13 more days until graduation!

Graduation is inching closer and closer, and there is still so much left to do! I started working on my next KOMU story. Professor Henry Nguyen, at the University of Missouri, finished the first stage of his “soybean genome project.” Nguyen and a group of researchers identified more than 1 billion base pairs in a soybean. Since soybeans are a valuable crop, his research could be beneficial for many reasons.  And that’s exactly what I want to explain in my story. I already spoke with Professor Nguyen. He showed me around the lab, as well as the green house. The next step– to find a soybean farmer. Nguyen hopes his research could mean an increase in soybean production, which of course would help a soybean farmer. Missouri is the fifth-largest soybean producer in the country; its economic impact is great. As a result, Nguyen’s research would not only influence the state, but the entire country and possibly world.

As for the rest of my life, this past weekend truly made me feel like a senior. My weekend was jam-packed with sorority, senior events. It was so much fun to finally get a chance to be with sorority pledge class. I feel like I’ve been so busy with school, KOMU, work and therapy, I’ve been neglecting an important family, my sorority sisters. On Friday, we had our “Senior Night” at Forge and Vine. It was a chance to hear senior speeches, present senior superlatives and reflect on memories from our past four years. Every one of us couldn’t help but laugh and cry throughout the evening. On Saturday, we had one of our sorority parties called, “Flock,” a beach-themed dance. I had so  much fun, but it was sad to think that would be my last “Flock.”

Thirteen more days until graduation and I cannot begin to describe my mixed emotions. I’ve been thinking about the past, present and future all at the same time. The idea of graduating is scary, exciting and stressful. There is still so much left to do. I just hope I savor my last 13 days!

Moving forward, one limp at a time

I completed my first week of physical therapy. My physical therapist made my condition sound a little more serious… but no surgery, thank goodness. He said I severely irritated the tissue in my knee. He also said my tendons may have rubbed against cartilage. If that caused any cartilage to change shape, my condition will be more severe. But, we’re going to see how my progress is before we make any assumptions.

My first day there, I did simple leg raises and quad sets: simple stuff that didn’t cause any pain. Rick (physical therapist) gave me at-home exercises to do 2-3 times a day. Rick told me to apply heat to my knee for ten minutes before performing those exercises, then apply ice to my knee for ten minutes. I saw Rick again today and I bent my knee! First time in nearly one week! Now, it wasn’t a full bend… and I had to press down on my knee to take away some of the tension, but I still did it! Rick had me bend and straighten my leg 20 times. At one point, I started to feel nauseous. I guess the tension in my knee was getting to me. Rick got me some water and had me lay down for a few minutes. He reassured me that type of reaction is common for some people trying to get over an injury. Nonetheless, I bent my knee! And now I have more exercises to do at home.

Well, that’s all for now. I’ll keep you posted about my progress.

Feeling okay!

I visited the orthopedic doctor and thankfully, my injury isn’t severe! It’s called Pes Anserine Bursitis. It’s a common sports injury due to too much stress on the knee. In a “not-so-technical” definition, tendons from my quad, calf and hamstring meet at a point in the inner part of my knee. Those tendons rubbed together and caused inflammation. I continued to run and so, my body compensated, causing another tissue higher on my knee to inflame as well. That’s called Plica Syndrome.

Area of pain

All in all, I need to continue icing it and wrapping it. I also have to go to physical therapy 2 to 3 times a week for 3 to 4 weeks. I already scheduled a therapy appointment tomorrow at Rick Rother Physical Therapy downtown.

My knee is very tender, making it difficult to walk. The slightest bend in my knee is painful. It has only been one day since the race, but my doctor says walking will slowly become easier in a few days. To get full movement in my knee, I need to perform specific exercises. I’ll learn those tomorrow at physical therapy.

Physical therapy will also teach me new running form in order to prevent this from happening again. Most runners lose their form once they become fatigued, causing injuries like this. I’m sure that’s exactly what happened to me. I see my orthopedic doctor in 3 weeks. If it hasn’t healed by then, we will take further steps to find the problem. But most likely, the injury will heal with time.

I’m relieved it’s nothing serious. I don’t have time to be injured! I still have to work on three more stories for KOMU. Not to mention, it’s soccer season and I would love to keep playing. Of course, I’ll take it easy these next few weeks. Nonetheless, as soon as I can be active again, the better.

Marathon Weekend!

It finally came! After months of training, Sunday was the day of the GO! St. Louis half-marathon. Not going to lie, I was really nervous at the start of the race! My two friends and I got up around 4:45 am to eat a light breakfast, stretch and drive downtown, in hopes of not hitting too much traffic. Of course, we did hit traffic. But that’s okay. We rocked out to some Justin Bieber, to help get us pumped up!

The three of us at the start of the race– Me, Elyse and Emmy!

About 17,000 people ran the race; that includes half-marathoners, full marathoners and relay runners. Long story short, it was packed! There were crowds and crowds of people. And that atmosphere was great! The gun went off at 7am, but that time was more for elite and full marathon runners. The three of us didn’t cross the starting line until 7:15-ish.

I was very proud of myself throughout the whole thing. I ended up running a 10 minute pace the whole time, finishing 13.1 miles in 2 hours and 19 minutes.

For a first time half-marathon runner… I was impressed! I ran the whole time, only walking a few paces to drink water. Water stations were located every two miles. I didn’t need water until the 8th mile, then I continued to grab some water at each station until the end of the race. Endurance wise, I felt fine. There was a hill between the 11th and 12th mile mark that was a killer!!! It never seemed to end! But I was able to run up the entire thing.

Crossing the finish line! You can tell I look exhausted!

Although I was happy with my performance mentally, my body was not. I mentioned before I was having knee pains during my training. I couldn’t run seven miles (sometimes less) without feeling horrible pain in my left knee. And of course, there was knee pain during the race.

I started to feel some tension in my knee at about the fourth mile. I’m thinking, “Oh great! I’m not even half way and I’m already starting to have problems.” My knee didn’t start to really hurt until about the 10th or 11th mile. By then, I was so close to the finish line, I couldn’t stop! Even with all that pain, it felt like I sprint that last mile. I was so close to the finish line, I wanted to get done as fast as I could.

Fortunately, I finished the race… and in what I thought was great time. Unfortunately, my knee swelled up and I couldn’t bend it at all. I iced it all day after the race and today I made an appointment with an orthopedic doctor. Hopefully, it’s nothing serious… but, I woke up this morning and it was still swollen. I’ll let you know how everything goes. Wish me luck!

Health Care’s Impact; Lindsay’s Story

I finally finished my health care story. I’m really happy with how it turned out. I took some more creative risks in the editing process and for the most part, I believed it worked. A quick synopsis of the story:

President Obama signed the legislation for the new health care law. At the time of the story, the government still needed to carry it out. But, specifics of the law have not reached the state level, and neither the Department of Mental Health and the Department of Social Services know when that will be. One mid-Missouri family (my focus) wants to know if the new health care reform will affect home health care services. They’re anxious to know how they are to keep their daughter alive if their coverage runs out.

Controversial and political issues are always more appealing when they’re humanized. I think when you have a “central, compelling, character” more people will pay attention.

In other news, the half-marathon is in a week! I’m really nervous and feeling unprepared. But, I think once I’m there, everything will go smoothly. Hopefully my knee doesn’t go out on me. It’s been hurting after running 8-9 miles. But, I’m not going to let that stop me.

It’s Been Forever

It’s been forever since I last blogged! I’ve been so busy with my HFR, the Ferguson story, work, etc. I can’t wait until Spring Break. Not because I’m going on some fancy cruise or lounge on a beach… no, I’ll be here in good ol’ Columbia. But, Spring Break will give me time to work on side projects I’ve been putting off. I really need to start focusing on jobs and my resume. Randy Reeves gave me a couple of emails today, of people who work in fields I hope to be in someday.

Graduation’s coming up so soon! It’s a little nerve-wrecking. I thought coming to college, miles from home, was scary… but having to keep a real job in a town where I will probably know no one, is scarier. Exciting, but scary.

My story is suppose to air next week. I’ve been editing it for hours. But that’s okay… editing is what I love doing. In fact, I think that’s what I want to do for my career. I would love to edit documentary films, or other special projects. Some of the contacts Randy gave me are editors within an entertainment world, reality TV, TV sitcoms, etc. But, I think getting my foot in the door at those places is a great start.

KOMU Update

These past few weeks, I’ve become very busy working on my HFR… I almost forgot to blog! I mentioned before about a concerned parent worried about her daughter’s health. Well, I’m turning that into my story. It will be a features piece focused on this family, but I will tie in what’s new in terms of our national health care debate. The family’s daughter is 16-years-old and is developmentally disabled. She is on a breathing ventilator and in a wheelchair. Her list of medical issues is extensive. The family received a waiver more than six months ago, that pays the majority of her medical bills. That waiver ends once the daughter turns 18… that’s in two years. Now, the family is concerned about what their options are once they lose the waiver. I’m also going to tie in a lot of facts about state and national health care. Missouri has threatened to cut the Medicaid budget; more specifically, cut home health care services. The family’s waiver is through Medicaid. I’ve already gathered a lot of good information and sound from the family. I also spoke with Boone County Family Resources more about its services. The next step– figure out how to break down a complicated health care debate. That will definitely be a challenge.

Still in the realm of broadcast– KOMU 8 reporter Alex Swoyer and I are slowly making progress on our Ferguson story. There have been a lot of updates in the case… that means it has pushed back our progress. Because of the updates,  a lot of key figures are unable to comment about the case. I don’t want to talk too much about our plans, but Alex and I have found one or two people to talk to. I think they will be very beneficial to the story. Speaking with these figures will also give our story a different angle then CBS’ 48 Hours version that it did in 2008.

As you can see, working on two stories simultaneously takes up a lot of my time. I’m still training for the half marathon. I ran nine miles about a week ago. Sadly, a muscle across my knee started hurting days after I ran. A fellow runner told me I need to strengthen that muscle before I start running again. It’s turning into Spring and the weather is so nice… I don’t want to run on an elliptical inside when I could run outside! It’s very frustrating. Oh well… I’ll keep you posted about how my knee heals.