Stress, Running and The Mud Run

So, back when I first started running I was very focused on improving my time and after training for an organized event, getting my time down pretty low (about 9.5 minute mile) I was feeling pretty good about my progress. However, I did injure my ankles pretty badly in the process and realized how much I really hate organized events when I'm in a competitive mode. Since then I relaxed and stopped worrying about how fast I was and focused more on distance and how I felt. Because of my school schedule this past year and a half I had to give up my runs because there simply wasn't time. Well, my stress levels climbed and elevated to the point that I had to begin to take some pretty drastic measures to deal with it (at least to me they were). In addition to other things I started running again. This time I absolutely didn't care about distance or time but how I felt. It didn't take me very long to work my way back up to a 5 mile route including a nice hill climb at the beginning. I still haven't timed myself but I feel GREAT! I love the days when I feel as if I could just keep on going indefinitely, that is a true "runners high" for me. So, this is doing wonders for my stress levels and making me an easier person to be around which my husband appreciates I'm sure. I began to think about organized events again, setting goals and achieving higher accomplishments. I have entertained the idea of training for a half marathon. That is about 13 miles. Right now I'm at the level of training for a 10K so I don't see bumping things up to training levels for a half marathon as that much more  difficult. Maybe I will consider this more seriously after I'm finished with school though - to be realistic. Today a friend mentioned The Mud Run and I've always wanted to do that - just for fun, because it looks like so much fun! You get a team of friends together and you get dirty as hell running the obstacle course at Camp Pendleton, invoking my childhood affection for getting dirty! Sadly, according the The Mud Run website this years event is sold out. However, I will definitely be getting early registration for next year!!!

Barbera from Wiens Family Cellars

I'm not well versed in wine tasting lingo and sure as heck don't know what I'm talking about when attempting to critique wine. But, I was particularly excited to receive this months delivery from Wiens Family Cellars. Barbera was the most common grape cultivated in Italy at one time but due to a scandal where a certain winemaker added methanol to the wine and many people died, the Barbera gained a stigma and lost favor. It has made a recent come back though and what a yummy come back it is!

Wine making is a complex process and even within one type of grape you can change the final outcome, flavor and characteristics. Depending upon when the grape is harvested can make a big difference in how one type of wine will taste. I have experienced this but I didn't know why it was so before. I love Cabs but I have tasted a couple that really turned me off, not that I could remember the specifics now but it was something about them I didn't like. I read that Barbera wines have a distinct tannins affect, tannins are what make you pucker when tasting the wine. But, I always thought of it like "dryness" or "bite" and I like that but I like many different characteristics in wines. Wiens descibes their Barbera as full bodied with many hints of different kinds of berries. That's what I can remember off hand and the bottle isn't near me now. I think this Barbera is quite smooth without that characteristic "bite" but that doent mean I don't like it, its fabulous! I don't detect too muc
h sweetness as a result of the berries, but maybe some tartness and what I think some refer to as "woody" that comes from the barrel it ferments in. I think my husband would even enjoy this wine - he's not into heavy stuff like Zins. I'd say its a nice middle of the road wine that can be appealing to both "extremes" of wine connoisseur. Have I mentioned that I love the wine club? :-D

PET scan

Positron Emission Tomography. PET Scan combines a nuclear medicine scan and CT scan. The CT scan takes a few seconds but the nuc med scan takes 30mins to an hour. Patient is injected with a radioactive isotope and allowed to "cook" for a period of time, around an hour and can be upto 3 or more hours depending on the exam. The images obtained from PET scan are pretty impressive. The study allows the Dr. to see the physiological function aligned with the accuracy of anatomical imaging of the CT. It's pretty cool stuff. You need to have your Nuclear Medicine license and your CT license to be able to work PET scan. But, you get paid the big bucks!