Free Time? What is that?

Now that cross country is over, looking ahead, I have no clue what I'm going to do after class gets over at 3:35! Normally, I would run to my dorm room, grab my track clothes, and head to practice for a two hour sweat session, but now, I just don't know. For the first few weeks, the weeks I have to take off, I will probably hit the football field, and get ready for the end of the year football game amongst the guys on team. This will give me an opportunity to still be exercising, but on a much lighter note than running mileage. It will also give me an opportunity to revive some athletiscism. Doing nothing but running for a couple months really puts a damper on the other sports skills, I couldnt even catch or throw a football the other day! Luckily, my skills have not disappeared, and I did have one awesome catch in traffic followed by a perfect spiral! The skills are there, they just need to be revived. For now, my play will consist of random flashes of crazy athletiscism, followed by something very unathletic.

From an academic standpoint, the extra time will really help me plan out assignments a lot better. With the stresses of the season gone, I can solely focus on school without hopping into "champ mode" at 4 o clock every day. It also gives me some much needed nap time after classes if I'm really tired, instead of going to work out half empty, I can take a 20 min power nap and then go work out, the flexibility is endless! Maybe now I will be able to restart my thoughts a little bit, and think of college in a more positive light. A really big stressor has been lifted, and now I can breathe a sigh of relief.........until track season in February.

Conference, and the end of the season....

So the week was going great, classes were done, and I had two days to just kick back, relax, sleep, hang out with friends, and prepare mentally for the conference race, then I got sick. I was very mad when I went to bed wednesday night not feeling the same, I had the chills and my nose was starting to plug up. Then in the middle of the night I woke with a dry throat, nasty fever, and two plugged nostrils. I was mad to say the least, "Two days before conference, the biggest race of my career!!". The same thing happened last year before state cross country, and I ended the season disappointed, I was determined to not let that happen again. I popped advil, drank water mixed with a silver electrolyte solution, and popped my Total Virex and Total Multiimmune. My mom works for a chiropractor, so I have a lot of homeopathic vitamins that I only take when I'm sick, and they kick butt. By friday, I woke up feverless and happy, but I wasn't sure if my illness would still cause me to crash in the race with lack of energy. I simply hoped for the best, ate good, and stayed hydrated. My race on Saturday did not go as I planned, I got beat by a former rival from High school who I didnt want to lose to. I moved very well in the first half of the race, but crashed in the second half. Oddly enough, I finished 8th on the team!!! I beat guys I have never beaten before!!! And I don't feel like it was a good race!!! Even though I did not finish how I wanted, I still finished well, and recieved multiple "good jobs" from teamates. The problem was that the rest of the team did not do so well, with our best runner dropping out with breathing issues and the rest of the guys turning in bad races. We finished 5th as a team, and Luther swept the conference on both the guys and girls side. Watching Luther accept all the awards, and seeing how close the team came to winning the whole thing just got me angry. I understand that my role as a freshman was not to be a varsity runner, but I was still disappointed, I want to win more than ever now. I do not want to sit through another meet like that. Now that I have a season under my belt, I know what I have to do to help this team make that happen. Next year, I will be able to handle way more miles than I did this summer, and I will be able to make the jump from good runner, to great one. My body is pretty much wasted from the season, but now that I have survived my body is stronger, and when I get some much needed time off my legs are gonna be ready to rock once again. I'm hungrier than ever to get faster and to achieve my goals. Through the last couple weeks, I corrected my form, making my pace faster and far more efficient, unfortunetly, my body was not used to the form, and my lower legs suffered as a result. The last couple weeks my legs have hurt more and more. But once I strengthen the muscles, and get used to my new form, I will be much faster. I know what I have to do, and I know what I want to achieve. I'm in a fantastic position right now, I survived the freshmen season with no injuries, I corrected my form, I ran through pain and soreness to one of my best performances all year, and I learned how to train properly. This winter is going to be the best winter of my career, I will train harder than I've ever trained, I will push myself harder than ever, I will settle in to my new form, I will gain back the speed I had at the end of track last year at the blue oval, and when I hit the track in February, I will be able to contribute to Wartburg Track and Field!!!

Good to be home...

This weekend I went home for the first time this year and it was fantastic. It felt great to be able to leave college, go home, and just relax for two days without worrying about school, cross country, or anything else that stresses me out at college. It was nice to see my brother, my two dogs, and eat some of my mom's awesome cooking. I havent had a steak that big in months, and it tasted great!!! It was also a good time to meet up with my running bud from high school and get in a fast 6. Before I left friday night I was incredibly surprised by my feelings about leaving college, I didnt want to!! This may seem surprising, but this place feels like my home now, and its comfortable and mentally stimulating. I really feel like I accomplish so much while I'm here whereas when I'm at home, I tend to just take it easy and do nothing. While doing nothing is at times good, such as this weekend, it is something that begins to bother me after a length of time. I feel like there are two Dereks, one who lives at home and does very little and the one who is at college and is a whirlwind of activity, work, and accomplishment. Hopefully I can learn to find some balance between my desire to relax at home and my drive to accomplish things while I'm at college. I really feel like I have settled in nicely into college life and I'm really proud of my grades so far. This weekend really helped to let me blow off some steam but I couldnt help but feel giddy once I got back into Waverly, to my room, to my computer, to my college work. While it may seem weird that I was excited to get back to my homework and studying, you have to understand that I am happier when I'm doing something productive. While the occasional lazy day is awesome, over the long haul being a productive individual is far more satisfying.

Social Change Wheel

When the social change wheel was introduced in class I was very interested because the wheel outlines specific methods for involvement within ones community. I was anxious to see where other students and myself fit in to involvement amongst the different methods of involvement. The most surprising aspect of the discussion was the amount of students in the class that had been involved in voting/formal political activities. In my opinion, the most effective way to contribute to direct social change is to voice your opinion by voting and being involved in politics. The individuals we vote into office every year make all the decisions concerning public policy and voting in individuals that will make decisions you agree with is central to democracy. One probable reason for the low number of students who had participated in political activities is probably because of their age. Most of my fellow students are 19 at the most, which means they have had voter eligibility for only a year at most. They still have plenty of time to participate in politics, so maybe their low participation is due more so to time than attitude. Whatever the case, I personally will always look to voting and participation as a path for social change. The one method I will probably never use however is the Direct Action Strategies method. I don't believe in using confrontation or public disobedience as a method of policy change. While I may think this way, I do not disagree with those who do. There are some situations in which Direct Action is necessary, such as in countries with poor leaders and governments, where citizens are not afforded the power they have in America. I see Direct Action as a desperate, last resort to changing public policy. Here in America there are many channels for even one individual to affect public policy, so therefore I feel Direct Action is not as necessary in America when compared with other countries. This does not mean that I look down on others who use Direct Action as a method of social change, I just will not participate in it myself.

Sunday, finally a good one

Ever since my race yesterday, I have been on a roll. My energy levels are up, my mind is focused, and I'm beginning to feel like I did at the start of the year. My great race yesterday appears to have taken me out of the rut I have been in and refocused me towards school. Its also interesting what just a two-hand touch game of football can do to you also. Even that little bit of exercise that I got today helped my mood tremedously. The last couple Sundays have been rest days for me, with no physical exercise whatsoever. Today I went out on a limb and got the blood pumping, and it did wonders for me. I wholeheartedly believe in all the research that says daily exercise can improve mood. When your not exercising, you don't really notice your mood fluctuations but when you do exercise daily, and you take it away, your mood definitely suffers. The time that I lose in college by doing sports gets paid back in dividends when I'm able to be focused on school well into the night. Anybody who says that exercise doesn't do anything for them, hasn't been doing it long enough. If you stay disciplined and make exercise a part of your life, it becomes second nature for you.

Liberal Learning in Biology......FINALLY!!

Over the course of the last couple IS classes we have discovered what Liberal Learning is. Unfortunetly the only class where I feel I have been liberally learning, that is learning solely because I enjoy it, has been during my IS course. But when I was given my "Hot Topics in Biology" assignment for the weekend I was surprised by the requirements. The topic was actually very interesting and the actual homework required me to pretend I was a legitamite doctor for awhile. It was actually enjoyable and reading and researching about the actual topic didn't feel like work, because I actually wanted to learn more about the topic. Even though it is unrealistic to think that all assignments and classes could be like this it surely teaches you to appreciate when a topic comes along that you actually like. Hopefully as I progress through college the classes I take begin to feel more like Liberal Learning. Hopefully once I get through all the required courses and start taking classes that are interesting to me will I really begin to like college. As of now college still feels like work, but assignments such as this one in biology really help to give you a break from the norm.

Animal Dreams Paper

So I sat down today and managed to completely finish my Animal Dreams paper and felt I should reflect on it a little. The topic I chose to write about was the one dealing with the history of the Nicaraguan conflict and how it was portrayed in the book. On my first reading of the book I was completely appaled with how Kingsolver described this conflict and US involvement. I thought to myself "Surely this is exaggerated, this just seems to crazy to be true." After reading the portion of the book dealing with National Guardsmen involvement I was convinced that the events were exaggerated, and I was right. Never has there ever been a reported incident of National Guardsmen gunning down little girls in dresses picking fruit from the sky. Just mentioning it out loud sounds rediculous, and I was not surprised to find that it did not ACTUALLY happen. Granted, Kingsolver's book is a work of Fiction, and she is entitled to interject her opinions into the storyline, but the National Guard? It was far too rediculous to be convincing. I'm willing to except the fact that possibly she has some kind of information that I was unable to find or do not possess that would describe an event such as this, but it is very hard to believe and until I'm shown otherwise I simply will view this part of the book as an opinion section. You have to expect authors to interject some politics or opinion into their stories, but to call the National Guard murderers is something else entirely.

Calc

I can honestly say that the only stressor I have in my life right now is Calculus. Every day I'm working on the online homework and I always get destroyed by it. It is becoming normal for it to take at least 2 hours for me to complete the daily individual homework. Something is up, there is no way I'm the only one having this much trouble. But what do I say to the teacher? "I dont get it!"  "I dont understand it!". Part of the problem is me, I failed to get help earlier in the year when I thought it was easy, now I'm barely understanding what I'm doing half the time and it's frustrating as hell!! I plan on attending every SI session from now on, and hopefully with some hard fought time I can fix this mess I have made. If I tell incoming students anything it will be to go to the SI sessions! Even if the work seems easy in college it can rapidly shift thanks to the pace they move at. Getting left behind in easy, getting caught up is much harder.

To Go Home or Not to Go Home

Every weekend I ask myself this question, "Should I go home this weekend?". The answer has been a resounding "no" for the last couple weekends. I just can't see the point in going home for two days and losing the hard earned routine I have made for myself. I have finally adjusted to my schedule and the workload and don't want to leave for a weekend and then spend monday trying to get back in the swing of things. Don't get me wrong, I really miss my family, friends, dog, town, everything! But going home and seeing them for 48 hours and then coming back here to a load of work just doesn't seem like a fair tradeoff. Thankfully my parents understand completely and have no problem just seeing me for cross country meets. Part of the reason I'm so reluctant to go home is the obligation that I have to my school work. My parents are paying a lot of money for me to be here and the least I can do is hold up my end of the bargain and not let their money go to waste. I have heard that a lot of the friends I had in high school are really having problems adjusting and have been home EVERY weekend. I'm thankful to not be having these issues. The cross country team is basically my family here at Wartburg and the Pre-Med/Bio major coursework is keeping me pretty busy. Another reason why I'm reluctant to go home is really about my own personal pride more than anything. I feel that if I run home to mommy and daddy every weekend then it proves that college is really too much for me to handle and I KNOW this is not the case. I told myself all throughout high school listening to upperclassmen talk about how hard of a time they were having that I would not be one of those kids. I would take what college throws at me and deal with it ON MY OWN! I know that I can be independent and college is a great time to prove to myself that this is true. When I go home, it will be for more of a vacation than anything, a time to relax, hang out with family and friends and tell my college stories. When I go home I will make sure that there is nothing waiting for me when I come back, which will most likely be on a break of some sort. College is a time for me to prove to myself that I can be independent, and I can take what life throws at me. I will solve problems on my own and in the end I will be a better person because of it.