The Wall 30k race report

Awards

This year I was intent on running a better race than last year's 30k, at which I sucked. I haven't raced in a while, but for some reason all day yesterday I had a good feeling about this race. That should've worried me since I usually do best for races that I am totally unprepared for!
It was surprisingly warm - 60's and super humid - and I wore shorts for the first time in ages. Also my Karhus!

Why thank you, I do find our linoleum rather quaint.

I carpooled over to Destrehan-the-ugly, dragging brother Abe along, and arrived in time to pick up my number before the start. As we walked up to the start I clicked on my Garmin. I had decided to run with it as an experiment to see how it felt for a race. If I liked it, I was going to use it for the Mardi Gras marathon in two weeks.
Uh-oh. My Garmin was completely dead. I must not have had it all the way on the cradle. I didn't have a back-up watch, and there is no time on the course, so I had to run this one on my own! I've never run a race without time before!
Because of that, I can't really comment on my pace. I know I felt really good and was running merrily along for most of it. I chatted with runners I passed on the first half (once we thinned out, one man passed me and no one else for the first half, but I passed a number of people. This might mean that I started too fast. Sure wish I knew). I enjoyed hitting the turn around and looking for other runners I knew. I'd seen Abe already, who was 5th, and saw others after I turned the corner.
Suddenly, out of the blue, my calf cramped on me. Oh my gosh. I had no idea that a calf cramp would be so painful! I staggered, slowed, and tried to run through it; it wasn't budging. Here is where I started getting passed - two girls and a guy - that is the worst when you're limping and everything already! I eventually stopped to massage it and tried to walk it out. I am here to tell you that doesn't work. I asked the volunteers at the next aid station (the cramp occurred about mile 10; they were between 12 and 13) if an ambulance was near. I did not think I could finish with this pain! They offered to radio for it, but eh...I decided I didn't feel like waiting. So I gritted my teeth and ran through it. It hurt like the dickens.

Can you tell it hurts? That is a scary face. Yikes.

Finally the race ended - those last miles seemed to take forever - and I squinted at the clock as I approached. I ran a 2:21:40, and actually beat the 2:23 pace band I had printed for myself before I changed my mind and decided to take the Garmin. Only I have no idea how fast I started or how much the cramp slowed me or anything because I only saw the finish time! I was third female overall - admittedly, it was a small field - and I'm actually happy with the race overall. I feel like it was a good training run for the upcoming marathon, and with a watch or Garmin and non-crampy leg I will have a better run. I am trying to figure out why I cramped (I never have before) and I think I was dehydrated; I had two cups of coffee and no water before the race and actually no water on the course, either, this was the first warm-weather run for me in a long time and I under-hydrated.
I'm pleased that despite the cramp, my actually energy levels were fantastic. I wasn't fatigued and I felt comfortable at the finish. That's the best kind of race. I hate finishing and feeling bleah.
This year's Wall definitely beats last year, which was bitterly cold, windy, and miserable. I'll call it a success!
Side note - The Karhu experiment flopped, too. I have never worn them for long distances and I got several blisters and a black toenail. I still love these shoes for shorter runs, just not distance.

I love this - travel coffee cup

I love this ceramic mug from Starbucks because it is microwaveable. There is nothing more annoying than having your coffee get cold at work...while you answer 7000 phone calls.... and not being able to reheat it. I find this ceramic design much more practical - if my coffee cools, I can just zap it for a few seconds!
You can buy this design and similar ones at Starbucks for an arm and a leg. I think this was $14. That's too much, but the less expensive versions are often not safe for the microwave. For once I paid full price and I think it was worth it!

Follow up: a day in the life of a pharmacist

...Answering a few questions about my rough day last week....
Stephanie asked if I filled the iron prescription whose dose I questioned.
No, I didn't. Pharmacists don't HAVE to fill prescriptions that they feel are not appropriate; I told the mom my concerns and she agreed to bring the rx back to her doctor.
Side note/complaint: There is no earthly reason why a non-medical staff member should be allowed to call in a prescription. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link: I have seen many, many, many errors due to secretaries or receptionists calling in prescriptions or answering questions and not really knowing what they're doing. If a pharmacist has to take the call and write the rx down, a nurse or doctor should have to call the rx in.
Shelly said her dad treated himself with ivermectin from a pet store  for "scabies" and his immune system rebelled. I find that both extremely resourceful and super dangerous! But I bet he saved money on the ivermectin. The human stuff is pricey.
I really want to meet Shelly's dad. I bet he's a hoot. 
Kovas decided to annoy me by referencing Webmd. Two things to say about this: one, as internet sources go, Webmd is actually very good. Two, I don't mind this kind of thing. I keep up with health pop culture so I can talk to my patients and know what they're talking about. People often say, "I read online..." and at least it means they are concerned about their own health!
Although last night a girl called me crying after reading up on her rx for Valtrex. "I got the wrong drug!" She sniffled. "I have a mouth sore, not yucky bumps on my junk!" I respectfully did not laugh but assured her that although Valtrex IS used for genital herpes, it is also used for oral herpes which caused her mouth sore. She told me she was never Googling anything again, she was so upset.
Lindsay thanked me for checking allergies. You're welcome! Just my job! But PLEASE tell your pharmacists your allergies. Many people think telling their doctor is enough, but we are here as a "double check" and we need to know, too!
On Thursday a mom picked up a prescription for Bactrim suspension for her 8 year old. I asked for allergies and she told me her daughter was allergic to Risperdal. No problems there, so I filled her prescription. When she got home she called me and said she read that Bactrim was a sulfa drug. I said yes, it is. "But all my kids are allergic to sulfa!" she cried. " I told my doctor." 
She had told her PEDIATRICIAN but she didn't tell the EMERGENCY ROOM RESIDENT who wrote the rx! And she didn't tell me! Luckily she hadn't given the drug to her child yet.
Lisa was concerned about rx error rates. Yeah. Always double check your medication. A recent 20/20 program discovered a 22% error rate in dispensed prescriptions.That included mistakes all along the chain, from the doctors and nurses to the pharmacists and techs. You should always check your rx before leaving - skim the paperwork to see if the drug treats the condition you have - and ask to be counseled by the pharmacist. I have caught multiple mistakes this way.
The most recent survey of pharmacies indicates a 1% error rate that is attributed to the pharmacy as the cause. The report by 20/20 highlights other errors, too - legal glitches, staff training problems, and failure to counsel. That's not going on at MY pharmacy, but you better err on the side of caution and always assume the worst! Always double check your rx!

I can't believe I'm talking about work on my day off. Ugh. I'm going for a short run to keep my legs fresh for my 30k tomorrow. Have a fantastic weekend!

Happiness is...

...Successfully selling all of your Ebay items.
And whoever snagged that Michael Kors top for $0.99, that's the deal of a lifetime, so enjoy.

Ever have a great run?

Maybe it's because my cold is finally going away. Maybe it was the cold, dry air. Maybe it was the pretty park views in the sunrise. Perhaps it was the shoes - I wore my Karhu "fast" shoes instead of my heavier Saucony's. Either way, everything clicked on today's run. 
I did over ten miles at 7:30 pace and feel great! It took me awhile to warm up but once I did I picked up my pace and ran around 7:25 for the last five miles. Hopefully I can run a similar pace for the first half of Sunday's 30k. After that I can just slow down and muddle through. I never did figure out how to do negative splits...
Happy hump day! Have a great one!

A day in the life...

Work has been insane. Have I mentioned this? Here's a sample of crazy just from today:

- I call the pediatrician on a child's iron supplement dose. The baby is under 2 years and the dose is roughly four times an adult dose. The NON-MEDICAL PERSONNEL receptionist who answers the phone authorizes the dose. I ask her to let me speak to a nurse or doctor and she refuses, telling me that she's allowed to speak for the doctor, and that's the dose, period.
- A customer asks me if there is anything over the counter for scabies. I tell him no; he tells me he doesn't have insurance so I recommend an inexpensive clinic nearby. He returns in an hour and literally shakes his fist in my face, hissing that he is furious with me. I ask him what's wrong and he replies that he spent $300 on a clinic visit (yeah, didn't follow my advice on the clinic) and that the doctor told him the drug was over the counter so he wasted his money. I look at his prescriptions; he has two prescription-only drugs. I cheerfully fill his prescriptions, despite the fact that he actually really shook his fist in my face. I am not sure who said permethrine 5% and Vistaril were over the counter but um, they aren't.
- I call a doctor's office to get the strength on a prescription.His nurse tells me they are too busy to take my call and will call me later. I tell her the patient had oral surgery and needs this pain medication now. She tells me she'll call when she has a chance. She calls me 6 hours later. For 4 of those hours the patient sat in my waiting room, whimpering softly and bleeding on the floor.
- I am filling a prescription for Bactrim, an oral antibiotic, when I see that the patient has a sulfa allergy. Bactrim is a sulfa drug. I call her doctor about the allergy, and I'm told that the rx (which is typed) should be for Bactroban, a topical antibacterial ointment. I have no idea how this happened (the directions were to take twice a day by mouth - clearly this was not for a cream) but if it hadn't been for the allergy I would never have caught the mistake.
- A customer calls in his own prescription over the phone - ie, a forgery for a controlled substance. Then he's stupid enough to call me right back, this time as the patient, not pretending to be the doctor, and uses the same voice. "Is my prescription ready? My doctor just called it in." DUMB.
- A nineteen year old is discharged after a kidney transplant and brings in his prescriptions. Because he's a transplant patient, he has Medicare. His prescription insurance (medicare part D) says to bill part B because he's a transplant patient and part B covers transplant drugs. Only his drugs aren't all on the covered drugs list by medicare B. So neither medicare is paying and there is no substitute for his drugs and this poor kid is weak and ill and broke.
- A man throws up in the waiting room. In the ensuing drama, a woman grabs her rx from the counter where we are ringing her up and runs out without paying. Her copay was $3.
- Eleven of our top twenty drugs are on manufacture back-order. ELEVEN. No one can get their drugs and they don't understand that it isn't my fault and I'm trying to help. Try explaining this scenario 180 times a day.

Where is my alcoholic beverage???

I love this - salt cellar

This might become a new series...if I can find enough things I love. Kind of hard to do when you're a jaded pessimist so we'll see.
Something I have found room in my stony heart for?

My stainless steel salt cellar. It is only 2" across and has a tiny stainless steel spoon.We use this instead of a salt shaker because we use kosher salt.

Something else I love. If you aren't using kosher salt instead of table salt you're CRAZY because it is awesome. Try it and see.
There is something so elegant about genteelly spooning salt onto your food instead of shaking a greasy glass tube like a mad man. The only drawback to the charm is having to endlessly explain it to guests. If you care, I bought the salt cellar on Ebay, but you can also buy it on amazon.