Soaring

"When the Prayers Go Up, The Blessings Come Down!"

Hello Readers!

It's been an exciting couple of weeks! I have to catch up with you guys before anything else happens. Lol. My family and I have themes for every month, this month is "When the Prayers go up, The Blessings come down" :o) And boy have they been coming down!! I'll start with my family life and then move to track.

I went to visit my family for Mother's Day/ My mom's birthday! My mom's birthday is the 7th and my brother had the bright idea to surprise her and have all her children together. We haven't all been together since last September when my grandfather passed away. Since we have 3 newborns in the family I was extra pressed to go and lucky I could. I was only there for 2 days but 2 days are better than none. Lol. It was an absolute delight to see my family and the babies! All them are so cute <3

I'm finally getting out in Atlanta... A little bit Lol. I've been hanging out with my teammates and attempting to meet people. Which is good for me because I am definitely anti-social. Now that it's warm outside I have no reason not to see the best of Atlanta! I'm in a great city and it would be such a shame not to explore it!!

Trackside... And we have lift off!!!

As you all know, (At least those who have read my other posts) I have had a very rough and rocky start into the professional track and field world. From injuries to just plain bad races it wasn't as smooth as a transition as I would have liked BUT finally a break-through! I went to Clemson on the 7th and doubled running both the 100 hurdles and the 400 hurdles. So, warming up for the 100 hurdles, I felt GREAT! I was moving over them and just feeling awesome, def thought I was going to set a new p.r. (personal record) but maybe I went over just one time too many or maybe my mind was too focused on me killing everybody because I surely got out there and ran 13.4 smh and tied for 3rd. I was feeling so down and out I didn't know how I was going to come back and run the 400 hurdles. I was just praying and praying because my spirits were low. I didn't even consult my coach while I was warming up for them. And then... Magic. I don't know if it was because all I was thinking about was getting out to the first hurdle (so I wouldn't get yelled at) and picking it up at the 200 or if it was because I was so down I didn't have any chance to over think but it happened. Everything just went together, no stutter steps, no weird jumping motion just a smooth (for the most part still have things to work on) race. =D I p.r.'d and ran 56.7!!!! And won :D

The next weekend (5/13-14) I headed back to Clemson this time to run the 100 hurdles and the open 400. It was a two day meet this time. I was feeling pretty good warming up for the hurdles but when I got in the race I noticed my lack of speed :/ I couldn't switch gears for some reason and ended up running ANOTHER 13.4 :o( I was super, super sad about it and frustrated. I was ashamed to call myself a professional athlete! :Embarrassed Face: But the next day I came back determined to run faster and super focused! I ran 13.25. My 4th best time ever and I would've been satisfied if the wind wasn't illegal (ERRRRRRRRRRR!!!!). In some races in track and field the wind can only blow 2.0 and under for the time to count. The wind was 2.7 during my race -____- I'll take it tho. I forced myself to switch gears but I couldn't hold it for long :/ And ended up losing my momentum on the last few hurdles. I'm just happy my time came down and I'm not far from my p.r. After the race I was suppose to run the open 400 but my right hamstring was supppperrr tight so I scratched.

It remained tight until Wednesday (Yesterday). I had a deep tissue massage on Tuesday (:Pain Face:) that knocked the tightness out but I was still a little sore on Wednesday but today I feel better and was able to sprint over some short hurdles at practices :D

Well, my coach set up some meets for me in Europe for the next couple of weeks (Blessing!). So I'll be heading over on the 25th and coming back... TBA... Lol. But my first meet will be in Dakar, Senegal (Africa), then St. Polten, Austria. Big things are happening! Just gotta keep working hard :D

3 Races, 2 Meets, 1 Rookie

"Good people go through a lot of tests and trials. Each hurdle they pass makes them one step closer to their dreams."

Hey Readers!

I've just been a busy little rookie Lol. I meant to write a blog right after I came back from Jamaica but I didn't get a chance and before I knew it I was on my way to Kansas. Well I guess first I'll talk about my trip to Jamaica mon. Lol.

Jamaica was a great experience! I've never been before so I was super excited (As you all know)!!! I went to Kingston so it wasn't like the tourist part, which if you know me you'd know that wasn't a bad thing. I like to get to see the culture of different places, not the Americanized version. Kingston was great I got to see the slums a little bit and the uppity part. I almost missed my flight going there tho O_O! My training partner and I was running through the airport like Home Alone 1 hahaha I swear as many times as I've been to the Atlanta airport it has NEVER been as crowded as it was that Friday!!! And on the way back we got delayed! We were suppose to arrive at 5:30/6 and I didn't touch down until 11:30 -__- We got to the airport at 10:30. Anyways, about my races.

The 400 hurdle race. Well there was some good news and some bad news. The good news is I won my race!!! Yay! And I got a trophy and flowers and got to stand on the podium and if you know me, you know I love to smile and wave. Lmao! The bad news is I was the only person in the race. Smh. Yes, I ran the whole race alone. It was originally 4 of us. 2 girls scratched and the other girl.... Well I was in lane 4 and she was in lane 5 and she fell over the first hurdle. So the whole race I was like REALLY!! I have to run alone! I thought about stopping but decided against it. So, I ran a slow time of 101, which was really sad because I ran that time last year at MEAC Championships when I had fell over the second hurdle -__-

The 100 hurdle race was after the 400 hurdles so my legs had a race on them. The good news is I came in second! Yay! Got a medal, stood on the podium, waved and smiled :D ... The bad news is I ran 13.6... Yuck! I felt like I got out the blocks and that was about it. I normally can switch gears but not that day... I speed up a little mid-way through the race but overall it was really the same pace. My legs weren't feeling that great at practice all week tho. I had ok to bad practices. I think they were just tapped out from the week before (We had a very hard and long week :/ ). I'm hoping (and praying) my next hurdle race will be 10x better. :)

But my overall experience was great! I'd love to go back to the meet next year. The people were really nice, the food was great, and the track was nice. :)

Kansas Relays!

So, when I got back from Jamaica I found out I was headed to Kansas Relays. I've never been to Kansas before so I was excited and I found out there would be a lot of professionals there so I was super excited to make my first appearance on the circuit :) I met a lot of really fast people and even made a rookie friend :o) It was a great experience being around all the track stars! My race on the other hand was nothing short of a hot mess. Lol. I ran the 400 hurdles and I don't know if my nervous got the best of me or what happened. I ended up running 59.3 and placed 4th :/ Not what I planned at all :( I got out okay, better than I did in college but my second hurdle was awful. I went to switch legs and for some odd reason my right leg forgot how to trail and I ended up doing this funky jump over the hurdle instead of actually... hurdling o.O Then I stutter stepped at the 4th AND 6th hurdle. WTF!?!?!?!? As the 4. something wind hit me in my face lol I still managed to stay with the girls who finished 2nd and 3rd (1st place was wayy up yonder Lol) until the 8th hurdle. I suppose they were relaxed on the back stretch not using much energy into the wind, while I was struggling to keep up since I had all those errors because as soon as we got out of that last curve, them girls took off. I maintained around the same speed until I got to the last hurdle and then I started to die off :/ So the top 3 finished in low 57's and I came around 2 whole seconds later -__- What an awful race... smh.

In retrospect, I think I was thinking wayyyy too much during the race. Just thinking about how I needed to run fast and basically ended up chasing a time. Isn't of just running and seeing what time I got. My next races I'm definitely going to relax more. In college, I never thought about what time I was going to run. I would just think I need to run fast or stay with/pass my competition. If a good time came it came and if it didn't I was still pushing myself. So from now on I'm just going to run because I can't have another race like that... That's for the birds Lol If you want to check out my awful race you can look at it on Flotrack.com under Kansas Relays Women 400H (invite).

In other news, my sister had her twins!!! And what cute twins they are :) 3 nephews in one month! Truly Blessed :) If you want to check out my pics from Jamaica just go on my facebook page and look under the Welcome to JamRock album! :)

Good News!

"When the prayers go up, The blessings come down"

Hey Readers!

So, there has been, yet another, change of plans. I won't be running this weekend at Florida State and I won't be running next weekend at Auburn, instead I'll be heading south to Jamaica! I'm going to be running in Kingston on the 16th!!! My agent set it up, so a few of my training partners and I are going. I'm super excited, I've never been to Jamaica before and I feel like this is my first leap into being a professional athlete. Although, it's not my first race as a professional, it is my first race as a professional in my respective events and my first international meet as a professional. I've run in Canada a few times when I was in High School being from Michigan and Windsor being 30 minutes from my house. I'm really excited to see the island and even though I won't be in the tourist part of the island, I'm still pumped about the experience! Hopefully I run well :) Thanks for reading! Ttyl

Oh yea, my brother just had another baby boy yesterday!!! His name is Jeremiah and he's super cute :) P.s. I went to the doctor today for a check up and I weigh 129 now ohhh yeaa get yo weight up lol

Change of Plans

"If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans."
~Woody Allen

Hey guys,

There has been a change of plans. So, I will be running this weekend after all. I'll be heading down to Florida State and running the 400 hurdles! Wish me luck. :o) Ttyl.

Jumping...

First you jump off the cliff and you build wings on the way down.
~ Ray Bradbury

Hey Everyone,

So, I had my first professional meet this weekend! I ran the open 400, it was... different. Lol. I haven't ran an open 400 since High School so I had no idea what my time would be like. It is definitely a completely different race from the 400 hurdles. I finished running 53.7 and like I have said in previous post I was only hoping to run 53 something (53 low would've been nice but hey *shrug*). I ran at the Auburn University and they have a great 9 lane track. Their campus is huge and it took me a while to find the track, the people I asked didn't really give me a good description of where the track was ... which was basically hidden. Lol. One of my training partners, Monica Hargrove, came down to support me! It was nice having someone in the stands cheering for me.

Now, more of a break down of what I was thinking pre-race, during the race, and post-race.

I was so excited not to wear a Howard, Romulus, or Michigan Accelerators uniform. Lol. My roommate, Monica, had given me some uniforms and warm-up gear (How sweet <3). I decided to run in a USA uniform. I did feel like it was a little bold of me but at the same time I felt like it was me making a statement to myself and trying to make it a reality. I had a good warm up and my body was feeling pretty good, no aches, no pains, just nice, smooth running. I was a little nervous of course but confident that I would run well. It was different not being surrounded by teammates. Before I knew it, it was time to go to the bull-pin.

I was ready, I knew I was ready and I just kept thinking about my race plan. It was time to get into the blocks and of course I was saying my prayers like I always do before I run. The first start was a dud and we were told to stand up. Every runner hates that! But you always have to shake it off and remain focused. The second start was good. And I was off, attacking the curve like I had been practicing and I actually had a pretty decent start. My start has always been a major weakness in all of my races. My back straight away was not so great tho and I found myself running next to the girl who was in the inside lane of me (Lane 5, definitely not a good look). Somewhere in there I zoned out and for about 150/200 meters I was in coast mode for some odd reason O.o When I finally remembered/realized what was going on lol it was around the 250/300 mark and I was tired and was about ready to stop running. LOL. But coming out of the curve I realized that first place was way up yonder and third place was almost at my side. So, I snapped out of it and started hitting the gas! I took a deep breath so I could gain control of my body and started pushing it. Before I knew it I was on the first place girls heels and I knew I could take her! .................. Not so much, Lol. Unlike in college, I just couldn't manage to pass her :( and according to Monica (Even though it didn't feel like it) I ended up walking across the line. :/ I finished 53.79 and she finished 53.69 (Apparently, according to Monica I leaned backwards at the line instead of forward :/ Lmao!).

I think my race was good for the first race and my shaking off all the cobb webs. I know I could've ran faster if I would have executed the race better and didn't hit cruise control. But I like the way I'm starting off the year, a nice solid base. I also realized why I am a hurdler. Open races are not for me! Lol. The 400 hurdles is definitely easier than the open. In the hurdles you can gain momentum and it's easier to be aggressive the entire race because... well ... you have something to attack. I do love my hurdles. =)

Well, in two weeks I am suppose to be opening up in my 400 hurdle race! Hopefully I can run 56 low! This race definitely gave me the confidence I needed to go into my next race. Thanks for reading, talk to you soon :)

P.s. I went to church today! It was a great service. I wish I could go more often but I work on Sundays and I have trouble waking up for the 8am service :/ Today someone asked for my morning shift so I made sure I took my butt to church. All glory given to the Lord!

Stretching My Wings

“Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be”

-George Sheehan

Bonjour Readers,

Let's see, what's been going on. Well my sister didn't have her twins, yet but they are coming soon :) And my roommate is back from Aussie Land and she had a great time! Hopefully I'll be able to make an appearance soon. Lol. My personal life as been extra dull. Lol. I've been trapped in Georgia getting ready for the season and there's really nothing going on in my life. I want to go to DC to visit, so I can see all my homies from Howard! I plan on going to MEAC Championships in Greensboro this year or at least I want to :/ but we'll see. I do plan on going home soon so I can see my nephews and family. I just don't know when yet.

I'm a coach now! I just started coaching these high school hurdlers last week. It's really fun and exciting. They are all improving so much and the head coach gave me complete control over them! I get to come up with workouts and everything. I currently am not getting paid but it will look good on my resume and I'm thinking about getting certified so who knows I may become a coach when I'm done with track. They have a meet this Saturday and I think all of them will p.r. :o)

Well that's all in my personal life... boring right.Lol. I'm going to have to spice it up a little. Anyways, moving to the track. Practice is going really well. I feel good and strong. There's been a change in my meet schedule tho. I won't be participating in Florida Relays this year, instead I'm going to be running at Tiger Track Classic at Auburn on April 2nd! I'll still be running the open 400 my goal is to run at least 53 ... 53 anything and I'll be jumping for joy. Lol. I'm really excited. I also have the few weeks after that lined up. April 8-9 I'll be running at the University of Georgia and I plan on running the 400 Hurdles!! Ahhh, Season opener!!! Lol. And the weekend after that I'll be back at Auburn running the 100 Hurdles and 400 Hurdles! The season is sooo close gotta get it tight, get it right. Lol.

I'm super nervous and scared but also excited and anxious. Endless practice is boring, especially when you're not sure what you're capable of or where you currently are as far as running but practice is safe, once you start running that's it. It's so definite lol This is where you currently are! The first race is always nerve racking because it's so unknown, you have no idea how your going to perform and you know your game plan isn't going to be the best. It's like a rough draft, you have to keep tweaking it to get it just right. My current first race goals are: 100 Hurdles anything under 13.18 which will be a p.r. hopefully I can run something crazy like a 13 flat or sub 13 but little goals first, 400 Hurdles 56 anything which would be another p.r. For the 400 hurdles I really want to run 56 in April so I can get into a lot of European meets and plan my summer early. If I run that fast in April I'm definitely going to Europe this summer, which is the goal. For the 100 hurdles because of my minor set back I'm just looking for improvement. But I HAVE to run the A-standard by June!!! In order to compete at USA Nationals and get some funding from USATF.

Well that's what's going on... I'll probably write another post after my meet! Wish me luck!! Thanks for Reading ... Ttyl... P.s. thanks for all the comments and reactions ;)

Off to a Great Start

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." ~Martin Luther King Jr.

Hey Readers!

I'm glad that a lot of people are reading my blog =) But sad that most of you aren't commenting -__- Feed back is always nice, guys. Lol. Anyways, I'm so proud of myself for keeping up with the blog :Pats Back: I'm really making an effort to do better, I know a lot of people are interested in my track journey and like to know how I'm doing down here in the A. Well not much has been going on these last few weeks but I suppose I can give you guys a little update.

My personal goals are coming into full effect and I am working on myself. I'm making efforts in becoming a better person. Staying focused and figuring myself out. My motivation has yet to fade away and I'm really starting life habits instead of just doing stuff for a temporary goal. I am not perfect tho, I do have days where I just relax but even in that I think everyone needs a day off every once in a while. I know if I keep going and going and going... I'll run out of gas. Lol. My personal life has been kind of boring as of late. I don't really have anything to say about it. Lol. My new theme is Self-Love. So, I'm going to be doing things for myself and focusing on making me happy and doing things that need to be done in my life. Learning and Loving myself. =) One of the things that reflect that is wearing my hair in it's natural state, so far, I love it and it has only made me feel better about myself. My hair is an extension of me, by taking care of it and accepting it, I'm just accepting me.

Unfortunately, my eating habits are still pretty bad. I know, I know... I'm working on it :/ it's definitely going to be one of my biggest challenges. I think I binge eat. Lol. I eat healthy, healthy, healthy, and then I have a few days of overdoing the fast food and junk food. Then I feel bad and go back to healthy. Lol. I'm going to have to find a balance. :Sigh:

Track is going great! We have a start date! My first meet will be Florida Relays, April 2nd. I'm going to be running the open 400. I'm very excited. I'm sooooo ready for the season to start!!!! I'm sick of practicing, it's like never ending and FINALLY I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Today was my first day back in spikes! They felt soo weird. The first run out I did felt extra fast for no reason. Lol. It was nice having on spikes again and they were new spikes. I think I'm going to get some more tho, I don't like the way they feel going over short hurdles. I prefer a spike with a stiff plate for short hurdles but I'll definitely use them for the 400 hurdles. It was also my first time going over short hurdles since January! I went over one set of 5 steps last week but that doesn't count because I only did one.

It was so weird going over short hurdles again but fun and exhausting! lol We had sooooo mannnnyyy and it was my first day. My coach clearly didn't care and expected me to be on point even with the cobwebs on. Lol. So, I was doing 3 point starts over the hurdles and one I did really really well and he told me to do my last two in blocks... O_o ... O_O .... -__- .... Really?!?! My first day in spikes and over short hurdles and now blocks???? I was really looking at him like he was crazy. I didn't even really get any run outs or anything in the blocks, I did 2 pop outs. I went over with the blocks and he was disappointed and said it looked pretty but that was about it. LMAO. That just reminded me of what my old coach (Coach Grigsby) use to say to me ALLLL the time my freshman year.

The second one, however, was awesome! I just had to shake the cobwebs off... and adjust my blocks a little. I never felt sooo much POWER coming out and going over the hurdles! It felt amazing, so different from before. I guess that's what weight room does. Anyways, after that one he said it looked really really good and it was 13 flat/sub 13 pace and I need to do that all the time. Honestly, I was looking like c'mon give me a break, it's my first day back :smile: but clearly he wasn't havin it. He gave me a high five and said good job.

I've been feeling so great at practice and I'm sooo glad to be back!!! My practices have been going great. I think it has a lot to do with all the extra work I've been putting in. I've never been this physically fit and although practice is hard some days, I find myself pushing through and doing really well. My coach seems really impressed and excited about my season. I think he really sees my potential beginning to flourish. My teammates are also seeming to be impressed with my improvement. I think everyone is either excited or interested in seeing how I do this year.

Well that's all for now... Thanks for reading... Ttyl

P.s. My big sis might be having her twin babies today... I'll def give a update if she does!!!