Run for your Sanity

This semester is by far a 100% improvement from the craziness from last semester.  With the bits of extra time, I decided to run a half marathon (13.1 miles) to keep myself a little more physically fit than I did last semester.  The fall grind was not conducive to anything but studying books and bodies.  Therefore I've been training with 5 of my class mates for a marathon in Nashville in mid-March.  We run about 4 days a week, 3 of those 4 days we typically run individually and then on Saturdays we do a long run together.  This Saturday we are going to try to run ~10.5 or 11 miles.  We ran 9.5 miles last week and it was great.  Mississippi winters are typically friendly for outdoor running.  Mississippi summers are little less friendly.  I tried running outdoors last summer in MS and found myself running through sprinklers systems in people's yards. I suspect I'll find a different form of stress relief for the summertime!

I find working out 3-5 days a week a fantastic mental stress reliever.  I sleep better at night and my nighttime study routine seems to be more productive as well if I have gone for a run that day. It seems that running is as good for my mental well-being as it is for my physical well-being.

As far as medical school studies are concerned-I spend most of my days and nights studying medical physiology.  We spent January studying cardiovascular physiology and we're spending most of February studying the kidneys and endocrine systems. I have to admit the most resounding life lesson I have taken away from the last 6-7 weeks of medical physiology is that if Americans were to lose weight and stop smoking--- A LOT of physicians would be out of work...my peers and I joke all the time about how they should rename medical physiology-"don't get fat/don't smoke 101"

Keep your heart + mind healthy and try to go for a run today! Tt helps you think clearly, relieves tension, and might help you look good for bikini season (if you do know me you know I won't be wearing a bikini I'm way too self-conscious for that LOL) but maybe you can.

Happy Running

Salt and Light,

Kelly