Going the TransAmerican Distance

Since class began on the 18th of September, I've been trying to keep in shape and maintain an exercise regimen. It's sort of like a New Year's resolution, but more like a new life resolution. I'm starting over with my career, schooling, and now exercise discipline. I've set a goal of cycling 12 miles per week and running 12 miles per week as well. I know that's not much, but it's the best I can do with my aging body and crazy class schedule.

To motivate me to stay the course, I've bought a nike+ pedometer that attaches to my iPod nano. So far, it's been a great tool. It measures not only the distance I run, but also the speeds at which I'm running throughout my run. The data is stored on my iPod, which when connected to my laptop transmits the data to the nike website. The website then stores all the data and allows me to compare all my runs. It's great for people, like me, who are obsessed with keeping track of things and tracking progress. And it's finally let me use something other than my beloved excel to do so. :)

I've also signed up for a free account with the Lawrence Berkeley Lab at exercise.lbl.gov where I can enter the distances I walk, cycle, and run to keep track of how far I've travelled along the TransAmerica route, which begins in Virginia and ends in Oregon. This is a particularly great motivator for me; everytime I exercise I look forward to logging the miles on the website and see how much farther I've gotten. Needless to say, I haven't made it out of Virginia yet, but I'm getting there. I've gone 107 miles to date since classes have started. My goal is to make it across the country before MCATs next summer. At the rate I'm moving though I'll make it across the country well into medical school.:)

Both the nike+ pedometer and the LBL website have really helped motivate me to exercise regularly. This regular exercise has been great for me. I start the day with a run, and afterwards I just feel fantastic. I have so much more energy and my body feels lighter. I feel less restless as I sit for hours a day reading and doing problem sets. I then bike to and from Harvard for class to cap my physical activities for the day.

I think I may actually be addicted to the high I get from exercising. I had a physics problem set due today and an organic chemistry test earlier today, so I had no time to run. I found myself completely restless all day and CRAVING a run after I got back from my test. Sadly, the sun had already set and Lawrence was unwilling to accompany me for a night run. At least this is a healthy addiction/obsession. :)