The Adventure Begins!

Well here I am. Its my last day in Temecula before I leave for school. My room is packed, my walls are bare, my garage is filled with boxes. It is all so strange. I know I'm prepared for this change I just can't believe its time. As I ran the Butterfield Stage Park four mile loop today I was really able to push the pace, and I know that with my high tec watch in hand I am physically prepared to run at the next level, its the mental stuff that will prove more difficult. I am sad to be leaving all the typical running spots like Butterfield. It is a beautiful place to run, and I know some would disagree after all the hard workouts which have taken place on those dirt trails, but the memories I have there are beautiful to me. I'd say thats a lot like how I feel leaving my teammates at Great Oak. We truly did go through some super hard times together, but it is the memories that made the overall experience so beautiful to me.
As I move onto what some would say are "bigger and better" things, I will not let go of what I have learned at Great Oak. I always used to wear this necklace; my mom gave it to my before the Manhattan Invitational in New York. It read: "BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF BELIEVING". It was a beautiful necklace that I sadly since then have misplaced. In my senior year of cross country and track I wore it always till the last couple minutes before a race (dont wanna get DQ'd). That necklace was a source of inspiration to me whenever I looked at it it reminded me that I could do anything I believed I could do! Though I no longer have the physical reminder, the power behind that phrase was evident in our season. I mean winning the state title? going to NXN? breaking 5 minutes in the mile? All amazing! But thats what this blog will hopefully be all about...using things from our past to improve our future. I know as I go on I will always remember the power that is behind believing :). B-elieve Y-our U-nbelievable is not only an acronym for BYU, it is purposefully reflective of the phrase on that necklace to remind all of you of your potential. I hope to in this blog reflect on things from my past at Great Oak and use them to my advantage at the colligate level. In turn I hope it will help some of you to reach your dream of running in college. And what would my one piece of advice to you be as you continue in your life as a runner? In all aspects of your life...BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF BELIEVING! (trust me :) it works!)