National Running Day

Happy National Running Day!!  I love that this day exists.  I am going to be partaking of the celebration, but I'll have to wait until tonight.  I'm stuck at work today (not really 'stuck' but you get the idea), so I will be running my 3 miles after dinner. 

Yesterday, I did a very easy three mile run on the treadmill just to see how my legs felt after Sunday's half marathon.  I actually felt better than I expected, but there was no way I was going to be increasing my pace.  Slow and steady was all I could handle.  I'm pretty sure the same thing will apply today.  My quads are starting to feel a bit better, but I really see no reason to go all-out at this point.  I'm just going to keep rocking my 'recovery' runs today and tomorrow. 

I am still waiting to hear about a permanent job possibility.  I am hoping to know for sure sometime this week.  I am getting anxious.  I would love to have some stability regarding employment.  While I would eventually love to find a full-time position, part-time will allow me the opportunity to continue my marathon training...and really, that's what I'm most looking forward to right now.  ;-)

I hope you are all enjoying your Wednesday!  I am all confused on what day it is.  Monday was the holiday and I was off yesterday, so I feel like today is Monday.  Oh well, makes for a short week.  I'm one day closer to heading to Colorado for the Hungry for Hope Conference!

The good and the bad

First the good news:

I was very pleased with the overall grade of 98%  But I have to admit being disappointed with an 82% in the administrative category.  They asked some very obscure questions.

Then the bad news:

Aches and pains

Today really seems to be dragging.  I keep looking at the clock thinking that it will be almost 5:00, but no such luck.  There are still patients to see and work to do, so I'll just keep plugging along.

My mind has been preoccupied today with some minor aches and pains that I've been dealing with.  I've shared the pain I experience in the arch of my right foot, but since my long run (13 miles) on Saturday, I've also been nursing sore hips.  And, just to finish off the trifecta, my right shoulder has been popping and locking like a rap star.

The more research I do on foot pain, the less I believe my problem is plantar fasciitis.  First of all, I don't experience pain in my heel.  The pain is localized to the arch; specifically the most medial part of the arch.

The pain seems to be worst under the navicular bone.  It is really bad in the morning and gets better as I move and walk on it.  It rarely hurts while running.  I try to do a little massage and stretching before getting out of bed to warm everything up.  When I get done running, I do more stretching and icing, but I'm not sure about the effectivenes of the icing at this point.

The hip pain is worse in my left hip and manifests itself as a tightness with occasional popping.  It feels like it really needs a good stretch, but when I try to, I can't seem to get a deep enough stretch.

This is the stretch I do most frequently, with variations when I am lying down or seated.  I just desperately want to stretch it more, but no matter which way I twist or turn or contort my body, I can't seem to get to the exact spot that needs work.

My shoulder is something that just decided to start giving me problems the last day or two.  I can't think of anything I have done, or any reason that my right shoulder would start popping.  It has gotten progressively worse as the day goes on. 

This is definitely a downer of a post, but thanks for letting me vent a bit.  I'm hoping that I can get these problems taken care of.  I am going to see the best chiropractor in the world tomorrow and I have faith that she can help.

I am a little nervous about the toll that marathon training is going to take on my body.    :-/

"I guess today it's going to be winter"

That is what Jaden said to me in the car.  It is snowing today!  Yes.  In May.  I believe this is why I left Wisconsin in the first place.  Now, if someone could just remind me why I ever came back.....

On another note, I want to thank you all for your advice regarding the pain in my right foot.  I am still experiencing the pain, especially in the mornings, but I have found that stretching and massaging helps to warm up the muscle before I get out of bed.  I've also looked into some products designed to help, but I'm not sure I want to spend the money on them just yet.  I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing and see if I can keep the pain from getting any worse.

Does anyone else think that this was the l o n g e s t week ever?  I swear, it feels like my 20K was a month ago, and it has only been a week.  Of course, my legs are still recovering.  after Tuesday's exhausting 8 mile run, I decided to take things a little easier the rest of the week.  I took Wednesday off and shortened my planned runs for yesterday and today.  I had 6 miles scheduled for each day, but did 5.5 yesterday and 4.5 today.  So, 10 miles instead of 12.  Not a huge deal, but I still have to tell myself that it is okay to take it a little easier when that is what my body needs.  I'm planning a 13 miler tomorrow morning and I'm really hoping that the weather cooperates.  No snow would be a good start.  Unfortunately, I'm not sure that is going to happen.

My plan is to run from my house to the starting line of the Colby Cheese Days Chariots of Cheese race.  It is about .75 miles from my front door.  I am then going to run the 10K race course twice.  That way, I am close enough to my house to stop for more water or to use the bathroom.  I'll also get a bit of a hill workout in by running past the cemetery (twice).  I'm going to take it easy and just plan of the run taking me about 2.5 hours; especially if I have to stop for water.

Alright....time to get away from the computer and put some make up on for my job interview.  I'm nervous.  I'll let you know how it goes.

As if things couldn't get any worse...

There is really nothing like a little rejection, heaped on top of monstrous guilt, to make for a great Thursday.

And then, lest you think I was over reacting:

Yep, life sucks right now.  And I have a final exam tonight. 

Whew!

I am so glad this morning is over!  It was a crazy morning.  Two providers+only one MA (me)=chaos!  I was running back and forth between each provider and their patients and trying to get the paperwork taken care of and rooming patients and doing eye exams and I was so happy to see lunch time roll around.  Being busy makes the morning go quickly, but I'm tired.  And I still have a lot of paperwork to catch up on this afternoon.  I know that I'll get it done, but I don't like to have things hanging over my head like that.  I much prefer doing things as they happen.  It makes me feel more in control.

I always look forward to Wednesday nights.  I don't have anything going on.  After a busy weekend and having something going on Monday (Bible study) and Tuesday (EMT class) nights, it just feels good to eat a meal with my family and curl up on the couch to catch up with the DVR.  Of course, I'll probably turn my EMS pager on, just in case something happens that would allow me to go on a call.

Yesterday's eight mile run was definitely more than I should have done so soon after my 20K last Saturday.  I am going to take today off and reschedule the rest of my runs this week.  I was planning on doing my 13 miler on Thursday or Friday, but I think I'm going to hold off until Saturday morning; assuming my mom can watch Jaden while I run.  My other runs for this week are supposed to be 6 miles each.  One of them may or may not end up being only 3 or 4 miles.  When I first came up with the crazy idea to run a half marathon, I read all about how many people would over-train and show up at the starting line exhausted and not properly rested.  I thought to myself, "there is no way I could ever do that."  Now, I'm not so sure.  I can see how easily it would be to get caught up in the training and the need to get all the miles in.  I have to keep reminding myself to listen to my body and give it what it needs: rest, nutrition, stretching, cross-training.

I am also experiencing some pain in my right foot.  The pain is in the arch of my foot and it is really bad in the morning right when I get out of bed.  I've been trying to massage it before getting out of bed, but those first steps are still painful.  I also try to stretch it throughout the day, but that can be a challenge with shoes on.  And I don't think I should take my shoes off at work.    Any suggestions on what I can do to deal with the pain?    (not running is NOT an option)

Provisions

Yippee!!!  I just have to wait for the results to be certified, but I passed!!!!  I'm so excited and relieved.  I feel like all the schooling and studying was worth it.  I just hope that my interview this morning was as successful.  I left feeling very unsure of things.  It was just a tough situation to get a read on.  I guess all I can do is wait and see if I hear back from them.  In the meantime, I am going to celebrate this victory by running an 8K tomorrow (probably in the rain).

I hope you are all enjoying your Friday!

Test prep

Hey guys.  I am about to jump into bed and hope for a really good night's sleep.  Tomorrow is a nerve-wracking day.  Interview first (2nd interview in the department/meeting the physician) and then the drive to Madison for my medical assistant certification exam.  I will definitely need some restful sleep tonight.  I hope that I can come back tomorrow and let you know that I passed.  Please keep the prayers coming.  The interview is at 8:00 am and the test is at 1:30 pm.  I may or may not have internet access until Saturday evening, but I will promise to fill you in on everything then.  (Including my 8K Crazy Legs race and a friend's baby shower.)

Until then, I thought it would be fun to pose some practice questions for you all.  See how you do.

Test anxiety

Ok, so I have this HUGE test to take tomorrow.  It is my certification exam to be a certified medical assistant.  I wasn't nervous about it until I heard that a friend of mine from school didn't pass.  I just jumped on the American Association of Medical Assistant's website and took two practice exams.  I passed both of them, but it isn't making me feel any more confident.  I am VERY nervous.

On top of that, I have a second interview tomorrow morning.  This is with the same department I met with on my birthday.  I enjoyed the first interview and I am really looking forward to meeting the physician tomorrow and hopefully solidifying my ability to serve in the department.  I really want the interview to go well, because I think this would be a really good fit for me. 

What do you guys do to deal with your nerves?

Interview

I had another interview at the Marshfield Clinic today.  It was in a different department from last week's interview.  This time I was interviewing with the department manager and two medical assistants who work in the department.  I really enjoyed the time I spent with them, and for the first time in a while, I felt like I gave a great interview.  I think the questions they asked gave me the opportunity to express myself.  I had an opportunity to ask them some questions and learn more about the department.  The manager mentioned that she would like to set up a time for me to meet the provider.  That is exciting!  I am hoping to hear something from her this week.  I'll certainly keep you posted.

Email restraint

Sometimes, in the middle of a fantastic morning, you get an email that just completely ruins your good mood.  That is what happened to me this morning.  I was really enjoying my wonderful breakfast of oatmeal and coffee....

while checking my email and facebook.  I got an email from a friend who basically told me that I was an insensitive jerk.  I am going to try not to let this bother me.  I know that there are others things going on and I am going to wait until later today to respond, if at all.

Instead, I am going to focus on all the great things about today!  It is my birthday!!  I get to go on a 12 mile run!  And even though I will be running in the rain, (and that will probably suck) I will get to announce to everyone that I am totally bad-ass afterwards.  Then, I have a job interview this afternoon.  Wish me luck.  I am a little nervous, as always happens before an interview, but I'm hoping that it will go well.  I have EMT class tonight; not that this is really exciting news, but it is part of my plans for the day.

I hope that everyone is having a great Tuesday!

Slow Down!

Today I got a speeding ticket.  Boo!  :-(

I was taking Nola to the Clark County Humane Society in Neillsville to be spayed.  I had just turned and was accelerating again and I guess I wasn't paying much attention.  Suddenly I look at my speedometer and notice that I am going way too fast.  Simultaneously, I see flashing lights in my rear view mirror.  The cop was very nice and I explained to him that it was just an oversight on my part.  However, since I was going 10-over, he had to issue the ticket.  I can't fault him, I was driving too fast.  I'm just really bummed that I have to fork over the money for the ticket and deal with the points on my license.  I'm sure our insurance will also go up.  I wonder if you can do traffic school in WI.  I did that once in Arizona (or twice) to avoid the points on my license and the increased insurance cost.  I will have to look into it.  If anyone knows, please let me know.

After dropping the cat off for her little surgery, I made my way to Marshfield for a job interview at the clinic.  Since most of you know that my current position in Occupational Health is only temporary due to a maternity leave, I am still looking for a permanent position.  I can't say that the interview was one of the best I've ever had, nor was it the worst.  I am hoping to hear something by the end of next week.  I'll be sure to keep you posted.  It would be nice to have a permanent position lined up once this temp job is finished.

Upcoming Interview

I am so glad that I got a quick 3 miles in today.  I was able to leave work by about 3:45.  I love that it was an early day, but the problem is that it is the only day that I am working this week.  We aren't going to be able to make it if I am just working 1 day a week.  I did, however, get a phone call for a job interview this week.  I am going to interview in OB/GYN on Thursday morning.  I'm pretty excited about it, I just hope they understand that I'll be stuck in Occ Health until June.  I'll just see how the interview goes and keep my fingers crossed. 

Monday Morning

I had a crazy Monday morning. I walked in and before I had even turned my computer on, I was handed a note from the appointment coordinator regarding a patient who needed labs ordered. I quickly turned my computer on and ran to the bathroom while it loaded all my programs. I got back, ordered the labs and then realized that I already had 2 patients waiting and I needed to get my butt in gear.

I went to check in the first patient and there were no documents for that patient online. I don't know how they didn't get done, but I was frantically working with the appointment coordinator to try to get the documents loaded, while I gave another patient an immunization. Then I got the first patient roomed, and the paperwork filled out. When the next patient showed up, I noticed that this patient didn't have any documents loaded either. I felt so flustered and I was trying not to get overwhelmed while I calmly let the appointment lady know that I needed some more documents loaded.

She responded by letting me know that there was another patient up in the lab who didn't have any lab tests ordered. So, I had to pull up some more patients and check their status with the lab. I soon figured out that all of the patients that my provider was seeing today needed to have lab tests ordered. Yikes!!

The good part is that all this craziness made the morning fly by. By the time I had a chance to sit down and eat my oatmeal for breakfast, it was already 10:00. But I was starving and that oatmeal didn't stand a chance! I thought about making it with coffee for an extra boost, but I just had a cup of coffee when I finished my breakfast.

Someone in the office brought in a plethora of baked goods. I've already sampled one of them. It was a yummy marshmallow-y treat with some sort of nut and white chocolate chips in it. I'm also eye-ing some banana bread that looks moist and delicious.

The afternoon doesn't look nearly as crazy as the morning has been. I am hoping to get out of here by 4:00 and to get to the gym for a 3 mile run before Bible study tonight. Tomorrow is my 11 mile day. Can't wait for that !!!!

Happy Monday everyone.

New Girl

It is hard being the new girl.  I have been at this job for a couple weeks now, but unlike a typical new job, I know that I have an end date in sight.  So instead of learning everything that there is to know, so as to be able to do the job to the best of my abilities, I am often told "oh, you won't need to do that" or something similar.  I feel like I am taking up space, to a certain extent.  I am eager to learn and I want to do this job very well so that I will be well-remembered (and so that I can use this department for a great reference in my future job hunt....not gonna lie).  But it is hard to be constantly reminded that I am only temporary.  And I get the feeling that some people don't want me here at all.  It is almost as if they would rather not have some things done rather than have some 'stranger' do them.  I'm trying really hard to ask all the right questions and to make sure that I am doing things the way that the provider is used to.  I just hate asking questions and getting the run-around from the rest of the staff. 

 

Maybe I'm over reacting.  Maybe not.

Injection Training

So, even though I went to school to be an MA, and I learned to give all different sorts of injections, I am not allowed to administer them in my current job until I go through the Marshfield Clinic's structured injection training.  That is what I will be doing this morning.  I'm scheduled for an hour and a half, but I hope it doesn't take that long.

Foot update:  I had hoped that it would be feeling better today and that I could run this evening.  For some reason, it always hurts the most when I first get out of bed.  Those first steps in the morning are pretty painful and then it gets better as the day continues.  I would really like to run tomorrow....even if it is just a couple miles.  I'm going to cross my fingers.

First day

I am off to my first day in Occupational Health.  I know that I am scheduled for training for most of the morning.  I'm hoping to be on the floor in the afternoon.  we'll see what happens.

After work, Tim and Jaden and I are heading over to a good friend's house for dinner and to hang out.  I am really looking forward to it.

I gotta jet.  Gonna finish my coffee, maybe have a handful of Cheerios and put some makeup on so I can get going.

Half day

So, today was my first day of work.  I went to the Marshfield clinic in Wausau for training.  The manager of the Occ. Health Dept, Jan, is great.  She is really upbeat and funny and always smiling.  We had a hard time finding a place for me to do my computer training.  It seemed that everywhere we went, there were computer problems.  Finally, we just went up to the classroom on the third floor and she set me up.  I went through all the videos and simulations and reading material pretty quickly...there was a lot of HIPAA and confidentiality and all that stuff.  She let me know that I was only going to be there for the morning (yippee!) and that tomorrow I would be reporting to Occ. Health in Marshfield for more computer training and on the floor training.  While I was going through the training, I ate my lunch...banana, some honey nut Cheerios and a  granola bar.  I stopped for a cappuccino on the way home.

I was ecstatic to be done early because it meant that I could come home and run.  i had a 7 mile run scheduled today, but cut it down to 6 miles to save my legs for Saturday's 5 mile race. 

After my run, I ate a bunch more of those horribly addicting dried mango strips.  Seriously, I need to stop eating those.  They are FANTASTIC.

I have my EMT class tonight.  I am secretly hoping that we get out early, but I know that I need to practice the Registry check lists.  I don't feel very confident in any of them.

While I was at the clinic, I posted an Operation Beautiful note.

Quickly

I have to be quick because I don't want to be late for my first day of training. But I just wanted to share my excitement over the fact that I am going to work today!!  I actually have a job that is utilizing the skills I learned by going back to school.  This is exciting!  Although, I'm sure that today will be a pretty boring day of training.  I'm just hoping that they don't send me off to the lab to get a Hep C blood draw.  I had one a little over a year ago, but there was some confusion as to whether that would be acceptable.

I'm also hoping to get to the gym between work and class.  I know that my 7 miler won't happen, but I am hoping for 3 or 4 miles.

I get to go to work tomorrow

So, I have finally got a start date for the temporary job....TOMORROW!!!
I am excited and a little nervous.  Although tomorrow is just an orientation to the Marshfield clinic system.  I imagine I'll be sitting in a conference room or computer station for most of the day.  And I'll go straight from work in Wausau (that is where the training is) to class in Marshfield.  I'm hoping to get at least 3 miles in at SNAP before heading to class.  *crossing fingers*

I celebrated my new job with an adult beverage with dinner.

These are soooo good!

Tim went a little crazy on Woot! a few days ago and ordered Jaden a castle.  Jaden has loved watching Tim play Dragon Age: Origins on the Xbox, so naturally we needed to have more plastic toys lying around for the dogs to get.

I will admit that I got a little excited when I saw the catapult!  Let's just hope the dogs don't eat all the pieces.  They have a history with most of Jaden's toys.