Nurse On The Run

Oh man…long time, no talk! Life has been very, very up over here in the land of clinical residency, and I’m trying hard to stay afloat let alone write about it. Being in clinical 40 hours per week (10 hour days Tuesday-Friday) + 2-2.5 hours commuting + class 9-5 on Mondays + all the outside work that goes along with all of the above means that I’m tired all the time! Waking up at 5am is rough no matter what time you go to bed, that’s for sure. On Friday night, Eric found me nearly asleep in my notes at 9pm – definitely went to bed at that point.

Despite the crazy hours, I’m enjoying clinical and can tell that I’ve progressed since day one. I also appreciate that some preceptors I’ve been with have said the same, which is reassuring because I certainly have days where I feel like I don’t do anything right! An ICU shadowed my CRNA preceptor (and therefore mostly me) this week to see if she’s interested in nurse anesthesia, so it was cool to show her what we do and feel like I knew some of it. (And probably good for her to see me learning intubation techniques, especially when I needed some direction!) Not sure she was totally sold, but I feel pretty good about my decision.

The new residents (doctors) started a couple weeks ago, so there’s some people in my shoes. It’s a little bit of a bummer because they get priority for cases, but usually I can find a CRNA to go with since residents aren’t with CRNAs. (In New York, CRNAs work under a team model where they are covered by an attending who may oversee a few CRNAs. They’re supposed to be in the room for intubation, extubation, and if any issues arise.) I’ve been with a bunch of different preceptors, both 1:1 with an attending and with a CRNA, so it’s been good to see how different people do things and get tips and tricks and bits of knowledge to help me eventually figure out what I like best. (When do you give Tylenol? At the start of the case? At the end before emergence? Everyone has an opinion, and I tried looking up studies and couldn’t find anything definitive other than it doesn’t necessarily decrease opioid use in the PACU….fascinating.)

This rotation has its challenges because my site doesn’t assign cases the night before (so I get there early to set up and look up stuff) and I don’t have access to the Pyxis (medication vending machine), so it’s a little hard to grow some independence when you have to ask someone to pull out medications for you. I feel like the hardest part for me so far is determining when to extubate (pull out the breathing tube). We have “extubation criteria,” but not every patient fits it every single time, and there’s a fair amount of variance between providers (and patients!) on when to pull the tube. Usually I’m waiting and trying to decide if the patient is ready, and my preceptor says, “You can pull it now.” And I’m thinking, “Now? We’re ready? Really?” But they haven’t been wrong yet! So much to learn and experience to gain.

Taken after a long day of clinical! Bouffants = don't have to fix my hair = amazing

Taken after a day of clinical! Bouffants = don’t have to fix my hair = amazing. So is coffee.

Study study.

On the running front…….let’s just say I’ve become a bit of a weekend warrior. I get home from clinical between 6-7pm and have work to do when I get home before going to bed usually between 10-11pm (hopefully closer to 10…). I’m pretty exhausted from the day plus the 1.5 hour commute home, so I’ve only run twice after clinical. (And the first time was only a mile, oops.) I ran on Thursday after clinical this week (traffic was a gem so I got home on the early side!) by telling myself I could get Shake Shack on the way home from my run. I ran four glorious miles and headed to Shake Shack, where I learned they were closed for a private event. So, so sad.

Otherwise, I’m the weekend warrior. I got pretty sick in late June (and was googling the maximum daily dose of cough suppressant while alternating Tylenol and Advil – and going to bed at 8:30pm) and had a lingering cough for weeks, which liked to become worse after running a couple miles. I had planned to run the Pride Run for the first time, but the night before I was convinced I had step throat (I didn’t) and it was all downhill from there. That was a bit of a set back, for sure…and still waiting for my first Pride Run!

I’m trying to get a long run in every week, but that usually means my legs don’t like me the rest of the week. After a couple 12 mile runs, I ran 14 miles this morning! I told Eric I was going to run for “a couple of hours” and ended up with two hours on the dot. It’s been pretty toasty here in NYC, but it cooled off into the 70’s (while the humidity stuck around, for sure). I even got rained on a bit which was super refreshing. I’m not really running with any goals in mind other than to enjoy it and be happy to be running without pain. I don’t really think about my hips anymore with each step, and that is so amazing. My calf isn’t 100% but I can run 14 miles without any problems, so I’m counting that as a major win. (The PA I’d been seeing asked if I wanted to move forward with treatment, but I don’t have any time during business hours, so here we are.)

And a negative split to boot……but cut off the last mile, oops

Still loving the Nike Pegasus!

One thing that I’m excited about is that I’ve been transitioning back to not taking my phone with me when I run. To be honest, I started taking it with me a year or two ago because I was trying to hit 1,000 followers on Instagram (just being honest, and you can only take so many pictures of your shoes. I was never one to listen to music or anything while running, so I had always left my phone at home. As my injuries seemed to linger, I lost some running motivation and started listening to podcast to help distract me, and it worked! Not that I have anything against running with music/podcasts (you do you, but try to be aware of your surroundings!), but I like being able to hear my footsteps and breathing and to let my mind wander. (It’s also really nice to not be connected to the rest of the world 100% of the time.)

I’m pondering running a half marathon in August (East Bay Half in Rhode Island…or taking suggestions for ones in the northeast!)) because I really want to do one before the one year anniversary of my surgery. (Can you believe it’s been almost year? It feels both so long ago and like it was just yesterday, although when people ask how my hips are doing, I have to think about it for a second because they feel great.) A half marathon in August doesn’t really sound like fast times will be had, but I’m running what I like to call “anesthesia school pace” which is basically whatever my legs will do on that day. I’m just happy to be running even if it’s not 100% what I would like it to be.

And because life isn’t 100% studying/clinical/running (although it mostly feels like it), Eric and I had a quick get away to DC to watch the Nationals play. I’d gone to their ballpark in college (Go Terps!), but Eric hadn’t yet. In our quest to visit all the ballparks, we headed down for a quick trip. We had front row seats just past first base (right next to the ball girl!) and had fun seeing some friends and exploring DC. (And finally got to meet Jason, who I’ve known on Twitter/Instagram for maybe five years??) I wish we had a little more time to explore, but always good to get away (and spend time with Eric since I tend to hide behind care plans and readings basically all other times.)

Check it off the list!

My “diamonds are a girl’s best friend” shirt – which is my favorite.

Alright, back to the grind! Sorry these posts are basically dumping everything I’ve done in the past month on you, but I like checking in and will probably enjoy looking back on these when I’m done with school……and being glad that it’s over. While this is one of the most challenging things I’ve done, I know I’m lucky to be here and try to limit my ~~complaining~~ commiserating to my study group (and Eric, sorry!!). Everyone says it’s worth it on the other side – 13 months to go!

Back in February, before that whole maybe-you-have-a-stress-reaction thing hit, I was feeling pretty confident in my running. I saw that registration was open for the NYRR Mini 10K and that some people were registering for it. I’d been holding off in registering for my first race after surgery, and I wasn’t sure what I wanted it to be. After being out of the racing game (and running game) for awhile, I decided it was time to get back into it, and a race in Central Park would be low pressure. Then I realized that registration would be $50, and that sounded a bit steep to run where I run every day for free! (And I don’t have an income right now, so there’s that.) A little more browsing, and I realized that NYRR has a student membership, so I got in at a discounted rate. That grad school tuition is paying off!

Then I had that little stress reaction thing and I wasn’t sure what would happen, but I got back into running and felt great. I was rebuilding my mileage but definitely staying away from any speed work. My long runs had some fast finishes, but no planned speed work. By the time I felt ready to add in some pick ups to my runs, I had started clinical and my running was limited to only a couple days per week. I don’t run Tuesday-Friday, but I am on my feet pretty much all day. However, my Saturday runs have felt pretty good – whether I’m happy to have some time to recharge or am just a little more rested from not running, who knows.

I was exhausted on Friday night, had a little wine to celebrate the end of the week, and realized I should dig out my team singlet and pin my bib on. How do you do this racing thing again?? I was also convinced that the race started at 9am, but it definitely started at 8am. Good thing I checked! I went to bed at 9:30pm because clinicals have turned me into a grandma.

Had to dig out that singlet…

My alarm went off on Saturday morning and I’ll admit I didn’t want to get up. I quickly made some coffee and drank some Nuun since it suddenly decided to be summer in NYC. My big decision of the morning was what shoe to wear – my New Balances are much lighter, but my feet are pretty tired after standing all week, so I went with my Nikes which have a little more cushion. After that life-altering decision, I jogged to the starting line since I live pretty close. I got there about fifteen minutes before the start of the race and was already sweating!

I hung out in the corral and looked around for familiar faces. Kelly showed up a couple minutes later and it was great to have someone to chat with! I also spotted an old coworker which was fun – I’ve missed running into seemingly everyone at races, so that was a fun morning. Kelly and I talked a little race strategy – mainly that we didn’t have one, ha. I really had no clue what this race would bring since my running has certainly backed off over the past few weeks and I haven’t done speed work in forever. I thought about taking it easy and just enjoying being back in the race environment, but even surgery can’t hold me back from that! My secret goal was to run faster than I did last year pre-surgery (47:44).

Start line!!

Some announcements and the National Anthem, and we were off!

Miles 1-2

I always forgot how crowded the start of this race is, but it is pretty fun to be running up Central Park West. I took off immediately and jockeyed around a little bit while simultaneously telling myself just to lock in where I was. A few quick glances at my watch showed low 7 minute pace and I definitely panicked but figured I’d settle in once the crowd thinned out a bit. I counted the streets until the turn into the park and scanned the spectators for people I would know. I saw Erica and Dani and yelled to them, then saw Jocelyn at the turn into the park. Beth was up next and man this was so exciting to see people!

My first mile was in 7:14, and the second mile had a little downhill in the park, hitting 7:04. I grabbed water at one of the water stops, took a sip, and dumped some down my back because it was getting toasty! I knew the hills of Harlem were up next and would be the most challenging part, so I buckled down for that.

Miles 3-4

The big debate often over which hill is harder: Harlem Hill or Cat Hill. I usually say Cat Hill because I usually run counter-clockwise, and you climb Cat Hill and then it flattens out. With Harlem Hill in that direction, you go up and then immediately get to fly down the other side. This is all reversed when you run clockwise, which is the way the race goes. The climb up the east side of Harlem Hill seems like it will never end, especially in the middle of a 10K! I told myself to stride it out goes down the hill and to keep my feet moving on the uphills. Do not walk. Do not give in. I don’t care what the pace is, just keep going. Mile 3 came in at 7:21, but mile 4 slowed to 7:44. I was definitely feeling it – those uphills were really hard!

I definitely had moments where I wondered why I was pushing so hard, what’s the point since I hadn’t done speed work anyway, who cares if I stopped and walked a little? But I wanted to see what I could do and knew it would be better if I just got to a downhill – going down Cat Hill would be so great, just had to get there!

Miles 5-6

Let the countdown begin! If I held at eight minute pace, which I was running faster than, I knew I’d run under 47 minutes. I knew I’d be upset with myself if I gave up and slowed now, so I just keep pushing and counting down the minutes. The downhill on the east side helped to fuel that, and I got back to a 7:18 mile. I saw some cheer squad again, and that put a great pep in my step! (Thanks for the pictures, Erica and Dani!)

Smiling through the pain of mile 5!

The going got tough as we rounded the south part of Central Park, and I wasn’t looking forward to the climb up to Tavern on the Green. I told myself this was so much better than the end of the NYC Marathon and that I only had four minutes left to run. Just get there! I’ve never had a kick, but I pushed the best I could. As I ran up the hill at the end of the race, a spectator yelled for The Battalion, which made me smile, and I made a final sprint to beat one woman that was right in front of me. Mile 6 was 7:36 and the last 0.2 was 7:20.

I crossed the line in 45:44, avg pace of 7:23. WINNING. (Not literally. That was Mary Keitany.)

Out of 8,480 finishers, I was 153rd, so that’s pretty cool. I was VERY excited to have a Gatorade, water, get my medal, grab a carnation, and head out. That water was so key – I was toasty! I hung out near the exit to the race and hoped to see people as they finished – quite the crowd gathered as people came out of the finisher area, and it was a great runner reunion! I had seen some people in YEARS, so it was really fun to be back in that community and run into people after the race. I’ve missed that, for sure. Everyone agreed that it was a tad warm (is the Mini ever NOT warm?) and that we’re all not too sure about the carnations, ha.

I’m VERY pleased with how the race went. I definitely didn’t think I’d see 7:23 pace overall, and my finishing time was about two minutes faster than last year. My hips felt great, my calf felt fine, my lungs didn’t hate me too much – not too shabby! My legs are definitely a little sore today, but no hip pain. Surgery feels like it was so, so long ago, but my running still has a long way to go. They say it takes about a year to get back to what you’ll “really” be after surgery, and I’m excited to see what the year mark will bring. This was a great return to racing and it was fun to run fast again. The recovery from hip arthroscopy is long and requires a lot of patience, and I feel like I did it right and it has paid off.

Here’s to many more miles!

Nurse on the Run

Long time, no talk

2017 Mini 10K Race Report