It's That Time of Year Again

Yes, it is the ever delightful Christmas season but if you are a college student you are probably either nearing or have already started taking finals. If you take a look around the UMBC campus you will see students cramming at the library and pretty much every other place that has a desk or place to sit. People are dressing a little sloppier and parties are almost unheard of at this point. And the thing is, finals week hasn't even started yet! Today is a study day meaning there are no classes or exams so that students can catch up on work and get a head start on studying. Then finals start on Thursday and continue through next Wednesday. Luckily for me I only have one real final, and then a presentation and two papers. I get to go home on Friday and finish up my work from home while fully immersed in Christmas celebration while the majority of students are still furiously studying.

Despite my early departure from school I am still stressing out like any other student. I have already had 2 tests and a presentation this week and still have another presentation and my only final. I am not a presentation person so having two in one week has my anxiety level through the roof. I am trying to keep everything in perspective and only focus on the more immediate work. Instead of trying to rush through everything so that I can hopefully accomplish more I am taking my time to make sure that I fully understand as much as I can. I would rather have a really strong grasp on 80% on my material than a poor understanding on all of the material.

So true!

And despite some really exciting things in the works on the running/triathlon front (more on that later) I am not worrying about either this week. I know people constantly say that it is important to hit the gym for a sweat session to keep the brain juices flowing but worrying about fitting in runs just seems to stress me out even more. I will run when I have time and feel comfortable taking a break from studying. Since I am not currently training for anything I am trying to focus on the parts of my life that are most important- like school. And with Christmas right around the corner I am anxious to get home and spend some quality time with my family and friends that I haven't seen since the summer.

Getting Back Into the Swing of Things

Now that I have been back at school for over a week I finally feel like I am starting to settle into a routine. I am learning that going to school at 2:00 will result in parking over a mile away, and that having class from 10:00-2:15 leaves me starving.

It is so different to go from living at home with a fully stocked fridge, a gym membership, beautiful running trails, a safe area to go for a bike ride and having no commitments during the day to having my entire day scheduled, only being able to run on campus, and biking on a trainer. While it isn't ideal, I have found ways to manage. It is amazing, really, how the body and mind learn to adapt to things after such a short time.

One thing that is really helping me this semester is not having class on Friday's. It is the perfect time to do my long runs and then come home and take a nap, while still having the entire weekend to hang out with friends and get ahead on homework. And since I don't have any commitments to worry about I will have time to drive to a running trail about 30 minutes away instead of running the two mile loop on campus for 20 miles. I haven't had time yet but I found a new trail about 10 minutes from my apartment that I will hopefully get to check out soon as well.

I am going to a yoga class tonight that the school offers every Monday and Thursday, which will hopefully become a part of my weekly schedule. I loved going to yoga during the summer that I went twice a week. It became a critical part of my recovery after tough workouts and the thought of doing OnDemand yoga videos didn't thrill me.

One thing that I am struggling with right now is a lack of motivation to wake up early to run before class. I am up late doing homework and just want to sleep in the morning. Then it is often too hot to run in the afternoon once class is out and it isn't really safe to run after 7. This just means that I need to figure out a way to get to bed earlier so I can wake up earlier. Once it starts cooling off outside this won't really be an issue anymore.

Something Is Better Than Nothing

The biggest problem I have been having with finding the motivation to run is that I have so many other responsibilities that should take precedence over running. I am a full time student taking six classes this semester, which means I have a lot of schoolwork. Just this week I have 2 quizzes, 2 tests, and 2 papers. And over the next few weeks my workload is only going to get larger.

There have been many days where I ended up missing a run so I could do schoolwork. I am not here to say that school is not important, but rather that I need to work on my priorities a little. When I was in high school, I managed a harder course load plus twenty hours of swim practice a week. For me, swimming was just as important as school, and as a result I managed to do well in both fields. I knew that missing swim practice was not an option to achieve my goals, and that missing school wouldn't enable me to receive the grades I strived for.

Because I am not a professional runner nor am I on any sort of team, I often let running take the backseat to my schoolwork. I know that school is my top priority right now but I need to work on making running more of a priority in my life. I have seen a lot of improvement in my running over the past few months and I am excited to think about how much more I can improve if I actually stick to a regular routine and give running a little more attention.

The problem then, is figuring out a way to balance everything. I knew that this was going to be a busy week so I got as much work done over the weekend as I could. By planning ahead and trying to stay on top of my schoolwork it has allowed me to not feel so overwhelmed and have more time to do other things such as running.

I need to understand that I do not need to be a perfectionist and that sometimes it is better to run a few miles than no miles. I often find myself skipping a run because I won't be able to get in as many miles as I had planned but that doesn't mean that I should run no miles. Something is always better than nothing.

I Can't Do It All

I am really bummed to tell you that I have hardly been running the past two weeks. The work for my classes was starting to pick up and I felt overwhelmed. The feeling kept growing and now I am sick and I am pretty sure it is because I was trying to do too much. I am not making excuses because I know so many of you do way more than me and still find the time to train for events such as Ironmans.

Going into this semester I had big plans to join a bunch of clubs and try all sorts of new things. I wanted to join the ultimate frisbee intramural team, learn how to rock climb, join the transfer student honor society, participate in relay for life, continue being a member of the Russian Club all while taking six classes. And add training for a half marathon and finding enough time to spend with my boyfriend.

After the first few weeks of school I realized that while some people may be able to juggle one million things, I am not one of those people. When I do something I like to do it well and put a lot of effort into it, and I finally realized that I could not do all of those above mentioned things well.

I have decided to take a step back and realize what things are most important to me right now and only focus on those things. Of course school and my relationship come first. And even though I have not exactly been diligent about my running lately it is actually really important to me and I need to do a better job at finding time for it. As for the clubs go, I am going to keep participating with the Russian Club when I can.

I am also making it a point this semester to work on creating some sort of social life for myself. I had the same two best friends my entire life but now they live four hours away. I miss having that interaction and being able to just kickback with some girlfriends and have a good time.

So now that the Rock N' Roll USA Half Marathon is only about four weeks away, I am kicking my running into high gear. I have been working with my calendar to actually schedule times to both run and study so that nothing has to be compromised.

And So It Begins

Today was my first day of classes of the semester. I have always been one of those nerds who is super excited about school. But this semester marks the first time that I am not particularly looking forward to going back to school. I want to be excited, problem is that I'm just not.

Despite my lack of desire to be back at school, I have been doing everything possible to ensure that this will be a great semester. This might be the first time that I am truly excited about all of the classes I am taking. I know they won't be easy but at least I am looking forward to them.

I spent almost all yesterday getting things ready too. I did some intense cleaning and organizing a couple weeks ago so that I wouldn't have as much to worry about when I came back and I am so glad that I did. I still had a lot to do yesterday but I wasn't stressed out at all.

I stopped by the bookstore to pick up some books, cleaned & vacuumed the bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, & living room, unpacked two suitcases full of stuff, and got everything ready to start classes. I even set out my outfit!

While I am not particularly excited about always doing homework and constantly studying I am excited for the new adventures to come. So here's to a great spring semester!

Spring Semester Goals

Goal 1: Participate with Russian Club more

During the fall I joined the Russian Club and met some really amazing people. We had meetings a few times a month and three parties throughout the semester. The one thing that I did not participate in that I really wish I had was the bake sales we had to raise money. Helping out at the bake sales is a great way to get to know people even better. I want to be able to establish a better relationship with the friends I have already made.

Goal 2: Participate in Relay for Life

I was looking into other clubs to possibly join this semester and discovered Relay for Life. It is too late to help with planning the event but I really want to raise money and participate in the actual relay. A lot of people in my family have dealt with cancer and I want to do something to give back to them but being a part of such an amazing event. Plus I think it will be so much fun to get a group of friends together and make some great memories. 

Goal 3: Form better study habits

When I was in high school I never procrastinated and was always ahead when it came to schoolwork. Ever since I got to college, however, and had more time I started doing schoolwork at the last minute. I wasn't studying much for tests and was just doing enough to get by. If I want to focus on training I am going to need to really buckle down and do my assignments with plenty of time. I am planning on doing the majority of my schoolwork in the library this semester where there will be minimal chance of getting distracted by something.

Goal 4: Stay organized

This past semester was my first living in an apartment by myself and more times than not it was really messy. It is hard to always keep it neat and organized but I really need to find a place for everything and develop some kind of system for cleaning. I don't want to have to put cleaning on my to-do list every single day anymore. Plus having an organized apartment will help me stay on task with training and not procrastinating on schoolwork.

Goal 5: Try new things

This is probably the thing that I need to focus on the most. I am an incredibly shy and introverted person so sometimes getting out there and trying new things is difficult. I am starting to realize, though, that I am really missing out on a lot of great opportunities by not getting a little of my comfort zone. I also want to be more open to trying some crazy things that I will only get to experience in college. I don't want to do anything too out of control but I don't want to look back and regret not living it up while in college. 

Tackling the Upcoming Semester

With my second semester at UMBC starting on Thursday I have been super busy getting everything ready for the new semester. This is going to be my second semester here, which I am really excited about, but I also want to do some things differently.

Last semester I fell into a rut and all aspects of my life suffered. This semester I am going to make a conscious effort keep my well-being and happiness a priority. I wrote a goal post for this semester that will be posted later this week, but I also wanted to write some guidelines for making this a great, successful semester.

1. No procrastinating. When I was swimming competitively I never had much free time so I had to be really efficient with how I used that time. I would never just be sitting around doing nothing and consequently I would usually finish my homework days in advance. Now that I have a lot more free time I keep putting things off and then end up cramming to finish things at the last minute, which leads to lots of stress.

2. Focus on what is best for myself. I am a people pleaser (I don't think that is a word). I will give up things in order to keep others happy. Don't get me wrong here, I am not saying I want to be selfish but sometimes it is better to put ourselves first or else things can get overwhelming. I need to understand that nobody will treat me differently if I want to take a quick nap or go out for a run.

3. Be proactive about stress. Stress sucks. And it can come out of nowhere. Stress is different for everyone but regardless nobody wants to deal with it. For me, a cup of chamomile tea, and a hot bubble bath can cure almost anything. A few minutes reading a good book and getting enough sleep also really help. I want to get in the habit of fending off stress before it happens.

4. Take advantage of what the school has to offer. UMBC is mostly a commuter school so there aren't as many events on campus as most other schools but there are still a lot of really great things going on. I always have intentions to go to some of these events or even just go to a professor's office hours but never actually do. This is the semester to do the things that I know I should do but never do. When I am no longer in college and can't go to free yoga classes I am going to be upset that I didn't go to as many as possible while I could.

A College Girl's Survival Guide to Finals Week

Yesterday I told all the world how much I hate finals week. I hate everything about finals week and am so glad to be done with my first few finals of the week.

Since this is my fifth semester taking college classes, I have learned a thing or two about surviving this dreaded week.

1. Start preparing as soon as Thanksgiving break is over
I know this isn't going to help anyone who is didn't do their preparations already but regardless it is still really helpful. Start looking at what you still have left to do for the semester and see what you can get ahead on. If I know how much schoolwork I have to still do before finals than I can adequately prepare and plan for when I need to do everything.

2. Make a schedule for the week
I always feel super swamped during finals week but planning ahead really takes some of the stress away. If i know what tests I am going to study for each day than I can feel assured that everything will be covered. It also prevents me from studying from one class too much and another one too little. I have a tendency to study the most for the classes that I don't even need to study for. If I can just look at a schedule each day for what I need to study than I will actually get done what I need to get done.

3. Don't stay up late studying
A lot of people pull all nighters in order to study for finals but I find this to be pretty ineffective. If I stay up late studying than I will end up sleeping in because I am so tired. If I try to get up early after going to sleep late then my studying is compromised because I am too tired. I would much rather go to sleep at a normal hour and still be able to function and be productive the next day.

4. Plan meals ahead of time
I live in an off-campus apartment so I don't eat that many meals on campus. If I hit up the grocery store the weekend before finals and stock up on plenty of healthy eats then I can be assured that I will be eating healthy all week. It is not a good idea to just week whatever greasy junk food can be found the quickest. I always feel so sluggish and struggle to focus when I don't eat healthy foods. And finals week is really not the time to feel sluggish and inattentive.

5. Do something for yourself every day
I hate feeling like I have nothing to look forward to during finals, besides being done with school. I like to give myself little treats everyday to help keep me motivated. Yesterday I treated myself to a huuuge mug of caramel hot chocolate. Tomorrow I plan on watching Elf while copying down psych notes. These aren't grand things but they are enough to keep me excited and sane.

College Clubs & Organizations

Being at a new school has presented me with a whole bunch a chances to do something new. Last year I passed up so many great opportunities because I was scared and honestly, lazy. If something was completely new to me I would bail on it so I wouldn't be put in any kind of uncertain situation. This didn't work out too well for me and now I regret all of the things that I didn't do.

So far this school year I have been trying new things whenever possible. I have found some things that work for me and some that don't. I have gone to various club meetings, including Russian Club, Yoga Club, Veggie Club, and Running Club. While the Veggie Club is way to bold for my taste, the Russian Club was just what I was looking for. The people are incredibly friendly and I have already met some awesome people through it.

The club I was the most excited for was the running club but they ended up being much too fast for me. The club is made up of predominantly guys who run at a 6:30 pace. I do not run at a 6:30 pace or any pace close to that. I went to one meeting and one run but I am waiting until my half marathon is over with before I go back. I want to meet some people that I can run with but most of these people are just too fast for me.

The yoga club is the other club that I have been really enjoying. This isn't as much of a club as student lead yoga classes. Either way I am loving being able to attend yoga multiple times a week for free. Plus everybody is very friendly and one of my new friends from the Russian Club attends weekly.

The great thing about joining a club or organization in college is the many free opportunities that are available. It is such a great feeling to be able to go to a meeting for a club and know that all of the other people that are there are interested in at least one thing that I am interested in. Sharing that common interest really allows people to bond and form friendships.

My goal for myself is to be as outgoing and friendly as possible in order to meet as many new people as possible, and hopefully make amazing friends!

Some Catching Up

This week has been so crazy! I had my first quiz, and of course it was in my Russian class so that made it a million times harder than a regular quiz, I have been preparing for two more tests this weekend (online class), and have been trying to get some solid training in on top of all the homework and classes I have to go to.

I went out for a run on Wednesday but was rather unsuccessful because my knee was bothering me on the hills and I didn't want to push it. It kind of feels like it is going to dislocate when I go up the stairs or uphill so I am trying to keep that under control and avoid hills like crazy.

I am going home this weekend so I am going to knock out my long run and hopefully a short tempo run on the nice, flat trail near my house. I really miss running there, actually.

With my knee bothering me I have been unable to go to any of the runs put on by the running club but I am hoping that next week everything will be feeling better and I will be able to go out with them a few times.

I am looking forward to being able to swim some more next week even though the temperatures are still supposed to be on the cool side. The outdoor pool is heated so I am going to take advantage of that for as long as I can.

I got an email from the Baltimore Running Festival reminding me that my first half marathon is now less than 30 days away. I have been working so hard toward achieving this goal and I am getting more excited than ever. I really think once I get back into a running groove that I will get even more excited.

I am trying to really pay attention to my nutrition too now that I am back at school. I don't want a repeat of last year where I gained 10 pounds because of the all you can eat dining hall. I am trying to make healthy choices at every meal and only eat junk food in moderation. I have been doing well so far but it is only a few weeks into the semester.

I will be reporting back sometime this weekend with how my long run went so be on the lookout!

Catching Up

Things have not been going as planned around here. I hardly got any biking, running, or swimming in this week due to the heat, and I have been majorly stressed about signing up for classes for the fall semester. I am trying to get back into the groove of things and really start training for this half marathon.

I know I posted last week about my upcoming class schedule but I decided to switch some things around in order to have a more successful semester. I am planning on giving school my all, which means a lot of studying, joining clubs, and having a great time. I have a lot already lined up for the semester, which means I will be pretty busy. So far I have contacted the Running Club and the Vegetarian Club about joining, and there is talk of a club swim team starting in the fall. I may actually be pretty involved in the development of the club swim team, so that is pretty awesome. Then I have my classes. I decided to drop a few classes that I realized I do not actually need to take or that I can take over the summer at home. As a result I was able to add something really challenging that I think will also be really rewarding: Russian! I have always wanted to take a more complicated language than French or Spanish, and with the way my semester played out Russian was the winner. I am so excited to try something so different! My class schedule as of now looks like:

Advanced French I
TuTh 11:30-12:45

Advanced Spanish I
TuTh 1:00-2:15

Child Developmental Psychology
W 5:30-6:45

Psychology of Culture
MWF 9:00-9:50

Basic Russian I
MWF 10:00-10:50
W 2:30-3:20


Now on to triathlon and half marathon training.. I have decided to throw away my current training plans, which detailed what I was supposed to do each day, for a new one that says what my mileage should be each week. In order to make sure I get in all of my long runs I am planning how long they should be each week, but besides that I can do pretty much whatever I want. For example, next week I want to run 15 miles with my long run being 5 miles. The other 10 miles can be run whenever I want throughout the week and they can be split up into different distances. I did the same thing for biking and I think this will really help my hit my goal mileage for each week.

For awhile I was putting a lot of pressure of myself for my upcoming triathlon. This will be my first triathlon so there is really no need to have super ambitious goals that will just leave me crushed and disappointed later. I am just going to give it all that I have and see where my starting point is. I want to enjoy this experience and putting too much pressure on myself was causing me to not enjoy it.