Closing Comments

Truthfully, English 420 was one of the most interesting courses I have ever taken during my four years here, at the University of Michigan. As I said in my recent presentation, I did not understand what Thylias truly meant on the first day of this course when she said that "you will not be done with your journey until the last day." This proved to be incredibly correct for me. At first I thought that I was going to create a "dream journal" on my blog, but this was way too difficult because I could not remember my dreams and the dreams that I could remember were too weird to share with the class. Then, I decided I was going to run a half-marathon, which I would have been running this Saturday, but that was a miserable process, and I thought why be miserable? So, then I decided to go to my favorite exercise class, Pure Barre everyday and this made me feel happy, alive, and rejuvenated. I also mentioned in my presentation that this past year has been a little rough for me. I have been dealing with a very messy break up (or as I referred to it in class-- a divorce.) We were together for nine-years and I found it very difficult to get over this ever since we broke up last January, but slowly but surely I am doing much better. It sounds silly, but this is why I started my quote project. I love reading inspirational quotes as they really help me in my own life! 

So, once again, this was truly a very interesting course, and I would really recommend it to anyone at the University of Michigan. Thank you for an amazing semester, Thylias :)

Still Pure Barre Obsessed

So, I am sad to say that I have not been the best runner during this last month/ (the semester for that matter.) However, the good news (as I have mentioned in PAST blog posts is that I have become obviously OBSESSED with pure barre.) For starters, it is an amazing exercise. I can't even describe in words really just how amazing my body feels when the exercise is finished. When Thylias told us in the beginning of the semester that this was going to be a "journey" and that our project wasn't over until the actual LAST day, I didn't really understand what she could possibly mean. However, now I do. I started off this semester thinking I was going to write a "dream journal." When that didn't work, I decided to run a half marathon. However, when I wasn't having fun with that I decided to research other exercises. Now, I am beyond happy with my decision. I wasn't able to do pure barre yesterday because I have a paper due today that I was a bit behind on, and I could actually feel my body yearning for pure barre. This is an amazing feeling and one that I do not want to get rid of. Although it has definitely been a journey to get to this moment, I am glad that I discovered something as rewarding as Pure Barre along the way! 

QOTD

QOTD: because this is so true! :) With graduation coming up I hope this is true about many of the friendships I have made in college. 

QOTD

This quote really resonates with my because my mom says this to me all the time. She tells me to always, always kill people with kindness even if I may not want to be kind to some people! :)

QOTD

I wanted to share this quote because I think that it is very inspirational as well as very true. 

Pure Barre Obsessed

So, my half marathon is in a month from tomorrow, and I am sadly not following my schedule as well as I should be. Through training for my half marathon I have realized just how much I really do not like to run--especially on a treadmill. However, I have not been "slacking" that bad. Instead of running I have been doing pure barre (the exercise I described a few blogs back) every single day. It's unfortunate because I know that pure barre isn't going to help me in terms of my half marathon, but I really enjoy doing it. I would rather have fun exercising than dread going on the treadmill (more like the dreadmill.) I think that my half marathon training would be going much better if it were actually warm out. I have no problem running outside, while enjoying the beautiful outdoors, but I do have a problem breathing in the icky air at the gym. With that said, though, I really need to be better and get back on track (no pun intended.) Hopefully, my next post will be dedicated to an amazing run I just did! Until next time... 

One of my all time favorite quotes...

This is one of my all time favorite quotes.. because it is so true! :)

Getting Back on Track...

Hi everyone! I know that I haven't written a blog post in a very long time, but I was in California for my spring break with my best friend, Breanna. We had lots of fun soaking up the sun, shopping, going on road trips, and just relaxing. Unfortunately, that did not leave too much time for running. To be honest, I am getting more and more nervous for this half marathon as I know I have no been following my training regime as well as I should be. However, I am going to start getting "back on track" in terms of exercising, running, and eating healthier tomorrow. 

Motivation:

QOTD

QOTD:

This is something that I had to better understand recently in my own life and something that I am still trying to utilize in my life better! :)

QOTD

Quote of the day:

I absolutely love Winnie the Pooh. I think that he is adorable, so I wanted to post this. I think this quote is telling us that any day we are living should be our favorite day.. Don't take any day for granted! :)

A New Idea- "QOTD"

So, I recently came up with a new idea for my blog. In addition to blogging about my running journey, I am also going to blog a "quote of the day" each day. I am obsessed with quotes. I absolutely love them. Each day I go on this website called 'Pinterest,' which features various different "categories" that viewers can explore ranging from cute animal pictures to fashion to health and fitness and to quotes! I love looking at the various quotes each day because I feel as if many of these quotes play a role in my daily life. 

QOTD (Quote of the Day): - Unfortunately, this is a quote that registers too close to my heart right now... 

Long Overdue Blog post!

So, I have not written in a long time so there are many updates. First off, unfortunately, I was sick last week, as indicated in my previous blog post, so my training schedule has been a bit off. When I was not feeling up to running I did my pure barre class and yoga; however, these exercises are not really going to help me with my half marathon. Although I am already supposed to be running four miles (pretty easily) I decided that I would continue to run three miles this week. At first this was still a bit difficult for me; however, yesterday was the first time that this exercise started to become easy. My friend, Carleigh, and I decided that we are way too focused on the time and the amount of miles we have ran while running on the treadmill. I did pure barre this morning, so I am not going to go to the gym today; however, I have plans to go to the gym tomorrow. When I go tomorrow I am going to block the time and miles on the treadmill with a towel, so they cannot be seen. Consequently, I will run based on how my body is feeling rather than the actual time or the amount of miles I am running. It will be interesting to see how many miles I will be able to run based on doing this strategy. I will be sure to let you all know! I am definitely nervous about my running schedule during spring break, but hopefully I will still be able to workout. I am going to California with my best friend, Breanna, for spring break, and although we plan on working out throughout our week there we also have many fun plans- (thus running is not really top of my 'priority list.') Bye for now! :)

Training put on Hold

Unfortunately I woke up feeling awfully sick yesterday, so I did not exercise yesterday, and I am going to take off today as well to ensure that I feel better for tomorrow. This is obviously annoying since I was supposed to run today; however, I will instead do that run tomorrow (assuming that I am feeling better!)

Half Marathon Training Day 1 :)

       So, as you all know, today was the first day of my half marathon training. According to my training schedule, today I had to run 3 miles. I completed this; however, I didn't realize until today how bad of shape I am in terms of running! I had to walk a little bit once I got to 1.5 miles, but I quickly began running again. My goal for Wednesday is to run three miles without stopping to walk once! Hopefully it goes okay. I think this half marathon training is going to be even more difficult than I thought, but I am no where near to giving up.

       Additionally, I am almost done with my "pure barre challenge." As stated in an earlier post, the challenge is if you do 20 classes in 30 days you get half off for the next month unlimited! The challenge ends on Thursday, and I only have two more classes to complete, so naturally I am determined to do this. However, today is one of the days I can go due to my packed class schedule on Tuesdays and Thursdays! Thus, not only did I start half marathon training, but I am also about to do a pure barre class. I have a feeling I am going to go to bed veryyyyyyyyy early tonight!

Tomorrow is the Big Day!

Tomorrow is the big day! I am beginning my training for my half marathon on April 27th! I am very excited to begin this journey; however, I am also a bit nervous as I have not run in a very long time. Wish me luck! I hope it goes well!

Some Motivation: 

Bikram Yoga :)

Because I am not beginning my half marathon training until Monday, I decided to participate in a yoga class this morning instead of running. I did a Bikram Yoga Class, which is a 90 minute hot yoga class. There are 26 different postures and the room is usually kept at about 115 degrees. Doing yoga in the morning makes my day better and allows me to feel productive early in the day. 

My New Title

I could not decide on a title for my blog initially as I did not know what type of project I would be doing. However, now that I am running a half marathon I have decided to make my title: "Going Myles with Jesse." I have decided to spell 'miles' as 'myles' because my middle name is Myles. 

Goodbye Dream Journal, Hello Half Marathon! :)

So, I soon realized that a "dream journal" is impossible to keep for a couple reasons. Firstly, I rarely wake up in the morning remembering my dreams. Secondly, some of my dreams are extremely weird, and I do not feel comfortable sharing them with the world! Thus, I have decided to change my project. I am going to train for a half marathon and document my training on this blog each day. There were several steps that I had to go through in order to figure out which half marathon I wanted to run. 

Step ONE: I wanted a partner to do this with, so my close friends, Sammy & Carleigh, decided to do it with me! 

Step TWO: we had to find a training program that was applicable to us. We both have never run a half marathon before, and thus we settled on the 12 weeks training program for beginners from "Shape Magazine." 

Step THREE:  I made a schedule of the times I will go to the gym everyday. We have decided to run in the April 27th half marathon in Mt. Clemens, MI (which is approximately 1 hour away from Ann Arbor) in support of childhood obesity. We are very excited to start our journey, and I am very excited to document my training 'book' on my blog! Happy Reading! :)
Step FOUR: I plan on eating super healthy while doing this "half marathon training program." I believe if I eat a diet packed with protein and low in processed carbs this will help me run the best possible marathon I can run. Although I will not be keeping a food journal, I will highlight some healthy foods that I have eaten that day as well as tell readers whether I feel as if I was successful in my healthy eating goal for that day. I am really excited to start this "book" of healthy living. 

This is our  gym schedule:

Sunday: Rest Days (yoga/ pure barre)

Monday: GYM @ 11:00 am

Tuesday: GYM @ 9:00 am 

Wednesday: GYM @ 10:00 am

Thursday: GYM @ 9:00 am

Friday: Rest Days (yoga/ pure barre)

Saturday: GYM @ 12:00 pm 

This is Carleigh and my training schedule. We will begin our training on this Monday, February 11th! :)

Week	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
1	Rest	30-36 minutes 3 miles	30-40 minutes cross training	30-36 minutes 3 miles	30-40 minutes cross training	Rest	4 miles
2	Rest	30-36 minutes 3 miles	30-40 minutes cross training	30-36 minutes 3 miles	30-40 minutes cross training	Rest	5 miles
3	Rest	35-42 minutes 4 miles	30-40 minutes cross training	35-42 minutes 4 miles	30-40 minutes cross training	Rest	6 miles
4	Rest	35-42 minutes 4 miles	30-40 minutes cross training	35-42 minutes 4 miles	30-40 minutes cross training	Rest	7 miles
5	Rest	35-42 minutes 4 miles	30-40 minutes cross training	35-42 minutes 4 miles	30-40 minutes cross training	Rest	4 miles
6	Rest	35-42 minutes 4 miles	30-40 minutes cross training	35-42 minutes 4 miles	45-50 minutes cross training	Rest	8 miles
7	Rest	45-50 minutes 5 miles	30-40 minutes cross training	45-50 minutes 5 miles	45-50 minutes cross training	Rest	9 miles
8	Rest	30-36 minutes 3 miles	35-45 minutes cross training	45-50 minutes 5 miles	45-50 minutes cross training	Rest	6 miles
9	Rest	45-50 minutes 5 miles	35-45 minutes cross training	45-50 minutes 5 miles	45-50 minutes cross training	Rest	10 miles
10	Rest	30-36 minutes 3 miles	35-45 minutes cross training	45-50 minutes 5 miles	45-50 minutes cross training	Rest	7 miles
11	Rest	30-36 minutes 3 miles	35-45 minutes cross training	30-36 minutes 3 miles	45-50 minutes cross training	Rest	6 miles
12	Rest	30-36 minutes 3 miles	30 minutes cross training	30-36 minutes 3 miles	Rest!	Rest!	13.1 miles!

Project- Dream Journal!

For my project I have decided to keep a "dream journal" for the rest of the semester. I plan on writing down my dreams (that I can remember) each morning in a journal that my close friend, Carleigh, just got me for my birthday! I am excited to start this project and create a 'book' of my dreams :)

An Inspirational Video!

This is a video that I came upon last week. I think that it is incredibly interesting and motivational! Enjoy! "I want to be on the road that leads to awesome!" He is adorable! 

Pure Barre- Understanding my Body

     I recently started doing an exercise class entitled, Pure Barre. Pure Barre is an extensive exercise that incorporates Pilates, yoga, and ballet for a full body workout! The movements during the class are very subtle and isometric, and the entire one hour class is done to extremely motivational "pump up" music. I started doing this exercise class on January 14th, and the studio is having a challenge for students where if we complete 20 classes in 30 days we can get the next month unlimited half off. Needless to say, I have been trying to complete this challenge. Thus far, I have done 11 classes, so I only have 9 more classes to go! I think I will be able to do this.

      I have noticed while participating in Pure Barre that the class can serve as a "book" to my body. I am able to better understand which parts of my body are working extra hard (my thighs and butt haha) and which parts need more work (my abs and arms haha.) I look forward to continuing my Pure Barre challenge as well as becoming more in touch with my body!

North Campus Adventures! :)

One (of the many) aspects of English 420 that I really enjoy thus far is going outside to explore our surroundings. On this last adventure I tried to take pictures that jumped out at me and that I viewed as "artsy." Here are a few pages from my book of last week's picture taking expedition:

This is a picture of the North Campus map. I think that this is very interesting as maps can also be viewed as a book. This map, in particular, describes the "book" of North Campus. Also, I like how you can see my shadow in this picture! 

The pictures above show people walking around North Campus as well as the beautiful, vast blue sky, which all contribute to the "book" of North Campus as well as the "book" of life! 

What is a book? The Beginning of my blog!

Today starts the day of my blog for English 420. In class we were asked the question "What is a book?" Before the first day of class I would have probably answered incredibly generically. I would  have said a book was something that one reads for class or for pleasure. I would have said that a book is something that MUST have words. I would have said that a book is something that is tangible, something that you can read. A book must have an author and a publisher. It must have a cover filled with words and paragraphs. However, after participating in just two classes with Thylias Moss I now think of a book as a wide range of possibilities. Now, I believe that everyone has their own "book" and everyone has the ability to write the pages of their own story. In other words everyone has their own unique book or story since everyones' life is different. I now think that a book does not have to be tangible. An individual's book can be how he or she leads their everyday life.  I plan on writing my blog about many of my interests, which include (but are not limited to): exercising, fashion, healthy eating, Boston, my family, my friends, among others! All of these interests and daily activities make up the book of my life-- The Jesse Carmen book! I look forward to blogging throughout this semester, and I hope you learn more about me as the semester progresses. :)