Future Dr. Jes!

Thanks for the concern Doug! I am alive and well. My knee is doing great! I didn't get to any spinning classes last week due to my experiments in the lab taking longest than possible, but the roommate and I did go to Pilates and relaxation. Last Thursday we ran 10 miles (her longest distance so far)!!!! We did the two mile lap around our apartment five times, running in the grass for half of it. The last 0.2 miles of each lap we walked, got a drink, and stretched. I really think that it helped my knee.  Our average pace was 13 min/mile, but again that did include stopping to drink, stretch, and walking. I have continued to ice and use icy hot at night, and now it feels great! We are going to run an easy two miles tomorrow before Pilates, and then go to the relaxation class on Thursday. Friday will be a yummy spaghetti dinner, then Saturday is the half marathon! I also found out that there is a hash later that day, and it is going to be a friend's first hash... so I'm not sure how I'm going to run both, but I will try!

It's hard to believe that exactly one year ago our goal was to run one mile without stopping... and here I am about to run my second half marathon! Running has definitely changed my life for the better. I feel better about myself (physically and mentally), it's an excellent way to relieve stress, and I have met so many amazing people (in real life and in "Blogging Land"). Thank you all for your continuous support, advice, and tales! I really do miss reading all of your blogs!!!Here is my RunStoppable chart of my mileage. I only started using RunStoppable around the middle of May. As you can see, I have drastically decreased on the amount of miles I ran. I hope to slowly build up more, but I'm sure I won't hit September's peak again for a while. As I have continuously mentioned, the thesis is taking up much of my time at the moment.

Two weekends ago, my running partner Joe moved to Texas. The roommate, Joe, Chris, and I went out to dinner then to a pub for drinks. Here's a picture of the roommate, Joe, and myself.
This past weekend Chris and I went to visit some of my family, and took some time away from our studies to visit the Beer Fest. I consider it early carb-loading.

Chris and I signed up for Muddy Buddy in May! And the roommate is partnered with her sister for it. I cannot wait!!! A group of us are also trying to get in for the 7 Mile Bridge Run, in Key West *fingers crossed*.

It has been crazy here! I have less than two months to finish writing, create a presentation, and defend my thesis! Eek!!!! Which means I am hundreds of blogs behind in reading (yes, hundreds!). Then to add to that, this past week I decided that Doctor Jes has a very nice ring to it. That's right, I am going to go for my PhD in chemistry, with an emphasis on forensics. That means I am also trying to put together my application for admission, and this summer I will be cramming like crazy for the proficiency exams (Has anyone taken inorganic chem???). That also meant I had to tell Special Agent C today that he didn't need to proceed with my background check for that job I interviewed for in Georgia. I felt bad, especially since I did't want to burn any bridges, but seriously... Dr. Jes! Education paid for by the school! I can't pass that up!! (I am a professional student now!)

One last note... my mom wrote me a cute, cheesy poem! She sent me a card with family pictures and had the following poem written inside:

Queen of Running Land

She runs on Her Land from morning till night,
And only walks when the time is right.
A smart, pretty girl who's happy and sweet,
Yet is a fast runner who's quick on her feet.
Her smile is so bright with each passing day.
She speaks a kind word to others on her way!
So look for the Queen that runs in the town.
Her name is Jessica - a good friend all-around!!

Then she drew a stick figure with curly hair and a crown. She sure does know how to make me smile.

I hope you all are doing great!!!!