Sweet Disposition

I kind of stopped being interested in tumblr during all the craziness that was happening during the month of May. It was nice to be away for a little while and take some time to enjoy all the exciting things that were happening. Here are some updates:

1. I graduated from Boston College. 

Yep, there it is. It feels so strange to think that this time in my life is over, but my time at BC is technically not over…I have officially decided to stay there for my Masters Degree for another 2 years. It will obviously not be the same as my undergraduate experience, though. I have moved back home and I’ll be commuting to campus because I cannot afford an apartment right now (especially in the BC area). It’s not ideal but this way I can save some money. 

2. Went on vacation for a week to Hilton Head Island, SC with my boyfriend and his parents.

It was so incredibly beautiful there and I couldn’t have asked for a better time. Every day the weather was gorgeous (80 and sunny, no rain, not too warm). The beaches were amazing because the sand was flat and hard so you could run and bike right on the beach near the water. We played tennis, lounged at the pool and hot tub, got drinks at this great bar by the pool, ran on the beach (and at sunrise!), biked everywhere, worked out at a great gym, etc. I want to go back!!

3. Started work for the summer at BC.

Since I’m a graduate student now, I am able to get a summer graduate stipend ($6,000 for the whole summer which will go towards tuition). I’m working full time between two different research labs that I have been involved with the past 3 years as an undergrad. Today I got to sit in on an fMRI scan at Harvard, which was kind of exciting. Unfortunately traveling in every day is proving to be an interesting experience…I found someone to car pool with and it usually takes at least 40 - 50 min with all the traffic. I am already exhausted at the end of the day - feeling sleepy as I type this!

4. Training for the BAA 10K. 

This race is on June 23rd and I am starting to get serious about my speed training in the hopes of a PR (under 51:30 perhaps?). My boyfriend helped me with speed work on the beach in Hilton Head, but I did it at 7 am on an empty stomach and it was incredibly rough - I nearly vomited after .25 mi at a 6:00 min pace (there were also tears. lots of them). Tonight I seriously worked on speed work again for the second week in a row and already noticed a huge difference:

.305 mi at 6:00 min pace

.75 mi at 7:00 min pace

1 mi at 7:26 min pace

I finally feel like I am maintaining proper form and hopefully building up my cardiovascular fitness. I have never pushed myself to run these paces before because it was not really required during my marathon training. I had never actually tried to run at a 6 min pace up until a week ago….I didn’t even know what it felt like or what to expect and I definitely panicked when I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I’m hoping now I can really work at possibly getting myself to hold a 6 min pace for a mile in the future…

Yesterday I did the 12 round workout at the Ring Boxing club. I’ve done it before, but it was different this time. I take it with “Big Tom” and that class seems to be a lot more cardio intensive (sprints, running up stairs, high knees, etc.) with more punching of the bag. 

But this time it was with a different trainer, and it was really difficult…so many weight exercises, push ups, tricep dips, ab exercises, etc. My arms were shaking from barely being able to do all the reps he demanded and then I was told to get up and punch the bag. 

My back and triceps are killing me today. I know this is good for me and these are the kinds of workouts I should be doing for tone, but I feel like I barely survived this workout. I’m not sure how many more of those I can do…I really hope it gets easier. 

It was really cool and definitely quite a workout! I’m excited to go back and use my monthly membership.

I think the hardest part for me is the conditioning - I’m not used to doing circuit training much anymore, and push ups are tough for me. I hope I definitely improve over the next month. 

My boyfriend went with me today and it was fun :)