A Quick Post

Hey Everyone,

Currently my computer charger is broken and I'm waiting for Best Buy to send me another one. :/ So there won't be a cute quote for this post. I just decided to check my yahoo horoscope today and this is what it said:


Today: Mar 09, 2011

The physical changes you seek may be coming at a frustratingly slow pace, but they are coming. To speed things up, all that's required of you is self-discipline and positive thinking. Cast your mind ahead a few months and visualize things as you want them to be (and want them to look). Your full commitment to a tough task will be required, but a strong dedication on your part will benefit your reputation and your attitude. A big confidence boost is coming.


I felt inspired to keep pushing through... I'll update when I get my charger. Thanks for reading... Ttyl.

Natural Hair :s

“Life is an endless struggle full of frustrations and challenges, but eventually you find a hair stylist you like.”

-Unknown

Hey Guys!

I told you all I was trying this natural thing or rather wearing my hair in its natural state, well I decided to upload some pictures of my journey. I'm kind of starting to figure my hair out, by accident tho. Lol
This is the last time I straightened it. About a month ago.
Curly two-strand twists. This is my protective hairstyle. It prevents me from damaging it by combing or brushing. This is after I left practice, the twists weren't so bad. I kept them in for about 5 days.


I took the twists out and this is what I had. :/

After playing with it this is what I got... a puff!!! Finally!!! I've been trying to figure out the puff for the longest!!! Lol

Well that's all for now. Thanks for checking in. Ttyl

High Hopes

"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out."

- Robert Collier

Hola Bloggers!

Ha! I know most of you didn't think I would keep up with the blog but I am proving you wrong! Lol Let's see, what has been going on in Landria's world. I guess I'll start with my personal life again.

Well, I'm still kind of looking for a job. I had an opportunity to work a few places but one of the places hours weren't going to work and another well... I might as well not have had the job the way they pay. Lol. But I'm not worried, something will pop up.

I sent my whole (immediate) family cards last week. Sometimes it's nice to have someone surprise you with a card saying they love you and appreciate you. I'm kind of a softy when it comes to making people feel special. I like to make people know how much they mean to me and when I have a little extra money sometimes I will do a little something. Little things go a long way :)

On another note, my old coach no longer works for Howard and I feel all types of ways. If it wasn't for her there is no way I would be where I'm at today. She not only helped me on the track (dropping me from a 14.00 to 13.18 almost a full second) but she looked out for me outside of the track too. She has always been a friend to me and came through with support and jokes when I needed it. Now when I go to DC to visit and pop up at a track practice it just won't be the same, especially when she always pretended not to be happy to see me and I would jump on her and give her a hug :) Even though she will no longer be there, I'm going to make sure I see her whenever I come in town.

The weather here has been amazing for the last 2 or 3 weeks! It's been over 60 everyday! I'm not use to this kind of weather so early in the year and I am loving it! Training is great when it's warm, you can be free and not bundled down in clothes. I can definitely get use to this.

My roommate has ventured off to Australia to compete in two meets. I can't wait until I get to the level where meets will pay for me to go run. Hopefully it will be in a few months. Lol. I'm definitely going to miss her while she's gone, once you get use to seeing someone daily it's weird for them to be gone.

I'm back to natural. After a short break from my hair being in it's natural state it is back. This time I am more prepared to take care of it. I plan to Henna my hair when I get a little extra cash and do a lot of other stuff to it, but in the mean time I'll keep it simple. Currently it's in two-strand twist, I'm still working on mastering that style. Lol.

I'm working on myself. Trying to get closer to God, figure out more interests and hobbies, and what I want to do Post-Track. I have an idea of what I want to do after track but I want to start working towards those things now because you never know when it comes to sports, one day you can be on top and the next working at Burger King lol. As far as getting closer to God, it's something that I really need to do because I have been beyond blessed!!! So many things have come into my life purely through the Grace of God. I was actually talking to my father today and he asked me if I had any testimonies and I told him I am a testimony. Me even being down in Georgia pursing my dream is a testimony, there have been a lot of times when things where not adding up and all of a sudden a door would open. So that is another one of my goals.

Now, for trackside. I am sooooo happy it's March! The season is right around the corner and it is grind time, I'm in countdown mode! I plan to open up in the open 400, so I can see where I'm at and set up my 400 hurdle race. I'm really excited about my first season out of college. I have high hopes! I want to go at least 53 something in the 400 to open but I'll take a 54 if I must lol After all, it will be the my first race and all. I'm definitely stronger then I've ever been and the massage guy I go to said my body is finally starting to look like a track athlete lol (speaking of my lack of hamstrings and muscle). Everyone (a few people lol) kept telling me I looked bigger so I stepped on the scale the other day and I gained weight. I am currently 127. I guess :shrug: it doesn't bother me or excite me, it's just whatever lol

I finally got to get over hurdles!!!! I missed them sooo much, just flat running is soooo boring!!! And I did 400 hurdle alternate leg, as much as I didn't want to do the 400 hurdles this year I did actually miss them, or maybe I was just happy to be jumping over something lol. I'm not going to lie, I was scared a little before we started as I was looking at the 10 hurdles lined up with 9 inches between them. But it felt great going over and by the end of practice my alternate leg was looking and feeling pretty good.

Practice is going great! I feel like I'm back! I'm keeping up with the workouts and my coach is telling me I'm looking pretty good. I'm doing extra stuff to get me right for the season. Runs, drinking lots of water, ice baths, icing, stretching, and whatever else I can to make this season great. I'm making routines and setting myself into habits. Now all I need to tackle is my eating habits. They have gotten soooo bad but I'm working on it. It's been a lot better in these past few weeks but this month I'm really going to put in work to eat better.

My goals for this season is to at least obtain the A standard in each of my events (100h 12.96, 400h 55.4) so I can qualify for the USATF Post-Grad Fund and so I can run in Europe this summer. I know I can do it! I put my goals as my background on my phone, so I can see it everyday and motivate myself when I'm the least motivated lol And it's been working. I've been super motivated these last couple of weeks and sticking to my habits. I have to make it, I don't have time for an adjustment year. Go hard or go back to Michigan lol And I ain't goin' back! Lol.'

Well, that's all for now... Sorry it's so long :Blush: Thanks for reading... ttyl :o)

A Budding Rose

"Most of the important things in the World have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all."-Dale Carnegie

Hey Bloggers,

I know it's been a very long time since I've updated you guys, I just haven't been in the writing mood. Needless to say, a lot has been going on in these last months. I want to start by saying Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, and Happy Valentines Day! Wow it's been that long huh? lol I don't know where to begin so the blog is going to be kind of short because I have to touch bases on EVERYTHING that has been going on.

I'll start with a little of my private life and move on to track.Let's see, for Christmas I went to Texas for the first time! I went to visit my brother and his family. My nephew is so cute I miss him mucho. It was great spending time with family and seeing my brother and how he's living! lol For New Years my friends, Yetty, Alysa, and Jasmine came down to the A to visit me!!!! We had a blast! Besides the endless mall trips trying to get our outfits together we had a good ol' time and I enjoyed showing and exploring the city with them. I went to DC a few weeks back and that was wonderful. I was only there for a few days but I had fun seeing all my friends and old teammates! I love my #HU theyalways show me love and my old coaches definitely helped me out a lot! God has definitely been blessing me as I try and venture out on my own (As well as my very supportive mother.)

I'd like to take a little time to shoutout my mother by the way. She is an amazing person and has helped me out beyond belief! She is just as, if not more, invested in me in pursuing this track thing. Without her support there is no way I would be able to even attempt to do anything between her and God I've been down here surviving and making things work.

I moved!!! I live in Smyrna now. I stay with Monica Hargrove, a 400 runner in my group. I really love my apartment. I love my room and I love the location. It's great! I'm going to post pics in a few days of everything. I got a job as a host at a restaurant just a little side thing to get a little extra cash but I'm looking for another job that will provide more income. I think I'm going to be getting one in the next few days. For those who don't know I've taken bartending classes and I'm hoping to make a lot of money (enough to survive lol) doing that. I mean with my smile I think I can get a few tips lmao ;) I have high hopes this week, I've really been grinding looking for a job!

I'm trying this new thing with my hair. Wearing it in it's natural state. I've had natural hair for some years now (last perm Nov. 2006) but I've never worn it in it's natural state and as of late I've been completely fascinated with the idea. So, I have a few goals and things I'm going to try out to see if my hair grows not only healthy but thick! The first two weeks were kind of rough but I'm determined to figure it out!

Now that all that personal stuff is out of the way let's move to the track! I had training camp from the 2nd until the 15th in Naples, Florida. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be but it wasn't a piece of cake. The weather was great!!!! And I felt myself getting a lot better and really getting into the swing of things. I was lifting more and running faster, not to mention feeling more explosive! My first few hurdles had gotten a lot quicker and I felt as if I was moving towards 12.8 pace. Butttttttt in the middle of training camp I sprained my hamstring :( Unsure of if it was a tweak or sprain I continued to jog and do light workouts on it. When I got back it was confirmed and I was off for two weeks. I just started back today and I feel pretty good :) It's okay because I'm not going to be running until Outdoor so I have time to recovery! THANK GOD!!!

I'm feeling pretty comfortable down here now. I still need more friends lol but I'm pretty familiar with things and when I get my money up and the weather gets warmer I'm going to really explore the city!

Well that's everything in a very, very short summary. Thanks for reading... ttyl. P.s. I promise I'll write at LEAST once a month from now on :)

A New Chapter

Life is like a coin. You can spend it any way you wish but you only spend it once.
-Lillian Dickson

Hey Everyone!

I know a lot of you are wondering how I am doing and what I've been up to and most importantly how the beginning of my new life is coming along. Well let's begin with the last month or so. I suffered a terrible loss. My grandfather passed away about a month ago and I was really effected by it. My family is really close to our grandparents they have been such great influences in my brothers, sisters, and I lives. I remember last semester I made sure to call my grandparents every week just to check on them. I'm glad my grandfather died of natural causes it gives me peace that it was just his time.

Enough of the sad stuff... I'm down here in Georgia, not too far from Hotlanta! I stay in Marietta. I found a place like the second day I was here. My Agent (it's so cool to say that) set me up in a house with other track people. I live with two guys and one girl , it's funny because I actually live with my coach, our assistant, and a 400 runner. I have what I like to call the Pimp Suite! I pay a little more but I basically have my own apartment and share a kitchen. When I fix it up I'll put up pics. I have a walk-in closet, bath with separate shower/bath plus little room for the toilet and double sink, a huge bedroom and another office room that I'll transform into something else. The rest of the house is really nice too. It has an open kitchen with a small island and a dinning room, family room and an office room on the first floor.

Practice started last week but I went to DC to get my stuff. I spent a great week in DC. Seeing friends and teammates and freshies. I really enjoyed being back in the city that taught me so much about life. I learned how to be an adult there. I wished I could've stayed longer but at the same time I was ready to leave. While I was there I think I touched a lot of people tho :o) it was nice.

So, I started practice this week. The first chapter of a new adventure. I was scared and not looking forward to the first day back. Since I hadn't been doing much but eating and getting fat lol but it wasn't that bad. So far (of two days lol) the workouts aren't really that hard, it's the warm ups that kill me! Our warm ups are soooo long and sooooo much! I have always been against warm ups and these hour long workout warm ups are killing me. It's like do random exercise such as squats, push ups, hurdle rocks, then run 50 meters, repeat with other random exercise. By the time we are done with the warm up I'm worn out! lol Currently, I'm in the sore stage but that doesn't really bother me. I figure I'm working muscles that are getting stronger and Lord knows I need strength (since I skipped out on that part of track lol). Weight room doesn't start until November! I'm happy about that.

I love the professional atmosphere! Everyone is older than me, so I'm like the youngin. Right now the group is small and a lot of the people haven't started yet. So, it's nice to be with a small focused group and a coach and assistant coach who gives everyone a lot of attention. I don't complain (out loud lol) about anything. I just do it and smile at the end. Unlike in college when everything was a negotiation, I miss those days.

I explored the city a little and loved it! I'm definitely going to get out more once I get settled. I wish I knew more people down here but I guess this is a perfect opportunity to make friends :o) I'm currently looking for a job. I'm at this temp agency now. I told them I was training for the Olympics and the two ladies got extra excited. In there office they have a lot of posters of famous runners with quotes. It's awesomely weird to say "I'm training for the Olympics" but hey that's my life lol

Well that's the update for now... thanks for reading... ttyl

I Be On It, If You Want Me You Can Find Me In The AAAAAA

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams"
- Eleanor Roosevelt


So, it's getting closer to the big move date and soon I'll be in Atlanta Atl chillin lol. To say the least I'm excited!! I'm leaving Michigan on Saturday after a whole 5 weeks stay. It really wasn't that bad and honestly I really just started to know the city. Being under 21 the city is pretty much a L but when you're over 21 it's really not that bad. I had fun with friends, hitting up a few of the hot spots, exploring the city, bonding with my family, and relaxing. I guess it wouldn't be that bad living here :shrug:.

I've been working out doing distance work and I feel like by time I start training I'm probably going to be out of shape lol. I hate base work and it's hard for me to keep up with it. I don't know how people can run for miles and miles and miles I hate it. Lol But I'm excited about what's to come! Living in Atlanta with my own one bedroom apartment, training and working and soon going to school! My life is really just starting :o) I hope I like it down there, if not, I'll make another big move lol

The reason why I'm moving down there early is because I was accepted into this AmeriCorps program called Gulfsouth Youth Action: Operation Reach. I'll be working with kids and giving back to the Community so I'm pretty excited about it. I always wanted to do a community service type of program but I never had the time. We'll see how this program goes.

I'm so happy that Summer is basically over and Fall is here! It's my favorite season!!! I love the fashion of fall, the colors that the trees change, the cool weather, and just everything!!! I'm extra thirsty for it to be officially fall =)

Well I can't think of anything else so I guess I'll keep you posted about the big move!

Running By Faith

“What God Has For You Is For You”

“Nothing can stop the man (woman) with the right mental attitude from achieving his (her) goals; nothing on earth can help the man (woman) with the wrong mental attitude.” -Thomas Jefferson

Greetings Bloggers,

Once again I’ve been gone for while but a lot has been going on. I’ll try to be better with updates and every now and then a video blog (because it’s much easier to talk then to type lol). Anyways let’s see where to start.

My season ended pretty well not as great as I would have liked but I’m not complaining. I made it to Nationals but didn’t do too well. I hit the third hurdle and didn’t make it to the finals and had the worst placing at Nationals that I’ve ever had (17th) but at least I was there! =) I also made it to USA Nationals and made it to the prelims! I placed 14^th! The wind was blowing extra hard so my time wasn’t good but no one’s time was that great. The wind was 2.7 and 2.9!!! And I’m wayyy too little to run into that kind of wind! I def need to hit the weight room! Lol

This summer was interesting. I got a job working at Washington Sports Club, a gym in Washington, DC. The job was cool but the pay was wack and I worked from 5:30am until 1pm. Then my hours started getting cut so it went to 12pm and then right before I left 11am. So, I wasn’t making that much money and I was waking up before the sun, literally! I didn’t really care for the job but some money is better than none. I also took a trip to New York to visit a friend! I didn’t really like the city tho :/ I think I’m going to have to go back when I have a lot of money and time to blow and really see what it’s all about! I was phoneless for most of July but it was kind of nice not being connected to the World lol

Well, currently I’m no longer in DC I’m back home in boring old Michigan. My family and I decided it would be best for me to come home for a while before I make my big move! I’m excited about moving down to Atlanta and I’m currently looking for employment, housing, and different programs I might be able to get into, once everything is set in stone I’ll give you guys an update.

I found a coach down in Atlanta to train me! I’m really excited about the program because it’s focus is exactly what I’m lacking. I’m training down with Rana Reider, we haven’t worked out all the details yet but everything is a go! His camp focuses on strength and conditioning, the exact two things I’ve been avoiding my whole track career. Lol. Even in high school I was M.I.A. when it came to weight room lol. I guess it’s time to get to business :o) Anyways, I think his program will be good for me and with those two very important things I think I can be great!

I also just found this program called Sponsor An Athlete. It’s really good for accepting Donations and Sponsorships for Post-Collegiate athletes. So if anybody wants to make a donation to me just go to the website: www.sponsorathlete.net my information should be up there soon!

I talked to my father on my bday and he was telling me about trusting in God and doing things by faith without fear, knowing that God has everything handled that’s how you move mountains! I took that conversation and I’ve really been thinking on it and from now on I’ll be running by faith. Having no fear when I approach the starting line and know “what God has for me is for me!” I did it when I pr’d at Regional’s! I felt like something was within me that was greater than me and I did great! So, I’m just going to keep thinking, believing, and trusting that! Also, I’ve been on this positive energy thing as of late and every since a lot of positive things have been happening for/to me. I’ve just really been washing the negativity out of my thoughts and focusing on the positive. I feel with the combination of both of these things, only great things are to come!

So pretty much right everything I do is geared towards the big move! Hotlanta here I come! =D