Running...

Nike has a useful online program where they post various training regimens. I've started this a few times, and now I find myself re-starting their walk to 30 minute run in 12 weeks program. The weather has been so nice here that I have taken to running through the famous cemetery across the street from my house and the hospital. (That sends a message to patients, doesn't it?) It is so freeing to run on level, car-less pavement as the sun begins to set after spending all day in lecture. Two weeks of lecture has reinforced to me why the first two years of medical school was so unpretty. I cannot wait to get back to patient care.

Some may find running through a cemetery a macabre endeavor, but it's really perfect. There are so many trails through the place that you cannot get bored. If I need an extra push, I concentrate on the different styles of headstones, the old-fashioned names (Audrey Jane is a favorite, but I think it is for all women my age), the clunky epitaphs, and most especially the decorations. When I was a kid we rented a house in Cape Cod with an ancient cemetery in the back. My mother liked to make "grave rubbings" where you placed a piece of paper over the headstone and rubbed over the inscription back and forth with a crayon, effectively transferring the inscription to your paper. I thought that was weird when I was younger, but I could totally see myself doing that now when I'm stuck for invitation inspiration. The sense of peace in the cemetery is inspiring, and I like to imagine the spirits appreciate my visit for the life it brings. Too bad the weather is about to turn and I will (hopefully) find myself indoors on a treadmill.