9 Months + 2 Marathons (Chicago Marathon & Richmond Marathon)

Well, it's been a while!

Since February, life has been full (I refuse to say busy, because who isn't busy?)! I finished my final semester of classes in May, took my qualifying exam and passed, and took my comprehensive exam and passed (with an oral defense, too). Two big hurdles done with my PhD!

I spent the summer mostly at home, with a wedding in June and a trip to the beach in July, and wishing I had more travels coming up! This summer was less busy travel-wise due to writing my dissertation and lack of money due to my new house:) I hated it, but I definitely learned that I need to make sure I find ways to get out of town when the summer heat and humidity arrives and work becomes very slow. I'm convinced I have summer SAD, if that can be a thing!

In the fall, everything picked up. I started teaching two classes at VCU in August-> Techniques in Counseling and Practicum (which is a supervision class). Both have been very fun to teach and have been manageable while writing my dissertation. I went to a conference in Chicago in October and officially defending my prospectus in November, which means I am a doctoral CANDIDATE! My study is currently waiting on IRB, so fingers crossed it won't take too long.

I did a lot of weekend trips in September and October and have quite a few coming up through the end of November and beginning of December. I LOVE getting out of town for a few days on the weekend, but I also love being home in my new house...so balance is key. My big events were running the Chicago Marathon on October 8th and the Richmond Marathon on November 11. Marathon training this year was really great. I met an awesome new group of runners and genuinely enjoyed the training season. I still hate running in the heat, and the long weekday runs get hard with work, but I am more used to it all now. After not making it to the starting line last year due to the flu, I am so thankful to get through 26 weeks of training and 2 marathons HEALTHY!

The Chicago marathon was not great (but Chicago IS great and I had the best time at my conference and exploring the city!). It was 60 degrees at the start and about 75+ at the end, and the entire 2nd half of the course was in direct sunlight. I had a gut feeling pretty early that I would not be able to maintain a sub-4 pace, but I kept it through the first 14 miles and then it was downhill pretty fast. I walked a lot, had to drink a lot of water, and generally hated life for a few hours. The course and crowds were AMAZING, but it was a tough day. I also never got the hang of how crowded it was (especially at the water stops). I finished in 4:10:01.

Ready to go at 6 AM!

Catching my mom and brother at mile 13!

After Chicago, I was not feeling my love of running for a while. I took 5 days off, and then got back into training. I continued with my training team and did another 20 miler before a three week taper. This taper was a lifesaver. By really resting up, my motivation came back the week of the race, and I felt my running "pep" come back. I also knew it would be better than Chicago because the weather was COLD, and I was running with so many friends and on a course I know so well.

Richmond did not disappoint. It was a BEAUTIFUL day, with temperatures in the upper 20's at the start and no higher than upper 30's at the finish. I started in layers and kept taking things off until mile 15. Pure sunshine the entire race.

I was so thankful to be healthy for this race. Last year was such a disappointment-> getting the flu the day before when I had had such a great training season. I got emotional the night before just thinking about what I felt like last year. I read a quote that someone had saying "don't forget to hear the birds." This was exactly how I was feeling-> I wanted to take it all in and really appreciate it. And I did. I didn't listen to any music and ran pretty much solo for 25 of the 26.2 miles. And it went by so fast. It was an incredible day, and I did not take a single part of it for granted. Even when I was struggling in miles 19-23 before my second wind kicked in (which I attribute to an awesome course ending), I was happy.

Look what I saw at the expo! I am on the 10k poster! Haha.

Finish chute! I was taking it all in. Thanks for the photo, Karen :)

Happy :)

My cheering squad!

Happier still:)

Tawny!

I know I have talked before how running is so much more than just running, but what the last 6 months have reiterated to me is how the journey of running is really what running is about. The races are just days, but running is a lifestyle. It brings me new friends, keeps my sanity through some emotional stressors, and makes me feel my best self. Our bodies are so amazing and there is nothing that celebrates the human spirit more than a marathon (even a bad one). I learn something about myself at every race. Yesterday reinvigorated my love for the city I call home.

I ran Richmond at a PR of 3:55:53 and enjoyed every second of it (well, maybe not some of those seconds between 19-23...). And I will bask in this glow for a while.

Long Time No Talk!

Well helllllo!

It's been 6 months since my last post, and I have been recently getting the urge to post again! I really enjoyed the break and my step back from blogging, but I did miss posting some days. I won't be a regular poster, but I do think I am ready to get back into the blogging game for a little bit!

So what have I been doing? Well, much of the same! I started a new job in July, so I have been adjusting to my new school and my new role and it has been wonderful! I was definitely a good decision! I work at my alma mater (high school) as the Counseling Director, which is fun, but also feels very different than when I went here, so that separation has been great.

I also am almost done with this semester of school! I took two classes this semester- an Educational Measurement class on creating test and survey instruments and a Qualitative Research class. I have enjoyed the content of both classes very much, and I finish completely for the semester on December 14th! I have some presentations between now and then, but I am pretty much done. It is hard to believe next semester is my LAST of classes! BUT I have a lot to do- taking two courses, teaching a course (same one I did last spring) and then my qualifying exam and comprehensive exam....THEN I get to start writing! I have my topic and chair, though, so I am feeling good and excited to get started! This program has flown by and overall been really great. I still don't know for sure what I will do with it, but I am looking forward to having options (like not paying tuition and making more $$$)!

As for racing- oh, what a fall! I was all trained for the Richmond Marathon, feeling great and having completed THREE 20 miler runs, and I woke up the day of the race with a 102 degree fever and the FLU. It was awful, but there was no way I could race. It took me about 10 days to get over the flu (please get flu shot)! I was able to run a Thanksgiving Turkey Trot 10k, and instead of finding another marathon, I ran a half marathon this past weekend the Blue and Gray in Fredericksburg) and ended up setting a personal record! SO that was exciting and at least made me feel like the marathon training was for SOMETHING. It was a hard pill to swallow to miss it, but feeling as bad as I did made it a little better. There will always be another race!

Besides all that, I became an aunt in October (!), attended a lot of baby showers, and traveled to New Orleans this fall for a conference. It has been a lot of fun, and I am looking forward to the holidays!

I will check in again soon!

ACES 2015 in Philadelphia

I spent last Thursday through Saturday in Philadelphia for the Association for Counselor Education & Supervision (ACES) Conference!

This was my first time in Philly, and my first time presenting at a conference. We stayed at the Downtown Marriott near the Convention Center (which was a great location), and I was able to explore a good part of the city. The conference itself was overwhelming (sooooo many sessions!), but I enjoyed meeting new people and having a few days of professional development. I haven't made my mind up about my thoughts on Philadelphia yet because there were things I liked and didn't like about it, but I would definitely go back to see more museums.

Liberty Bell!

Liberty Hall where Continental Congress occurred.

View of city from Lincoln Square.

Lincoln Square

Reading Market- really cool and right across from our hotel!

City Hall

A Frosty at the train station- I had 20 miles the next day!

I also did a nice run along a trail by the river on Friday morning that went by the art museum and Boathouse row- I wish I could have explored it more by bike! Philly has a lot of very historic buildings in the midst of all the newer skyscrapers, so I would love to learn more about the history of the city for another visit. I really enjoy cities, so I can honestly see myself living in a number of them, but Philly has a different feel to it which is why I can't put my finger on my thoughts about it exactly. 

It was a good end of the week and all the traveling went smoothly- love the train:) Hope your weekend was great!

PhD Year One DONE!

As of 6:40 PM tonight, I am done with all summer classes and OFFICIALLY close out my first year (and 18 credits) of PhD work! Yay!

I am excited for 6 weeks off before fall classes resume and being able to just get away from the world of academia:)

I was thinking during a break from class on Monday night how the experience has been different from what I expected. I don't think I realized how many awesome people I would meet while being on this journey. The people are always what make it worth it- from faculty to professors to your program track members to other program track students to your own students- they are what make the experience worth it, and I am so grateful to rekindle old relationships and develop new ones. These people have such a wide array of interests and strengths that they open my world/eyes/mind to new areas and ideas. I appreciate what everyone brings to the table as I start to figure out my own niche. So many great people to learn from! The differing interests and personalities of people also make me more comfortable in recognizing my own strengths and weaknesses, because I see how there is a fit for all different kinds of people in academia. The professional organization involvement has also helped me see new areas of the world (Philadelphia and Montreal are coming up this year!) and meet school counselors and counselor educators from across the county and even more in my neighboring counties. Networking is always so fun!

I am looking forward to where year two takes me. It will be a different kind of year because I will be in more courses that are research based and with students from other PhD in Education tracks (I also get to take one less class- yay!), so I should meet many more people and will be exposed to different ways of thinking. Though, I have to admit that my summer Statistics course has made me excited for research:) I may like that aspect of the job after all! My goal is to keep whatever I research relevant to the profession, though, and not something that only a few academia-related people read.

So one year ago I was grappling with this decision, not knowing if it was the right thing to do, and I can honestly say that a year later it has been a great decision. My mental well being is much better. We will see if I still feel this way in another year:). The countdown is on- two more years of classes and a year of writing to go! Though I am honestly not counting- it is about the journey and not the destination.

On a completely unrelated note, my need to travel is evident to me even more now. I did not go out of town in June, and I was so ANTSY last week before going to the beach. I couldn't concentrate and was in a bad mood. I feel MUCH better now that I have gone (I did miss my class on Wednesday- hey, sometimes you have to take a mental health break:) ) I think the only cure for my anxiety is travel-> guess I need to keep doing it! Darn :) Anyone else have that issue? I am probably the only one who gets it if I don't go out of town for a month! 

Upcoming

Life has been very exciting so far this year! From marathon training to school to various travels...I have had a great few months! I am excited to see more fun continuing as I head into summer, too. Here are some of my "upcoming's":

1. School ends...and starts again! My last class date of this semester is next Wednesday, April 29th! This semester has felt longer than the fall, not necessarily because of more work, but I think the winter tends to make everything feel longer. My classes went great (I only have a presentation separating me from being totally done), and I am still loving being in school. Working with the master's level students this semester has been SO great. It has reaffirmed that this is the right path for me.

I don't get much of a break, though, because on May 18th I start TWO summer school classes...

I am co-teaching a 5 week course (Secondary Counseling Seminar) for my teaching internship experience that runs Tuesday and Thursday's from 4-8:15. I will also be planning, grading and getting supervised for this course. I have already begun planning, though, and I a super-excited about teaching it! I think it will be a lot of fun and up my area. The class ends June 18th, though I will need to log hours and work on updating the course for next year until I get to 300 hours. Hopefully the slow summer days at my job will allow me time to do that!

My name isn't listed yet...but for a course next fall it will be!

During this time, I also am taking a statistic course (the first of many) Monday and Wednesday's from 4-6:40. This course should be easy, but taking it means that for 5 weeks I am at VCU Monday- Thursday. UGH. Those will be long weeks, but I am hopeful it will be over before I know it! The statistics course runs until July 9th. That is when I reward myself with a nice trip!

2. Traveling.  I have been traveling a lot the last month or so and more is coming! I am headed to Chicago May 1-4 with my brother, sister-in-law, and her twin sister. My whole family is going to Cincinnati to celebrate my grandmother's 95th birthday over Memorial Day weekend, and then my mom and I (along with some college friends and their families) are headed to Vancouver, Seattle, and a cruise to Alaska (!) in July. I am SO PUMPED about that trip- it'll be a full two weeks! To cap it all off, I am going to the Outer Banks again for a full week in August. Mixed in will be weekend/day trips to/from D.C. and Virginia Beach visiting friends for weddings and bridal showers, but those are the big ones! I am looking forward to them all.

The dunes of OBX!

3. Running. There is always something in the works with my running plans! I am not racing anymore this spring, but I am going to join the training team program we have in Richmond for the Richmond Marathon in November. Training officially starts the first weekend in June, but I will only go as it fits in my schedule throughout the summer. Once September hits I will start going weekly and really up my training. I also may do a local half marathon in August to kick-start my training. I am looking forward to being a part of a big training program and running a marathon that literally goes by my backdoor! :)

The last .1 of a hilly end to a half marathon...

Those are the main three things coming up for me! I will be busy, but it's all in a good way! 

What are your upcoming plans this summer?

PhDiscussion

Update time! I haven’t spoken too much of my PhD program on here, other than my general up and down feelings about it (isn’t that I am like about most everything, though?), so I thought it was time for an update!

I am currently almost mid-way through semester two! It is crazy to think that in just two short months I will be done with my first year (besides summer classes). I am currently in two classes: I have a pedagogy (teaching) course from 4-6:40 on Wednesday nights and a supervision course the same time on Thursday nights. I also attend a master’s level techniques course at 7 on Monday nights about twice a month to teach or supervise students in practicing their counseling skills.

This past Monday was my first master’s level teaching experience, and it was really fun! I led an hour and a half lesson on basic counseling techniques. It was fun to prepare (the Type A person in me loves lesson planning and making syllabi!) and a good way for me to make sure I am keeping up-to-date with counseling best practices. I think that by teaching you also re-teach yourself. The students were very engaged and brought up points that I had not considered, which I loved! I try to be relevant and fun in how I teach, so I showed a funny TV show clip and even had a “dating” scenario for two students to participate in. I was pleased with how everything went! Only issue is I have to TAPE as I teach/supervise, so I have to watch and analyze that in my classes….should be interesting! I hate watching myself on tape :(. I TALK WITH MY HANDS! MAKE ME STOP.

Overall, I am enjoying being back in school. I will say that I don’t feel that way every day or week (the beginning of this semester was a prime example), but generally I am enjoying the program. The classes are interesting, and I am able to keep it so that I only do school work during the week and not on the weekends, which was a big thing for me. I didn’t want school to take over my whole life and at this point it has not. There are some courses in the future that may be more of a workload, but only taking two at a time keeps that in check. I tend to get things done very quickly, too, which helps. I also have an idea for a dissertation (!), so that has been exciting to start to think about and work on ways I can incorporate that into my papers from now on. If only I didn’t have to pay tuition for the next three years, I would be set! Student forever?!

This summer will be intense, though. My classes end the very end of April, and then starting on May 18^th, I will be taking an 8 week statistics course (that I unfortunately couldn’t get out of despite having taken in undergrad already…at least it will be easy) and will be TEACHING a 5 week secondary counseling course. This means that for 5 weeks I will be at VCU Monday-Thursday evenings at 4 until 7 or 8. Ugh. This will greatly impact my ability to run as much (which is obviously what I am most worried about), but I am hopeful that by doing my teaching internship over this period of time I will be lessening my load for next spring when the teaching would be at a less desirable time and would drag on for 16 weeks.  Work should be less crazy during this time, too. It will just make for some long days! Thankfully the weather should be better then.

I also am looking forward to going to more conferences and presenting, because that will combine my love of travel with school! I for sure am going to a conference in October in Philadelphia (which I have never been to) and may go to Phoenix in June. I will aim to go to two conferences a year as long as they are in good places:). Hopefully I will publish some work in the next year as well! I have some article ideas in process.

As for what I want to do with all this? Still undecided, but I like to know that I have so many options in the future. I think that is the best part. As long as I survive until 2018:)

So that is my update for now! If you or someone you know has pursued a PhD while working, let me know any tips!

PhD Semester One- DONE!

I officially finished classes last night and turned in all my papers/assignments for my first semester of doctoral studies! Woot woot!

It overall went really well, and I am enjoying being back in school. Some weeks it was overwhelming, but I think the amount of work is do-able with my full-time job and also having a life (aka running)! I will have classes Wednesday and Thursday evenings next semester (with some Monday supervision required for graduate students), and I am excited about getting into new coursework and working on teaching and supervision! I have heard that the workload next semester can be intense, but I am lucky in that my work is very busy in January when classes are only getting underway. My professors have also been great with flexibility when life gets crazy. I may have some weeks where I need to do more schoolwork in the evenings/on weekends than before. Good thing it doesn't always feel like work and I usually enjoy what I am doing (even when it is writing papers:) )!

Over the break I am working on an article with my dad, and I may submit two manuscripts I wrote this semester for publication in educational school journals (one at William and Mary and one at VCU). I will get my feedback from my professors and go from there.

I am excited to begin teaching (!) next fall, so only one more semester (and a summer STAT course) until then! I think becoming a professor is my ultimate goal as long as I can find a research area I feel passionate about. I think the teaching and mentoring parts come more natural for me- just gotta get back into the swing of researching and writing! I feel better about it now, though, than I did just two months ago.

1 down- 7 (?) to go!

Dr. Walsh

I enjoyed a great opportunity last week at the LEAD 1 Leadership Institute through Chesterfield County at the University of Richmond. It was four days of learning, discussing, listening to speakers, exploring the campus and participating in great team-building exercises. I enjoyed being back in the school setting and working with employees from all different levels, schools and experience levels. It definitely made me miss school! It was one of my favorite professional development opportunities, and I am excited to use the things I learned in my new job.

On Wednesday night, I also attended a Ph.D. information session through VCU for their Counselor Education and Supervision doctoral program. I have been thinking about this program for a while, but never really felt quite ready to commit to it. After the session, though, OF COURSE I want to do it, but I am keeping an open mind and taking the process slow. I am registering to re-take the GRE in late summer (yup, even though I have already graduated from VCU’s Graduate School of Education and already taken the GRE, my scores are too “old”) and have ordered a practice book to study with. The application is due in December, and I am planning to take a course as a non-degree seeking student in the spring to make sure that I can handle the coursework with my job. My goal would be to finish in four years- so that would put me graduating around 2019 (!) with almost ten years of experience as a school counselor in the secondary setting.  Hopefully that experience coupled with the degree with make me a good candidate for college jobs! This plan commits me to staying in Richmond for a little longer than I was planning but will give me an even better opportunity to find work in another state or country. I also will have to tone down my traveling, which is my biggest concern, but as my mom said, I can still travel, but I won’t be taking 4-5 big trips a year L. I will be able to travel to professional conferences, which will still give me my fix (hopefully)!  No matter what, my life of leisure will surely take a hit! However, I have always wanted to work at the college level and being a professor has been in the back of my head for a long time, so this is an exciting prospect. As we all know, though, a lot can change in a year, and especially in four years, so we shall see where this all leads! But I am very excited about the possibility of pursuing my doctorate.

No other news on my end- I have been working at the pool a lot in addition to my regular job, but starting on Sunday, summer traveling begins with a full week trip to Duck, Outer Banks for the 4^th of July J!

Brio

Last night a former coworker and I, who both now work in high schools, went out to eat at Brio Tuscan Grille. I realized that I did not blog much when I worked there because this blog began as I was ending my years as a waitress and beginning my career as a counselor. And what a shame that is, because my grad school years at Brio were a great time where I met my first group of friends in Richmond outside my high school buddies. So here I go:)!

I feel like my life as a waitress is a different part of me since it was a transitional period, but it was really a great time. I worked as a waitress in college during breaks at Cheeburger Cheeburger and at UVA Catering in college (that was more of a customer service job, but food/alcohol delivery and flirtation was essential in my duties), but most of my time as a waitress was at Brio in grad school. I always enjoyed waitressing because it was a very social job where I got paid to move around, talk with people and constantly stay busy doing something. I met a lot of great people during my two years waiting tables during grad school (May 2008 through August 2010). It completely paid for my grad school education and also allowed me to save during my studies. I also realized the key to enjoying waiting tables is when you do it PART TIME. My typical schedule was lunches Monday, Tuesday and Thursday (I had classes Monday through Wednesday night starting at 4), dinner on Friday (where I eventually became a "closer," meaning I would get the best section and hours) and Sunday brunch. All of my shifts, besides Friday and Sunday, were only 11-3, so I worked a total of 20ish hours a week and usually made somewhere around $300/week in tips. And as I said before, it was straight social hour. When I wasn't at a table, I was talking to a coworker while doing my work. A job TOTALLY made for me. I loved it.

Even now, I often think about how I do miss waiting tables. The corporate part of it sucked (contests and stupid rules) and the sidework blew, but the actual interactions with the customers and staff were great. I'll be the first person to tell you I never was a great upseller or knew every detail about the food or drinks (it was a joke that half the time I didn't know what I was serving), but I was very bubbly and easy to talk to, so I always did well. And I met some amazing people.

So here is a shout out to all my former Brio peeps! Even though I am done with waiting tables, I look back at it with a smile and great memories:) I especially enjoy coming back and visiting on the customer side!