Goodbye...

So this is it, the end of the end. I've been playing organized sports for the better part of my life and it's all about to end. In one week, my career in competitive sports is over. I won't have any more games or practices to schedule my life around. I won't have any looong weekend trips to interfere with my own plans. I won't have any new teammates to bond with or team outtings to attend. I will no longer have any motivation to run or stay in shape aside from my own self-dsicipline. No more rivalries. No more goals to score. No more heartaches after a loss. No more elation after a win.

I feel like a part of me is dying. I feel like i'm losing my identity in a sense. For so long i have prided myself on the fact that i was an athlete. It was more than just a label, it was a status. It gave me a sense of who i was. If i'm not Dani the field hockey player, who am i?

CLOSING TIME

Well it's official, today is the last day of Electronic Resources, the course which prompted the idea for this cozy little blog. I'm actually very suprised that i was able to stay interested in a blog and poast so regularly, but i actually really enjoyed it. Although the class is ending i am still going to try and keep my goal and use this blog to track my progress and frustration until the big day next October. The half way goal of doing the St. Louis Marathon is coming up in April which is almost right around the corner.

Either way, it's been fun. This class is ending but that doesn't mean the blog is. So keep checking and remember to STAY MOVING!

YES, IT'S ANOTHER PLAYLIST

That's right sports fans, another post, another playlist. This week's playlist to try while you run is probably even more random than the first one but no matter how you slice it, it's something different. (And there is no denying the anticipation you feel when you try a fresh playlist and you wait anxiously for the next mysterious new track to play.

RANDOM ASS RUNNING

• "Tom's Diner" -- Suzanne Vega
• "Cleaning out my Closet" -- Eminem
• "Somebody Told Me" -- The Killers
• "Ms. New Booty" -- Bubba Sparxx
• "Beep" -- Pussy Cat Dolls
• "Dispatch the Troops" --Matisyahu
• "Numa Numa" --Dragnosti Tei
• "The Kids Aren't Alright" --The Offspring
• "Georgia" -- Ludacris
• "Send the Pain Below" --Chevelle
• "Best of You" --Foo Fighters
• "Strange Condition" -- Pete Yorn
• "The Hook" --Blues Traveler

So random it makes my head spin. Try them all or try a few. Enjoy!

A NOTE FOR FINALS

While it should be a top priority of everyone to stay in good health and to exercise, we all know there are times when it's hard to keep your workout routine, or eat really responsibly. One of these stressful times for young people is during finals week in college. Finals week stress everybody, even the most laid back of students out. It's like you work all semester to keep your grades up, and suddenly a single test or project can make or break your grade. While it's vital that you study and keep a hard work ethic this week it's important to remember that you can't let this week burn you out. Don't forget to take some time for yourself. Make yourself a cup of tea and read a magazine for a half hour, take a 20 minute cat nap, go on a short run, or watch your favorite television show. Whatever it is make sure you take some down time. Not only will this help your frame of mind and help you settle down, but it will also help you retain more information so you can cram more facts and dates into your head. So take it easy and just breathe!

INTIMADATION

I've just left the last meeting of the Women's Lacrosse team before the 2007 season begins. A lot of my teammates walked out of the meeting feeling excited and pumped up.....sadly, or maybe not so, i left feeling questionable and confused. Our coach hyped us all up with one of his famous speeches about the blood, sweat, and tears, we were about to pour into our new season. He planted dreams of reaching the national tournament in our heads to try and make each of us inspired to put everything and more into our season. He informed us of our 2 a day practice and 6:oo a.m. wake-up calls and 7 mile runs. As the meeting unfolded he told us of our 10 page team rules and guidlines and let us know how much of our lives were about to be devoted to a single sport and a single team. The thing is i have no problem being a team player. I didn;t start and continue playing sports purley for love of the game, i've always been about love of my team. The reason i kill myself season after season, sprint after sprint is not for the sport...NO! it's for my team so i can leave each practice and game knowing i went out and put it all on the line.
The thing about this season is that our team hasn;t meshed yet....and maybe we won't. For the first time in more sports history i'm unsure of a team i'm a part of. Maybe that's the bigger issue, i don't feel like a part of the team, i don't think anyone does.
Whatever the case may be the thing is that i'm really not sure if i can do lacrosse this season. My motivation is slipping, and for once, Coach Juicy Jack's speeches aren't lighting the fire inside.

EVOLUTION OF DANCE




So dancing is a great way to keep your body moving. Too bad that some of us are born without rythm which makes dancing a little more akward. This semester i took a dance class to try to find a new way to have fun staying active, and to see if it could save me and teach me a few dance moves. However, recently i've been struggling with my final project of composing an original project. After i found this video i became inspired. Hope you enjoy it!

HARD WEEK

It happens sometimes....you have those days where things are just so hectic and so crazy that you start to put everything else before your own health. The days when you decide it's a better idea to sit in and laz on the couch instead of working out, or when that cookie looks just a little better than the banana that you had intended on. We've all had those days. This time around, however, mine lasted an entire week.
I didn't always believe when people said that you have less energy when you don't do much....it never really made sense. It seems right that if you do less you should have more energy because it's all pent up inside right?? And if you work out you use more energy so then you should have less?? I finally realized how false that is this week. All i did (to my dismay) is sit around and veg. I didn't work, i didn't workout, and i ate like crap! And low and behold....i felt like crap.
A variety of factors really added to my bad week.....you know boyfriend issues, boredom, cold weather, snow storm, and just a bad mood. But it really affected me and set me behind. So next week is the week i'm putting my life back together. I am going to start out by running and working out every day. I am not going to allow myself to be so directly influenced by my dead beat boyfriend. I am going to all my classes and doing all of my homework, and i may even read ahead. AND finally i'm going to be good to my body and what i put in it. That is my goal for this week. It's also probably for the best that i bench the alcohol for a few days.....if not longer. LEt's get back on track. oy!