Cranking It Out

So I worked the State Meet on Saturday!
It's sad to see the season come to an end, but I enjoyed spending the day with friends.
I ended up working concessions with two other runners and that kept up plenty busy!
Our best senior runner, Kate, set a PR of 21:47. I was so happy to see her end the season so well.

Sunday I knocked out 13 miles!
I set out intending to do 10 or 11 miles, but I decided to go the full 13.
I needed to prove to myself that I was able to do it.
It gave me much needed reassurance for the upcoming Half Marathon.

Anyways, the Cross Country banquet is this Thursday. I hope I don't cry when Coach starts making speeches.
I am so thankful to have found Cross Country.
It changed my life around and is easily the highlight of my high school career.

I hope everyone else had lovely weekends filled with great runs!

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!

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!

Weekend Review

So this Saturday's meet wasn't a total bust. I didn't PR, but I didn't get reinjured, so I'll settle with that for now!
More importantly, let's talk about MUSIC MIDTOWN!!!
Twas awesome. I'll add pictures later (I'll be stealing them from my sister).
But anywhos, my runner friend Megan and I left from the meet and drove to Atllanta.
There weren't any problems on the ride up, thank goodness. (First drive through the ATL!)
We showered up at my sister's dorm and then drove over to Piedmont Park and met up with my cousin Riley.

There were so many good bands!
The Joy Formidable, Band of Skulls, The Black Keys, and of course COLDPLAY.
Megan and Riley were losing their minds during the Black Keys.

Unfortunately, Coldplay was a slight bust.
There were a lot of smokers (cigarettes and other...) around us and Megan started getting really sick.
We kept having to move through the crowd.
We eventually ended up on the hill near the back. Megan kept insisting we stay so we watched from the hill for a bit.
We had to live a bit early to beat the traffic, but at least we got to see some Coldplay.

Overall, the weekend was pretty nice.
I hope everyone else's weekend was great!

Fall Weather Tease

Hey guys! I know I haven't been posting or reading other blogs as frequently as I usually do.
I'm a bad blogger....

But here's an update:
My birthday weekend was pretty sweet. Ate LOTS of good food and got some sweet swag.
But the best part was getting to spend some quality time with friends and family.

College is in full swing at this point. I aced my first Stat exam and am keeping my fingers crossed on my Bio exam, which was today.

Cross Country is only having two practices this week because of Labor Day and a rainy Tuesday. But I've been running on my own and this Fall-like weather has been AMAZING.
Unfortunately, it's supposed to heat back up this weekend. BOOOO.

I hope everyone else is having a great week!
We have a home meet this Saturday and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a good race!

Peachtree Report

So my morning started off at 4 this morning!
I woke up, forced down some Chai tea, grabbed my running bag and drove over to Amelia's house.
A couple of thoughts ran through my head on the way there:
-"Thank God for 90's Weekend on Star 94" (it was playing on the radio).
-"Wow...NOTHING is open at 4 in the morning."
-"Kudos to you, Mr. Paper Delivery Man" (my paper was ALREADY on my driveway when I pulled out).
-"Driving this early in the morning makes me feel like the only survivor of a zombie apocalypse" (am I alone on this one?)

So once I got to Amelia's, we loaded into her mom's car and took off.
I'll spare you the uber boring details, but we got lost on the way there.
We ended up killing about 45 crucial minutes before arriving at our parking place in a panic.

We loaded onto the Marta and rode to the start, which killed about another 30 minutes.
By the time we got off, Amelia and I had about 10 minutes before our wave started.
And we had to pee.
So we rushed to the porta potties, did our business, and rushed toward the wave start.
Unfortunately the wave start was surrounded by fences and by the time we found our way in, our wave had started.

But the Peachtree volunteers are straight up ballers and let us go with the next wave. No big deal.

So we started the race and BOY there were a lot of people!
I ended up leaving Amelia behind a couple of minutes in.

The first couple of miles flew by, but I made sure to stop at all the water stations because I don't handle the heat very well. The frequent stops slowed my pace and Amelia caught back up with me.

We also ran into my cousin along the way, which was a pleasant surprise, but he told us to go on without him, so we pushed forward. The last couple of miles were a struggle, but all in all it was a pleasant 6.2.

The race ended at Piedmont Park, where we got water, our t-shirts, and some food.
But now I'm glad to be home.
I plan to get a nap in and then (if they're not rained out) go see the fireworks.
Happy 4th everyone!

Janeen's Run 5k

.

So this was just about the sweetest race I've ever attended. 

I made a friend

The guy hosting it was on the Ga Tech track team some odd years back and so was his wife, Janeen. 

I'm very sorry to say, however, that his wife died last year in a car accident. 

But he decided to honor her memory by hosting a race to raise funds for an athletic scholarship. 

It was even more touching because all the men and women that ran with her on the team showed up to run it.

So I was honored to be a part of it. 

Now, it was, however a killer race. I never knew that Atlanta could be so... hilly. I put out an ok time of 26:40. I was hoping to PR, but once I realized the type of course I was dealing with, I pretty much kissed that dream goodbye. But I enjoyed myself nonetheless. 

Unfortunately my shins took quite a beating and I've been nursing them since then. I've been doing a lot of yoga and icing them. I refuse to get shin splints right before summer starts. 

Anyways, I hope everyone else had an awesome weekend! I should be wrapping up finals tomorrow and then my summer OFFICIALLY begins. 

It's Been a Long Week

So it's Sunday and I think I'm more exhausted than I was on Friday. 

Never a good sign.

My grandfather drove his bulldog (golf cart type of vehicle) over the bank of their creek (which is about ten feet high). He got trapped underneath the vehicle and hit his head on a rock. 

We met the ambulance at the hospital and when they wheeled him in, he was covered in blood. 

But he's ok. 

He tore his rotator cuff and has a subdural hematoma, but he's alive.

So I've been driving back and forth to spend time with them and even spent the night on Thursday to monitor his symptoms. 

I wasn't sure whether I should run on Saturday morning, but he insisted that I do it. He's been proud of my running over the past year. 

So I ran for him, and I think it was the best for both of us. I got to run out some of the stress and he got to feel like he was giving me a break. 

Running Saturday morning might have been the most selfish thing I did this week, but it ended up helping more than just me. 

Run long.

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. 

=)

Achy Shins

So I'll be posting an entry about my race two weeks ago as soon as I find my camera. It's gone missing...

But I ran another race yesterday afternoon and placed third in my age bracket!

I did a lot better than I expected, considering that my legs are still on the mend from last week.

It was a fairly challenging course, with the second miles being almost completely uphill. It was also pretty hot, being at 2 in the afternoon. 

I finished in 25:58. 

Not splendid, but not too bad either. I'm hoping my legs will regenerate soon because my run today was a bit of a struggle, but I'm feeling good about the times I've been putting out recently. 

=)

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:



Sex and the City and Sweet Potatoes

That essentially sums up my week. I watched Sex and the City and ate a lot of Sweet Potatoes. That and the insane amount of school work, but that can't be helped.

Monday: 
Sex and the City and a blur of homework.
Miles: 5


Tuesday:
I discovered that Economics is probably the hardest subject I've every had to take.
Miles: 5


Wednesday: 
For the first time in Chemistry this semester, I understood a concept that was being taught.
Miles: 4


Thursday: 
Another horrible day of Economics.
Miles: 5


Friday: 
Went to the Farmer's Market and Grocery shopping. Got a bunch of yummy, healthy food.
Miles: 5


Saturday: 
I went running, but my shin was hurting. I cleaned up my room and then watched Bones, Spirited Away, and now I'm watching Sex and the City. About to eat a Sweet Potato.
Miles: 5


I'm running a 5k next Saturday, so I need to keep an eye on my shin and try to scale back on my mileage a bit. I want my legs fresh for the race. The last thing I want to do is crawl across the finish line!

Week In Review

Monday:
Long school day. I helped out with the Academic Bowl Meet and didn't get home until 8. Everything went allright though. I managed not to break the buzzer system. Didn't get to run though. =(.

The Weekend

So this weekend has been fairly laid back. Got some housework and homework done. Had to go to a funeral (always sad) but went by the library afterwards and checked out two books.

I got The Jungle by Upton Sinclair because we read an excerpt from it a few weeks ago in U.S. History and I also checked out The Hobbit by Tolkein because I've never read the Lord of the Ring series and I've been told multiple times that I'll love it.

Anyways, It's been a pretty busy and enjoyable week of running!

Monday:
A busy day at school, but my run really helped me unwind. Of course, I faceplanted at the tail end of it, but things just happen sometimes.
Miles: 4

Tuesday:
The only thing I remember is having to recite my faceplant story over and over agian.
Miles: 3

Wednesday:
Nothing sticks out, so I'll classify it as a good day.
Miles: 4

Thursday:
Cross country banquet! Coach personally honored everyone on the team, so the banquet lasted two and a half hours, but the food was amazing!
Miles: 2

Friday:
Barely made it through the school day. I'm so ready for Thanksgiving break! My run was great, though. Afterwards I ate dinner and basically crashed.
Miles: 5

Saturday:
The funeral was sad, but the family was really strong. They really adressed this tragedy in the best way possible. Got my books from the library and then spent the rest of the evening reading The Jungle. Currently 160 pages in.
Miles: 5

Sunday:
Slept in and watched Sunday Morning. After a nice breakfast I went out and ran. I tidied up around the house and hve been reading ever since. Flipped through Glamour, tackled more of The Jungle. Every now and then I turn the tv on and watch parts of Law & Order.
Miles: 4

Unfortunately I can't run tomorrow because I'm volunteering at an Academic Bowl meet, but hopefully I can get some solid runs in next week. That Thanksgiving Race is coming up soon!

A Week in Review

Monday:
The whole day is kind of a blur. Everyone was talking about their Halloween weekends. I really didn't have much to say other than I avoided eating my way into a sugar coma. I also helped set up for the State Meet. My once grey running shoes are now blue.
Run: 3 miles.

Tuesday:
I did a lot of writing on Tuesday. I did a short summary essay, a two page Argument Essay, and a 5 page interview based essay. I also ate some amazing Minestrone. I once again helped set up for the State Meet; my legs matched my shoes.
Run: 4 miles.

Wednesday:
I just remember that it was an impossibly cold rainy day, and that we didn't have to set up the cross country course after school because of it.
Run: 3 miles.

Thursday:
Conquered a Pre-Calc test and managed to drag myself through AP Language. Ate a taco salad. (I like food a lot...).
Run: 4 miles.

Friday:
Watched an interesting documentary in my History class and basically did nothing in Pre-calc. I didn't go to 4th block because there was a dodgeball game. Instead I went home and revised the argument essay I'd written on Tuesday. I also went running later and it started raining. I was wearing a white shirt. Not smart.
Run: 3 miles.

Saturday:
Worked at the State Meet all day, trying not to get pummeled by overzealous runners and coaches. I promptly went home, drank hot chocolate, and lounged in front of the fire place. Unfortunately, it got too dark before I had a chance to run.

Sunday:
Visited a family in the hospital. The father has cancer and he might not make it much longer. The family seems to be taking it as well as they can, but it still broke my heart.
Run: 4 miles.