MCAT Prep

Hey all,

sitting here bored while trying to study Organic chem (quiz tomorrow at 9am). I had my first meeting of MCAT Prep course last night and it went well overall. The first hour was a 'syllabus' day, going over what we will be doing throughout the next 6 months. We also took a sample Verbal Reasoning exam. 8 passages, 58 questions, 72 minutes. There were 9 passages total, but we went through one of them as a group just to dip our toes in the water so to say. The answers were in the back, along with the % of students that answered that question correctly.

I don't want to say how I did, but I will say that if I perform that well on the REAL MCAT in April, I will be VERY VERY VERY happy with myself. The Verbal Reasoning comprises 1/3 of the overall number score. The exam is out of 45, with 15 points for each Verbal Reasoning, Physical Sciences, and Biological Sciences. There is also a writing sample portion, but it is scored separately and is given a Letter score (J through T, I believe).

Other than that, its been raining basically nonstop all day long. I went out for a 5 miler when it was sprinkling (around 8pm) and had a good run. I actually got quite warm as I was overdressed. Anyway, back to studying

PS...GO RED SOX!

Weekend wonders...

Welp IU lost to OSU, imagine that. At least we kept it within 2 points of the spread....Peyton Manning and the formidable Indianapolis Colts begin the season 4-0 once again for what seems like the 9th time in 10 years (knock on wood). The rookie receivers Collie and Garcon (my new favorite player) have been absolute STUDS! Even with a depleted defense they've managed to keep Arizona to 10 pts and Seattle to 3 (the last 2 TDs by Seattle are disregarded in my book).

As far as I'm concerned, I've been busy with school. Monday is always a pain in my rear b/c I have a lab report due, a prelab due, as well as 5 (sometimes 6) classes on Monday. It makes the rest of the week a breeze though. I've put more miles on the bike in the last week than I have the entire month prior, thanks to the Powertap Pro I purchased....not sure if I'm going to keep it or sell it though, because while its a tremendous training/racing tool, I could use the money (HINT HINT CONTACT ME IF YOU ARE IN THE MARKET FOR A WIRED POWERTAP PRO!!! only $700 which includes a ton of accessories, not to mention the ZIPP 404 THAT ITS LACED TO!!)

Ankle feels ok when running...still not 100% but getting there, day by day.

Good luck to all those Ironmen/women who are headed to Kona for the IM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS. They are Sunday for those that don't know...I think I heard that Universal Sports will be doing a live broadcast of the race. Chris McCormack is my favorite, so I'll be rooting for him to kick ass on his new Specialized Shiv.

Til next time,

B

Yes W., we do....

Sweet pic...

Just a baller picture of me from Purdue Boilerman. Rode relatively well considering my hack glue job on my front tire...I'm just happy it didn't roll on me.

So long Chicago...

No Olympics in the USA for at least another 11 years...the IOC today laid the hammer down in Copenhagen, Denmark this morning, noting that Chicago had the lowest # of votes, so they were eliminated first. The official announcement will be in circa 25 minutes.

Personally I'm happy that this did not happen. Everyone knows Chicago is a corrupt city: Daley, Obama, ACORN...enough said. Having this influx of cashflow (and power) would no doubt ultimately result in the weaseling of money from John Q. Taxpayer. In addition, I think BH Obama put his effort into this somewhat for personal reasons. In 2016, Obama would be in his last year of Presidency (assuming he is elected a 2nd term). What better way to have a Presidential swan's song than to host the Olympics in the city where you call home? I can think of none...

Oh also, check out my roommates blog at thestewandizzyshow.blogspot.com. He and Izzy host a sports radio show on Thursdays on the IU radio station. Further details can be found on his blog. He's a Purdue homer but as long as he doesn't bring them up (and I dont think he will), it should be a good read.

More to come later....

B

AWESOME NEW JOB! and other stuff

Hey all,

About a month ago I was provided with an opportunity to obtain real medical experience. I am working in the surgery department at the Indiana Eye Clinic in Greenwood. Simply put, it has been GREAT! I am able to interact with patients, nurses, administrators and the surgeons. I do a lot of patient transport type stuff, but I also help with paperwork and I even can watch some surgical procedures. Seeing the artistry of the human hand and its ability to provide the necessary movements to allow someone to see again is simply fantastic. I look forward to my continued learning opportunity there.

I went out on a ride with several members of the Beta cycling team. We did a 40-ish mile loop around Lake Monroe, a route I hadn't traveled before. It was good, however I didnt get to my doorstep until 8:13pm. Considering it gets DARK DARK around 7:45, it was an interesting trip back through BTown. I even thought about bringing my seatpost light, but erred on the side of not looking like an idiot, so I ended up looking like an idiot while riding without a light in the dark.

Used my powertap for this ride...haven't really analyzed the data yet...power #s are weak as hell I'm sure. It was a pretty easy cruise...couple tough hills that we pushed each other on. Part of me doesn't want to sell the Powertap, however who knows what'll happen (oh, if you're interested in a Powertap Pro + ZIPP 404 Clincher, 32 spoke, let me know. $700 includes two wiring harnesses, USB connecting dock, 2.4 Ghz CPU + coded HR strap, carrying case, 2 cadence sensors, and a Shimano 10speed cassette. Let me know!

Boilerman RR

Ok all. My 2009 tri season has wound down and it ended with a "bang" (or rip) at Boilerman. This is hosted by the Purdue Univ. Tri Team. Even though I despise them, for $35 I can't complain about an olympic distance tri. I arrived in Lafayette Friday night, walked around the mall, found some food, and headed back to the hotel to shave down and get some sleep.

Race Morning-

Left the hotel around 7:10 for a 9am start time. There was not enough parking at the site so we had to drive to a high school about 2 miles from the race site and a shuttle would take us and our bikes over. Not the ideal situation b/c I carry tons of crap with me, including all my tools, etc. You never know what you're going to need or whats going to happen. I left my tools in the car, hoping everything would jive. In fact, a guy in transition had a tire pop before the start of the race...not cool (granted he prolly overinflated his tires to 150psi, lol).

I never warm up before races...I figure the swim is going to warm up my entire body enough for the bike run. I guess I did about 100m of swim warm up while waiting around for the gun to go off. The race started 16 mins late but I didnt mind too much. I wore my Synergy Endorphin wetsuit in the 74* water, but the water got pretty warm about halfway through, seemed much warmer than the 77* water @ Muncie. Anyway, the swim went pretty well I think. I suck at swimming so I didnt expect great things. I just need to train more and work on technique (i.e. get someone who knows what they're doing to help me).

Swim- 31:50

T1 was an uphill run through a FIELD to transition. I'm not sure how long the run was, but felt like forever...prolly 150m or so. I lost a couple seconds trying to take off my wetsuit, but oh well, onto the bike.

T1- 1:55

Bike- The bike went about as good as it could've gone, with one exception. I glued up my front tubular wheel a few days before and found that the area near the valve stem had a very poor connection w/ the tire. Needless to say it made for a noisy 25.1mi bike ride. I dunno how much it hurt me time-wise, but oh well its over. I used my new X-Lab disc for the first time in a race and I LOVE IT. Felt great powering up hill and flying down them. I never struggled on the bike and spent most of the time passing people.

Bike- 1:06:07 (22.8 mph)

T2- T2 went well, nothing to note

T2- 0:41

Run- This is where it falls apart. I've had ankle issues for the last month or so. I dont know what the problem is, nor do I want to go to a doctor (no insurance). Well, I'd like to go to a doc but don't have the resources right now....so I'm dealing with it through tried and true methods of ice, compression rest, etc. My ankle hurt the entire time, however I got some nasty blisters/skin tears as a result of my Nike Mayfly racing flats....that will teach me not to wear socks again! Mile 4-finish was on gravel and grass (through the field around the lake). The rough terrian + my flats don't really get along. Right at 1/2 mile to the finish, I felt the skin rip on the bottom of my right foot and it HURT! Overall, I think my run went ok considering the circumstances.

Run- 47:53 (7:50 min/mile)

Total- 2:28:27 (48th overall)

While I begin the "offseason", I'm going to take some time off of training. I am starting a new internship with an opthamology group and while that will only be 1 day per week, I want to get used to studying, training, and working as well. I am also going to apply to be an ER volunteer here in Bloomington. While this seems like a lot of food to put on the plate, I have found that I do much better academically and with my other obligations. It causes me to be more organized and adhere to my daily schedule.

Offseason goals-rehab ankle to allow for pain-free running; SWIM SWIM SWIM; ideally I'd like to swim about 10,000yd/week and get better hydrodynamic, which will result in FASTER swimming; incorporate some strength training, which I hope will yield to greater swim gains/economy.

Ok its time to head to the library! The joys of a pre-med student!

Brandon