Is this pic just too cute!! I love it!
ok, now for the complaining...What a week this has been!!! I am not sure how I can keep this all up (being so busy) but knowing that continuing education will be "worth it" I think I can hang on for 1 more year. I think I should be finished with the dietetic school by the end of next summer. Afterwards I will do an internship (6 months - 1 year, hopefully 6 months) which is very competitive (I need to apply prior to next summer!). THEN....I take the RD exam and THEN...I can call myself a registered dietitian. I also would like to become licensed and board certified but that will come with time. I just want that RD behind my name. Let me practice Marni Rakes, MS, RD...oh it looks so good! This week was really tough. I had 4 exams! Mon morning and evening I had an exam (Bio in the morning, global marketing in the evening) and on tues and wed I had a quiz (tues, bio lab and wed, med. terminology). OF course with Karel's race last weekend (which I wasn't going to miss, I've been looking forward to it all year!) I kinda crammed for the exams. I am very big on not procrastinating but my time management skills aren't the best right now. Honestly, I am trying to put school first but as I try to pursue my career as a sports nutritionist, I really have to spend a lot of time on outreach and other important things such as emailing magazines, answering questions, writing on my blog, getting ready for presentations, consulting, personal training..and then squeezing in a little time for training (which is going well). I am so happy that it is thurs but unfortunantly I have two practicals next week (tues and wed) and then it is spring break. Thank goodness! Oh, I also spoke at a Team n' Training meeting on Tues evening about sports nutrition for endurance cycling (they are riding around Lake Tahoe to raise money. I remember when Karel and I rode around Lake Tahoe..what a blast!). AFter my masters I decided that the MS was good enough and I would just work at a gym or do something with exercise physiology. Sadly, my passion wasn't in that area. I love the information and science behind ex. phys (mostly cause I can apply all my education to myself and my training!!! :)) but I really love nutrition. It was funny cause last night in med. terminology class my professor was discussing the digestive system. Now last week when we were talking about the lymphatic and immune system I was doing more listening than participating (when she asks questions. I like teachers who ask ?'s along the way..it keeps you more interested). Well, last night I was answering everything like I was reading her notes. Not only did I feel smart (that is always a good feeling, since in my global marketing class I am kinda out of the loop with all the business majors in there) but I felt like I just wanted to learn more and more. "Please don't stop talking" I kept thinking. If I were to teach a class I would be sure to give my students info which really made them think. So, back to my passion of sports nutrition...it took me a year to find out that I needed to set myself apart from other "nutritionists and ex. physiologists" in order to become something. Nothing comes easy in life even if you know the right people. I believe in working hard for something and I never want to stop learning. Also, I never want to stop educating. I know in my heart that this is right to go back to school. Yes, I would love to make $ right now with a full-time job but I have a dream. Cliche it may sound but it is so true. Have you ever wanted something so bad (i.e. doing a new event, reaching a best time, trying a new sport, etc.) that you would do anything to reach that goal. Well, I feel like I could just be OK without an RD but having that degree would really make it a lot easier to reach my goals, ambitions and dreams. I want to thank everyone for believing in me. I have been so lucky to help so many people with their nutrition and I only hope to continue.
And on a training note...8 x 150's this morning at swim team practice. They were all supposed to be on 2:15 but I bumped up the cycle for the last four to 2:10. I didn't feel like i was pushing too hard and I was coming in on 1:56-2 min. And to make things harder, the breathing pattern was every 5, 3, 5 by 50. On Tues the set was 4 x 300 on 4:30. 25 free, 25 back. I don't like backstroke..I was a 200 Flyer and 100 breastroker in college. I did swim 200 IM but I just suffered through the backstroke. I guess it is important for triathletes to work opposing muscles in backstroke from all the free that we do. I don't really care what the set is..when you get me in the water, I love to swim!