Weak Beginnings

Amount of hike completed: To the middle of the 3rd hill.
Time to complete: 27 minutes
Temperature: 83F

Holy shit, I am out of shape. Seriously out of shape. Ridicuously out of shape. I've got to start taking the stairs in every morning - or unleasing 10 angry pitbulls to chase me out of bed each morning. (This sounds tempting - except for the fact that I'll probably have to sleep in one of those padded outfits. And that's just not cool).

As a Dish Hike virgin, I didn't really know what to expect. From the road, the hike looks more like a short uphll saunter; like it's just a short little walk to the top. Seriously, if people are running this hike, it can't be too bad, right? Expecting a calm 'hike' to the top, I neglect to bring a hair tie or a watter bottle. Instead, I am decked out in an old sorority t-shirt, black capri leggings (they are cute, I SWEAR), my rock star sunglasses, and my hair is left down to flow in the wind. About 5 min up the hill, I wish I would have dragged along a keg of water ... and worn pants that would hold my keys and my iPod. What can I say, never judge a book by its cover.

I do have to say the view from the 'top' (which I'm hoping was near halfway through the hike, but I'm suspecting it was more like a third ... or even a fourth ... of the way through) is AMAZING. Today I could see all the way to the Shorline Ampitheater and Moffat Airfield. After huffing and puffing as far as I could (hey, I could see the Dish from where I stopped!), I decided to head on down; I think the hke down will always be my favorite part.

Introduction

I have a goal. Well, two goals acutally. Goal # 1 - graduate with my PhD in Immunology from Stanford (in a reasonable amount of time). Goal #2 - be able to run The Dish. What is this mysterious 'The Dish', you ask? Well, at the beginning of writing this blog, it is the seemingly unconquerably hike with admittedly the best view of campus and Silicon Valley; hopefully, at the end of my graduate career and this blog, it will be just another hike/jog.

Seeing as my thesis proposal is due in a few months, I feel like the organization required to write a thesis proposal should be put to good use outside of the educational realm. Therefore, to tackle such a giant goal of being able to run The Dish, I'm going to break it down into three smaller goals.

Specific Aim #1: Complete a dish hike.
-- Aim End Date: October 2006

Specific Aim #2: Hike to the dish without totally losing my breath (and getting that icky/scary heart-in-your-throat feeling).
-- Aim End Date: March 2006

Specific Aim #3: Jog to the dish.
-- Aim End Date: PhD Graduation (???)