thebabyperks

As the school year wraps up I've had a few random thoughts go through my mind of things I want to accomplish over the summer.

1. Transition my blog from Blogger to Wordpress

Before my current layout (actually, there's an even earlier "before" version but I can't find it)

2. Make a cookbook 

3. Find a new workout schedule

Wow there are no words for how crazy April has been. Between my race, Sigma Pi formal, countless school projects/papers, and Kappa Delta formal my time has been completely consumed.

It's challenging because I want to be able to put my entire heart into everything I do, but I've learned that I also need to make time for myself. I know that sometimes I talk about the same things on this platform, but it serves as a reminder and encouragement for myself.

Last week I woke up broken out in hives and while it could have been an allergic reaction to my face wash, stress also could have played a part. 

I talked with my dad and he said I should try meditating for just 15 minutes a day. The first time I tried to do it, I set my phone alarm for 15 minutes but could barely do it for 5 minutes. I am slowly working my way up and the last time I meditated I did it for 10 minutes. You may think it's not super beneficial but taking 10 minutes to close your eyes and focus solely on breathing really helps you de-stress. I find box breathing is really helpful- breathing in for 4 counts, holding it for 4, breathing out for 4, and holding that for 4. 

I've been working on some final papers and presentations for classes to capstone everything I've learned over the course of the semester. One is for my Organization Crisis and Change class where I am analyzing how NBC handled Matt Lauer's sexual harassment allegations. In my Web Communication class I am preparing to present my semester-long project of creating content and bringing a website idea to life. I'm so proud of how SecondAthlete turned out and it wouldn't have happened without all the people who shared their stories with me.

Finally, and probably the most exciting news, I accepted an internal communications internship opportunity with Charter Spectrum this summer in St. Louis! 

While I'm sad that David is graduating, I am more than ready to go home and have a few weeks off before I jump into my first real job experience. These last few weeks are going to be so, so, so busy but I know they'll be full of good times (and maybe some crying because school is stressful).

Until next time,
Taylor xx

Growing up one of your main goals is figuring out who you want to be. Who you are is never concrete, instead it is wet clay, adapting and changing to different stressors, life experiences and beliefs. 

We put a lot of pressure on high schoolers to figure it all out: where are you going to college? What do you want to do? How are you going to afford that? What do you want to do with your degree? But how can a 17 year old truly know what they want to do for the next 30+ years? 

I didn't know what picture to use so I went with coffee...(again)

Then you get into college and everything you have known about life and how you live gets challenged. You are no longer in the security of your hometown (usually) and you're living alone. There are no more "built in" friends, you've just been thrown into a vast pit of 500 other students trying to figure it all out again. Do you actually want to do what you said back in high school? What clubs do you want to join? What classes are you going to sign up for?

Without realizing it people begin to categorize you by these choices because people love labels. Really though, you're just trying to figure out who you want to be. 

I've had times in my college career where I've gone out a lot and times now where I just stay in, order a large pizza, and hang out. Neither is right or wrong. I just find it so interesting to see how people slowly change over time as they try to figure themselves out. College is only temporary. You eventually graduate, get a job (hopefully), and begin a more permanent life.

People think that once they are set onto the path of adulthood they can't change, when in fact they can. You can still be figuring out who you want to be as an adult. I argue that you're always trying to figure it out.

If you stop challenging yourself to grow I think you've stopped wanting to learn. Knowledge is power. Maybe you don't change your beliefs or actions but studying and reconfirming who you are and what you do is very powerful. 

It can be easy to live a passive life once you get to a certain point but I challenge you to remain active in your thoughts. Whether you're 17 or 70 we're all just trying to figure ourselves out.

Until next time,
Taylor xx

1. You're going to be terrified to sign up
As someone who previously hadn't ran more than 6 miles I was so nervous about training. I'm not going to lie, increasing my mileage was a challenge, but after running 10.5 miles I felt so proud of myself.

2. You'll cry when you have to run on the treadmill
Apparently running on a treadmill is easier than running outside but I do not find that to be true in the slightest. The first time I ran 9 miles I had to do it on a treadmill because an ice storm seemed to hit Springfield every weekend. 9 miles on the treadmill was not only the most boring thing I've done, but I get too caught up in the numbers and I end up having to stop more. When I'm running outside I don't think about my time or pace I just run.

3. It's a huge time commitment
Most Saturdays I had to actively plan when I was going to run. At the beginning it wasn't too challenging because it was only 4 miles but as the mileage increased I chose to wake up earlier so I could be done running by 10 or 11 a.m.

4. Foam rolling is a game changer
Foam rolling is honestly the best and I didn't discover this until I rolled out my IT bands and legs after running. Before I began training I got a massage and the massage therapist told me how tight my IT bands were. Her advice was to take Epsom salt baths and foam roll, but because I don't have a bath at school I focus on foam rolling.

5. Listening to your body is important
My half marathon training schedule was based around running 3x a week. I had two short runs on Tuesday/Thursday and my long training session on Saturday. If I'm being honest, toward the end I would only run 2x a week and for shorter distances. I still lifted 2-3x a week so I was getting more exercise in than the plan assumed. I felt like I was well prepared so I didn't push my body too much because I didn't want to injure myself.

6. You won't want to run
Running became something I didn't want to do, if I'm being honest. I still enjoy it but I look forward to not feeling like I have to run. 

7.You'll appreciate when you only have to run three miles
Running 10 miles would take me over an hour and half on Saturdays. The following Tuesday when I only had to run three miles I wondered how the time passed so quickly.

8.Go on runs without music every now and then
Running has always been something that gave me mental clarity. I like to listen to EDM when I run and just check out. However, sometimes I ran without music and focused on meditating. This allowed me some "me time" and I was conscious of my breathing, my feelings, and my body.

9. Dressing for the weather is extremely important
One time I thought it was wrong so I wore a t-shirt and shorts... my run was painfully cold and I regretted everything.

10. You'll be super hungry
Extended cardio sessions means you're burning hundreds of calories. After finishing these training sessions I felt like I could eat anything and everything. I tried my best to not overindulge but I really did.

11. You'll have the support of your friends and family
I received so many encouraging words from my family and friends who aren't in Springfield via social media. As I ran around campus I would catch myself waving to people driving past in their cars and honestly that made each run a lot better (thanks Sophia and Madison Hadler, you guys are great).

12.The best feeling is after you finish running
On the morning I ran 8 miles I didn't have headphones in and I solely focused on being aware while running. After I finished I felt refreshed and ready to tackle the rest of the day.

13. You'll be so proud of yourself
I think a lot of us have mental blocks that stop us from reaching our full potential. I really didn't think I would be able to do a half marathon so I signed up to prove to myself I could do it-- and I did! I am so proud of myself for committing to doing this, putting in the time to train and really working on my physical/mental  health.

.1 You may or may not want to do it again
While I definitely don't plan on running a half marathon again anytime soon, who knows. Maybe I'll do another in the future.

Thank you again to everyone who has supported and cheered me on. I appreciate every single one of you.




Until next time,
Taylor xx