I have a lot of stuff to say!

It has been a while since I last posted. And during that time a whole bunch of stuff happened. I moved in my dorm, got lost going home (almost made it to Mexico!), started classes, made the travel squad, went to Washington, read Beowulf, and wrote a paper. Oh and yes. I turned 18.

That is a lot of stuff to happen in less than 20 days. But that is college for ya! I'm adjusting. Even though I have been away from home for over a month now, there are still tons of new things that I am exposed to and have to respond to. Everything from parties to getting to class on time without a bell schedule to locking my bike correctly. All new. I feel that I have learned so much already...and have only been to class twice. ;)

I read Katie's blog every day (haven't missed a post); and it's really nice to see that she is going through a lot of the same adjustments I am. Even though she is on the other side of the country. Just goes to show that all college kids go through the same things. Which I am pretty sure I've said before...

You can have fun in many ways. But the most fun I've had at a college function was when me and one of my teammates went to a small dance party and just had fun on our own. Because we are fun people (at least that's what I like to think). 

Social life aside. Class is pretty cool. I only have 3. Literature of the British Isles Pre-1660 (really fun course. The professor obviously loves what she is teaching and makes Beowulf really interesting. Which, if anyone has ever read it, is a pretty mean feat), Anthropology (boring teacher. she just reiterates everything you have already read in the book), and Muir Writing (introductory writing course. I accidentally went to the wrong class room the first day I had this...so many problems. ALWAYS BRING YOUR SCHEDULE). I have 2 lectures and a discussion on monday, Muir Writing (15 kids) on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 2 lectures on Wednesday and Friday. Practices in the morning. Meals with the team/suite. Speaking of my suite: they were the coolest people on my birthday; taking time to decorate my door and buy my a giant cupcake and balloons. So glad they are my neighbors this year. 

Long update...yes. I applaud you if you read this all the way through. Peace!

ups and downs

so emotionally college can be a series of ups and downs...hence the title of this post. there are days that its really awesome to be a collegiate athlete;

1) the independence
2) the location
3) the weather is normally pretty swell.

those are the ups. the downs...well so far

1) buying your own groceries. food is expensive...i've so taken that for granted
2) not having your mama and daddy with you...also taken that for granted
3) having your bike stolen...tip: learn to lock your bike up properly

thats it for this post.  oh i had my second race. it was a 5k. did okay. :) better at the opener though.

all done. for reals this time. wait! shout out to my sister for a great first xc race at fastback!

my first race

my first race in blue and gold! i've gotta say...there is just something about a uniform that makes you perform soooooo much better than normal clothing. and this uniform is just kinda TOTALLY AWESOME!  spandex bottoms that i find quite comfortable and a loose jersey top (as opposed to the spandex 'shimmels'  (sp?) that i wore in high school). beautiful!!!

anyways. our team did AWESOME! we dominated on both sides and i ran a good minute faster than i did at time trial (same course). looks like this new training may have some merit ;) .

after my race/cool down/meeting, my mom and i hopped in our respective vehicles and booked it to the high school homecoming football game. i got to see all of my friends. which was great. and now it a weekend at home. which is nice.

okay. thanks for reading. and just keep on running!

What I Learned in Mammoth!

So for camp, the UCSD cross country team loads up 4+ vans and drives the 8+ hour drive to Mammoth California to experience the trails, elevation, and views. It's really beautiful up there, but the most remarkable thing about the small ski town is its usefulness in uniting a bunch of very different girls and guys into one solid team. With results as if we were stranded on a deserted island together. Not that I am familiar with being on a deserted island. Anyway, our coach controls every aspect of our running lives; our eating and sleep patterns, our ice bathing, our trails and workouts; and can monitor each in a way that he can't do when we are on our own. Yet by doing so, he teaches us the way we SHOULD be collegiate athletes and actually taught us the science of our metabolism, nutrition, and workouts. To be honest, it wasn't very different from what I did in high school. Good to know that I've been good at being healthy.

As for the team, I've learned that there is a very high proportion of twins as well as nicknames. At least 6 kids are one half of a pair of twins. And nicknames range from Brown Bear to Johnny Boy to Swag. And yes, the coaches use those names just as often as we do.  We learned which people we run better with, because each person favors a certain side to run on (I like running on the left which means most people find it comfortable to run with me.  Because most people like running on the right).

While up on top of the mountain, my status changed from freshman athlete to an officially enrolled student athlete. With the help of my sophomores (thanks Kaity, Chia, and Kellen!), I got every class I wanted with a pretty decent schedule.  Soon I'll do a dry run of my classes to get the directions right in my head (those who know me, know it needs to be done).  Next quarter, I get priority registration. So much less stressful. Yay for athletic props! :)

So I am back in La Jolla. My first race is today. And I'm coming home this weekend. So that's the end of my  update. Thanks for reading. :)