It's tough being the world's oldest college student

Well, it has been an exciting weekend!!  Friday I had to go to school; normally I don't have class on Friday.  Last week was Respiratory Care Week and, as a member of a respiratory therapy program at a community college, I learned that it's a big deal in the world of respiratory therapy!  We had a ventilator race at the college as a fundraiser for a camp for kids with asthma.  I have learned that old, outdated, retired ventilators get used in ventilator races at colleges and hospitals all over.  Our college has 2 old ones, very heavy old ones I might add!!  We decorated them up.  I used the bumble bee wings I wore in a halloween race last year and we used yellow balloons and made the bumble bee ventilator!!  The other ventilator was pink!  We wrapped it in pink paper and pink balloons.  We also had some smaller machines - something along the line of a BiPAP machine on stands and wheels.  We decorated one as big bird and the other as a christmas tree.  We raced as teams of 2.  The race was around a circular drive in front of the building.  It wasn't a very big lap and there were 5 laps.  My team mate and I won!!!!  It was harder than I thought it would be.  The old ventilators are big and heavy and hard to steer!  It was a really nice day just a tiny bit chilly.  It was fun.  

Ventilators ready to be raced by a bunch of crazy RT students!





Running and pushing an old, heavy, cumbersome ventilator

After all that fun, we headed back to the classroom.  We have had so much work to do lately that all of us are behind.  We just worked on stuff that we needed to catch up.  It is a good feeling to finally be caught up on all the little things like quizzes that are done on a computer in the class and our simulations that are also done on computers in the class and finishing up various worksheets,etc.  I was there about 3 hours working. 
After I left school I went for a much needed run!  As usual, I changed in the back seat of my car thanks to the miracle of tinted windows!  I did a loop around a park and a few miles on the paved trail for a total of 5.5 miles.  All of my miles were in the 9s!!  I am getting back to how I used to run!!  It feels so good to push myself again! 
Saturday and Sunday were just full of fun!  Both days I sat on my butt in a chair in the library all afternoon doing homework and studying.  Today after the library closed I went running around the small town where the library is located since I had a very short window of daylight left.  It was a great run.  I combined several routes from a walking tour brocure I saw at the library and also some places I remember from when I ran with a marathon training group in that town several years ago.  I ran 4.5 miles and, again, all miles in the 9s!  I just felt great afterward.  Today was the first time I wore a headband to keep my ears warm this season.  I guess I can't do anything about winter moving in.  I dread it but I know there will also be fun times.  The Lightfest 8K is coming up, is there anything more fun than running at night with christmas lights wrapped around your body!!  I registered for an all womens 5K that I did last year - Jingle Belle womens 5k.  It was a blast last year.  I remember people wearing christmas themed clothing so I'm ready this year!!  I bought a pair of red and white striped knee socks to wear to christmas themed races this year!!  There is also an evening run planned on 11-11-11 that is just for fun; it's on a trail around a lake.  Of course, there is a party afterward!! 
Well, I have a few things to finish up and then have to get to bed so I can be ready to resume my role as the world's oldest college student tomorrow morning! 
Happy running
Runner Nerd
digging out the cold weather gear