Endocrine insanity

There are several reasons why I haven't posted much since Tuesday:

1. I was in a slump and I hate doing whiny posts/have people tell me to cheer up when I want to feel justified in my slumpiness
2. I didn't go to the gym very much and didn't want to admit that 
3. I didn't eat very well and thus didn't take pictures because I didn't want photographic evidence of that broadcast to the whole internet
4. I have two exams this week, three next week, two the following week, etc, etc (25 exams this semester, folks!)
5. I have been dogsitting for two very needy dogs
6. I have found other methods of procrastination that require less effort
7. I'm lazy
8. I need to think of more reasons to get to 10, which is a sensible number
9. I like to blog on my mac and didn't remember the charger yesterday and ran out of battery
10. I am still in a slump, but finally decided to unslump by posting

Moving on...

So this exam tomorrow is on the endocrine system. "What's that mean?" says you non-medical-school folk. It means I'm studying the organs that secrete hormones. "Huh?" says you again. You know how when you're scared, you get an adrenaline rush? "Yes," you say. That. Basically, I'm studying that. Add in a complication factor of like 100 and that's what I've been cramming.

Anywho, I spent my Friday night looking up information on a trip to Africa (don't worry, this thread will be expanded shortly), and studying diabetes. That night I had a dream that I became diabetic (despite the fact that the blood testing wasn't done after fasting, nor were my plasma glucose levels high...I have a weird subconscious...only I would dream that I was diabetic without any scientific proof). Anyway, I was told I had diabetes. And I was relieved. Let's italicize that so you get how off that statement was: I was relieved. Why? Because that would mean I would have to start counting carbs. That would mean I couldn't eat whole batches of cookie dough. That would mean I would have to eat sensibly. All. The. Time. And I'd have to because otherwise bad things could happen. Like I could have to have my foot amputated. I'm serious. It's true. I'm not going to explain that one. I'm just going to let you be traumatized. Anyway, the thing was I was relieved because I wouldn't be able to excuse myself for my shitty eating habits anymore. I'd actually have to take care of myself. I would have to if I wanted to live. Now, here's the part that didn't happen in the dream: the part where I realized how f*cked up I am. Why do I have to have a chronic illness to kick me in the ass and actually do something about my eating and my weight? Why can't I just realize that being fat could kill you and use that as motivation? Why can't I just stop making excuses and eat a damn salad? Why don't I care about myself enough to take care of myself? Huh? Why? Answer me, internet friends!

So, yeah. That was a weird dream. It really made me think. And I'm still thinking about it. But, I've kinda done some things that will serve as that kick in the ass (without the insulin deficiency...):

1. I have decided that I want to go to Uganda this summer to do some medical work.
2. I signed up for a 10k in May.

Okay, let's expand one at a time. Through a friend at school, I found out about an organization with pretty cheap programs that allow medical students to have medical experiences in other countries. I'm looking seriously at Uganda because I have always, always, always wanted to go to Africa. Why? I don't know. There's seriously always been a pull in my gut. The other African program I'm considering is Ghana, but Ghana is considerably more Westernized than Uganda and I'm not sure that's what I want. Anyway, I sent in the first part of my application on Friday and should hear back from the organization soon about sending the second part in. Also, I am thinking that it was fate that I do this because yesterday my passport arrived - two weeks earlier than it was expected. See? The gods/fates/spirits(/American government officials) were trying to tell me, "Yes, Danika. Go to Uganda." So, there you go.

Second thing: today I signed up for a 10k (that's 6.2 miles!) the day after my 25th birthday. There's no better way to celebrate your quarter century-mark doing something that you never thought you could do, right? That's what I'm hoping. I'm also hoping that this will motivate me to get my fat ass to the gym and start running more. I did some research on 10k training plans. After reading three sources, I gave up on using someone else's training plan. This is what I'm going to do (or you know, at least, what I'm thinking right now). 

I set up a countdown on my computer:

I have about 100 solid days to train. That seems like a long time now, but it's not. So, for this week, I'm going to work my way up from my pithy 12-minute runs to a 20-minute run. Within the next three weeks, I'm going to work my way up to a 5k. Deadline for 5k comfort is February 17. Then I'm going to start adding 0.3-0.4 miles every week. I should be up to a solid 6.2 miles by April 27 and will be ready for my 10k on May 12. I'm also going to start running outdoors beginning April 1 (it's too damn cold in Michigan to even think about doing outdoor running before April). I'm hoping that by giving myself a slow start that I'll build endurance and breathing capacity. My goal for this 10k: to finish the entire thing without walking. Ambitious? Yes. But it's about damn time I did something for myself that was actually good for me. (Just an FYI - the first time I wrote this paragraph, I wrote that I wanted to finish the entire thing without running. I think that defeats the purpose...)

Come run with me! Or at least come to celebrate my birthday/cheer me on during my first full day as a 25-year-old.