Work-out: 3x(2x200 +1x800)
Time: 200s: 40,38,39,40,41,37-800s: 3:01, 2:55, 2:51
Notes: Felt so slow and could not open up my stride. Long run must have taken some bounce out of my legs.

Time:1:15
miles: I'm going to badger this and say 8.5 miles

The Battlefield is back!

Miles:6
Time:No idea
Notes: Michigan trail is once again opened at the Park! This trail has been closed since the tornados hit. It is nothing like it use to be. I suppose everything needs to change eventually.

Work-out for 12/21

Distance: 4x(2x200+200 jog, 1x400 m, 2 min recover)
Time: 200 meters, nothing faster then 38 and nothing slower then 43 secods, 400 meter, nothing faster then 1:21 and nothing slower then 1:26
Notes: Beautiful day! Felt super stong, a better speed workout then I expected..

How do I get myself into these things?

So last week or so, Runners World posted a call for Spring Interns. On a whim, I decided to apply. I was able to whip up a cover letter in less then 10 mins and sent in my resume. I thought nothing of it.

I got an e-mail today asking when the best time for a phone interview would be.

The problem, this is an unpaid internship in Penn. I only have 14 hours left till I graduate. I have one more season of track left. I did not think all this through because I did it on a whim.

BUT, it would be worth it to take this internship but the logistics are going to be crazy. I guess I could stay enrolled at Carson Newman, take my 6 hours of internship hours and then do the rest this summer. I would have to find a place to stay in Penn. Also, some type of a part time job.

I am not going to count my chickens before they hatch or worry about this but wow how do I get myself into these thing? Oh, that is right by not thinking..

Running and eating disorders

I want to preface this blog entry first of all by claiming, I am not a doctor, nutritionist or anything to do with medical. The closet I have gotten to studying nutrition is taking non-major biology and food and people (where we did not eat-go figure). What I am is a female competitive (alright DII) runner. There is something that has been on my mind lately and that is the occurrence of eating disorders in distance runners.


According to the Alliance for Eating Disorder awareness, 1 in 5 women struggle with an eating disorder. 90% of those are between the ages of 12 and 25. Up to 19% of college aged women in America are bulimic. Bulimia often occurs in athletes such as gymnasts, wrestlers, dancers, horse jockeys, football players, and runners. 2% - 5 % of the American population experience Binge Eating Disorder. These statistics are a bit frightening. Basically, every fifth woman you meet is wrestling with some sort of eating disorder. So I suppose it is not surprising that sometimes when I line up, I feel like I am the only one feeling out my spandex shorts.

There is so much pressure in society in general to look like the models on the cover of the magazines. You would think that being an athlete would make us exempt from this pressure, we know that a body should look healthy. There is a pressure to look like the athletes in that sport. My younger sister who is naturally thin is trying to put on weight so she looks like a soccer player and not to get shoved off the ball as much. As a runner, we are expected to look fast which happens to be thin and lean. Sprinters and even middle distance runners have more upper body strenght and larger muscles while distance runners look leaner. It is not just in the head’s of the athletes, they might not know what they are doing but others such as teammates, spectators and even coaches will comment on how much faster the athlete looks.

Most of us know that everyone has a weight that they race better in. Take for example, Lance Armstrong weighs a certain amount before he starts a grand tour and he weighed significantly less this year than he did when he was retired. I have a friend who cannot beat her PRs from high school but all during high school she battled anorexia. Thinner does not mean faster. The body needs some type of fuel to function and eventually without it, the body will fail. Knowing that you run better at 100 pounds compared to 105 can put pressure on an athlete to weigh a certain weight.

Then there is the meaning that we attach to foods. Salads are good foods and cookies are bad foods. We begin to think that there is no way we can eat the bad foods. When in reality, as my food and people Professor puts it, “There are no bad foods just bad diets”. My high school coach always hammered into our heads that “everything is ok in moderation”. One cookie will not make you a minute slower.With all these different pressures it is easy to fall into some form of an eating disorder.

Of course, there is another side of this. Many runners tend to be slight; our bodies were just not made for ball sports. Many of us could be considered runts of a litter. I will use myself as an example; I have always been in the 90% for weight and height. I have never weight more then 106. 106 was when I was out for an injury for over a month. So when my weight is around 102, I know I am normal. During the season, it is not unusual for me to get to 100. But my BMI is healthy. I just eat when I am hungry and try not to pay much attention to what the scale says. It frustrates me sometimes when I see comments on running boards about girls needing to eat a candy bar or that they have an eating disorder. They might not; it might be how they are built.

My point is not to make assumptions either way. If you are a coach or parent or have anyone in your life that is a runner just make sure that they are eating correctly. As a runner, one needs to know how and what to eat. There are plenty of books on the subject. If you see drastic changes in a way a teammate eats ask why. I eat most meals with at least one of my teammates and if we notice that someone does not have enough food on a plate or is lacking protein, vegetables or carbohydrates, we point it. We make sure that each others is healthy so that they can perform at their best. Eating disorders are a real problem and not something that happens to people we do not know.

Long run w/ a semester recap

Miles: about 7
Time: 60 mins
Notes: Really muddy at Cedars! I have no idea really how long or fast we were going but it really does not matter when you are running with an old friend. Had some very awesome conversation about the past semester.

Brr..

Miles: about 4.5
Time: 35:43
Notes: Firstcold run (35 degrees) of the season, light drizzle that seemed like it was turning to flurries. Form felt off. It might be the spot on my foot or because my muscles were tight. I hope the grayness of Murfreesboro goes away.

Blog reboot!

So there has never really been an objective or goal for this blog. Usually, it has been made for my ramblings or when I need to procrastinate.

I have decided to change things mostly because this blog was rarely updated and blogs become pointless if not updated. During this blog's time, I have also stopped keeping  a regular log of my miles. So this blog is becoming my running log. This way I will update everyday with at least what I have ran that day. If  I force myself to make a new post everyday, I can practice my writing style. Knowing how I operate, the post will not just pertain to running. There will be more abou my life in my last semester of college.

So starting tomorrow this becomes a running (b)log.

Halloween

So I have so far dressed up twice for halloween this week-both costumes under the price of 5 dollars..

The Flying Nun-bed sheet $2, Posterboard $.68

This outfit was picked for me by a member of the honors society I was in. The Flying Nun was a 60s sitcom staring Sally Field

Bedsheet $2, Pipecleaners basically free

This is my Nike Goddess of Victory outfit. I used the bedsheet from before as a Toga. I wore all my Nike running clothes underneath and Nike shoes. I had wings in the shape of the swoosh and a head piece with green swoosh shaped leaves.

GRE and other tibits..

I took the GRE yesterday. For what reason, I have no idea.

Basically, I have no idea what I want to be when I grow-up.

I love my major, communications but the more I try to decide what I even want to attempt to do next year the more options I discover. Being a communications major isn't like being a nursing or education major, you don't have one job that you are best suited for.

Driving back from the GRE yesterday, I realized that I don't know how to use my major. So of course, I decided to make list. The jobs I want range from Sports Information Director, Journalist to Running shoe salesperson. Which presents a problem for going to Grad school; do I go for advertising, journalism or mass communcations? Do I even need to go to Grad school? I do not even know where to start.

So for now, it seems like I am sorting through my future without getting overwhelmed.

Dorm room tour

I am living on campus this year and finally had a room where I did not feel like there was mold coming down from the ceiling.

Bueller, Bueller, Bueller...

John's Rock or Cat's Gap in Pictures

Oddness in Auburntown

I stood next to the window, drinking my coffee along with a bottle of water. I was waiting for my partner in running crimes, Nicky Balduf. Earlier in the week, she decided that I needed to race a 5k while I was feeling fit. I on the other hand was not quite sure if I wanted to get back to racing so soon. I had just come off of two weeks at Brevard Distance running camp where I was averaging around 55 miles a week. I felt fast. Yet, I have a long cross country season ahead of me at Carson Newman. I decided that I would just train through it and do it anyways. We had searched 5ks on the internet and had decided to run one in Auburntown, TN, mostly because it was close. She arrived on time at 6:00 a.m.

We knew we were going to Auburntown, but there was no specific directions.  We figured there would be signs once we got into town. Thomas, my tom-tom, got us safely to Auburntown by 6:30. There was no signs for this 5k. I was not worried, Auburntown is only about 3 miles long. So we continued to drive and soon we are out of Auburntown and still no sign of this 5k. We turned back around and proceeded to do this two more times before finding the park.

We finally found C.S. Hawkins park and in a small pavilion there was a table and a man. We just assumed this is where we would sign-up. Nicky asked the man very politely if this was the place for the 5k.

“I have no idea where the 5k is” he responded. We soon learned that he lived out of his car and well there was something a bit wrong mentally with him. “I am 1-8th Cherokee” he told us and attributed this problems to this. By this time, we were both very hydrated so we quickly found the port-a-potties. We saw a man running by like he was warming up and Nicky tried to get this attention but she was ignored. So we snuck back to the car and tried to follow where the runner went. We noticed arrows on the ground and followed them bringing us to the start.

We registered to the race and looked around noticing that there were very few runners there. As we lined up on the start line, the group did not grow. Overall, there was about 20 runners. The top 5 in both men’s and women’s got recognized at the end. Nicky and I knew we had it made, there was only 4 women. Before the course, the starter who only had one arm, briefed us on the course saying, “This course is certified by the mayor, which is me”.

He began the race and started his watch. The course was nice with rolling hills that brought me through the beautiful scenery of the town. I ended up third overall and first female. Coming through the line, I expected to hear my time only to find out that the mayor’s watch had gone out and I had to keep my own time. Nicky never did find out what her time was for she was not wearing a watch.

After the race, Nicky and I went to go sit in the creek only to be told by one of the locals that ran who had a long grey beard that “The sewer runs into about a half a mile down”. We get  this panic look on our faces only to be told, “I’m must kiddin”.

We got out of the creek and changed into our shirts (that depict the one armed mayor) to drive home. As we were leaving we got asked, “Aren’t you staying for the fish fry, it starts at 10:00”. We quickly shook our heads no and told we might be back later. It was by far the oddest race experience I have ever had.

Made it

U.S. track and field might not have the largest fan base but I am convinced it is the kindest. Most of you that follow me my adventures know I made a plea to get to the USATF championships. Thanks to the Flotrack community I made it. First, a diehard track and field fan decided to pay it forward by western unioning the money for a plane ticket and giving me free tickets for all four days. This was with no strings attached. Secondly, an avid flotrack follower allowed me to crash and was kind enough to let me stay on the couch within walking distance of the track. More amazing is that he was ok with picking me up at the airport at 2:00 a.m.

I will admit that I was super nervous about the trip and I was constantly texting people to make sure that someone knew where I was. Thursday’s flight was super long and I ended up in San Francisco for about four hours. I ended talking to several parents of athletes who were participating. I was glad the flight came in when it did for nervous parents of athletes can be a powerful riot. After all of us finally arrived in routine and I had checked my phone several times for the 10k results (the races can be seen here on flotrack), I was picked up and settled down at my host house.

I arrived the next day at Hayward field around two and found my seat on the first row of the backstretch. The people around me were all knowledgeable about the sport but tended to have an Oregon bias. I had one of those starstruck moments when Kara Goucher came around for her victory lap.

I found the flotrack team (minus Mark there was 5) and was able to gain a press pass. We had a pretty awesome set up with the usual media tent but also the garage next to 1500 meters (where Kevin D. had set the video feed from the electronic boards) and above at what I will call the “important people” viewing area. This was where all the live audio and videos were filmed for the races but going on behind us was a constant who’s who of track including the whole Clark family, agents and Ceo Doug Logan.

The next morning, I covered racewalking (total of 5 hours this weekend) and ended up eating at the hotel. Sitting a table was Alan Webb who had a hard night dealing with air conditioning problems.

The rest of the weekend went amazingly and I ended commentating with Kevin Selby who knows his stuff. I could not have asked for a better way to experience the championships. My next goal is to make it to the Olympics but this time I will earn my own way. One day, I will hopefully pay it forward to the next track and field fan.

RC cola and Moonpie

At around 8:00 on Friday night, I sent a text message to a friend of mine “I’ll run moonpie in your place”.  This is when I should have thought my actions through.  The moonpie is a 10 mile race over the hills of bell buckle. It runs like a half marathon. Malorie allowed me to take her place as long as I gave her the shirt. I ended up getting to bed about midnight and leaving the house around 5:00 the next morning.

The race started at 7:00 and as soon as the gun went off, I knew I was going to take this as training run. I rolled the first four miles in around 32:15 and I was comfortable. Then this was when everything began to fall apart by mile five I was at 42:30.  By the time I hit six miles, I was just trying to live.

What I learned at this moment was that I am not mentally stronger. I was not feeling terrible but I thought I should be. I started readjusting goals and I hit the eight mile mark, I want to say in 72.  At this time I realized I only had two miles left and my legs felt fine. I did the last mile in 7:15-7:30. My overall pace was just under nine mins.

If I do this race ever again, I will get over 5 hours asleep and actually train a bit for it. I would love to be able to run it in below 1:20.
(I have no idea why I am smiling at this moment in time)

Can I do this for the rest of my life?

Since last week I have done 3 phone interview, 11 video interviews and have written 3 articles. If I could do this for the rest of my life, I would.

I had this conversation with my roommate from last year and she has decided to go to grad. school for public health."This is something I can be passionate about" she said.

I really think this is important in getting a job. You want to be able to enjoy it. I think right now people are just getting a job to have a job. I'm not saying don't work but figure out how to do something you can love. It just happens that I love the sport of running

I am making money on the side by training a few younger runners. It is fun to introduce someone to something I love so much.

Sometimes everything falls through

The end of the school year was bittersweet. I am excited to be done with my junior year but sad to see my roommates leave. I miss them and thier quirks. They became my best friends and it is weird to know they won't be around next year. They are going on to bigger and better things.

So out of the three internships I applied for I struck out. So I am currently home in Murfreesboro sleeping on a couch. I have applied all over town but the only problem is that I have no real experience in any kind of summer job. I have called several back but was rejected due to lack of experience.

I am interning for a new running website-runtheroads.com-I am enjoying it quite a bit. I am really inline with the mission of the website which is to try to bring the popularity of road racing to the gain followers to the pro end of the sport.

I am slowly increasing mileage starting out with 40 miles and hopefully ending with around 80 miles per week by the end of the summer.

A report of harassment at road races

Eugene, May 12 (The Cara Fake Newsgroup)- A report from Meet Directors USA is showing a rash of reports of harassment road races. Oddly, the reports are coming from women with the names of Sara, Kara, or Cara. There have been a few reports from women named Tara, Mara and Lara.

“I won Hillbilly 5k and as soon as I was handed my prize, the male winner come up grabs my bum and says ‘I’ll be your Adam if you be my Kara,” explains Cara Hawkins, “ Kara Goucher’s name and mine are not even spelled the same way.”

The only explanation for this odd occurrence is the rash of pro running couples with the female’s name ending in “ara”. These couples include: Adam and Kara Goucher, Ryan and Sara Hall, Brent and Sara Vaughn, and Steve and Sara Slattery. It appears that many male runners are looking for their running counterpart.

“It is a good pick-up line, much better then I like your stride,” said Steve (asked for last name not to be revealed) , “It has gotten me a few girls; numbers and running chicks are where it is at.”

Bad Poetry

I would like to propose a toast
please raise your glass with me
to a missed opportunity

I saw the door wide open
it was history worth making
it was mine for the taking

The trail last traveled
that I found
turned me around

So, I would like to propose a toast
drinks are on me
to a missed opportunity

Writing my own obituary

So for my online writing class, I had to write my own obituary; it is below.

Cara Hawkins-Symmonds, known best for her unrelenting efforts in making the sport of track and field one of the most popular sports in the U.S., died Saturday at home in Eugene, Oregon. She was 82.

Her husband, former Olympic 800 meter runner Nick Symmonds, reported to the Eugene press that she died in her sleep after her weekly long run. She had remained active still organizing and competing in local road races.

Mrs.Symmonds spent her childhood in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She graduated with honors from Carson-Newman College where she was a division II runner participating in cross country and the 3k steeplechase. She received her Master’s in sports marketing from the University of Colorado. She began her career working for a sports marketing firm representing athletes while there she met her husband, Nick Symmonds.

From there she moved to Eugene to become one of the original employees of Flotrack, the all running network. She became vice president of communications. While there, she helped Flotrack become one of the most popular sports network with the buying of the rights of all collegiate running events and Olympic track and field events.

Upon retirement, she began the grassroots organization, Running for love. The organization provided shoes and food for needy children from Africa to the U.S. She was active participate in the local running community with organizing road races and coaching along with her husband local high school athletes.

Mrs. Symmonds is preceded in death by her parents Bill and Pam Hawkins. She is survived by her husband, Nick Symmonds; her sisters; Savannah Kennedy and Victoria Hawkins-Beckham; her two daughters, Henley Williams and Emerson Thoreau; her five grandchildren, Aubrey and Jennifer Williams, Laura, David and Henry Thoreau.

A race will be held in her honor May 15, 2069 at Hayward field. Memorial services will follow in the infield. Visitation will be from 3-7 at Evergreen Funeral home on May 14, 2069. The spreading of her ashes will occur at a later date.

All is well

Project got passed….now I have to just worry about finals

Nerves

You know that feeling where your tongue swells and you feel like you might puke out your guts.

 

I have that feeling, honors hearing tomorrow!

Bucket list continued...

2. 60x400ms....

Bucket List so far

1. Run the Boston Marathon….

More to come later..

Tag, I’m it

The rules are:
1. Respond and rework: answer the questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own.
2. Tag other un-tagged people.
What is your current obsession? Twitter, yes I have fallen completely in love with it. I love keeping track of all the news and having all on one page. Oh, and HULU!
What are you wearing today?
Well currently sweats and a runnersworld t-shirt. But earlier, spandex shorts and top in navy blue and orange
Do you nap a lot? I sleep a lot but no times for naps
Why was today special?
I came in dead last in a race for the first time I think in my life..though I think that just makes today depressing
What would you like to learn to do? Ohh, this is kind of like that Made show, though I know how to do everything I like to do- I guess mountain bike or to pole-vault
What's for dinner today?
Leftover pita sandwich from last night
What's the last thing you bought?
Besides food? Sunglasses
What are you listening to right now?
Like what is on my playlist-b/c right now my roommate being loud with her boyfriend-so playlist-Ben Kweller
What is your favorite weather?
Upper 60s, sunny with slight sprinkling showers
What book have you read the most?
Once a runner
What's your style? I prefer preppy/boho but lately it has been complete jock look or well, I have to wear running shorts and tops b/c I have practice after this class
What is your most challenging goal right now? 12:30 3k steeplechase
Connections?
Say something about the person who tagged you:
He was the first friend I made in Murfreesboro which is pretty cool if you think about it
If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be? Colorado or maybe New Zealand, I’m not really certain
Favorite vacation spot?
Brevard NC!
Favorite meal of the day?
Breakfast-coffee and eggs or cereal-love it
Name a memory from childhood that sticks out in your mind: When my youngest sister was born and I got to go to Krystal
What celebrity would you like to punch in the face?
Ann Coulter is she a celeb?
What would you like to get rid of?
Sunburns
If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go? Well, it is night here so lets say London
Which language do you want to learn?
Russian, b/c I think I could pull off being Russian
Which countries have you visited?
None
Which would you go back to? Not applicable?

What is the one issue you wish you could talk to President Obama about? I would like to talk about college loans and higher education funds..

I will tag Faye and Sarah!

STEEPLE CHASIN!

I have not written much on here with substance but with April, school and track  just picks up like crazy.  I have already turned in my honors prospectus and just waiting for the honors hearing. I figure if they reject me, I’ll just drop the program.

Track is going well, pr’ed in the 1500m in the first race of the season but I think I have I have found my new love.

That is right, steeplechase-a 3k race which involves hurdles/barriers and a water pit. I had so much fun, and laughing after clearing the first the one. I hope to keep working on it and taking up to a minute off.

Sometime post secret speaks to me

Pearlington Trip-Newspaper style

Barren land, wind ravaged homes, washed out dirt roads, sulfur water and swarms of gnats that attack every bit of showing skin; sounds like the description of a third world country. But this is not a third world country, a group of 18 (16 college students and 2 adult leaders) found out. This place is Pearlington, Mississippi.
“I had no idea there was a place like in American” said Stella Sang, an English as a second language student from Korea. Pearlington is located in Hancock County right along the coast and is one of the poorest counties in Mississippi with 18.7% of families below the poverty line. On August 29,2005 the eye of Hurricane Katrina made direct contract with Pearlington leaving the town devastated. It has been nearly three years since that devastation and the event has faded from public consciousness. Many people have assumed that the after effects of Katrina have been fixed but as the Carson Newman bus rolled thru the town littered with bright pink M.E.M.A. (Mississippi Emergency Management Agency) it was apparent it takes longer than three years to repair what it seems like a forgotten community.
The first thought in most of the members’ minds after a long twelve hour bus trip was what I have gotten myself into. As soon as those pesky gnats started biting, thoughts about how they were going to make it thru the week began to surface. Upon arrival at the job sites, these thoughts disappeared. It became more about working to improve the lives of those of Pearlington. Work they did and every day at 11:30 stopped for the best free meal around. Missionary Baptist Church provided some the best southern food around for the volunteers. Different dialects echoed thru the small one room church with volunteers coming from all around the country ranging from Pennsylvania to Wyoming. The minster and his wife made sure to say thank you, even if the food was enough.

There seemed to be someone saying thanks every time one turned the corner. Rather it is Josephine whose house one part of the group put siding on or Larry Randall whose porch the other group completed or the Missouri high school students volunteering who needed bug spray there were plenty of thank-yous and bless yous to go around. Along the way, a lesson in perseverance was learned. If the spirit of the community could survive then surely so could the S.P.O.T.S. group. If Pearlington had hope so could anybody.

"What I found amazing was how every time a citizen of Pearlington told me, 'Thank You," I always felt compelled to say, "No, thank YOU," back to them. In a lot of ways I felt like the impact left on me by the people and the situation down there outweighed the impact of my service done for their community” said junior, Heath Trentham. In the end, a thank-you should be offered to the community of Pearlington and what they taught about hope.

M-I-SS-I-SS-I-PP-I

Well I am off to a mission trip at 6:45 tomorrow morning! I will be back in a week!
I might use some more exclamation points!!!!

If you want to follow me- I will be twittering and there is a sidebar on here to that..

Coaching myself with the help of Jack Daniels

I was a walk on to both Cross Country and Track teams here at Carson Newman and I was just so excited to run on a college team. I could not wait to be part in a team that traveled all over and compete. I could not wait to bring my running to the next level. Cross Country lived up to all my expectation and I have managed to drop about a minute off my high school cross country times. I even raced three miles in high school on flat course where as now I race 5ks over hill and dale.

I can't say the same for track. My PR in high school was a 2:26 and I consist raced 2:30s for 800 meters. I had different Coaches every year for track and did low mileage. Speed work was good but not at the collegiate level.

I have not raced faster than a 2:33 in College. The work-outs were lacking, I do not think I ran repeats over 400 meters last year. One of my Coach's favorite workout was to have me run the turns. I was a middle distance runner doing work-outs that never totaled over a mile.

After my freshman year, I asked to move up in distance. This asking only meant that I raced more events. I race up to 4 events including 4x400 meters. I have only raced the 1500 meters once. Then again, our Coach only took us to three meets. I ended up at tears at the end of last year.

I went to the Coach and asked him basically what I needed to do. He did not know but he finally agreed with me that I needed to move up to the 1500m, telling me that I had gotten too slow for the 800 meter. I also voiced my concerns for the lack of the indoor and outdoor season. He promised me more meets.

This year, Coach has basically handed the program over to the G.A. and he is focusing all his attention on his football players. The G.A. does a good job but she has no idea how to coach distance but at least she came to me for help. I have put Jack Daniel's training guide to good use, dog earring, highlighting and carrying it with me at all time. It might be more worn then my bible. I also have most the distance squad on it too. They come to me for work-outs. I am glad the G.A. has allowed me to do this.

I have been training hard and I was ready to race this indoor season. We had four on the schedule, we raced one. There were several different excuses for why the others were canceled but it seems like the head coach just did not try hard enough.

Recently, I have become frustrated with having to do this by myself. I have my teammates who have supported me so well. I don't have someone yelling splits out for me. If a work-out is not working out for me, I don't have someone telling me to tough it out. I don't have that cheerleader. I don't have that second opinion.

I don't regret coming to Carson Newman, it has been a wonderful college. I do not regret running on a team full of great people. I would never trade the memories I have with my teammates. I do regret wasting two years of eligibility in track.

If I know now what I knew then, I would have started coaching myself a long time ago.

Water treadmill work-ot

So this is what I did today...

Did not realize I had been tagged

Faye actually tagged me in this several days ago. Go to your fourth photo album, select the fourth picture, post it, and explain it.

This is my current roomates and I last year when we were still living in the dorm. The picture before this was way too funny. We were going out, I am not quite sure where but I am sure we had a good time.

So I tag:

Sarah
Brian

So where's that shining star, did it ever get you far?

It is snowing today-go figure..TN weather is nuts!

Over hill, over dale, I'll run with you!

Today, was suppose to be my day off.

But, it was 60 degrees and beautiful. Thus I ended up at Panther Creek for a 40 minuate run.

Oh, how I love days like these.

Some say more with their hand. I'm running as fast as I can.

It has been quite awhile since I have written any type of updates on here.

Everything is going pretty smoothly, which is very surprising. I had expected by now some major craziness. My schedule is pretty nuts with 1-3 classes on MWF and T/R I go straight from 9:30-4:00 with judo at 6.

Speaking of which, Judo is pretty amazing. I really thought it would be more about kicking and fighting but it more about throwing and play fighting. I am able to throw people to the ground which can be pretty empowering. It works so well on the core. I am having so much fun with it.

Newspaper is another one of my interesting classes. I had my first two stories published already but I can't really decide if I like it or not. The topics seem dull and editors do not take enough charge. I need to begin to brainstorm for my next two stories.

Running is going well. I feel physically fit but the speed endurance is coming slowly. I did 4x1000m today and it just felt so slow. I taking tomorrow off just to rest.

I am also going to a Bible study on Thursdays, I am really enjoying. It is just great to be around different people.

OH, and internship applications are in, all there is left to do is wait and pray.

Cara

Here is the RR link

Here is the Runners World link

Fifteen is funny

My fifteen year old sister sent me a text today that said,

"Boys pay more attention to you if you wear a bereat"

Back in the swing..

I am back at Carson Newman and classes started today. I am back into my usual routine, wake-up, drink coffee, get ready , go to class, sit thru class ( rather I pay attention or not is a different question)-repeat, go back to the house and run. Tomorrow will be a bit different, I am going to have to get my running in, in the morning and I am expecting it to be super cold! The weather has been gross; rain, wind and chilliness.

I have been filling out applications for internships this summer. I had forgotten how hard it is to put oneself down on a piece paper. It is just so difficult to convey who you are thru stats and essay questions. I almost wished I had Mrs. Cain around from High School again to walk me thru the steps. I just hope USA Track and Field or the Olympic Committee find me worthy.

Oh, I am quoted in Runner's World ( again) this month.

Anew

Opened up my running log and it is all blanks:

Monthy mileage-0

Yearly mileage-0

How it is wonderful to start anew