God Bless Brooks

So my new pair of shoes came in yesterday and I got to try them out today!
I upgraded from Brooks Adrenaline GTS 10's to Brooks Adrenaline GTS 11's.
(Hey, I know what works for me, and my old shoes were basically dead.)

They ran like a dream! My shins didn't hurt at all.
And I was fortunate enough to run with a good friend of mine, Sam.
5 miles flew by.
And after talking to coach, I'm thrilled to say that Sam with be my fellow captain (captain of the boys).

Sam is the guy in the green shirt. Kid cracks me up.

Cross Country season is so close!
=)

Perseverance

So yesterday's run was essentially a lesson in patience and perseverance. All 5 miles went at a snail's pace, and while my shins didn't really hurt, my muscles felt like they were stuck in mud. I went home, sulked for a while, and then went to Zumba to cheer myself up. I came home sore, but a lot happier. 

When I woke up this morning I was debating whether or not to run. My muscles were still kind of sore from last night, and my ego still stung from yesterday morning. But tried to put my check my bad outlook at the door and headed out anyways. 

I guess life was rewarding me for my hard efforts yesterday, because while my muscles were a little tired, I really enjoyed my run today! It was still much slower than I wanted it to be, but my body felt good. 

I'm not sure what's causing me to struggle this week, but I'm just glad that I can still enjoy logging the miles. No matter how slow they are. (But hopefully I'll be back to my old self soon enough.)

Of course, I've got to brag on another blogger, Morgan. She has a stress fracture and has been enduring it with a phenomenal attitude. While she's struggling to wait the injury out, she's handling it better than I would. Stay strong, girl! I could learn a couple things from her on the art of a good attitude.

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. 

Why I Love the Running Community

There are a LOT of reasons that I love running.
But my fellow runners are one BIG reason.

I love how supportive other runners are. It doesn't matter if you PR with a sub 20 or a sub 40 5k, a fellow runner is bound to congratulate you.

Runners also encourage each other during races. You won't find many sports where competing athletes will offer  supporting words to their 'rivals'. I've had many strangers running beside me offer a 'you can do it' or a 'just keep  going, you're almost there'.

I also love that the term 'runner' can encompass all types of people. Tall, short, skinny, husky, male, female, you name it. The running community is open to anyone willing to lace up their shoes and head out.

I'm proud to be a runner.

What do you love most about running?

Getting Pumped

So I registered for a race this Saturday in Atlanta!
I'm super excited.
More details will come soon.

Also, though it doesn't seem it, Cross Country season is just around the corner.
I talked to Coach about it today, and we scheduled a meeting on Monday to talk to the girls about Summer practices.

Oh yea, and did I mention that Coach has made me the girl's TEAM CAPTAIN?
I'm pretty excited.

Coach is pretty much my favorite adult at my high school. He really helped me turn myself around health wise. He's always looking out for me. He knows I'm dedicated to the team, and he goes the extra mile (ha ha) for his loyal athletes.

Needless to say, I plan on working my butt off for him AND for the team this upcoming fall.

Cross Country 2011, let's DO this!!!

Facebook Withdrawal.

I know this seems totally unrelated, but I gave up Facebook to focus on my 'self love'.
The problem is that I look at my old photos and compare myself to all my other friends.
Not healthy.
So POOF, Facebook is gone (for now).

I do have to admit, though. I'm going through Facebook withdrawal.
I mean, I LOVE Facebook..
(Yes, I'm one of those).

So now I'm sitting here watching Drew Carey's Improv-a-ganza and contemplating what to do with my time.

Major love for improv hottie Jeff Bryan Davis

Homework?
Read a book?
Self Meditate?

Nah, I'll just watch Jersey Shore.
(Just kidding, it isn't on).

Self Love

This time of year I always get super stressed.
I think my body is just trying to see me through to summer.

But with all this stress, something finally gave.
Surprisingly, I think it was a blessing in disguise.
I've lost about 20 pounds this past year.
And I still wanted to lose more.
I was watching every single calorie that I ate.
I rarely, if ever treated myself to something like dark chocolate.

But with all this extra stress added on, my obsession with numbers has broken.
Don't get me wrong, I still have my moments, but I've started relaxing with my food.
I'm still eating healthily, but I'm not focusing on numbers.
And I don't see sweets as the devil.
I figure, if focusing so hard on being a certain weight is stressing me out so much, why am I trying to lose more weight?

I should be content with the fact that I'm healthy.
I'm not overweight, and I exercise very frequently.
I guess I just got so caught up in the numbers that I lost sight of what being healthy is really about.
Being happy.