End of the Year Update

It has been a while since I last updated my blog post because there simply have not been any particularly exceptional life events to report. Of course, I would love to tell you all about my frequent encounters with examinations (like the time that I completely guessed the brand name of fingolimod is Gilenya based only on my knowledge that fingolimod is a new drug and that Gilenya sounds like a modern name), but I suspect you won’t find tales of pharmacy testing particularly exhilarating. Nevertheless, I do have some updates to share.

I ran my first half-marathon at the Anthem Richmond Half-Marathon. The month of running-focused training before the race was really good for me. My confidence was down from an inconsistent year of training and racing. By removing the pressure of performing well in three sports, I was able to really focus on a smaller number of workouts a week. My consistency rebounded and my confidence followed. My parents and brother traveled to Richmond for the race. My brother Jason was participating in his first full marathon, and Tim ran his first half. My parents mapped out an elaborate course schedule of predicted times of arrival at key race points for all three of us in order to see each of us on the race course as many times as possible. Best fans ever? I'd vote for them. 

Race day conditions were near perfect. I had the good fortune of starting the race next to Charlottesville runner, Sallie Ford, who is near my age and speed.  She was really friendly, and I loved racing with her. We ran side by side for the first 8.5 miles or so. I felt relaxed running with her, almost like we were teammates pushing each other on a tempo run. The experience of working together without overt competitiveness kept me relaxed and having fun. We were hitting 6:00 miles like clockwork. Miles 9-12 were rough, but the Endorphin cheer station at mile 10 helped me along. My final mile time was bolstered by encounters with current UR runners, my UR coaches and fellow alums, and a downhill finish where my primary concern was avoiding a face-plant (a very legitimate concern...my proclivity towards trips and falls is no secret...at least now I can blame it on my injury-induced balance issues). I finished in the middle of my goal range: 1:19.38. Tim far surpassed his expectations, finishing in 1:37. Jason came through the half marathon on pace in 1:35 but hurt his knee with eight miles to go. He literally hobbled the distance to the finish line, completing his marathon in just over 4 hours. Overall, it was a successful day for the Patterson/Rechel clan.

I took my break following the half marathon. During that time, I went to five social events in five days with five different groups of friends (a social PR), returned home for Thanksgiving, swam with my old high school team for old times’ sake, reunited with my Worthington friends, and generally had a really good time. Soon thereafter, the reality sunk in that the Patterson household was entering exam week(s). Fortunately, P2 exam week was kind to me, and Tim is managing to survive 1L exams. I would like to note that I achieved three of my four highest therapeutics exam grades on days of a key workout or days following a race. Clearly, endorphins are my education-enhancing drug of choice.

In other news, I had my first true master’s swim meet experience last weekend. Although I swore off swim meets long, long ago, I agreed to participate in a “dual in the pool” between two local teams. I just can’t turn down a free opportunity for a bit of friendly competition. With friends on both sides, I was really enjoying hearing the amiable trash talking from both directions. Anyhow, I discovered that master’s meets are far superior to high school swim meets. People care about their swims, but not that much. For example, there are no tears. People attend meets because they like to swim and because they want to have fun with their teammates. The environment served me well. I PR’d in the 200 yard free, largely because I got to swim next to my friend Maura. Maura is a very fast swimmer, but she hasn’t been swimming much lately, so we were neck and neck in the 200 and 500. Like in my half marathon with Sallie, I felt like Maura and I were having a nice little tempo swim next to each other. I felt relaxed and was having a good time. I wasn’t sure that was possible in a swim meet. Clearly, this whole relax/have fun/work together mindset serves me well in races. I also swam the 100 yard IM, which was about as embarrassing as you might predict but no more embarrassing than wearing a triathlon suit complete with my name on the butt because my practice suits are too loose to endure diving starts (living on student loans isn’t always glamorous). Outside of the pool, I've also been making gains on my bike. In order to avoid disturbing my neighbors, I've been setting up my bike and trainer in the gym at my apartment complex. Sure, I occasionally get some questioning glances, but I also get to watch cable TV, which makes rest intervals substantially more entertaining. I also recently invested in a power meter, which has made a big difference in helping me focus, push myself, and more easily track my progress. 

I’ll finish this post with my most exciting news: I was just accepted into the VCU School of Pharmacy PharmD/PhD program. To provide context for this announcement, I am currently in a clinically focused Doctor of Pharmacy program. It became increasingly clear to me during my P1 year that clinical work is not my passion. Last summer, I received a fellowship from the School of Pharmacy to work on a research project with a pharmacoepidemiologist. I spent my days conducting statistical analysis on a large database of health/drug information. I enjoyed the work so much that I could hardly believe that I was getting paid to do something so fun. I have a background in epidemiology, and when I combined that with my interest in drugs (of the legal variety), I hit the jackpot. I found something that I really loved. My advisor supported my application for entrance into the PharmD/PhD (in Pharmacoeconomics and Health Outcomes) program.  The application was due while I was on my honeymoon, so I needed to complete it before my wedding. I spent the week before the wedding frantically putting together my application. I submitted it a whole 30 minutes before I left for the church (if you’ve read my past posts, it was this submission that cut into my practice time for my father-daughter dance, leaving us a bit unprepared for our “creative” rendition of hits like “Bye-Bye-Bye”). The PharmD/PhD program puts me in a position to cater my education to my specific interests and goals, making the education/career aspect of my life so much more fulfilling. I have no doubt that other aspects of my life will also be lifted up by my joy associated with this great opportunity. I am very blessed.  

-Julie