About Me!

Hello! Welcome to Stethoscopes & Running Shoes!

My name is Krista, and I’m a 20-something Registered Nurse from Alberta, Canada.
I’m currently on a journey to rediscover my love of running, fitness, and living a healthier lifestyle!

That's me!

I graduated from nursing school in 2010 with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree (BScN), and have been working on one of the busiest medical units in my city’s hospital ever since! We are specialized as the Renal Unit of the hospital (renal=kidney problems!). We have many patients who are on hemodialysis, pre-dialysis therapies, etc. But being medical, we get everything else you can think of!

I absolutely LOVE my job, and couldn’t think of a better profession for myself! In my short time as a nurse, this career has already taught me so much about myself and about life! People often say ‘I could never work as a nurse’, and ask ‘isn’t it hard to always work with sick people?’. Answers: no, not everyone is cut out to be a nurse, and that’s fine! And yes… it can be difficult at times to always be caring for people who are so sick. There are frustrating days, hard days; but in the end, most of my days are good. I try not to look at the sad side of things. Overall I try to focus on the fact that what I’m doing is making a huge difference in someone’s life. I’m helping them (or their family member) in one of their greatest times of need. I’m helping them get better!

Nursing Graduation!

I grew up in small town Alberta, population maybe 3000… And that was only if there was a sporting event going on! I grew up playing every sport that was available in a small town – I played all the school sports at some point in time or another (volleyball, basketball, track and field, cross country running, badminton, and so on). I grew up playing ringette for years, and to this day still love the sport! I switched from ringette to hockey, and played with the boys in our town for a couple years, then moved on to play Major Midget A girls hockey in another town. I wish I would have kept playing and tried to get a scholarship… Too late for that now! I would love to play in one of the Rec Leagues in the city, but a nurse’s schedule just doesn’t work with late evening sports! Boo!

I live with my wonderful boyfriend of almost 7 years, T. We have known each other for what seems like forever! We played soccer on the same team growing up, had gym class together, and… we were even on the same school bus to school for years! Yes, I fell for the cute guy sitting behind me on the school bus! We started dating when I was 17, and have been pretty much inseparable ever since! After I graduated high school, we moved to the city, and I started nursing school. We bought a house in 2009, got a kitten a few months later, and now we’re just a perfect little family in the city!

Me & my Lover! <3

I love Starbucks, lululemon, penguins, and hilarious cat pictures! (I can’t promise that they won’t ever show up on my blog… )

That's my baby!

Now that running thing… I did cross country and track in field in high school. One year I even managed to make it to Provincials in cross country! I never took running very seriously, and didn’t think of it as something to do ‘just because I want to’. During nursing school I found myself about 30 lbs heavier at the end of my second year… Now that is NOT cool. I started working out, eating better, and running a bit, and managed to lose about 20 lbs in 4.5 months before my boyfriend and I went to Mexico (now THAT was definitely some key motivation!). I yo-yo’d with running and working out after that, until October 2010… I signed myself up for a half-marathon. What was I thinking?! I trained half heartedly, and managed push out a 2:19:23 half-marathon. That’s definitely up there on my list of most awesome accomplishments!

I ran and worked out on and off after the half marathon, and again have found myself in a rut wondering… What am I doing to myself? Why am I not working towards being the best & healthiest I can be?! I think I put too much pressure on myself to run, run, run after my first half-marathon. I ran because I thought I needed to, not because I wanted to. Not anymore. Running (and working out) is for me, and because it makes me feel good! I have recently created another half-marathon training plan, shared it with my mom, brother and a friend, and I am more than excited to get back to to training!!

So that’s where this little blog comes in! Accountability, encouragement, and sharing. That’s what I hope to get out of this blog. It will help me to maintain my running, fitness, and living an overall healthier lifestyle! Nursing stories will make their appearance too, as work is such a huge part of my life!

I read blogs daily (many of them!), and find motivation in all of them. I want to be part of the fun, and hope to make some great friendships within the blogging community! I hope you enjoy reading about my journey through running, nursing, training, and life!

Krista – Stethoscopes & Running Shoes