MakeUp Madness

I thought I would catch you up on my no makeup Wednesdays.  It's been about six weeks since The Beautiful Face Project, and I have gone makeup-less every Wednesday since. This is a fantastic accomplishment for me, except for one thing, I've noticed some negative fat talk coming through the radar on those days I go unencumbered by makeup. I hate to admit it to you, but the nasty, bad habit thoughts have returned like the plague.

In light of recent development, I think it's necessary to bring back The Beautiful Face Project every other month, once a week. Although I will keep going without makeup on Wednesdays, I think that a more forward approach will cause a "great awakening" (if you will) to what really matters (i.e. NOT makeup).

Plus, mascara is just so expensive!

With that being said, here are a few simple tips and sayings to get you through a day without makeup.

1. Imperfections are beautiful.
2. CoverGirls are simply that, they are created to be shown on the front of a magazine, effortlessly flawless. Photoshopped. You can't live up to the fake-ness a photo like that entails. Get over it.
3. Really, people don't pay as much attention to you as you might think. They're just worried about themselves. 
4. Keep your chin up. If you feel beautiful, you are beautiful. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
5. Don't stop smiling. A smile is your best feature.
6. Your reflection does not define your worth! Don't let that mirror interpret your emotions.
7. Think of all the time you spend on the days you don't wear makeup. Not only do you get to sleep in fifteen minutes, but you won't feel the need to duck into the women's bathroom to check yourself between every class. 
8. Everyone loves rain. No makeup? Good. Now you don't have to worry about mascara smudges when you're splashing in puddles. 
9. Beauty is made from confidence. Go change the world. 

Phrase for the day: "For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone." -Audrey Hepburn

To Be A Blogger

Bloggers are strange people. No one can say otherwise. To be a blogger you have to believe in yourself. But it takes more than that. You have to believe that others believe in you - and care enough to go to your page, frantically searching for your next post.

Ah yes, bloggers are the most egotistical and self-absorbed people you will never meet. In one of my favorite essays ever written by E.B. White, he wrote, "The essayist is a self-liberated (wo-)man, sustained by the childish belief that everything he thinks about, everything that happens to him, is of general interest." How much more true can he get? Besides, blogging is the modern form of essay writing. I take this quote to heart. I love E.B. White! "Only a person who is congenitally self-centered has the effrontery and the stamina to write essays." How wonderful! I will thoroughly embrace my self-centered-ness in an effort to keep your mind occupies, especially over the summer months.

Now if you don't mind, I must get back to my French homework. I have been procrastinating far too long.

"But when I am discouraged or downcast I need only fling open the door of my closet, and there, hidden behind everything else, hangs the mangle of Michel de Montaigne, smelling slightly of camphor."

Blue Sky.

With the end of the school year wrapping up, I've been faced with a lot of "growing up." Maybe it isn't personally MY growing up, but it's somebody's, and I just wish I could tell them everything they should or shouldn't do. Of course, I don't know what that is myself.

It's once again that time of the year for my private school eighth graders to graduate. Being an alumni, I cry whenever another class passes through the doors of public school. I don't know why. There is absolutely no reason for this, until this year. My little sister has officially graduated the eight grade. CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU AND YOURS! Now go back to the easy, care-free days of kindergarten.

All of my "public school friends" say that graduating the eight grade isn't a big deal. That's true - if you went to a public middle school. Graduating from this private school is so much different! I can't explain it properly unless you've properly experienced it. It's a safe house. A place to learn and grow in your Christianity with friends and teachers who support and love you. We open the day in prayer, we have Bible studies, we sing songs of salvation and God's saving grace. School was my life, because that was where my friends were. Graduating from private school is a big deal.

My few weeks of public high school were weird. Not just because everything was new. I just always felt like I was waiting for something to happen. I didn't realize this until months later, but what I had been waiting for was a different start to the day, a simple prayer. But finding that in public school, it's easier to find a needle in a haystack!

It really wasn't until the last term of my freshman year that I really began connecting with people. I didn't find them at school, however, I found them in my youth group. They all went to my school and I didn't even notice them because I was so sucked into my own little pity party of "I don't have any friends."

I guess what I'm trying to say here is this: to you eighth graders, don't let life get you down. It's okay to be nervous for high school. Just don't be so nervous that you don't live your summer. Make friends, be open to meeting new people, but make good choices while you're at it. Don't befriend someone you know is just going to tear you down. Trust God. That's something I had to learn the hard way. Don't be afraid to pray at school. Be the light in the darkness. All those cliche's. Hold onto your innocence. I'm always available to talk if you need it. Have a wonderful summer! High school is going to open up a world of opportunity to you, don't waste it.

A New Chapter

Blogging for my advanced placement language and composition class is officially finished with. It's been long, it's been hard, and at times, I wish I could quit, but now that it's all said and done, I wouldn't change a moment of it. Everything that I've learned in the past several months will do nothing but help me. Now and in the future. I have learned more about the existence of God in my everyday life than I ever could if I hadn't dwelled on his goodness in my blog. I have also been able to grow and see inner beauty as beautiful, and in turn, find the beautiful qualities in myself and others. Like I said, I wouldn't change a minute of it for the world.

The big question now is will I continue to blog without the prompting of this class? The answer is a resounding yes! I've spent two days without worrying about mandatory blogs and the need to write is itching in my fingertips. Although I won't write as frequently, I hope to continue to dive into the topics that I have already been discussing here such as beauty, Christianity, and RUNNING. So don't stop reading, because there's a whole lot more coming!

Speaking of running, and with my post being entitled "A New Chapter," I have a little bit more to share with you. Ever since I ran my half-marathon a whole three days ago I can't wait for my next race! I haven't run again yet, my legs are still a little shaky, but I'll be running a 5K for breast cancer in June. I can't wait. Until then, I will be speed training. My average mile time for the half was 11:16 and I want to be able to run a solid ten minute mile before my next half. Yes, I said NEXT. What can I say? I'm addicted to the feeling of crossing that finish line.

Also, I'd like to remind you that "No Make-up Wednesdays" have thus far been a success. Although, the more time that passes since the week of no make-up, the less enthused I am about going make-up-less. It's a work in progress. But I see another week without make-up sometime in the near future, just to remind myself of who I am, painted or not.

Live and Learn

Now that I've experienced the full effects of a half-marathon, I am taking some time to reflect on everything I did or didn't do to prepare for the big run!

I did not know what I was getting myself into. AT ALL. I had no idea of the time commitment it would take. So running was put first. After God and church and family (?) of course. But I have had no social life since I began training, so it's a good thing that summer is almost here.

I took one look at the training program and just started running. I didn't know what I was doing, didn't have the proper shoes or socks, and thought I was strong enough to do it by myself. Because of the shoe issue, I ended up with ankle pain about two months ago, which really freaked me out. I went to Running Wild, and they fit me with the perfect shoes. Voila! Pain no more. (Except a few blisters, ouch.)

Also, I got really lucky. A few of the women who help with the eighth grade running program at my middle school offered to run with me. It really helped to have them run the long distances with me and coach me through them. Plus, they have ultra cool running watches. No need to question my distance!

In the beginning, I didn't think about tracking my time or mile pace. I really wish I would have! I think if I were to start from scratch and do it again I would choose more of a run/walk program to build speed and endurance.

Just thoughts for next time. For my first half, I'm pretty proud of myself. And if you ever feel crazy enough to do a half-marathon, GO FOR IT! It will be the best, worst, most painful, exciting, exhilarating experience of your life.

Half-Marathon!

Yep. It's official. I have finally ran 13.1 miles. My time? 2:27:36 at an 11:16 pace.

I woke up this morning at 4:45, so nervous that I didn't even feel the need to hit the snooze button. My "running breakfast" always consists of yogurt (Noosa) and a banana. Try as I might, I had absolutely no appetite. So I force fed myself while I sipped a glass of water.

We arrived downtown at about a quarter after six. I stretched, and we waited in the car for fifteen minutes (it was a little chilly). I was so nervous I thought I was going to cry. My dad prayed for me and we went to the starting line. This race was really nice because it had signs for mile times to let you know where to stand in the pack. I was nearer the back. Five minutes later everyone began moving forward. Here we go!

The first mile was weird. About 0.2 into it there was an extremely narrow bridge that we had to cross. Everyone literally stood there for about three minutes, waiting for their chance to cross. I was getting antsy waiting for the crowd to thin out. The first four miles was a piece of cake. But mile five, that was a long stretch. It just seemed so ominous. So I made a friend, and before I knew it, I could see mile six. There was a water station every two miles, which I always stopped and walked at. At mile six, I ate a GU packet, Lemon Sublime, my favorite, but it kind of made my stomach upset. Too much water, I think. It went away about a mile later.

It was a pretty uneventful race. Which is good, in my opinion. I stopped again at mile ten to eat another GU (chocolate outrage - it tastes like brownie batter!), and kept on towards the finish line. With three miles left, I was totally pumped up. There were people on every block cheering us on. It was kind of awesome. The last two miles were hard. There were a lot more hills than I expected, not very steep, just l-o-n-g, and I walked up a lot of them. When I was told three blocks until the finish line, I broke out into a spring. It felt incredible, except for the feeling like I was going to throw up. (No worries, I kept everything down).

I passed the finish line with a smile on my face and 13.1 miles stronger. Yes, I got a finishers medal. I always wondered why medals were such a big deal, now I know why!

I drank a ton of water and ate half a banana directly after the race. We waited around for a little bit before coming home. I feel like it was kind of anticlimactic. Whatever, I finished and I am so proud of myself!

Now if you would excuse me, I'm going to take a nap.

Run Strong

I officially have less than twenty four hours until my race. And you know what? I'm kind of totally freaking out about it. The past week, I've run a total of eight miles. Normally, I run around 25 to 30. I know, I know. Trust my training. I've told myself that time and time again. I'm sure every runner feels totally unprepared the day before a race. Right?

Last night was my last official day of training. I ran a mile and a half. I've had my running log duct taped to my door for about five months now, and last night I finally took it down. Bittersweet moment. It'll be nice to be able to run whatever, whenever I want to after the race. I'm going to have so much free time I won't know what to do with myself!

Throughout the week I've totally been obsessing about my eating habits. What I can or should or absolutely must not eat. I told myself no desert, but come on, I love sugar. Not possible. But I figure if I ruined that throughout the week I can at least get it right tonight. I ate spaghetti, a lot of it. But I promise, I didn't overeat. I drank a Gatorade yesterday and today and have drank a lot of water tonight. Again, not too much that I feel like I'm going to puke water all over the place.

What am I worried about? I'm worried that I'll wake up with an upset stomach. That's what happened last weekend before the 10K, and I hardly ate anything. This goes without saying that I was really hungry during the race. I'm also nervous that I'll get lost. Don't laugh, it's possible. I'm directionally challenged. But I'm trusting that their will be enough police officers and others to guide me. It's supposed to be warm tomorrow, close to ninety. This is something I absolutely cannot let myself think about. It's out of my control. Besides, the weather shouldn't be that warm between seven and ten in the morning.

Tonight, we drove down to pick up my number and race-timer-thingy (I just forgot what it's called!). My number is 445. This all feels so unreal. It's not really me doing it, you know? I feel like I'm living someone else's live for just a few moments. I mean seriously, me, running a half marathon. Yeah right. But I am going to do it and it is going to be awesome.

At this point, I just want to get started. I feel like I can't wait another moment. I'm waking up at five tomorrow morning to hydrate and fuel myself and I know that those two hours before my race are going to be excruciating!

"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." -John J. Bingham

Let's do this thing!