On the Road Again!
It's finally here! At 4 PM today I will have officially completed my freshman year of college. I can't believe it!! Finals week actually hasn't been that stressful for me. Thankfully, my exams were spaced out so I was able to focus on one at a time. On Wednesday, Dead Day, my friends and I went to the Dead Day Carnival and it was so much fun! We had a picnic outside since the weather was so nice. After spending some time at the carnival, I decided that it was time to start packing. A few hours later, I had (almost) everything packed into boxes and my friends helped me load them into my car. It's so sad to think about leaving - I've had a wonderful semester and I'm really going to miss the people I've met here.
Last Saturday I ran the Country Music 1/2 Marathon and it was AMAZING!!!! My friend and I completed it in 2 hours, 20 minutes, which is a little over a 10 minute mile pace. The course took us all over Nashville (13.1 miles is a long way!) and we actually ran up Belmont Blvd. The encouragement that Laura and I received from the people cheering us on was what kept us going. 
It was just so incredible to have that kind of support from people that you had never seen before in your life! I kept thinking about the metaphor that is used in the Bible of "running the race with perserverance" and how much it helps to have people come alongside you and cheer you on. It was incredible. When the marathoners and 1/2 marathoners split, at mile 11, I was getting really tired. I couldn't imagine having 15 more miles ahead of me! I really admire anyone who is able to tackle 26.2 miles, and someday I would love to try training to run that distance myself. I was so relieved to cross the finish line, but part of me was sad that it was over! I enjoyed training with Laura and the race itself was such a wonderful experience. I think that a good goal would be to run the marathon senior year...we'll see!
Tonight, my mom and I are going to drive to my grandma's house (she lives 3 hours away from Nashville). We'll spend a day with her and then we'll be on our way to Kansas City! I can't wait to see everyone and relax over the summer, but I am looking forward to coming back to Belmont in the fall.
