want vs need

Things I WANT but don't NEED (right now)
1. Running shoes
There's a hole near the right toe of my current running shoes that almost lends credibility to my running efforts. Truth be told the hole is probably due more to poor shoe quality than the wear and tear of running. I think I'll postpone buying new shoes until I actually earn the mileage.









2. Earphones
The earphones that came with my iPod are almost 2 years old. More gray than white in color now it's exposed wirings have been taped over many times (with Micropore!). I can barely hear anything from the right earphone. I tend to compensate by increasing the volume which is probably bad for my left ear. I don't get to use them very often now since I have started running without music. However, I am looking forward to using them when I go on duty in the hospital. I'm over caffeinated and on an adrenalin high during my 24-hour hospital duties. When I do have to time for a nap I need to listen to soothing music that can lull me to sleep.

3. Laptop Sleeve
A nice laptop deserves a good laptop sleeve, one that allows me to just chuck the whole thing in my bag and not worry about damaging my laptop. My old sleeve is way too big for my (relatively) new laptop. It does not really offer that much protection. I need one that is light and fits like a glove.






4. ER Season 15 Box Set
Yes, DVDs of the full season 15. After going through season 1 to 14 since med school I'm determined to see the whole series to its end. I once considered going into Emergency Medicine but I decided I wanted more patient contact (and follow-up) than an ER stay of 24-48 hours can give.



5. Tree bookshelf
Just because it's so damn nice to look at. But I'll probably need a forest to shelve all of my books.

Tree Bookshelf from designer Shawn Soh.









Things I WANT and actually NEED
Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine 17th ed

I have the 16th ed all highlighted, bookmarked and covered with notations. That's not to say I have read the entire 2 volumes. I still need to get the updated 17th ed though. I actually have the pdf of the new edition but there's nothing like the feel and smell of a new book to inspire me to study.



Yup, that's all I really need right now (and maybe a little less rain so I can run).

dream

I love this:

"Well, I had a dream I was running further than I've ever ran before"

*smiles*

still running

Since I started running (jogging? or whatever you can call this slow shuffling gait) I've hit several road blocks.

Being overweight and unfit I could not even run for 5 minutes straight in the beginning. I searched for a newbie running program and decided to aim for a 5 km (The Couch-to-5k Running Plan). Getting to 3 km was easy enough. But after that I hit my first wall.

I mixed it up a bit. I run to the beach, not minding if I made several stops on the way. I run on a treadmill. Pretty soon I was running my 5 km. It was like sweet victory since it was something I never thought I could do.

Then I hit another wall. I could not get past 5 km this time. For a month I was only running 5 km/run. I took a tiny break, a vacation, then suddenly I ran a 6 km without even knowing it.

Then I hit yet another wall. After 2 weeks of doing short quick runs (to the point of feeling nauseous at times) and running out of safe roads to run on I was afraid I would never run more than 6 km.

Then I run 8 km. It took me totally by surprise!

All in all, progress may be slow but I can't say I'm not doing good. Except for a few misses I'm pretty much on schedule. Even the weight loss (which was never the primary reason for my taking up running) was surprising. As it is, it seems that I will be running a 10 km sooner than I expected.

* * *

Last night I run my last 2 km under pouring rain. I thought it was just going to be a light drizzle so I kept on running. Then it started pouring really hard. I kept blinking as water dripped from my brow into my eyes. Since I was already wet I decided to finish my run. And finish it I did - with my fastest km (mile) to date =D

It's good to know that even with road blocks I'm not running out of motivation yet. I still think it would be great if I could run with someone else, though.

I do need someone to run with. It would make all this running even more enjoyable.

Is there any one in Batangas looking for a running partner? I'm a slow and plodding newbie who refuses to believe her hyperactive (asthmatic) lungs and airways are not suited for mid-distance runs.

nike minus

My iPod quit cold in the middle of my run last night. I'm not quite sure yet if it's the Nike+ sports kit that has a problem or if it's the iPod itself. I figured I was not running for the stats anyway. So I continued with my easy 5 km-run and forgot about time and pace.

I found out later on that the Nike + ipod system was still able to record my run. Goody!

In the end though, I was still frustrated with the system. I was not able to sync my run last night. This morning I found out that all my previous runs where deleted :( All records completely gone.


I think I need to start getting used to running without music from now on.

And until I figure out what's wrong, I think I'll be going back to logging runs using pen and paper.

run/walk + music

I had a bad run/walk day today.

I was only planning to play ball in the afternoon to loosen up but since the ball mysteriously disappeared from the garage I was forced to run instead.

I hadn't primed myself for a run so early in the day. After two days of not running my muscles were tight. I was starting to get bored with my usual "house" run and was planning to take a different route. But as I started with my warm-up walk I kept getting phone calls about a relative's medication changes. In the end I decided to forgo trying out the new route.

An hour after the cool down my knees started aching a bit. As if the bad run was not enough, I had to make the mistake of having an inadequate pre- and post-run stretching. I hate to wake up tomorrow with sore thighs and knees.


There is one good thing about today's run though. I found new music to run to!

For some weird reason Uh Huh Her's brand of indie electropop is just right for my easy runs.

Too bad I couldn't find good videos of the electropop and synthy album versions. Here is the acoustic version of "Common Reaction" and a stripped down version of "Say So" instead.

love your heart

I may just be on week 3 of my running program but someday I'm going to run a marathon.

happy heart

The endorphin high of recent physical activities has been addicting. It's all I can do to stop from running/walking everyday. I know I have to take it slow.

This year I would like to find the focus and discipline that was missing for most parts of 2008. I have decided I am going to use running as a tool to regain them.


A few years back when I was still working in research, I found that with my efforts to increase efficiency by multitasking I was becoming easily distracted. I was efficient and always met deadlines, but the quality of my work declined as I started to lose attention to details. I could not concentrate on one task for long periods of time.

As a remedy I decided to take up a new hobby. It was something that required me to sit still for about an hour and do only one thing.

I painted stones.

One afternoon I picked smooth and flat stones at the beach near my workplace. I bought poster colors, a brush, a fine-tipped marker and varnish. I started turning the stones into whimsical animal families. I had blue porcupines, spotted toads, "ugly" stonefishes, blue and green groupers, bright red and yellow scaly fishes, furry orange tabby's, bespectacled owls, rainbow-colored snails and tiny ladybugs.

It was wonderful. If I cared enough about the quality of the outcome I had to stay put for an hour and do nothing else but paint. If I allowed myself to be distracted for even a minute the paint would drip, I would forget what details to add with a marker and the varnish would dry. I had the right chill out music playing and for an hour I was calm and focused.

It helped teach me to plan ahead also. If I didn't think things through I would end up waiting for 15 to 20 minutes doing nothing while paint dried on a single stone. It would've been a total waste of time. By planning which stones to paint, what colors to use first and which design to pen in I could work continuously.


Running may be totally different from painting but I think I'm going to get the same results with a happy heart and a healthy body as bonus :)

r/w

Getting back to my run/walk routine after taking a break while working proved harder than I thought. I did have short 20 to 30-minute walks while I was in Mindoro. But I was walking with a friend most of the time and she wasn't very welcoming of the suggestion that we should walk with a quicker pace. We probably covered only around 2 1/2 kilometers for our half-hour walks.

While I was looking forward for the endorphin high of previous routines I wasn't exactly looking forward to the muscles aches that greeted me the morning after my first run.

Only on week 2 of my so-called beginner runner's program and I am faced with the sad realization that I have a bum left knee. On one end I blame it on all the weight I've gained, on the other end, I blame it on weak muscles that should have been enough to support my knee if only I had used them more.

I've always been on the heavy side but I used to be fitter. I miss being able to run or swim a mile and not feel achy afterwards. I miss being able to play tennis all afternoon and still have the energy to go out at night. I do feel better now that I've taken a step to becoming healthier and more active again. But I have to take things one day at a time so as not to be disheartened by what seems a very, very long road ahead.

Somebody please run with me.