Gravity…

You know you had a great run when you come home and your kid asks you if you just got out if the shower.  The way my new running club works is everyone kind of shows up at our meeting place at a pre-arranged time and tries to find someone running a similar distance at a similar pace.  One speedy group was doing a 20 miler but the first 8 were close to my pace so I decided to go for it.  I only did 8 miles but it was my longest run since the Tough Mudder in March.  I love running with fast people.  It inspires and challenges me.  It felt so good to get my legs moving and to remind myself that I’m not going to die if I push myself a little.  I really can’t wait to get in full on training mode mid-June.

Before I get to full training mode – I have to recover from my procedure.  I love what running has done for me.  My mind and body are stronger because of it.  However, running has finished off what nursing two kids started. I have been contemplating having some “work” done for a while but it took this manequin to seal the deal.So this Monday I am taking the plunge to restore and enhance what having kids and running have taken away. I’m a little nervous about running with actual boobs but I am really excited to throw away all of my extra padded bras.  As an added bonus, this also counts as my hubby’s Father’s Day present

 

MOTY…

I am officially 1/4 of a registered nurse.  My semester is over and it’s time for me to start righting some wrongs that I have committed over the past 4 months.  One of the things I’m adding to my MOTY application is the following picture:

This is what my refridgerator had looked like more often than I care to admit over the past 4 months.  The extra sad thing is that the giant pizza box is actually empty.  Tomorrow I have grand plans to go to Sprouts and load up on produce, followed by a trip to Sams.  My children will probably weep with joy that their meals will no longer come with instructions on how long to heat.

Jax really likes to cook.  I’ve been really bad about letting him.  He found a can of pumpkin in the pantry this past weekend  and begged to make a homemade pie.  I was in the midst of studying for finals and promised him that the day I finished we would make a pie.  He did most of the work with a little supervision and minimal help.  He was really bummed that he has to wait 2 hours for it to cool.

I am going to thouroughly enjoy my summer with some of my favorite people, train for another half and possibly a full.

 

Pool time….

I love summertime.  When other people are complaining about it being 90 degrees in May (which it is), I am embracing it.  Let me be clear, last summer’s record breaking 100 degree heat beat down about did me in but in general I love me a low 90′s, sunny day, especially when I can spend it by the pool.  Our pool opened 5 days ago and today was the first day I managed to get in some pool time.  Unfortunately I spent it like this…

Next week is finals week and I have 85 chapters’ worth of notes to review.  (P.S. try not to be jealous of my awesome kneecaps).  However, the sun and water does my body good and I knocked out a decent portion of my studying.

While getting ready for the swim I pulled out my pool bag from last summer.Hi.  My name is Rene’ and I have a problem…

 

Glimpse of Heaven…

I have spent the past 4 months questioning my recent choices in life, specifically my decision to give up my stay-at-home mom lifestyle to pursue a degree in nursing.  I feel like many areas in my life have suffered as I tried to balance the demands of schooling along with my other responsibilities.  My house is dirtier, my kids not as well nourished, my friendships neglected, and my running, well let’s just say I’m hoping I make it through my 8 mile run this Saturday (I realize there are bigger travesties in life and recognize the many blessings that I do have).

Compounding my problems were the struggles I was having with school.  Of the three components (lecture, skills practice, and clinical) I most dreaded clinical days.  We would spend 8 hours at the hospital interacting with patients.  While I loved working with patients, I did not enjoy the units I was assigned to work on (the exception being post-partum).  Today was our last clinical day for the semester and I begged my instructor to allow me to go to the labor and delivery unit which was previously off limits.  I was thrilled when she said yes.  Of course when I arrived this morning the unit was practically empty.  There were only 4 patients, none of whom were going to deliver before I had to leave at one.  I was disappointed to say the least.  Then one of the patients had to have a C-section and I was allowed to observe.

 (This is not the actual baby.  That would be a major breach of confidentiality and would get me kicked out of school).

It was one of the most incredible moments of my life.  I was able to see EVERYTHING, from the epidural to the first incision.  I was totally professional and only cried a little bit.   I was glad I was wearing a mask because I’m pretty certain I was doing a bizzare grinning/crying thing.  That experience alone reaffirmed that I was doing the right thing and that if I continued on this path, the end results would be so worth it.  The cherry on top occured about two hours later when one of the 3 remaining patients was ready to push.  I was allowed to observe from the “business end” and witnessed another beautiful baby enter this world.  Again I was professional and only cried a little bit but this time didn’t have a mask to disguise my emotions.

Other than my own kids, these were the 2nd and 3rd babies I witnessed being born (the first being my BFF’s delivery).  I am so grateful to those families who allowed me to share in their miracle.  They have no idea the impact they have had on my life and the motivation to continue on my path.

 

Best Lecture Ever…

What does it take to turn a room full of adults (21 – 60) into 12 year old boys?  An in-depth lecture on sex education, complete with handouts and demonstrations

.

Given that we are all brain dead and just two weeks away from finishing the semester, the timing could have been better.  However, my husband was super excited about the “prize” I brought home for him.

Too bad the instructor had to ruin our fun by showing us pictures of STDs.

Since I’ve started school my running has taken a nose-dive.  To remedy that situation I’ve joined a new running group.  I have my first group run this Saturday.  I’m so ready to get back in the saddle and to get my legs moving again.

 

One Proud Momma…

Jax, Donnie, and I ran a 5K this morning in glorious Texas weather (sunny, 63, and perfect).  Jax tore it up and I trailed him for the first 2 miles.  Of the four 5ks he’s run, this is the first time he didn’t stop to walk at all.  My proudest moment came when he came to the water stop, grabbed a cup while running, and threw it to the ground like a pro after a few sips. I was running about 20 feet behind him at this point and I actually teared up (totally normal, right?).  He ended up finishing the race in 26:20, good enough for a 2nd place age group finish.

I was also so proud of my husband!  He really does not like running but he loves his family.  He started running so he could do 5ks with us and today he completed his first one.  He finished in a respectable 32:20.  I love that I am married to such a great man and such a great father.

 

Tough Mudder..

Today was the big day.  I thought I had trained well.  I thought wrong.  This was the toughest physical activity I have ever participated in – including birthing 2 children.  Over 20 obstacles over 12 miles – this ain’t no Warrior Dash.  BUT it was so freaking fun.  My team was amazing (and easily could have left me behind since they were super speedy) but they stuck with me and we finished together.

A few souvenirs I brought home:

Mud under my sports bra

Donnie was particularly concerned about these

And my personal favorite:

I ended up getting a nice scratch on the back of my upper thigh (no close up – you’re welcome).  My hubs was convinced he saw a splinter in it so of to urgent care we went.  Turns out he was wrong about the splinter but I did have an infection brewing.  I guess swimming in manure infused mud while having an open wound isn’t such a great idea.  10 days of antiobiotics ought to fix that.

Overall I loved the experience and would do it again. The sportsmanship was awesome and there were some killer athletes participating. I know what to expect and how to tweak my training for my next go around.

*Post and during race pictures to come as soon as I get them

 

 

Comfortable…

I have officially completed half of a semester of nursing school.  It was overwhelming at first and I was pretty sure I would never get the hang of it.  I’m still not sure of everything but slowly things seem to be making sense and I am getting more comfortable with everything.  I realized my classmates must be feeling the same way when we were in lab the other day learning about giving meds and I saw this:

The next generation of nurses are going to rock.

Another thing I’ve struggled with is keeping up with my running.  Since finishing my half in February my running has taken a serious hit.  I’ve managed to get in a few runs each week but they are not what I would call quality.  My solution – sign up for races.  I run better when I have something to train for.  It also helps that my kid happens to love racing 5ks.  We’re shooting for one event each month.

BTW, Jax finished his last race in 28:14.  He did this after doing exactly one 1 mile training run.  I can’t wait to see what he can do after we actually train.

 

Where’s my superhero?

From the time my boy was 2 until he was around 7 he lived in costume.  Not just at Halloween, not just at home.  Everywhere we went he had on some sort of cape, ususally accompanied by red rainboots.  I was the mom who let her son go to the grocery store, gym, museums, basically everywhere short of church dressed up as Batman, Darth Vadar, Buzz Lightyear, Superman and sometimes a combination. I got a kick out of the looks we got and it made him happy.  Now he’s 9 1/2 and he’s been out of the dress-up stage for a few years.  However, I’ve held onto his superhero underpants – until last night.  I got the request to trade in his Power Ranger underwear for some more manly boxer briefs.  Talk about a daggar through the heart.

Now my superhero is a lacrosse/football/basketball player who thinks he’s going to kick my trash in our 5K tomorrow.  My superhero may be gone but the young man who replaced him is pretty super too.

 

The first mile is always the hardest…

I don’t know what it is about the first mile of my runs. It doesnt matter if I’m going 2 miles or 13.1.  The first mile is always the hardest.  I spend that first mile questioning my sanity and wondering why I am not at home in bed with the rest of my family. My heart rate is crazy and I get light headed. But sometime between mile 1 and mile 2 the magic happens.  I get into a rhythm, my breathing evens out, and my legs go on autopilot.

I am in the first mile of nursing school.  I am crazy busy and trying to balance family, school, and working out.  I’m not having the best experiences in the hospital (the patients are great, the employees – not so much).  I am spending most of my “free days” in our school hospital practicing skills.  And I am having that unfortunate experience of learning through my failures.

But I know that my second mile is coming up.  We’re learning about giving shots (is it totally weird that I am less nervous about sticking a patient with a needle than I am taking vital signs?). Spring break is around the corner.  And when I need inspriation I think of my miracle babies and the fact that they have overcome more challenges in their NICU stays than I have in my entire life.  And that will keep me moving towards the finish line.