Early workout

So I got rudely awoken by my pager at 05:09 this morning. Doh. My alarm clock is one of those where the light gradually comes on before the alarm so you wake up "more naturally". I think it works. I set the light for 30 mins before. It's starts fairly dim then gets more intense. Then my alarm is birds chirping. There's other sounds but to me they all sound like night-time of going to sleep sounds like rain falling, waves crashing etc. Going to bed at 9:30pm also helps a lot too. So anyway I was partly starting to wake up anyway.

As I was up already and partly dressed before we got cancelled, I figured I'd come to work and do my workout really super-early. I ran 1km intervals then 1km flay-out run on the treadmill (I hate the treadmill). I had to do the 1km run for the 12wbt fitness test. You're not supposed to do it on a tready but I didn't have any other options as I'm back at work and it's dark before and after work and my town has an unsafe level of lighting (broken ankle material) and I don't have a head-torch yet. Oh yeh and I don't get lunch breaks like regular people as I'm a paramedic. So I had to make a judgement call on that one, I'll do it on the road on my first day off in sunlight.

Now I'm off to study my work CPGs before starting on my Chinese Literacy and Terminology assignment.

Things to do today

I just got back from the BF's. I took the train back which took about 4.5hours. I trundled my suitcase down the road home, but I got to go past my favourite foal and Shetland pony that are currently living on an acre spare block in the town. They are so friendly. I love to feed them the long green grass they can't reach over the fence.

My dog is currently naked after he busted out of his collar like the Incredible Hulk busting out of shackles. I, the BF, the dog, and the BF's dog were all at the end of our 4.5km run on Monday when they went silly and the dog decided he needed to go and chase some poor innocent sheep. He will be nude until tomorrow. I was going to oder him a reflective collar from eBay but now I think he needs a strong chain.
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I almost finished my History essay on the train so I just have to do that today and hand it in tomorrow at TCM school.

Today, I also have to do my fitness test for the 12wbt. This is what is (roughly) involved;

• 1km run time trial
• pushups - as many as possible
• sit-ups - different levels of difficulty
• "wall-sit" (holding the squat position against a wall for as long as possible
• flexibility test

Then Michelle gives you ranges and if you, for example, do 21-35 pushups then you're in the Intermediate  Group. Participants are divided into Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced (and then there's the Lean and Strong group for those who don't actually want to lose weight).

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Other things on my to-do list today: get uniforms ready for working week, get workout gear ready for week, get grocery shopping list from 12wbt (it's released tomorrow - perfect timing as I'm in Melbourne where the "good" groceries are), and finish this history essay.

Running

The scene of today's 3.5km cross-training run on hills and sand.

I didn't want to go but the BF motivated me. He said I'd feel better. He was right.

Marathon....in Antarctica

I think some time ago I talked about wanting to do a marathon. That goal sort of goal pushed aside and forgotten about with the commitments of med school and my fitness falling by the wayside. Well now the idea is in my mind again. It's just something I have to do for myself. But finding motivation is quite difficult...until yesterday. I worked with someone who just came back from running a marathon in Antarctica! There's a 4-year wait list but I'm putting myself down for the 2015 wait list and the 2016 confirmed list!

I tell ya, it is much more motivating to get up in this icy windy weather and run when you know you're preparing to run in Antarctica! My friend said it was about -2oC with a windchill factor of about -5oC. That's pretty much what it is here in Winter at night. I know this because I often have to refuel the ambulance in these conditions.

It's probably about 8oC today with a windchill to 5oC. It was that sideways stinging rain, and the hill I run up atm is nicknamed Windy Hill. I ran 3km today. My goal is to run 3km until I can do it non-stop, then increase to 4km and do this increasing consistently until I'm planning to do my first marathon next year. Depending on how much I enjoy it (or not) my rough goal is to maintain a good level of fitness and running until preparing for Antarctica.

So, it's quite expensive to get there. Around $7000 from America, so add another $2500 for flights from Melbourne. I've given myself a goal of saving $10k in 3 years (although I may have 4 years). So, yesterday, I opened a special savings account named "Antarctica" and my goal is to deposit $1 for every km I run from now on. Oh, and the other special condition is that it must be running continuously. So today for example I ran up to the top of the hill which was 1.5km and then I walked a bit then started running again (for a total of 3kms). So now I'm going to move $1.50 to that special savings account! Woo-hoo! I'm on my way!

I have to run on average 63km per week for 3 years (to save enough money). When people train for marathons they run about 100km per week. When I got up this morning I thought to myself, "I need to get some k's under my belt to get some savings!" So, you see, it's double-edged blade of motivation.

The idea of running a marathon in Antarctica is highly motivating for me. It's not just the Melbourne marathon, or New York or Paris... it's Antarctica! Yep, I need a BIG goal for big motivation and I've found it.

If it ain't rainin'...

...it ain't trainin'.


Sorry about the sideways picture again, but this was my run this morning in the cold and rain up Windy Hill and towards a rainbow!

Tracy Anderson

I just got Tracy Anderson's 30-day Method book today from Amazon. I'm really into the "TAM" right now, although I have more than a few reservations about her diet plan.

I did her dance cardio today for 20mins after my 1-hour mat workout. Tomorrow I start the 30-day workout for real, but using the Venice Nutrition diet instead (and all the other elements of Venice Nutrition such as sleep and stress control).

I've ordered the TAM Metamorphosis 90-day plan but I don't know how long it will take to arrive from the States, so the timing should be quite good.

I can't wait to pass on my TAM mat workout to my sister who is getting married in 5 months, then the 30-day method when my Meta arrives.

So, yeh, I'm pretty obsessed with TAM right now, but I just really like it. I even rearranged the furniture in my lounge room to accomodate my workouts (until I can get my dojo/gym ready). Yoga and running are on the back-burner for now.

I have exactly 4 weeks until I start med school again and it has seemed to have taken forever. It's perfect timing for me now to do this bootcamp as my world is organised and ready.

Update

Nothing really to report here. Went out last night and backing it up tonight. Looking forward to dancing! Last night I drank vodka, lime, and soda and I think it helped me feel better this morning than drinking my normal staple of cheap champagne.

Ramped up my workout today as I've realised I've plateued. I added more weights, high intensity intervals, then stepped up the intensity for my Zumba cardio session.

I've realised I love dancing and hate running, so I don't know how I'm going to consolidate this revelation in the future...

Fitness and sleep and stuff

So while I've had such a lengthy break from work, study, and travel, and am now near the end of the break, I am sooooo thankful I had this space to reorganise (most of) my house, take some time out for some beauty (haircut, mani-pedis, etc), to take care of "me", and mostly to get my fitness back on track.

I just bought the above book.  To be honest, it is restating a lot of the principles I already believe in but to hear Chelsea Handler rave on about it on her show Chelsea Lately, and it was only $5 on Amazon, I just had to get it and give it a read.  It has reinspired me to look at the way I'm eating and really step it up, which is worth $5 in itself.  It has also made me have a closer look at my workout routines and give that a shake up too. 

The most important think I got out of this book as the author states the number one most important thing for keeping in shape is sleep!  May favourite thing!  These four weeks has allowed me to simply sleep as long as I wanted, and after the first week of catching up on sleep-debt, I think I have been able to discover I'm a 10-hours a night person, and just how important it is for me to find those 10 hours.  It is a good foundation to take into work when I go back to shifts and on-call.  We only get 8 hour rest breaks between call-outs and starting back on-duty, which is a real problem.  Think about it - it often takes and hour from walkig through the front door to being asleepin bed, and it take me about an hour to get ready for work when I wake up.  I haven't got a solution to that problem as yet except for sleep banking.

My fitness is back to where I think it should never get below.  I've been really thinking about how I can work fitness into my everyday life, this includes working out and eating properly.

In the book he talks about at MFRK - mobile food readiness kit.  I so need one for my work bag to have in the ambulance.

As for my marathon training, I haven't been running much since I got my Zumba.  I absolutely LOVE dancing which means I enjoy my workouts - which is so important.  And the cardio from dancing is right up there with running, allowing me to at least work on my cardiovascular fitness all ready to take it out there on the road.  The weather is holding me back, so are the issues with my dog, but I know they are excuses and I need to get over it!

The Super-Fly

This fly deserves his own blog post.  He survived the fly-equivalent of a tsunami in my shower.  I saw him too late last night on the bottom of the shower, so I thought I'd make it a quick painless death and washed him down the drain.  Well this morning, I saw him crawling out of the drain soaking wet.  I figured he wanted to live so I put a bit of tissue in front on him and he jumped straight on it - smart.  Now he's drying out on my bathroom windowsill.  Maybe he'll double his life expectancy and live another day.

In other not so weird news, I went for my first 5km since I got sick.  It went well.  The dog ran good and only embarrassed me twice on the main road.  I thinking a half by the end of the year, but not sure the Melbourne Marathon will be the right timing due to my travel plans in September and my sisters hens and wedding in Oct.  So I'm thinking Aug or Nov/Dec, and a full by early next year.

I'm back

I'm back on board after being so so sick this week with mega tonsillitis.  It has been going around the town, and as an ambo who normally gets tonsillitis at the drop of a hat, it wasn't hard to predict this was going to happen.

I'm fairly resilient against flu and gastro, but tonsillitis is my Achilles heel.

So I couldn't even be bothered blogging, much less studying.  Today I decided to have a look at what Masters stuff is due, and OMG, something was due yesterday, another thing is due Monday, and then another is due on the 11th.  I don't really want to spend my holidays studying.  Id' much rather be sleeping, eating, exercising, and drinking, but seeing how much more difficult it was to work and study med only a few weeks ago, I know I can easily do this and still sleep, eat, exercise, and drink.  Oops, I almost forgot my other favourite holiday pass-time - shop.

Here's uan update on my life:

• Work - none!  I'm on holidays and loving it.
• Study - see above.  Can't wait to go back to studying med next term.  Kind of wish I had more spare time/energy/motivation to revise respiratory properly, but oh well.  Still gald I' doing the MIH as I keep thinking of my dream goal to work OS.
• Marathon - no run for a week due to illness.  Walked the dog slowly today and did yoga.  Thinking run on Monday.  Will reassess fitness and everything next week.  I didn't make the 5km x-country on the weekend.  I was so disaapointed about that, but what can you do.
• House - amazingly clean thanks to holidays. Garden needs help.
• Lovelife - still no comment.
• MoH - we're doing flowers now after sorting the wedding dress and bridesmaid dresses.

One good thing about getting sick though, is that I've kicked most of my caffeine and sugar addictions, and virtually all dairy.  Yay.  I wanted to anyway but when I got sick I couldn't stomach anything really, so I detoxed my guts a bit and am trying really,really hard to put only good "clean food" in my mouth.  Feeling much better for it.  My favourite is soda water with lemon juice, green tea, roast chicken (no skin, obviously), brown rice, and green salad with olive oil, lemon juice and black pepper.

Nerd

So what kind of nerd do you have to be to get more excited about the second-hand pharmacology text arriving in the mail than the $300 gorgeous Metalicus tops the day before? Answer: this kind of nerd.

I flicked through Lippincotts Pharmacology and I'm already excited because I like the way the meds are grouped in a way that makes sense to my brain for gestalting purposes. Yay!

My weaknesses are pharm, biochem, and anatomy. This text will/should gain me a lot of ground...

Just got Zumba Wii which is also very exciting seeing as the weather is already turning horrible and my desire to exercise outdoors is decreasing rapidly. It's making me think I might be besy aiming for the half marathon in Oct and training over Summer for the full at about this time next year....

Help

I didn't think I'd find myself crying out for help, all alone in my study, at the computer!  I was taking another mini-quiz on the USMLEWorld Qbank when it froze on me!  And just when I'd gotten 70% finally.

So I don't know if the questions are getting easier, if I'm getting my brain into gear for test-taking, or if I'm actually learning something, but my Qbank grades are going up rapidly.

When you order a subscription to access the Qbank you just get all of Step 1.  I am only using the pulmonology section atm, and I only used cardiovascular last term, but oh well, that's all I have time to access in 30 days anyway. For $100, it's well worth it in my opinion.  And they will be getting plenty more of my money in the coming years.

Doctors In Training is the organisation my uni recommends for USMLE prep.  DIT recommends doing 2000 Qbank questions, reading the First Aid for the USMLE 3 times, plus BRS phys and patho, as well as the first 7 chapters of Robbins Pathology, plus their 15-day course of course!  I'll be doing the first two (Qbank and FA), but only the relevant respiratory sections.  So, I wont be doing 2000 questions (I think there's only ~300 in pulm), but I will at least be doing every pulmonology question at least once before Tuesday.  Actually, I only have 50 to go, so I hope to go through them all twice.

I have read all of the respiratory section of FA, but I need to go through it again and this time try and remember it!  It's so dense.  I also have to look at other subjects that we covered such as HIV....

Anyway, enough blogging, I am motivated, I am on a good run (metaphorically, not literally), and I need to make the most of the next 4 days.....

(PS I have not been on a run yet this week and my dog hates me, and I have resorted back to my terrible ways with energy drinks and lollies - I almost forgot how good they were... Can't wait for this exam to be over as the skinny jeans are being put back in their draw for now.....)

PFPS

I have PFPS - patellofemoral pain syndrome - "runner's knees".  I blame work for making me sit in an ambulance for 9 hours two nights ago, after I had already done my 11 hour day shift.  Runner's World magazine lists PFPS as the top runner's injury and to remedy it by reducing mileage or running uphill only (ie on an incline of the tready), or to cross-train to rest the knees and build quad and hip muscle strength.  Looks like the WiiFit is going to get some use this week.

I have just completed my last shift for the week.  We have been busy at work and I have come home now, already tired, to begin my study for the day.  Ugh.  I still have those tasks to do before my online lecture in the morning, which, if I want 8 hours sleep before, I need to be in bed in 3 hours... which is not going to happen because my body-clock is set to nights.

Anyway, no use complaining, must get to it.

Working and running and studying....

Part of my 4.5km loop

My whole life atm can be summed up into periods of working, running, studying, sleeping, eating, and MoHing.  That's about it.  Sometimes there's housework, and sometimes there's tv (I'm missing the Oscars right now), and even occasionally there's a shower or bath followed by rapid grooming, but that's about it.  So, yeh, I really enjoy my runs in the lovely fresh air and quiet country roads of my town.

Today is overcast and misty, but not too cold, and the air is still.  The rain makes the dust settle and the smell of grass, gum, and pine is lovely.  My dog got away from me again today when he saw the alpacas - they freak him out.  He didn't discover the electric fence between them as yet, and I hope he never does.  My mistake was that I was walking that section of the road and he is easily distracted when walking as compared with running.  I couldn't run very far at all today, I think due to working overnight and the >500km of driving the ambulance cramped up my legs a bit.  I've decided to try and rest my legs well before the next run because these poor performances are discouraging me.

Yesterday I finished the quiz and submitted it, 40 of the 50 pages of the case study, and 10 of the 17 tasks.  I will need today to finish them all and therefore will be a day behind my revision schedule already :(

Study and more study

Yep, I'm still studying.  Well, I had a day off yesterday, which I hadn't planned to, but things happen....

According to my schedule I must finish by the end of today:

• 50 page case study (ARDS)
• 10 question quiz and submit
• 17 questions tasks and prepare for lecture

I've probably done about half.  I'm starting to stress and just want to start revision already and reading through the respiratory chapter of my textbooks, but I must stick to the plan to make sure this week's tasks don't cross-over into next week.

I'm also at work, did I mention that?

Work's clinical guidelines are changing again, and at first I was concerned about re-learning new guidelines, but when I read through the summary I was happy because they are changing to be more in-line with "the rest of the world" medicine and allow for more clinical reason.  For eg Stemetil can now be used in severe vertigo, and not just motion sickness, air medevac and/or an alternative for Maxolon.  Vertigo is probably the most common indication for Stemetil we encounter in reality.  And if anyone has ever had really bad vertigo, then you'd understand why I really want to be able to give it to certain patients.  There are a number others which make clinical sense, which in the past I'd have to consult for.  This is good news for everybody.

I didn't go for a run yesterday either. I can't remember how many times I've gone this week.  I think twice, but maybe only once....?  I went on that hot day before I started call, on Thursday, and I must've gone either Monday or Tuesday, surely...  It feels weird to have gone 3 days since running.  I must try and go tonight when I start call.  The treadmill is sitting there but is not attractive...

Edit:  thanks to my former posts I realise I did 4.5km 5 days ago and 2.5km in high temperatures 3 days ago.  Time is jumbled.

Study... more....

Doing some study this morning at work.  Feeling not too far behind, which is a nice change.  We didn't get any call-outs last night so I got almost 8 hours sleep in-a-row!  Unfortunately for me, this week's case is very difficult. It's about ARDS (Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome) and there's lots of lab values to interpret, plus I have no experience in an ICU, therefore no experience with ventilators and ICU drugs etc.  I'm way out of my comfort zone.

Then I flicked ahead through the case to the unit material and the first line was: "The heart and lungs are vital organs situated in the thorax protected by the rib cage".  !!!!  It's the end of the respiratory module, I think I know where the lungs are.....  Funny.  I find most of the provided unit readings are 90% super-basic with the odd fact dispersed throughout,so it's a matter of skimming before heading to the textbooks for further reading.  That is, of course, when I'm not frantically trying to finish the tasks before next week's lecture.

This is the last case study for the term.  I'm scared I have to study and cram so much before the exam.  I sent in my quiz without trying or looking up answers, I just thought it was overdue so who cares and I still got 9/10.   Maybe I feel like I'm doing bad because it's so difficult, but really we're being prepared really well by our lecturer with all these compulsory tasks.  Unfortunately, I wont know until after the exam, which will be too late, so I wont be taking any chances with my exam prep, which commences in 3 days....

My run yesterday was reduced to the 2.5km, which I think my dog was so grateful for because he was running way behind me on the last part of the loop.  It was just too hot.  And near the end I looked down at my watch and got so excited because it read: 15:35, and my goal is 2.5km in 15 minutes, then I realsied that that was the time of day, not minutes:seconds as I had forgot to start my stop watch :/ 

Edit: ARDS is now known as Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

New book

Finally got the latest version of Kumar and Clark's Clinical Medicine. Ordered it from abebooks.com. Check it out...

I love this book. I'm so happy. It's way more exciting to me then buying a new dress. I think I'm definitely in the right profession, if I had any doubt...

Off to squeeze in a run before work (in 30oC heat).

Same ol'...

.. same ol'.

Went for a 4.5km run for the first time with the dog today.  He ran like a champ and kept me going on the back stretch.  I'm running really, REALLY slow so I'll have to work on speed some time before the proper 5km event next month otherwise I'll be finishing behind the people doing the 10km event....

I have yet again somehow managed to muck up my school timetable and am yet again in panic mode..  Seriously, wont this term just end already?

MoH duties continue and don't seem to be slowing down any time soon.

I did an practice test with USMLE World Q Bank tonight - just the respiratory ones, and I got 55%.  I know that sounds horrible, but at 75% I would be extremely happy and believe I can achieve that before my exam as it is slightly easier, but has more curve-balls, than the USMLE prep exams seem to.  By curve-balls I mean that, for example, last term it was cardiovascular, and then up popped questions on epidemiology/statistics eg what the difference between cohort and control studies - wtf?

Met my mentor at the hospital down in the ED for the first time today.  It was excellent and what I really needed to focus on why I'm sacrificing so much time, money, and grey-hairs to my studies right now.  Although I felt like a total waste-of-space, it was a nice start.  Plus (almost) everyone in the ED already knows me from ambulance work and are really friendly.  couldn't ask for anything more, really.

hmmph

I worked today and did housework and that was about it.  I cant wait until holidays from study so I can do more around the house.

I'm suffering from insomnia at the moment, despite being the healthiest I've been in ages.  I eat really good, no soda, max one coffee every few days, alcohol only once a week, and good exercise and sleep (when I get it).  My body clock is set to be awake at night instead of the day, but I guess that's not overly surprising considering I do most of my call-outs at night.

I have two things due for med school today and I haven't done them yet.  I think I can certainly send in one thing today I have finished but just need rewording, and the other thing is the quiz which I have sent in a day late every week for the whole term, so why change that now in the second-last week!

I did some light weights yesterday, which have already noticeably tightened up my arms, but boy does it ever ramp up my appetite!  Analysing the way my body works, I think I might do weights only once or twice a week, and keep the running to three times a week.

I'm finding that at work my med studies are coming into play all the time.  I don't think I've annoyed my co-workers much yet by bringing up ideas that fall outside the normal paramedic practice.  Certainly, I'm not treating my patients any differently, but it is interesting to be able to start to interpret labs, go through a differential diagnosis including diseases which are no life-threatening/of concern to ambulance, look at ECGs more deeply, and to understand more about what investigation will likely be done at the hospital. 

Awful

Just has a terrible run. Fatigued from work, I decided not to take the dog and try for my PB... I also have a sore shoulder from him pulling on the leash. I ran into head-winds on the uphill part and it killed my ears. My legs felt as though they had no muscles in them and that my shoes had concrete in them.

So I decided I'd at least power-walk portions that I couldn't run... Then I got to the turnoff and decided if my intensity was low, I'd have to up the duration. In the end I walked/ran my new 4.5 km loop. At least I got a good sweat up and have experienced something like what it might feel like somewhere along a marathon.

Note to self - run every second day and have a coffee before if fatigued from call-outs.