The Aftermath of an Awesome Weekend.

This weekend was fantastic. There was so much I had planned to do and not only did I accomplish most of it, I had a fun time doing so!

First up on my list was my first ever 5K - The Mustache Dash! It was in support of prostate cancer research and survivors. I just thought it would be a fun run to start with - a sort of trial before the big thing in June. With this in mind, I figured I would aim for a time between 35 and 40 minutes. The course was much hillier than I anticipated, but I took the hills slow in order to spare my knees the pain and after a while I got in the zone. I brought my iPod along to keep me motivated, but honestly I could have done it without the music. The people around me were enough to keep me going! I found myself keeping track of certain people and pacing myself with them.

Anyway, I finished with a time of 36:33 - not bad for my first 5K, I think. Feeling that last burst of energy and sprinting the remainder of the course was exhilarating and something I will never forget!



Next on the docket was Ajax in Iraq. I believe I have already blogged about the play itself, so I will not go into further detail. I just want to comment on the fact that although I was only ushering this time instead of simply being a part of the audience, I felt like I was back home. It seemed that people were genuinely happy to see me and I, them. I even met some of the freshmen interested in theatre!

Immediately after closing was strike. Strike consists of deconstructing the set, rearranging the theatre, packing up the seating, putting away most of the lights, and cleaning. It can be a long process depending on how much help there is. I specifically came to closing night to help with strike, knowing that the reward of eating at Shari's was worthy of a late night. Sure enough, we arrived at Shari's around midnight and left about two hours later completely satiated and exhausted. Good times were had by all.

I crashed (literally - I was exhausted after such a long day!) on the couch at my friend Rhianna's apartment for the night. Several hours later, I awoke to a complete arrangement of breakfast items prepared by Rhianna before she left for rehearsal. The darling! I am not ashamed to say I started bawling. The thoughtfulness, generosity, and overall kindness I had experienced (especially from Rhianna) in the last twelve hours was overwhelming.



It may be needless to say, but I will say it anyway - friendship is a powerful thing.

Now I am left to my studies, but with the anticipation of seeing my family next week, I am willing to do whatever it takes to succeed this week.

November Updates

First of all, there are several exciting opportunities that I have taken advantage of that I thought I would share:

1. I will be participating in the 5K Mustache Dash in Portland in a couple weeks. If you have any ideas for how to make the best mustache or the best costume, please comment below!
2. I will be officially volunteering for the American Red Cross as a blood drive ambassador.
3. I will be attending the show Ajax in Iraq which my dear friends are performing in.

Those are the only events I have allowed myself, despite my efforts, with the next few busy weeks of the term. In the meantime, I will be performing several momentous lab evaluations and completing four critical papers and two crucial exams. Oh, and writing a novel. No big deal.

Portland Marathon Volunteering!

The event of the day was the Portland Marathon - people gathered from all over to complete the 26.2 mile marathon covering an expanse of Portland and crossing the Steel Bridge twice. It was a memorable day for friends of mine who were attempting the marathon and it was memorable for me to be at a race of that caliber for the first time. Although I was only a volunteer, I was qualified enough to be placed at a medic site.

I was initially peeved about my placement - the volunteer coordinator had placed me downtown in a shift that would have allowed me to participate in the weekly book club session with my mother and sister, but changed the mile marker and times last minute. According to the updated placement, I was to be across the bridge in an area of Portland I was not familiar with at a time directly interceding with the book club session. The volunteer coordinator failed to alert my other team members about the placement change and had some scrambling to get to the right location. Anyway, I underestimated how long it would take to get to the new location and arrived late. The remainder of the time was spent mostly treating blisters and administering water and trail mix to the walkers.

Although I had been in a poor mindset at the beginning of the day, I watched the marathoners with increasing admiration. The realization that walking 26.2 miles straight during the hottest part of the day on sometimes rough terrain was no small feat inspired me. I cheered on, congratulated, and encouraged the marathoners as they passed, acknowledging their strength in having made it that far in the marathon and even attempting the marathon.

Despite the lacking communication skills of the administration running (no pun intended) the marathon, the actual participants were a major part of my first marathon experience and for that I am extremely grateful. My experience today made me more determined to accomplish my goal of achieving a 30-minute 5k next June.