I Have a Confession

One of the goals I set for myself for my triathlon training was to train consistently. Because sometimes schoolwork and being a college student get in the way of my training, I have turned to morning workouts as the solution to this. And I must confess, I kind of sort of really like morning workouts. Shocking, I know!

So far I have only done short recovery runs in the morning but I used to swim in the mornings twice a week when I was in high school. Since I have not done any hard workouts in the morning I obviously cannot comment on them, but I gotta say that morning workouts are very relaxing.

I love checking the weather and setting out all of gear the night before. I love waking up, getting dressed, and heading out the door all in ten minutes. And I love going outside and enjoying the outdoors while most people are stressfully driving into work.

Hahaha not exactly what I mean

I feel so calm and at peace with myself during those morning hours. I don't have to really think much because I'm doing a recovery run. I have a tendency to zone out for the majority of the run just enjoying being outside but somehow end up having life changing thoughts. I have come up with some of my best ideas during morning runs, and I have also worked out a lot of stressful problems during these runs.

I always feel so relaxed during the day after doing a morning run, and I am also usually smiling the whole day too. Morning runs give me this sense of power and confidence because I have already started my day off by doing something so productive and good for myself. Not to mention I am doing something that I really enjoy.

I know a lot of other runners and triathletes are morning people and swear by their AM workouts but if you are not a morning person I am challenging you to give it a try. You don't have to workout every morning or even for a long time. Just wake up 30 minutes earlier and go outside. I promise you will notice things that you would never have seen later in the day. And you will be amazed how great you will feel for the rest of the day.

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.

Fall Semester Reflections

I took my last final on Monday and after exactly one week since I came home I feel like I have finally recovered from this past semester.

This semester was a lot different the last time I took classes. My college experience so far has been far from normal but I am finally starting to feel like I'm back in the swing of things and on the right track.

I like to take some time after each semester or school year to reflect on both the good and the bad so I can learn from my mistakes and go forward doing the things that work best for me.

I learned being organized is really the key to my success. At the beginning of the semester I took the time to really get organized. I had multiple ways of keeping track of all the assignments I had to complete and I (mostly) kept my apartment cleaned. After Thanksgiving break was when I noticed that I wasn't very organized anymore and this was when I really started slacking with my schoolwork as well.

Making friends is not always easy. I have had the same two best friends since I was five years old so I really haven't had to make friends. And one of them even was at the same college I was at before I transferred. I went into this semester with high hopes of making really good friends, and while I did meet some amazing people who I am glad to call my close acquaintances, I did not create any lifelong friendships.

Sometimes change is good. I am a person who really hates change. I absolutely hate it. But I have to realize that sometimes change is necessary and good. I knew that I needed to change some of my old habits or else this semester was going to go terribly. I also came to realize that people change too, and even if it may mean losing a friend, I can't expect someone to not be themselves for the sake of pleasing others.

There is no time like the present to achieve your dreams. I have always had big dreams and I probably always will. I am constantly telling myself though that I will achieve those dreams later on in life. But why not now? I may not have the ability or the desire to achieve those dreams in ten or twenty years. I don't want to look back and regret not going after something because I simply kept putting it off. I want to inspire others and follow my dreams. Now.

I Survived Finals

It has been a long week but I as of tomorrow I will be done with finals! I only have a Russian final left but I am confident that it will go well. My hardest two finals were on Friday and I couldn't be happier that they are over with.

I spent most of last week studying my booty off and I am just so ready to officially done with finals. I can't wait to go home tomorrow and start to really enjoy the Christmas season. Unfortunately, finals has taken away most of the fun of the holiday season.

Tomorrow evening my dad, sister and I are going out Christmas shopping for my mom. We have a Christmas tradition of spending a little bit of time shopping and a lot of time eating. Most years we go to Olive Garden to stuff our faces with delish bread sticks.

I am also hoping to go ice skating with the boyfriend. I have only gone ice skating once before but it was a really long time ago. I am interested to see just how bad I am since I have zero balance.

Oh, and Christmas is only one week away! How did that happen?!

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.

A Few Pieces of News

I am sad to report that my 25K Swim Challenge is no longer happening. Due to finals and the Christmas break the pool at UMBC will be closing in a few days, which does not provide me ample time to finish this challenge.

I am still going to continue swimming as often as I can because I am really starting to enjoy my time in the water again. And I fully plan on retaking this challenge once I know the pool will actually be open for enough time.

In other news, I went for a 6 mile run yesterday during a downpour and it was incredible. It was so therapeutic to just run soaking wet while every one else is cozy inside. I felt truly unstoppable.

This run left me pretty sore and my IT band pretty angry but I needed those 6 miles. That is the longest I have run since the Baltimore Half Marathon. I was so proud of myself for just getting out there and running for as long as I felt like and as slow as I felt like.

Now I am off to finish the massive amount of homework I have to do and to start studying for finals!

Swim and Run Sunday

Today has been a great day. No reason in particular, but I woke up a little more cheery this morning ready to start my day. Unfortunately, it has been a pretty busy day full of cleaning, schoolwork, and some swimming and running on the side.

As many of you know, the weeks after Thanksgiving break mean finals for college students.  Unfortunately, finals also means teachers cramming in all of the stuff they forgot to teach us earlier in the semester.

Over the next two weeks I have a final in all five of my classes plus two French papers, and French quiz, a French test, three psych papers (I'm taking two psych classes so all three papers are not for just one class), and a Russian quiz.

I have an eight page psych paper on immigration and how immigrants adapt that's due tomorrow plus a Russian quiz tomorrow. Needless to say, I have spent most of my day writing and studying.

I decided to head to the pool for a swim before even starting any of my schoolwork so that I wouldn't get overwhelmed and not go at all.

I only did 1,500 yards before swim lessons took over the pool causing me to call it a day early. Today marked the first swim of my 25K Swim Challenge, which means 23,500 yards to go!

I came back to my apartment and knocked out a serious amount of writing before I decided to head out for an easy three mile run.

I ended up doing three miles at a 9:38 pace, which is really good considering I really haven't been running that much in the past few weeks.

I knew I would get swamped with schoolwork this week so I decided to plan my workouts in advance so there is little chance of missing a workout.

Now I am ready to tackle the next two weeks and have a great Christmas break!

Eating Healthy in College

As much as I have been loving my time back at school, the one thing I have really been struggling with is maintaining a healthy diet. So many of the food places on campus are filled with chicken fingers, french fries, and tacos. I also have been struggling with finding vegetarian-friendly options.

Luckily for me, I live off campus and have the opportunity to buy my own groceries. I can control what I eat when I am at my apartment. The problem is that I still haven't been eating very healthy even at my apartment. It took me the first few weeks of school to realize how all of this unhealthy eating was impacting my life.

I don't have a scale at school but I am almost certain that I have gained a little weight based on how my clothes are fitting. I have been feeling tired, sluggish, and not motivated. My running has been slow and ultimately I just haven't been feeling like myself. I also have been super moody. Not cool.

I have been thinking a lot about how to enjoy the college lifestyle while still staying healthy. The first step is to stock my fridge with healthy foods to eat when off campus. I absolutely love fruits and smoothies, especially in the morning. I have been limiting how many "snack" foods I keep at my apartment also. That way snacking while bored is no longer a problem.

I really think the key to eating healthy in college is eating as healthy as possible and then indulging for special occasions. Pizza delivery at midnight every night is not actually necessary. Pizza delivery at midnight once a month? Of course! I pretty much know my schedule for the week by Sunday so I can plan out when I need to eat healthy.

A lot of it also comes down to making small changes. Switch from drinking soda to drinking water. Only put one slice of cheese on that sandwich instead of 2 or three. College should not be about making a bunch of sacrifices but a few small changes can really make a big difference.

Transitioning into College Life

There are only 2 days left to vote for me to become a member of the Refuel With Chocolate Milk team! Please vote for me so I can afford to keep training and racing on a college student salary! I would really appreciate the support on something so important to me! Vote for Shannon Mulcahy!

I know, I know, I have been absent for awhile again but in my defense I have been spending a lot of time adjusting to being back in a college setting. I am really excited for all the new things I have lined up and that I get to experience, but sometimes it all feels overwhelming. I have been really struggling to stay with my half marathon training because I really don't know the area in which I am living and don't want to end up some place unsafe. This is kinda inexcusable to me though. I knew going into this that I was going to be in the peak of my training and that I was going to have to find a way to make sure that I was hitting all of my long runs each week.

Even though I haven't been running nearly as much as I should be I have been getting in a fair amount of time in the pool. UMBC has an outdoor heated pool that stays open through October and with the temperatures being in the 80's lately I have been really enjoying swimming outside. One of the things I missed most about not swimming competitively anymore was swimming outside. I think it is the perfect way to enjoy the summer, and quite frankly my summers have been feeling incomplete without swimming outside. The problem is that there are no outdoor pools near my house. Now that I have the opportunity to swim outside again I have going all out. I have been pushing myself more than usual and even did some swimming with the UMBC swim team yesterday. This may not make sense to all you non-swimmers, but I feel alive again in the pool. Swimming was something that was more important to me than school or pretty much anything else and then it get ripped away from me in a horrible way. Until just recently I have had a bad relationship with swimming because of the way things ended. Being able to swim outside again though has reaffirmed my love for swimming and I couldn't be happier about it.

With all of the new things going on in my life I am really starting to realize what is important to me and what I want to achieve while in college. I have been discovering new passions and rediscovering old ones. I really can't wait to bring you guys along on this journey and I promise to blog more consistently. I hope to have a few more posts this week about some of the awesome things that I am doing so stay tuned!