Spirit of the Marathon

Ohhh! I forgot to mention that I saw the "Spirit of the Marathon" movie! It was truly inspiring! I will definitely have to complete a marathon sometime within the next few years. The theater was full, and there was lots of laughing, cheering, and clapping. I highly recommend the movie!!!

Runner's World Daily Quotes

Like before, I have been collecting the daily Runner's World quotes that I like, and it's time to share! I can personally apply these to many aspects of my life.

"Desire is the most important factor in the success of any athlete." ~Willie Shoemaker

"You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through." ~Rosalynn Carter

"If you don't risk anything you risk even more." ~Erica Jong

"Live every week like it's shark week." ~Tracy Jordon

"Nothing's better than the wind to your back, the sun in front of you, and your friends beside you." ~Aaron Douglas Trimble

"During the hard training phase never be afraid to take a day off. If your legs are feeling unduly stiff and sore, rest; if you are at all sluggish, rest; in fact, if in doubt, rest." ~Bruce Fordyce (I am learning to obey this rule.)

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." ~Thomas A. Edison

"If you don't have confidence, you'll always find a way not to win." ~Carl Lewis

"You only ever grow as a human being if you're outside your comfort zone." ~Percy Cerutty

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great." ~Mark Twain

"You can't really be strong until you see a funny side to things." ~Ken Kesey

"Spirit...has fifty times the strength and staying power of brawn and muscle." ~Unknown

"Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential." ~Liane Cardes


"Number one is just to gain a passion for running. To love the morning, to love the trail, to love the pace on the track. And if some kid gets really good at it, that's cool too." ~Pat Tyson

"Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity." ~George S. Patton

"Run hard, be strong, think big." ~Percy Cerutty

"Obstacles are those frightening things that become visible when we take our eyes off our goals." ~Henry Ford

"The truth is that running hurts." ~Unknown (Oh yes!!!)

"I tell the kids to have 'wide eyes,' to run light as a feather, to get high on their toes, and to dig deep, dig deep, dig deep! Dwell on the positive, but have controlled, passionate anger." ~Pat Tyson


"Thus I urge you to go on to your greatness if you believe it is in you. Think deeply and separate what you wish from what you are prepared to do." ~Percy Cerutty

"The important thing is the attitude of the athlete, the desire to get to the top." ~Herb Elliott

"To exercise at or near capacity is the best way I know of reaching a true introspective state. If you do it right, it can open all kinds of inner doors." ~Al Oerter

"Everyone has limits on the time they can devote to exercise, and cross-training simply gives you the best return on your investment - balanced fitness with minimum injury risk and maximum fun." ~Paula Newby-Fraser

"What a player does best, he should practice least. Practice is for problems." ~Duke Snider

"The five S's of sports training are: stamina, speed, strength, skill, and spirit; but the greatest of these is spirit." ~Ken Doherty

"All of my life I have always had the urge to do things better than anybody else." ~Babe Didrikson Zaharias

"Jogging is very beneficial. It's good for your legs and your feet. It's also very good for the ground. It makes it feel needed." ~Charles Schulz

"To a runner, a side stich is like a car alarm. It signifies something is wrong, but you ignore it until it goes away." ~Unknown

"The clock isn't slower; you're just faster." ~Adidas

"Life is short... running makes it seem longer." ~Baron Hansen

"I thought about how many preconceived prejudices would crumble when I trotted right along for 26 miles." ~Bobbi Gibb

"Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside them was superior to circumstance." ~Bruce Barton (I love that one!!)

"Channel your energy. Focus." ~Carl Lewis

"Second place is not a defeat. It is a stimulation to get better. It makes you even more determined." ~Carlos Lopes, Portugal

"No matter our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born." ~Dr. Dale Turner

"Run slowly, run daily, drink moderately and don't eat like a pig." ~Dr. Ernest van Aaken

"Listen to your body. Do not be a blind and deaf tenant." ~Dr. George Sheehan

"We are different, in essence, from other men. If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon." ~Emil Zatopek

"The difference between the mile and the marathon is the difference between burning your fingers with a match and being slowly roasted over hot coals." ~Hal Higdon

"Out on the roads there is fitness and self-discovery and the persons we were destined to be." ~Dr. George Sheehan (Oh so very true!)

"You must do the thing which you think you cannot do." ~Eleanor Roosevelt


"Everyone in life is looking for a certain rush. Racing is where I get mine." ~John Trautmann (for me it is cheaper than jumping out of "perfectly good airplanes")


"The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare." ~Juma Ikangaa

Future Dr. Jes!

Thanks for the concern Doug! I am alive and well. My knee is doing great! I didn't get to any spinning classes last week due to my experiments in the lab taking longest than possible, but the roommate and I did go to Pilates and relaxation. Last Thursday we ran 10 miles (her longest distance so far)!!!! We did the two mile lap around our apartment five times, running in the grass for half of it. The last 0.2 miles of each lap we walked, got a drink, and stretched. I really think that it helped my knee.  Our average pace was 13 min/mile, but again that did include stopping to drink, stretch, and walking. I have continued to ice and use icy hot at night, and now it feels great! We are going to run an easy two miles tomorrow before Pilates, and then go to the relaxation class on Thursday. Friday will be a yummy spaghetti dinner, then Saturday is the half marathon! I also found out that there is a hash later that day, and it is going to be a friend's first hash... so I'm not sure how I'm going to run both, but I will try!

It's hard to believe that exactly one year ago our goal was to run one mile without stopping... and here I am about to run my second half marathon! Running has definitely changed my life for the better. I feel better about myself (physically and mentally), it's an excellent way to relieve stress, and I have met so many amazing people (in real life and in "Blogging Land"). Thank you all for your continuous support, advice, and tales! I really do miss reading all of your blogs!!!Here is my RunStoppable chart of my mileage. I only started using RunStoppable around the middle of May. As you can see, I have drastically decreased on the amount of miles I ran. I hope to slowly build up more, but I'm sure I won't hit September's peak again for a while. As I have continuously mentioned, the thesis is taking up much of my time at the moment.

Two weekends ago, my running partner Joe moved to Texas. The roommate, Joe, Chris, and I went out to dinner then to a pub for drinks. Here's a picture of the roommate, Joe, and myself.
This past weekend Chris and I went to visit some of my family, and took some time away from our studies to visit the Beer Fest. I consider it early carb-loading.

Chris and I signed up for Muddy Buddy in May! And the roommate is partnered with her sister for it. I cannot wait!!! A group of us are also trying to get in for the 7 Mile Bridge Run, in Key West *fingers crossed*.

It has been crazy here! I have less than two months to finish writing, create a presentation, and defend my thesis! Eek!!!! Which means I am hundreds of blogs behind in reading (yes, hundreds!). Then to add to that, this past week I decided that Doctor Jes has a very nice ring to it. That's right, I am going to go for my PhD in chemistry, with an emphasis on forensics. That means I am also trying to put together my application for admission, and this summer I will be cramming like crazy for the proficiency exams (Has anyone taken inorganic chem???). That also meant I had to tell Special Agent C today that he didn't need to proceed with my background check for that job I interviewed for in Georgia. I felt bad, especially since I did't want to burn any bridges, but seriously... Dr. Jes! Education paid for by the school! I can't pass that up!! (I am a professional student now!)

One last note... my mom wrote me a cute, cheesy poem! She sent me a card with family pictures and had the following poem written inside:

Queen of Running Land

She runs on Her Land from morning till night,
And only walks when the time is right.
A smart, pretty girl who's happy and sweet,
Yet is a fast runner who's quick on her feet.
Her smile is so bright with each passing day.
She speaks a kind word to others on her way!
So look for the Queen that runs in the town.
Her name is Jessica - a good friend all-around!!

Then she drew a stick figure with curly hair and a crown. She sure does know how to make me smile.

I hope you all are doing great!!!!

Thank you all!

I have been very busy lately, so I haven't had as much time to blog (or read blogs) as I would like, but that's the way it goes when writing a thesis. I hope to write my one year anniversary blog this weekend, but for now I wanted to say a quick THANK YOU!

Thank you all for being so quick to respond to my last blog about my knee. I have been icing it on and off since, taking ibuprofen occasionally, and putting some Icy Hot on it before bed. Last night I went to spinning and made sure to keep my resistance low (which was difficult for me). It felt great! In fact my knee is feeling SO much better today. I was even able to do my push-ups the past two days. I also looked up exercises to strengthen my quads, and will be doing those this weekend. I really want to run tonight, but I think it might be best to wait until Monday. Unfortunately that really only leaves next week to run (hopefully we'll get up to 10 miles), and the following week to rest before the half. I am trying to stay positive though!

Thanks again!

Help, my knee is killing me!

I need some suggestions. The half marathon is quickly approaching (Feb. 2). The roommate and I ran 6 miles last night in 57F weather (planning on a long run of 10 miles next week then resting before the half). About half way through my knee started to hurt. I tried stretching a little bit, but it didn't do much. It would hurt the most after having to stop running (waiting at the cross-walk). Eventually it would ease up, and I'd hardly notice. I tried running in the grass when I could. As soon as we finished and were walking to cool down, my knee felt tight (as did the rest of my muscles actually). We came home to stretch, eat, and relax before going to pilates. Pilates was excellent, other than the lunges. I couldn't complete all of those, because setting my left knee on the ground hurt. Even last night I woke up because my knee was sore where it was laying on my bed. This morning I could walk just fine, and I could bend my knee without pain. Then we went to do our push-ups and plank... I do "girly push-ups", but I could not keep pressure on my left knee.

The pain seems to be on the inside of the knee, under the knee cap. Does any one have any suggestions?? Doug, I do appreciate your suggestion about riding a bike... I haven't been to spinning in a while (going on Thursday), so that may have something to do with it. I remember that last year at this time, when the roommate and I started running, I was wearing a knee brace on both knees, because they hurt so bad. Then it eventually went away. At that time I thought I had just strengthened them, then recently I thought it was because the weather had warmed up... but now it may be because I started spinning (or a combination of all three).

I am so frustrated!

Garmy, Power Wheels and Hashing!

Let the update begin!

I had anticipated a nice quiet Christmas at home this year. I was quite surprised to find out that I'm going to be an aunt again. It will be very exciting, and next year we will get to celebrate "baby's first Christmas". The great part about being an aunt is that you get to spoil your niece/nephew then give them back when they get fussy. (o:

Due to the sore knee, Garmy and I have not been able to spend too much time together, but we have bonded nonetheless. (Yes, I have decided that "Garmy" is it's name. Not very original, but I like it.) We went for our first run Christmas day. I told myself I'd keep it short and sweet, so I only went 1.26 miles in 12:24 (average pace 9:50 with a best pace of 7:54... which occurred near the beginning of the run before I reminded myself to slow down). It felt amazing to run, and I had to refrain myself from racing the little kid in the Power Wheels car. My knee didn't hurt, but it didn't feel completely normal. Our next run was on January 2nd. The roommate, Garmy, and myself ran 1.29 miles at 14:36. My knee started to hurt around the one mile mark. It was really disappointing. The next couple of days my knee hurt off and on. It was weird... it would hurt so bad that I didn't want to extend it or walk on it, then it would just go away.

Oh yes, my mom gave me a great Christmas gift... money for more work-out clothes! I spent it very easily. I even purchased some new insoles for my shoes. They are very cushy. I love them!

I brought in the new year with great people, and I could not have asked for a better New Year's Eve! I hope everyone else had an excellent New Year! My resolution is simply to enjoy life.

January 5th was my fourth hash (3rd with one particular hashing group, which means I need to attend two more hashes before I get named). I have to admit that my energy level was pretty much zilch that day. I ended up walking through a canal of water (this time I took off my shoes, because I forgot my old ones and had to wear my regular running shoes). Garmy of course came with me, and I lucked out because no one made me drink for "technology on trail". The trail itself was supposed to be 3.25 miles (according to the hare), but we ended up going 3.6 miles. While the trail was fun, I did get a bit frustrated at all of the check marks. This was definitely a challenging trail (good job Kyle and Ryan!). My knee hurt pretty bad at one point, and I actually considered just quiting, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. The strange part (and good) was that during circle, at the end of the trail, my knee didn't hurt at all.

January 7th and 8th I was out of town for a job interview. It was my first interview and polygraph. That was quite an experience. On a good note, those two days my knee didn't hurt at all.

Yesterday (9th) I opted to rest instead of run, seeing as I was exhausted from my trip. Tonight the roommate, Garmy, and I went for a 4 mile run with a time of 48:51. My knee was starting to hurt. I just stretched it, and it feels fine. I'm hoping that lots of stretching will make it better.

I'm getting very nervous about the half marathon. It's less than a month away. Right now my goal is to just finish the race. I will attempt a PR when my knee is back to normal, and I have been training more.

As far as other work-outs go... I have been doing pretty good with the push-ups and plank (other than slacking on the weekends). I haven't done anything else however. Now that the semester started the gym is open again, but since it is the beginning of the semester and the new year the gym is PACKED! The roommate and I are going to try and fit in swimming, spinning, and pilates when we can. It is coming down to crunch time on my thesis research, so my work-out schedule is going to revolve around that.

I must also mention that this month is my one year anniversary for running! That however deserves it's own blog, when I'm not so tired.

I hope everyone is doing well, and I cannot even begin to describe how far behind I am in reading blogs. I will try to read a few now before going to bed. Sorry for the extreme delays!