Drake Relays Experience

It’s been a week since I ran at Drake and I already miss it. I didn’t run that well, but Drake was an awesome experience.

We left Thursday morning and I the 3000 ran Thursday at 4:10. It was a really nice day so I was hoping to run really good and PR. Unfortunately shortly after the race started my head was pounding from the heat and my legs were really tired. I ended up running 10:38 and got 17^th place. I would be happy with my time if it was a normal meet, but I was really hoping for a PR, since Drake is supposed to be a really fast Track.

The good thing about only running the first day is that you can just relax and have fun for the rest of Drake! I got to stay up later and eat probably too much bad food. During the trip I had a corndog, 2 giant ice cream cones, a lot of cookies, and a bunch of candy. So much for trying to eat healthy during Track season.

The best thing about Drake was seeing the Olympic runners and jumpers. I got to see an Olympic pole-vaulter beat a record and a person interviewing Lolo Jones about 20 meters away from me. The most exciting thing I got to see was Jenny Simpson break a record in the 1500 meter run and then she ran around the stadium. I got a high five from her and Katie got an autograph. On Friday night, they also set of fireworks around the Track. The crowd had so much energy and it was an awesome experience.

Jenny simpson at drake :)

I also learned and saw a lot of surprising things at Drake. I didn’t realize that Drake Relays are a huge drinking event. There were a lot of people with Tee-shirts saying things like “Drake Relays Drinking Team,” and we went on a run around town Friday night and a lot of people were partying and drunk. I also learned that Drake is located in not the best part of town. We saw a lot of creepy people, including guy in striped pajamas carrying a banjo and clearly on drugs and a guy lying on his side under a tree, licking his lips as we ran by. I was scared!

Drake was an awesome experience and I am so glad I got to go! I really hope I will get to go next year and hopefully I will run better!

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The Wonders of Trail Running

This poem for my AP Lang Class is about running on the trail and every thing I see on the trail.

A beautiful morning perfect for running

And I am already 1 mile down

Dew fills the grass and a golden sun barely peeks through the clouds

I hear the birds chirp and water flowing in the creek

I am reminded of why I love to run and I never want to stop

Then out of nowhere like a Pearl Harbor attack

A drug deal, a beaver, a hobo on a bench

 

4 miles down and I am still staying strong

The air slowly warming

The wind just now starting to pick up

My breathing getting heavier

The miles seem longer and my mind starts to wonder

I squint my eyes and I can just barely make out

More drug deals, more beavers, more hobos on a bench

 

It's only been 10 miles

But it feels like 20

Sun strips my energy

Creek taunts me with its water

I try to distract myself

But I can no longer count

All the drug deals, all the beavers, all the hobos on a bench

 

Imagery- I use a lot of imagery in lines 3 and 4 to create an image of how relaxing and peaceful it is while I am running. My imagery gets a little less descriptive in each paragraph to make the reader realize how I am getting more tired and paying less attention to my surroundings.

Allusion- In the line “Then out of nowhere like a Pearl Harbor attack” I use an allusion to show how surprised I was to see the drug deal, beaver, and hobo for the first time on the run.

Personification- “Creek taunts me with its water” is a personification, creeks can’t really taunt someone, but it proves how tired and desperate I am getting as I run on.

Repetition- I repeat the last line in each stanza, slightly changing it each time to show that it is still the same run, but as the run goes on my mind set is changing.

The lines in the first stanza are longer and the diction is detailed making the beginning of my run sound relaxing. The lines start to get shorter in the next stanzas showing that my patience is decreasing and I am getting tired of running.

Drake Relays

                On Tuesday I accomplished my number one goal for this season: qualifying for Drake relays! I got a 23 second seasonal PR and a 10 second PR. I have been dreaming of qualifying for Drake ever since I was a freshman and found out what the Drake Relays were. I am so excited to go and I still can’t believe that I will actually have the chance to go!

                My track season started out really slow. Most of our meets were canceled and a lot of the meets that weren’t canceled, I ended up getting sick and running very poor times. As of last week I still had to drop about 15 seconds in the 3000 and 5 seconds in the 1500 to even have a chance to qualify. I realized that there was a good chance I wasn’t going to qualify and Tuesday would probably be my last chance. I wanted to qualify so badly and did everything I could to make sure I was prepared to run on Tuesday.

                Tuesday came and I was ready. I was ready to get my PR, I was ready to qualify for Drake, and I was ready to run the 3000. When the gun went off I felt confident. I was running with two runners, one from my school that ran about my pace. I knew my weakness was the 3^rd and 4^th lap of the 3000, so I tried to really push myself there. I ran with those two runners for the whole race until the last 200 meters where I started to think about Drake. Every second counts and my chances of qualifying decrease a lot if I let these two runners pass me. I decided to go for it. I sprinted as fast as I could and ended up winning the race with a new personal best time of 10:35, which would make me have the 13^th fastest time in the state. I would qualify for Drake.

                I celebrated with my family and ate cake for dinner and now I can’t stop thinking about Drake. I am so excited and a little scared. None of my really close friends qualified so I feel really bad for them and I am hoping it will still be fun without them. I am super excited and nervous for my race. I am just really glad and relived that I qualified!

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Cool Awesome Things that Every Runner Needs

                I have been running for about four years and have come across some products that every runner should have. Having quality products can seriously help runners or can just be fun for every runner to have. Over the last few years I have come to really enjoy and occasionally depend on my Pro-Tec Athletics’ Roller Massager, Biofreeze, and Sport Beans.

                I literally don’t think I could survive cross country and track without my magic rolley (I realize that’s not a word, but it definitely should be)  stick, technically it is called Pro-Tec Athletics’ Roller Massager, but that’s too long and complicated to say. If you are a runner and you don’t have one of these things stop reading this right now and go buy one. They have them at running wild for around 25-30 dollars. They are like heaven for your legs!!! Magic rolley stick’s help loosen tight muscles and reduce muscle soreness. According to the Pro-TecAthletics website the Pro-Tec Athletics’ Roller Massager works, “By rolling the Roller Massager along the area of tightness, you can perform a self-massage or Myofascial release. Myofascial release has been shown to relieve various muscle and joint pains such as IT band syndrome and shin splints as well as improving flexibility and range of motion.” This is pretty much just a scientific way of saying that the Pro-Tec Athletics’ Roller Massager is magic. Use the magic rolley stick after hard practices or when your legs are feeling tight and it will decrease soreness by a lot!
 

                Biofreeze and Icy-Hot are also great for soreness. I got really bad shin splints freshman year (before I got my magic rolley stick) and I depended greatly on these two products. Biofreeze and Icy-hot are gels that you rub on sore muscles and it helps relieve pain. They offer quick pain relief and are great to use right before races.  You can get these two products from a lot of different places, including Wal-Mart. They aren’t too expensive and they are great at stopping muscle pain.

                Another thing that I quite enjoy as a runner is Sport Beans. These are jelly beans that provide a quick burst of energy. They are really nice to have on days that you are just exhausted and don’t want to run. I’m not quite sure if they are actually very healthy for you, but they do give you a burst of energy and they taste really good! They come in small packets and taste a lot better than normal jelly beans. The Sport Beans website says, “Sport Beans energizing jelly beans are formulated to help you blast through any athletic endeavor. Used by the Jelly Belly Pro Cyclingas well as other athletes, Sport Beans are clinically proven to maximize sports performance.” I am not sure how well they “maximize sports performances,” but they are really nice to have when you are too tired and lazy to run.

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Being Fat

In class we have been talking a lot about being fat. Eating healthy is something that I am constantly trying to do (unless it’s the week after cross country or track ends, which I call my fat week). It has really been bothering me that there are so many people who are too concerned about their weight and then try to lose weight in unhealthy ways. People are too obsessed with looking skinny, rather than being healthy.

Everyone has an ideal weight that they are supposed to be and not everyone is supposed to weigh 110 pounds and look like a skinny anorexic model. Some people have faster metabolisms and smaller bone structures and are, therefore supposed to weigh less than someone who is not built like that. People are always complaining about their weight and comparing themselves to people they see in magazines, but being that skinny can be extremely unhealthy. My sister is constantly whining about how she weighs more than me. She thinks she is fat, because she is a whole 10 pounds heavier than her older sister, but she also happens to be 2 inches taller and extremely thin. I am constantly trying to explain to her how she isn’t fat, but she, like many others, focus way too much on the numbers on the scale.

To be healthy, you need to exercise and eat healthy. I am completely against any diet that makes you miss meals or even eat fewer calories. It’s not about how many calories you eat a day, but what kind of calories you are eating. For example, eating 300 calories of vegetables is not only healthier, but also is a lot easier to burn than if you ate 300 calories of doughnuts. There are some exceptions; no one should be eating 5000 calories a day unless they are really trying to gain weight, but no one should be eating less than the recommended amount of calories for them. It is super unhealthy to not eat enough food and not eating enough will leave you exhausted, and then you will not get proper exercise. Stop reading the calorie count and start reading the ingredient list, and I can guarantee it will make you a lot healthier.

Being overweight is okay as long as you are healthy. Stop looking at the numbers on the scale and the calories in the food and start paying attention to what is in the food and how much exercise you are getting.

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American High Schools

Although American high schools are pretty good at providing a decent education to all kids who want it, there are some issues in high schools across America. As a current high school student, I have noticed some of these problems in American high school. Kids aren’t as motivated to learn and high schools don’t always provide the kind of education that kids need and want. I do believe that there are solutions to these problems in American high schools. 

                The motivation of kids to learn in high schools has become a major problem. Kids have a wonderful opportunity in America to get a proper education, but don’t always take advantage of that opportunity. In the essay, A Model for High Schools, David S. Broder talks about a program called Gateway, which educates kids who were not motivated and ended up dropping out of high school. Broder blames the reason on why kids drop out comes from the way current high schools are educating kids. Broder writes, “…teenagers with few credits, low grade point average and a host of personal problems-the challenge of a tough curriculum, backed by skillful teaching in small classes and plenty of personal counseling, can be a path to success.” I agree with Broder, in that if high schools change to be more like that, students will be more motivated in school. High schools in America should have smaller classes and a well taught, challenging curriculum.

                Another problem in American high schools is that high schools don’t provide the type of education that kids need. Todd Gitlin claims that there is not enough liberal arts being taught in high school. He states, “A strong liberal-arts curriculum could teach them about their history, their social condition, themselves.” In high school we do not have that much liberal-arts teaching and Gitlin makes a good claim about how liberal-arts could help students. Changing the curriculum in schools could help students in the future with what they will need to know for college and their careers after college.

                There are other issues in high schools around the nation, but I think the biggest issues are that kids aren’t very motivated, because of how and what they are taught, and that high schools are not teaching students everything that they will find useful in the future. High schools in America need to change to have more benefit for the students.

I Know Why the Cage Bird Cannot Read

Last year I read the book To Kill a Mockingbird in Language Arts and I could agree with a lot of things that Prose said about the book in her essay, I Know Why the Cage Bird Cannot Read. My personal experience reading this book is very similar to how Prose describes the book and what kids learn while reading it. I really did not enjoy reading this book and in class discussions about this book, we focused more on the issues this book talks about, rather than the actual quality of the literature.           

                Most of the students in my class would agree that To Kill a Mockingbird was not the best book. Kids didn’t really enjoy reading it and after a few chapters a lot of students were either skimming the text or looking the book up on Sparknotes. Prose gives a short, one paragraph summary of the book in her essay and after words states, “Such summary reduces the book, but not by all that much.” I agree with her summary and what she said about the book. Even though most kids didn’t take time to carefully read the text, most of them still did well on the quizzes and discussions over the book, because the plot was so simple and the book wasn’t very challenging. To Kill a Mockingbird was not a very good book for students to read and because of that most students didn’t read it very closely.

                When discussing this book in class we spent a lot of time talking about the issues of prejudice that the book talks about. Throughout the essay Prose mentions the type of things students are taught when reading this book and the things she says are very close to what I was being taught when reading the book. She says, “… I obtained from the Internet, outlines the ‘overall goal’ of teaching the book (‘To understand problems relating to discrimination and prejudice that exist in our present day society. To understand and apply these principles to our own lives’).” I do believe that the goal Prose mentions in reading this book is similar to the goal of reading this book in my Language Arts class last year. We did spend a lot of time discussing the issues of prejudice mentioned in the book.

                Throughout Prose’s essay, I Know Why the Cage Bird Cannot Read, she talks about how students aren’t getting much out of books like To Kill a Mockingbird and I agree with her. After reading this book, I really didn’t learn much and didn’t enjoy reading it. I think she makes a valid argument when criticizing To Kill a Mocking Bird.

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Education

If I could change schools I would make them have a little more freedom for kids. I think that schools are good right now and are effective in giving a proper education for kids, but there are some things that I would change to try to make kids enjoy learning more than they do now. I would try to make schools offer more freedom to kids, change how students are graded, and have more hands on activities for kids.

                I think that kids should be able to take whatever classes they want and not be required to take any specific class that doesn’t relate to what they want to do when they are older. If someone wanted to be a writer when they are older, they shouldn’t have to take calculus or geometry. If someone wanted to do something with math they shouldn’t have to take four years of language arts in high school. Kids should have more freedom in picking classes, because it could help them focus on what their career is going to be when they are older and it could also help kids enjoy school more.

                I believe there should also be more hands on learning activities in school. This would include things like field trips to different places people could work when they are older and it would help kids decide what they want to do when they are older. Hands on activities would make it easier and more fun for kids to learn and I think it would make students have more motives to learn.

                I would also want to change how kids are graded. Instead of getting a grade based mostly off of test, it should be based more on a kid’s effort.  Grades should be waited more on how much homework they do and how often they are paying attention in class. Some kids are naturally very smart and they don’t have to pay attention in class or do their homework to get an A, so teachers should try to base their grades on effort rather than grades depending only on how well students do on tests.

                I do think that schools do a good job educating kids and I don’t think it is possible to make schools perfect.  Offering more freedom, changing how kids are graded and doing more hands on learning activities in school, might make kids enjoy learning more and try harder in school. If I could change schools, I would try to make students want to learn more.

 

 

 

 

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Track season has started

The first week of Track is over and the second week has started. I am so relieved to find out that I am not as badly out of shape than what I thought I was. I can still run with the girls I normally run with (who have already been competing in club track), even if I have to work a little harder than they do. I also ran a 5:48ish 1600, which is a lot better than what I ran last year at the beginning of track. There are a lot of new distance runners and a lot of people who returned from last year, so I really like our team. Track is off to a good start and I am excited for this season!

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Books :)

About a month ago I read a really good book called, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. I was originally assigned this book for Biology and for whatever reason, I have a hard time reading books that I have been assigned to read, but I was pleasantly surprised with this book.

The Immortal Life of Hennrietta Lacks is about a woman who died of cervical cancer, but before she died doctors took cells from her tumor and those cells never died. They were used for many things, including a polio vaccine. However, neither Henrietta nor her family knew these cells were even taken. This really upsets Henrietta’s family. The book was very intriguing and it was hard to put down. Not only did it contain interesting, scientific information, but it was also a really good story. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone, especially people with an interest in Biology.

Currently I am reading Let’s Pretend This Never Happened. I had heard that it was a good book and I had a gift card to Barnes and Nobel, so I decided to buy it. Unfortunately the gift card did not have nearly as much money on it as I thought and I had to pay more money than I ever had on a book before. Because of this I considered returning it multiple times, but I am so glad I didn’t! I am almost done with it and so far it is amazing. It is a memoir by Jenny Lawson and it is extremely hilarious. I literally laugh out loud whenever I read this book. It is by far the funniest book that I have ever read. Jenny tells her life, starting with her childhood, where her dad brought home random animals to when she is older and trying to fit in. Here is a random quote from Jenny in her book, “I picked up the phone to call the police, but then I considered how it would sound when I told them that I was calling from inside my bathroom, where I’d OD’ed on laxatives, and that a possible rapist was quietly passing me notes under the bathroom door.” Like many other chapters, I could not stop laughing in this chapter. I recommend this book to everyone, except people who are easily offended and can’t stand the use of swear words. This book is sooooooo funny! I really can’t even make this book sound half as entertaining as it is, so you should really go read it!

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Abs!

Core is a really important part of running, and it happens to be one of my weaknesses when it comes to running. After the State cross country meet, my arms and my abs were sore. My legs didn’t hurt at all, but I couldn’t move my arms to hug anyone or laugh without grabbing my belly and screeching in pain. So I decided I need to start working on getting stronger arms and abs. It is really hard for me to do ab work outs and about 99% of the time I actually start a work out, I end up quitting in the middle of the workout.

Normally when I want to do ab workouts, I do either Julian Michaels (sorry if I didn’t spell that right) or Kettlebell core workout. I really like the kettlebell workout, but I get tired of doing the same one over again. I really just need a good video to do that is fast, effective, and not confusing. Some of the moves on the videos are too hard to do and it gives me an excuse to stop working out. I think I am also really bad at a lot of the moves, because a lot of times my neck is left sore and I don’t even move my neck! It’s really quite confusing.

Although I am not a huge fan of ab workouts and I have a hard time completing them, I am actually working my abs a lot more than I used to do. My stomach is a lot flatter than it normally is, especially for being winter.  Ab workouts are also continuing to get a little easier to do. I am going to try to do more ab workouts and I am going to try to find good ab workouts to do.  

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Food

Track is starting on Monday! For some reason during cross country and track, I just can’t stop eating. I have to eat almost every hour and I just never get full. That’s one of the best things about track, but my house never has any food, so a lot of times it sucks. I always forget to make a grocery list for my mom so I end up eating random healthy, but unappetizing food, such as chia seeds mixed in coconut milk, which is what I had the pleasure of eating this morning. There are a lot of different foods that I like to eat as snacks during the track season.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day! I try to eat especially good breakfast during Track season. It is important to eat at least 3 different food groups in the morning. I might start my day off with eggs, toast, and orange juice, or oatmeal (which I put protein powder in, because it not only makes you fuller, but also tastes really good) and yogurt with fruit in it. There are a lot of different breakfasts that I eat during track, but I always make sure I have at least three food groups.

Unfortunately, school doesn’t feed you after every hour, so I have to bring my own snacks to school. Normally during track and cross country I bring anywhere from 3 to 4 snacks each day. I always bring at least one granola bar. I bring either Chewy granola bars, Kashi cherry dark chocolate, or Cliff Bars (a lot of times I bring the kids ones, because they are better than the adult ones). I also like to bring fruit snacks, Chex mix, and pretzels. I always want to bring fruit, but fruit is really hard to bring to school. I have no place to put it, because my backpack will smooch it and sometimes it is really awkward to eat it in class, so I normally stick to foods that come in wrappers. It can be really hard to bring all this food to school, but it is definitely worth it.

After I get home from track practice, I need protein. So I will either eat chocolate protein shakes, which I buy from Melaleuca, a smoothie with vanilla protein powder that I get from Hy-Vee, or apple slices dipped in peanut butter. These are all healthy options for snacks that I eat after Track. I really like to make smoothies, but a lot of times I am too lazy to make one, so it’s nice to have other options for snacks with a lot of protein. They are not too filling and I am still hungry by dinner.

Around 8:00 I start to get hungry and head to the kitchen to try to find something edible. For some reason I either crave ice cream or breakfast food at this time. Sometimes I make egg in the middles, egg sandwiches, or toast. It’s really hard to find food to eat at night, and I haven’t really come up with any good snacks to eat at night.

 

I think I just made a grocery list!

 

Ps. This is what Chia seeds in coconut milk look like:

yum.

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And the Ravens Win!

This year, at the beginning of football season, I decided that I didn’t just want to cheer for a football team, because my dad likes that team. I wanted to pick a team to cheer for by myself. I started watching different NFL teams play and one team really stuck out to me. Their team consisted of a former Iowa State player, that I remembered watching, Kelechi Osemele, and Michael Oher from Blindside. I instantly fell in love with the Baltimore ravens. I loved the way they played and I started watching all their games. They did well, but I could have never imagined that they would be the Super Bowl XLVII (I think that’s 47 but I am not really sure and do not feel like looking it up) champions!

 

The game was pretty intense. Baltimore had a good lead at half time. Baltimore also made a 50ish yard pass to get a touchdown and got and interception before half time. Beyoncé sang at the half time show and I was pleased with her performance, although I had heard from someone that Justin Timberlake was going to be singing with her, so I was disappointed when he didn’t. After half time ended Baltimore Raven’s Jacoby Jones, ran for a 108 yard kick return, leaving the Baltimore Ravens winning 28-3! When everything seemed good, the lights went out. They had to take a 30 minute break until the lights turned completely on again. This somehow boosted the 49ners confidence and they had a good comeback, scoring 17 points in around 4-5 minutes. The Ravens didn’t give up though. They scored 2 field goals and stopped the 49ners from scoring a touchdown with 2 minutes left of the game. John Harbaugh made some good decisions to let the 49ners score a couple points, to buy time and when the 49ners got the ball after a punt, there was 4 seconds on the clock. Baltimore won 34-31!

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My Creative Side

 
Lately I have been feeling all artsy and creative, which is a little unusual for me. Although I really like art, I am generally not that creative of a person. A couple weeks ago I cut some old jeans into shorts, found it really fun, and have been DIY-ing ever since.

 

I think the coolest thing that I have done since my creativeness started up a couple weeks ago is a pair of shorts that I made from a pair of old jeans. I started out by cutting the jeans to be a little longer than where my fingertips reach. Then I ripped the seams at the bottom of the jeans and bleached them to have a little lighter of a color. Next I got a bleach pen and drew stars on one leg and stripes on the other, then washed them and repeated that step. They turned out looking really awesome and they were really easy. I will try to get a picture up soon.

 

At cross country camp I saw a lot of girls who cut tee-shirts into tank tops, so I decided to try it. I didn’t have much guidance and just cut off the sleeves and neck line at random. It ended up being a little harder than I thought it would. I ended up having to lower the neckline and broaden the arm holes. I finished by tying a strip of fabric around the back. I am really excited about making these tank tops and plan to make more, with hopefully more success.

Here is a picture of tank tops similar to the one I made:


http://pinterest.com/pin/175781191676454277/

 

I also made a collage of photos. I bought a simple cork board, stained it a darker brown to match my room, and filled it with pictures of my friends and family. This was a surprisingly interesting project. The pictures brought up so many good memories and the board adds personality to my room.

 

I have also been doing many other creative things like making bracelets, hair bows, and coming up with my own recipes. I have been searching pinterset for my next project to start and I am hoping this sudden creativeness continues.                                            Words-367

MaKiNg RuNnInG MoRe FuN

You know those runs that you have where you just never want to stop running? I was very excited to finally have one of those runs. It feels like forever since I have actually pushed through all the miles that I had planned on running that day and actually didn’t want to stop running. Yesterday it was about 40 degrees and I had planned on running 4 miles, but after those 4 miles were up, I wanted to run more. I kept on running until I had run about 6 miles and it was starting to get dark out (considering the fact that I was wearing black and the drivers are crazy in my neighborhood I thought it was best to turn back).  I wish I could have more days like that, but lately it’s been so cold that I have been forced to run at the gym. Today I couldn’t even run, because the roads were too slippery to run or drive on, which means no matter what I need to run every day for the rest of the week. Although I am still having unenjoyable (apparently that’s not a word according to spell check but it really should be so I am keeping it there) runs every once and a while, my runs are getting a little better. Here are some things that make running more fun for me.

 Running with a friend always makes running easier. My sister has been running with me a lot and not complaining nearly as much. A lot of times she will end up turning around early, but even having her there for a few miles is a great help. One of my really good friends have also been running a lot with me lately, which is really good because she runs a lot further than my sister does. It is SOOO much easier to run with someone else. Occasionally there will be days that I like to run by myself, but most of the time I get extremely bored and lonely. I think I am a very dependent person, because I just really don’t like to be alone, but I think that most people can agree that running with someone else is a lot easier.

Other things that I think make running a lot easier is distracting myself with music or basketball games at the gym. I have started to bring my iPod to the gym with me and a lot of times there are also basketball games playing. Sometimes I get hooked into the game (even though most of the time I can’t read the T.V. to actually find out who the teams are) and it is a very nice distraction from the miserable treadmill. Music is also really helpful, but you have to make sure you don’t change your pace to match the beat of the music. You will either hit the front of the treadmill and it will make a really loud noise that causes everyone around you to give you a judgmental glare or you will slow done and almost fall off of the treadmill (learned both of those the hard way). Music and T.V. are a really good way to make treadmill runs a little better.

Mix it up. Don’t run 5 miles on the same path, at the same pace, every single day. It will suck. Try running different paths and go off of time if you don’t know how far you have run. It is also helpful to change pace. Occasionally I will run my second to last mile at tempo pace and my last mile a little slower. Sometimes I will run hills or 400 sprints, which also help. Either way, changing what you run can make running a lot more fun.

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Track season

There are only 15 more days until track season and I feel much unprepared. I have a lot of goals set in mind for the season, but I feel like they are going to be extremely hard to accomplish, considering I am very out of shape. I haven’t been running nearly enough.

I hate running in the winter. It’s cold and snowy and I have a hard time running more than 4 days a week, because something always prevents me from running. Today I woke up and got ready to go on a run, only to learn that the roads were covered with a thick layer of ice and my mom won’t let me leave the house. I also haven’t been running enough miles. I always get to cold or have hard time breathing, because of the air and then I have to cut my miles short. I also can only run 3 miles on the tiny 150 meter track at the gym and only 4 miles on the treadmill at the gym before my legs start to hurt or I get dizzy from running around in tiny circles for too long. Now I am so out of shape and even if there is a nice day that I can actually go outside without freezing, I am completely exhausted and can only run 6 miles. There are a lot of girls that I compete with that have been running a lot more. I know a few girls that go to an indoor track at a college, that is more than 150 meters long and I talked to a girl who had just finished running 10 miles. I am so far behind my competition in track and I am scared that I won’t be running with them anymore.

I also need more running clothes. I just bought new shoes for the season, another pair of Brook’s Ghost, which are a little bit lighter than the last pair I had, so that’s good. I need more running tights, but I have no idea what the weather is going to be like. I don’t know if I should by long warm running tights, or cooler capris tights (our coaches don’t let us wear shorts unless it’s over 80). I could also use more sweatshirts. This year our team might buy some waterproof sweats, so hopefully we do that and then I won’t have to worry about waterproof clothes.

I am really scared for track and I have a lot to do before it starts, but I am also really excited. I am just going to have to work a little harder to catch up with everyone and I might have to use a little bit of my savings to buy proper clothes, but I am hoping it will be a good season. I want to make it to Drake and score at State, so hopefully if I work hard I will achieve those goals.

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Superheroes!

I have recently gained an extreme fascination with superheroes.  Dark Night, Avengers, Iron man, Captain America, The Amazing Spiderman, are all movies that I have watched since last summer. It started in cross country camp in July. The whole camp went to the movie theater and my sister and I decided to see Dark Night. At the beginning of the movie I was a little lost, but eventually I caught up and by the end of the movie, I realized that the movie was extremely awesome and might have been one of my favorite movies I have ever watched. I was suddenly addicted.

When I got home from camp, I went to family video and Captain America. It was also extremely awesome and I eventually ended up watching Iron Man and Avengers. Iron man was pretty good, but I did like Avengers better. I think all of the superheroes together made it really good. It also had a really intense plot and it kept you at the edge of your seat. I also really liked the actors like, Robert Downy Jr. as Iron Man, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Cobie Smulders (Robin from How I met your mother!) as agent Maria Hill, who were my favorite actors. There are also a lot of other good actors. I would strongly recommend that you watch this movie if you haven’t already seen it.

 Then last night I got to see the Amazing Spiderman. The Amazing Spiderman was SOOOOO much better than the other Spiderman movies. The actors were fun, unlike the other Spiderman movies where the actors are all weird and boring. They also showed more background on Peter Parker and what happened with his parents, which I thought was interesting. It still had a lot of action, but it was a lot more entertaining. I was pleasantly surprised by how good this movie was, especially considering I was not that impressed with the original Spiderman movies.

Overall, I liked either Avengers of the Dark Night the best. They were really interesting and very intriguing. The action, the intense scenes and the good characters, make superhero movies so good! I am really excited to see what superhero movies come out next! There is another Avengers movie coming out in 2015 and hopefully there will be other superhero movies being made.Maybe a movie about Robin? Maybe a sequel to Spiderman? I am really hoping that more superhero movies come out soon.

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Cooking

I am generally not a good cook and I normally don’t cook, but because I can think of absolutely no other topic to write about, I am going to write about my experiments with cooking. My dad is a REALLY good cook, unless he is trying to make something really creative with the random crap that is going to expire in a few days and we probably shouldn’t have bought in the first place, but my mom can’t say no to the swan’s man. Most of the things I cook come from boxes in the freezer that you just have to microwave, but there are a couple of things that I do make.

Pretty much the only dinner that I can make is fettuccine alfredo and (not trying to brag) it’s really good and easy to make. First you put a little butter in a pan and this random seasoning/spice thing that my dad almost always has in the fridge (sorry that’s not really a helpful description if someone is actually reading this blog and is considering making it, but that’s pretty unlikely so I am keeping it anyway).  Then you add a packet of cream cheese and a handful of parmesan cheese. Next you slowly add milk until it has a somewhat thick, but still sauce like, consistency.  Then you cook the noodles and you’re done! It only takes like 15 minutes to make and its surprisingly really good!

For dessert, I can make a microwave brownie in a mug. This is also very easy and it only takes like 3 minutes to make! I also think it tastes a lot better than normal brownies. I don’t have the recipe memorized, but I got this one from www.food.com.

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons water

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 dash salt

4 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. In a 12 oz coffee mug, add water, butter, vanilla and dash of salt. Whisk well.

2. Add cocoa powder, whisk well. Add sugar, whisk well. Add flour, whisk well.

3. Microwave for 60 to 90 seconds. Center should be slightly molten. Careful not to overcook.

4.Enjoy with a spoon. Careful brownie will be hot.

I can also make really good white chocolate mocha coffee. I am not really sure where I learned this recipe, but I am guessing it was my sister, because she is obsessed with adding a whole bunch of crap to coffee so it tastes “better.” But this recipe is actually really really REALLY good and I strongly recommend that if anyone is still reading this blog, you should go make it right now! All you have to do is melt a few handfuls of white chocolate chips with about 1/2 – 1 cup of milk (just add milk until it is a very thin consistency and it is still very sweet). Then you add the mixture to 2/3 cup of coffee or really however much coffee you want until you get a taste that is perfect for you. Its super easy and super good, so try it!

That’s pretty much everything that I cook. Occasionally I will attempt to cook something else, but it normally doesn’t turn out very well. I strongly recommend that you try these extremely easy, yet extremely good recipes.

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The Best Things In Life

I really really really don’t want to blog, but since I am kind of required to I am just going to list and describe the 15 things that I enjoy the most in life.

1.        Waking up to the rain. Nothing beats the soothing sound of rain splattering against the window to wake you up in the morning, until you realize that you are probably going to have to go outside and walk to your car in it.

2.       When you get more wings at Buffalo Wild Wings. One time I got 17 wings for the price of 12!

3.       When my mom forces me to go to the grocery store with her and then there are a bunch of really good free samples.

4.       Thinking you failed a test and then getting an A. I really wish this happened more often…

5.       When, for a very brief moment, you have higher grades than your sisters. When I say brief, I mean like almost a day, because the teacher entered your sister’s grades wrong, but whatever yours are still higher.

6.       Waking up to a big, delicious breakfast. With eggs and bacon and pancakes, and fruit and now I am getting hungry.

7.       After Iowa State wins!

8.       Running on a sunny, yet cool, peaceful morning. Those are the moments that make running my favorite thing to do.

9.       Peeling off plastic from something you just bought. Not really sure why this is so great, but it definitely is. Enjoy the little things.

10.   Taking a shower after you just got your haircut. Your hair feels so soft and nice.

11.      Turning your phone on and finding a bunch of texts. For me the texts are normally from my parents or my sisters and then I am disappointed, but for the few seconds that I think I have a lot of friends, it makes me very happy.

12.    Thinking that you look like crap one day and then getting a lot of compliments.

13.    When your stomach does that weird flippy thing on roller coasters. It is the best part of roller coasters. I love amusement parks.

14.    On car rides home with my family and we are all laughing and then me and my sister’s start singing really bad and annoying my parents. Probably not what most families do on car rides home, but who knows.

15.    My absolute favorite thing in the world is after the state cross country meet, when I realize that I just did well and I am attacked with hugs by my family and friends.

 

Those are my top 15 favorite things that I could think of at this moment, but I am definitely forgetting some things. There are probably a lot of things that don’t apply to people, but there are some that apply to almost everyone.

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College and Careers

It is time to sign up for classes for next year and lately everyone has been asking me what I want to do when I am older. They ask me what college I want to go to and what career I want to persue. My parents have been pushing me to look into schools and scholarships, but I don’t even have a clue where to start.

Some kids know what they want to do there whole life and other kids like me have a hard time decieding what they want to do. I know someone who has always wanted to become a doctor. I wish that it was like that for me, but instead I have to face those awkward moments when family, teachers, and random adults that somehow know my parents ask what I want to do when I am older and I just kinda stare at them for a while and then shrug my shoulders. I am making progress though and I have recently decided that I really likie biology so I might do something in the biology/medical field.

I wish that I could just run. That’s really all I want to do when I grow up. I know these to marathon runners who went to the olympic trials and get paid for running. People fly them down to a race, pay for there hotel and food and then pay them hundreds of dollars just for running in the race! My absolute, ultimate, pretty much impossible dream would be to run in the olympics and then get sponsered by Nike, but unfortunately that’s not very likely.

Picking a college and a career is hard. In the end I will probably pick a school with a good running program and that I can get a scholarship from and then I might transfer to a school that specilizes in the career that I will hopefully have decided that I want to do when I graduate college.

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Tree nut allergies= disability?

^{Tree nuts are pretty much every nut other than peanuts (which are technically not even nuts). When I was really little I ate something with nuts in it and my mouth started to feel funny, my mom took me to the doctor and I learned that I was allergic to tree nuts. Ever since my allergy to tree nuts has gotten worse, even putting me in the hospital the last time I ate them. Sometimes it is hard to deal with being allergic to nuts and there are surprisingly a lot of foods I can’t eat, but I don’t consider my allergy a big problem in my life. Most people don’t even know I am allergic to nuts and I never really think of my allergy as a disability, but two weeks ago the Iowa Appeals court ruled that anyone with a nut allergy is protected under the disability act.}

^{It all started with children not being accepted into care centers, because of their nut allergies. Shannon Knudsen sued Tiger Tots Community Child Care Center in Madrid, Iowa, in May 2011, for not accepting her child into the care center, because of her child’s allergies. The district court ruled that the Iowa Civil Rights Act does not apply to her child, the court was then appealed and it was ruled that her child was protected by Americans With Disabilities Act.}

^{Tree nut allergies have been on the rise and it is estimated that 1.8 million Americans have a tree nut allergy according to the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN). Tree nut allergies are one of the most serious allergies and are among the leading cause of fatal food reactions (FAAN). There is a large increase in people with tree nut allergies and these allergies can be very serious.}

^{Having allergies can make life more difficult and sometimes there are things that people with allergies can’t do. People with food allergies, such as tree nuts, are constantly watching what they eat and avoiding that food as much as possible. I am guessing there will be more courts around the state and country that have to make the decision on what should be counted as a disability. Dealing with tree nut allergies can be hard, but I wouldn’t consider it a disability as the court had ruled.}

 

^{“Court: Disabilities Act Covers Severe Allergies." USA Today. Gannett, n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2013}

^{”Tree Nuts." Tree Nut Allergy Facts, Symptoms. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2013.}

 

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Best Day Ever!

Friday in second period my teacher asked me what my third period class was, because a friend of his from Iowa State was visiting. He had told me that he was friends with the Iowa State coach Paul Roads and when he told me this I was ecstatic. I have always wanted to meet him. So in third period I was practicing my Chinese fan dance when all of the sudden I see Paul Roads standing next to my teacher! I ran up to him, introduced myself, and shook his hand. We talked about Memphis and my cross country running, but unfortunately I was so nervous I didn't really know what I was saying and I don't think I made much sense. I wish I could have come up with better things to say and not have sounded so stupid, but it was Paul Roads!!! How could you not be nervous? Meeting him turned my boring day into one of the best days. Paul Roads is an awesome coach!

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NFL vs. College Football

I have been raised on football, going to Iowa State games with my parents, watching the Vikings play on T.V., even going to sports bars with my dad when I was a little girl. As the years go by my love for football increases and now I watch football all the time even when I don’t have a favorite team playing or my dad isn’t around.  After all these years watching football I started to wonder whether I liked the NFL or college football better. There are many similarities between the two, but there are also many differences.

In the NFL all the players are being paid. It seems to me that when I watch NFL some of the players care more about how well they do and what their paycheck is going to be than how well their team does. They just don’t put their heart in the sport like college players do. College players are trying to make it somewhere, they want to go to the NFL, the team acts as a family and I feel there is a bigger connection between them than what you would see in a NFL team.

Another difference between the NFL and college football for me is that it is so much harder to go to a NFL game than a college game. This doesn’t apply to everyone, but college games are a lot less of a drive than NFL. College games are also normally on Saturdays, while NFL mostly Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays and NFL games are more expensive. Nothing beats going to a football game and not just watching it on T.V., but NFL games are so much harder to go to.

Playoffs are awesome! NFL has playoffs that lead to the super bowl where you can watch two of the best teams fight for the trophy, while college teams go to bowls. Don’t get me wrong, bowls are a lot of fun, but it is one fun game and then the season is over. With playoffs you get to see teams really pull through and sometimes surprise you, because they all want to make it to the super bowl.

Another thing that makes the NFL better is that there is less, “Oh Shit,” moments. NFL players are just better; there aren’t as many interceptions with an 80 yard run or missing a field goal from the 20 when there is no wind. The players are simply better, especially the defense, but it can also be very fun when it’s your team with the 60 yard run.

NFL and college football are both really fun to watch. Although I love them both, in the end I think I like college football better. NFL might have playoffs and better defense, but you can’t beat cheering in the stands and the passion that college players have and NFL players lack.

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Trail

I have probably run almost 1000 miles on the Cedar Valley Nature Trail. The trail runs all the way from Hiawatha to downtown Cedar Rapids. Scenery on the trail includes some trees along the trail, a creek, and a small polluted lake that we run around on the long days. After running on that trail for almost 1000 miles I have seen quite a bit of interesting things.

                First of all, I think I have seen more drug deals then a teenager who doesn’t do drugs should ever see. Seriously is it really a good idea to deal drugs as a bunch of runners and bikers pass by? Sometimes they deal drugs right on the trail, a guy hands some guy some money and receives a white bag, we run by them and almost choke on their strong smoke sent. Other times they do it more in the trees, they leave their bikes on the trail and you look over and see a couple men in the trees whispering and passing things back and forth.  

                Although the trail doesn’t seem like a place an animal would want to live, I have seen A LOT of animals on the trail. On Saturday mornings the trail has so many rabbits that once I almost stepped on one who decided to cross the trail at the wrong time. On morning I saw a beaver swimming in the creek and I have also seen a lot of other animals, such as snakes (mostly small snakes ran over by bikes). In the fall and summer (and for some reason this winter too) the trail surrounding the polluted lake is covered with geese and these geese are mean! They think they own the trail or something. I am slightly scared of them and have had to try multiple methods to avoid getting attacked. First I try to scream at them and make them run away, but sometimes they just hiss at you and don’t even flinch. Next if there are any bikers around I try to pass through the geese herd with them. One time I literally ran right in between two bikers who were talking and gave me the death glare the whole time, but at least I passed the vicious geese without getting attacked. If there are no bikers, and the geese won’t move I am normally forced to run right through the geese yelling and acting like a crazy maniac as I try to avoid the monstrous geese. There are many animals on the trail that make my runs a little bit more interesting.

                There are also a lot of homeless people on the trail. There is a bridge that we call the Hobo Bridge where there are always a lot of sleeping bags and large cups and in the summer there are homeless people up there too. I once saw a homeless person meditating on the train tracks with his sleeping bag and large cup sitting next to him. There was also a bed of sheets and blankets laying on the trail once and our coach said would give us 5$ for laying on it, but no one dared to take his offer.

                My coach normally rides his bike while we run on the trail and decided to grow a beard his year, so he looked really creepy. One time a lady started biking right next to us. We were really confused and then she turned to us and quietly said “do you guys know that man behind you,” we didn’t really know what she was talking about so she repeated in a louder voice, “do you guys know that man that is following you,” we all started laughing and told her he was our coach.

                We have had some very interesting times on the trail and seen some very interesting things. Although sometimes it can be a little scary it’s a lot of fun.

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