doing my homework

August 25, 2009

back to school?
unruly, suntanned kids are piling into classrooms across the country, and fresh new notebooks and highlighters are flying off the shelves at CVS. clearly, it’s back to school time! as a stationery enthusiast, organization junkie, and inexorable goal-setter (exhibit a: excel sheet of previous new years’ resolutions), i have a special place in my heart for this time of year.

i loved reading the back to school resolutions on kath’s blog yesterday, and i’m all misty-eyed seeing the young kids like allie gear up for another year at college. i wish i could go out and buy fresh new textbooks and post my class schedule on my bulletin board!


last night’s reading adventure: see, i still have homework

then again, i suppose in some ways being a resident is like staying in school (practically) forever. there may be an MD after my name, and i do receive a paycheck (yay!), but i am clearly still in training, as evidenced by the 8 zillion conferences we go to and the attendings who oh-so-gently obliterate the plans i suggest on rounds (okay, only sometimes).

other than bringin’ home the benjamins, the main difference between school and residency, however, is that i have to balance my learning with a lot of plain old work. one of the things i’m always trying to get better about is my academic reading. this is something we are expected to do, but is not always easy to make a priority, especially after a long day when the last thing i want to do is think about preemies YET AGAIN.

so i will make this my one and only back to school resolution — to remember that i need to fit learning into every day (actually, let’s make that every week day . . . i like realistic goals). it sounds corny, but it’s an important part of my education and one that seems more critical as i get closer and closer to the finish line.

coffee talk
it’s 6:09 am and i’ve already had two minor coffee disasters today: one involved spilling grounds all over my shirt and the floor while making my crucial morning brew, and the second was a minor aspiration event which resulted in coffee spurting up my nose and then all over my desk, including my laptop. it stung a bit as it entered my nasal passages, but maybe i’ll get more of a high from snorting it.

i am proud to announce that i have not let these caffeine calamities break me, but instead calmly cleaned up and moved on. because as i stated yesterday, this is going to be a good week. AND I MEANT IT.

——————————————————————

8.24.09

workout: FIRST workout #1! all on the TM @ 0.5% incline
10 minute warmup @ 9:13/mi
3 minutes @ 7:41/mi, 3 minutes recovery jog — repeat x 4
10 minute cooldown @ 9:13/mi

note: this week’s workouts are on the treadmill due to my schedule this week, but starting next week i’ll be back to AM running outside.

kim: thank you for your tips! in some ways, i’m totally with you. i considered a hal higdon program. but i LOVE speedwork and tempo runs — they are what make training fun and interesting to me. i also feel like my body responds very well to those things, and i’ve been doing them to some degree all summer without any problems. in the past, i think it was more the repeated long runs (ie, multiple 20 milers) and long tempos that tended to lead to more soreness and pain, as well as increased overall mileage, so i am going to keep these things down. most of all, i’m going to keep an open mind and be flexible, and i have promised myself i’ll be okay with whatever happens!

doin’ time: YUM! last night’s recipes were some that i might not have chosen to make if i wasn’t cooking through a whole cookbook, but i really enjoyed them.

cantaloupe, mint, and mozzarella salad, grilled corn, and rosemary chicken — served at 9 pm, euro-style. i am packing some seriously delicious leftovers for lunch today.

reading: 20 minutes on intrauterine growth restriction (from the book pictured above that my attending is lending me for the week).

7 Comments

  • Reply Anonymous March 10, 2019 at 7:28 pm

    You are a organization girl like me! I love it! I make lists, color code my planner/schedule, check things off, do all that jazz and it helps me a lot in the long run.

    I like this time of the year too–the beginning on a semester–I am always so excited and motivated. I really hope it stays this time. It should b/c grad school is more serious! haha

  • Reply Anonymous March 10, 2019 at 7:28 pm

    Your dinner was so colorful! Way to hang in there with all the reading and beign in the NICU.

    What race are you training for?

  • Reply Susan March 10, 2019 at 7:28 pm

    I always loved the "back to school" era because of all the organization it meant. Getting new syllabi and new textbooks was always so fun! I kind of miss school.

    I&#39m excited to hear how the FIRST training goes…I&#39ve never followed anyone who has used it, so it will be fun to follow your training!

  • Reply Siobhan Brady March 10, 2019 at 7:28 pm

    hey – why don&#39t you try the runner&#39s world ultimate marathon plan (for moderate runners). i followed their 5k and half plans and got my fastest races ever. i liked that you run your goal pace often so it&#39s not a big shock. and there isn&#39t a ton of mileage or really crazy speed work (but just enough)..

    i love that you&#39ve been getting all these bars lately – can you comment on how many carbs they have, how much protein, and if any of it is soy? 🙂 i&#39m on the lookout for a new tasty bar. esp. for my training on my NEW treadmill (so EXCITED!)

  • Reply Claire March 10, 2019 at 7:29 pm

    I&#39ve been doing good on reading recently…yesterday I took one of our required Nelson&#39s tests and I just finished reading about Kawasaki&#39s. Such fun! Pretty soon my reading will mirror yours as I enter the NICU.

  • Reply Allie (Live Laugh Eat) March 10, 2019 at 7:28 pm

    Haha I love the school supply shopping and room organization (minus my suitcases still filled with clothes) but not so thrilled about having all my time invaded by readings, papers, and meetings! Especially when we all know I&#39d rather be blogging 🙂

  • Reply Diana March 10, 2019 at 7:28 pm

    Thanks so much for the notebooks! I received them today. I also appreciated the personal note. Now I can&#39t wait for classes to start so that I can start using them!

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