Grades and Running!

I got my grades for this past semester: two A and one A-. Thus far I have two A and three A-. My goal for the summer is to work hard on my thesis and hopefully even out my A and A-, lol, and then hopefully be able to hold on to that GPA for the rest of my program.

I am very excited about starting my thesis. Before leaving both professors that I shall be working with in the summer, gave me reading materials. Even though I didn't think I would have time to read anything, but I printed bunch of stuff at my sister's and took them with us on our trip! Good decision, since on the car rides I was able to read some, and discuss them with J.

It was fun; for the first time discussing articles with J, we were on equal ground, lol. The stuff we were reading on our trip were mostly written by people in my undergrad discipline. Obviously I have stronger background in that field, having worked in that discipline for almost 20 years. Of course the articles had used many concepts from my graduate field, but the audience was assumed to be people in my undergrad discipline. Anyhow, when we couldn't understand or follow the author's reasoning, J would try to break down their reasoning and speculated what they could have meant, which allowed me to either remember and come to the same conclusion as the authors, or have specific questions for my professors to ask them when we meet with this week. As a graduate student, I do not like to go to my professor and say I do not understand this part, but asking specific question, I think is reasonable!

On the running front, my long run this week was 6 miles. At the beginning of the year I set a goal to train and run a race in the fall. I have decided to run a half marathon in mid November. To get me started I have also picked couple of 5Ks and 10Ks to run this summer and into the fall. I shall post all the races I like to run on the side.

J is a runner; he runs 6-8 miles, five times a week. We run almost every day on our trip and he coached me on how to increase my speed. That is going to be my main concern, to increase my speed. I now average 12 minute miles! I have been wondering the last time that I was at this weight, about five years ago, what was my speed! As I got bigger, I slowed down my running, since I did not want to put pressure on my knees. That was why the last couple of years at the gym, I run less, and choose elliptical more often instead. On the elliptical I was able to keep increasing my level, and actually reached the maximum last summer, which was 14 on my former gym's machines, and burned in excess of 750 calories in 45 minutes! Anyhow, I have written my exercise routines, along with my speed, incline for treadmill and difficulty level for other cardio machines, and time, in my journal. I am going to try and find my journals in my packed stuff hopefully this week.

My two best friends and I used to meet Friday nights after work for pizza. The goal was to just relax, have pizza, and catch up with each other's lives. Sometimes they included their families too. Having pizza, was so that no cooking or cleaning required.  When I started school, I told them that I was not going to join them until I am done with school, they stopped meeting too.

We have been posting on facebook ideas to revive our weekly get together, especially since our other best friend, who has been living overseas with her family, is moving back. There is making your own pizza, or vegetarian night suggestions. But both requires that we cook and clean! There is also suggestion of raw food night, salads, or no cook soups like Gazpacho, or Avocado soup. But those also require preparation and cleaning!

Than last week, our friend who is moving back to the states, suggested Saturday morning running group. She suggested that we meet for a run, and then go to breakfast. I loved the idea, but our two other friends not so much! They are more of a yoga, spinning, and in controlled climate, kind of exercisers.  It is so funny reading their posts back and forth. I did post once or twice, but the one friend who is pro running group can easily handle both of the other two who are against the running group! She single-handedly persuaded them to give the running a try for a few weeks.

Anyhow, as we stand, the plan is for the three of us, who are living in the same time zone, to start running the first week of June. Our overseas friend is due here in July. She said once she is here, she and I can go for a run, and then our other two friends can join us for breakfast only, lol! We all know that it is not going to happen, lol. There is no way the two non-runners just join the two runners for breakfast, lol! We have always been in a healthy competition with each other! So it shall be fun to see what is going to happen, lol!

I am not only very excited about meeting my best friends on a weekly bases again, but I am also very excited that I am not going to get bored and talk myself out of my long run, sometimes in the middle of the summer, when the mileage has increased. Plus, with this plan of get together, I can continue my vegetarian way, and also watch my calorie consumption, to hopefully lose more weight. I am thinking I can splurge and have a big breakfast, and then cut back on what I eat the rest of the day. Or be reasonable, lol, and have as much as I usually eat for breakfast. We shall see.

In any case, I am considering tomorrow as the first day of my summer, lol, and there are three things in my mind this summer: J, my thesis/research, and my running. Here is hoping for a happy and successful summer.