Making decisions

When I started this blog, I was getting ready to go to Green Mountain. For some reason, all I could think to call it was Changes. Maybe because I was starting this process of self discovery and trying to make healthy changes in my life. 

As I've kept up my blogging since I was at Green Mountain, I've mostly discussed my struggle with becoming a healthier me.  However, right now in my life, there are major changes ahead. 

There comes a time in our lives when we know we need a change. Decisions must be made, no matter how hard it is to make them. I made a really hard decision.  I know that this is the right decision but it doesn't make it any easier. Knowing that the future you envisioned for yourself is not the future you are going to get is hard.  Venturing into the unknown is scary and daunting. 

My last day of work is Thursday. I will be packing up my apartment and heading out west next week.

This will be a new adventure. I'm scared, I'm excited. It's bittersweet.

A Walk in the Woods (My Adventures with Hiking)

One of my favorite books is Wild by Cheryl Strayed.  It's about a woman who goes on a journey of self discovery by hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.  She finds herself unprepared for the hike but through a combination of grit, determination, and stubbornness, she finishes the hike she had planned. 
Every time I read this book, I feel inspired to go hiking.  I think, I should go hiking on the Appalachian Trail, not the whole thing, maybe a weekend or even a week.  I start doing research, googling the Appalachian Trail, reading first hand accounts of people that have hiked the trail.  Then I start to read about the trail in depth, the nitty gritty, you could say.  Like how you have to use outhouses. If they are available. Otherwise, you have to bury your own poop. I might have discussed my bathroom issues in the past.  I have a profound dislike, bordering on panicked fear of, port-a potties.  And there are snakes, and spiders, and ticks, and rodents, and bears. And there are NO showers available for many, many, many miles.
By the time I'm done with my research, I've usually decided overnight hiking might not be my thing.  But day hiking, that sounds like something I could do.
Thus the purpose of the story.  Yesterday I went on a hike with my friend Jackie.  I had recently bought a pair of hiking shoes and was excited to try them out.  Lets just say that hiking shoes did not exactly prepare me for this hike but I was very happy to have them. 
Our initial plan was to hike the Billy Goat Trail Section B. The Billy Goat Trail is located in Maryland and has amazing views of the Potomac River, especially Great Falls.  It is divided into Sections A, B, and C.  Section A is the most challenging and sections B and C are easier.  Initially, Jackie and I had decided to do section B since I am an unexperienced hiker.  Parking issues forced us to park in another parking lot that was closer to section A.  Jackie got there first and had come up with a plan.  She thought we should try out Section A.  I mean, why not try the most difficult trail first and then every trail after that would seem easier?? 
Had I actually researched Section A, I might have reconsidered.  Had I read the description located here http://www.nps.gov/choh/planyourvisit/upload/greatfallstraildescriptions.pdf, I might have reconsidered.  Let me quote, "Strenuous.  Be prepared for this trail.  See cautions.  It is very a physically demanding trail.  Scrambling over angled rocks, boulders, and climbing are required."
Never one to back down from a challenge, off we headed in search of Section A. 

The first part of the trail, I was optimistic.  We were quickly off the "trail" and climbing over rocks.  I thougt, Ok, I can do this.  These rocks and boulders don't seem so bad.  I even stopped to pose for pictures. 

Not actually posing.  Just trying to figure out where to put my feet.

Contemplating my next step. 

Still contemplating.  But willing to smile for a picture.

Oh, look at that view!!  This is fun!! 

 

 

Then there was the sign.  The sign that signaled that I didn't have a clue what was ahead.  It said something to the effect of "This part of the trail is extremely dangerous.  Do not proceed if you are not in optimal health and physical condition, have adequate water and are a very experience hiker. A lot of people are injured and even die on this part of the trail every year.  Take caution.  This includes you Julia!"  (I'm probably exaggerating here slightly.  It might not have said anything about people dying.  And I don't think my name was actually on the sign.  It could have been.  It's fuzzy now). 

At this point, I questioned my "always willing to accept a challenge" but figured, hey, I'm in fairly good physical condition.  I ran a 5K!  And I have a camelback full of water!  And snacks!!  I'm all good, let's go. 

Then there was this. 

 

And I was all like

But at this point, it was either turn back and go over the rocks I'd already gone over,  jump in the Potomac and swim back, or climb the damn rock. 

So I climbed the damn rock.  I even paused long enough for a picture (I may have been hanging on for dear life, trying like hell to catch my breath but at least I'm smiling)

And I made it to the top!!  (Notice I'm sitting, my legs were like rubber and my heart was racing.  Time for a snack.)

After this challenge, I thought we were good.  You know, I climbed a damn rock wall!!  But the rocks just kept on coming.  We went up and we went down.  Every time I made it over a set of rocks, I felt so happy and accomplished.  And the trail would flatten out and we would walk on a path just long enough to get my hopes up that this punishment was over, and then ahead, I would see...MORE ROCKS!!!
There may have been some whining.  There was most definitely some cursing.  Jackie was extremely patient and a wonderful cheerleader.  She promised me ice cream at the end (I think she knows me well).  I apologize to her for every time I may have seemed less than appreciative (cheerful).  There was the particular time that I was terrified by the prospect of climbing down a smaller rock wall and I just stood there, and when she asked me if I was ready to go, I said something to the effect of "NO, I'd rather not."  Again, I apologize.  Rock walls really bring out the best (worst) in people, huh...

I am proud to say that I made to the very end.  The trail itself is 1.7 miles long but then you have to walk back to the visitors center.  In total, it is 3.7 miles which means that after you finish crawling through 1.7 miles of rocks, you must walk approx. 2 miles back to the visitors center.  They should consider a shuttle, I'm just saying.  I contemplated taking down the park ranger and stealing his bike.  I was pretty sure I could take him.
Once we made it to the parking lot, it started to pour down rain.  I am so very thankful that it did not start raining sooner.  The only thing worse than climbing over rocks is climbing over wet rocks.  Jackie and I had a great lunch at Jetties and I had ice cream.  Then I came home and had the most amazing shower ever. 

Today, being able to look back on the experience and contemplate, I really did enjoy the hike.  I am proud of myself for doing it.  Yesterday, I swore that I would never step foot on the Billy Goat Trail Section A again.  Ever.  Now, I think, maybe I would do it again.  Someday. 

But first, I think I'll try Section B. 

What I learned climbing Billy Goat Section A:
- Reconsider my stand on never turning down a challenge
- Climbing down rocks is actually a lot scarier than climbing up
- I am not scared of heights.  But I am scared of jumping off (falling off) very high things
- I do not "shimmy down" very well.  I also do not "spring" off of things
- Bring more water
- Bring more snacks
- When you find a tick on your arm during the hike, every itch for the next couple days will inspire a full scale tick search
- Showers are wonderful (I probably already knew that)
- Talk to the National Parks Service about a Shuttle.  I mean, I'm surprised no ones thought of that before now.
- I actually do like hiking, but next time, I think I'll try a path without rocks.

 

 

 

 



Long Awaited Update (or what I've been doing in all my spare time)

Time flies and I definitely didn't realize it had been so long since I last updated.  This is not to say that I haven't had things to write about.  Mostly I have been busy with working and school and trying to fit in exercise as often as I can.  I have been taking spin classes at a great studio called Biker Barre and barre classes at a studio called Pure Barre.

Beth and Ellie flew in to visit me the weekend of April 11-14.  We had a great time touring DC, walking like crazy, and checking out the cherry blossoms.

Beth, Ellie, and I playing tourists in DC

On Sunday, we participated in the George Washington Parkway Classic 5K.  I had not really trained as much as I had wanted to, which actually means I really didn't train at all.  My training involved procrastinating as much as possible, finally getting out on the Wednesday before the 5K to run, only to realize I probably should have been taking my training a little more seriously.  I had been doing quite a few spin classes and barre classes up to this point, however, I could take as many spin classes as I wanted and this would not prepare me to run the 5K.  I had to admit to myself that I had pretty much failed my training program but was not going to let this stop me from enjoying the 5K. 
I was pleased with my results. I managed to walk/run, although I did walk way more than I ran.  My time was 49:40 with a pace of 16 minutes/mile.  This surprised me because my time in the Boston 5K was 50:16 with a pace of 16:10 minutes/mile. 

Me, Ellie, Beth, and their cousins

 

I finally finished up this semester last week and have a long awaited Spring Break week off from classes.  I have officially finished two semesters.  I talked to an academic advisor on the phone today and was a little discouraged to hear that my anticipated graduation date is November 2015.  I feel like I've made progress with 2 semesters down but so many more to go. 

Since this is my first real spring break since graduating from nursing school in 2001, I decided to make it a real spring break and take the week off work.  And where does everyone go for spring break??  Florida!!!
My Mom has been doing a nursing travel position in Maryland since February.  She is living about 25 miles from where I live in Alexandria.  It's been nice to be able to see her a little more often.  She was supposed to finish up her travel position and head home on April 26.  I decided to ride with her down to Florida and then fly home.  As things never go as planned, she decided to extend her position in Maryland at the last minute but still took this week off to come back to Florida for a visit with my sister and nephew. 

We left Virginia early on Saturday morning, heading to Florida.  It was two hours into the trip that I realized that I had left a bag at home that contained medicine, my toiletries, including my contacts, and some gifts for Graesen.  Cue emotional breakdown in the parking lot of Cracker Barrel.  Even as adults, sometimes we just have to get in a good cry before we can pull up our big girl panties and get down to the business of figuring out how to solve the mess we've put ourselves in.  Thankfully, the nice folks at CVS and Visionworks were able to hook me up with the medicines I needed and a new pair of contacts.  I will admit that I complained incessantly about wearing my glasses and was the happiest girl today when I finally got my contacts.   

As a little treat for all the hard work I've been doing in school, I arranged a little side stop in St Augustine before heading over to St Petersburg where my sister and nephew are.  I have a little obsession with lighthouses, especially climbing them.  I love lighthouses of all sorts but I especially love the tall ones.  Maybe it is the challenge of climbing them and the amazing view you get from the top.  I also have a Lighthouse Passport.  All the participating lighthouses have a stamp and you can get a stamp when you visit a participating lighthouse.  I'm determined to get 60 stamps, which would fill an entire passport.  As of now, I have 4 stamps, so I have a little more work to do.

My Lighthouse Passport

I have really been wanting to go to St Augustine to see the lighthouse there for a while.  About a year ago, I had planned a 3 day lighthouse tour that included visiting 3 of the Atlantic Coast lighthouses in Florida (I know, exciting right!!).  That trip fell through so I was excited to get to plan this little side trip.  I planned it out so we could see the St Augustine lighthouse and another lighthouse called the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse.  Both lighthouses were amazing.  The St Augustine lighthouse had 216 steps to the top and the Ponce de Leon lighthouse had 207.  I was proud of my Mom that she was able to climb the St Augustine lighthouse with me and made it to the top.  The Ponce de Leon lighthouse was narrower and the steps seemed more steep.  It was much more challenging for me and my Mom tried and made it about halfway up.  I'm proud of her for trying.   

I must have the picture at the top as photo proof I made it!!

 

 

For those of you whose eyes glaze over at the mention of climbing lighthouses as a form of vacation, I will say that my Mom and I had a great time at the outlet mall in St Augustine too.  I indulged my love of purses and bought 2 new purses at the Kate Spade and Dooney and Bourke outlets.  

 

Now I am in St Petersburg and have a busy week planned.  My sister finished up her Bachelor program last week and we are having a party for her on Saturday.  We are also planning on getting in some beach time and family pictures.  I'm hoping I can also get in some pool time and exercising.  Tonight my sister and I got in some fun time and exercise, playing with a 7 year old in the pool.

It's back to school and work starting next week.  I have some big things coming up in my life soon.  These are not things that I can talk about right now but I will as soon as my plans are finalized.  Lets just say that the title of my blog, Changes, very well describes my life this summer.  I will need all the love and support of my friends and family to get me through.  So stay tuned friends, I promise to let you in on the Changes as soon as they come!  Or maybe I'm just trying to increase the readership of my blog.  Either way, you'll have to read to find out!! :)

Back on the bike!!

Tonight I went to a spin class at a great little studio called Biker Barre.  I had a great time and, as usual when I take a spin class after a long break, I remembered why I really love it. 
When I take spin classes, I feel good.  I feel strong and capable.  I don't think about being fat in a group of skinny people.  I don't feel self conscious because I can't keep up.  I feel good.  This is not a feeling I get when I run.  Don't get me wrong, I like running.  I feel good when I run.  But I do feel self-conscious.  Not so with spin.  I can get into a rhythm and into the music and just feel the ride. 
So I'm definitely hoping to throw some spin classes into my workout.  I think it's good to mix it up, a little running, a little biking.  I also want to check out a barre class. 

Very sweaty but feeling good!

 

 

On a different note, I had a great conversation with the dietician at work today.  We have a dietician who visits our clinic and does cooking demonstrations with the families and kids.  It's really fun to see the kids chopping veggies and passing out smoothies.  I was talking to her about my recent tummy troubles and she gave me some recommendations for some supplements to try.  She explained why I have carb cravings, such as craving rice for dinner all the time.  I have been having so much tummy trouble that I am having trouble sticking to anything I would define as a balanced diet.  If I can get the tummy trouble under control, I hope to begin to reintroduce a balanced diet with more veggies and protein.  She also made an amazing carrot-ginger soup that I definitely want to try to make at home. 

 

That's all for now friends!!  

Let the Training Resume!

In my last blog update, I talked about the next 5K in my future.  On April 13, I will be running in the George Washington Parkway Classic 5K.  Beth and Ellie are both coming to DC to run the 5K, so the team is back together!  We have also started supporting and motivating each other in our training through text message.
Tonight I got back out there and started my running again.  I kept it short tonight, partly because it was my first run in a while and partly because it was cold.  I was worried about the cold but quickly realized there was nothing to be worried by.  Once I started running, I warmed up and I tried to focus on the music and not on how cold I was or wasn't.
I walk/ran 1.5 miles and ran a total of 8 minutes.  I am sure I could have ran more and that was very encouraging to me.  Next run out and I will not worry about the cold and I will try to extend my running to a 15 minute stretch without stopping. 
I am also looking into taking some spin classes.  I really enjoy spin and I think spin classes will be a good way to mix things up a little, especially if the weather is bad.  A lot of the spin studios I've looked into also have yoga or barre classes.
So that's my plan.  I have 10 weeks until the 5K.  Here I go...

Enjoying Denver and expressing my rebel self

Last week, I got the chance to go visit Beth in Denver.  It was nice to get a break from work and visit a part of the country I am unfamiliar with.  I did not, unfortunately, get a break from schoolwork but thankfully I could take my program with me. 
I was very impressed with the Red Rocks.  Beth and I got in a great workout climbing the stairs in the Red Rocks amphitheater.  I definitely got my heart rate up, I blamed my fatigue on the altitude and not the fact that I have been slacking on my workouts lately.    

A view from the top of the Red Rocks amphitheater.  The climb up is much harder than the climb down.

 

 

We were going to go hiking after we climbed the stairs at the amphitheater but after a brief start that included a set of stairs, I had to stop and admit defeat.  The altitude did me in.   

 

At least we still got a selfie!!

 

 



 Over the week, we got in some good walks.  I love that Beth's apartment is downtown and it's easy to walk to a lot of places.  I find that, where I live in Alexandria, I have get in my car to drive everywhere.  I think it would be great to live where I can walk to a lot of places. 

 

While at Green Mountain, we talked a lot about expressing our rebel selves.  I recognized while I was there that I do not always give in to my rebel self and that I tend to turn to food to express my rebel self.  When I was at Green Mountain, Samantha and I expressed our rebel selves by skipping out on an instructional movie and rolled down a wonderful hill of snow.  Over the past year, I have tried to express my rebel self but still find it a challenge. 

So finally, I got a chance to express my rebel self.  It was a painful expression but one that I love.  And Beth was there to hold my hand :)

 

Expressing my rebel self.  I'm wondering how many of my friends can figure it out from my picture!

 

Now that I am back home, I have a 5K in my future.  I have had a hard time this winter.  I'm not going to pretend it's been easy.  With schoolwork, the fact it is dark when I get home, and these frigid temperatures we've been having, I have not had a lot of motivation to get out and get active. 

I signed up for a 5K in April.  I am hoping to get back into my running in February.  My goal will be to finish it in the same time I finished the 5K in October.  I will not be as concerned with running the whole thing as I will just finishing in a good time. 



 

 



My 2014 Resolutions

Happy New Years to all my friends and all those who have supported my blog. 

I'm sure there will be more blogs to come in the future!!

Love, Julia