PMBR continues to not be exciting. At least my skills are improving. I got 20 something questions right today. Out of 50. Contracts. Big fun. But I feel like I at least learned something today, and that's good. We also got a copy of the suggested summer schedule for BarBri. It's absolutely insane. I don't know that I have the willpower to do 4 hours in class and then another 8 hours at home trying to study. My goal was to do about 4 in the afternoon - but then I won't get everything done that they suggest.
I guess the best plan is to just wait and see and figure out what works best for me.
Grades are slowly rolling in. So far, no surprises. I expect it'll be weeks before the scary ones roll in. But I know I passed and that's all that matters.
Running update:
1.84 miles today in 20 minutes, for a pace of about 11:07
4.5 miles this week, 41.7 miles this month.
I'm still behind in my goal to run 1000km this year. I'm about 11 miles behind right now, which isn't a big deal. To keep pace, I need to run about 12 miles a week, and I regularly do 15, so I'm sure I'll catch up in a few weeks.
In all my free time, I've been pondering everything I have to do before I move to D.C. All my security clearance paperwork is in, and the PMF website officially lists me as a hire, so it looks like I'm good to go. I have no concerns about my security stuff, having gone through various other types of clearances for the bar exam and previous jobs, so I figure that will come through pretty easily.
I put myself on a waiting list for an apartment. That's a little scary. I hope something turns up! I won't find out anything until probably July or so, and I have no clue where I am on the waiting lis (I wonder if I can call and find out), but it would really be nice to have everything settled.
I am watching the last episode of Gilmore Girls, and I normally fast forward through the opening credits, but I just decided that it's the last episode and that I should watch. And sing along.
I bought a really cute running skirt last week, and I'm hoping to get to try it out tomorrow. I am nothing if not fashionable when I run. Except when I am running in old faded shorts and a threadbare t-shirt. Especially the tie-dye t-shirt. Hot.
Just over 200 miles for the year so far. I'm gunning for 1000km for the year, which is 621 miles. I'm a bit behind pace - I should be at 229.8 miles, and I'm at 211.6. But it shoudn't be too hard to catch up. I'm only putting in about 15 miles a week, but I'm planning on trying to increase that a tiny bit over the summer, if BarBri classes allow.
I keep getting asked if I'm enjoying my week off. Well, it's sort of productive. Not super fun. Just trying to clean things up a bit (a lot), run a ton of errands, get organized, finally move the winter clothes into storage, etc. You know, all those fun things.
And now, back to Gilmore Girls. For the last time. *sniff*
We did not get the promised 4-6 inches of snow last night. We got maybe 3, probably even less than that. I am displeased. If the roads are going to be slushy, I want lots of snow! My neighbors had an open house today, and I'm hoping it was the weather that kept people away. I'm pretty sure no one came to see their place, and it's been on the market for over three months now. Why do I care, you ask? Because we'll be selling this place come August. So I want my neighbor's place to sell for a good amount of money. Of course, they didn't really put it on the market at the best time of year, plus I'm not sure how I feel about their realtor. There are some big name realtors you tend to see in this area, and their realtor's kind of a no-name. While that's not a bad thing, necessarily, I'm wondering if that has something to do with it.
Running is going well. I ran for 40 minutes yesterday (which seems short, given my running plan last fall, but I'm trying to keep things simple, not overtrain), and it was the best run I've had in a long time. I felt no need to slow down and catch my breath. Sure, my pace is slower than it was a few months ago, but I'll get that back. I'm really enjoying this new running plan, training by minutes rather than by distance. I'm still tracking distances though, and doing a little over 10 miles a week. Not bad at all.
I'm trying to figure out my running plan right now. The plan's got me doing a long run on Saturday, and a semi-long run (with fartleks or hills later in the plan) on Wednesday. It's never more than 3/4ths the time of the Saturday run. But Wednesdays are a rough day for me to be running. I get up at 5:30 as it is to get in a 30 minute run, as I have class and work from 8-8. Trying to get up earlier to do hills just won't happen. Plus I'm not sure I want to run hills in the dark.
I'm thinking of making the semi-long run a Monday run. I don't have to leave for class til 12, so I could easily wait until the sun comes up to go out and run. I won't be exhausted, and it'll be safer. I'm a bit concerned about doing a long run on Saturday, then a semi-long run on Monday, but Sunday is a rest day, and we're not talking crazy distances/times. The plan maxes out at a 60 minute run, so the semi-long run will be max 45 minutes. And it's not like I'll be jumping right into it anyway.
I halfheartedly considered running the St. Louis half marathon, but I decided it was too much. I don't have the time to properly train for it. And really, the idea of running that long kind of makes me cringe. I wasn't built for distance.
Week one of the new running schedule: COMPLETE.
Week one consisted of three 30 minute runs and one 35 minute run. I ended up doing 10.2 miles.
This has really been a good way for me to get back into running. Monday and Wednesday's runs were rough. I found myself really struggling to keep going. Clearly, only running three times in December did me in. But I'm back out there, and the last two runs for the week were much better. Still on the slow side, but I'm really working to not push myself and keep my heartrate in range.
Next week's schedule is similar, except the "long" run is 40 minutes. I may or may not get it all in, as I'll be out of town next weekend. I may just cut the week to three runs and make Friday's run the "long" run. I'm going to try to run while I'm gone, but I just can't guarantee anything.
I feel like I'm plodding along, but then I remember that less than a a year ago, I couldn't run for more than 5 minutes at a time. And I'm still running faster than I was when I first started. I'll get back into shape, and then improve from there. It'll just take time.
I've been making lists of things I need to do to get myself back on the healthy path. Back to regular workouts and eating well.
I've already decided that next Monday, I"m starting a new running plan. It's simpler than the one I had been following. It uses minutes rather than distance. While I was able to do the distance, I'm not really training for any particular race - right now I'm just running because I enjoy it and because it's good for me. But I like to have some sort of plan so I feel like I'm improving. This new plan will be a bit easier, I think, but most importantly, it will be much easier to schedule. I think half my problem was finding the time and figuring out how much time I'll need. Running by minutes should be easier. Plus, it's a fun challenge. How far can I go in this amount of time?
I have to admit, I'm stupidly looking forward to seeing how many miles I can run in 2007. I'm not even going to try to make a prediction on that one.
Of course, I should go out running today to get ready for it, but my body is just TIRED. I think it's from not eating well and just the excitement of Christmas. So I'll probably TurboJam today (say what you want about those videos, they're incredibly fun and a great workout).
And I need to clean my house. I was gone for three days! How did my house get so gross in three days when I wasn't here? And the cats weren't here? It's not fair. One of those great mysteries of life, I guess.
(Holidailies #27)