Stop Pro-Kras-Ti-Nating

With about six weeks to go until the end of the semester, senior class attendance starts to decline from bouts of senioritis. Shockingly, I followed the trend. Shocking because I never follow trends (I’m presently wearing a 2003 soccer shirt, hoop earrings, and old hiking boots) and because I never intentionally skip class. In two and a half weeks, I attended one class just to make a presentation. My class absence was slightly horrifying on two fronts – 1. When you do the math, each class at Duke costs around $175 and 2. I discovered going to class really is not necessary.

My two and a half week vacation was in fact a blur – two interviews, my first collegiate race, 160 running miles, a 50 minute solo class presentation, a graduate school application, and the ultimate bugger, MCAT cramming. In short, my life was epic. I just kept telling myself, get to April 5, take the MCAT, and you are done. Life will be bliss.

The MCAT was sort of like a race or a game. I really can’t remember any of the exciting details. Alas, my report is as follows: I drank too much caffeine. I faltered over a verbal section on social security. I recharged mid-test on Cliff bars and peanut butter. I prevailed. I finished (note finished, not confidently aced).

Since April 5^th, my brain has been taking a vacation from its vacation. I can’t break down my 300m workout into 100m splits. My Microsoft word zoom is currently set to 200%. Maybe if I make the words bigger they’ll rearrange themselves? Or be phonetically sounded out for me? Sen-Your Dumm-Ass. Stop Pro-Kras-Ti-Nating.

What has been the strangest feeling though is the feeling of being done. Initially I was frustrated. Frustrated at faltering on a section and thinking of ways I could have potentially improved my performance. I even expressed frustration the night after the test by dousing my ice-cream in black sprinkles as opposed to my classic array of rainbow.

It hit me the other day. Megan, you are a Sen-Your Dumm-Ass. Life’s not about getting to April 5ths. There are going to be zillions of April 5ths throughout life -  that’s why life is amazing.

“Be in the moment” is a phrase that has created a cult following. However, I’m a realist and would probably be thrown out of the cult. In the middle of a workout I’m still going to want that last rep done. I’m currently thinking about my Whole Foods dinner. That’s never going to change. My life will still be epic, but it will be done my way: it will be fun and balanced. I am going to look forward to future moments and love past moments.

I love this, which means I'm probably officially booted from the cult.

I’m currently reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and saw this quote – “Man, when you lose your laugh, you lose your footing.” From now on, extreme sarcasm does not count as laughing. Neither does post-practice test- book throwing. With that in mind, laughing at me, rather than with me, will definitely still count.  

Speed Play

I never knew there could be so many definitions and terms surrounding running. Lactate Threshold. Cadence. Aerobic. Anaerobic. Speed play (definitely not just running….) Fartlek.

Prior to the last couple of months, my daily, and often bidaily, running routine consisted solely of "Megan runs" - a term created by a friend of mine. My routine was as follows:

1. Drink copious amounts of black coffee

2. Walk out the apartment door, run as hard as possible from point A to B, turn around, then negative split from B to A.

Alternate variations include: 5 AM 13 mile treadmill tempos and 4 Al Buehler loops – same rules apply

3. Finish hands on knees

4. Shower (sometimes) and move on with the day. Or go to field hockey practice.

 I highly recommend "Megan runs,"but first I must present a few ground rules:

1. Absolutely no stretching before, during, or after. Don’t even consider drills.

2. Bathroom breaks must be on trail and must be under fifteen seconds.

3. Avoid sidewalks, concrete, roads, and steep downhills at all costs.

4. No water breaks.

5. No training logs.

6. You must Wohoo! literally and outloud, at the top of epic hill climbs.

Now any wise person reading this would immediately shake their head in disgust. This training style, especially when repeated over the course of several months at an average of 13-14 miles a day, seems risky and juvenile. Somehow though, I managed to stay injury free, and churn out some okay race results on roads and trails.

This philosophy has been greatly moderated since I joined the track team. Track has been one of the best experiences in my life - the coaches are fabulous, the team has been incredibly welcoming, and the training has been excellent. However, with excellent training comes aerobic runs. The very antithesis of Megan runs. Maybe someday I'll revert back to 100% Megan run dedication, but for now, the occasional hamstring stretch, google log, and aerobic run are small sacrafices when you have twenty amazing teammates and a Duke jersey in return.  

Here are some pictures (plus proof of areobicity – I’ll just make up my own terms) that I took on a run through Eno yesterday. 

Daisies and Power Lines at Dusk

Potentially Natural Trail Porta-Potty 

The Ritz Carlton of Trail Bathrooms (check out the chimney!)

Trails, Fails & Prevails, Plus Epic Kales

Perhaps the worst blog post title in blogger history. Conventionality would criticize the immediately noticeable grammatical flaw and the corny rhyming, but for now, it’s passable. Plus, it validates the Rachel Ray cookbook on display in my kitchen. Rachel Ray is simply for elegant décor (though she sits next to overripe bananas and large quantities of protein powder), because her smothered mushroom and kale recipe is crossed off in bold sharpie with one step: microwave.

This blog was a spur of the moment decision. It was decided one day after finishing my last undergraduate class, three minutes after handing in a final paper, and seconds after aborting a run due to a flash of lighting. I’m not the type of person to do nothing. Alas, I might as well blog about nothing. I’ve been inspired by blogs of so many people that I love and respect; however, my blogging skills and creativity will probably be meager in comparison. My race reports will likely be three sentences: I zoned out. It hurt. I celebrated with Tutti Frutti. My daily photos will never compare to my aunt’s incredible talents. Though at the very least, I promise that the blog will be entertaining.

When I think back on experiences in my life (that sounds quite yoga-ish), the time that I have spent on trails are almost always at the forefront of my memories. I love mud. I love running at 6:30 in the morning on desolate Colorado trails. I love making my own trails (sorry nature). With whatever comes next in my life (as it keeps changing every four seconds), I still want to have the ability to experience daily adventures.

My fails are equally amazing and entertaining. The thing is, you can only fall the hardest when you leap with the most velocity. V = V_o + at. Pretty much my only MCAT takeaway. And well, I like to run really, really fast. I’ve learned a lot from failure, but what I’ve learned the most is that if you are genuine and real in what you do, you can’t hurt your friends and family. At the end of the day, at least for me, their respect is most important.

Prevails – duh, these rock.

Epic Kales: pretty much my daily routine. Thus, it deserves the double plural. The security guard and I have a special relationship at Whole Foods. He watches as I sample my steamed kale in line prior to paying and I refrain from parking at Whole Foods when I run around East Campus. Done deal.

Thanks for reading! Maybe I’ll land five readers a day. Woohoo!! To all my amazing friends who blog – thanks for the inspiration!!