Sock tans

Original plan was to go to the East high track, but football was there and I didn't feel like running laps around them. So I went to Liberty park instead.

I did a wood chip lap warmup then stretched and did a stride or two. I did a mile hard starting at the white line 1 mile mark along 700 E (we started here in high school whenever we did tempos and tbh I don't know which start line is the correct start for this set of painted marks) and went to the 2 mile mark. It was windy and popping with people. Made it hard to be weaving in and out whilst trying to remain 6 ft away from everybody. I probably picked a bad time to go to Liberty.

I hit 6:01. It wasn't all out but it didn't exactly feel easy either. I was happy with it though, surprised a little by it. I was going for 6:15. Maybe one day soon I'll attempt for a sub-6:00, ideally on a track next time. As for accuracy, I went off my garmin's beep. I'd say it was accurate give or take 2 seconds. Did this because of all the weaving in and out and the fact that I couldn't see where the two mile marker was as I crossed it (whoops)

Did another lap then finished cooling down out and back on 700 E

At my neurology appointment today he ordered a bunch of labs and also a neuropsych exam, which he said I probably won't get in for about a month since there are only a few of the specialists that perform these exams. It's 3-4 hours of testing and he said it can be kind of frustrating for the patient because they tailor the test to where your weaknesses are so they can really examine them. Sooo that'll be fun.

The labs are to rule out infections that can cause memory loss, though he expects them to come back negative. It's just to be sure, because why go through all this expensive testing if it's something simple? After the neuropsych exam we'll reevaluate and determine if an MRI is needed.

I also had a psychiatry appointment this morning and she ordered labs too. So I decided to knock them all out at once cause why be pricked more than once if you don't have to? It was a lot of blood.

She said that my creatinine was slightly elevated but everything else on my last labs was good regarding kidney function so she's not worried about it, but these labs today are just to be sure. We may have to readjust medications again in a month, but for now they're staying the same. Which is good because they've been helping a lot.

I was planning on running after work today, but a 9 hour shift turned into a 12 hour shift and I had a huge mishap with my car keys, didn't end up getting home until midnight. At that point I was just done with the day lol. At least I get overtime pay #blessed

Wasatch loop

Wasatch loop. 

My sister Hattie carpooled with one of her teammates to a soccer practice and her teammate's dad who drove them tested positive for COVID. He'd been tested earlier that day as a precaution for family coming to town and didn't expect a positive result (it didn't come back until the next day). Hattie was going to get tested today, but after looking at the state website we learned you should get tested 5-7 days after potential exposure. 5 days is tomorrow. So now we have to wait another day.

I really hope she doesn't have it. She was complaining of a sore throat but my mom had a cold, so we're hoping it's just a cold.

Crazy winds here in northern Utah. Trees have been uprooted, many power outages as well. Power lines downed. I'm going to opt for no running today unless the wind dies down later tonight after work. 

Jk the power is out at work so unless it comes back on I have the day off

It was snowing earlier today. Yesterday it was in the 90s.

A third player on Hattie's team we found out just barely has been exposed to COVID.

What a crazy day. 

I later did go running when the wind died down a little. Sooo many downed trees. Massive ones at that. Tree after tree after tree. In the street, on houses, everywhere. My neighbor's tree across the street from us split down the middle vertically and all our neighbors helped them cut it down before it fell on their house or a person. Sad to see such beautiful trees fall down.

Hattie tested negative :)

I hate that I've been so inconsistent with running... I've been so busy. Today I went running at 10pm because I can. The rest of the day I was booked.

Currently debating whether a job is more valued for higher pay or for fulfillment and experience... do I take the (much) lower paying job and learn once and for all if physical therapy is something I'm interested in making into a career, while also building up experience (and letters of recommendation) for later on if I were to try to get into a physical therapy school? Or do I continue in my dead-end jobs that I'm only working for the higher pay to save up money to pay off my medical bills and eventually go back to school?

Wasatch loop. I didn't mean to go a week without running, it just happened. Working two jobs, one of them full-time the other part-time, has made me really busy. I will be changing something around sometime soon, I just have to figure some things out first.

Out and back on Foothill

Unfortunately no running yesterday or today, and it'll be REALLY hard to squeeze in a run tomorrow :( in a couple weeks my schedule will open up a little which will allow me time to run.

I got the job!! I wasn't sure I would. I'm actually really excited, Physical Therapy is a field that relates to what I was majoring in and is something I'm interested in going into as a career. I start training tomorrow. I also work my 10 hour shift tomorrow at my current job. Tomorrow's going to be a long day.

On top of the physical therapy job I will also be working a temporary job for the University of Utah helping with research and testing for COVID.

Seeing as I got the job, I put in my two weeks today, but now I feel bad for my supervisor. He said I was the third one today to resign. Oops.

Who doesn't love a spontaneous half marathon? ...almost. That was the goal. 

Ashley asked me yesterday at work (my first day) if I wanted to run a half marathon this morning with her and 2 other friends. I said sure! Very early morning but that worked in my favor because I had work in the later morning (my current job- finishing out the two weeks notice). I was nervous because of having hardly run for the last month. But I decided to go for it anyways.

It was so nice to run with people. All of us were ex- college runners. Repping SUU and Utah State.

To begin with we had a mutual agreement to go 9:00 pace. We were all nervous about it. That's what we did- we averaged 8:57. 

I felt a lot better than I expected, until the end. About 5 miles in my gut started feeling a little upset, so I was worried about how it would feel later in the run, but it was okay. A bathroom break at mile 7 and I was good. Around mile 9 I started to develop a blister on my right foot middle toe. Mile 10 and it was incredibly painful, probably popped around mile 11 because shortly after the pain subsided a little. Still hurt, but dwarfed by newly developed hip pain, probably from adjusting my stride due to the pain in my toe. 11.5 miles and I was hurting, bad. I didn't know if I could finish another 1.6 miles, that's how bad it was. 12 miles and we were almost there, I started falling behind the group because at that point I was just trying not to stop. They slowed down for me. We hit the parking lot (our pickup spot) at about 12.25 miles. I was fighting so hard to keep going. I wanted to just grit it out and finish. But at 12.5 my hip pain was just too much and I called it quits.

I was very disappointed that I didn't finish. But I got close. Even though listening to my body wasn't on my mind at the time, I'm also glad I didn't finish. Another .6 may have only added to the injury. I probably should've stopped sooner, but there was pressure to keep up because I would have to travel the distance anyway- walk or run- since we were getting picked up. Luckily the lot came sooner than 13.1. And you know, for not running much in the last month, I'm happy with it. I know I'm capable of a lot better as evidenced by my longer runs/ half marathon splits a while back. But for it to be a spontaneous thing and being very ill prepared for it, I'd say it was a success. 

Ashley set my hips at the end cause she knows how to, it gave a big pop. They were off by a lot. Blister was pretty knarly, I'm surprised it doesn't hurt more.

It probably wasn't wise to hop into this. I hope my hip will be okay. Even so, it was fun until the last 3 miles. I'm still glad I went. I'm hoping to start having more consistency with running here soon. 

VA loop. My hip was a little stiff, but otherwise okay. I picked it up the last two miles and hovered around 7 minute pace. Felt good.

This week is going to be all sorts of busy. I'm moving out to Riverton this week. I'm moving in with my grandparents because my parents are remodeling their basement, so it's just easier if I'm out. Maybe once my medical bills are paid off I can start living on my own, or go back to school. But that won't be for a while, health is expensive. Anyways, I'm also working 3 jobs this week as I transition between jobs. I'll be working 60 hours.

Started with Wasatch loop but cut down Kensington Ave because my blisters were killing again. I don't know what's up but they've been hurting all day. I wonder if they're infected or if it's because they were rubbed raw.