Charleston (one day and one day only!)

I arrived in Charleston on Sunday evening. My old teammate and friend from high school, Amy, put me up for 2 nights in her new apartment. On Monday morning, I left her place with a backpack and my GPS, ready for a day of exploring. This was the first time I was really on my own in a city for vacation. It was kind of exciting! First thing I did was drive to the visitor center of Charleston. I parked my car there and picked up a map. Then I set out on a walking tour of Charleston. I saw some historic houses, churches, the waterfront. I walked down the 2 streets with the most shopping. There were so many stores! I mostly just looked, but went inside a few. Now, I always have said that one day I would splurge and spend money on Lululemon running clothes. I’ve window shopped many times, not finding any one item that I loved enough to pay the steep price for. Monday was the day I finally did it. I found some shorts that I loved. In fact, it was a tough decision narrowing down the ones I liked, but I selected one pair and got them. I was slightly nervous as I checked out, paranoid that my bank card would be rejected or something. But a few minutes later, I was walking out of the store with one of their special Lululemon tote bags that you get with a purchase. It was a day of small thrills like that. I finished walking the streets, not going in many other places because I spent all my money already. I did walk in one bakery just to enjoy the cupcake aroma for a moment and then left. I had walked pretty far by lunchtime, so I returned to my car and took to my next destination: the beach.

I arrived in Folly Beach to find it pretty busy. It was hard to find parking. I ended up paying more than I wanted to for that. I went to a café and had a pretty tasty sandwich, dining by myself is kind of fun sometimes. The rest of the afternoon I spent lying on the beach. I read a book, soaked up some rays, and swam around a bit.

That evening I met my friend Huck for dinner. He took me to a place in Charleston that I really liked called the Black Bean Co. If you ever find yourself in the city, check it out for some great wraps. At this point I was pretty tired. That was a long day for me, but I covered the area pretty well in 12 hours. This morning I headed back to Decatur. Just 10 days til I return to Tallahassee! And I’m really excited to get back to my friends there and start school again.

A Weekend at the Lake

My family and I went on vacation this weekend (a mini vacation since we could not afford extra time off work and school). We rented a cabin in the woods near Lake Rabun, in Georgia. We learned about Lake Rabun from an issue of Southern Living magazine. Probably the only time we have vacationed at a location recommended in a magazine! And it was pretty cool. We made it into an inexpensive trip, but some most of the homes on the lake were gorgeous places with boathouses as large as our regular house. Upon arriving Friday afternoon, we drove around checking the area out, went to a country store with every kind of jam imaginable, and dined at the Lake Rabun Hotel without reservations where Mathew made friends with a cat. Our place, dubbed Black Bear Cabin was small, but charming, with everything we needed (i.e. a tv to watch the Olympics). It had a river in the backyard and deck with rocking chairs. Only one small problem: It was raining as I fell asleep Friday night and raining when I woke up Saturday morning.

Our plans for Saturday morning were zip-lining at a place called Sunburst Stables (yep, they had horses too but I stayed away from them). We showed up despite the rain, and let me tell you, it was a ton of fun anyway! Even though, we were outside for 2 hours, we didn’t even end up too wet. It was our first time at this activity, but the place gave us a great experience, and we even had enough courage to flip upside down on the last few lines. Perhaps my favorite part was the beginning though. They staff loaded us into a war craft vehicle that was previously used for German troups and drove us out to the woods. The road got rough, really rough. I mean really, really bumpy. We were flying all over the place. There were 11 of us total in the back, and 2 guides in the trailer of it. At first, I couldn’t believe the crazy obstacle course we were roving on, but it turned out to be a blast!

I would highly recommend zip-lining to anyone. It’s an adventurous activity that you don’t have to have a ton of guts to do. It’s a great way to enjoy the outdoors, even for someone with a slight injury like mine. I’m not going to be running for at least 3 more weeks, but I still got to go gliding though the woods.

It continued to rain, so we did not rent a boat and go out on the lake like we hoped. But we were happy to hang out at the cabin watching tv and baking brownies. When the rain finally did subside, we went to a funny little place called Goats on the Roof. It was just what it sounds like: goats hanging out on a roof. And visitors get to send food and watch the goats from below. We took pictures and bought some fudge. It was an amusing place that killed a little time.

Sunday morning, we toured Tallulah Falls a bit. Tallulah is a historical gorge that had some pretty nice views (and lots of stairs). The second half of my day, I spent driving to Charleston for an extra day of vacation there, while my family returned to Decatur.

It turns out that the cabin kitchen was pretty well stocked, so a blender was available to me. I didn’t count on that though, so I did not plan to make smoothies while there. I did throw one together Sunday morning with a banana, some blueberries, ginger and coconut water.

Let's Tri This Again

Today I was something that I don’t often call myself: a spectator. The triathlon I signed up for a few months ago became out of the question last week after injuring myself, so this morning I found myself on the sidelines with my brother as my parents competed. Kind of backwards, I know!

2 weeks ago I was excited. I was starting to put in some higher volume training. I was feeling like I’d set a pr come this race.

Then, my birthday came and I found myself unable to do my favorite activity. My shin bothered me and since it didn’t clear up in a few days I got a bone scan to check things out. In the meantime I was swimming and biking to keep up. Until, I managed to pull some muscle in my hip. As I struggled to walk for a few days, it became apparent that I would not be able to take any part of the triathlon other than watching.

I spent several days inside in a sour mood. I tried to talk myself into a good attitude but it wasn’t working. Today I figured out why. I sometimes take myself too seriously. I was putting way too much pressure on myself and it took me watching 600 other people having fun to figure it out. I made this cross country season an all or nothing thing, sitting out last year and taking nothing in hopes that this year I would get it all (a dream season that is). I wanted to have my cake and eat it too. Determined to catch up to the rest of the NCAA all in one summer, I started training like crazy. 50, 60, 70 miles. Too much asphalt. Crash!

I didn’t pace myself. I made a rookie mistake in my fifth year of college running. That fact is what horrified me the most. I don’t have the results of the bone scan back yet to know whether it’s a fracture or not. Either way, once I get back to training, I’ll have to take it slower. I can't force things to happen. There are no short cuts in this sport. I may not run as fast as I anticipated this fall. But I’ll take that over not running at all.

Even though I did not race today, I made a mocha frappe worthy of getting me going at 5 am:

1 frozen banana

1 scoop Choc-a-lot Vega Energizing Smoothie

1 packet Starbucks Via instant coffee

1 tsp maca

¾ cup almond milk

8 ice cubes

What does a smoothie girl do on her birthday??

Make a birthday cake smoothie?

Nah, that's been done.

How about a smoothie with all her favorite things?

Bingo!

It just so happened that we had most of my favorites in the house, so I combined them all for one celebratory breakfast concoction.

Here's the line-up:

• 1/2 cup watermelon
• 1/4 of an avocado
• 2 thick slices of cucumber
• 1 spoonful chocolate flax oil
• 1 spoonful chocolate peanut butter
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1 spoonful Hershey's dark cocoa
• a dash of cinnamon
• 1/2 of a banana
• 3 strawberries
• 2 pitted medjool dates
• 2 shelled walnuts
• 2 spoonfuls old fashioned oats
• 1 spoonful wheat germ
• 3 almond milk ice cubes

Into the blender everything went.

 

The result.

 

So, did it taste good?

 

 

Does this answer your question?

 

 

My horoscope today says: Few work harder than you to make other people's lives better in rather obvious ways. Gifts and surprises will trickle in over the next four weeks. There's a financial boost in August. You'll commune with nature in September. A windfall happens in January. Taurus and Libra people adore you.

I hope this is true.

I'm Running to Your Arms

As a Christian runner I struggle with what value my sport holds in my life. As my teammate Amanda Winslow likes to say "I'm not running for a win." Because here's the thing: I know that God doesn't care if I win a foot race or not. He has offered a prize that is much greater than an All-American or Olympic medal.

Today as I was running, I started reminiscing some great moments I've had in my still-short running career. I do this sometimes to make it through a boring or tiring run. I replayed the day I won the ACC Steeplechase Championship in my head. One of my favorite memories I keep is when Coach Harvey came sprinting across the field and lifted me off the ground in congratulations and we were both just elated.

I wish that will happen again. Please happen again. Please happen again. What if it never happens again?!

Then it struck me. It WILL happen again. Just not in the same place I imagine it. It will be when I get to heaven. Jesus will scoop me up with a greater joy and excitement than I have ever felt from winning a race. From this image my pace on the trail quickens. I will face the prize I've truly been training for my whole life. And it will have little to do with the miles and times I ran. To be sure, 1 Corinthians 9:24 is not about a 10k (although some people will twist it that way). It's about the race of a lifetime.

"Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever." 1 Corinthians 9:25 begins the rest of the story.

What happens on the trails, how my training goes, or where I finish in my next race does not determine failure or success. I'll only fail if I don't live God's words. I'll only fail if I don't love. I'll only fail if I ignore God's plan for me.

After these images and thoughts play out, I look down at my watch. I've just clocked the fastest mile of my run...

Today's smoothie was something new to me:
2 figs, picked straight off my Dad's fig tree
1/4 cup cooked Jasmati rice
1/2 cup chocolate soymilk
ice cubes

Turn Around, Silly

Today on my run I was heading into some wind, and I, getting tired and frustrated, asked God, "Why does there have to be this stupid wind pushing against me?" He replied, "I actually have blessed you with the wind, just turn around silly!" So I did. That makes me wonder what other solutions are right under my nose...

Anyway, today's smoothie was green:
1 cup turnip greens
1/2 of a banana
1 stalk of celery
1 spoonful of maca
1 spoonful of ground flaxseed
a drop of almond extract
1/2 cup of almond milk

Hello July

It sure is heating up around here! This morning's run was the sweatiest yet and afterward I spent $1.75 on a homemade ice bath. I've been lazy and spending most of the time inside the air-conditioned house, but I am looking forward to this month. This week, I'm adding more miles to my summer running routine. My family will be attending 2 weddings. Mom, Dad, and I are preparing for a small triathlon on the 21st. After that, I'm hoping to take a one-night camping trip with my brother to Birmingham, which will entail a challenging run in Oak Mountain State Park. Oh, and I turn 22 this month! Tonight, we are kicking off July with dinner on the grill: ribs, black bean burgers made by me, and corn on the cob. I'll be watching the last night of the Olympic Track Team Trials on TV. The Olympics could not have come at a better time. Just the inspiration I needed to fire me up for my last year running at FSU.

This morning's smoothie was one of my more simple ones:
1/2 an avocado
a handful of strawberries
a handful of raspberries
a scoop of Vega vanilla almondilla energizing smoothie
spoonful of maca
1/2 cup almond milk
Served in a frosty mug with a mint chocolate JD Bar :)