My First Half-Marathon!

With the start of 2012 came new goals, new schedules, and plenty of New Years’ resolutions. My first blog entry of the year began with a list of three on my personal agenda. Running a Half-Marathon was at the very top. With that said, all of my life I hated running. Not to mention that I was born into a family with a “non-runner” mentality. Engle’s don’t run. We don’t like it. We can’t control our breathing. We’re not fast. We never have been, nor will we ever be.  Towards the end of my high school volleyball career, I began to pick up running to stay in shape without a coach and a clipboard in front of me. Little did I know it would change the course of my coming years. I began to absolutely love running around New Territory and completing the 4-Mile Homeward Way Loop on a daily basis. One of my neighbors suggested that I begin training for a race back in July, and at the time I thought she was crazy. Me? Running? Race? 13.1 Miles? No way José. I finished the summer with a strong 8 mile run--which seemed to fulfill my running goals for the time being. As I began my first semester of college, running wasn’t my first priority (nor my second… or third… or forth). In fact, I indirectly fell off the bandwagon and forgot how much it was needed as a stress reliever in my life. Once I returned home for Christmas Break, I was determined to place working out as a top priority. My selfish hopes for strengthened abs and toned leg muscles were quickly shot down when I was informed I no longer had a gym membership in Sugar Land. I took a deep breath and began running every single day--pounding in the miles and loving every single second of it. I would randomly challenge myself to 8 mile runs without any reason. Sometimes I get some crazy ideas. After New Years’ Eve, my family discussed our resolutions for the upcoming year. I informed my Anti-Running family that I hoped to run a Half-Marathon within the year 2012. They supported me, but little did they know I would register for my first race the following day. I don’t waste any time. I chose the USA Fit 2012 “Everyone’s Marathon” in Sugar Land, TX on January 29, 2012. It would allow me to “run-to-train” for the entire month of January—half at home and the other half in College Station. I created my own running chart, researched a few training tips, and pulled together some inspirational quotes. They were always sitting on the counter at home or lying out on my desk at school. This race was always on my mind. I was a dedicated runner. Once I set my mind on accomplishing a goal, you can bet I will follow through with finishing it. All of my training built up to this point. I ran my first Half-Marathon in Sugar Land this morning! It was one of the coolest things I have ever taken part of. I woke up dark & early at 4:45 am, and the race started at 7 am sharp. I felt more adrenaline pumping through my body this morning than I have in a long time. My goal was to cross the finish line without stopping. I didn’t walk at all or stop for the bathroom. I ran the entire 13.1 mile race at a consistent pace of 10 minutes per mile. The race itself went incredibly well. My legs didn’t cramp and I hardly felt any pain. To be honest, I felt like I could’ve run the whole marathon. I exerted half of my energy smiling and enjoying the spectators cheering us on from the sidelines-- and the other half actually running the race. I ended up finishing in 10^th place for the female age group of 15-19 year olds with a time of 2 hours and 15 minutes. I couldn’t have done it without the INCREDIBLE support from my family and friends. They held up a sign near the 7 mile mark that said, “We Love Our Runner Kait Kait.” It was the most precious thing in the world and by far the best sign there! Every single person in my family encouraged me throughout my training, and that encouragement quickly carried over to my friends at Texas A&M. I feel truly blessed with an unbelievable support system and I can’t say thank you enough for all of the texts, tweets, comments, likes, and phone calls. Words cannot describe how special and proud y’all made me feel today. This was my first race ever. You can only say that once in your life, but this certainly won’t be my last. I hope you consider running in a race one day- whether you start small with a 5K or hop right into the Half. As for myself, I can see a Full-Marathon on the horizon and I can’t wait to discover where the rest of my running journey takes me.

Sweet Spring

The first week of Spring Semester is officially over and done. Class schedules are finalized and I am finally getting back into the swing of things. I have loved every second of being back in Aggieland. Spending time with all of my friends + no responsibilities (yet) = SO FUN! The first weekend I spent moving everything back into my dorm, readjusting to life in College Station, and reuniting with friends. I attended the Kevin Fowler concert with a great group of FISH and two-stepped the night away. We grabbed our boots and enjoyed our first night back out on the town! I heard some new songs and had a blast! My favorite part was practicing our dance moves in an empty parking lot beforehand. Oh the joys of Texas A&M! Since being back in College Station, I have continued training for my first half-marathon (which is only one short week away). It has been great running and training in College Station, but definitely an adjustment from my normal routine in Sugar Land. I survived my first week of classes, which consists of an 8 am every single day on west campus. Uh…Yikes! When I made that choice, I failed to take into consideration Thursday nights in a college town. My crazy demanding schedule of meetings is back on track, my planner is already filled up for the semester, and Fish Camp Counselor applications are spinning around campus. But most importantly, MSC FISH’s Spring Retreat was on Friday.  This retreat was an all-night lock in at Aerofit Gym, and by far one of the greatest nights spent with my FISH friends so far. Every school was instructed to come dressed up with a united theme. My school, Toates Angsty Platypi, were straight up THUGS. We wrote a rap to Eminem’s Lose Yourself and it was epic. Our school was not very involved last semester, but we’re making a comeback in the upcoming months.  I had a blast bonding with them through the making of our song, shopping for our outfits, and drawing tattoos all over each other. I am so proud of my fellow Platypi and I cannot wait to see what’s in store for us this semester. Spring Retreat started off with each school performing a skit—to make fun of their AD’s and provide entertainment for the rest of the people in our FLO. Everyone’s impersonations of each other were absolutely priceless. My favorite line from the night… “I was born in a Cracker Barrel”—about Kandace Beall. The night continued with random groups traveling to four unique stations. I loved these because it allowed us to get to know different people and brought out our competitive side through various challenges. They consisted of an obstacle course, a singing bee, the game fish bowl, the sock battle, and so much more. We also took some time for deep discussion and I was able to get to know the people in my group on a much deeper level. Becca and Andrew led my group in questions and I absolutely adore both of them! The remainder of the night was free time. I spent the majority of my time throwing balls in the ball pit and playing basketball. I LOVED getting to know some new faces in FISH and branching outside of my comfort zone. I didn’t arrive back to my dorm until 7:00 AM, but Spring Retreat beats sleeping any day! As I look towards the Spring Semester, I am hopeful that it will be the best semester yet. I want to embrace every second I have in MSC FISH—because I know this time will fly by. I want to take a ridiculous amount of pictures and blog about every memorable event. I want my friendships to continue to grow and I never want to lose sight of my priorities. I want to be a dedicated Tri-Delta officer and create a solid foundation for PC ’12. I want to constantly encourage others. I want to learn, love, and most importantly laugh every step of the way. My advice to myself this semester: “Wherever you are—be all there.”

Winter Trip

This Winter Break has been filled with reuniting, relaxing, and lots of running. I loved spending time with my family; however, I never imagined I would miss my friends from college as much as I have. This past weekend I went on Winter Trip with MSC Fish. I drove up to College Station on Thursday afternoon and was finally reunited with one of my best friends, Kandace Beall. We ate dinner at Newks and then met up with the rest of the gang. I cannot describe to you how sweet it was to see all of my best friends again. It is incredible to think that we were all strangers only 4 short months ago and were all placed into the same FLO by chance. I cannot imagine my college experience without any one of them and I know we have started friendships that will last throughout our college years and beyond. Thursday night was very exciting to say the least. We played an intense game of catchphrase and watched the supernatural horror film, The Devil Inside. It was horrible… probably the worst movie ever. I am still not too sure who suggested we watch it, but that was an awful choice. I accidently fell asleep during the film, Grace paid to shield her eyes from the screen, and our “big tough and strong” men clung to one another. Despite the overwhelming negative response from the movie, we still had a great time simply because we were finally with our fellow fishies. That night I had a sleepover with Kandace at her house-- filled with girl talk and LOTS of catching up. On Friday morning, we met up with the rest of our friends for the highly anticipated start of Winter Trip!

Kandace and I arrived at Lot 46 and smiles filled the parking lot. Everyone was ecstatic to be back in the place we all love so much with the people that make it truly special. We took roll and headed to a group lunch at Fuddruckers. The best part of lunch: Our Dinosaur Army. All thanks to Laura Mixtacki and her ingenious creativity. They were $0.50 an animal and collectively we wasted over $20. Worth it. After lunch, we wandered through Target, played at the park, and splurged on Sonic Happy-Hour. Once the clock struck 3:45pm, we were on the road headed to Camp Allen. The road-trip passed by quickly and all of the girls’ in the car (plus Will Brooke) were jammin’ the entire time. Our camping situation was way better than I had expected. We had our own campsite with girls’ and guys’ cabins, a common eating area, and plenty of space to hang out, throw the football, and play various games. Our wonderful AD’s prepared all of our meals and helped plan this awesome trip. We couldn’t be more thankful for them! Friday night we were free to do whatever we wished within the camp grounds. We started the night with a game of Sardines. This is a backwards version of hide-n-go-seek. Kandace and I were partners and we hid underneath the building. It took nearly 30 minutes for a single person to find us. No one ever thought we would hide somewhere so disgusting, but we were the best partners ever (so we did). We played an INTENSE game of catchphrase and various other card games as well. A group of us played Mafia for over three hours. It was a ton of fun; however, the last game the Mafia won with all four members still intact. It was an epic fail for the townspeople.  Later in the night, all of the girls met in one of the cabins and had pillow talk for a few hours. This was an incredible start to Winter Trip.

The next morning came too quickly and we headed to the common area for breakfast. On the schedule for Saturday were service projects and high ropes activities. We were divided into two groups and I was so thankful for the people I was placed with. Part of our group participated in a gardening service project for the entire morning.  We pulled out all of the weeds, clipped the vines surrounding the garden, and transferred rocks for a new project. It was actually pretty fun (even though the wrapped vines were never ending) and we felt very accomplished with our finished product! I love service with FISH because you’re surrounded by people you love working towards a goal that is sharing unending love with others. After lunch, we headed out to the high ropes course. There was an obstacle course/zipline, a pamper pole, and a “V” partner-dependent activity. I challenged myself to all of them and my motto was, “What would you do if you had 20 seconds of courage?” Kandace and I were the only ones to both make it across the ENTIRE “V” partner course. It took stability, communication, and teamwork. That accomplishment was by far the highlight of the weekend! We played plenty of sports throughout our time at Camp Allen; soccer, football, volleyball, and basketball. We also had a bonfire where we roasted S’mores and took countless pictures. That moment surrounded by the fire was one I’ll never forget. I couldn’t stop smiling and it brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. I have never been happier or more content every aspect of my life. I know that God is doing incredible things within MSC Fish this year and He is molding lifelong friendships along the way. I am exactly where I am supposed to be surrounded by people that I love more than anything. I feel beyond blessed that I was able to go on Winter Trip. The memories that were created only made our friendships grow to greater heights, but we were truly missing every single FISH that couldn’t join us this weekend. This upcoming semester is going to be unbelieveable. Friendships will continue to grow. Selfless service will be present on and off campus. Big things are going to happen. I CAN’T WAIT!!!

FISH FRIENDS + CAMPING +

WINTER BREAK = BEST WEEKEND EVER