tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25059674833735012082024-03-20T03:45:16.615-04:00Running On FumesRunning Happy with the Brooks Inspire Daily ProgramAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760429286562345555noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505967483373501208.post-47551134520447221502013-11-24T22:12:00.001-05:002013-11-24T22:12:03.744-05:00Benjamin Lawrence LeDuff<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strike>Jack.</strike><br />
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<strike>Luke.</strike> </div>
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<strike>Jude.</strike> </div>
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<strike>Nicholas.</strike> </div>
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Those names didn't make the cut.<br />
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Introducing Benjamin Lawrence LeDuff.</div>
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Weighing in at an earth shattering 5 pounds, 7 ounces at a height of 18 1/8 inches at 2:58pm on November 14th, 2013, he made his way into the world by c-section. After some rapid breathing in the observation nursery, he was brought to the NICU. Clearly, he just wanted to see where his daddy works and make his momma and grandmothers anxious. :)</div>
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Any amount of time spent in any NICU is too much. But in the grand scheme of NICU time, eleven days is quite short. Fortunately, my leadership and teammates were amazing in letting me take time to see him while still being at work.<br />
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Thank you to all the nurses who took care of him directly. And thank you to all the nurses who came to visit him and to hold him when they had a few extra minutes. Thank you to the NICU NNP and medical teams for all your smart decisions in his care. Thank you to Katie for taking care of both our boys. You're definitely a huge part of our family. Christy and I can't thank the NICU team enough for the two times that they've been part of our pregnancy and parenting experience.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760429286562345555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505967483373501208.post-36096015327518246512013-07-24T20:22:00.000-04:002013-07-24T20:22:24.888-04:00Round Two<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I imagine that any pregnancy is terrifying in its own way for each individual involved. I also imagine that in general, each pregnancy is easier than the last. You know what to expect and how you handled it the last time. For the mother, she knows how she felt before and has something to compare it to the second time. For the father/partner, they know what worked or didn't work to support the mother. For us, it's got to end up easier than <a href="http://chipleduff.blogspot.com/2012/11/lawrence-dennis-leduff-iv.html" target="_blank">the last one</a>. Needless to say, we are mildly terrified but extremely excited to be pregnant again.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm a boy</td></tr>
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Today, Christy is 19+4 weeks into this pregnancy. After a previously complicated pregnancy, military healthcare is very diligent with testing, imaging, lab work, and consultations. It's okay though. We like the attention in this case. And just for clarification, they were extremely diligent during our last one. We have no complaints whatsoever with the care we received last time or with the care we're receiving this time. We had our anatomy scan yesterday which showed us we're having another boy. The ultrasound picture shows the round baby bottom on the right, two legs facing the left, and baby boy parts in between the legs. When we had our first ultrasound at 13+3 weeks, we saw what looked liked boy parts on the screen. The ultrasound tech and pediatric cardiologist would neither confirm nor deny what it might be, but they both giggled while they were saying it. They said it was too early to tell. Christy and I knew what it looked like, and the only thing I could think is that I didn't want my baby girl to have what I saw. I'm actually getting fairly decent at recognizing anatomy in ultrasound pictures.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christy looks longingly<br />
at my margarita</td></tr>
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Christy is doing well. Her blood pressure is still nice and low, and she doesn't have any significant sickness. She's taking daily baby aspirin and prenatal vitamins. She gets weekly progesterone shots to prevent pre-term labor, and we're having tons of imaging done along the way. It gives our doctors frequent updates of what's going on with him and gives us plenty of ultrasound pictures to show. She's also done a bit of prenatal yoga at Studio Bamboo. As you can see from the picture on the right, she's quite sad that she can't have a refreshing margarita.<br />
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She had some coupon codes for Gymboree which allowed her to get 300 dollars worth of baby clothes for 150 dollars. The plan is to go with a sailboat themed nursery which was the plan last time. We already have some sailor/sailboat stuff, so we figured we'd keep with that theme. Maybe it will help in my efforts to convince her that we should buy a boat in the future.<br />
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The doctors and the ultrasound technician said they didn't think ToF would be an issue in the pregnancy based on what they saw yesterday. The anatomy scan from the last pregnancy was where they initially noticed that something wasn't quite right with Lawrence's heart. We'll have a fetal echocardiogram done within the next few weeks to give us a better confirmation that nothing is wrong. The lab work that was sent a few weeks ago came back negative for things like Down's Syndrome, Trisomy 18, anencephaly, and spina bifida. We did a more detailed test this time around, so the chances of not having these are even higher than before.<br />
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Much like Kate and William yesterday, we're still deciding on names. We have a couple in mind. We may take a nick name vote like we did last time. Hopefully, the vote can take place someplace besides the white board in Christy's hospital room. While it was fun to have people come in and place their vote, no one wants to be in the hospital for two months.<br />
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Thank you for your support as Christy, Lawrence Bear, Tricksy, and I embark on another attempt at expanding our family. We'll keep you updated as things progress.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760429286562345555noreply@blogger.com0Norfolk, VA, USA36.8507689 -76.285872636.647588899999995 -76.6085961 37.0539489 -75.96314910000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505967483373501208.post-84809664577054794002013-05-09T16:21:00.000-04:002013-05-09T16:21:49.643-04:00Single Track Maniac 50K<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This was the first year of the <a href="http://maniac50k.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Single Track Maniac 50K</a> in Williamsburg, VA. Race director Ellen Womeldorf and her race crew did a fantastic job at every aspect of the race. It was well organized, had a great selection of food, much needed motivators at the aid stations, awesome ceramic medal (my first legit 50K medal), and no ridiculously priced race photos (photos were free to download). The race was really a great deal when you think about the price paid for the mileage run. With big races, you pay so much for all the additional hoopla like bands, the expo, crazy elaborate medals, etc. This race, like it's course, got down to the roots (pun intended) of just being out there for the thrill of running.<br />
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I've run a lot of races in the past, but this was the toughest course I've ever run. Since this is only my second 50K experience, I only have <a href="http://chipleduff.blogspot.com/2012/12/beyond-marathon.html" target="_blank">Seashore Nature Trail 50K</a> to compare it to for the distance. The terrain of this course was much, MUCH harder than the first. The course is a series of single track mountain bike trails of varying difficulty levels. From what I remember, each of the trails is run twice. The D course was the toughest, and with such a small participant field, you wonder if you're going the right way. Looking back on the fact that it's a single track course, there really isn't any place else to be, and the course was very well marked. But when you're out there for hours alone in the woods, you have your doubts about whether or not you're headed in the right direction...and everything else...<br />
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<u>Weather and Wardrobe</u><br />
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The <a href="http://www.weather.com/weather/pastweather/Williamsburg+VA+USVA0832:1:US?startdate=20130504" target="_blank">weather was perfect</a> for this distance. About 52 at the start of the race. Being so deep in the woods, there was no wind to deal with. I didn't shed or add any layers that day. Started with sleeves down on a very lightweight Brooks Equilibrium shirt. Pulled them up after about 3 miles. Wore my favorite pair of Brooks shorts - Hansons-Brooks Original Distance Project red, yellow, and black shorts. Got many compliments on my shoe choice (<a href="http://www.brooksrunning.com/Brooks-Launch-Mens-Lightweight-Trainer/1100651D870.080,default,pd.html?start=3&q=launch#sthash.TxiTWne5.dpbs" target="_blank">The Launch</a>) from some of the volunteers. Had a very short conversation while on the move about The Launch being the best shoe in the universe and how the people are happy that it's back. Conversations are very short and choppy during an ultramarathon.<br />
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<u>Food and Hydration</u><br />
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There was a varied assortment of food. <a href="http://shop.honeystinger.com/new-chocolate-organic-stinger-waffle/" target="_blank">Honey Stinger Waffles</a> were an awesome selection! I love those things. (Thanks MaryBeth!) Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were also a big hit since I failed to eat some at an aid station on the last 50K. My favorite thing though was Fig Newtons covered in Nutella. They were so tasty, and I'll have to remember that for the next super long race. My only criticism of the entire race is the sports drink choice. The drink was Lemon-Lime Heed. I don't think necessarily that the drink itself didn't taste good. I think it may not have been mixed well enough in the big coolers. I'd never heard of Heed before. I'll have to buy my own to give it a try and assess whether or not it was just not very well mixed.<br />
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My <a href="http://www.ultimatedirection.com/p-601-sj-ultra-vest.aspx" target="_blank">SJ Ultra Vest by Ultimate Direction</a> definitely came in handy. On my last 50K, I didn't carry a pack. Thusly, I didn't carry my phone, and I wished I did because of the awesome ultramarathon sign at 26.2 miles. Fortunately, someone else had taken a picture of it, and I was able to get it. I was able to carry gel, phone, water, and Aleve with me. I barely noticed it was on, and I was quite happy to have everything with me on the go. It's very lightweight, has plenty of easily accessible pockets, lots of reflection, and most importantly, it has a built in whistle in case of an emergency - which is always a big possibility when you're alone in the woods.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At The Finish</td></tr>
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<u>Overall</u><br />
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This was a difficult course, but I do think I'll be doing it again next year. Ellen put on a really good show, and I hope more people show up next year for the race. It's always exciting to be part of a race that's run for the first time - especially when it goes really well. And next year, I'll already be familiar with the terrain.<br />
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In other news, the Color Me Rad 5K the next day was painful, and the race was more annoying than fun. Christy and I talked about it, and we've decided that we're done with gimmick races like that. Now, to focus on my yoga instructor course and general streak running over the summer. More races to come in the fall, including the Marine Corps Marathon.<br />
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Run Happy, folks!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760429286562345555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505967483373501208.post-67919697974542001562013-02-28T10:48:00.000-05:002013-02-28T10:48:05.329-05:00Four Years of Streak Running...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Yesterday, I woke up to the following e-mail in my inbox:</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Hi Chip,</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>On behalf of the United States Running Streak Association (USRSA), I want to congratulate you on completing 4 years of your current running streak! Great job! We would love to include an update on you and your running in our next newsletter of The Streak Registry. Please send update along with any changes in your streak running status in the last year to me.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>For more information on USRSA, please visit our website at: <a href="http://www.runeveryday.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.runeveryday.com/</a> </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Please also visit us on Facebook at: </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=95577453452" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">http://www.facebook.com/group.<wbr></wbr>php?gid=95577453452</span></a></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>or at Yahoo groups at: <a href="http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/USRSA/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://sports.groups.yahoo.<wbr></wbr>com/group/USRSA/</a></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Good luck on another year of streak running!</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Best wishes,</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Mark Washburne</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">As with every day, I'm amazed that I've been able to go this long. I'm thankful my body has been able to keep up. I'm thankful that my wife is on board with it. (She started it.) I'm thankful for the running partners I've had along the way who have kept me motivated and put in the miles with me. I'm thankful for the quiet reflection the solitary miles have given me...<a href="http://chipleduff.blogspot.com/2012/11/lawrence-dennis-leduff-iv.html" target="_blank">especially since November</a>.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RunningAHEAD Summary</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In the past year, I haven't done too many races or run nearly as many miles as I had the previous three years. Hoping to get more miles this year. The biggest running milestone over the past year was the <a href="http://chipleduff.blogspot.com/2012/12/beyond-marathon.html" target="_blank">completion of the 50K</a>. Honestly, the only training that I had for that race was the barebones minimum to keep my streak alive. Looking back at the month of December, I ran 65.3 miles for the month. 31 of them were in that race. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So mileage for the past year was 709 miles run over 96 hours, 54 minutes, 59 seconds. Including today's run, I've done 3,727 streak miles over the past 1,462 days of streaking. Even though this is day one of the next year of streaking, I'm looking forward to making it into "The Proficient" category (5+ years) on the <a href="http://runeveryday.com/lists/USRSA-Active-List.html" target="_blank">Active Streak List</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">As always, I'm looking forward to another of streak running with <a href="http://www.brooksrunning.com/" target="_blank">Brooks Sports</a> as my sponsor. I mean, really, if I'm going to be running every day, I should be running in the best running shoes and attire and spreading the Run Happy Spirit with every run.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Start of year five...go!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760429286562345555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505967483373501208.post-68008648841298980452012-12-17T21:14:00.000-05:002012-12-17T21:20:39.413-05:00Beyond the Marathon...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">50K t-shirt</td></tr>
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On December 15th, 2012, I met a long time running goal of mine. I became an ultramarathoner. I participated in the <a href="http://tidewaterstriders.com/seashore50K/" target="_blank">Seashore Nature Trail 50K</a> at First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach, VA. I volunteered at this race last year. I wasn't at all ready to run it when we first moved here. I had the job of taking off people's timing chips from their ankles, and Christy was working the time clock at the finish line.<br />
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The original plan was to train for it - as is always the plan. A year was plenty of time to train for a December ultramarathon, and with no Texas heat, it should go pretty well. Then, the original plan changed when we found out that Christy was pregnant and our <a href="http://chipleduff.blogspot.com/2012/10/tin-man-heart.html" target="_blank">baby was going to have a complicated birth</a>. With that news, I figured that I wouldn't do the race since the plan was that we would deliver in December at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grossly undertrained for a 50K</td></tr>
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Then, as always, when I think I've got it all figured out...<a href="http://chipleduff.blogspot.com/2012/11/lawrence-dennis-leduff-iv.html" target="_blank">plans changed again</a>. All of a sudden, the lengthy stay in Philadelphia wasn't happening anymore. With all that was going on with Christy and the baby, I wasn't training at all. At best, I was barely hanging on to my running streak with my daily one milers. Every now and then, I'd feel brave and do three miles. I did a couple half marathons during Christy's hospital stay - none with spectacular times. But after the whole situation settled down, I needed to do something for me. I needed to run for a long time.<br />
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As a certified running coach, running 50 kilometers (31 miles) of rooted trails is not...I repeat...is NOT something I would recommend to anyone. In fact, it's not even something I would jokingly say to someone considering it. It's really not a smart idea. I talked to Christy about it. She was against it until next year. Before the baby was born, I ran the idea by a trusted running friend, MaryBeth. She was against it until next year. After everything settled down, I ran the idea by MaryBeth again.<br />
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Me: MaryBeth...should I sign up for this 50K?<br />
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MaryBeth: No. But with what you've been through, you've pretty much reserved the right to do whatever you want for at least the next month or so.<br />
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Thus, I was able to get one of the last spots before the race sold out.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fSBIlRoyshA/UM_Pbz-ivhI/AAAAAAAADh0/d5tFeZ4Q1k8/s1600/IMG_2883.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fSBIlRoyshA/UM_Pbz-ivhI/AAAAAAAADh0/d5tFeZ4Q1k8/s200/IMG_2883.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brooks Pure Grit</td></tr>
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So...I met up with my running partner, Jessica, at the start of the race. The weather was clear and 43 at the start of the race. I started with a jersey, a long sleeved tech shirt, a very light jacket, hat, and gloves. There was a bag drop off where they would take your bag to 64th St. which is 5 1/2 miles in. We'd end up passing 64th St. four times throughout the course, so you could bring whatever you wanted or drop off things along the way. I ditched the jacket, gloves, and hat the first time we passed it.<br />
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Anyone who knows me knows that I have huge feet. They're abnormally big for my height. I'm only 5'9". I shouldn't have a size 13 foot. I should either be taller with this size foot or stay my current height with a smaller foot. I would prefer to stay my current height and have a size 10 foot. Unfortunately, that's not going to change. Big feet + tree roots = imminent opportunities to fall. I tripped two times before the flat out horizontal fall. Somehow, I didn't scrape anything or bleed. Aside from a small bruise on my right knee, I ended up being okay from it. Fortunately for me, my running partner was quite supportive and refrained from pointing and laughing.<br />
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Aside from the fall, the majority of the race was relatively incident free until I was a fool and didn't eat and PB&J at the second to last aid station of the course. It was the last time we would pass our bag. I filled up on sports drink and ate a few chips for the sodium, but I should have taken more. Lesson learned.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Totally worth it</td></tr>
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We passed the marathon point together. It was a HUGE milestone. The course was basically a double loop, so we passed the marathon point sign on the first loop. On the first pass, it was both demoralizing and motivating at the same time. We had SO far left to go. But on the second time around, we gave each other a well deserved high five and knew, no matter what, even if we didn't finish, that we were now ultramarathoners just for taking one step past that sign. It was a fantastic feeling of accomplishment.<br />
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I was holding my well trained partner back. I knew that I was. Before we started, we had discussed the possibility of a 5:30:00 to a 6:00:00 finish. At 28.5 miles, the trail in front of me was spinning from lack of training and lack of nutrition. I knew I was going to finish the race even if I walked the last 2.5 miles. The time limit for the course was 8.5 hours. But I didn't want to hold her back from a sub 6 hour finish like we had discussed. I told her to go on. There was no way I could have gotten to 28.5 miles without her. And there was no way I could have finished without the volunteers who provided nourishment, motivation, and smiling faces.<br />
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I struggled with the last 2.5 miles, but it was a good time of reflection on the past weeks and months. Christy fought hard for all those weeks in the hospital. Our baby fought hard for 3 hours while he was alive. The NICU staff fought hard for him. I felt that I needed to fight hard for those 31 miles. I would have had an easier time if I would have prepared. But so many people struggled to help our little man, and no one was prepared for the outcome. Yes...my rationale is probably a little different than most people who might choose a different way to grieve, but it works for me. I made some peace with some things on that trail in First Landing State Park.<br />
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Christy was there to see my finish. Knowing how grossly undertrained I was, she was worried that I might not make it, and it probably scared her a little to see Jessica finish without me. I'm happy she was there for my first ultra finish. Seeing her there was the perfect finish to the perfect race.<br />
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Am I physically suffering from it? Yes. Do my quads feel like they're being stabbed by the blades of a thousand hot knives? Sho do! I wouldn't trade that feeling of aliveness for anything right now.<br />
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In other news, the day before the race, I found out that I was selected to represent <a href="http://www.brooksrunning.com/" target="_blank">Brooks Running</a> for my fourth year as a member of the Brooks I.D. Program. I'm looking forward to another year of inspiration and Running Happy with my Brooks family across the globe.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760429286562345555noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505967483373501208.post-73894926866069570702012-11-28T08:54:00.000-05:002012-11-28T15:43:55.597-05:00Lawrence Dennis LeDuff IV<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
On Sunday, November 18th, 2012 at 11:14pm, Christy gave birth to our sweet baby boy after only 31 weeks and 3 days of pregnancy. We named him Lawrence Dennis LeDuff IV.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Debut of Lawrence IV</td></tr>
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He came out pink, which was one of the things we were hoping for <a href="http://chipleduff.blogspot.com/2012/10/tin-man-heart.html" target="_blank">given his previous cardiac history</a>. The labor was long and induced, but Christy did a phenomenal job. Both of our moms were able to stay in the room the entire time, and everyone had a job to assist. When labor began, familiar faces - friends - from the NICU entered, and I felt an overwhelming sense of calm to see them. I'd worked with them many times before on the pediatric ward, so I knew we were in the best hands. He was taken to the radiant warmer and flawlessly intubated by the NICU staff. Cory, one of the doctors from the NICU said to me with a smile, "He's 3 pounds, 4 ounces...with medical equipment." I couldn't help but smile back. What a tiny little man.</div>
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Despite the fact that about 15 people filled the room, I was able and encouraged to get in the mix for a few quick pictures. I was even able to cut his cord before he was placed in the isolette. They rolled him over to Christy so she could see him before he went. She was exhausted, but I could see a smile of relief and excitement on her face. We had a baby boy. He would need some help in the NICU for the next few weeks, but he had 10 fingers, 10 toes, and a huge family that loved him since before he made his debut. The entire NICU was awaiting his arrival.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the delivery room</td></tr>
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After making sure Christy was okay in the delivery room, I went to the NICU to check on him. He had the eye ointment on his eyes and they were getting his footprints for his paperwork - standard newborn stuff. And because they're awesome, they were even putting his footprints on a little sign that they already had made up for him to hang above his isolette because they knew he was coming. It all looked great. I went to Christy to report the news. They came in with the footprint sheet and had Christy place a thumbprint next to his footprints. We laughed about how a 3 pound baby already had feet as big as they were. He got them from his dad.</div>
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I cleaned the ink from Christy's thumb and ran over to peds to tell them the news. I was supposed to be working that night anyway, so I thought they should know that he had finally come. I was greeted with hugs and smiles and congratulations from my friends in peds. Even though he wasn't coming straight there, I knew he'd eventually get there the first time he got sick. They loved him too, and they were almost as excited as I was.</div>
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Then, there was a phone call...</div>
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The NICU asked me to come back. I came back to a code blue...around our baby. This wasn't happening, I thought. I participated in an adult code blue in nursing school during a clinical. I'd even watched code blues in the same NICU where I was standing. They were coding our baby. He wasn't even an hour old.</div>
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Cory explained to be exactly what had been done and exactly what they were doing. His heart just stopped. I watched the code for about 15 minutes. Part of me was dumbfounded that this was happening. The other part of me was overwhelmed by the effort and love from the staff. Somehow, miraculously, the entire NICU staff was around him, and they each had a job. No one was just standing around. It was the purest image of teamwork I've ever seen.</div>
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After 15 minutes, I went to tell Christy and our moms. I wasn't sure if they wanted to see what was going on. After telling them, I went back to the NICU to assess. His heart just wasn't working. I remembered learning in nursing school about the <a href="http://www.ena.org/IENR/ENR/Documents/FamilyPresenceENR.pdf" target="_blank">evidence based practice</a> of letting family members in to see the resuscitative efforts of nursing and medical teams during a code. It helps families cope with the death of loved ones when they can see that the team did everything they possible. They needed to see it.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-edQZtfoR6jQ/ULQ9aelnctI/AAAAAAAADgo/WZsiKBudn30/s1600/IMG_0360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-edQZtfoR6jQ/ULQ9aelnctI/AAAAAAAADgo/WZsiKBudn30/s200/IMG_0360.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our family</td></tr>
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We were able to hold Lawrence and take pictures with him while he was still alive and after he left us. The NICU staff immediately sectioned off a huge space for us in the middle of the NICU. We were allowed to stay as long as we wanted. I can't speak highly enough of the staff there. They truly were family to us that night, and they continue to be a support to us during this difficult time. I was able to participate in his first and only diaper change and bath. I was able to see his first and last breath. Somehow, all rolled in to one, it was the absoute best and worst 3 hours of my life. On Monday, November 19th, 2012, at 2:03am, he left us.<br />
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His memorial service will be Thursday, November 29th at the chapel of NMCP. The chaplains have been wonderful. He was cremated and will be taken with us wherever we go. We didn't think it right to bury him here as we have no permanent attachment to Virginia. We also wanted his memorial service to be at a place where everyone, including his immediate and extended NMCP family could attend.<br />
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It's been a rough week, but it was all worth it to see him for the few hours he was with us. Mom and dad love you little man.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZmsHJdLn0LU/ULWjdX1lj8I/AAAAAAAADg4/qGlJgvzMnGI/s1600/DSC_0097.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZmsHJdLn0LU/ULWjdX1lj8I/AAAAAAAADg4/qGlJgvzMnGI/s320/DSC_0097.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lawrence Dennis LeDuff IV</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760429286562345555noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505967483373501208.post-80743063322066168722012-10-01T18:40:00.000-04:002012-10-02T14:06:28.912-04:00Tin Man Heart<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uoSD-gRiIRQ/UE5NVN-nzxI/AAAAAAAACzY/4DOgVlZBFNk/s1600/boy2.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="142" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uoSD-gRiIRQ/UE5NVN-nzxI/AAAAAAAACzY/4DOgVlZBFNk/s200/boy2.bmp" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's a boy.</td></tr>
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Well, I was flipping through some pictures of Christy's uterus and came across this one. It seems to have an inhabitant. As you can see from the boy bits, we're having a boy. Today, Christy is 24+5 weeks along. Prenatally for Christy, everything is going well. She didn't have much morning sickness and aside from a normal amount of swelling in her feet, she's doing just fine. The due date is January 17th which also happens to be my parents' anniversary.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8Knh9GiCoPk/UEuCAO00vTI/AAAAAAAACw0/AYewfqlUoq4/s1600/Ultrasound.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8Knh9GiCoPk/UEuCAO00vTI/AAAAAAAACw0/AYewfqlUoq4/s200/Ultrasound.jpeg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Profile shot from 18 JUN 2012</td></tr>
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Our parents have known for a while, and we were able to show them the initial ultrasound pictures through Face Time chats. Much excitement was expressed by all. We had the sex ultrasound on August 28th. Because it's heavily boy-dominant on her side of the family, everyone was hoping for a girl, so naturally, we had a boy. :) Everyone is still excited for a boy. Both of our parents probably thought this was never going to happen anyway, so boy bits versus girl bits don't really matter.<br />
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They say that having a child changes everything. Well, it's true. Even since before finding out, we had our baby furniture picked out from the Heritage Amish furniture store in VA Beach where we bought our bedroom set. We've pretty much been saving for it since we saw it. We made a baby wishlist on Amazon on the plane ride home from our Atlanta trip. We've broken the news to our dog Tricksy that she's just going to have to get used to the idea that there will be someone in the house who also requires our attention. We were even able to do some truly important things after we told Tricksy. We consulted with our respective jobs on the matter. Christy has already put us on the wait list for Navy childcare. Since she does training and consultations with Navy Child Development Centers and Child Development Homes, she can make the best selections of where to go. I was able to pick a pediatrician whom I have personally worked with and trust completely. We feel very fortunate that our education and career choices have prepared us as much as possible for being somewhat decent parents.</div>
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But even with all the details that you think you've planned for, you can never be fully ready...</div>
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The same afternoon as the sex ultrasound, we got a phone call from the nurse practitioner at the clinic. There looked to be some cardiac concerns as well as a double vessel cord. (There should be two arteries and one vein in the umbilical cord. We have one artery and one vein.) We had a follow-up ultrasound at my hospital. By the end of that appointment, all care at the clinic was being transferred to my hospital due to congenital heart abnormalities. Good thing <a href="http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nmcp/Pages/default.aspx" target="_blank">Naval Medical Center Portsmouth</a> is awesome.</div>
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So...without going into too much technical detail, this is where we are right now...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MxNSO0PjMwc/UEuEttNkiNI/AAAAAAAACzA/qVo9fLtw_lA/s1600/Normal+Heart.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MxNSO0PjMwc/UEuEttNkiNI/AAAAAAAACzA/qVo9fLtw_lA/s200/Normal+Heart.jpeg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Normal Heart</td></tr>
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Our diagnosis is <a href="http://www.chop.edu/service/cardiac-center/heart-conditions/tetralogy-of-fallot.html" target="_blank">Tetralogy of Fallot</a>. It's a combination of four things:<br />
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1.) Ventricular Septal Defect - a hole between the two ventricles<br />
2.) Overriding Aorta - the aorta is basically in the wrong place<br />
3.) Pulmonary Artery Stenosis - a skinny pulmonary artery<br />
4.) Right Ventricular Hypertrophy - the right ventricle is too big<br />
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A consult was put in with <a href="http://www.chop.edu/" target="_blank">Children's Hospital of Philadelphia</a> (CHOP) because we'll definitely need a cardiothoracic surgeon either just after birth or, ideally, a few months later. CHOP is only one letter different than Chip, so I'm sold. We traveled up there on the 14th of September for an initial visit. We go again for a follow-up in November and then will stay there from roughly the 35 week point until delivery - and likely a little beyond it. Fortunately, most of the travel, food, and lodging will be covered for us. When we heard the costs associated with similar surgeries, I was even more thankful than usual to be an active duty service member. I've never - not one single time - thought about getting out of the Navy. If that decision could possibly be solidified even more, this would be the reason.<br />
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We've been seen by the finest pediatric cardiologist that NMCP (and in my opinion, the Navy) has to offer. We'll be doing frequent visits with her. These pictures were drawn by her, upside down, so we could visualize them on the other side of the table. I immediately asked her to sign them. The doctor whom I picked as our pediatrician took time out of her schedule to come to our cardiology appointment to sit with us and chat. That's one of about a billion reasons that I wanted her as our pediatrician. The leadership at my command is being very helpful and is working to accomodate me for appointments and travel.<br />
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One of the biggest stressors we've been facing was that this can sometimes be associated with genetic abnormalities - specifically <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DiGeorge_syndrome" target="_blank">DiGeorge Syndrome</a>. Christy had an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amniocentesis" target="_blank">amniocentesis</a> done a few weeks ago. As we learned, the results of an amniocentesis for genetic information come back in chunks over time. The initial results came back three days later. 46 chromosomes with no additions, deletions, or missing pieces and laboratory confirmation that the dangly bits we saw were indeed those of a boy. Good news. This meant no Down Syndrome or other major trisomies. We thought the rest of the results came back in 7-10 days, but the final results - the results that would tell us about DiGeorge Syndrome - wouldn't be back until the end of the month. We received a call on Wednesday clearing us of any genetic problems. Specifically, the lab results say: "The whole genome chromosome SNP microarray (REVEAL) analysis was normal. No significant DNA copy number changes or copy neutral regions within the 2.695 million region specific SNP and structural targets <span style="font-family: inherit;">were detected." We'll take it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">After telling a good friend about our situation, she had this brilliant bit of insight to share with me: "<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Open heart surgery is serious and scary, but I think most of life is serious and scary, and maybe it will be good for him to get something like this out of the way so early on. I can't help but think it will help him to be a stronger, happier, more compassionate person later in life. Opening your heart to the world so early - it must mean something, right?" As a yogi who loves back bends and heart hugs, this is exactly the reassurance I needed.</span></span></div>
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Somehow, it's like Christy and I were groomed for this situation. Masters level teacher trained at <a href="http://www.sfasu.edu/2503.asp" target="_blank">SFA's East Texas Early Childhood Research Center</a> + pediatric nurse with an affinity for the NICU trained at <a href="http://www.sfasu.edu/3804.asp" target="_blank">SFA's Richard and Lucille DeWitt School of Nursing</a> = one complicated progeny. It's going to be a fun ride. At least on paper, we're ready for the challenge.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760429286562345555noreply@blogger.com0Norfolk, VA, USA36.8507689 -76.285872636.7491209 -76.4438011 36.952416899999996 -76.127944100000008tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505967483373501208.post-49554868922168692142012-02-28T16:09:00.001-05:002012-02-28T16:09:26.808-05:00Three Years of Streak Running<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mandatory Groucho pic before our nursing school race</td></tr>
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Yesterday's run felt particularly clunky to me. My legs were heavy and I could feel my feet slapping the ground as I moved across the E. 26th St. Bridge. My legs did feel heavy, but a huge contributing factor to the clunky feeling is just the fact that I have big hobbit feet. Some days are better than others when you run every day. Some days are better than others when you don't run every day. It wasn't a bad run, but it wasn't my best. Days like yesterday make up the majority of my running days. Not particularly great and not particularly terrible. This is good because you can really appreciate it when you have a good day. And when you have a really bad day, you can appreciate the good ones even more. And of course, even the worst day of running is better than not being able to run at all when you have functional legs.<div>
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So after my run yesterday, I came home to log my run into my computer. My Garmin watch wirelessly sends the info into Garmin Training Center which is then uploaded to <a href="http://www.runningahead.com/" target="_blank">RunningAhead</a> where I keep my entire history of running. While I was waiting for the info from the watch to send, I opened my e-mail. I received the following from Mark Washburne:</div>
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<i><span style="font-family: times, serif; line-height: 19px;">Hi Chip,</span></i> </blockquote>
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<i>On behalf of the United States Running Streak Association (USRSA), I want to congratulate you on completing your 3rd year of streak running! Great job! We would love to include an update on you and your running in our next newsletter of <span style="line-height: 1.22em;">The</span> <span style="line-height: 1.22em;">Streak Registry</span>. Please send update along with any changes in your streak running status in the last year to me.</i></blockquote>
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<i>For more information on USRSA, please visit our website at: <span style="color: #0066cc; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.runeveryday.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #0066cc; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.runeveryday.<wbr></wbr>com/</a></span></i> </blockquote>
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<i>Please also visit us on <span style="color: #366388; line-height: 1.22em;"><span style="line-height: 1.22em;"><span style="line-height: 1.22em;"><span style="line-height: 1.22em;"><span style="line-height: 1.22em;"><span style="line-height: 1.22em;"><span style="line-height: 1.22em;"><span style="line-height: 1.22em;"><span style="line-height: 1.22em;">Facebook</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> at: </i><span style="line-height: 1.22em;"><span style="line-height: 1.22em;"><span style="color: #0066cc; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><i><a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=95577453452" rel="nofollow" style="color: #0066cc; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/group.<wbr></wbr>php?gid=95577453452</a></i></span></span></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="line-height: 1.22em;"><i>or at <span style="color: #366388; line-height: 1.22em;"><span style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: rgb(54, 99, 136); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 2px; line-height: 1.22em;"><span style="border-bottom-color: rgb(54, 99, 136); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 2px; line-height: 1.22em;"><span style="line-height: 1.22em;"><span style="line-height: 1.22em;"><span style="line-height: 1.22em;"><span style="border-bottom-color: rgb(54, 99, 136); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 2px; line-height: 1.22em;"><span style="line-height: 1.22em;"><span style="line-height: 1.22em;">Yahoo groups</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="line-height: 1.22em;"> at: <span style="color: #0066cc; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/USRSA/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #0066cc; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://sports.<wbr></wbr>groups.yahoo.com/group/USRSA/</a></span></span></i></span></blockquote>
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<i>Good luck on another year of streak running!</i></blockquote>
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<i>Best wishes,</i><i>Mark Washburne</i></blockquote>
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Three years of running every day! Until yesterday when I read the above e-mail, I had forgotten about it. A few weeks ago, I vaguely remember remembering it. But I didn't remember it on the day. There was a question in <i>The Streak Registry</i>, the official quarterly publication of The United States Running Streak Association, Inc., that asked when one's streak year becomes official - the day before you started or the day that you started. To me, I guess it makes sense that it would be the day before you started because that would be one's 365th day of running. Either way, today was my 1,096th day of running - 3.001 days according to the <a href="http://runeveryday.com/lists/USRSA-Active-List.html" target="_blank">Active USA Streak List</a>. I'm number 257 and Christy is 254 as of today.</div>
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So how does someone run every day? Isn't it tough on the bones, joints, and muscles? Well...yes...it is. There's definitely give and take with running every day. Things that are taken from me are in the forms of sleep and soreness. Some days, it's hard to find time for even the obligatory mile. When I work three 12 hour shifts, especially on the third day, it's really tough to muster up the energy to move for a mile. When I put in a hard run or a long run, I'm expectedly sore and tired the next day. Most runners will embrace their next day of rest. But for a streak runner, a slow mile is a rest day.</div>
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But being a streak runner gives more than it takes. The number one thing that it gives me is consistency. It's been my observation that people jump on the running bandwagon for one of three reasons (in no particular order): 1.) new year's resolution 2.) lose weight 3.) the idea of racing. Just like going to the gym, new year's resolutions die hard. People fall off the bandwagon because they didn't approach it with the mindset of making a lifestyle change and because it's near impossible for most people to start running for the first time ever when it's cold outside. Much like the gym scene, the roads and trails are back to normal by February 1st. People tend to not realize that running and most other forms of exercise done by people who are not training to be Olympians does very little for weight loss...especially if not done consistently. Neglecting diet and quantity of food makes running almost useless if one's goal is weight loss. And then, the idea of racing or being a runner. Plenty of people like the <i>idea</i> of being a runner, but don't want to put in the work for it. Having all the fancy clothes or toys for golfing or fishing doesn't make someone a golfer or a <strike>fisherman</strike>. Fisherperson? Being a streak runner brings consistency to my craft, and it allows me to not dread doing it.<br /><br />It also gives me, even if only for a few minutes each day, a way to let go of everything else and just move. freely. We spend a lot of time in front of computers at work. Lots of time inside. When working days, it's rare to see the sun because we get there before the sun comes up and leave after it's set. Running every day lets me break out of the 5'9" tall by 20" wide bubble and stretch myself in forward motion. I usually run before work to pump myself up before the day...or night. In my current situation, it's nights.</div>
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Since starting on February 28th, 2009, I've run 3,014.5 miles. Amount of time spent running: 405 hours, 2 minutes, 49 seconds. Naturally, my next goal will be to reach four years. But really, my long term goal is to reach five years. Why? On the active streak list, if you've been a run streaker for less than five years, you're considered a Neophyte. Once you've reached five years, and up through ten years, you fall into the category of The Proficient. It's always good to have a goal.</div>
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I wish everyone currently with an active streak and anyone working on their initial streak happy running.</div>
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760429286562345555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505967483373501208.post-89056567721051694522012-02-27T09:40:00.001-05:002012-03-09T06:11:00.946-05:00Texas Yoga Conference<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3rd Annual<br />
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As part of my 14 days of leave, I spent a weekend at the <a href="http://texasyogaconference.com/" target="_blank">Texas Yoga Conference</a> at the University of Houston in Houston, TX. This was my first of what I hope to be many more yoga conferences. I had some initial anxiety about going. I'm not a yoga teacher, and I've only been practicing yoga for about a year and a half. It seemed that the majority of people there were instructors from all over Texas and all over the country. Lots of very well-known instructors taught the sessions. Some of the big names include Les Leventhal, Ana Forrest, Chip and Laura, and Lisa Ware. These are all people that I hear about in yoga circles, and they were all here in this one place, sharing their wisdom and passion for yoga with all of us. It was definitely worth the trip down to Texas. Of course, I got to spend time with Amy, Eralda, Stephanie, Arrie, Cyndra, Tammy, and Debra - my destination yoga traveling buddies.<br />
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The first class that we went to was a 6 hour AcroYoga Intensive by <a href="http://chipandlaura.com/" target="_blank">Chip and Laura</a>. They were fantastic. I didn't really know anything about acroyoga. Acroyoga is a partnered practice that has elements of acrobatics, yoga, and Thai massage. There's a lot of trust involved in this practice. Each group consisted of a base, a flyer, and a spotter. The base lifts, holds, and maneuvers the flyer. The flyer poses and is stretched by the base. The spotter is there to provide feedback and as a safety in case things start to get wobbly. Chip and Laura are an incredible team and introduced me to a whole subculture of yoga that I didn't know anything about. A lot of people in the class have practiced acroyoga before, so we paired with someone who had practiced with Chip and Laura before. Her name is Dani, and she was fantastic - the kind of person you wish you could meet at something less specialized than a yoga conference. We enjoyed hanging out with her this weekend.</div>
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The next class was called Thai and Fly with <a href="http://www.yogavibes.com/listings/instructors/Melissa%20Smith/" target="_blank">Melissa Smith</a>. Her class was so much fun. It started out with a very sweet expression of appreciation for your partner and many thanks for them being there. This is also the class where I learned about the "heart hug". While the poses and the yoga and all that stuff are important to learn about and to take back home, I took home a few things that I think are more important than the poses. The heart hug is one of them. The majority of people tend to hug in the same way every time - right arm raised, left arm lowered, right side of chest touching, and right cheeks touching. The heart hug, or left-sided hug, was a completely different hugging experience. Left arm up, right arm down, left sides of chest touching, and left cheeks together. In sitting here and thinking about it, I decided to do a Google search about it to see if it was in fact anything. Turns out, it is. Here are a couple interesting blog posts about it. <a href="http://whitneymcmillan.com/2011/04/heart-to-heart-hugs/" target="_blank">Heart to Heart Hugs</a> and <a href="http://miruspeg.blogspot.com/2011/03/heart-hugs.html" target="_blank">Heart Hugs</a>. If you've never given or received a heart hug, today is a great day to start. You won't be sorry.</div>
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Saturday morning's class with <a href="http://www.christinasellyoga.com/home.html" target="_blank">Christina Sell</a> was called Heart Openers with Backbends. As most people know, backbends are my favorite poses to be in. I'm drawn to anything that opens up the heart, so it's no surprise that I'm fascinated by the heart hug. We started this class with Om and some chanting. Christina passed out a card with the chants on it and the bottom of the card read, "May no one be unhappy." When she asked us to offer up our practice to an intention, that was my intention for the class. Backbends open the heart. Opening the heart pours out love. There were at least 150 people in that class, so there was a lot of love being poured out to fight unhappiness. I was happy to be part of the fight against unhappiness.</div>
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The next class on Saturday was Jivamukti Chakra Tuning with <a href="http://www.karmanyyoga.com/teachers.php" target="_blank">DeAnna Anderson</a>. <a href="http://www.jivamuktiyoga.com/fms/index.html" target="_blank">Jivamukti</a> isn't a practice that I'm familiar with, but Amy loves it, so I wanted to see what it was about. In my first semester of nursing school in a chapter about complimentary and alternative medicine, we briefly talked about the chakras and their relationship to the endocrine system. In this class, I learned about where each chakra is located from the base of the spine to the crown of the head, the associated colors of each chakra, and the vocal sounds that vibrate and consequently align each one. The concept of the chakras fascinates me from a spiritual as well as scientific aspect. I also read, although I'm not sure how true it is, that there are specific pitches associated with each chakra. The root chakra is C, the sacral is D, the solar plexus is E, and so on up to the crown of the head being B. It's interesting that the same concept can be looked at medically, metaphysically, and musically. Yoga is intelligently diverse.</div>
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The last class of Saturday ended up being the best class of the day. The name of the class was called Light It Up with <a href="http://texasyogaconference.com/zoe-mantarakis" target="_blank">Zoe</a> and <a href="http://texasyogaconference.com/gioconda" target="_blank">Gioconda</a>. After 7 1/2 hours of muscular beatings from Friday's partnered classes, the Light It Up class was just the right amount of asana and upbeat-ness. Chanting and harmonium started and ended the class. I've never seen a harmonium before, so that was a neat instrument to see and to sing along with. Deep side stretching poses felt great after lots of twisting and abdominal work the day before. They gave great adjustments and I could really feel their positive energy when they gave the adjustments. Zoe and Gioconda are based in Austin. If their class at TYC was a hint of what they do in Austin, they must have a huge following out there. I'm definitely hoping to practice with them again in the future. They were an awesome team. The home page of Gioconda's website is incredibly inspiring:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Yoga notes posted all around the conference</td></tr>
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Patanjali's first yoga sutra says so much.</div>
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Now, just as we are, we can begin.</div>
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No need to wait until we're more centered,</div>
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Now is the time and through our practice</div>
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We can move into our center,</div>
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our strength,</div>
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our joy.</div>
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See...there's no need to "get ready" for yoga. You're already ready.</div>
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Sunday morning's class was Bhakti Flow with Aubrey Hackman in the Yoga One Tent. It was quite cold and wet in the tent that morning, but her class warmed us up pretty quickly. We started the practice with a little philosophy about yoga. Two things are required for a successful practice. 1.) Consistency and 2.) non-attachment. Consistency in and out of practice and non-attachment to the perceived "goals" of practice. She pointed out that our asanas shouldn't be compared to those of our neighbors. And we shouldn't be trying to make them look a certain way. It's easy to become attached to what we see as the expectations of practice.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4cZ9sGXdkxY/T0uQkMjeExI/AAAAAAAAAms/R924bWARW5I/s1600/405875_10150700178127152_89664067151_11268798_288062485_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4cZ9sGXdkxY/T0uQkMjeExI/AAAAAAAAAms/R924bWARW5I/s320/405875_10150700178127152_89664067151_11268798_288062485_n.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traveling yogis at Loving Hut Vegan Restaurant</td></tr>
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Texas Yoga Conference weekend was a blast. There was so much to learn and so many phenomenal teachers gathered in one place. Even though it would have been impossible, and definitely detrimental to my body, I wish I could have gone to every instructor who taught there. I really want to go to another conference and take classes from the people that I wasn't able to take from this time. Maybe TYC can be an annual trip.<br />
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What made the weekend was the fact that I got to spend it with like-minded people from all over the country coming together for one common purpose - to share their love of yoga with other people who love yoga. And what made it even more cool was that I got to share it with good friends who love yoga just as much as I do.</div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760429286562345555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505967483373501208.post-47866591037860527742011-12-17T22:47:00.002-05:002011-12-18T12:35:39.291-05:00What Lies Beyond 26.2?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b3XrA8tO4ws/Tu1vG5nkZlI/AAAAAAAAAlI/aRnd_Yr3E00/s1600/Tidewater+Striders.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="183" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b3XrA8tO4ws/Tu1vG5nkZlI/AAAAAAAAAlI/aRnd_Yr3E00/s200/Tidewater+Striders.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tidewater Striders Logo</td></tr>
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Yesterday, we volunteered with the <a href="http://tidewaterstriders.com/index.html" target="_blank">Tidewater Striders</a> at the <a href="http://tidewaterstriders.com/seashore50K/" target="_blank">Seashore Nature Trail 50K</a>. We worked at the finish line taking off timing chips and working the timing machine as runners crossed the finish. It was a neat experience despite the cold temperature.<a href="http://chipleduff.blogspot.com/2011/11/nine-hundred-ninety-eight-nine-hundred_19.html" target="_blank"> We joined the Tidewater Striders</a> a few weeks ago. They host and participate in a variety of races throughout the year. I learned today that they host a spring distance series with group runs of increasing distances in preparation for the <a href="http://www.shamrockmarathon.com/" target="_blank">Yuengling Shamrock Marathon and Half Marathon</a>. J&A Racing, the same company who runs the <a href="http://chipleduff.blogspot.com/2011/12/10-miler-5k-half-marathon.html" target="_blank">Surf 'n' Santa 10 Miler</a>, puts on the Shamrock race. It's pretty cool how all the various running groups in this area work with each other to bring awesome races to this area.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CBP6CGwaq7o/Tu1u03rkuSI/AAAAAAAAAlA/WOosjv_R6-A/s1600/hrrlogoovals20093x5.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CBP6CGwaq7o/Tu1u03rkuSI/AAAAAAAAAlA/WOosjv_R6-A/s200/hrrlogoovals20093x5.gif" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hampton Roads Runners Logo</td></tr>
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At today's race, I also met some runners from the <a href="http://www.meetup.com/HamptonRoadsRunners/" target="_blank">Hampton Roads Runners</a>. They have a great system of calendars and group runs of all levels to offer their members. Some of them ran today's race and some of them volunteered at the finish line and throughout the course. I've seen their banner at some of the previous races and met one of their organizers when I ran the 4th of July race at the Mt. Trashmore YMCA. They're a very cool group of runners. After spending some frosty hours with them today at the finish line (and having a lot of time to comment on all the <a href="http://www.brooksrunning.com/" target="_blank">Brooks</a> shoes that crossed it), I came home and joined their group as well. Between the two groups, I'm sure I'll have a race schedule that's as full as I want it to be. One of the great things about the Hampton Road Runners too is that their event calendar is subscribable (might have made up that word) in iCal, so I don't have to go searching for events.<br />
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I was definitely inspired today by seeing the finishers of this ultramarathon. A 50K is a little over 31 miles. After a post-race discussion in the car with Christy on the way to the ultramarathon after party, I came to my own realization that in running, we limit ourselves by calling races certain things. 26.2 miles is a marathon. People who are oblivious to running might call any number of races or distances "a marathon" out of a lack of knowledge. It remains true that a marathon is 26.2 miles, 26 miles 385 yards, or 42.2 kilometers depending on your unit of measure preference. Of the standard races, it is the longest. For the more well-versed in running, we know that an ultramarathon is any distance greater than a marathon. In theory, that could be 27 miles, 50K, 50 miles, 100K, 100 miles, or 135 miles like the <a href="http://www.badwater.com/" target="_blank">Badwater Ultramarathon</a>.<br />
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So...many people run marathons every year. For some, it's the pinnacle of running. I, myself, have not run a distance longer than the marathon. It is my plan to break that barrier in 2012. But people who may have run a marathon will say, "Why would I want to run longer than 26.2 miles? Anything longer than that is ridiculous." Well, what made you want to run 26.2 miles in the first place? 26 miles 385 yards is a ridiculous distance for any human being to run. For that matter, it's a ridiculous distance for <i>any</i> being to run. What if "the marathon" was 30 miles? There are many stories, legends, and accounts of why 26.2 is the marathon distance. Regardless of how it came to be, that's the agreed upon distance. But what if those stories ultimately led to a 30 mile standard distance? Then people would say, "Why would I want to run longer than 30 miles? Anything longer than that is ridiculous." I think that because the term "ultramarathon" is a range of roughly 26.21 - ∞, people can't make it concrete enough in their heads and thus label it as "a ridiculous distance". In my opinion, 26.2 miles is equally ridiculous, but since the number is tangible, measurable, and unchangeable, people view it as doable.<br />
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So, 2011 is almost over. We have thirteen days left. In 2012, let's not put a mental limit on what we can do. Sure...we've got to start somewhere. Get up and run that 1 mile fun run. Lace up and PR in that hometown 5K. But give a longer race a try if you haven't yet. Join the ranks of the half marathoners or the half marathon relay. Cross the line of a 26.2 mile race. But don't stop there. Conquer your own ultramarathon...whatever that might be.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760429286562345555noreply@blogger.com0Norfolk, VA 23513, USA36.893246 -76.242118536.84245 -76.3210825 36.944041999999996 -76.1631545tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505967483373501208.post-15761468459669225592011-12-08T10:46:00.001-05:002011-12-08T12:35:10.402-05:002012: Another Year of Inspiration with the Brooks ID Program<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brooks ID Logo</td></tr>
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It almost feels like it's not fair for me to be back on the <a href="http://www.runbrooks.com/page/Brooks-ID" target="_blank">Brooks Inspire Daily Team</a> for 2012. I've received so much motivation and inspiration from my brothers and sisters on the team and the Brooks professionals that I've "run into" over the past two years of being a Brooks IDer. All I do is take that same motivation, that same inspiration, and project it on as many people as I can. When people ask me about the program and what it is that I do, my response is always the same: I've agreed to carry out and promote the mission of Brooks which is, "To inspire people to run and be active."<br />
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I couldn't be more honored to be given a spot as a coach for the 2012 Brooks ID Team. This will be my 3rd year on the team. The program for 2012 has changed. When I first started, there was the Brooks ID Program. You were either on it or not. The second year had three divisions of sponsorship: Fanatics, Performance and Coaching Elite (P.A.C.E.), and Bluestreak. I was on the P.A.C.E. team for 2011. Sometime in September or so of this year, we got word that there would be different divisions based on what you do. I applied for blogger/writer and coach. I was selected for coach but will, of course, still continue to be an advocate and promoter for Brooks and fitness on my blog.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8oIY8krhAaI/TuDv0wqYvCI/AAAAAAAAAjo/G-9JWXbJmbo/s1600/logocutsmall.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8oIY8krhAaI/TuDv0wqYvCI/AAAAAAAAAjo/G-9JWXbJmbo/s1600/logocutsmall.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr. Parry's Endurance Challenge<br />
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The people I've met while in this program are phenomenal. One such person is Jim Parry of <a href="http://makingitbettermn.org/the-challenge/challenge-submissions/mr-parrys-endurance-challenge/" target="_blank">My Parry's Endurance Challenge</a> fame. I've never met Jim in person, but I follow him and his program because it's an amazing inspiration. Jim is a 6th grade teacher in Minnesota and challenges his students to complete 24 hours of exercise in the spring. On Jim's end, he complete 24 consecutive hours of running to inspire his students and promote fitness and distance running in his community.<br />
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I've also had the pleasure of meeting (in person) Adrienne Langelier who works with athletes in a sports psychology capacity and has an awesomely done blog at <a href="http://www.adriennelangelier.com/" target="_blank">http://www.adriennelangelier.com/</a>. We got picked up for Brooks ID at the same time. She also ran her first race in an elite status this year.<br />
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Chris Gunderson and Jessica Etchen Lyons have both been my biggest personal motivations. Jessica is the one who told me about the P.A.C.E Team and whose positivity got me pumped at the 2010 RNR San Antonio Half Marathon. Chris is the one who ran with me during our "Assault on San Antonio" which led me to my then current PR for the half. We also worked at the Houston Marathon Expo and I had a blast there. Both Brooks professionals and both essential to recruiting the best inspiration to promote Brooks and our sport.<br />
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So...what will 2012 bring? Well, I have no idea. Here are some of the things that I'm hoping for:<br />
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<li>To motivate the active duty nursing and Hospital Corpsman staff on my floor to get at LEAST an excellent on our <a href="http://www.navy-prt.com/index.html" target="_blank">bi-annual Physical Readiness Test</a></li>
<li>To become a member of Naval Medical Center Portsmouth's Command Fitness Team to reach a higher population of Sailors in my pursuit to broadcast the importance of fitness in the military community</li>
<li>To collaborate on research with a nursing colleague on blending the paradigms of nursing and coaching in nursing education programs (perhaps publishing this research)</li>
<li>To run a 1:23:00 half marathon in an effort to get into the ING New York City Marathon</li>
<li>To run (for the 2nd time) the Marine Corps Marathon</li>
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By being a member of the Brooks ID Program, the opportunities to inspire are limitless. I couldn't be more grateful to Brooks for their continued support of me as a runner and coach and for allowing me to inspire others every day through their mission. Run Happy!!</div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760429286562345555noreply@blogger.com0Norfolk, VA 23513, USA36.893246 -76.242118536.84245 -76.3210825 36.944041999999996 -76.1631545tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505967483373501208.post-33930863470342157922011-12-04T16:53:00.001-05:002011-12-04T18:11:08.511-05:0010 Miler + 5K = Half Marathon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A8jie9IV8CQ/Ttv6z8bs2iI/AAAAAAAAAjU/cUr5Jtd6bhc/s1600/DSC00729.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A8jie9IV8CQ/Ttv6z8bs2iI/AAAAAAAAAjU/cUr5Jtd6bhc/s200/DSC00729.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10 Miler and 5K Finisher's Medals</td></tr>
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It's been a while since 1.) I ran a double digit mileage race and 2.) ran double digit mileage at all. It's all excuses, but moving, starting a new job, going to military training in different states, and getting oriented to the hospital are all hinderances to running, training, and racing. While <a href="http://chipleduff.blogspot.com/2011/11/nine-hundred-ninety-eight-nine-hundred_19.html" target="_blank">keeping the running streak alive</a> during all of the changes should be satisfaction enough, it's still natural, I think, to want more. I want to run longer distances than just one milers in the morning on work days. Granted, work is fairly spaced out. We work 3-4 twelve hour shifts a week at NMCP. On those days, it's tough to get in more than the obligatory mile. I try to run longer on my off days, but usually, at least one of those off days is spent recuperating from the two or three day stretch of work.<br />
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I switch to nights starting tomorrow night. This will be my first time to work nights. My floor rotates with six weeks on days and six weeks on nights. I'm hoping that working nights will be good for my running. I'll be able to run during daylight hours in hopes that it will be the slightest bit warmer than it is when running at 4:20am. But like I said...it's all excuses.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Surf 'n' Santa 10 Miler<br />Finisher's Badge</td></tr>
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Yesterday, I ran two races. The <a href="http://www.surfnsanta10miler.com/" target="_blank">Surf 'n' Santa 10 Miler</a> at 8:00am and the <a href="http://jinglebellrunnorfolk.kintera.org/" target="_blank">Norfolk Jingle Bell Run 5K</a> at 1:00pm. Both races were great. Placed 8th in my age group in the 10 miler and 2nd in my age group in the 5K. I was surprised that I placed at all in the 5K because I took a wrong turn near the end and had to backtrack a little over a tenth of a mile. It still wouldn't have been a PR for me even if I would have gone the wrong way, but I might have come in first in my age group. Took home a finisher's medal from the first race and an age group medal from the 2nd race. Not too bad. Those were my 3rd and 4th races since moving to Virginia.<br />
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Here are a few neat things about the Surf 'n' Santa 10 Miler:<br />
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1.) The race medal is also a bottle opener. Apparently, <a href="http://www.jandaracinginc.com/" target="_blank">J&A Racing</a> (a local company who puts on a series of races in the Hampton Roads area) typically does bottle opener medals for all their finisher medals. Pretty unique.</div>
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2.) The race was sponsored by Sam Adams. Races are typically sponsored by beer companies. But MGD 64 just isn't the tastiest beer around. Having Sam Adams at the end of the race was much more exciting than post-race drinking has been in the past.</div>
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3.) There was vegetarian tortilla soup at the post-race shindig. It was nice that there was a vegetarian option at all, and this soup was REALLY good.</div>
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4.) The picture on the left is a finisher's badge for posting to your social media. It's a fun prize for the finisher, and I think it does an excellent job at promoting the race because it can be used on Facebook, Twitter, or whatever social medium you're in to.</div>
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5.) The race shirt is a technical, long-sleeve 1/2 zip. That's some pretty good race swag.</div>
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We are hoping to volunteer for the <a href="http://tidewaterstriders.com/seashore50K/" target="_blank">Seashore Nature Trail 50K</a> on the 17th of this month. Since joining the <a href="http://tidewaterstriders.com/index.html" target="_blank">Tidewater Striders</a>, we want to give back some more to running. Neither of us is ready to run a 50K at present, so we thought it would be a good time to do some volunteer work for the sport.</div>
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Okay...off to recover from the events of yesterday. If anyone has done any racing or training lately, tell me about it!!</div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760429286562345555noreply@blogger.com0Norfolk, VA 23513, USA36.893246 -76.242118536.84245 -76.3210825 36.944041999999996 -76.1631545tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505967483373501208.post-44182541070034105172011-11-19T21:15:00.001-05:002011-11-24T12:49:24.077-05:00Nine-hundred ninety eight, nine-hundred ninety-nine...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">United States Running<br />
Streak Association Logo</td></tr>
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...One thousand days ago, I took the first steps (literally) to be in a club that offers no tangible incentive, doesn't have very many members, and that you actually have to pay for if you want their quarterly publication. As of today, there are 304 active, certified running streaks on the <a href="http://www.runeveryday.com/lists/USRSA-Active-List.html" target="_blank">scrolls of the United States Running Streak Association</a>.</div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The official definition of a running streak, as adopted by the United States Running Streak Association, Inc., is to run at least one continuous mile within each calendar day under one's own body power (without the utilization of any type of health or mechanical aid other than prosthetic devices). </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Running under one's own body power can occur on either the roads, a track, over hill and dale, or on a </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">treadmill. Running cannot occur through the use of canes, crutches or banisters, or reliance on pools or </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">aquatic devices to create artificial buoyancy.</span></i></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Streak Entry: 28 FEB 2009</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">I started my streak on February 28th, 2009. We were still in our prerequisite nursing courses, so I don't think I fully appreciated then the adjustments I'd be needing to make once nursing school started. Forty days earlier, I had surgery on my right shoulder. I went to Tyler, TX for a surgery follow-up on February 27th. I asked if I could exercise again. The surgeon said that I could as long as I wasn't doing any throwing or contact sports. I've never really liked those sports anyway. I just wanted to run. And so it was, the next day, I started...day one...2.27 miles.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Since day one of my streak, I have run 2,738.1 miles totaling 381 hours, 6 minutes, and 5 seconds of time, completed 48 races (including today's Turkey Trot), and "worn down the rubber, molecule by molecule", of 10 different pairs of Brooks running shoes. I'm proud (and fortunate) to say that every Run Happy step of my streak has been in a pair of <a href="http://www.brooksrunning.com/" target="_blank">Brooks running shoes</a>.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3ysrpeEXCF8/Ts53tM2cZxI/AAAAAAAAAi8/v1WYZ_pNAyc/s1600/DSC00709.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3ysrpeEXCF8/Ts53tM2cZxI/AAAAAAAAAi8/v1WYZ_pNAyc/s320/DSC00709.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Official Membership Card and Club Sticker</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">So much has happened since I started the streak. I applied for, was accepted into, and finished nursing school. I became an RRCA Certified Running Coach and a member of the Brooks ID Program. I ran my PR half marathon time and became a commissioned officer in the United States Navy. My wife and I moved to Virginia, and I <a href="http://chipleduff.blogspot.com/2011/09/when-i-grow-up-i-want-to-be.html" target="_blank">started working as a pediatric nurse</a> at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth. Lots of events have happened over lots of miles of streaking.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Today, I ran my 48th race as a streaker, my second in Virginia, and my first as a new member of the <a href="http://www.tidewaterstriders.com/" target="_blank">Tidewater Striders</a>. It took a little while, but we finally broke down and joined a running club. It's a lot bigger than LAPS and will likely be a different experience all together, but change is good. (I do miss my LAPS family though.) Only two days after we signed up, they sent us a sticker and a membership card in the mail. Looking forward to the next three years of running with and meeting other Tidewater Striders.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">What do I have to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving Day. In addition to my wonderful wife, spectacular family, the best friends in the world, and an awesome job, I'm thankful for my health. Is that cliché? Yes. However, last Thanksgiving, while at the dinner table that evening with my family in Louisiana, I had the worst pain I'm ever felt in my stomach. Christy and my dad went with me to the emergency room in Bossier. Turned out, I had a stomach ulcer. My 2010 Thanksgiving morning mile was 12:09 and I felt like I was going to die. That was the closest I had come to ending my running streak. One year later to the day, it's Thanksgiving Day again, I feel fine, I ran a 10K race, and it's my 1,000th consecutive day. Much to be thankful for.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">So...what does one do after 1,000 days of running? Get ready for tomorrow at 4:15am.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Day 1,001...</span></div>
</div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760429286562345555noreply@blogger.com0Norfolk, VA, USA36.8507689 -76.285872636.6474749 -76.6017296 37.0540629 -75.970015600000011tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505967483373501208.post-77035191195543790052011-10-31T05:17:00.000-04:002011-10-31T05:17:03.398-04:00Pure Flowin' with Brooks<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AtGKPMmyTE8/Tq3tExlodAI/AAAAAAAAAgw/kVFHhb3W8Lk/s1600/DSC00707.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AtGKPMmyTE8/Tq3tExlodAI/AAAAAAAAAgw/kVFHhb3W8Lk/s320/DSC00707.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brooks Pure Flow</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After a particularly rough week in an emotionally challenging class at the hospital and dealing with the drama of an invalid nursing license, I came home to find my <a href="http://www.brooksrunning.com/Brooks-PureFlow/1101071D325%2e090,default,pd.html?start=1&cgid=mens-runningshoes-pure">Brooks Pure Flows</a> on my doorstep. Since Christy is gone to Louisiana for a couple weeks, this was the next best thing to fix a crappy week at work.<br />
<br />
I love the green color. I have two particularly bright pairs of Brooks shoes. One is the blue and orange <a href="http://www.brooksrunning.com/Racer-ST-5/1000181D810%2e130,default,pd.html?start=5&cgid=mens-runningshoes-competition">ST5 Racer</a>. The other is the blue and yellow <a href="http://www.brooksrunning.com/Brooks-Green-Silence-Men%27s-Black/1100961D715%2e065,default,pd.html?start=15&cgid=mens-runningshoes-competition">Green Silence</a>. Because I love Brooks shoes so much, I have some pairs that I only wear to wear. Others, I only wear when I run. I run in the ST5 Racer. I only wear this particular blue and yellow pair of the Green Silence. I have another pair of the <a href="http://www.brooksrunning.com/Brooks-Green-Silence-Men%27s-Black/1100961D316%2e100,default,pd.html?start=12&cgid=mens-runningshoes-competition">Green Silence</a> that I run in. The Pure Flow is a very comfortable pair of shoes, and I will likely get some just to wear later on down the road. <strike>No</strike> pun intended. The reason I like the bright colors and choose to wear them on a regular basis with regular clothes is that people notice them, comment on them, and then I have an easy segue into talking about running happy with Brooks. There you have it. My secret's out.<br />
<br />
One of the things that I like the most about these shoes is the elastic across the upper. It gives an incredibly but not overly snug fit. And since it's elastic, it gives as you move so that it's not so much of a choking feeling.<br />
<br />
I love the puffy tongue but wish it was the same kind of tongue as the Green Silence. The brilliance of the Green silence tongue is that it doesn't slide from side to side because one side of it is sown in, so it can't move. But if there must be a regular tongue, I'm glad it's plush and feels good on the top of my foot.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zhCH9ka12fQ/Tq3_I8_MQeI/AAAAAAAAAg8/CN2c633kHaA/s1600/DSC00699.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zhCH9ka12fQ/Tq3_I8_MQeI/AAAAAAAAAg8/CN2c633kHaA/s320/DSC00699.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pure Power</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Another thing that I love is the lace. I'm pretty particular about shoe laces for some reason. I don't really like the Green Silence laces. I LOVE the ST5 Racer laces because they're flat. These laces have the rippled ends which help to keep them from untying. The thinner parts of the rippled laces have a better grip when tied. The tightness of the knot at those points helps to keep them snug. But what's really cool is that the laces aren't rippled throughout the lace. They're flat where they need to be flat and rippled where they needs to be rippled. The only thing that I would change is to put the messages that are on the <a href="http://www.brooksrunning.com/Brooks-Launch-Mens-Lightweight-Trainer/1100651D007%2e090,default,pd.html?start=10&cgid=mens-runningshoes-neutral">Launch</a> laces on the Pure Project laces. My Launch laces say, "Dig Deep". I love that about the Launch. I'd suggest, "Run Happy" or "Pure Power" or something like that. It would be neat to have a different message on each shoe.<br />
<br />
It doesn't look like there's a whole lot to this shoe, but it feels very cushy and supportive on the inside. This is the only Pure Project shoe that I have for now, but I'm glad that I chose the Pure Flow because it's light enough for racing but has enough substance for a solid, lengthy run.<br />
<br />
Thank you Brooks for making the best shoes ever. Proud to be a part of the Brooks family.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/brooksrunning">Run Happy!!</a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760429286562345555noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505967483373501208.post-16500429633801236642011-10-25T07:22:00.001-04:002011-10-25T07:22:18.678-04:00Virginia is for Runners<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n-lPzff7xtk/TqaYuU20rvI/AAAAAAAAAgI/8Gayyu6OzGo/s1600/DSC00682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n-lPzff7xtk/TqaYuU20rvI/AAAAAAAAAgI/8Gayyu6OzGo/s320/DSC00682.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Run Happy Halloween</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Running in Virginia is a lot different than running in Texas. The most noticeable difference is the temperature. Texas is blazing. Virginia is not. It's less humid here than it is in East Texas despite being minutes from the Atlantic Ocean. It's much cooler here earlier on in the summer. In Texas, summer rarely ends, and if it does, it's usually because of some kind of weather anomaly like severe snow. And by 'severe snow', I mean snow that northerners see everyday during the winter months but Texans can't handle and apparently causes them to forget how to drive or survive. Another good thing about running in Virginia is that there are plenty of sidewalks. Not only that, they are on both sides of the street and they don't end in less populated areas. There are more people outside in Virginia running, walking, and generally being active than in East Texas. When people see a runner in East Texas, they look at them like they just saw an escaped zebra from the zoo. They just can't believe someone would exercise in the heat.<br />
<br />
That's not to say that I don't miss some things about running in East Texas though. For one, I miss the runners of the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lufkin-Area-Pacesetters-LAPS/248248123769">Lufkin Area Pacesetters (LAPS)</a>. Runners in East Texas are a rarity, but we're out there. LAPS is to the East Texas runner as an AA meeting is to the recovering alcoholic. We go for camaraderie, support, and acceptance. It's a great group of people. I also miss the <a href="http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/wildlife/trail.htm">SFA Experimental Forest</a>. I didn't find it until the end of our stay in Nacogdoches. It's pretty far away from where we lived, but it's a true gem of East Texas. If it had been a little bit closer, it would have made up for the general lack of sidewalks. Running through SFA's campus was also a great thing about Nacogdoches. The campus is big and beautiful and has part of the Lanana Creek trail running straight through it. Sometimes, you don't appreciate things like that until you leave.<br />
<br />
The racing scene in Virginia is pretty big, but I'm hoping to find more gems in Virginia than just big races and running clubs that charge dues. Today's running quote explains it well: "There is no better way to experience a place than to run it. You get to experience the deep crevices of an area, the senses beyond the visual, something you would never do if you didn't run." -Tawnya MacNeil, Runner's World Challenger</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760429286562345555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505967483373501208.post-9534507077316803812011-10-14T11:08:00.000-04:002011-10-14T11:08:23.259-04:00Feeling At Home In The NICU<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IzccamCBTnQ/TpeU1RuFWCI/AAAAAAAAAfo/32iLrWn44lo/s1600/2009-10-12-Awkward-Columbus-Day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="152" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IzccamCBTnQ/TpeU1RuFWCI/AAAAAAAAAfo/32iLrWn44lo/s200/2009-10-12-Awkward-Columbus-Day.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love federal holidays</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This has been the best week yet of the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth Nurse Residency Program. For starters, Monday, Columbus Day, was a federal holiday. Can't argue with a three day weekend. Secondly, Tuesday was a conference on patient care and safety. It was an amazing conference. The topic sounds painfully boring, but the speakers were truly engaging. There were three speakers total, and each one was fascinating. We heard stories of a mother who's son died in the hospital because of extremely preventable causes and a lack of communication between the nurses and doctors caring for him. We heard from a retired Navy Commander who had a stellar career until a series of mistakes that causes him to collide a fast-attack submarine into a ship of Japanese students and sailors killing nine people. The third speaker was the most passionate person I've ever heard speak about patient care and was an Air Force Pilot. The opportunities for education that we get through this hospital are unbeatable.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AqoSDG-1m1E/TpeVLAfqXVI/AAAAAAAAAfw/eiRQW56IMWo/s1600/IMG_2055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AqoSDG-1m1E/TpeVLAfqXVI/AAAAAAAAAfw/eiRQW56IMWo/s200/IMG_2055.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NMCP NICU</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The week only got better as I went to the NICU on Wednesday for the first time. I feel so much more at home taking care of babies than I do adults. Despite not having kids (yet), I feel like I instinctively know what to do and what to look for with them. It might sounds strange, but I think adults are so hard to read. Adults get embarrassed when they are sick or hurting. They can talk and communicate openly with you, but they don't because they truly want to believe that nothing is wrong with them. Children don't do that. If they hurt, they tell you. If they feel sick, they let you know. Even the preemie babies reflexively extend an arm and put out a stiff hand when they are stressed from being messed with.<br />
<br />
I think one of my favorite parts of working with newborns is the parent teaching - especially to first time parents. Again, we don't have kids, but I feel like I can read when parents are hesitant about something or wondering if the question in their head is too stupid to be asked out loud. I don't know nearly enough at this point in the game, but I feel like I make people comfortable, and I think I could really use that for good in teaching new parents what they need to know to get started. I've been trying really hard to take in all I can about the parent teaching. Today, I learned that breast milk usually starts between three and five days after birth but some mothers can start within the first day. I also learned that tucking a finger under the newborn's chin helps to stimulate them to suck if they aren't good feeders. I even got a swaddling compliment from my preceptor. I know it's a minor thing, but it makes all the difference in the world when they need to be calmed down.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H7r0fGF0tro/TpeVdypZ8zI/AAAAAAAAAf4/D7HOS-A95YQ/s1600/IMG_2056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H7r0fGF0tro/TpeVdypZ8zI/AAAAAAAAAf4/D7HOS-A95YQ/s200/IMG_2056.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I tied the bow</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My preceptors in the NICU have been wonderful and encouraging. One of my preceptors saves the baby's first bottle for the parents if the parents aren't there for the first feeding. To me, it's little things like that which make the parents trust you as a nurse in a stressful place like the NICU. I would imagine that being the first time parents of a healthy child is scary enough. But a lot of these parents are first timers with a sick, premature newborn. Having a nurse do little things like that really builds rapport with the parents.<br />
<br />
I haven't even been to work on the pediatric unit yet, but I'm really hoping to be able to cross-train in the NICU after I get settled in. I think pediatrics will be a great foundation to build on to get to the NICU. I'm excited about the next few days in the NICU.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760429286562345555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505967483373501208.post-80826055865221802462011-10-08T10:26:00.001-04:002011-10-08T10:30:24.328-04:00First NMCP PFA<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TqLVTr_svaw/To9vEp23nsI/AAAAAAAAAfA/0ZtjoAkf6Ao/s1600/DSC00663.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TqLVTr_svaw/To9vEp23nsI/AAAAAAAAAfA/0ZtjoAkf6Ao/s200/DSC00663.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NMCP PRT start line</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On Thursday, I ran my 15th <a href="http://www.navy-prt.com/">Physical Fitness Assessment (PFA)</a> as a United States Navy sailor and my first official PFA as an officer at NMCP. The PFA is how the Navy measures a sailor's state of physical readiness. The PFA has six components:<br />
<br />
1.) height<br />
2.) weight<br />
3.) sit and reach (measure of flexibility)<br />
4.) 2 minutes of situps (as many as you can do)<br />
5.) 2 minutes of pushups (as many as you can do_<br />
6.) 1.5 miles run (as fast as you can)<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DOP7ywqpqlI/To909yRIHuI/AAAAAAAAAfQ/cSpb0AePQ-Q/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-10-07+at+6.22.03+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="125" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DOP7ywqpqlI/To909yRIHuI/AAAAAAAAAfQ/cSpb0AePQ-Q/s200/Screen+shot+2011-10-07+at+6.22.03+AM.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NMCP PRT run course<br />
(blue circle)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The PFA is done twice a year - once in the spring and once in the fall. The maximum scores are broken down in five year age increments, so I currently fall in the 30-34 year age group. Each group you go into requires less from you since it's assumed that with age, your abilities to perform the exercises will decline. My answer to that is to always shoot for the max scores in the age group below mine. My age group requires a 9:20 for the run. I asked the Command Fitness Team who conducted the PFA what the fastest time was from earlier that day. They conduct a PFA every hour from 0700-1100. I went at 1100 because I was in the ER until then. They said that a Commander had the fastest time during the 0700 run with a 9:47. In my mind I thought, "Noted." They asked me if I was planning on beating that and I told them yes. They asked what I was shooting for and I told them sub 9:00. They laughed and one of them rolled their eyes. Again, in my mind, "Laugh clowns."<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EzB8NMggLmA/To-xELk1TSI/AAAAAAAAAfY/8hw9B3KVWkM/s1600/DSC00661.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EzB8NMggLmA/To-xELk1TSI/AAAAAAAAAfY/8hw9B3KVWkM/s200/DSC00661.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NMCP finish line</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In typical Navy fashion, the order was called. "ReadYYYYY?? BEEEE-gin!!" Eight minutes and 59 seconds later, I crossed the finish line with minimal heavy breathing and was greeted with an offer to be one of the only officers on a mostly enlisted Command Fitness Team. They told me that they're sure some officers somewhere are "on" it, but they never show up and even the other enlisted folks who claim to be on it never come. It looks good on their evaluations, so they sign up.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
One of the problems with the current PFA situation is that there is no incentive to do well on it. The highest you can get is now called an "Outstanding". There used to be different divisions of Outstanding. They were broken down into Outstanding High, Outstanding Medium, and Outstanding Low. Next was Excellent High, Excellent Medium, and Excellent Low. This went on for Good and Satisfactory. After a Satisfactory Low, the score was called Probationary. The problem was that, for evaluation purposes, there was no different between an Outstanding High and a Good Medium on the evaluation because as long as you passed the PFA with a Good Low, your evaluation stated, "Passed Within Standards" (PWS). So really...why try? If I could run my hardest or basically speedwalk and get the same thing on my evaluation what's the point in trying? The answer to that question is - absolutely nothing. It's rare that people in the Navy seek out physical fitness, so it's a running joke that sailors run three miles a year - 1.5 in the spring and 1.5 in the fall.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z-AhM8YVTG0/TpBTN7XZH7I/AAAAAAAAAfg/F13kueUNWQI/s1600/rde4305l.jpg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="161" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z-AhM8YVTG0/TpBTN7XZH7I/AAAAAAAAAfg/F13kueUNWQI/s200/rde4305l.jpg.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The real name of this fitness<br />
improvement program<br />
is called Ship Shape</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So, I'm hoping to get on the Command Fitness Team to help change the way people think about the PFA and about their fitness in general. From chapter 3 in Uniform Regulations on Smartness: "United States Navy personnel must set and maintain the high standards of smartness in uniform ap- pearance. The military image reflected by attention to detail, while wearing your uniforms, is a key element in the public image of the Navy." It's frustrating to see all these people hiding out at the hospital and clearly having people finagle their scores during PFA time. It's really bad amongst the Chief and officer communities. There's no accountability for us. The focus is so much on the E-6 and below that the higher ranking sailors get overlooked and are able to fall between the cracks time after time.<br />
<br />
There's been talk of an incentive program in the future for sailors to get an extra ribbon for five consecutive Outstanding PFAs on their record. Hopefully, we can develop more incentive programs at NMCP. In the PFA instruction, it says that Commanders shall: "Promote development and use of incentive awards to encourage maximum levels of fitness and health in individuals and commands." Hopefully, being on the Command Fitness Team will bring about more incentive programs so that we can be a model for other Navy installations.<br />
<br />
On a side note, I got lot of compliments about my <a href="http://www.brooksrunning.com/Racer-ST-5/1000181D810%2e130,default,pd.html?start=3&cgid=mens-runningshoes-competition">Brooks ST5 Racers</a>. :)</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760429286562345555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505967483373501208.post-60939277698976269792011-09-22T16:44:00.002-04:002011-09-22T16:44:57.021-04:00When I Grow Up, I Want To Be A...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHICFBK48rGaTLaHOdx7z02G2VTFP2FuwZ6Atsw3llGmHWKwWQAXevYYsBpTi4JJg1zrm8v7X-HkTgCxW2mZy-askRIImWajw2FojUT1FAWcVgoJ4yCPxc2ygOWOeJmjrhxcE9kiyYabfX/s1600/paper_torn_2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHICFBK48rGaTLaHOdx7z02G2VTFP2FuwZ6Atsw3llGmHWKwWQAXevYYsBpTi4JJg1zrm8v7X-HkTgCxW2mZy-askRIImWajw2FojUT1FAWcVgoJ4yCPxc2ygOWOeJmjrhxcE9kiyYabfX/s200/paper_torn_2.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wanted to be a pediatrician</td></tr>
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...pediatrician. My mom will tell you that I wanted to be a pediatrician from a very young age. I remember getting rid of some old boxes at old house on Marigny Street in New Orleans and finding that large-lined, greenish handwriting paper that you used to write on when you were first learning how to write. It said something to the effect of, "I want to be a pediatrician." My cousin and I talked about being pediatricians together when we grew up. She was a year ahead of me in school and also aspired to be pediatrician. Well, neither of us are pediatricians. She got her undergrad from Yale, went to med school in New Orleans, and is a family practice doctor in Mississippi. Neither of us are pediatricians, and since she's not in the Navy, we'll likely never work together, but we both ended up in the medical field.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jNp1AKy6I7o/TntXJqqV3pI/AAAAAAAAAew/76Ab1gdZf08/s1600/LeDuff+Service+Record.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jNp1AKy6I7o/TntXJqqV3pI/AAAAAAAAAew/76Ab1gdZf08/s200/LeDuff+Service+Record.jpg" width="136" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Service Record Photo</td></tr>
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I've been wondering for a while where I might end up in the hospital. The majority of medical folks in the Navy are highly motivated adrenaline junkies who feed off things like critical care, ER, med-surg, and those high speed jobs. Fortunately, there are those people for those jobs. I don't think I'm one of those people. I had a blast being with the Marines, and I think that fed my adrenaline needs for now. I want to find my way back to the Marine Corps eventually, but now isn't the time. So, with that said, I'll be going to the <a href="http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nmcp/Patients/pediatrics/Pages/default.aspx">pediatric floor at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth</a>. I picked this department, and most of the people are getting the departments they're requesting. I haven't been to the pediatric portion of the new nurse program yet, but I'm excited to be there. After I am done with this program next month, I'll have six weeks of orientation on the pediatric floor before I'll be on my own.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">EKG Class</td></tr>
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For the rest of this week, we're in an EKG class. It started yesterday and will end on Friday. I'm happy to be in this class because it's been a while since I've looked at this stuff between being on leave, TAD for a month, ODS for a month, and then more leave. Where did the summer go? Fortunately though, I remember a lot more about it than I thought I would. When we started the class yesterday, I could hear Dr. McCarley's voice in Critical Care class at SFA saying, "Well...is there a P-wave for every QRS complex? Are the P-waves shaped the same? Do the P's march?" While I still lack some confidence and question myself often, knowing that I was trained at the best school by the best instructors is reassuring.<br />
<br />
So...what did you want to be when you grew up? Are you that now? And if not, why aren't you? Would you change if you could?</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760429286562345555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505967483373501208.post-60142835684688511472011-09-18T11:19:00.001-04:002011-09-18T11:19:32.934-04:00Macklin Symposium: Autism and HADR<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RADM Martin Macklin</td></tr>
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This past week, I've been able to attend Naval Medical Center Portsmouth's Macklin Lecture Symposium. The Macklin Symposium is named after RADM Martin Macklin who was the Commanding Officer of Naval Medical Center Portsmouth in the 1960's. It's a yearly conference addressing medical topics, trends, and technologies relevant to the military. The symposium has gone on every year since 1966 with what appears to be one topic each year. This year, however, there were two topics - Autism and the Military Child and Humanitarian Assistance. Both topics were relevant and fascinating.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We need more</td></tr>
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The two days of autism were perhaps the most interesting but likely less related to the brand new nurse. It seems that the specific techniques we discussed are gears to parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and providers who work exclusively with that population. Everything about it was eye-opening though. I learned that the prevalence of ASD is much higher than it was in the 1980's. Today, the prevalence is roughly 1 out of 100 where it used to be 1 out of 150. Part of the reason for this is the change in the criteria for diagnosis. It used to be that you had to have all six of the defining criteria to be diagnosed. In the <a href="http://allpsych.com/disorders/dsm.html">DSM IV</a>, one must have <a href="http://www.autreat.com/dsm4-autism.html">six of twelve</a>. Having more criteria to choose from essentially makes it easier to diagnose thus increasing the prevalence. Also, out of a mindset of helping the child and having military insurance, it's very easy for military medical professionals to diagnose autism simply because the resources are there.</div>
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For military families with autistic children, the stress is magnified by constant deployments, varying daily schedules, inconsistent school environments, and moving to new locations every few years. I can't imagine the stresses these families are faced with, and it was extremely eye-opening to hear their stories during the discussion panels.<br />
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The last two days of the symposium were focused on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR). There were some very high ranking people from Washington there to discuss disasters like Haiti, Hurricane Katrina, and the tsunami in Japan.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">USNS Comfort</td></tr>
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One of the major topics regarding the humanitarian aid was the hospital ship. Disaster response usually called for our haze gray Navy ships to get someone rapidly. Sometimes, those same ships will be used for humanitarian reasons. They have fully functioning hospitals built into them, so why not make used of them to help other countries if we can get them there quickly? But something I've never thought of is the perception of seeing a huge US Navy fighting ship pull up with its massive guns pointed at the country in need. It causes some confusion as to why we're their. But when countries see the clean, calming look of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USNS_Comfort_(T-AH-20)">USNS Comfort</a> and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USNS_Mercy_(T-AH-19)">USNS Mercy</a>, both weaponless vessels bearing huge red crosses on both sides, it sends a definite message that we're here to help. Or does it?<br />
<br />
The hospital ships definitely send a comforting message that we're here to help more so than the haze gray ships, but an interesting was brought up during the conference. What happens to the countries after we leave, and what goes through their minds? What are the real reasons these strangers came from so far away to help us? Why doesn't our government take care of us the way that America takes care of it's own country during its disasters? How do we transition from them taking care of us after this disasters to us taking care of ourselves? These were all tough topics with no definite answers, but what I took away from it is that it's not over once we go in, help as best we can, and then leave. These situations last for a long time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v9CZ9OCxKIU/TnYLafe3fuI/AAAAAAAAAek/hx7ldZsiOpU/s1600/main.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="165" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v9CZ9OCxKIU/TnYLafe3fuI/AAAAAAAAAek/hx7ldZsiOpU/s200/main.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One team, one fight.</td></tr>
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We also learned about the potential creation of a new "warfare device" specifically for people trained in HADR. But the cool thing about it is that it would somewhat transcend services. Members of the Navy Army, and Air Force would all be trained the same way in a basic curriculum for HADR. From that basically trained pool of people, one would be pulled based on their specialty. This would eliminate the current selection process of, "We need bodies and you're on the list. Go home and pack and report to the ship." It would make the use of people's specialties more beneficial to the mission and it would also increase the amount of people in the pool since there would be three services involved. The Navy, Army, and Air Force all have their strengths and weaknesses when it comes to deploying. Combining the medical services of all three would allow us to bring the best of what each service has to offer to the mission. I liked this concept and hope that it comes to fruition during my time. I also hope that it spreads to other aspects of the different branches so that overall, we can be a more unified team.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760429286562345555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505967483373501208.post-67755293466727095462011-09-14T14:36:00.001-04:002011-09-14T14:37:01.683-04:00VA Racing Scene<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New couch in the living room</td></tr>
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After being somewhat settled in Virginia, it's time to start figuring out races for the rest of the year. By somewhat settled, I mean that our stuff (Navy term = household goods or HHG) has been delivered to our house. Christy is doing an incredible job at unpacking. Unfortunately, I'm not home during the day to help her unpack. There are boxes everywhere. It looks like we have a ton of stuff everywhere because it's all still boxed up, but it's really not that much. We got rid of our couch, big chair, washer and dryer, and some other things. Christy unpacked the kitchen yesterday. I believe the unloading of books is on the agenda for today. That's at least a five man job, but she is quite the capable librarian when it comes to her books.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9qWK3yVnMrw/TnDxuPVoY4I/AAAAAAAAAeE/x7lCEaijv3Y/s1600/PureFlow-o.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="131" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9qWK3yVnMrw/TnDxuPVoY4I/AAAAAAAAAeE/x7lCEaijv3Y/s200/PureFlow-o.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brooks PureFlow<br />(Coming soon to my feet)</td></tr>
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So...back to running. The Hampton Roads race scene is much more lively than the East Texas race scene. Now...that's not to say that I prefer it this way. One of the most appealing things to me about races is seeing the same people over and over at local races. That's the benefit of living in a small place like East Texas. Even if you travel to races that are two hours away, you see the same people who genuinely love to race. You get to know the field and who you might be racing against. I could take a quick glance at the starting line of a Nacogdoches race and know in an instant whether or not I had a shot at being in the top three or if I could just go on cruise control and use my energy to motivate other runners. One of the drawbacks to racing in East Texas is the lack of race options. If you don't live in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, or Austin, there aren't races every weekend. Another minor drawback to Texas is the heat. Being someone who hates the cold, lived in the south for the majority of my life, and has spent a year in Iraq, I'd say that I'm pretty accustomed to the heat. I miss the camaraderie of the <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/lufkinareapacesetters/">Lufkin Area Pacesetters</a> though.<br />
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On the other hand, running and racing in Virginia is quite different. There are seasons here despite what the people who have lived her forever say. Try living in South Louisiana or East Texas. There are no seasons there. Because it isn't as hot in the summer, there is more opportunity to train safely. While I never broke my training in the summer heat of East Texas, it wasn't the smartest way to train. But a quick Google search provides a <a href="http://www.runva.org/">statewide race schedule</a> that is much more abundant than in Texas. One of the major running groups here is the <a href="http://www.tidewaterstriders.com/index.html">Tidewater Striders</a>. I met some of them in July when I was here. They had a small presence at the 4th of July race in VA Beach.<br />
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Races in VA are much bigger than in East Texas. Of course some races are just generally huge. Any <a href="http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/">Rock 'n' Roll Series</a> race is massive. But even local races here are crowded. Unless I join a club, I likely won't really get to know anyone like I did in Nacogdoches. Not seeing familiar faces in such a big place is a result of a bountiful race schedule. You can't have it all.<br />
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Because I've been in transition for so long now, I haven't been able to run as much as I would have liked. But we're settled now, and it's time to get back to it. One of my first orders of business is to get the Brooks PureFlow shoe. I still have a free shoe and jacket voucher from working the expo at <a href="http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/dallas">RNR Dallas</a>. I held out because I knew this new line was coming out. I've been seeing pictures and videos of everyone opening their new shoes online, and it's time for me to be one of them.<br />
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Looking forward to reading about everyone's fall race season.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760429286562345555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505967483373501208.post-57156450423729388792011-09-12T00:08:00.000-04:002011-09-12T00:08:38.641-04:00Ten Years Ago...Ten Years Later...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Ten years ago today, I was a first year senior at Centenary College of Louisiana. My first class that I was supposed to go to was German Literature in Translation. I took that class because it replaced taking a language. It was a lot of reading. I wound up with a D in that class. That's irrelevant here, but it is what it is. Anyway...I didn't go to class that day.<br />
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I was in the student union building which had a big screen television in it. People didn't really have flat screens back then. The screen was flat, but the television was about a foot and a half deep. For whatever reason, The Price Is Right was always on in the student union building in the morning. No one dared change it. It was just understood that that's what was watched in the morning. I mean...who doesn't love Bob Barker. Yes...he was still on then. But even Bob took a back seat to the flaming buildings on September 11th, 2001.<br />
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When I was a junior at Centenary, a friend and I were talking about what we were going to do after we graduated. He had always planned to go to seminary. He ended up going and being very successful. I remember telling him that I didn't want to go to grad school like everyone else. I was sick of school, and I didn't want a desk job. We were sitting on the floor outside of my residence hall room and he was the first person that I ever told about joining the Navy.<br />
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When I learned about September 11th, I was hesitant about it. I had already talked for a year about joining the Navy. Should I not do it because of this? My mom already wasn't crazy about it before September 11th even happened. But...this is what we are here for. We train and train for what we hope never happens. We're much more ready today for an event like this than we were ten years ago. And despite plenty of setbacks for our country over the past ten years, we are more united because of the events of September 11th.<br />
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For another well-balanced look at the events of September 11th, 2001, take a look at my friend <a href="http://christinehennessey.blogspot.com/2011/09/ten-years-ago.html">Chrissy's awesome blog</a>. Things, no matter how awful, can always be viewed from a positive perspective.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760429286562345555noreply@blogger.com0Norfolk, VA 23513, USA36.893246 -76.242118536.84245 -76.3210825 36.944041999999996 -76.1631545tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505967483373501208.post-30792560808304587342011-09-08T21:43:00.000-04:002011-09-08T21:43:42.500-04:00Reporting Live From Norfolk VA<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Us during our drive<br />
(We're the green dot)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>After three days of driving in torrential downpours, we've arrived safe and sound. The day that we left Mansfield, LA, it started to rain and it didn't stop until we got to Virginia. We even had to pack the car in the rain which left us gross for the rest of the drive. But...what's important is that we made it with minimal problems.<div><br />
</div><div>The movers were supposed to bring our household goods yesterday, but alas, they won't be here until Monday. Why they have you put a "delivery date" if they don't intend to deliver it on that day, I have no idea. The only furniture that we have in the house is the new bedroom set that we bought over the 4th of July weekend. It's beautiful, handmade, Amish furniture. What we don't have though is a mattress. Aside from the Amish furniture, the nicest furniture in the house is the yoga mat that I'm currently laying on while I type this. Everything is echoey in here. This house is much bigger than our last house, so I'm looking forward to having more space to move around our furniture once it gets here. There is more storage and closet space here too.</div><div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q02otrSDI1k/Tmll-zXVxhI/AAAAAAAAAdw/uze7GnrkKAQ/s1600/IMG_1966.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q02otrSDI1k/Tmll-zXVxhI/AAAAAAAAAdw/uze7GnrkKAQ/s200/IMG_1966.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whatever you do in bed,<br />
Sealy supports it</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>We were able to order a mattress from the exchange on Wednesday though. We asked about the delivery options because a queen mattress is too big for either of our cars. The conversation went something like this:</div><div><br />
</div><div>Christy: So...what are the delivery options if we get a mattress from here?</div><div>Sales Guy: Well...if you order it by 3pm, we'll be able to have Sears deliver it the next business day.</div><div>Me: **looks at my watch to see that it's 3:10pm** **thinks: dammit**</div><div>Christy: There's no way you can deliver it tomorrow?</div><div>Sales Guy: Well...we can't deliver it tomorrow, but how about Friday?</div><div>Me: **thinks: well, at least Sales Guy is funny**</div><div><br />
</div><div>So...one more night of hardwood floors and yoga mats for the LeDuffs. I've even thought about sleeping in the car because it's probably much more comfortable. However, the hardwood floors are stunning.</div><div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uLUN7U08Lb8/TmljRNhA_xI/AAAAAAAAAdo/DeKXvMy8Hyg/s1600/IMG_1970.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uLUN7U08Lb8/TmljRNhA_xI/AAAAAAAAAdo/DeKXvMy8Hyg/s200/IMG_1970.jpg" width="149" /></a></div><div>The most comfortable one in the house is Tricksy. She now has two plush pillows - one in her cage and a new one we bought today for the upstairs bedroom. She is currently snoozing on the bathroom rugs we bought today. I think she's waiting for us to get back in the car to head back to Nacogdoches. She hasn't accepted the fact that it's not going to happen. I think she likes the big backyard though and the tall grass. The grass is extremely overgrown right now, and the absolute earliest I'll be able to cut it is Tuesday. One of our neighbors was kind enough to cut the front for us while we were gone, but the gate to the backyard was locked for the past two months. It's rough back there.</div><div><br />
</div><div>I got my orders stamped at the hospital today. It was nice to get back into being busy, but re-checking in was a pain. Not that I truly expected it to be anything other than that. But when I left, every department that I checked out of made it seem like they were going to leave me in whatever system or computer I was in since I'd be back in a month. Wrong. Every single piece of paper that I filled out when I left in July was waiting for me to fill out again today. In addition to those, there were new ones to fill out like the Responsible Sailor Act. Apparently, some of our officers think drinking and driving is a smart idea. Unfortunately for them, they are no longer employed by Uncle Sam.</div><div><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ktm9XIYxxgI/Tmlqgkaa8dI/AAAAAAAAAd4/smtvVdnjG78/s1600/IMG_1965.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ktm9XIYxxgI/Tmlqgkaa8dI/AAAAAAAAAd4/smtvVdnjG78/s200/IMG_1965.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">McDonalds needs<br />
Tofu McNuggets</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>The vegetarian options here are much more plentiful than in Nacogdoches. We ate a neat little place called <a href="http://www.pathnorfolk.com/">The Path</a> in Norfolk. All their food is vegan and local. They're trying to get an e-mail list going to bring more awareness to the vegetarian/vegan community to find out exactly what it is people are looking for. A couple things that were mentioned were vegan inks at tattoo studios and bringing awareness to restaurants that cooking a vegan meal on the same greasy stovetop as a a slab of meat makes the vegan meal a lot less vegan. I'm not at a point yet where something like that bothers me. I'm just happy to have more food choices here that are vegetarian rather than just salad.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Tomorrow will be more checking in at the hospital. Maybe I will have much more to write about on Saturday after a good night's sleep on the new mattress tomorrow night. </div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760429286562345555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505967483373501208.post-71347748287671015302011-08-29T21:10:00.000-04:002011-08-29T21:10:35.186-04:00Officer Development School<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sEi5sd11nTU/Tlu7h5VvKFI/AAAAAAAAAcg/vMAMG4SYfRo/s1600/IMG_1793.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sEi5sd11nTU/Tlu7h5VvKFI/AAAAAAAAAcg/vMAMG4SYfRo/s200/IMG_1793.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Previous class mural</td></tr>
</tbody></table>"Up in the mornin' with the Newport sun...<br />
We gonna run all day 'til the runnin's done..."<br />
<br />
I've spent the last five weeks at Officer Training Command, Newport, RI in <a href="http://www.ocs.navy.mil/ods.asp">Officer Development School</a> (ODS). All Navy Staff Corps officers have to go to ODS, so it was the next step for me after finishing nursing school. I heard a lot of different opinions about ODS before going from people who had been a long time ago all the way up to people who graduated in the class right before mine. The opinions ranged from the school being incredibly hard to being a waste of time for prior enlisted Sailors. Fortunately, I can form my own opinions about things without letting someone else's opinion affect my experience.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LePk02Q85hg/Tlu6NSXG0sI/AAAAAAAAAcY/1da8Lujw86Q/s1600/IMG_1847.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LePk02Q85hg/Tlu6NSXG0sI/AAAAAAAAAcY/1da8Lujw86Q/s200/IMG_1847.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sierra Company Guidon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>ODS actually ended up being really great for me. I learned a lot, but more importantly to me, I met some really great people and had a blast with them living in a non-air conditioned building for five weeks. I was one of seven prior enlisted officers in Sierra Company. My roommate, David, was also prior enlisted and has been in the Navy for 14 years. The two of us had a blast waking up at 0400 and playing music for everyone to hear. I couldn't have had a better roommate.<br />
<br />
Some of the topics were repetitive to the priors. Things like enlisted service records, pay and benefits, customs and courtesies, and evaluations were a little painful to sit through. But overall, I learned a lot throughout the whole course. Our class Chief and class officer were phenomenal, and we couldn't have asked for better leadership than them.<br />
<br />
Five people from Sierra Company will be at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth or in the Norfolk area, so it's really nice to know some people already who will be going through the same things at the same time as me. It's also nice to know people at other hospitals in case there are some cool nursing conferences to go to.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6lzgSGIFvtE/Tlu92MSdv3I/AAAAAAAAAco/8K_TA9CSEl0/s1600/IMG_1881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6lzgSGIFvtE/Tlu92MSdv3I/AAAAAAAAAco/8K_TA9CSEl0/s200/IMG_1881.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner at the Officer's Club</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Newport was a beautiful part of the country. I'm pretty sure that's the farthest north I've ever been. Aside from the fact that our barracks had no AC and we had drill outside during the hottest parts of the day, the weather was really great. We didn't get much rain at all, and the base is right on the water. Tons of boats in Newport Harbor and docked at the Officer's Club on base. It's a much different environment on the coast. Everyone sails up there. It's not something I'm used to. And even though it's been a big transition for me to go from an all Marine Corps environment to an all civilian environment to this new Navy environment, I really enjoy the all Navy part of it. I'd like to work with the Marine Corps again someday, but for now, I need to get acquainted with my own branch, its traditions, and what it has to offer.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XrEUb-bvF2s/TlvHeJD0QDI/AAAAAAAAAc4/R4yP-xbYo3s/s1600/DSC00566.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XrEUb-bvF2s/TlvHeJD0QDI/AAAAAAAAAc4/R4yP-xbYo3s/s200/DSC00566.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My crew in front of the<br />
USS Constitution</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-98UAiw6akR4/Tlvy9ZBqeWI/AAAAAAAAAdA/LGoatwRnku0/s1600/DSC00582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-98UAiw6akR4/Tlvy9ZBqeWI/AAAAAAAAAdA/LGoatwRnku0/s200/DSC00582.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guns on the gundeck<br />
of theUSS Constitution</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Each consecutive weekend during ODS, we were afforded a little more liberty than the weekend before. The first weekend, we were confined to our barracks, a gym, and the track. The second weekend, we were able to go anywhere on base as long as we were wearing our khakis. The third weekend, we had liberty confined to the island as long as we were in our summer whites. The fourth weekend, we had liberty within a 100 mile radius of the base. This is called "The Boston Weekend" because most everyone goes to Boston. The fifth weekend was graduation.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z4Fl6O2ASkU/TlwCPztigTI/AAAAAAAAAdM/JzdLgGfD7Gg/s1600/DSC00606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z4Fl6O2ASkU/TlwCPztigTI/AAAAAAAAAdM/JzdLgGfD7Gg/s200/DSC00606.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family at the USS Constitution</td></tr>
</tbody></table>One of the highlights of the Boston weekend was going to the USS Constitution. The Constitution is the world's oldest commissioned warship afloat. "World's" because there is no older commissioned ship afloat in any country's Navy. "Oldest" because she was commissioned in 1797 and was the third of the six original frigates built by the US Navy. Commissioned because she is still an active, functioning ship. "Warship" because she is a 44 gun fighting ship. "Afloat" because she still leaves the harbor between six and eight times a year. There is an older ship than the USS Constitution. The HMS Victory is older by 30 years, but she is dry docked in Portsmouth, Hampshire, United Kingdom. Also interesting to note, she has never been defeated in 214 years of service. When Christy and my family came up for graduation, we went back to the Constitution. It was really neat. I actually went a total of three times and really enjoyed it each time. I think my family enjoyed it too.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oZvsa2WtQqs/Tlwx3n1jmoI/AAAAAAAAAdU/nBEGcL1mnBY/s1600/status.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="101" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oZvsa2WtQqs/Tlwx3n1jmoI/AAAAAAAAAdU/nBEGcL1mnBY/s200/status.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Status of the Navy: 25 AUG 2011</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Every single person that I met through ODS was really great. It's good to have a network of officers around the country and around the world that I can bounce questions off of and use as a resource if I need to. Being one of 53,502 officers is a huge deal to me. In the entire Navy, that doesn't seem like a whole lot to me. After hearing some of the stories from my ODS shipmates about trying to get into the Navy from civilian life, I realized just how big of a deal it is. Some of them had been trying to get in for two years. The Navy isn't short on nurses anymore because the economy is so bad, so lots of civilians are trying to get in. Because of that, MECP students aren't getting three and four times to pass their NCLEX. If they don't pass on the first two times, they get the boot.<br />
<br />
Now that ODS is done, I'm hoping to get back to regular blogging. No internet access hinders blogging. Stay tunes for more blogs about running, yoga, and BROOKS!!</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760429286562345555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505967483373501208.post-90083924290194988622011-07-14T09:20:00.000-04:002011-07-14T09:20:30.795-04:00Weekend with Matthew Sanford<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I6vYqKASPsM/Th46nzIW-DI/AAAAAAAAAb4/EayzOsij1tk/s1600/IMG_1748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I6vYqKASPsM/Th46nzIW-DI/AAAAAAAAAb4/EayzOsij1tk/s200/IMG_1748.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thought during the weekend</td></tr>
</tbody></table>This will likely be my last blog post before being out of touch for the next month while I'm in training. Fortunately for me, I get to write about an entire weekend of yoga with <a href="http://www.matthewsanford.com/">Matthew Sanford</a> at <a href="http://studiobambooyoga.com/">Studio Bamboo</a>.<br />
<br />
So...some background. Amy Sanford, my yoga teacher in Nacogdoches at <a href="http://morninggloryyoga.com/instructors.html">Morning Glory Yoga Studio</a>, regularly keeps up with my practice despite me currently being 1,110 miles from Nac. When I told her I was going to Bamboo, she quickly studied everything about their website, their studio, and their instructors. After everything checked out okay, she saw that Matthew Sanford was giving a workshop at Bamboo. Amy attended his workshop in Texas at a yoga conference, so she recommended that I go to it if I could. Well, when your teacher tells you to do something, you better do it. :) I couldn't have been happier that she told me about it. What an incredible experience! The title of the weekend was called Self Realization and the Asana.<br />
<br />
On Friday morning, <a href="http://www.studiobambooyoga.com/staff/annrichardson/">Ann</a> and <a href="http://www.studiobambooyoga.com/staff/delyndawoods/">Delynda</a> went with Matthew to give a class to the physical therapy clinic staff at the hospital where I just so happen to be working. All I had to do that morning were three needle stick to draw blood in the lab. Guess who headed down to physical therapy clinic as soon as that was over...this guy. After only a quick introduction and a handshake, I instantly felt a connection to Matthew and knew it was going to be a spectacular weekend of learning.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFWi5Tr7GfvOcmyKk1fMWfY0TVOSRgqwueBMCxJ1rMsIxIJKOHj_jpKrqcwrg1CFxwYd2bmD8zfdxnWIwLWfbSmXYs4qL6OvHjpwwv_4DLSlokPf6AxEceWnuCtc8kni2kwNwmV-pKYWc_/s1600/Chip+and+Matthew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFWi5Tr7GfvOcmyKk1fMWfY0TVOSRgqwueBMCxJ1rMsIxIJKOHj_jpKrqcwrg1CFxwYd2bmD8zfdxnWIwLWfbSmXYs4qL6OvHjpwwv_4DLSlokPf6AxEceWnuCtc8kni2kwNwmV-pKYWc_/s200/Chip+and+Matthew.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Matthew Sanford<br />
at Studio Bamboo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>If you didn't click on Matthew's link to learn more about him, I'll let you know that Matthew's story is incredible. When he was 13 years old, he was in a car accident that left him paralyzed from the chest down. Despite this disability, he has been practicing yoga for 20 years and instructs what I imagine to be thousands of people every year. Not only does he instruct people who work with people with trauma, loss, and disability, but he leads yoga classes for people of all abilities. So, as Matthew says, "I'll ask you something to bake your noodle." How does someone who can't move their legs not only do yoga, but teach others how to do it? As I learned this weekend, yoga has a lot less to do with "Yoga Journal" poses than with the individual's own expression of the asana. It also has much more to do with energy than I imagined before this weekend.<br />
<br />
After the class with the physical therapy clinic, I went with them to a yoga practice for the <a href="http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/">Wounded Warrior Project</a>. I knew instantly that this was something I wanted to be a part of. I'm currently working with Ann from Bamboo to start the process of getting certified to teach. I learned recently that there is a possibility the rest of my GI Bill will pay for the certification. If possible, I'd love to help Ann with the classes and to be more involved in the project in general. Hopefully, I will be able to work with my chain of command to be able to attend the classes on the weekends to get certified. Friday night was an hour and a half talk with Matthew called Inner Body, Outer-Activism. We discussed his story, his book, and his non-profit called <a href="http://www.mindbodysolutions.org/">Mind Body Solutions</a>.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hORKvKYtCrk/Th5IYplQ8DI/AAAAAAAAAcM/SpBhcgTwiY0/s1600/IMG_1756.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hORKvKYtCrk/Th5IYplQ8DI/AAAAAAAAAcM/SpBhcgTwiY0/s200/IMG_1756.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Centered</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Saturday's morning class was called Precision, Alignment, and Effortless Sensation and the afternoon class was The Art of Adjusting. Both classes were incredible. The poses that we did in the class weren't necessarily the most difficult or complex poses, but the way in which we did them brought a new aspect to even seemingly easy poses. The aspect that I'm talking about is the movement of energy through the spine and the body. Until this weekend, it's something that I've vaguely understood as a concept but hadn't actually felt. Through some group exercises involving partner posing and partner support, the difference between little to no energy vs. lots of energy was overwhelmingly apparent.<br />
<br />
Sunday's morning class was Back Bending From the Inside Out. Oh man!! Back bends are my favorite poses. To me, the opening of the chest is one of the most wonderful feelings about the physical aspect of yoga practice. It's also one of the greatest non-phsyical aspects because of the flood of emotions and energy that is released in all back bends. We did some gradual chest openers and some work with straps an partners that I've never done before. The Sunday afternoon class was a teacher training. There was a lot of discussion during this class. The discussion began with the difficulties that people who practice yoga have in explaining yoga to people who don't practice or aren't quite sure what yoga is. What I took away from this discussion was that everyone has some form of yoga as a concept. It may not be a practice of asana, breath, and emptying the mind. But what I learned is that yoga as a feeling can be translated into many different activities and states of mind without actually practicing traditional yoga. I also learned that a lot of yoga can't be explained in ways that our science-y western minds typically think. Some things about yoga just feel good and don't need an explanation at all. When your teacher comes around and gives you a subtle adjustment, it's very rare that it doesn't feel good. It has little to do with the teacher trying to "fix" your pose. After this weekend, I've learned that it has almost everything to do with the positive energy from the teacher to the student and the student to the teacher. Teaching and learning go both ways, and the benefits of that exchange go to both the teacher and the student equally.<br />
<br />
The weekend of learning and practicing really solidified that I would like to teach at some point. While I really want to go ahead with the teacher training as soon as possible, I still think it's too soon for me to actually teach. I'm not sure that there will be a defining moment where I will feel ready, but as of today, I don't think I'm ready. Part of wanting to do the teacher training is to gain a better understanding of my own practice and where I want to take it before I try to share it with others. I'll be exploring all of this over the next three years.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kdD9xNoKbWk/Th5GuIaUhgI/AAAAAAAAAcE/z5a1_8YCzLw/s1600/IMG_1755.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kdD9xNoKbWk/Th5GuIaUhgI/AAAAAAAAAcE/z5a1_8YCzLw/s200/IMG_1755.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the wall at Hot House Yoga - it<br />
looks like yoga mats, but it's just<br />
paint on the wall surrounded<br />
by a frame - genius</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I went to another studio yesterday. It was my first visit to <a href="http://www.hothouseyogi.com/">Hot House Yoga</a> in Virginia Beach. There are two studios for Hot House. I really enjoy the hot yoga, and Hot House only offers hot yoga. It's a different experience than non-hot classes. I'm not sure if I would like that to be my main studio though because I'm not sure if constant hot classes are safe. I definitely see the benefits of them, but maybe not as my sole practice. Either way, the studio, the instructor, and the class were all great. They also offer teacher training at Hot House, but I really think I want my teacher training to come from Bamboo even if my main practice doesn't come from their. I feel very connected to the teachers at Bamboo and I think they would be the best fit for me. I still need to visit <a href="http://www.thespaceabove.com/">The Space Above</a> which is also closer to our house in Norfolk.<br />
<br />
Okay...it's late, and there is more nursing orientation tomorrow morning at 0730. I hope everyone enjoys the rest of the this month and next month. See y'all in August.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760429286562345555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505967483373501208.post-5303530036754140792011-07-11T07:27:00.000-04:002011-07-11T07:27:04.600-04:004th of July Weekend with Christy<div style="text-align: left;">What should I be doing right now?? NKO classes for my nursing orientation. What am I doing?? Blogging about last weekend.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Uj8mexpMmxA/ThpST-z7xOI/AAAAAAAAAbk/QQ6qfBnfeUA/s1600/IMG_1698.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Uj8mexpMmxA/ThpST-z7xOI/AAAAAAAAAbk/QQ6qfBnfeUA/s200/IMG_1698.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tirimasu and Key Lime Pie</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">So...last weekend, Christy came to VA for the 4th of July. We had a great weekend together. We signed the lease on our new house, got to eat at some really great restaurants, including <a href="http://www.sonomatowncenter.com/cms/home.php">Sonoma Wine Bar and Bistro</a>, and bought some new bedroom furniture. We also saw Green Lantern and Bridesmaids. Both movies were really good. Sonoma Wine Bar and Grill was quite the fancy restaurant. I bought a Groupon for it a while ago and thought I'd surprise Christy when she got here. I don't know if it was really a surprise since I told her the name of the place before she got up here. She looked it all up already and probably knew more about the restaurant than I did. But it was yummy and fancy all the same. It's definitely not a place to go to all the time because it's pretty expensive, but the food was really delicious. They have a ton of wines on tap too.</div><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-420brJ0zoH0/ThpocPQzbwI/AAAAAAAAAbw/Psdo11ydL9w/s1600/IMG_1693.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-420brJ0zoH0/ThpocPQzbwI/AAAAAAAAAbw/Psdo11ydL9w/s200/IMG_1693.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bed, dresser, and nightstand</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9kB-S3yXtEw/ThpoSMluSqI/AAAAAAAAAbs/g2oB2P6uj_k/s1600/IMG_1692.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9kB-S3yXtEw/ThpoSMluSqI/AAAAAAAAAbs/g2oB2P6uj_k/s200/IMG_1692.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dresser with tri-fold mirror</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">We made a pretty big purchase of a new bedroom set. We're trying to get rid of the cheap particle board stuff that we have. Until now, my parents have supplied us with two beautiful seven shelf bookcases, a coffee table, and a display case for our wedding stuff. My brother also bought us a wine rack. The mother of one of our landlords suggested that we look at <a href="http://www.heritageamish.com/">Heritage Amish Furniture</a> for a bedroom set. I've always heard that Amish furniture was incredibly well-made. Well, it's no lie. This is the nicest furniture we have. Normally, it takes 12 weeks to order something from them when you pick the style, wood type, and stain that you want from their catalogs. There were a few floor models that were for sale. The one that we got was 50% off. Not only that, but there was a 4th of July special where it was tax free, free delivery, and we got 300 dollars worth of "Amish bucks" for a future purchase. The bedroom set consists of a dresser with a tri-fold mirror, a taller chest of drawers with a two door cabinet on top, a queen-size bed, and a night stand. The wood is all solid cherry and gorgeous. Unfortunately, the dressers didn't make it up the steps. They were too long to fit around the railing on the steps, so they will be staying in the guest bedroom downstairs. Oh well. The full bathroom is downstairs anyway, so it's not a big deal. If the shower is downstairs, our clothes might as well be too, right? Right. The bed and nightstand made it up the steps, so that's good. We still have another dresser that could go upstairs if need be. I'll also go ahead and say it...we looked at some baby furniture there too. Particularly, a changing table and convertible crib. The stuff was amazing. The changing table converts into a dresser, and the crib converts into a toddler bed, and ultimately, into a full-size bed. I was impressed with it, and I think it would definitely be worth the price.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I leave this week for Rhode Island. I'll be out of touch from just about everything from July 15th to August 19th. No blogging, Facebook, Twitter, texting, phone, e-mail, or internet. It will probably be really good to break away from all that stuff for a while. I'm hoping to write another blog post before then about the amazing yoga experience that I had this weekend with Matthew Sanford. Stay tuned...</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760429286562345555noreply@blogger.com2