Half-marathon Eve

At the finish of the half marathon in 2015

     Tomorrow morning I will be running in the Snake River Canyon Half Marathon! I am pretty psyched for it. This will be my third year participating. The prior two years, though, I was having severe shoulder pain. Now, I feel completely healthy! I am excited to see how I perform in comparison. 

8 mile long run & morning snow

     Yesterday, I made the decision to do my long run a day early on Saturday rather than Sunday. This meant that I would be running 8 miles on tired legs. Usually I like to have a rest day before long runs.

The reasoning for this was two-fold:

1. I checked the forecast and there was an anticipated 14 inches of snow beginning that night. There was little change I'd want to run in that. Usually I like to sit in bed all morning, sipping coffee as I watch it fall. 
2.  I was upset. I had woken up to not-so-great news. 

Ready to head out in 25° weather. Craig says this hat makes me look like a  "real" runner

My 10 favorite things about Pullman

     I came here for graduate school, and during my move I was already telling my dad about where I wanted to live next. I never intended to stay long, but it's been almost 4 years since I moved here. My only reason for staying has been to support Craig through his PhD.

     I wanted to to acknowledge 10 positives about living in Pullman, WA.

New job & the escaped mouse workout

     I found a new job! It's in a lab on the fourth floor of the same building where I worked prior. I didn't even need to interview or anything (huge relief). The downside is my employment is contingent on my new boss's funding so will probably only last a few months.

A Walk in the Snow

     I've been in a bit of a sad mood lately. I was basically laid-off less than a week ago, so I guess it's to be expected that I'm a bit down. A long walk in the snow at Kamiak Butte was just what I needed to lift my mood.

Resilience in Scientific Research

Lab-coat selfie!

     I've had a rough few months. Since August, my employment status has gone from employed in an awesome and challenging job, to struggling to hold on to a part-time job, and now to laid-off. Basically, the department I work for had mismanaged funds before hiring me, and did not realize that they did not have enough funding to support my position long-term. This is a super bummer because I really liked my job and my boss.

HELP! I can't move my hand.

     In a turn of events, my broken pinky finger ended-up requiring 2 surgeries to fix! My hand was in either a cast or brace from August-November. I pushed through this struggle, and finished off the year with a half marathon.

Eating thai food after my appointment with the orthopedic surgeon

Broken Pinky Saga

     

     This summer, I my running fitness was improving, so I decided it would be a fun challenge to try a sprint triathlon. I researched and bought a new bike. A week later, I crashed my bike, fracturing my pinky finger. It was my first-ever broken bone! The fracture was at the base of my finger so required surgery. Basically, life just got a little more interesting/challenging.

Spring Updates

   
     Wow! It's almost June. Since I last wrote, mostly I have been searching for a job, walking around town and reading a bunch. Also I have been in physical therapy since January. Both my doctor and physical therapist recommended (very adamantly) that I take a break from running. So from March-April I took long walks instead. I was still able to participate in a couple runs though. Here are some races (and experiences) I've done since I last wrote.

5K Along the Water

     This morning I participated in  a virtual 5K for the blog Runs For Cookies. I have never run for a virtual "race," but it was free and sounded fun, so I went for it.