i've been back in austin for about a week now...and i basically hit the ground running as soon as i got back into town. i have one of my term papers pretty much finished and the other only needs a few more pages added. both are now due on monday. joy. i'm giving one presentation today and one on thursday, but basically i'm done with classes by the end of the week except for a final on the 10th. i'm not sure i've been this excited to be done with classes in a long time. its been a crazy term and i'm ready to not have to do homework for a few months.
this past weekend we had the tx4k-ers take the official "century test." we require that everyone complete a 100 mile ride before we go. this basically just ensures that everyone is actually capable of completing the distance but also goes a long way towards getting people to actually train. i am happy to report we had a 100% completion rate on saturday. i'm still a little worried about a couple people, but on the whole, i was happy to see how everyone did. we had a gorgeous day to ride, which was a nice surprise given the strength of the thunderstorms we had the previous evening. that ride was the first time in awhile i've been able to go out on a ride that long and not take breaks to wait for people. it was awesome. my legs were still sore from the marathon, but i think the cycling helped a lot actually. i could feel some fatigue when i hit the hills, but that's to be expected on some level. now that the marathon is over, i'm excited to be on the bike and in the pool more...that and to write the thank you notes. i've had the letters printed out for awhile and just need to write a little note on them and send them out...but somehow its been slipping through the cracks the past month and a half. yikes!
happy end of the term to all!
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
boston update
for those who don't want to read any further, here is the brief summary: 3:31:46 marathon time, which is my second fastest marathon and a pr at boston by ~20 seconds.
for those who do want to read further: it has been an awesome weekend here in boston. the beautiful weather has continued. i spent most of saturday and sunday moving between coffee shops and libraries so i could work on my term project. i'm feeling much better about the next week and a half now that i have more head way made on it. i picked up my number on sunday morning. there is strategy involved to accomplishing this. the marathon expo, where you pick up your number, tshirt, timing chip, etc, is one of the most energy depleting experiences you can possibly have. for some reason, i had forgotten this. i headed into the city with my backpack and my laptop with the intention of going to the boston public library (bpl) and working after getting my number. well, i got to boylston, remembered that there were 20,000+ people running this race plus all their family and friends in town and decided that i needed to attack the expo then get out of the city asap. i picked up my number and packet, bought my gels and headed back to mass. ave to take the bus back to cambridge, where i found another coffee shop and promptly commenced studying.
monday morning (race day) i got up at 4:45a and had some breakfast. i have now confirmed that me, races and peanut butter and banana sandwiches for breakfast are a combination that should never occur again. training is no problem, but races are just trouble...but i digress. i had an uneventful walk to the t-station and got right onto a bus out to hopkinton when i got off the t at park street. i sat next to a guy who was about my age who, it turns out, had ridden his bike from sf to portland to chicago with some buddies a few years ago. he offered me some sage advice dealing with discomfort the first couple weeks of the ride and camping in town squares before warning me about wide open spaces. he said they were the most difficult part of their ride. good to know.
we get out to hopkinton where i meet a bunch of people from hawaii (i was wearing my uh sweatshirt) and stake out a spot under the tent to sit and wait. you end up sitting outside on race morning for about 3 hours before its time to actually walk down to the starting corrals. next year i need to bring garbage bags. this year i packed more warm clothing than i did my first year, but i was still cold. at least it didn't rain like last year. if you look around at the athlete's village as it's called, you can tell who has done boston before and who is new. the newbies haven't brought any warmups or anything really to keep themselves warm before the race. the veterans on the other hand have brought blankets, bed rafts to sleep on, hats, scarves, trash bags, you name it. one of these years, i'll get it right.
just as the race was about to start, it warmed up several degrees and the sun came out...much to my dismay. it was so cold in the morning i was going to run with a long sleeve dri-fit top over my tank top so i hadn't bothered to put sunscreen on my shoulders. i'd only put it on my face. well, let's suffice it to say i was able to keep that shirt on for, oh, 3 miles of the race max and then it had to come off. it was just too warm a day. i get ahead of myself though. this year was the first year i had secured a coveted blue number. if you're a female, you likely know what i'm talking about, but if you're male and my age, you're too fast to know. the boston marathon now starts in two waves spaced 30 minutes apart. the faster half of the entrants start first and everyone else starts second. well, the last two years, i had been in the first 1000 or so people in the second wave. once the race gets started, everyone spaces out and it's not overly crowded. well, this year, i got to start in the first wave, though i was towards the back. racing from this kind of start is a different animal. the crowd never really thinned out that much and by the time i reached heartbreak hill, i was still swerving around people, which is annoying and wastes a bunch of energy. oh well. it also means though that the start is even faster than the already fast start that i had been used to. my first mile was about 7:45, which in the greater scheme of life isn't terribly fast, but as far as marathoning goes, your first mile should be slowest, not your fastest. oops. i tried to back off a little bit and came through the half marathon in about 1:45 and change, which is an 8 minute/mile pace or a few seconds over. i thought that might have been a little fast, but i figured i would just hold on and see what i could do. i came through the 30k in about 2:30. i was pretty happy about that split. three years ago, i ran a 30k race in 2:32. the good thing about endurance racing in your 20s is that you get better with age. i have at least 10 or 15 more years to go until i start hitting my peak. i realized too at 30k that i was on par to break my previous boston pr if i maintained an 8 minute/mile pace (although in my head thinking the hardest miles were still to come). at 40k i was pretty sure i had it. at that point, you're passing fenway park, which is always fun. the crowds get thicker and the streets get wider. rounding the corner you come through kenmore square, which is where i lived during part of college. the mit undergrads were out in force as per usual. no one ran in with me this year, which is fine although it's always fun to have some company that last mile. i have been told that no one will run with me anymore because the pace is too fast (even for a mile). i found that amusing. i'm tired at that point and have given people a 25.2 mile handicap. i rest my case.
i crossed the finish with an official time of 3:31:46. i still haven't looked up the stats for my place overall, but that is my second fastest marathon time and my fastest boston time. i didn't think i was rested or in shape enough to pull it off. i had been shooting to simply break 3:40 to qualify for next year. well, i will be back in boston for the 2009 113th running of the boston marathon. you should all be there too...and run the last mile with me.
today i am writing from bates hall at the bpl downtown. i did eventually get here. when you sit in this hall, you feel as though you could be in oxford or cambridge or a harry potter movie (with better lighting). the goal is to have my term project even further along before breaking for lunch. at which point, i will venture forth to one of my favorite boston establishments. it's a little place called the otherside cafe. seven or eight years ago when i found it, it was a quirky, skater whole in the wall type place. now everyone seems to know where it is. last year it still had some of its usual charm (if you can call it that). at this point, all i know is that the outside has had a face lift, but it still remains to be tested whether the ambiance and food have also changed.
for those who do want to read further: it has been an awesome weekend here in boston. the beautiful weather has continued. i spent most of saturday and sunday moving between coffee shops and libraries so i could work on my term project. i'm feeling much better about the next week and a half now that i have more head way made on it. i picked up my number on sunday morning. there is strategy involved to accomplishing this. the marathon expo, where you pick up your number, tshirt, timing chip, etc, is one of the most energy depleting experiences you can possibly have. for some reason, i had forgotten this. i headed into the city with my backpack and my laptop with the intention of going to the boston public library (bpl) and working after getting my number. well, i got to boylston, remembered that there were 20,000+ people running this race plus all their family and friends in town and decided that i needed to attack the expo then get out of the city asap. i picked up my number and packet, bought my gels and headed back to mass. ave to take the bus back to cambridge, where i found another coffee shop and promptly commenced studying.
monday morning (race day) i got up at 4:45a and had some breakfast. i have now confirmed that me, races and peanut butter and banana sandwiches for breakfast are a combination that should never occur again. training is no problem, but races are just trouble...but i digress. i had an uneventful walk to the t-station and got right onto a bus out to hopkinton when i got off the t at park street. i sat next to a guy who was about my age who, it turns out, had ridden his bike from sf to portland to chicago with some buddies a few years ago. he offered me some sage advice dealing with discomfort the first couple weeks of the ride and camping in town squares before warning me about wide open spaces. he said they were the most difficult part of their ride. good to know.
we get out to hopkinton where i meet a bunch of people from hawaii (i was wearing my uh sweatshirt) and stake out a spot under the tent to sit and wait. you end up sitting outside on race morning for about 3 hours before its time to actually walk down to the starting corrals. next year i need to bring garbage bags. this year i packed more warm clothing than i did my first year, but i was still cold. at least it didn't rain like last year. if you look around at the athlete's village as it's called, you can tell who has done boston before and who is new. the newbies haven't brought any warmups or anything really to keep themselves warm before the race. the veterans on the other hand have brought blankets, bed rafts to sleep on, hats, scarves, trash bags, you name it. one of these years, i'll get it right.
just as the race was about to start, it warmed up several degrees and the sun came out...much to my dismay. it was so cold in the morning i was going to run with a long sleeve dri-fit top over my tank top so i hadn't bothered to put sunscreen on my shoulders. i'd only put it on my face. well, let's suffice it to say i was able to keep that shirt on for, oh, 3 miles of the race max and then it had to come off. it was just too warm a day. i get ahead of myself though. this year was the first year i had secured a coveted blue number. if you're a female, you likely know what i'm talking about, but if you're male and my age, you're too fast to know. the boston marathon now starts in two waves spaced 30 minutes apart. the faster half of the entrants start first and everyone else starts second. well, the last two years, i had been in the first 1000 or so people in the second wave. once the race gets started, everyone spaces out and it's not overly crowded. well, this year, i got to start in the first wave, though i was towards the back. racing from this kind of start is a different animal. the crowd never really thinned out that much and by the time i reached heartbreak hill, i was still swerving around people, which is annoying and wastes a bunch of energy. oh well. it also means though that the start is even faster than the already fast start that i had been used to. my first mile was about 7:45, which in the greater scheme of life isn't terribly fast, but as far as marathoning goes, your first mile should be slowest, not your fastest. oops. i tried to back off a little bit and came through the half marathon in about 1:45 and change, which is an 8 minute/mile pace or a few seconds over. i thought that might have been a little fast, but i figured i would just hold on and see what i could do. i came through the 30k in about 2:30. i was pretty happy about that split. three years ago, i ran a 30k race in 2:32. the good thing about endurance racing in your 20s is that you get better with age. i have at least 10 or 15 more years to go until i start hitting my peak. i realized too at 30k that i was on par to break my previous boston pr if i maintained an 8 minute/mile pace (although in my head thinking the hardest miles were still to come). at 40k i was pretty sure i had it. at that point, you're passing fenway park, which is always fun. the crowds get thicker and the streets get wider. rounding the corner you come through kenmore square, which is where i lived during part of college. the mit undergrads were out in force as per usual. no one ran in with me this year, which is fine although it's always fun to have some company that last mile. i have been told that no one will run with me anymore because the pace is too fast (even for a mile). i found that amusing. i'm tired at that point and have given people a 25.2 mile handicap. i rest my case.
i crossed the finish with an official time of 3:31:46. i still haven't looked up the stats for my place overall, but that is my second fastest marathon time and my fastest boston time. i didn't think i was rested or in shape enough to pull it off. i had been shooting to simply break 3:40 to qualify for next year. well, i will be back in boston for the 2009 113th running of the boston marathon. you should all be there too...and run the last mile with me.
today i am writing from bates hall at the bpl downtown. i did eventually get here. when you sit in this hall, you feel as though you could be in oxford or cambridge or a harry potter movie (with better lighting). the goal is to have my term project even further along before breaking for lunch. at which point, i will venture forth to one of my favorite boston establishments. it's a little place called the otherside cafe. seven or eight years ago when i found it, it was a quirky, skater whole in the wall type place. now everyone seems to know where it is. last year it still had some of its usual charm (if you can call it that). at this point, all i know is that the outside has had a face lift, but it still remains to be tested whether the ambiance and food have also changed.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
beautiful weather?
i got into boston yesterday and it was sunny with temperatures in the mid-70s...seriously. this morning when i got up, it was again sunny and in the 60s. the contrast in weather between this year and last is amazing. last year it was cold and rainy the entire time i was here. and when i say rainy, i mean torrential downpour, non-stop...until about 60 seconds before the start gun fired. the forecast this year for race day is mid-50s with light rain until the race start and partly sunny during the race itself. for those not familiar with ideal marathoning weather, that forecast is for ideal race conditions (as long as the rain really does hold off).
i met up with a bunch of friends from college last night to watch the red sox game and catch up on life. first i would like to say that the rangers got their rearends royally kicked by the red sox last night. i think they're playing again on this weekend, and i know there's a game on race day...while i'm a fan of the red sox, texas needs to get it's act together. a lot of my friends from college are nearing the end of their phds at this point, and others are now thinking about going back to school and getting a phd. i love this group of friends for a number of reasons, but one of the top ones is that they have no problem with school. it makes me feel normal. a couple people are in md/phd programs and a couple more are thinking about going into them...and they're my age, which means it's going to be awhile before they actually get done with school. i've been kicking around the idea of med school for while now. i plan on finishing my phd first (as most of those aforementioned friends have done), but what i do afterwards is as yet to be determined. because i do clinically-relevant research though, the next few years should enable me to see if i need an md (in addition to my phd) to do what i want to do. in the meantime i will just be trying to absorb as much information and talk to as many people as i can.
i met up with a bunch of friends from college last night to watch the red sox game and catch up on life. first i would like to say that the rangers got their rearends royally kicked by the red sox last night. i think they're playing again on this weekend, and i know there's a game on race day...while i'm a fan of the red sox, texas needs to get it's act together. a lot of my friends from college are nearing the end of their phds at this point, and others are now thinking about going back to school and getting a phd. i love this group of friends for a number of reasons, but one of the top ones is that they have no problem with school. it makes me feel normal. a couple people are in md/phd programs and a couple more are thinking about going into them...and they're my age, which means it's going to be awhile before they actually get done with school. i've been kicking around the idea of med school for while now. i plan on finishing my phd first (as most of those aforementioned friends have done), but what i do afterwards is as yet to be determined. because i do clinically-relevant research though, the next few years should enable me to see if i need an md (in addition to my phd) to do what i want to do. in the meantime i will just be trying to absorb as much information and talk to as many people as i can.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
boston bound
yes folks, it is that time of year again: that weekend in mid-april which only new england celebrates and which attracts thousands of runners, alumni and college students to the streets of boston. i head north tomorrow morning and am looking forward to it. i was talking to a friend who is a professional triathlete this evening and his advice for the race was simple: don't mess it up. me: um, thanks? i've been experimenting with my training and was doing 20 mile runs every weekend (except for a few) for the past few months. i've been tapering for a about a week and a half now though and i'm antsy as per usual. i'm ready to run. when classes finish in a couple weeks i'm looking forward to spending lots of time training. my bf recently asked what i intended to do with all my free time in the fall when i didn't have texas 4000 (the ride i'm doing this summer from austin to alaska) stuff to do. i told him i was going to run, bike and swim my heart out. he's not a triathlete, but never fear...there is help out there on how to date one. a couple years ago, a friend found this helpful list of translations on slowtwitch.com for anyone finding themselves trying to date a triathlete. the list includes things triathletes say (and what they actually mean). the first time i read the list, i laughed so hard i cried. enjoy!
"I am an outdoors type of person."
Really means: I train in any type of weather. If its raining, snowing, 90 degrees w/100% humidity, or winds gusting at 30 mph. I don't want to hear any complaints because I will still train in it and you're just a big wuss for complaining about it.
"I enjoy riding my bike."
Really means: with or w/o aero bars, alone or in a peleton, I don't care. If you can't do a spur of the moment 30 miler then you're not my type. I will let you draft, but if you can't hang and I drop you - I will see you later. I am a capable mechanic, but don't expect me to change your flats or tune your bike. You need to learn that on your own.
"I enjoy jogging."
Really means: Lets run hills until we puke. I have just as many shoes as you only mine are better because they are functional and all look the same.
"I enjoy dining out."
Really means: I enjoy eating out, in or anywhere else I can find food. Don't be shy because with the amount of food I eat, you can have that main entree instead of a salad and you will still look as though you eat like a rabbit in comparison. Don't get your limbs too close though as I may take a bite out of you. Most importantly don't expect any taste off my plate unless you can bring something to the party like more food. Eventually though if your not burning 4,000+ calories a day you're going to plump up and have a terrible complex due to watching me eat deserts and not gain any weight. Friends and family will eventually decide not to dine with us anymore due to my horrid table manners. Oh, and don't ask me any questions during breakfast, Mid Morning Lunch, Lunch, Afternoon lunch, Dinner or Recovery Dinner as it does not lend to efficient food intake.
"I enjoy quiet walks on the beach."
Really means: Walks on the beach warming up into an 8 mile run and then plunging myself in the ocean for a 2 miler. If you get in my way you're going to find out what mass start is and let me assure you that you don't want to find out.
"I find fulfillment in charitable work."
Really means: If I am not racing, I am volunteering and I expect you to be there along side me as I stand out in 90 degree weather for 8 hours handing out sports drink to cyclists going 20 mph. Just stick the ol' arm out there and hope it doesn't get taken off.
"I enjoy sharing quiet moments together."
Really means: It's taper time. Just back off because I am strategizing and in a pissy mood because I am worried about my "A" race and can't workout.
"I am an active person."
Really means: Aside from my 40 hour job, and the 8 mandatory hours of sleep a night. 10 hours a week are devoted to me during the off-season and 20 during race season leaving us 4 hours. 2 of which are spent inhaling food and you not talking to me, so lets make the best of the 2 hours we will spend together on average each day. If you are a licensed message therapist or doctor this would make the most optimal use of our time together. Nutritionist is also acceptable, but I probably already know just as much as you.
"I enjoy road trips and leisurely drives."
Really means: You have your choice of Wisconsin, Idaho, Florida, California, Arizona, and New York, but don't expect to do much site seeing. If I get enough support from you we might be able to include Hawaii in there.
"I enjoy sight seeing."
Really means: Lets grab a mountain bike and get our HR's up to 90%. There's plenty of time to look around on the descent as trees and bushes whiz by you at 40 mph.
"I like stimulating conversation."
Really means: while we are running, we can talk about food. Then we can talk about how we decided what to wear on this run based on the temperature at start time versus the temperature at the time we expect to finish, how horribly out of shape we are, how many miles we did last week, and how many we will do this week and next week. Then we can talk about food.
"I enjoy relaxing soaks in the tub."
Really Means: I'm going to stop on the way home and buy two bags of ice, throw them in the tub with some water, and sit in this torture chamber for 30 minutes.
"I'm interested in photography"
Really Means: My camera is permanently perched a tripod in front of my trainer. I obsess over taking photos of my bike position and analyzing them to get the perfect setup.
"I'm into in technology"
Really Means: My HRM and bike computer are my best friends. Until you can give me some hard data that can improve my training, don't bother trying to buddy up to me. You could one day break into the top three if I find you as entertaining on long runs and rides as my mp3 player.
"I am an outdoors type of person."
Really means: I train in any type of weather. If its raining, snowing, 90 degrees w/100% humidity, or winds gusting at 30 mph. I don't want to hear any complaints because I will still train in it and you're just a big wuss for complaining about it.
"I enjoy riding my bike."
Really means: with or w/o aero bars, alone or in a peleton, I don't care. If you can't do a spur of the moment 30 miler then you're not my type. I will let you draft, but if you can't hang and I drop you - I will see you later. I am a capable mechanic, but don't expect me to change your flats or tune your bike. You need to learn that on your own.
"I enjoy jogging."
Really means: Lets run hills until we puke. I have just as many shoes as you only mine are better because they are functional and all look the same.
"I enjoy dining out."
Really means: I enjoy eating out, in or anywhere else I can find food. Don't be shy because with the amount of food I eat, you can have that main entree instead of a salad and you will still look as though you eat like a rabbit in comparison. Don't get your limbs too close though as I may take a bite out of you. Most importantly don't expect any taste off my plate unless you can bring something to the party like more food. Eventually though if your not burning 4,000+ calories a day you're going to plump up and have a terrible complex due to watching me eat deserts and not gain any weight. Friends and family will eventually decide not to dine with us anymore due to my horrid table manners. Oh, and don't ask me any questions during breakfast, Mid Morning Lunch, Lunch, Afternoon lunch, Dinner or Recovery Dinner as it does not lend to efficient food intake.
"I enjoy quiet walks on the beach."
Really means: Walks on the beach warming up into an 8 mile run and then plunging myself in the ocean for a 2 miler. If you get in my way you're going to find out what mass start is and let me assure you that you don't want to find out.
"I find fulfillment in charitable work."
Really means: If I am not racing, I am volunteering and I expect you to be there along side me as I stand out in 90 degree weather for 8 hours handing out sports drink to cyclists going 20 mph. Just stick the ol' arm out there and hope it doesn't get taken off.
"I enjoy sharing quiet moments together."
Really means: It's taper time. Just back off because I am strategizing and in a pissy mood because I am worried about my "A" race and can't workout.
"I am an active person."
Really means: Aside from my 40 hour job, and the 8 mandatory hours of sleep a night. 10 hours a week are devoted to me during the off-season and 20 during race season leaving us 4 hours. 2 of which are spent inhaling food and you not talking to me, so lets make the best of the 2 hours we will spend together on average each day. If you are a licensed message therapist or doctor this would make the most optimal use of our time together. Nutritionist is also acceptable, but I probably already know just as much as you.
"I enjoy road trips and leisurely drives."
Really means: You have your choice of Wisconsin, Idaho, Florida, California, Arizona, and New York, but don't expect to do much site seeing. If I get enough support from you we might be able to include Hawaii in there.
"I enjoy sight seeing."
Really means: Lets grab a mountain bike and get our HR's up to 90%. There's plenty of time to look around on the descent as trees and bushes whiz by you at 40 mph.
"I like stimulating conversation."
Really means: while we are running, we can talk about food. Then we can talk about how we decided what to wear on this run based on the temperature at start time versus the temperature at the time we expect to finish, how horribly out of shape we are, how many miles we did last week, and how many we will do this week and next week. Then we can talk about food.
"I enjoy relaxing soaks in the tub."
Really Means: I'm going to stop on the way home and buy two bags of ice, throw them in the tub with some water, and sit in this torture chamber for 30 minutes.
"I'm interested in photography"
Really Means: My camera is permanently perched a tripod in front of my trainer. I obsess over taking photos of my bike position and analyzing them to get the perfect setup.
"I'm into in technology"
Really Means: My HRM and bike computer are my best friends. Until you can give me some hard data that can improve my training, don't bother trying to buddy up to me. You could one day break into the top three if I find you as entertaining on long runs and rides as my mp3 player.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
yes, ethiopians do eat food
that's the answer i find myself giving whenever i ask someone if they've tried ethiopian food. i had it for the first time when i was in tanzania during college and was hooked. fortunately there were two ethiopian restaurants in boston, one within walking distance of campus, so i could get my fix. honolulu, though packed with great restaurants from all sorts of pacific rim countries, lacked anything from africa (at least that i ever discovered), so i had been missing it for the past few years...since january of this year though, i've had ethiopian food at least three times. it turns out that in austin, yes austin, there is an ethiopian restaurant named aster's at the corner of i-35 and dean keeton (on the edge of the ut campus). i had never introduced someone to ethiopian food before this evening--most of the people i have had it with had previously tried it. but tonight i brought someone new. he liked what he saw on the menu, which is always a good start. after ordering, i dropped the bomb about there not being silverware and how you use ingeri (spongy bread) to scoop up the food to eat. this caused some momentary concern from my dining companion, but when the food arrived, he quickly took to this new form of eating. success!
earlier today we brought the texas 4000 riders to md anderson to meet some of the physicians and patients and tour the facility. we spent our time in the pediatric ward and two of the oncologists came to talk to us about their research. one in particular mentioned two things of particular interest to me (though in general i thought all of the projects she talked about were pretty neat). the first was that melanoma is one of the more frequently seen cancers in young people (~ages 20-35). when i asked her why she thought this was she said that people suspected it was because of the more immodest dress we have today compared to the days of yore. i need to be better about wearing a hat when i'm in the sun for long periods of time. the second issue this doctor mentioned was the use of the tumor registry in some of the research she was doing. let's suffice it to say i have reservations about how tumor registries are used. i first heard about them when i was going through irb training, which is a training that anyone who does research with human subjects has to go through no matter the institution they are apart of or the type of research they do. i was (am?) very conflicted about the procedure for contacting vs. not contacting patients to ask for permission to use their tissue samples and what i feel is a lack of transparency between practitioners of medicine and/or research and patients. i have a deep seated distrust of most of the medical profession and i'm not exactly sure why or from where it originates. anyhow, when the physician who is part of our team asked me after the talk what i thought, i told him. so he decides to play devil's advocate. although i have heard this position a number of times, and i see the logic in it, it still gets me all fired up, which generally results in me crying because i have no idea how to deal with feeling that strongly about what i perceive is an issue of patient rights. while in general those of the medical profession and researchers also see it as an issue of patient rights, they're also quick to say screw patient rights in the name of finding a cure. i am sympathetic to the need to find a cure and to what needs to be done in research to get anything to the point that it can be tested on people...it is a long and challenging process. the patient rights bit just makes me really uneasy. i sort of wish i could understand why it makes me uneasy, but maybe i shouldn't be. the researchers already have to go through all sorts of red tape to be able to do anything. i don't even draw blood or give people drugs for my research and i still had to submit a 20 or 30 page proposal outlining every detail of what i would be doing to people, any potential harm it could cause them, what precautions were in place to deal with a problem should it occur, etc, for my research. i analyze how people walk in virtual reality systems. if i have to go through all of this just to be able to film people walking, i can only imagine what researchers trying to get clinical trials of things have to do. anyhow, after walking away from that conversation i was having with the team doc and doing my best to get my eyes to not be red from crying, he and i reconvened to continue discussing. i think i need to work on not letting myself get that emotionally charged about research, but he seemed to think it was good that i was that passionate about it.
and finally in sports news, i'm about a week into my taper for boston. i'm feeling out of shape and am antsy to run or bike (or swim for that matter though i haven't been at the pool regularly in awhile), which is good because it means the taper is working. i leave for boston on friday morning and am looking forward to it. i heard a rumor that boston recently had a nice day of weather. just one day is enough this time of year to put most people in that city in a good mood. a bunch of friends from college are going to be in town next week and several more from austin will be there as well. i'm excited to share some old haunts with the austinites and catch up with all the former (and current) bostonites.
earlier today we brought the texas 4000 riders to md anderson to meet some of the physicians and patients and tour the facility. we spent our time in the pediatric ward and two of the oncologists came to talk to us about their research. one in particular mentioned two things of particular interest to me (though in general i thought all of the projects she talked about were pretty neat). the first was that melanoma is one of the more frequently seen cancers in young people (~ages 20-35). when i asked her why she thought this was she said that people suspected it was because of the more immodest dress we have today compared to the days of yore. i need to be better about wearing a hat when i'm in the sun for long periods of time. the second issue this doctor mentioned was the use of the tumor registry in some of the research she was doing. let's suffice it to say i have reservations about how tumor registries are used. i first heard about them when i was going through irb training, which is a training that anyone who does research with human subjects has to go through no matter the institution they are apart of or the type of research they do. i was (am?) very conflicted about the procedure for contacting vs. not contacting patients to ask for permission to use their tissue samples and what i feel is a lack of transparency between practitioners of medicine and/or research and patients. i have a deep seated distrust of most of the medical profession and i'm not exactly sure why or from where it originates. anyhow, when the physician who is part of our team asked me after the talk what i thought, i told him. so he decides to play devil's advocate. although i have heard this position a number of times, and i see the logic in it, it still gets me all fired up, which generally results in me crying because i have no idea how to deal with feeling that strongly about what i perceive is an issue of patient rights. while in general those of the medical profession and researchers also see it as an issue of patient rights, they're also quick to say screw patient rights in the name of finding a cure. i am sympathetic to the need to find a cure and to what needs to be done in research to get anything to the point that it can be tested on people...it is a long and challenging process. the patient rights bit just makes me really uneasy. i sort of wish i could understand why it makes me uneasy, but maybe i shouldn't be. the researchers already have to go through all sorts of red tape to be able to do anything. i don't even draw blood or give people drugs for my research and i still had to submit a 20 or 30 page proposal outlining every detail of what i would be doing to people, any potential harm it could cause them, what precautions were in place to deal with a problem should it occur, etc, for my research. i analyze how people walk in virtual reality systems. if i have to go through all of this just to be able to film people walking, i can only imagine what researchers trying to get clinical trials of things have to do. anyhow, after walking away from that conversation i was having with the team doc and doing my best to get my eyes to not be red from crying, he and i reconvened to continue discussing. i think i need to work on not letting myself get that emotionally charged about research, but he seemed to think it was good that i was that passionate about it.
and finally in sports news, i'm about a week into my taper for boston. i'm feeling out of shape and am antsy to run or bike (or swim for that matter though i haven't been at the pool regularly in awhile), which is good because it means the taper is working. i leave for boston on friday morning and am looking forward to it. i heard a rumor that boston recently had a nice day of weather. just one day is enough this time of year to put most people in that city in a good mood. a bunch of friends from college are going to be in town next week and several more from austin will be there as well. i'm excited to share some old haunts with the austinites and catch up with all the former (and current) bostonites.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
end of the term fun
the stars game was awesome. at least two people got ejected in the first 10 minutes of the game and i lost count of how many fights there were after about five...apparently it's not normal to see this much fighting, so i might be spoiled now. before the game we got to meet the executive vp of the team, which was pretty cool. in part he is responsible for the development of hockey culture, if you will, in texas (or dallas at least). in the last 10 years, the youth hockey program in the city has gone from 4 teams to more than 70. that is a pretty impressive statistic.
attending the game was a blatant act of procrastination with respect to the end-of-the-term academic fun i was supposed to be having. today, i have a problem set and take-home exam due. i mostly finished the problem set last week in anticipation of working on the exam more over the weekend...and then at 8a this morning (7.5 hours before the pset is due), my advisor (the prof for the class) sends out an email saying that we could turn the pset in on thursday. bastard. especially after i get a text message at 3:30a from someone informing me they just went streaking down lamar. i could have been streaking instead of re-copying my problem set into the appropriate format.
my take-home exam on the other hand still appears to be due today. i called my boss on sunday night and let him know i wouldn't be coming into work on monday. at this point, i haven't missed work for school purposes, but this was a necessity. it took me about 12 hours of solid working (maybe a little more) to finish this thing on monday (in addition the hours i spent working on previous to monday). it grinds my gears to have to turn in something when i really don't know that i did most of it right, and this is exactly the feeling i'm having about the first three problems on this exam. at least all that stands between me and the end of the term are a pset, two final projects, four article reviews and a final. oh and that's the other thing...one of my final projects was assigned last week and is supposed to involve a novel analysis on some aspect of our research plus a paper in journal format. i realize that phd stands for piled higher and deeper, but i feel like assignments like this just encourage making the pile unstably tall. it is a constant source of amazement to me though how things always get done in the end. happy end-of-the-term!
attending the game was a blatant act of procrastination with respect to the end-of-the-term academic fun i was supposed to be having. today, i have a problem set and take-home exam due. i mostly finished the problem set last week in anticipation of working on the exam more over the weekend...and then at 8a this morning (7.5 hours before the pset is due), my advisor (the prof for the class) sends out an email saying that we could turn the pset in on thursday. bastard. especially after i get a text message at 3:30a from someone informing me they just went streaking down lamar. i could have been streaking instead of re-copying my problem set into the appropriate format.
my take-home exam on the other hand still appears to be due today. i called my boss on sunday night and let him know i wouldn't be coming into work on monday. at this point, i haven't missed work for school purposes, but this was a necessity. it took me about 12 hours of solid working (maybe a little more) to finish this thing on monday (in addition the hours i spent working on previous to monday). it grinds my gears to have to turn in something when i really don't know that i did most of it right, and this is exactly the feeling i'm having about the first three problems on this exam. at least all that stands between me and the end of the term are a pset, two final projects, four article reviews and a final. oh and that's the other thing...one of my final projects was assigned last week and is supposed to involve a novel analysis on some aspect of our research plus a paper in journal format. i realize that phd stands for piled higher and deeper, but i feel like assignments like this just encourage making the pile unstably tall. it is a constant source of amazement to me though how things always get done in the end. happy end-of-the-term!
Saturday, April 5, 2008
man it feels good to be a gangsta
i mean a cyclist...with your fellow riders. this week, i was able to get my first taste of "hills" in austin. in terms of endurance, these have nothing on tantalus...unless you start doing repeats. at this point, the hills here might become harder. the longest hill we went up was probably half a mile, but it was respectably steep. the hills here are named based on roads they're on and this week we took on lost creek, red bud, courtyard and ladera norte. it feels nice to be doing hard workouts on the bike...although i think i should probably be taking it easy the next couple weeks. this past week was my last high mileage week before boston (april 21). my goal for that race is just to qualify for the 2009 race. i will be starting in the first heat this year, which is the first time i've had that opportunity. my qualifying time this year is about 4 minutes faster than last year's qualifying time. this could explain the bump up, but i actually wonder if the field is just slower this year. the marathon olympic trials will be held sunday, the day before the boston marathon, in boston, and i'm hoping to get to see at least part of that race.
my parents called me the other day and informed me that they were "stuck" in hawaii because the airline they flew out there on had shutdown. my response to this was tough life, but i think i was a little jealous...and a lot homesick when they said that. i think most of the time i'm so busy here i don't think about what is not here, but lately i had been missing the ocean rather acutely. and it wasn't just beach, which was interesting. i've been longing for blue water. for those who have never been out to sea, there is a distinct difference between the coast and open water. it feels different and it smells different and it really just has a life of its own. so i've been wanting to be out at sea, which is interesting. my last oceanography paper is finally headed to print. it had been accepted late last summer, but it's in a special volume of a journal...which means we've been waiting on the reviews and revisions for all the other papers in the journal as well. i've recently started getting emails from the copy editors, which means the volume is really headed to press at this point.
on another completely unrelated note, i'm going to my first nhl game tomorrow in dallas. the stars are playing the sharks, i believe. i'll do my best not to get into too many fights.
my parents called me the other day and informed me that they were "stuck" in hawaii because the airline they flew out there on had shutdown. my response to this was tough life, but i think i was a little jealous...and a lot homesick when they said that. i think most of the time i'm so busy here i don't think about what is not here, but lately i had been missing the ocean rather acutely. and it wasn't just beach, which was interesting. i've been longing for blue water. for those who have never been out to sea, there is a distinct difference between the coast and open water. it feels different and it smells different and it really just has a life of its own. so i've been wanting to be out at sea, which is interesting. my last oceanography paper is finally headed to print. it had been accepted late last summer, but it's in a special volume of a journal...which means we've been waiting on the reviews and revisions for all the other papers in the journal as well. i've recently started getting emails from the copy editors, which means the volume is really headed to press at this point.
on another completely unrelated note, i'm going to my first nhl game tomorrow in dallas. the stars are playing the sharks, i believe. i'll do my best not to get into too many fights.
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