Various countdowns

I have not been blogging much lately because life seems rather ordinary lately. That can be a good thing... and I've been enjoying it. I have needed the break.

There are, however, a number of things in the works.

In less than a week
I will have my PhD oral candidacy exam. It's a two-hour exam, conducted by 5 professors and one neutral chair. After that I find out if I passed. The big paper I wrote and the oral exam are a package deal... pass or fail both at once. And the examining committee's decision must be unanimous.

After that, I'll share the exam questions and tell you what the oral was like. Until then, I am doing more preparatory reading. The reading never ends, I tell you!

In less than a month
I'll do the half marathon. It's on July 8. I am totally stoked about it! So far, training with Kevin is going well. I look forward to each day of running with exuberance and bubbly anticipation.

Today I did interval training. God, I love intervals! I finish wanting more... and in a way that only runners would appreciate, feel a bit let down when it's over. I want to keep going, but I don't. I follow the plan.

I went a bit over the top last weekend with my long run and planned a route with some seriously tough hills on it. That was my idea though, not the trainer's. When I told Kevin about it, I got a gentle reply about not overtraining... Oh yeah, and Dr. Mike, the chiropractor, expressed both respect and concern in a similar manner. He said something to the effect that I was a "serious runner" but, "Maybe it's not a good idea to do that again."

Anyway, it was just shy of 12 miles, with half of it being up hill. I was happy that I did it. I like the gritty runs!

I went for my annual physical last week. My doctor was asking me how training was going. She got all excited when I told her about the half. She's an Ironman athlete herself and she likes to talk about training. She said, "Well, once you're done the half you can start training for a full marathon!"

I replied tentatively, "Well, um... you know... one step at a time."

She smiled and nudged further, "If you can do a half, you can do a marathon. No problem!"

I seem to be getting nudged from various directions about moving up to a full... and I haven't even done this half yet. And the only road race I have done since I was 15 years old was the Forzani's 5 km race in May. I think I need some more road race experience before I even think about doing a full marathon... Let's see how the half goes in July.

Oh, I do have a question for fellow runners out there. Has anyone found a lip balm that's good for running? Specifically, I'd like one that I can open with one hand, rather than having to fiddle with two hands. My lips get really dry on my long runs and the one I'm using just doesn't seem to work that well... and I'm always afraid of losing the little cap too. Anyway, advice is welcome!

Also in less than a month
I'll be in England visiting my family there. I have been looking forward to this for a long time! My sister and I will be travelling together. I haven't seen her in a while either, so it will be good to catch up all around.

I leave two days after the half marathon. I'm not sure that my legs will appreciate being stuffed into an airline seat for nine or so hours after that kind of run, but I'm sure I'll survive. There are times when having short legs is good... and travelling is one of those times!

So, there you have it... Many things are "in progress". I'll keep you posted.

"It's in God's hands now"

That's what my room mate, Gord, said to me this morning when I told him that I was done with my candidacy paper... Done as in, it's edited, in envelopes ready to be delivered to the committee members and also, done fretting.

I am a "fretter extraordinaire", type A, pathological perfectionist, relentlessly driven by (usually self-imposed) goals. I'm trying to curb this somewhat, as it takes its toll on a human soul after a while, but nevertheless, the essence is there.

When I told him I was done fretting he said something to the effect of, "Won't do you much good now, anyway". Then we both chuckled.

Since I didn't know what candidacy exams were all about before I was smack in the middle of the PhD program, let me explain by saying it's like a big-huge take home exam. You get questions that only you can answer, based on all your research and studies, so getting help is out of the question.

You go away and write. For 28 days. Solid.

For those of you who were jabbing me because I finished the first draft early, I remind you that my draft was 13 pages longer than the 40 page limit. That means, I had to spend a good deal of time cutting out about 25% of the paper. Yeah, like that's easy.

Then I had to read and re-read, since it was littered with typos and silly mistakes. I suspect there are still a few, though I should be most grateful if my committee graciously does not notice them.

The final version of the take home exam is then delivered to 5 professors. 4 of them I have met before, 1 of them I have not.

They have a few weeks to read it. Then, you have a 2-hour oral exam.

Passing or failing is a package deal. All 5 professors must unanimously agree that you pass both the paper and the oral exams, or ... well... you fail.

If you pass, then you then go from being a "PhD student" to a "PhD candidate" (hence the term "candidacy exam"). All that means is that they've decided you're good enough to go do a thesis.

That then consumes your life for the next few years.

Anyway, my paper was delivered into the campus mailboxes of the committee members today.

And I'm off to have my first meeting with my new trainer, Kevin, in a few moments. The fellow I was working with before, Chris, took a higher level position elsewhere. It's nice to see him move ahead in his career and I have to say that I came a long way training with him over these past couple of years.

I figured it would be good to break Kevin in gently. I've challenged him to train me for a half-marathon.

It's July 8. I've already registered.

Stress junkie.

A week of minor weirdness

So, this past week has been a bit unusual. Here are some highlights:

1. I got the draft of my exam paper done. Yaay! It is due next Thursday, so I'll spend a few days editing, proofing and formatting. Oh yeah... and cutting it down. It's 13 pages over the limit. Not good. Having a start-to-finish draft has decreased my anxiety levels considerably.

The massage I had today also helped to decrease my anxiety levels. As well, it un-glued my shoulders from my earlobes. They'd become somewhat fused together these past few weeks with all the studying and typing. Now you can see my neck again. Double yaay!

2. After the 5 km run last weekend, I was really missing my long run. So, I went and ran my little heart out on Tuesday. The result? 13.1 miles (21.11 kms) It took me 2.5 hours. In some ways, it felt great. In others, not so much... but I'll spare you the details. The best part? Happy knees!

3. I was coaxed into buying hair removal cream for my cyclist friend because he's training again and needs to have his legs hair-free, but didn't want the embarrassment of buying the cream himself. (That's for Robb, who's asking for advice on whether to shave his legs for his upcoming marathon or not. Go visit and give him your 2 cents worth.)

4. I went to the dentist this week and had some laser dentistry in prep for an upcoming crown replacement. Again, I'll spare you the details. Well... most of them. Let's just say that I love laser dentistry - quick, no needles (which I don't have anyway) and very precise. The smell of burning gums isn't so yummy, but hey, it can't all be perfect, right?

5. Came out of the dentist to find a big, orangey puddle under my car. It didn't look like a spilled slurpee. Called the mechanic. The fella who answered said they were booked solid until late next week. "Well, you're the only ones I trust with my car. What do you recommend?" The answer, call back in 15 minutes when the owner would be back. That's the amount of time it took me to drive the car over there and see them in person.

When I got there, the owner was back and before he could even get the hood up, another mechanic came tearing out of the bay to say, "Whoa! There's stuff pouring out of it!"

The owner promptly told me my water pump was shot, that the car wasn't going anywhere and he'd have it done for me within a day. Bless his heart. He was even better than his word and called me a few hours later to say it was done. Lifetimes of good kharma to him!

Apparently the orangey stuff was coolant, which can leak when the water pump dies. Just goes to show that you learn something new every day.

So there you are... a week peppered with odd little adventures, just to keep life interesting.

And I've been convinced that I can't die having lived a full and complete life if I have not seen Blue Oyster Cult in concert. Since they are in town tomorrow and my friend has tickets, apparently, I'm going.

The odd little adventures continue...

PS: Race photo added to previous post.