Muggy Monday

So I got in an easy 4 miler today, but MAN it was a sweaty one.
The temps were in the low 70s (in November?! not ok) and it was humid as mess out there.
But my legs surprised me.
I started out kinda sore, but they loosened up in the end.

I'm planning on getting in one more easy run tomorrow.
Then I'm all rest and carbs until Thursday.

Today has been extremely uneventful because while the college is officially on break, the high school is not.
They get out tomorrow.
So until then I'm just lazing around watching How I Met Your Mother and trying not to O.D. on cornbread.

I hope everyone else is having a great Monday!

Taper Time

So my Thanksgiving break has officially begun!
And it's time for me to relax for a bit before the big 13.1 on Thursday.
I'm pretty darn excited.
So how do I plan on relaxing?
Laying around, browsing Tumblr for countless hours, and watching movies.

This semester has been tiring, so I'm fully planning on investing in some R&R.
I hope everyone else has a great start of Thanksgiving break!

Slacking

So I know I've been slacking on my blog.
Sorry guys!
Thankfully, my semester should be over soon.
I start my Thanksgiving break this weekend.

I HAVEN'T, however, been slacking on the running front.
I got in another good, long run this weekend.
THE HALF MARATHON IS NEXT WEEK!
I'm pretty excited.

And tonight is my last night of lab, so I'm definitely pumped about THAT.
=)

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!

State Meet

This time of year is when I start getting overwhelmed, but I'm trying to keep up my blog as well!
(I swear!)
But anyways...

Last Chance Invitational went alright. Still didn't put in a stupendous time, but I think my body is trying to catch up to all my demands lately.
The State Meet is this Saturday. I won't be running it, but since my team hosts it, I'll be working it all day.
But onto more exciting news...

I'm officially registered for the Atlanta Thanksgiving Half Marathon!
Wohoooo!
If anyone has any advice, feel free to share it.
I'm having trouble hitting 13 miles, even though I've hit that distance before.
It's been a while.

Happy Humpday everyone!

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!

The Day Has Come

Today the cross country team will be loading our excited selves onto a school bus to embark on a 12ish hour drive. 

But it will be totally worth it. 

Why, do you ask?

Well, my good folk, it is officially DISNEY TRIP!

Therefore it is HARRY POTTER LAND WEEKEND. 

In a matter of days I will be in possession of a wand. 

I am beyond excited. 

For my 'bus entertainment' I fully loaded my ipod up with Coldplay and packed three Harry Potter books. 

On a less great note, I  had a rough day yesterday. 

I won't go into detail about my now ex-boyfriend, but yesterday I found out he cheated on me. 

I don't tolerate cheating. Ever. 

Luckily I have amazing friends and family that were there for me. 

So have a great rest of the week! My weekend officially starts now!

Also, take a chance to thank your support group for all they do.

Disney in 3

The Cross Country Disney Trip is in 3 days!
That's right folks, the magical time of year is upon us again.
I am SUPER pumped. I've been looking forward to this all year.

I'm even more pumped because my two cross country besties made the trip this year.
Megan and Fernanda are beyond excited.

And best of all, while we running in Disney, we're going to Universal the next day.
That means....
I GET TO GO TO HARRY POTTER WORLD.
Ahhhhhhh.

So coach had the top girls knock out a 7 miler today.
The weather wasn't too temperamental, so it wasn't complete torture.

I hope everyone else had a lovely weekend!

Fave Friday: Coldplay Edition

So in honor of my favorite band, I decided to dedicate my fave Friday completely to Coldplay!
So here are some of my favorite songs:

1. A lesser known song: Only Superstition

I love this song! It's probably my favorite Coldplay song to run to. It's got a catchy guitar.

2. An older song: Amsterdam

This is from their Rush of Blood to the Head album. I love how mellow and romantic it sounds. Swoon!

3. A newer song: Paradise

I am LOVING this song right now. I don't even thing I describe it properly. It's just amazing. Check it out for yourself! I'm so pumped for the new album!!

Anyways, all goes well on the running front right now. We don't have a meet tomorrow, so I plan on getting a longer run in tomorrow morning. We had hill work yesterday and I am SORE, so I plan on taking it easy today. I might just go for a walk.

There's a small music festival going on one town over this weekend, so my sister, boyfriend, and I plan on hitting that up. I hope everyone else has exciting weekend plans!

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!

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!

Shin Redemption

So I went on a easy-does-it 3 miler today while the rest of the team did speed day.
And the run went without incident! It even felt good.
I'm still going to try and be cautious for the rest of the week though.
I don't want to re-injure myself and end up out for the season.

There's really not much else to tell today.
I just felt like sharing the good news!

Happy Tuesday!

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 Fridays (and "Thirsty Thursday")

I'll start with 3 favorite things and then explain "Thirsty Thursday".

Lizard Thicket: I know this sounds strange, but it's the name of a clothing store in Newnan. I usually loathe clothes shopping, but they had SO many great things! We went there over the weekend for my birthday and I left with a shirt, skirt, and dress. WIN!

The Cure: I have been on such a kick lately! They're one of very few 80s bands that I can handle. I find myself singing 'Just Like Heaven' a lot on my runs.

Powerade Zero: It has nothing to do with the 'zero calorie' part for me. I LOVE the flavors. Regular Gatorade and Powerade taste too thick and sugary to me. With coach ramping up the top girls mileage, I've been chugging these things down whenever I get home.


Thirsty Thursday: A slang term for Thursday nights at the college (aka 'let's all get wasted' night). Before you all jump to conclusions, I did NOT drink any alcohol or go to any parties. I'm too much of a goody goody.

However, coach had the top girls running the 'College run' where we run to the college, loop through it, and head back to the high school. I feel that I should also mention that 98% of my run yesterday felt pretty good! All the girls were sticking together and we were keeping a pretty solid 8 minute pace. Pretty good for a run right after speed day.

But just when we were about to leave the college campus, I got sick out of nowhere. Seriously. One second I was fine, the next second I was throwing up. Luckily, the girls didn't notice me drop back and kept running. I would have been (more) embarrassed had they stopped for me. Luckily only a handful of college students witnessed my homage to Thirsty Thursday.

As embarrassing as it was, I felt fine right after and was able to complete the run! I'm just hoping it doesn't happen again this Saturday.

Good luck to everyone and their running endeavors this weekend!

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!

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!

The Funk is Invading

Everything.
My mood.
My shoes (smell like death).
My hamper, and therefore my room.

Oh cross country season. You make my room smell so...bad. And NOTHING is working out that smell.

The season has NOTHING to do, however, with my funk.
I'm not really sure what is.
Probably just a combo of busy weeks, stress, and feeling a little sick lately.
Hopefully this all will pass without actually coming down with something.

Coach cancelled our Tuesday practice due to heat, so we had speed day on the xc course today.
It was painful, but I stuck with the top group of girls and finished within my projected time for all 5 repeats.
Twas a blessed practice.

Anywhos, this cloudy mood of mine better clear up before the weekend!
My birthday is a-comin' up this Sunday, and I'd like to start off the big 18 in a cheery mood.
I hope everyone else is faring well as Summer winds down!
Who else is ready for that fall weather?