AlmondsofJoy

I decided to sign up for the Buckeye 50k and have regrets.

Last week, I did a 22 mile trail run on the Buckeye trail and it was ROUGH. I rolled my right ankle 4 miles in and ran for 4 more hours. My right ankle was sore, but alright.

TODAY, my goal was to do 20 miles (do 6-10 miles tomorrow), but I rolled my left ankle. And it is not okay. I kept running because I needed to get out of the woods (probably should have walked), but my left ankle is bruised and swollen. I don't think it is broken because I can bear weight and I can poke it.

I asked the room-mate to nominate me. He wrote a short cover letter and basically copied/pasted my CV. It was good enough to win the award- HA (I am downplaying this too much am I?).

I'm really happy but I was asked to write a short bio and include a headshot. Luckily the entomology society offered free headshots at a conference last year. It's not my favorite, but it will do (maybe I'll take a very nice selfie...). As for the bio, how does this sound?

"Hi. I work for a private corporation and volunteer a lot of my time doing buggy things for a society of other bug nerds. I also mentor a lot of first-gen and international students because I did not enjoy figuring it out and want to help other students with their 'figuring it out' journey. I also run a lot and eat too many potato chips"

I wish that was acceptable. I'm probably over thinking this like I do with everything else.

In other news... Ive been telling people that I learned about a new species of bees was recently discovered. What is unique about this bee is, it produces milk instead of honey! It's called a boo-bee.

I would whine and complain about the silliest thing (I still do, ha!). As if my world was crashing down. I appreciate a lot of you for your support and kind words, following along this journey called life.

Right now I am battling AGING. Am I finally having a mid-life crisis or is it still too early for me?

I'm starting to get white and grey hairs. I was plucking 2-3 strands every so week. Then I started to see more pop up! I tried to stay away from plucking them all but that lasted about a week. I pulled out maybe 10 strands, but kept one long gray hair. It is a compromise. I keep a single strand of gray hair growing, and no more new white hairs can pop up.

I went to Hilton Head, SC last week for a bug conference and had a wonderful time. The roommate tagged along.

The hotel we stayed at had a private entry to the beach. Every morning before meetings started, I went for a walk or run to watch the sunrise. And went for a walk again to watch the sunset. It was AMAZING.

I didn't think I would enjoy running on the beach. Sand in my shoes, no thank you. But the sand was compact! New experience! I also ate seafood every day while I was in Hilton Head.

I think the highlight was finding a mole cricket. I've never seen one in person and now I have! Their front legs (used for digging), are so strong! I was holding the mole cricket, and she was prying my fingers apart. SO COOL!

I brought the mole cricket up to the hotel room to show the roommate. He was not as excited as I was...

I thought having a new VP and new manager would improve the situation. Not really...

I wish I didn't care. I wish I was content just getting a pay check and chugging along.

But I care too much and this sucks.

Also, this getting older deal sucks. I thought if I eat healthy, and keep moving my body I'll be fine. Turns out, it is not that simple.

I'm going through some minor knee pain right now. I went and saw a physical therapist and got some exercises to strengthen the area. BUT, I went to a yoga class. Tried to get all fancy (not really) and some how I tweaked my back.

I've been passively looking on employment sites to see if anything sparks my interests and I haven't found anything yet. My job is okay. I am grateful that I have a job! I make enough to support myself and my mom, and even splurge on vacations. It is very close to family, which I like, but it's not fulfilling.

I was randomly selected to be on the jury selection. I don't think I am allowed to say much but it was an interesting process. As the attorneys were excusing jurors, I had a hunch that they would excuse me too based on my experiences and I was. But hey! I did it!

I told my sister that I kind of wish I was selected so I could hear everything play out. She said, "No. You're just nosey." I guess that's the truth...

I got called for jury duty and had to report to the court house today. I did not get summoned to serve, but I do have to return to the court house tomorrow. No big deal, I don't mind it for the most part.

It takes approximately 40 mins to use the public transportation, which is kind of long. BUT it is shorter than my commute to work (average one hour, one-way) and I refuse to pay $20-$30 to park downtown. I do wish the public transportation was more reliable. Lots of delay, so I need to give myself ample amount of time to get downtown.

I'm going to try blogging again.

I have some hesitations because I am worried someone from the bug world or the corporate world will discover my internet secrets. I fear I'll get kicked out of the society or excused from my work! But I guess if I keep it PG-13 (not sure if that is the correct rating), it will be okay?

I've become heavily involved with the Entomology Society. I'm a subject journal editor (I accept/reject papers), was the Program Chair for one of the branch meetings in 2025, and have been asked by the current society's President to serve as their co-program chair. Those are the highlights. I also volunteer on different committees and have mentored several students.

I do this to help fill the things that I am missing from my full-time job. Work has been okay. Will discuss that another time. And running has been alright too.

I had hip surgery in 2024, and while I was not 100%, I did PR at a half marathon race (1:39:06) and I was able to train and run the Chicago Marathon! My first world major. I qualified and deferred my 2024 entry to 2025. No PR at the race (3:38:??), but was really happy to be out there running.

Travels - I had mini adventures from work travels. The biggest trip I did was when the roommate and I traveled to Amsterdam (plus nearby areas) and Copenhagen. We had a wonderful time and I got to see my friend who is a post-doc in Lund, Sweden! Side comment... these airlines are being difficult with their rewards program.

As for 2026, I am not sure what I want.

I was reminiscing about Tumblr with my sister and logged back on to see if the people I used to follow were active. Several of you still are!

If anyone still followers me, and are not bots, I hope you all had a Merry Christmas surrounded by those you love and doing the things you enjoy.

Till the next post?

My goal for this race is to break 4 hours. My current best is 4:01:50 from 2019. In 2022 I ran the Flying Pig Marathon and finished in 4:02:11. I think I can break 4 hours this time since I've been running consistently-ish. But my ultimate goal is finish under 3:35 because that's what I need to qualify for Boston.

I recently started thinking maybe I could qualify for Boston because of my half marathon times. Also because I've been running a little faster since training with this running group. The people I run with have been encouraging. It's a stretch goal, but maybe I can do it. I'll certainly train towards it.