Hello readers, Lately I've been searching for a cause to dive into that helps change peoples' lives. The cause I am interested in is supplying clean water to those in need. Above is a video on mycharitywater.org a organization I have recently joined and set up a profile on. 100 percent of the donations go towards providing men, women, and children with clean water. More information can be found at http://www.charitywater.org/whywater/. The first time I thought about wasting water was in sixth grade. I would leave the faucet running the entire time I brushed my teeth. Little did I know how fortunate I was for the accessibility to water. Now 10 years later I've made strides to decrease the amount of waste I produce (mostly not buying bottled drinks especially bottled water). However, I've been wasting and ignoring the fact 1 billion people do not have access to clean water. I take too long of showers, run the water too long while washing dishes, I drink water from the sink and empty my cup if I do not want the rest, and I overestimate the amount I need for coffee, tea, hot chocolate, etc. which gets dumped down the sink. All of these instances I waste water I cannot help but think of the families and individuals who do not have the opportunity to waste the way I do. Many families and individuals do not have access to water at all. My actions of showering, washing dishes, drinking water from the faucet, and using water for hot beverages are a luxury compared to these families' and individual's necessity of water to survive. These are the individuals who walk to get there water, carrying containers on their heads and backs. Using hours every day and placing themselves in danger to bring water to their community and families rather than being able to learn how to write, read, attend school, or care for their families. We all need water to survive. I hope to raise as much donations as possible so people do not continue to die from the lack of access to clean water. I look forward to telling you all more about my plans to raise money for clean water. I do plan to intertwine running and campaigning. More news to come soon. Stay Joyful, Jess
I know I've abandoned you once again but I promise I will try to keep in touch more often. This semester has grabbed on to me and will not let me go. Two months have passed already and I have so much to tell you. Basically, many of my days seem to roll into one short week. My weeks are jam packed with classes and work; I am keeping myself busy. Along with school I have had so much fun with friends and family. My parents and Angel visited mid-September and my friend Sandra visited two weekends ago. I also went back home to Wisconsin about a month ago for Angel's birthday which is always a great time when I get to see Angel. There is nothing like the comfort of your own bed as well. So my plan for this post is to throw in some pictures of these events in my life. If you are wondering about my running/workout schedule, yes, I did go astray; however, I began 2 weeks ago and I am going strong.
My mom and I in the kitchen where she made an amazing chicken pot pie!
First latte in Seattle, it exceeded my expectations.
Carmella and I
We ran into some Boston fans, well they ran into us. The day the Pats played the Sea hawks. Unfortunately, the Pats ended up losing but the fans were happy and optimistic in the beginning.
Joel, Carmella, and I bowling for Angel's birthday.
Angel's coolness exceeds every one's coolness by far.
Angel, Nicole, and Carmella bowling.
Sandra, myself, and Sam at Acapulco during Sandra's visit.
These events in my life helped break a part the rush of school and work. I am so thankful and blessed to have friends and family who care about me and love me as much as they do. I am forever grateful and love you all!
This was a quick post to update you and I look forward to updating my blog more often. Thanksgiving break is coming up in a week and a half which I am pumped for. I hope everyone is having a great weekend and year so far. The fall season is slowly turning into winter and I am mentally preparing myself for the cold. Although I feel I will never fully acclimate to the Midwest winters.
Happy Sunday Everyone, I've survived the second week of school which is great because I can continue writing this blog. Lucky you! No, but in all seriousness I appreciate the readers who have been keeping up on my life. I hope my writing is somewhat entertaining, informative, and motivational to those who run or write. Let's be real as an English major I love what I do which is writing and reading. For my Creative Writing poetry class this semester our professor is having us keep a journal to carry around with us at all times. We can write our reading reactions to poems, everyday occurrences, etc. in order to reach the 3 page weekly minimum of writing. This is not an issue for me because I regularly write my thoughts and poetry down, whether in a text message to myself, in a notebook, or on the computer. I prefer a good old fashioned notebook and pencil myself. I find often that I will think of lines to a poem while riding my bike or laying in bed. These are times where I need something to write on or the idea will soon escape my mind. In summary, I urge you to keep a journal of some kind to get your ideas, thoughts, everyday events, times that made you happy, frustrations, and or your workout regimen onto a permanent file. A place where you can look back and read about your own life so you won't get lost in the shuffle of our busy world. We all know that it's a fast paced world we're living in. So I'm asking, If you don't take the time to remember and reflect on the day or even the week then what are you really living for?
Enough philosophical thoughts for one post. I had another great week of running/working out. I haven't mentioned before but not only do I run but I incorporate biking for about 20 minutes on Rolling Hills setting to get more of a leg workout. I know I really should start working other parts of my body with weightlifting and ab exercises but I have not yet. I need to build strength in my arms more specifically; push ups are definitely my weakness. My running is summarized below: Total Miles: 22 Word Count Goal: 1320 Mileage Goal for Next Week: 22 or +
Monday, which was Labor Day, I forgot my watch at my apartment so the recording and picture is not available. Instead I just remembered the treadmill information which was3.1 milesin 30 minutesbeginning with a9:40 pace. I accomplished my goal of increasing my pace that I set in my last post. The week just got better from Monday on.
Tuesday I ran on the treadmill for 3.5 miles after my classes, work, and a Sigma Tau Delta Meeting (English Club on campus). I'm extremely excited for participating this year as I was only able to go Spring semester after coming back to MSUM from Massachusetts. I am mostly excited for the International Convention which is every year in March. So many people are gathered in one place who share the same love for reading and writing. Creative writing pieces and critical work are presented as well as well known authors. The last two years 5 students were able to go each year. After fund raising each person only paid 100 dollars out of pocket for 5 days in a hotel plus the plane ticket. Well, this year the convention is in Portland, OR! One of the places on my list that I want to visit. So if I participate in fund raising, attending meetings, etc. I hope to be in Portland, OR in March.
Wednesday I ran a little over 3.1 on the treadmill and biked about 10 minutes on the bike.
On
Thursday my morning class was cancelled at 9:30 so I was able to run with two
new friends at 8:45 in downtown Fargo.
I’m usually not a morning runner because I feel like it’s harder for me
to run after 7 or so hours of laying still; another mental hill to get
over. I need to get used to the idea of
running in case my week days get too busy and I’m forced to run early in the
morning before my 8:30 class. I really
enjoyed running on Wednesday because I am not a regular runner around the
downtown area, I usually stay in the radius of my school. Being with
other people pushed me to pick up my pace.
I ran 4 miles at a 9 minute pace instead of a 9:40 and had some great
conversation at the same time!
Now
this also means that I need to maintain or increase my pace of 9 minutes
because I was not pushing myself hard enough with the 9:40. GOALS GOALS GOALS are hard to set and even harder to beat. But starting Monday the treadmill will be set
at a 9 minute pace, promise.
On Fridays for the month of September my hours of the day are scheduled to perfection.
Class 8:30-9:20
Write Cite 9:30-12:30
Work 1:30-12:00am
This means I get up at 6 am to fit my run in, which I did. I tried my best to maintain a pace of 9 minutes. There’s something about waking up and running outside knowing that in most of the houses people are still sleeping while you run by. I was thinking of my day ahead and how blessed I am to have the opportunity to attend college and have two good jobs. Friday mornings I will use to reflect upon life.
Saturday I worked another 10 hour shift and instead of running outside when I finished I decided to mix it up and do a round of Insanity. I lasted about 2 and a half weeks of Insanity during this past summer before I stopped/became lazy. This workout was a good mix up from my regular running routine. I figured it wouldn't hurt to work other muscles on top of cardio in replace of my usual run.
And now I've reached Sunday and the day is quickly coming to an end. I had such a lovely day today with my sister in the beginning and friends later on. Doing homework with Carmella is one of the blessings I have in my life. Later on in the day my boyfriend Joel and I went over to our friend's apartment and a bunch of us made soup! I don't think we ever settled on a name, Dirty hairy foot was in the works. Believe me it tasted much better than it sounds! We all chipped in and brought various ingredients, mostly fresh veggies, and it came out amazingly good. It's great to spend my Sunday relaxing with good company and chit-chatting about life. We also went to Church afterwards which I find to be the perfect way to end a weekend. Now I'm ready for another week packed full of fun.
I hope you all had a fulfilling week and have a good week ahead of you. If you haven't seen this video I'm going to make you smile for 46 seconds. Enjoy!
I did not post this on Sunday because technically it is still the weekend. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it! I hope those who had the holiday off enjoyed their three day weekend. I completed my goal of mileage this week with the info below. The first week of school has come and gone but it has not reached the highest point of busyness just yet. This week I start working in the Write Site which will cut 9 more hours out of my week. I'm much better with a routine though and having a routine compiled of class, work, meetings, working out, and homework keeps me on track. I hope to not procrastinate much this semester because then I get stressed, and who likes being stressed? Not me.
Total Miles: 20.6 Word Count Goal: 1,236 Mileage Goal for Next Week: 20.6 or +
My future is looking brighter and brighter with every passing day. I have my family, friends, and God to thank for it. I met with my advisor and switched my major to dual English and Mass Communications along with a Certificate in Publishing. After this semester I have 10 more classes to graduate and I feel much better adding on the Mass Communications major. I decided it was best to take advantage of the classes offered while I am still in school; especially since I declared my major two years into school. So far I am loving my 3 Mass Communication classes and 3 English classes. Although Summer is rapidly coming to an end I am accepting Fall with open arms. Things I am looking forward to this semester: *Family Visit: My mom, dad, and Angel visiting me the third weekend of September. They are bringing my cats who are staying with us for 6 months. It is going to be great to have my sisters around us again (they are 14) and to fight over which one sleeps on our bed.
*Faith: I've recently opened my heart up to God and I look forward to learning as much as possible and devoting myself to Him. Every day I learn something new and I have met so many new and wonderful friends who are helping me. I am reminded constantly of how blessed I am. *The Fall:Pumpkin pie and pumpkin spiced lattes to warm me inside and out.
I love when the leaves change and the air gets crisp.
The decorations for Thanksgiving and Halloween are the cutest. *Seattle: Trip to Seattle, WA during Fall breather. I'm going to visit a place I've never visited before. Exploring the town and getting coffee at as many coffee shops as possible is my plan. *Thanksgiving Dinner: Does this need any more explanation? I've already bought spaghetti squash to make this week because I'm craving Thanksgiving food. My parents will not be in Wisconsin this Thanksgiving so I do not know who I will be eating with. Although I won't be with all of my family I have so much to be thankful for in my life.
Nicole and I during Fall Breather 2010
*Running outside: Nothing is better than taking in the scenery of the colorful leaves and decorations during a run.
After this week of running I am increasing my endurance and am looking forward to increasing my mileage. Along with running more miles I am also going to work on my pace. This last week I ran at a pace of 9:50 and this week I am running at a pace of 9:40. Now that I am running again I have to make sure that I do not stay at a comfortable pace. I need to push myself during times when I do not think I can keep going. Breaking down running barriers is something I stride towards.
Not only is running an important part of my life but I make sure to put the right fuel into my body so I can perform at my best. Fruits and vegetables make up a large part of my diet as well as whole grains and protein from egg whites. I am trying to cut down on my meat consumption even though I don't eat white meat a lot and I rarely eat red meat. Through out the day I eat around 6 small meals instead of 3 large meals and I make sure to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. I don't believe in diets because once a diet is over people tend to crash and over consume the foods that were previously cut out of their lives. Another important aspect of eating right is eating in moderation. Of course I crave chocolate, ice cream, and cookies because I am human! The best feeling is when I eat healthy and after a couple of weeks I no longer crave sugar as much. Instead of candy bars or cookies I would rather have fresh fruit or oatmeal with a tablespoon of peanut butter. The runs below are from a mixture of running on the treadmill and running outside. Friday and Saturday took some self convincing to go for a run because of the two long shifts at work. Afterward I always question myself why I would not want to run because I feel energized and refreshed every time.
Words of Wisdom:
Don't ever stop pushing yourself because you're afraid you will become tired. Always push yourself because you want to become tired; sprinting and gasping for breath. Pushing yourself leads to better workouts in which you improve and exceed your own expectations.
I hope every one's September is getting off to a great start. Whether you are starting a new semester or you're working I hope you are looking forward to the Fall just as much as I am. If you're stressing out already (I hope not) I suggest some exercising or taking time out of the day to do something for yourself. Stay Joyful, Jess
Hello Blog World, I am extremely excited to write this entry, particularly because it is my first week running on a regular basis. Yes. I, Jess, a runner for 2 years straight, logging in over 1500 miles, went on a 3 month hiatus from running. I do not know how it got this bad, actually I do, I just did not run. Pretty simple to fix it once you figure out the problem. I wanted to take the time in this post to acknowledge some of those who have inspired me to run and those who continue to help me accomplish my goals.
Total Miles: 20.1 Word Count Goal: 1,206 Mileage Goal for Next Week: 20.1 or +
The Coffee Shop :)
Let's take it back to the Fall of 2011 when I participated in National Student Exchange through my college. I attended Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. I was originally supposed to be in MA for a year; however, do to money (what else) and personal reasons I decided to return to my home at MSUM for the spring semester. My time in MA went by fast and I learned a lot about myself, others, my family, and coffee. I reached one of my goals of working in a coffee shop, which was amazing. I am so blessed that Jared, the owner of The Better Bean Coffee Co., hired me even though he knew I was only going to be in MA for a school year. You can imagine how bad I felt after I told him I was leaving in December instead. I could talk about my job for hours because of the wonderful people I became friends with or just met as they bought a cup of coffee.
The road races I ran in MA.
One person who I am truly grateful for is Doug, one of the regulars at the coffee shop. Doug usually came in every night around 8 pm to get a cup of decaf coffee with cream and no sugar. When we first met I mentioned to him that I was running in one of the 5Ks being arranged on campus that weekend. From then on we found out road races were a shared love. Thanks to Doug I ran the most road races I have in MA. I can also thank the amazing weather the East Coast has to offer because I ran outside all the way up to December when I left. One thing I'm going to miss when I am forced to run inside at the end of September here in Minnesota. Anyways, Doug helped me push my limits that I previously set with road races. For some reason I had it stuck in my mind that my body can only run 3.1 miles at a time. I was also stuck in the same pace I had for a year, an 8 minute 20 second mile. Doug told me that your body gets used to running at a pace and that I needed to do interval training to decrease my time.
First official road race over 3.1 miles, a 5 mile race.
So I took Doug's advice and started interval training on the treadmill at the gym. I would run my regular pace of 8 minutes and 20 seconds for 3.1 miles, ride the bike at random hill setting level 12 for 20 minutes, then I would run another 3.1 miles switching from jogging at a 10 minute pace to running at an 8 minute pace. My work paid off because the next road race on campus was a 5K and I set my new Personal Record of a 24 minutes and 20 seconds. I was ecstatic and ready to push myself to the next level. I set a goal for myself to run the Fargo Half Marathon in May of 2012. I knew I had to increase my weekly mileage, or at least run more than 3.1. I told this to Doug and he informed me about the Victoria L. Mosier 5 Mile Run in which the money went to Homes for Out Troops. You can go to this website to check out the cause or make a donation www.homesforourtroops.org . I loved this cause and I loved the fact that I could train for a 5 mile run which would finally push me past the comfort zone of the 5K. I met Doug at the race and I successfully completed with a time of 39 minutes 45 seconds, which meant I also succeeded in keeping my 8 mile pace. There is nothing like the feeling of accomplishment and that day no one could wipe the smile off of my face. The race was actually held in Raynham, MA which is the town my aunt and uncle live in. After the race I drove over to their house and had dinner. I showed off the medal I got and texted my mom, dad, and sisters. It was truly a perfect day for me.
I have so many great memories from that one semester in MA. The impact of everyone who entered my life during those short 5 months will remain with me forever. Shout out to Jacqui, Kara, Kelly H., Jared, Doug, Mark, and Kelsey K (My Better Bean Family). I hope everyone is doing good and I appreciate you for making me feel so welcome in a new environment and being great friends. More stories to come about Bridgewater in later posts I am sure! So, I started running this week. I am amazed at the human body and what it can do. I mean really think about running and how we can constantly be moving for 30 minutes for a 5K or 4 hours for a Marathon. My first run on Monday went like this:
After not running for 3 months I was able to run a 5K on the treadmill at the Wellness Center. I do not normally like running on the treadmill; however, running on the treadmill makes it easier for me to curb the urge to stop. I like to run outside or around the track because I get to see new surroundings every step. Below is the 5K run I also did on the treadmill on Tuesday.
Wednesday through Saturday I ran outside because the Wellness was closed.
I pushed through and the feelings of running outside all rushed back to
me. I remembered why I love running and why I love running around the F/M
area. I cannot thank my sister Nicole enough for running with me outside
most of the days. I am so grateful to have sisters that have the same
passion for working out, running, and eating healthy like I do. Because
of them I have a strong support group around me 24/7 and we can keep each other
in check. If there is a time that I do not feel like running Nicole will
say to me, "Hey let's go" and I will do the same for her. TIP: If you are having a hard time beginning to exercise my advice is to also find a person or a group of people that exercise too. You will be able to push each other like my sisters and I push each other. If you do not have someone like that in your life you may also want to be in an environment where exercising is encouraged, such as a gym or park where others are working out or running. You will find out just being in the environment will give you a comforting feeling, a sense of belonging. I am having a relaxing Sunday working on this post, drinking delicious coffee, and listening to music. I also went to Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch thrift store and bought a potato masher, a cool pair of earrings, and a couple scarfs. (thrift stores are my weakness I am bound to buy something) I hope you had a great week and are having a relaxing Sunday as well.
I am going to start off with my past blog record, which for a short stint during my freshman year in college lasted about a month. After the first month I did not have the motivation to write. The motivation I did have often led to either pessimistic complaints or "poor me" stories. I do not know about you, but I sure would not want to read a Blog with those vibes. So, after 2 years of maturity and growing up (don't worry I'm not that mature) I decided to make this new and hopefully inspirational blog. "My Week In Miles" works as so, every week I will write 60 words for every mile I run. I will post regularly on Sundays which are my running rest days.
The summer of 2010, the summer of my freshman year, I decided I needed a change. I needed a change in my life in order to feel better about myself, my future, and my state of mind. What better change to make than exercise? My particular poison, running of course. I ran my first official 5K in January of 2010 because my RA and one of my best friends (Am) Erica heard about this race and asked if I wanted to join the group who had already signed up. Running for a great cause, "Sub Zero for Sub Sahara 5K", of building Wells for those in Africa who did not have easy access to water. Imagine not having the convenience of turning the faucet on to wash dishes or living in a place where dying from dehydration is an epidemic not a "once in a while" occurrence. I happily paid 30 dollars and ran in the cold of January for 30 minutes. "Freezing Ours to Save Theirs!" became the motto of the road race. I am thankful my biggest worry that day was running my first official race on an icy surface. I became officially addicted to running once I crossed the finish line and found out my time.
(Am) Erica and I after the race.
Mid-May I bought a nifty Nike + Sport Band which can be conveniently found here: http://store.nike.com/us/en_us/?l=shop,pdp,ctr-inline/cid-1/pid-364253/pgid-275946 This watch motivated me to run and maybe it will seem interesting or help some of you. The shoe sensor is either placed in the bottom of your Nike + Running shoe or can be attached to any pair of your favorite running shoe laces with a small sensor case. The watch will track the time, mileage, pace, time elapsed during a run, and calories burned. Then once you are done with your run the USB attachment is plugged into your computer and the Nike + website stores all of your runs. The website also provides a running community where you can set goals for yourself, look up other friends who use the Nike + Sport Band, or simply look forward to uploading your next run.
All through the summer of 2010 I made major strides in my exercise regimen and running endurance. The beginning showed difficulties, but determination and will power proved to be stronger than my urge to give up. After a month or so I looked forward to running a 5K every 6 out of the 7 days of the week. In fact, I felt horrible if I missed a day of running, especially if it was do to clear laziness. After a year of running on a regular basis I declared myself a "Runner." Believe me when I tell you this, all throughout High School and my Freshman year in college I claimed to HATE running with a passion. Now I cannot get enough of it. Change can be for the better, even if you've rejected the idea your entire life. This is not the end of my story because it is simply the beginning. I will add bits and pieces along the way. I do have to save some details for Sunday, I am working toward a 1080 word post after all!
Currently listening to Punch Brothers-This Girl on YouTube.
