My big fear of being accepted into Grad School didn’t come true. Thus far I’ve gotten accepted into three different programs. I’m still waiting to hear back from three more programs, but should know early next week if I got accepted or not into these last few. I’ve already even said no to one of the programs. All the programs that I’m looking at besides one are Low-Residency. This means that I would travel to the school’s location for around 10 days for the intensive part of the semester. Basically reading and writing hardcore for those 10 days. Then you come back and spend the rest of the semester working with your mentor on your projects and lots more reading and writing.You do most of the coursework online but it’s a lot, lot, lot of writing and reading. I think the only way you become a better writer is just by writing and reading. So I believe that these types of programs are really a good idea.

I would be staying where I am now and would continue to work at my job while going to school. So doing a little research here’s what we are looking at:

Ashland University in Ohio – They are the Tuffy Eagle (eagles?) and are purple and gold. I got in here! The program takes two years.

Fairleigh Dickinson in New Jersey – They are the Devils and are blue and red. I got in here but this is also the school I said no to already.

University of Alaska at Anchorage - They are the Sea Wolves and are green and gold. The same colors as the university I attended for undergrad! I am still waiting to hear back from them. I really like their program but it also is the only program that takes three years.

Chapman in Orange, CA – They are the Panthers and are cardinal and gray. This is the only program where I would be physically attending school daily. I am still waiting to hear back from them but the more I think about the low-residency program, the more I lean towards that concept. We’ll see. This is also the most expensive option.

Goddard in Vermont – They don’t have a mascot and their school color is blue. Weird, I know, but they are the smallest school I applied to. I am still waiting to hear back from them.

Fairfield in Connecticut – They are the Stags and are cardinal and white. I have been accepted here and this is the program that makes me the most excited. Their program is held on an island in Mystic, CT and below are some of the pictures of the location where the program is called called Enders Island. Their program takes two years as well.

I was immediately sucked into the school by those pictures. I looked at the faculty too and was very impressed. How can you not be creative in an environment like that! Funny thing is that Fairfield is the last school I applied to and I kind of applied there on a whim. It was as time went on and learned more and more about the program there that I liked their program the most. I think when it comes down to a decision, it will be in between Alaska, Fairfield and Ashland. We shall see what Alaska says and then I will make my final decision next month. School would start up for me mid July! Have you heard of any of the schools? Any thoughts would be much appreciated!

I am excited and nervous at the decision that I’ll be making but I know I will learn a lot about writing and that is something that I love.

As for running,  I went this morning for thirty minutes and it felt great. I did my sit ups and push ups last night too and even though my allergies are killing me lately, I am starting to feel better and more ‘in the groove’.

I also was thinking of doing an Adoption April series like I did last year, where I talked about being adopted and growing up adopted and was wondering if anyone would like to read about it again, or would like me to do something like that again? Tomorrow is the exciting iFitness belt giveaway! :)

xoxo

This might not be the most exciting to some, but I just wanted to share about how much I appreciate the city of Long Beach replacing the jank drinking fountains that used to line the beach path I run along with THESE! First off, the old ones were pretty ghetto and looked like you could have contracted some disease just by taking a drink from them. Now, I’m no engineer but these new ones are AMAZING. When I was on my run the other day I saw them and I had to stop, I was that excited. Yes, I’m that lame. So I went over and inspected them.

THEY ARE GENIUS! First off, the fountain is on a slight, slight angle so the water drains down into the ‘base’ of the fountain. That is hollow so the water just flows right down to the bottom and then disperses to the area around the fountain. Since it’s along the beach path, a lot of sand is usually in the area which can soak the water right up.  This is about a hundred times better than the bird bath looking fountains that collected water for ages before. Also, the stainless steel seems like you can just power wash those bad boys down to keep them clean and germ free. They seem to be able to also withhold the elements of being on the beach as well. HOORAY City of Long Beach! Whoever designed these is brilliant!

Who knew I could get so excited about drinking fountains?

xoxo

So, this weekend, I had a little less brain activity than normal. Friday afternoon when I got off work I double checked the website for the half marathon I was going to run on Saturday. It said I must pick up my packet either Thursday or Friday evening. Seeing that it’s a 2+ hour drive out there, and I get off work at 5, and the times ended at 6pm and 7pm, I realized I wasn’t going to pick up my packet. Since there is no race day packet pick up, I obviously wasn’t going to be running the race. Especially since I had to work the booth and set everything up in advance. I was kind of bummed but I think it was a blessing in disguise because it was probably smart to take another week off after LA.

So right now I’m feeling a little like I did after San Diego Marathon last May. Burnt out. I’ve decided that for the month of April I am not going to run with my garmin and focus on getting miles in, but instead run for time. I am going to run when I have the time and when I feel like it to give myself a little bit of a break. I am just settling in at my new job and want to make sure that I don’t overwhelm myself. I think in May I might sign up for a 5k, or 10k, but for right now, I have no races scheduled until October and I’m okay with that.

I really have been enjoying working out at the gym and I know if I just keep pushing my running, I will just get more and more tired of it. I think I will probably be doing about 20-30 miles a week, some weeks more, some weeks less. I know I want to focus on getting healthy more than anything and just feeling good. I know taking a short ‘break’ from a training schedule will re-invigorate my running and my love for it.

I did find the best shirt ever at Forever 21 though, and I can’t wait to wear it in a few short days! I love dinosaurs!

So besides the whole Danica wasn’t thinking and missed the race this weekend but worked the booth instead, it was a great weekend. I am learning more and more about running and the community. I know this semi-break will be good for me and how I’m feeling and will allow me to train better in the long run.

I have been having some kick butt workouts at the gym lately and my swimming has improved a ton, which I think will improve my endurance and back strength. So the weekend wasn’t a total bust, and I got some new cute summer tanks at forever 21 too. Win.

Also, I wrote an article about what draws you to sign up for a race! Check it out and leave your comments, I think it’s fascinating! This week I have an iFitness belt giveaway coming up!

xoxo

So, I have a confession.

I’m competitive. I love to play games and talk smack. It’s even better when I win. I remember in college I took a badminton class and I would talk so much smack to everyone that the teacher would just laugh and laugh at me. Had I ever played badminton before? No, but still, it was more entertaining when you talk about poaching and the birdie.

I used to run cross country, and I posted about racing back in the day and how it makes me feel when I can actually pull out a good fast run every once and a while, but I am not competing like I used to when I was in high school. Those glory days! Anyways, I’ve realized I’m not going to the Olympics anytime soon and right now I just enjoy running to run. Every now and then I have a great run where I feel like I’m busting back into my old 100 lb self, when I was a scrawny, stick like high schooler running to the top of the hill in the race, with my coach at the top of the hill barking instructions to me and the positions of the girls trailing me. Most of the time now I’m dawdling along, looking around, breathing in the ocean air and smiling and waving to people, enjoying my run. When I was in high school running was work. It was like my job. I trained year round and it was just what I did. Now, running is for fun.

So back to my competitive side coming out again. I’m a big fan of online shopping. It’s way better because you get mail, and it’s almost like it makes it a gift! I usually creep around on many different sites but I get super competitive on one site.

Sometimes I think I bid on things to see if I can win them.

EBAY YOU ARE KILLING ME.

I am obsessed. I found the Marc Jacobs purse I’ve been wanting since Christmas. I found shoes that I’m dying over. Earrings that are to adorable. Running clothes I must have. They have pretty much anything and I just want to buy tons of random stuff so I can win the auction. It’s like a prize. It’s like running a race and winning. It’s the nail biting, watching the auctions, down to the last minute, heart breaking, anxiety ride that I love. I mean I could do the easy “buy-it-now” option, but what if I could have gotten a deal in the auction? What if I could have saved $3.75?

Someone stop me!

But on the upside, I did get a pair of my favorite Seven for All Mankind Jeans yesterday for $18.50. I call that a dominating win!

This weekend I’m working the expo at the Great Race of Agoura Hills and also running the Pacific Half. I am pretty excited about it. I just look at it this way. At least it’s not 26.2 miles. I am for once not going to wear booty shorts. I have decided it’s time to switch things up just a tad. We’ll see how it goes.

I hope to come in right around 2:00. Should be a beautiful day and make sure if you are running the race to stop by the Run Racing Booth!

xoxo

I was sent some cool articles of clothes from the cool folks at Green Layer the other day and I really love their stuff they sent me. I originally found out about Green Layer through the San Fransisco Marathon when I received my 1/2 marathon shirt from them. I’ve gotten many race shirts including the standard cotton shirt, which is eh, because you can wear it but I get nervous about running in it since I’ve become a moisture wicking snob and then you have the unisex race shirts which are cool if you are built like a box. That’s one disappointing thing about Long Beach. The race that I truly love and will always hold a special place in my heart gave me the WORST race shirt I own. It’s HORRIBLE fitting and I’ve yet to ever wear it, perhaps I shall frame it or something one day. Perhaps I will give them a hand this year in making sure the shirts are quality. ;) Then I got the Green Layer shirt last summer at the San Fran Marathon where I did the first half of the marathon. I got the shirt and albeit running a tad small it looks like the woman’s shirt was built for, GASP! A woman! Shocking, I know. So I researched Green Layer a little bit more and they were kind enough to send me out some shirts to sample. I REALLY liked the stuff they sent me a lot too. They sent me a great pull-over which I wore at the 13.1 Marathon in Santa Monica and a normal moisture wicking shirt.

I really, really love the pull-over. It’s light weight enough to keep you the right temperature and also keeps you dry. Another great perk is the fact that they have little thumb holes. I really like jackets that have that functionality. Also, one of the best aspects of the jacket is all the cool pockets they implemented and the overall fit. I felt the jacket fit a woman’s body really well. That is the weirdest thing I’ve ever said. The sleeves fit my arms well, weren’t too tight, or too long. The fabric on the seams were almost like a french terry, which is really nice as well. I also liked the cut of the jacket. I like how it’s a little bit longer in the back.

Then we have the shirt. I really liked the fit of the shirt too. Maybe I’m just used to too many weirdly cut running clothes that these were a dream for me! The shirt isn’t too short, which I’m always paranoid about. The best part? Doesn’t look like it was made to fit a box! Perfect! It also is made of a nice material and really keeps you dry while running. I really liked how tight but not TIGHT the shirt was. I really look for shirts that aren’t spandex, because I mostly keep that on my booty, but I don’t need spandex all up on my stomach, so a “looser” (relatively speaking) shirt on top really works for me.

I really liked both of these products though and I really appreciate that the San Fran Marathon picked out shirts that actually FIT PEOPLE! That is one of the most annoying things about running races where the shirt is unisex or just a cotton tee. So thanks guys! Also, thank you to Green Layer who sent me their products, even though they never responded to my email after sending the products. MEH! Check them out here! Beg for them to have Green Layer at your next race :)

Last night I worked out super hard at the gym and it felt really good. I laid off the legs to give them another recovery day and worked my abs and arms a ton. Tonight after work I’m planning a three miler to get my legs loosened up for the Great Race Half this weekend. This week is flying by! I’m excited to run the half now though, I know I’ll have fun with it and 13.1 miles sounds a lot more appealing than 26.2 right now.

xoxo