Thursday, July 29, 2010

I WON A RACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I never in a billion million trillion years thought I would ever be saying that line!!!!!!  It's not really as impressive as it sounds.
The Thursday night running group took a field trip tonight.  We went to a small college where they were having a 5K and an 8K as a fundraiser for their cross country team.  Hardly anyone ran the 8K and when I finished they said, "you're the first girl!!! YOU WON!! YOU WON!!!  At the moment I was quite nauseous and just felt like puking and it didn't really register what they were saying.  One of the other running group members told me a few minutes later and then I realized what they were saying when I finished!!  Only 2 of us from the running group ran the 8K.  It was mostly on grass (grass that needed mowed!) and was one hill after another and some of it was on slanted ground.  It was tough.
I guess this was a good workout for me since I am doing a 10 mile trail run Saturday morning.
Well, Runner Nerd needs to get to bed, have to work in the morning.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Finish Line Cam

This is so cool, I'm watching people finish the Lake Placid Ironman!!

Friday, July 23, 2010

Outdoor jobs can be so fun!

When I made the decision a year and a half ago to go back to school and change careers it was a very hard decision to make and was made with more than one instance of tears. 
There are still times when I have my doubts.  I really do like what I do know.  I love EMS.
Today it rained on and off all day long.  When it rained it didn't just sprinkle it really rained hard.  It was either down-pouring or not raining, nothing in between.  I spent the day in a heavy, wet uniform on a very hot & humid day.  A couple times I was just about all dried out and then it would start pouring again. 
If I had any doubts about my career change I don't know.  I'm ready. 

Oh Yeah!! Super Nerd status retained!

Guess what I got in the mail today!!!!  I got my certificate for Dean's List for the Winter semester!!

Runner Nerd
emphasis on the Nerd part!!

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

No more complaining

After spending the past weekend in Chicago I will never ever again complain about traffic here at home, not even construction zone traffic backups.  We have it pretty good here in southeast Michigan!!

I am also very very very happy that I work on an ambulance here in southeast Michigan and not over there in Chicago.  Nobody pulls over for ambulances in Chicago.  We were walking along a sidewalk in downtown Chicago and heard the sirens coming.  The ambulance ended up SITTING at a red light with all lights on and sirens blaring and the cars on the other street just continued to drive through the intersection and the pedestrians continued to walk across the street in front of them in the crosswalk.  NO WAY!!  Here in southeast Michigan when we come along with sirens the cars clear the roadway. 

Chicago was fun and exciting otherwise. 

Runner Nerd
(needs to spend more time on the runner part, has been spending too much time on the nerd part)

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Have you ever met a long, steep hill?

run up the hill
run down the hill
run up the hill
run down the hill
run up the hill
run down the hill
etc etc etc...
This was not your average hill.  A quarter mile of upward sloping road growing steeper the farther up you go.
10 times up, 10 times down.
Is there anything more fun in this world??
And to think that some (most?) people went home from work and sat in front of the television in their air-conditioned houses. 
Oh, did I mention that it was 90 degrees??????  Yeah, 90 degrees.
One good thing is that it was a shady neighborhood street.  (shady as in trees on both sides that blocked the sun) 
I absolutely LOVE hot weather, especially when it gets in the 90s, but like anyone else, I don't run as well.  I am slow to begin with these days and I was the slowest one in the group running uphill.  They all waited for me to get to the top before we went back down.  How nice of them!!  They got to rest but I didn't!  (I just bragged about how many more calories I was burning!!) (I don't know if I really was or not but it sounds good!) 
It sure feels good when you are done!  It's torture during but it's always a great feeling afterward.  Running is strange that way! 
Week 2 of marathon training is underway.
Grand Rapids, here I come!!!!!!

Runner Nerd
who is excited that tomorrow is Thursday and that means RUNNING GROUP!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday, July 4, 2010

America The Beautiful

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassion'd stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness.
America! America!
God mend thine ev'ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law.

O beautiful for heroes prov'd
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life.
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev'ry gain divine.

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears.
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea.