LIFE

So today is my last day at The Flying Pig Marathon. I look forward to going back next year and working as an intern, hopefully with a larger role. This has been one of the best experience of my life. Through this internship I meet so many new friends that hopefully I am able to stay in contact with them. Lindsey, Denise, Iris, Rob, John, Trey, Steph, and Patrick were great people to work with and helped me out so much. I feel that just gaining this internship will lead to bigger and better things for me in my professional life.
As far as track goes, it's coming to an end. Me and about ten other people are still running this Friday @ IU and next week @ North Central. Hopefully fellow teammates Randall Mitchell, Scotty Mayes, and Lauren Hastings are able to make it to nationals. I've learned alot about myself this track season. I started off this season with only running one 400 in my life, to being one of the teams two 400 runners. I started off the season with never running the 4x400 in my life, to being the lead off leg, and the one strong hold on the relay team due to injuries and other issues. At the start of the season I set a goal for myself to run a 54 in the 400. I've officially done that so I've moved my goal to a 53 for the next two meets. By next year hopefully I will be able to hit a 51 and help the relay team bring home a conference championship. Through this season I set high goals in the 400 with never running it before, and I meet that goal. This season has helped me realize that the sky is the limit. I would also like to mention that I received a team award, The Focus Award. Focus stands for "Forming Our Circle Until Successful. At the start of the season we came in with no leaders left over from last year. Coach Hill came up to me one day, and said I'm going to need you to step up this season" One problem he didn't say what I needed to step up to. I then realized that I was needed to lead this very young team. The way I did that was by example. I acted as a class act, did all I could to motivate the team, and spent more time helping others than I have in the past. I feel that through my experiences this year I've become a man. I don't know if I could say that in the past. I feel that my hard work is paying of as a was accepted into The National Collegiate Athletic Honor Society.
Finally, This summer I will be going out to Utah to live with my sister. I will be working on a ranch doing office work, and also being a ranch hand. I will leave in two weeks, and hopefully in the 3 months I spend on the ranch I can learn more about myself.

The Flying Pig Marathon-Sunday

Today was the running of The 11th Flying Pig Marathon and Half Marathon. There were a record number of participants for Saturday Events, over 16,000 and over 22,000 for all events total. The overall winner of The Flying Pig Marathon was Sergio Reyes with a time of 2:20:37. That was just 12 seconds off the race record set in 2006. The winner of the women's division was Autum Ray in a time of 2:52:23. Sergio was quoted at saying, :This is one of the most scenic races I've ever done" and “The views were truly awesome and the weather was just about perfect.” The winner of the half Marathon was Chris Reis in a time of 1:09:09. The female winner of the half-marathon was Nicole Laselle in a time of 1:21:52. I would also like to make a shout out to current and former teammates of mine who ran The 4-person relay. The Mo Joe Racers team of Alex Shields, Jeff Schroer, Kassie Koch, and Gina Damon finished in 3rd place in the co-ed division. Nice race ladies and gentleman. With that said I am glad that I took on this internship and look forward to interning at The Pig next spring. It was an experience of a lifetime, and I will never forget it. Their is nothing that can compare to being at the finish line of a Marathon. I would like to personally say this is the best sporting event I've ever witnessed in my lifetime. For more Information on The Flying Pig Marathon please visit www.flyingpigmarathon.com.

The Flying Pig Marathon-Saturday

Saturday was just a taste of what to expect for what would happen on Sunday. On Saturday there were participants for the Toyota, 10k, The Fleet Feet Sports 5k, Hope & Possibilities 5k, the Kids 1 mile, and the diaper dash. In the Toyota 10k the winner was 23 year old Nazar Trilisky of Cincinnati. His finishing time was 33:30. The winner of the Toyota 10k for the women was 25 year old Karen Berling of Cincinnati. She finished in a time of 39:11. The overall winner of the Fleet Feet Sports 5k was 35-year old Jeff Hojnack of Chicago. His time was 16:22. The winner of the womens division was 26-year-old Kerry Bogner of Cincinnati. Her finishing time was 18:58. I would also like to make a special shout out to my assistant track coach Tina Blakley who finished 67 overall in a time 0f 22:18 and 2nd in her age group. Good job Tina. Also I would Like to share a short story with you all. As I was putting up signage for Sunday's race I had a Hope & Possibilities member who was physically handicapped come up and thanked me for all of my hard work. I took that to heart. That night as I was going to bed I was thinking about this older man In his wheelchair and I begun to think why wasn't I the one thinking him for his hard work. He was the one that just gave everything he had to finish a 5k. I mean what I had to do, put up signs was easy work. What this man did Saturday and has to do everyday of his life is the real hard work.

The Flying Pig Marathon Expo

So today I worked the Expo for my internship at The Flying Pig Marathon. I feel like I could fall asleep right now, but instead I'm blogging away. So to start off with I was giving people bid numbers, and boy was that interesting. Not to sound like I'm complaining, but people are impatient. If they have to wait more than 30 seconds they act like its the end of the world. I then worked on registration which was pretty easy and mindless. Other, than the few impatient people at the bid station people seemed to be very calm. Also I heard people complimenting and the wide array of vendors we had at the expo. Many felt their was something their for people of all ages. Also I noticed that having the expo at The Duke Energy Center seemed to bring allot of people downtown. I would think that has to be good for the local economy and downtown businesses. With that said I'm going to bed to prepare for the next two days that are ahead of me. I look forward to seeing you at the events of The Pig.