Last Chance Invitational, Region, and the End

So I haven't posted in a while.
My apologies! Life has been getting a bit hectic with job-searching, homework doing, college applicationing and what not.

But anyways. Last Saturday was our "Last Chance Invitational" Meet. It was on our course.
I didn't pull any great times, but I did all right. Lately that's all I can ask of  myself.
I'm not entirely sure why I've been so slow for the past month or so, but I can only hope my body will sort itself out.

But this Wednesday was region. While I started my race feeling thoroughly exhausted, my energy picked up after the first mile. And while I, once again, didn't post a time I'm particularly proud of, I enjoyed my run. And considering it was my last meet of my Senior Cross Country season, that's really all I can ask.

So other than helping with the State Meet next Saturday, my season is done. It's sad to think about it, but I have no regrets. Running has changed my life. I can't even imagine where I would be without it.

So with the season wrapping up, I'm setting my sights on longer distances. So far I've only run 5k and 10k races. But I've talked things out with my family, and I'm going to be running the Thanksgiving Half Marathon in Atlanta. I'm really excited.

Since I'm so new to this new distance, please give me any advice you feel like offering up! I'll take all the help I can get! Hope everyone else is having an amazing week!

Sometimes Life Just Works

Life is looking up friends!
Guess who has a date tomorrow?
This kid, that's who.
I'm super excited (he's really cute!).

On the running front, things are always going well.
The temperature drop makes it a lot easier to run and run hard!
We had hill workouts today so my thighs are a little shot, but it felt good to run out some stress.
Our "Last Chance Invitational" is this Saturday. Hopefully with the weather I can pull out some better times.

I hope everyone else is having a lovely week!

Disney in Review

Sorry I haven't been posting lately!

I've been super busy with school and work stuff. 

But here's some info on my Disney weeked!

It was such a fun trip!

I really enjoyed spending 4 days with my running friends in Florida. 

We drove down on Thursday and went to Disney's Wide World of Sports on Friday. 

I ran the course in 27:41, which isn't great, but I was just happy to finish. 

That night we went to America's largest McDonalds. 

They even served ice cream!

We went to Universal the next day (more importantly, HARRY POTTER WORLD!)

I spent the day with my friends Justin, Wesley, and Fernanda. 

I got to try Butter Beer and bought a wand! 

Unfortunately it rained the whole day so we were soaked when we made it back to the hotel. 

But we didn't let that drag our moods down. We ordered pizza, played cards and hung out in the lobby. 

The ride back was rather long and tedious, but the trip was worth it. 

 I really needed the break, and my friends took my mind off of all the recent drama!

Varsity Redemption

So good news!
Even though I sucked up the last xc meet because of my shin injury, Coach has me running Varsity again this Saturday.
It's at Clinton Farms again, but a different course.
I'm hoping for some shin redemption!

Music Midtown is also on Saturday!!!!!
YAY COLDPLAY (and other bands)!

My "Run from the Cops" 5k went rather well.
I finished in 25:35.
I'm still hoping to get my times into the 24's, but I'm just happy to be running!

We did 5 1,000 meter sprints today at practice and I help my pace well.
This fall-ish weather is treating me nice!
Hope everyone else is having a great week!

Fave Friday

It's late and I need some z's, so this post is going to be very...to the point. Ha ha.

1. Local 5ks! I'm doing a "Run From the Cops" themed 5k tomorrow. Wish me luck!

2. Fall weather. Today felt GREAT outside. Sweaters and nonstop chai is just around the corner!

3. Waffle House. I'm addicted. 'Nuff said.

I hope everyone else has great plans for the weekend! Happy Friday!

The Cursed Week

I'm convinced that someone put a hex on me last week, because everything was just weird!
My runs were pretty off last week.
I threw up OUT OF NOWHERE.
And then at the Meet this Saturday, disaster struck.

I was about halfway through the race when I landed HARD on my right foot, sending a (for lack of a better description) shock wave up my shin. My shins had been achy all week, but this was the final straw. My right shin was now in major pain. But with a little over a mile to go, I couldn't let myself drop out of the race. So I kept trying to block out the pain and managed to cross the finish line in 28:10.

Although the time isn't stellar, I'm just glad I finished the race.

As soon as I got out of the puke chutes, I essentially buckled. Coach had to come pick me up and get me back to the team's tent. Then the Sports Medicine Coach took a look at me, wrapped an ice pack around my leg and forbid me from moving. I was then told to go see him on Monday to decide whether or not I'd need an xray.

So the rest of the weekend I essentially tried not to move. My shin felt a lot better on Sunday, so I was hoping it had just been some freak occurrence. When I got rechecked today, the Sports Medicine coach didn't mention an xray and just told me to take today off and take it easy-ish for the week.

So while I don't actually know what happened this weekend, I'm just glad I haven't been injured for the season. Taking today off was a hassle, but if it gets me better, I'll deal. I should be up and running again tomorrow, but I'm probably not going to be doing the dreaded speed day. I'll be doing a long, slow run to reassess how my leg feels.

Hopefully I've put in all the 'bad karma' for cross country this season. I'm ready for some good karma!
I hope everyone else had a lovely weekend!

Fave Friday

I'm feeling a bit better today! I slept like a rock last night, so maybe I was just tired.
I tend to get cranky without enough food or sleep (yes, I'm about to turn 18, not 3, but still...)
Onto 3 of my favorite things!

Ponyo: I've been really loving this movie lately. It's so adorable, and I LOVE Miyazaki's movies. He's like the Japanese Disney. (Keeping fingers crossed for a Ponyo birthday present!)

Local 5ks: Don't get me wrong. I love love love Cross Country season because working within a team forces me to train harder. But pushing it so hard can get overwhelming. I love community 5ks that are either just for the heck of it, or for some charity. I should be running one on Saturday, and it will be a nice break from an actual Meet. I'll be able to enjoy it without worrying about a PR or rank.

Professor Quartermus: He's definitely my favorite teacher at the college this semester. He's in his 60's and technically retired, but he still teaches freshman Biology. He's kind of nerdy and corny, but he's really nice, and does his best to engage students in the subject. And while he can be super nice, he's a (pardon my French) bad ass when it comes to phones. He has called several people out in the middle of a lecture for texting. More power to him!

Kicking Off the Season

Our first cross country meet was today!
We ran at Clinton Farms.
I'm happy to say that we had many runners PR on this course.
I ran a 25:50, which isn't my best time, but it's enough to keep me on Varsity for the next meet.
And, compared to ALL of my times last Cross Country season, it IS a PR (off season races excluded).
2 whole minutes faster than the crap I was running at the end of last season.

Needless to say Coach was pretty proud of me.

But on a downer note, I think I might be getting sick.
Practice all this week was a major struggle, and this morning my throat really started bothering me.
I'm super prone to strep, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's just a fluke.
I AM, however, going to get everything checked out on Monday.

College classes have been keeping me pretty busy, so my life is officially being re-consumed with school.
I hope everyone else had a great week!

Golden Hammer

GOOD NEWS! I finally found my camera, so I'm now posting my race from two weeks ago. More posts about recent races to come (unfortunately no photos).

How did I love the race? 

Oh let me count the ways. 

Getting excited for the race!

Well, I suppose I'll focus on the negative before moving onto the highlights. It was hot and cloudless with little to no wind, which was a bit of a bummer. But oh well.The route wasn't exceedingly beautiful either, but it worked.

Bonding with the race mascot.

Now onto the good parts.

Pumping up the intensity!

I took a minute off of my time! Really I started out going too fast, but I refused to let myself walk and ran through the discomfort and, well, pain. I realized that I was going to fast when I hit my first mile in 8 minutes and was running amongst all 40 year old males. Uh oh. 

Running with the men folk.

But I kept going even though my lunch kept threatening to make it's own debut at the race.

Pushing through barriers.

The best part? I won my age bracket! I know that my time wouldn't have won me squat in most races, but the race was a smaller one and I was proud regardless. Since it was a 'Habitat Hustle' my medal was a golden hammer. My sister and I kept saying "Stop! Hammer Time".

Finishing with a PR!

So all in all it was a fun race and a weekend that I can be proud of. 

=)

Race Day

The big day is here!

My race is at 3:00 this afternoon, and I'm hoping that everything goes well.

It should be in the 70's, but I'm hoping for some cloud coverage or some wind. That should make the run more enjoyable. I'm aiming to beat my last race time for a 5k, which was 26:12.

Anyways, my mom got together with some of her old high school pals last night, so I spent the evening relaxing at my godmother's house (since we're out of town). I got some Chinese food in hopes of stocking up on some carbs.

But I'm glad we're out of town no matter what we're doing. Sometimes you just need a break from the same old routine. This get together is good for mom. Katie (sister) and I needed a break too.

So until the race I'm just going to sit back, relax, and enjoy my latest read:



Gobble Gobble

Wow. It's been a long time since I posted.

I've just been feeling really tired lately. But I haven't let my running slack off!

So I got to run my 5k on Saturday and it went wonderfully! I took two minutes off of my PR. My best time is now 26:06 (not great I know, but hey, I'm new to running).

It was a lot of fun being around so many other people that love to run as much as I do! Several people were running in santa hats and one guy was even running in a clown mask.

The weather was a little chilly, but the sun was out, and the air felt clean. It was a great post-Thanksgiving run.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, I ate so much food! I basically ate a whole loaf of pumpkin bread by myself. It was delicious! Anyways, school starts back up tomorrow and my first round of finals are in a week. I'm nervous, but ready to get it over with!

Anyways, here are some pictures of the race!

The clown mask kind of made my day.

Chugging along at the start.

Looking glorious at the finish.

I was so happy  with my time!

Trying to stay warm and hide from the camera.