Career girl (minus the career!)

I know I already posted these on Facebook, but I'll post them here again... went shopping yesterday for some new work-appropriate clothes for my dream job that I hope to get sometime in the near future! We'll see if the power of positive thinking actually works...

The real world...

Wow, I have been insanely busy this week!

I spent 4 hours doing database training for legal researching (the Westlaw program, for those legal minds out there!) on Monday, and then have been out from 7:30 AM to 5 PM doing training for the CASA program.

CASA = Court Appointed Special Advocate - it's basically a guardian ad litem, appointed by the court (we got sworn in at Juvenile Court today!) to interview and investigate a case (it can be either a normal family law case or a dependency case, in which there are allegations of child abuse and neglect) and write reports and recommendations to the judge on what we feel is the best course of action for the child.

I'm working with Dependency CASA, so abuse and neglect cases. The training this week, while long, was really well organized and definitely an eye-opening experience! It was also a lot of fun to bond with the other people at training - people of all ages, professions, etc. A few of us went to happy hour at the Garage today to celebrate the last day of training. It'll be nice to have those other CASAs to keep in touch with, because we (obviously) aren't allowed to reveal ANY of the facts or issues about the case to anyone else.

Another issue the CASA training raised for me is that while I do want a kid or two of my own, I definitely want to look into becoming a foster parent somewhere down the line. There is definitely a huge need for it, and while having to part with them once they turn 18 would be hard, it is a way to help more numbers of kids have at least one stable and happy home than would otherwise be possible.

It's definitely been tricky with time management - I still have a lot of paralegal homework left to do tomorrow and Sunday, and I haven't been running as much as I've wanted - it's hard to decide between running at 5 or 6 AM or running when it's almost dark out, and I don't really prefer either... Haha! Hopefully I can put some good miles in this weekend though, and get back on track next week now that CASA "boot camp" is over. I'm actually kind of sad - even though it was tiring and a lot of information, I actually had fun at it.

It's funny, I've always been pretty shy in social settings, and definitely not one to raise my hand in class (like, EVER!). But lately I've noticed myself sort of "coming out of my shell" a bit, willing to jump in and talk to people and plan things and be social and outgoing, and also participate in group discussions, etc. It's just interesting - I'm not quite sure what triggered the change, but it's been fun!

And in other exciting news... I'm going to the Sounders-Chelsea game tomorrow!!!!!!! I am SO excited! My best friend's roommate that he was going with somehow forgot that it was this weekend and planned something else, so now my friend has an extra ticket and I am SO glad he invited me!! I've been wanting to go to a Sounders game since they started, and now I get to go to one of the most exciting ones all summer! I'm a Liverpool fan, but it's just exciting to see a Premier League team coming to the US - soccer is still just on a different level in Europe (in general... I feel like I have to add that qualification given the ridiculously shocking US-Spain upset a few weeks ago!!).

Oh, and I finally checked out my pictures from the Rock N Roll 1/2 - some of them are actually pretty good! I'll try and get them saved/posted sometime when I'm not falling asleep at my computer at 10 PM on a Friday!!

Sweet Sixteen

I think that so far, 16 miles is my favorite long run distance. It's far enough that it feels like an accomplishment, but "short" enough that I can still finish it feeling good and strong!

I woke up at 6 AM this morning and did my 16 miler out and back along the Burke-Gilman trail as the sun was coming up over Lake Washington - SO beautiful! The trail was shady and it wasn't too hot yet, and the time just flew by. I kept waiting to get tired and it never happened!

After I finished the run, I drove over to Matthew's Beach and stretched and then spent the next two hours alternating between swimming lazily around in the lake (the cold water felt really really good!) and napping in the sun. It was awesome!

And I think the swimming/cold water helped keep my legs loose, because I went shopping at Bellevue Square this afternoon with my friend Des and didn't even notice my legs. Hooray!

Also, I had my CASA interview yesterday, and it went really well! So now I have training from 8:30-4:30 Tuesday through Friday of next week - which is a lot, given that it's a volunteer position and therefore unpaid, but I just keep reminding myself that it's a foot in the door and some good legal/social work experience for my resume!

The paralegal program is turning out to be a lot more work than I expected, but so far I am managing to keep up all right - next week might require a little more scheduling with the CASA training!

As for running next week,

Monday - Off
Tuesday - 4 miles
Wednesday - 8 miles (6 @ MP)
Thursday - Swim/bike
Friday - 5 miles (hills)
Saturday - Off
Sunday - 17-18 miles

Come back sunshine!

I don't mind a few overcast days here and there in the summer, as long as they don't stick around too long! Can't wait for the warm sunny weather to return!

We had another open water swim practice at Seward Park tonight, and while the water was a lot smoother than it was last time, it was also a lot colder! I was the only person there without a wetsuit, and for the first few strokes, the water was so cold it took my breath away! Yeesh. But I finally settled into a steady crawlstroke and warmed up eventually, and I was one of the first people in our group to finish even though I was taking it pretty slow and steady and not pushing myself much. :)

I'm planning on a 5 miler tomorrow, 15-16 on Saturday, and then tri practice (swim + 5K run) at Beaver Lake on Sunday. I'll also get my bike out of the shop either this weekend or Monday, so I'll be able to get to work on that too!

I had an interesting 7 miler down in Federal Way yesterday - I was pretty frustrated by the end of it and begging for the Burke-Gilman trail. I guess it's the "familiarity breeds comfort" thing - I love knowing every step, every curve, every dip and hill in the trail. Yesterday's run was a LOT hillier than I expected, and there were too many loooong stoplights, and lots of traffic, and I almost got hit by a car (when I was in a crosswalk with the WALK sign lit... hello??).

I will definitely appreciate where I am now even more for the rest of the summer!

I have an interview at the Regional Justice Center in Kent for the CASA program on Friday morning - and hoping that goes well, training for the program from 8:30-4:30 next Tuesday-Friday. Keep your fingers crossed!

Summer quarter also starts up again at Little Bit this week - can't wait to head out to Woodinville on Friday and see all my buddies again!

Next race is the Torchlight 8K (on July 25) - looking forward to that, as it's the only race (besides Danskin) that I have planned between now and Portland!

July already?

Where did June go??? Can't believe it's already July!

Just a few updates... still on the job hunt, still nothing promising so far. This is frustrating and it sucks, but I guess I have to keep at it until I find something... I need money to support my running habit!

I've had a few good runs this week and everything seems to be recovered nicely from Rock N Roll. I also did an open water swim practice in Lake Washington on Wednesday. I was afraid the water would be cold (I don't have a wetsuit yet), but it was super warm! It was quite windy, so there were lots of waves, but I thought that was fun. I did the half mile distance with no problem at all, and actually kinda wanted to go back out when we were done.

It's funny, when Mom first had the idea of signing up for the Danskin, I didn't really want to - I was sort of thinking "why tri? I just want to run... but I guess I'll do it with her just to make her happy". But after a few swim practices, I'm thinking that it's been really fun so far, and though I'll stick with Mom at Danskin, I might like to try another tri and actually race it! I suppose I should get on the bike riding part... that's my least favorite and so I haven't done much with it!

The paralegal program has been going really well so far - I was sort of worried that it would be really hard, or really boring, or that I'm not smart enough to be in the legal field, but so far it's been really interesting and I'm doing well. Hopefully that keeps up for the rest of the program!

I've also applied to be a volunteer at CASA, to assist guardian ad litems in helping abused and neglected children through the legal system - it should be fun, rewarding, and also good legal experience for a resume!

As for the 4th, a few of us are going to Emerald Downs tonight for the races and fireworks, and Lake Union fireworks tomorrow, and then on Sunday it's back to the Burke-Gilman for long run time!

Seattle Rock N Roll 1/2 Race Report

What a relief to actually be able to post this!

Background - I ran pretty low mileage through the winter after the Seattle Marathon, and started ramping up again this spring to build a base for the Portland Marathon in October. I had originally hoped to PR at Rock N Roll, as I had some great runs leading up to it.

This Wednesday, however, my IT band started hurting (a LOT!). It was swollen and hurt to touch, and while I could walk on it, running was very uncomfortable.Most people suggested that I just not do the race, but a) I've been looking forward to it for ages and b) it is an expensive race to enter!! so why not at least try? So I spent all of Thursday and Friday icing, stretching, and massaging it, and it gradually improved.

Still, I was super nervous when Saturday morning rolled around... what if I took two steps running and it started hurting again? Would I have to walk the whole thing? I hate walking!

Went to the Expo on Friday - didn't stay for too long, was kind of disappointed that I didn't get to meet up with Digital Man, LuvPre, etc., but had to get back to my Grandma's (she lives right near the start line)

The Race - Woke up at 4:30 AM and was at the start line at 5:30, which turned out to be just enough time to check my bag and wait in the ridiculously long porta potty lines.The race starter was Husky football coach Steve Sarkisian, which was cool (being a huge Husky football fan, we are desperately hoping for change!).I was in corral 16, so after lots of not-so-patient shuffling, we finally made it to the start line.

Mile 1 - I am running at a good pace and my knee doesn't hurt. Hey, this might work after all! This part was pretty flat and through an industrial area.

Mile 2 - I missed the mile 2 marker, but there was a small hill and the upper calf/back of my right knee was starting to hurt - still, it wasn't my IT band, so I kept my fingers crossed and kept going!

Mile 3 - Still feeling pretty good, and I'd heard that IT issues usually pop up around mile 1.5 or 2, so still being pain-free helped my confidence a little bit.

First 5K split - 35:01, 11:17/mile pace

Mile 4 - I started getting a little silly here, despite there being a fairly long, gradual uphill - I was in front of the 2:15 pacers this whole mile, and was tempted to go for a PR, as my calf had started to loosen up and the knee was still pain free!

Mile 5 - Starting to wind down to Seward Park, legs still feel ok with nothing hurting, but they are a bit tired, and I make the decision to just take it easy and not go for a PR since it's probably not in the cards anyways!

Mile 6 - Heading down to the water - I love running near Seward Park along Lake Washington, and it was absolutely beautiful today! The road was wide, flat, and shady, and some nice people sprayed us with hoses. There was also a LOT more crowd support along this section (and in general) than for the November marathon, which I guess is to be expected.

10K split - 1:09, 11:15/mile pace

Mile 7 - Took my first GU, still running along Lake Washington, still going strong. Somewhere along the lakefront there was a bald eagle in a tree right next to the road - so cool, I've never seen one so close up before! Just to repeat, the weather and the day (and most of the course) were absolutely gorgeous - great showcase for Seattle!

Mile 8 - La la la, starting to dread the hill up to the I-90 express lanes at Mile 9...

Mile 9 - Turns out the hill was steep, but pretty short, so I was able to run up it without much of a problem at all. After going up the hill, we turned into the tunnel, and I got a sudden burst of energy. There was a band playing in the tunnel, and it was dark and cool, so that was fun!

9 mile split - 1:42, 11:20/mile pace

Mile 10 - I take my second GU, and we come out of the tunnel and start curving around on I-90 into downtown Seattle. My legs are still feeling strong at this point, and I am glad to have my own fuel belt with Powerade rather than Cytomax! This seemed like the longest mile EVER for some reason - when we finally hit Mile 11, I was confused because I thought I'd missed the Mile 11 marker and that should be Mile 12... Damn! I also saw a girl on the side of the road talking to the medics and saying that her IT band was killing me... I sent up a prayer to the running gods because that could have easily been me!!

Mile 11 - Starting to go down off I-90 and into downtown Seattle, there's a slight hill up to Mile 12 but everything still feels good.

Mile 12 - Take a quick walk break to call my Mom and let her know that I'm almost at the finish... I have to leave a voicemail and hope she got it. After I put my phone away, I settle back into a good running pace and we turn up onto the Viaduct.

Mile 13 - Mostly flat or downhill on the bottom section of the Viaduct - nice and cool with very pretty views of Elliot Bay and the Seattle waterfront! I started kicking at this point, running strongly and passing more and more people. We came around the corner and through the finish chute into the parking lot of Qwest Field.

Final time - 2:26:19, 11:11/mile pace

I got my medal (they are super cool) and went to find Mom - apparently she only heard the "Hi Mom" part of my voicemail and thought I finished, so she left the finish line and went looking for me... Whoops! All in all, fun race, fun course, great weather, and lots of relief! Now to recover from this and get back into the swing of Portland training...

And some pictures, because I'm awesome like that ;)

Not sure why this one is sideways, but I can't seem to delete it, so...

Getting ready to Rock N Roll...

Yup, only two more days until Seattle Rock N Roll! I'm super excited even though I'm "only" doing the half! I feel like I've gotten some pretty good training in lately, so hopefully that'll help! The weather is looking pretty decent, and I drove the half course (the first 9-10 miles or so at least) on Monday and there aren't any major hills of note, just a few gradual ups and downs to keep the legs loosened up - looks like a fun course!

In other news, started the paralegal program on Monday (although I haven't gotten my books in the mail yet so there's not too much I can do thus far), and am starting to get deeper into the job hunt - ugh!

I finally uploaded graduation and other random pictures to my Facebook, but I thought I'd put a few of my favorites on here for those who aren't on Facebook.

Mom and I after graduation...

Grandma and I after graduation!

Me feeding our family friends' baby... he's soooo cute!

Me after the 2008 Jingle Bell Run... very appropriate weather for it!

Sean and I at the beach... I just thought this was a cool picture.