SI-- WEEK FORTY FOUR

I can officially say I am "done with school" -- though that statement does not feel real. Besides a couple quick clinics in May to see my pregnant ladies (which are always fun visits anyway) I am on vacation! I jumped right into it with a trip to South Dakota for a relay marathon with friends from my class.

It was the perfect weekend! The weather was BEAUTIFUL. We were a group of 12 with 5 people running as team, "We'd Rather Be Running a Code". Obviously the team name was submitted by the future ER doc of the group -- the future psychiatrists and neurologists definitely did not agree.  Although the trip was too short, it was pretty close to perfect.  Here is the whole group at the finish line:

The "Jery Head" was a hilarious surprise

Yes, we were definitely those people with obnoxious neon signs. We were also those people who cheered at the handoffs, out the car window alongside the runners, and at multiple stops in each person's route. We had a blast running around the city cheering each other on! The "Jery Head" was a total joke - but it was actually really helpful at handoffs so our runner could see exactly where to meet the next runner.

Note my sign AND our teammates running beside our runner cheering him on

To end the relay, the rest of the team jumped in with our final runner:

And we were the 1st place Co-ed team!

I have never been at the finish line of a marathon but I really enjoyed hearing the little blurb they announced about each runner. This race is a Boston-qualifier so there were some really legit runners. Many people included in their bios that they were running the Lincoln marathon the next day! Yikes. One young girl announced she was working to complete a marathon in every state. I don't know how other courses compare, but Brookings had a nice mix of scenery for the runners (downtown, suburb, and wooded trails). 

It was the perfect trip to cap off medical school. We had lots of time for good conversation on the drive to & from Brookings and we laughed a ton. It's so bittersweet to be at this stage because many friends will be moving in the next few weeks. BUT, until then, we'll celebrate! 

This next week is totally stacked with catching up with friends and preparing for graduation next weekend. I've already received a few cards addressed to Krista Stoecker, M.D. Totally wild! Have a great week.

xo,

Krista