and resort to Google. If we, the professionals, quickly demonstrate a more efficient way of retrieving the "information" by not Googling, then the person will respect our position, talk favorably about the library, and return with more complicated questions. Don't fight Google. Instead use it as a conversation starter and a way to encourage people to use databases for more effective searching.

In late September 2007, I started my first professional position and I graduated with my masters degree in December. The journey to where I am now contained more twists, turns, challenges, and fun than I could have anticipated. Should we all become librarians? No. Do I still prefer to be "incognito" and introduce position as, "I work for the College of Medicine or I am an information professional." Yep - you see, the term "librarian" gives people the wrong impression. And so - I confuse 98% of people with my description of what I do and, those who work with librarians or keep current, - figure it out and start asking good and specific questions.

I will be in Cleveland next weekend and then in Traverse City and Mackinac Island the following week. Two weeks after that, I will be running my first trail half marathon on Mackinac Island. I think that I have found trail shoes, which will keep me vertical, but I will test them a few more times to be safe.

Stay happy, keep running or exercising, and high five the medical librarians - they need it, even if you might not guess it by the smiles you see during the month of October.

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Sunday, September 23, 2018

It's been...two months and 18 days, but I am finally posting. Alert - this might be lengthy!

Hey All!

If I claimed the past 2 months and 18 days were dull, then I would surely be lying. Instead, I travelled to-and-from Chicago for a week of training. Then, the weekend after that I drove to Indianapolis and completed my first relay. I have decided relays require more planning than I gave my first one but they are kind of fun.

Two weeks later, I ran a 5k and managed a 28:45, which is the fastest 5k time I have seen in many years. It's not quite my fastest ever, but I was ecstatic.


Then, I did a 5 mile trail race and volunteered for about 6 hours after it with people I had not met previously. Going into it, I had a bit of tough night, rough morning - I was thrilled they let me participate and I will be happy tp race and volunteer again with this group. It is the most fun I have had volunteering in a non-professional circumstance since moving to the Northwest Ohio - Southeastern Michigan area.

The past 26 months professionally have taught me a lot. If I am required to do research (yes, it's part of the job!), then I am going to find a way to make it meaningful to the community and people I support. My masters program was theoretical enough that it took me a while to figure out how it applied (or didn't in many cases) to what I do. I no longer feel ashamed for doing the work at the office and, in fact, it assists in determining how I allocate the funds under my purview. It is also a fantastic opportunity to better understand how those I serve think and feel.
After a brief six week stint - I concluded that running my own business or being a contract/consultant on the side is not for me. To do it, I need a definite start and end date. Does more to this "story" exist, of course - but given how trusting I am of technology, the lack of evidence about this latest adventure should tell you a lot.

Health wise - my fitness continues to improve and I am getting a bit gutsy. Trail racing fascinates and scares me. My first test of trail shoes led to achy feet and a crank shin. Those shoes are going back the store and thank heavens they have a 30 day return policy. The problems I expected to have never appeared. Instead, I went to my local running shop, asked a bunch of questions and posed the one, which still confuses me about different wear patterns on my shoes. I am hoping this next pair of trail shoes works. I am definitely a size 8 (don't try to put me in something else or my shoes flop like chicken wings when I attempt to accelerate).

Do I still have health questions? Yep. Did I fear for about a month of being the, "Patient from Hell?" Yep - I have been informed that advocating for my health and getting a good response from the doctors (i.e. they moved up the appointment!) are good things. I am not stopping until I get some answers but I also hope to lace up my newly acquired trail shoes for the Great Turtle Trail Half Marathon at the end of October.

My professional association is restructuring and, being a leader of a group, it means lots of extra meetings, talking, and sussing out what the group wants. I am fortunate to have a good supporting group of people and many others are willing to give me opinions. How this plays out? Well - it's all going to happen in the upcoming months regardless of whether or not we can reach a consensus. I only hope - at the end of it - my group emerges with a renewed sense of purpose and desire to continue pushing the association members to try new things, be innovative, and yet find the fun in what we do.

Technology - if used properly - can be good and hold the attention of the audience. We are running the, "My Favorite Tool," session for the second time in May 2019. It will be fun, fast-paced, and a bit different. The rockstar judges know that I will protect them from contestants and the contestants know I am not judging them, because face-it I could not do so with an unbiased perspective. I only hope that we get a good turnout, some volunteers to keep up the Twitter commentary, a web conferencing system that allows for instant voting and tallying, but most importantly that everyone (audience, contestants, judges) have fun. It worked last year and we have a chance to make this next round even better.
Until next time - which should occur before 2 months have passed - keep your chin up and don't forget to find the fun and bright spots, even if they both play the disappearing game.

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Wednesday, July 4, 2018

The Double Race Recap Special: 2 races, two days apart

Hi All,

This year, running wise, I decided to focus on being thrilled to sign-up and run races. In the not so distant past (i.e. last year and 5 or 6 years prior to that), this is something that I could not seem to manage. Staying healthy is top priority and getting back fitness and speed will come with time.

So July 1st - my overall time was 31:43. Last year - same race, but cooler tmperatures - I did it in 31:08. I also had more of a warmup last year. This year I slept better and woke up not feeling great, but I was still feeling good enough to do it, which was also an improvement over last year. The course was well marked and had volunteers posted at any point, where someone (dehydrated or exhausted) could get lost or take a wrong turn. My pre-race planning and the day prior to the race could have been smoother, but I am pleased with how things went overall. The views, after the race, made it all worthwhile. Usually, I do not repeat aces, but this one is an exception. The proceeds benefit a high school, where quite a few of my cousins graduated. It is also run in memory of someone, whose sister I met a few times at family gatherings.

Next up, a new-to-me race on July 4th. I am hoping my neighbors decide that they are ok not having a July 3rd firework show, which they had last night for quite a bit of time. Thankfully, I was tired enough that I slept soundly but falling asleep proved to be a challenge.

Today's race started with a cooler temperature by nine degrees. Oh what a difference it made! I also planned better, did a full warmup sans some dynamic drills, and stuck with a good and speedy friend until the last bit of the race. I was holding back, but I still made it through the first mile in 9:40ish. Yes, this was not the plan, but I really was trying to hold back a bit. My end time was 31:05 and I was the 150th finisher. I ended up with a $25 gift certificate, which I will use when I purchase my next running shoes.

Thanks to Second Sole and the Toledo Road Runners for hosting the event! I definitely enjoyed it and I did end up napping for a little bit.

That's it, folks. Two five 5k in four days - whew - it was fun and I am not as sore as I anticipated. I will get back to negative split racing, but for now I am happy that I could race the entire distance without pain. I think this is more of a hip rather than IT band issue. So, I will do extra stretching and be happy it is on the mend.

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Wednesday, June 20, 2018

A Month and 13 days later: Summer and Fall 2018 Plans

Hi All!

I suspected, after typing up my Kalazamoo recap, that I would not be updating for awhile. It has a been a nutty Month and 13 days. It included two trips (professional conference, vacation) and getting sick, recovering, and putting together a stationary bike (step 1 of the home gym) pictured here:

In the two weeks or so it has been assembled, I have completed nearly 38 miles. I am thankful to be healthy enough that I can also get back into running. Am I completely over what I got? The health professionals say no and I am on the fence. I also have a really high pain tolerance, which I forget to tell people. So onto the summer plans, which I know will get more defined as time passes:

Tuesday Speed Workouts - I will be doing as many of these as I can, unless I am sick, at a conference, or work takes over, which unfortunately does happen.

July 4th - Ideally, I will feel up to doing a 5k. I might not do it for time, but just to see how I can handle it.

July 21st - I am doing a relay with two other people for the 8 hour Endurance Race. My goal is to run farther than I have up to this point in one day. I have a secret goal, which I have only shared with my teammates.

August 2nd - Local 5k - I plan to do it, unless I am whipped and advised to skipt it due to July 21st.

October 27th - Trail Half Marathon on Mackinac Island (Pronounced Mackinaw!)

This will be my second trail race ever and I am excited to see how it goes. If I break my times from Kalamazoo, lovely. If not, that's ok. I am still not completely convinced that something will upset my training between now and then. I am keeping my eye on the prize - complete scheduled training, stay healthy (ahem, ahem - I am not doing well with this!), and continue building up mileage.

Closer to the dates of races, I will set more definitive goals (of course), but for now I am happy to be pretty healthy.

Happy Wednesday!
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Monday, May 7, 2018

Kalamazoo Half Marathon Recap: Take Aways, Things Not to Repeat and Future Plans

Hi All,

Below is my Race Recap for the Kalamazoo, Michigan, Borgess Half Marathon from yesterday morning.

Warm-Up: Truncated due to parking in an area, which was not recommended by the Expo, and then freaking out that I was going to miss the race. Yes, I did use the WIN (What's Important Now) technique from Nicole Detling to get back into a positive train of thought.

Miles 0-5: Battling cramps and an upset GI system. I was hoping to keep the 2:15 pace group in sight, but they got away and I could not hold the pace. That's ok. I figured it would happen and I was not going to waste the race by attempting it. The weather was hot and I was not great with hydrating along the way. By mile 5, I was doing ok, but I had to force myself into eating half of my first honey stinger waffle . The course markings were weird and I ended up glancing at my watch - noted the mile and the time only at 6k - to figure out where to fuel.

Miles 6-11: 6-8 - clouds replaced the heat and the wind picked up. Mile 9 was a legit hill. Miles 10-11 were kind of a steady incline, but I was waiting for a giant hill that never ever appeared. I studied the maps, spoke to volunteers, and still could not get a feel for how awful the hills would or would not be. After Mile 9 to the end, I was debating whether or not to exit, use the facilities, and rejoin the group.

Miles 12-13.1: The race had lots of crowd support at Mile 12 to the finish. I did not begin to push, because I was convinced the hill was just around the corner. I clued in with about .75 miles to go and really pushed for the final .25 miles or so.

I asked for a late checkout and oh did I feel better after a hot shower. My GI system was still annoyed and made itself known after the race ended, on my way back home, and after I got home. I am going to be nice to it and I know it will pass.

Takeaways from the race:

1) Volunteers, who give you information and/or mislead people, might get called nasty names in my head. This caused me some anxiety and frustration a few times at various points of the race.

2) My definition of a "hill" is different from the general population. I agree that Mile 9 was a hill. I completed the second hill and was sure, with the race support, that I still had more to do. OOPs - ah well, I can work on accelerating more next time. I don't think this means I did not put in sufficient effort, but it is giving me ideas for future races.

3)Strength training hurts. So does foam rolling. Do them any way - I recover better now, because I do it. If you are part of the Drew Watts and Tina Muir Strong Stars program, actually complete Day 3. I didn't and it made for sore glutes. Guess what I am reviewing and doing starting this week?!

Things not to repeat:

1) I will not Noodles & Company as a pre-race meal. It was salty and greasy. I was thirsty all the time and the weather went from hot, to cool and windy, rainy, and then back to hot.

2) It is totally fine to determine where to park and to avoid places recommended by the race. They recommended three places but did not indicate that I could park elsewhere. Fortunately, I parked behind someone else and discovered, post-race, that I had other options.

3) Dumping water on my head and not drinking enough led to a wet shirt, hat, and shorts. I thought it was going to stay hot and I probably ended up being a bit dehydrated. I was definitely thirsty and I only skipped one water station.

Below are some things I got a the expo and I am all excited about my Addaday stick. I hope it travels ok in a carry-on bag:

I decided to take off work today and I might also take off tomorrow. My "shakeout jog/walk" was indeed a hobblefest. After about a quarter mile of hoping and wishing time had passed, though, I loosened up enough to just plod along and work with it. I got my haircut and I am doing some non-pressing things for work. I will be doing lots of relaxing, stretching, foam rolling, and yoga in the next 2-3 weeks. I will restart strength training, once I can do it with proper form!

Future Plans:

I will not be running a marathon until Fall 2019 at the earliest. This summer, I will probably do some 5ks, 10ks, and plan for a Fall half marathon. After reading the training logs of experienced marathoners and even those just working on a marathon for the first time, I had pretty much come to this conclusion. Being me, I put my coach on the spot. She is in full agreement with this plan.

I loved going into the Kalamazoo Half with the knowledge that I could handle the distance and most of the weather. If at all possible, I hope to go into all future races with this mindset and I plan to work on the positive outlook in all areas - not just races - of my life.

Happy Monday, All!


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Saturday, May 5, 2018

Healthy & Kalamazoo Half Marathon Preview/Race Plan

Hi all,

On Wednesday, I got the news that I am healthy. My blood tests came back normal or excellent and I am feeling like me.

My allergy/migraine issues started in 2003, but they did not really kick off until 2009, when my other systems decided to join the fun. Fast forward to May 2017 (yes, that is last year!) and I learned that supplements work best for me. I do have to eat chocolate (I know, isn't life tough!) and/or bananas on a regular basis, but my body deals with it pretty well. I also learned not to mess around with the supplement dose or I will have issues. I am so happy to be healthier than I have been.

Tomorrow, I will run the Kalamazoo Half Marathon. I have trained hard and, for the first time in a long time, achieved 100 miles in March and April. Those also happen to be the months when work went insane, but I still managed to get out and do it. My goal became work, get in the training, and move on to the next day. This is the best I have felt going into a race. My coach gave some ideas for times to hit. I will review those a final time tonight and then use the nerves, which started appearing a bit yesterday and are in full force as I type this, to focus and give it my best tomorrow. This truly is my "redemption or come-back" race and it is fitting to be in a new place with hills at the end of the course. Why? I love hills and I grew up training with them. Now, I get to celebrate by propelling myself up them with a smile, because I could not have done this a year ago.

Per usual, I will use the #nowatchme approach. If the first mile is timed, excellent, but if not then, I will be fine. I might glance at my watch between miles 1-3 just to be sure I am not hitting a sub 10 minute pace. Beyond that, I will use mile markers to indicate only when I should eat my Honey Stinger waffles. I am packing extra, just in case I feel a crash coming, but I will like take them only at miles 2, 4, 6, 8. I eat half a waffle at each mile. Yep, it seems silly, but my body tolerates them amazingly well and this works so much better than my first attempt at fueling last fall, when I felt and sometimes got sick after every long run!

I am not expecting to beat my half marathon time of 2 hours set in 1998. Instead, I will enjoy every single mile and celebrate the times I can push. Never ever take your health for granted. For 9 years, I did not appreciate how much good health impacts how I view the world. Now that I am doing better, I plan to enjoy every little accomplishment and I will be working on reframing my view on the point in the race, which inevitably comes, and I question, "Why am I doing this?" Instead, I plan - at this stage - to say, "Look, I can do this now and I am enjoying it."

Starting now until post-race tomorrow, I will not be on social media much if at all. Why? I am taking the time to focus, relax, and get in the race mentality. I will be reading the Deena Kastor book, completing my pre-race shakeout run, and then foam rolling and using my spikey ball to keep loose.

To everyone racing in Pittsburgh and Cincinnati tomorrow, enjoy and give it your best. I will be asking the same of myself tomorrow and post-race I will be catching up on your accomplishments.

Happy Saturday!
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