School's out forever!!!!!

I, Runner Nerd, am DONE with school!!  I HAVE MY LIFE BACK!!!!!!
Today was my last clinical!! 
I don't graduate until the 15th  but I do not ever have to go to class again, don't have homework, no final exam to take, my journey is over!!!!!
I am one happy nerd!!!
Next week I have to go to a board exam review which is 3 days, Monday through Wednesday.  I'm not looking forward to it but it is necessary.   

I can't just be a bum between now and Christmas.  I have to recover my house from two years of being a full time college student.  I'm hosting my family Christmas gathering on the 23rd.  I have a lot to do. 

I also have to get a lot more serious in training for the Key West Half Marathon.  It's down to 6 weeks from Sunday.  I have my flight ticket and my hotel booked!! 

Runner Nerd
done with college

Key West, Here comes the world's oldest college student!!!

I am officially registered for my graduation present to myself!!  I can't think of a better way to celebrate graduating from college and beginning my new career than to go to one of the coolest places in the world, where it's beautiful in the middle of January, and run a half marathon!!!
When I first started this college journey, my first thought was to do the goofy challenge the 2nd week of January  (Disney half marathon on Saturday and Disney marathon on Sunday).  It did not take long to realize that there would be no way that I could train for a marathon while going about the business of being the world's oldest full time college student and maintaining that all important 4.0 GPA.  When I learned of the Key West half in January I thought that would be perfect!  Half marathons are so much easier. I would have over a month after graduation which can go a long way toward getting ready for a half marathon as long as I had a good base. 
I'm really excited and looking forward to this!!  I've been saying for over 3 years that I'm going to go to Key West after graduating and I can't believe that I am now actually registered for it!!  I'm winding up my next to last semester then will have a 6 week break and at the end of August will be beginning my last semester!!
Soooooooo, anyway.... I have registered for...

Now, I have work to do.  I'm embarrassed beyond embarrassed to say that I've gained 10 pounds since becoming a full time student.  That is number one priority to get rid of that.  My mileage has went down to almost nothing, from 25-30 miles per week to 10-12 miles per week.  With weight gain and such reduced mileage I am so out of shape.  I run soooooo slow.  Turtles run faster than me.  I have a hard time running under 10 minute miles.  When I run with others on Tuesday nights, I can keep up 9 minute miles for a couple of miles but then I really slow down.  These days, 4 miles does me in.  So, I have to make a comeback!  My heel has been bothering me, it's symptoms of the "PF" word.  (can't even type it!)  I am going to one of the massage therapists at the place I go who has developed a massage technique for PF.

Today I ran 3 miles, my heel was good but afterward I drove about a mile to CVS to get a newspaper and when I got out of the car I had to give it a moment before taking the first step.  GEEZ, when is this going to end?????  

I have new next door neighbors whom I haven't met yet.  I still can't believe the old neighbors are gone :(   They built the house and had lived next to us for 21 years.  I am planning on making some chocolate chip cookies this week and taking them to the new neighbors and meeting them.  The recipe I'm making is one I got from the old neighbor!  It's the best chocolate chip recipe ever!! 


Runner Nerd
Key West bound

Decluttering turns up treasure

As I was sorting through old school stuff (junk?) on the book shelves I came across a folder of assignments from one of the English classes I had to take as a pre-requisite for my program.  I found an assignment - a bucket list we had to do.  It had 100 lines and we had to fill in all of them.  I remember just coming up with stuff to get the lines filled in.  It was interesting to read it now, nearly 2 years later!  The first thing I wrote was - do an Ironman triathlon!!  (that won't happen this year or next!)  One of the things I wrote on this list has been on my mind since then and I am going to make it happen this summer.  The 5th thing on the list was - go flying with my Dad again.  My Dad is an airplane pilot and has been all of my life.  I've flown with him many times over the years.  When we were kids, we'd leave at sunrise and fly to Mackinac Island and spend the day and return before dark.  It's been many years since I've flown with my Dad.  My dad is now 75 and is still licensed but I know he won't be forever, so I want to fly with him again while it is still possible.  He does not own an airplane anymore but he does have access to several and does still fly quite often in the summers. 
Another thing I wrote on the list just for something to write was - collect all of the state quarters.  I remember writing that!  I actually did begin to collect them when that program first started and they released a new state quarter every 4 months or 6 months or whatever interval it was.  I know there is a little box around here somewhere with the ones I kept.  I have begun to collect them again!  It's more of a challenge now!  Funny thing - the first one I looked at had Mt. Rushmore on it and visiting Mt. Rushmore was the 3rd item on my bucket list!!  That was one of my serious entries as I have always wanted to go there.  I am definitely going to do it within the first 2 years after graduating.  In the same class, I wrote my informative essay on the history of Mt. Rushmore; I knew what it was but I never really knew how it came to be.  Since writing that essay, I want more than ever to go. 
Another item on my bucket list - number 2 - qualify for and run the Boston Marathon!!  If that's going to happen, I'm going to have to get back into shape and run a lot better than I do these days!!  I turn 50 this year but my qualifying time stays at 4 hours with the new changes.  Even if I did qualify, I'm sure it would be within a minute or two at the most so I'd have little chance of getting in anyway with the new order of registration procedures.  Oh well. 
I threw away most of the stuff in the folder but I kept the bucket list and the Mt. Rushmore paper. 

Runner Nerd
state quarter collector

Still a nerd

Today I had an exam in one of my classes.  I went running after class and after I got done running I had a text message from a classmate that the grades were posted.  I had to wait until I got home to look up my grade.  ONE HUNDRED PERCENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Oh yeah!!!!  True nerd style!!! 
I'm pretty happy about it.  This is my diagnostics class.  It started out very overwhelming.  Taking multiple test results and putting it all together.  My head was swimming with facts and figures after the first two class sessions.  I really studied over the weekend and made it all make sense. 

Runner Nerd
still has it!!

Grades Posted

FINALLY...my last grade is posted!!  ALL 4.0!!!  I was pretty sure this last class was going to be 4.0 but I just wanted to see that 4.0 there staring at me!!! 
I am glad that this semester is over.  It's the most difficult semester of the program I'm in.  It really feels good to have all of my hard work and endless days spent in the library studying pay off.  4 classes - 4 4.0s!!!  True nerd style!!!!!!! 

Runner Nerd
World's oldest college student with 4.0 GPA

Nerd Status Redeemed!

After the shock of my 88% test grade I have redeemed myself!  I had a test in the other class last week and got that grade today.  I got 102%!!!  There were 3 extra credit problems which I got right, thus the 102%.  I missed 1 question on a 50 question test so I really got a 98.  I can live with that but if she wants to give extra credit I'm not going to argue!!  Now, if I could only make a comeback like that in my running!  I ran 3 miles this morning and I could not get moving.  It took me 32 minutes, 35 seconds to run 3.2 miles so over a 10 minute pace.  After the bitter cold we've had, this morning's 39 degrees felt almost warm!  I ran in 1 less layer. 
Well, I must get back to homework.  It's going to be hard to top the 102%! 

Runner Nerd

It starts today

I'm off to my first day of being a full time college student!!
I'm finally starting the RT program!!  I've been working toward this for 2 years.  I started this blog around this time 2 years ago but I don't think I wrote much until the 2nd year. 
I ran 3 miles this morning.  Things are still sore from my fall on Saturday night and muscles still sore from running in the snow.  It wasn't fast or pretty but I did it!
Anyway.....here I go!!!!!!!

Runner Nerd
beginning a new chapter....