Tag: high school

Personal

Time Keeps on Ticking…

Hollie

I always enjoy learning more about bloggers whether it’s their personal life, a random story or question and answer post.  Though to be honest I still could care less what your favorite color is…I will probably forget two seconds after commenting.

Though the mention of swimming on this blog seems like a life time ago, there was a time where I swam and didn’t run (anything before August 2010).  My old lolz swimming identity was lolzthatswim…ever wonder why my email is lolzthatswim?  I never changed it to fueledbylolz (at) gmail…I feel there has got to be a pretty streamline (ha) way to do this…I just don’t know how and haven’t looked into).  Just over two years ago, I quit competitive swimming forever and made one of the best decisions at the time for me.

I swam throughout high school and I swam 3 years of college.  I logged lots of swimming miles…from point A right back to point A…in a circle for hours and hours.  I believe my most famous quote from swim team was (after being asked why do you like swimming the 1000)

“Because I like to start at point A go into cardiac arrest and come back to point A 20 times.”

Lately I have been thinking a lot about my past life.  I often get the question if I regret not running in high school or early college (instead of swimming).  The answer is always no.  I wouldn’t trade those swimming moments for the world.  I met some of my best friends swimming in high school as well as college.  Women I might have met otherwise but our friendships grew strong and blossomed throughout those terrible swim practices.  (I’m looking at you 10X400 IMS…or you 5X1000 timed off the blocks)…so no I don’t regret not running earlier.

If we live our lives in the past and wonder what could have been, we cannot move on in the future.  I don’t regret not running in high school or early college because I don’t think I would be enjoying it as much now if I did.  If I ran and was pressured into speed workouts during college I think it would have not allowed me to develop the passion for running I have now.  I would have burnt out.  I know I would be exercising now but I don’t think I would consider myself a serious runner.

I think for me personally it took a lot of time to realize how much I truly enjoyed running.  Coming from someone who absolutely hated running in the past and nearly failed the mile several times in both middle and high school (shout out to my gym teachers who screamed at me to pass) I could not fathom that in the future I would be writing a blog about how much I enjoy running. 

Who knows, in five years I might enjoy cycling.  I don’t like to live in the past whether it’s my run life, personal life or overall life.  I think we have to move upward and onward.  I loved swimming and will never regret those times or friends I made but my time with that has long passed.  Perhaps one day I’ll get back into the pool and love it…or perhaps I never will.  Only time will tell.

Question for you: Is there anything you wish you started earlier?

Personal

Flying the Coup

Hollie

As most of you know I’m moving to Texas in less then two weeks.  (I start my journey September 5). I am leaving the coup of my parents house which means my things and way too much crap is also leaving. (I wouldn’t expect my parents house to be the storage of my stuff). It’s been hard to get rid of a lot of things like clothes, high school memorabilia and even college things.

I guess it’s good I am able to sort and pack considering I can’t live with my parents forever (nor would I want too).  I try to spend about 30 minutes daily packing because also in the next week I will be seeing a lot of people and I doubt they need or want to sit there while I pack.

Cleaning and throwing away things has been reflective for me.  I’ve been able to see what a great time I had in high school (I graduated in 2008) and an even better time in college.  It’s hard for me to even fathom what my life would have been like if I had not taken the plunge and risk to go to a college 700 miles from my house.

College orientation with my freshman roommate (Kierstin on the right).
College orientation with my freshman roommate (Kierstin on the right).

My top school choices in 2008 were East Carolina, Va tech (as half my high school class) and SUNY Potsdam.  (I ended up choosing Potsdam in Upstate NY because both ECU and Tech are huge schools and were too overwhelming (for me).  Plus Potsdam was far enough away I could really find myself and discover my true passions.

Now five years later I think about the big risk I’m taking now.  Moving down with a boyfriend.

I’ve had people tell me they are happy for me (thank you!).  I’ve had people question whether this is the best idea or not…I am not moving down with any sort of plan and now that I’m an Oiselle bird I can say I’m just erm “winging it”.  You always have both sides of the equation with peoples opinions and I truly enjoy hearing both sides.

Right now and as much as I hate to admit this, I think not knowing and not having a plan is what makes life so much more interesting.  Wherever I go and whatever I do, I know there will be both bad times and there will be good times.

I don’t really know where I’m going with this post other than to say over the course of the last few months I’ve come to realize that you can’t live in a hole all the time and not take risks.  You have to get out of your comfort zone and accept that people will support you and not support you.  You have to do what makes you happy or what you at least think will make you happy.  Not everything can be planned out and I think I like that.  Change is good and embrace it as much as you can.  Everyone struggles at first but you will make it through.  (at least that is what I keep telling myself).

Questions for you:  What were (are) your top choices for college?

Would you say you have a lot of stuff?  (not junk, just items…).

I don’t even know why I saved so much of it..If my initials were HHH, my middle name could be hoarder.  I finally donated 61 of my 89 race t shirts so I’m making progress.

Personal

Lessons from the Wounded Part 1

Hollie

In this month of not running, I have come to realize that I am more than an athlete.  It is hard to explain if you have never been in the situation but I am more than a runner.  More than a swimmer.  More than an aerobics teacher.  More than a student, sister, daughter, best friend, blogger, weirdo… I am a collection of things-random things-but lots of things.  I have really discovered a lot of life lessons  in this last month and mushy as you will I want to share them with you.  I used to do some sort of variation where I would share interesting facts about my life on Fridays versus food blogs, or blogs about athletics.  Which, now that my seasons are starting to gear up again, I guess I am more inclined to do more fitness related blogs.  But anyways-I’m going to bring back Factual Fridays, and bring to them more of inspirational people in my life that I fail to mention on the blog.

At the beginning of the summer-I sought out negativity.  True story.  I could tell you the 1 bad thing out of 100.  I just got 9th of 1000 females in a race, but it wasn’t 8th.  I’m top 16 in our conference but I’m not top 8.  I would do it with people too.  Oh she is gorgeous but she has a chipped nail.  You know, I’m a knit picker.  Not a good quality-I’ll be the first to admit.

But I think I have grown up a little bit-or maybe a lot. 

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So thus, as Snoop Dog says in California girls, Greetings loved ones, lets take a journey”

And that is where we need to go.  Farther back then college and my high school days, we are talking all the way back to middle school.   Most of the time, I try and forget those days because they aren’t exactly highlightable moments, however, a couple months ago, one of my good friends D’Angelo reached out to me and made me remember the good times.  D’Angelo and I don’t need to talk everyday to know that we are close.  I can honestly say, if I were to pick a handful of influential people in my life, he would be in the hand. 

D’Angelo has taught me a lot in life and the last 8 or so years we have been close.  He never took anything too seriously, and I love it.  I used to be so freaking scheduled.  If you aren’t on my schedule.  Forget about it.  I am timely, I am organized, I do not deviate.  I run at this time.  Class. Swimming.  Secondary run.  Eat. Sleep.  If you can’t roll that way, then you can’t roll with me.

But D’Angelo is much different from that.  He was so carefree and never got his panties (presuming he wasn’t wearing panties…in a bunch).   He truly cares about each and everyone of his friends and I swear I could call him from school at one in the morning to chat about my issues and he would understand.  Like I said, we stayed close throughout middle and high school and I know for a damn well fact I wouldn’t be the same person if it wasn’t for him.  He doesn’t put up with crap and he’ll most certainly call you out on it and I love it because I do the same thing.

In fact, when I was chosen for senior homecoming court, I could think of no one else better to be my escort. 

Well.  Where does this all lead to?

Today I got brunch with D’Angelo and it was fabulous.  Although no pictures of food today I eased into the fact of my blogging.  I knew he would understand of course. I don’t tell too many in high school about the blog, because quite frankly I don’t talk to them.  But I knew D’Angelo would totally understand.  It might have been a little creepy though that I had said I already typed up a post all about you.  True life, makes you want to be my real life bestie.  Anywho-I had a black fin crab omelet.  Bomb.com.

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So my blogging besties.  If you take any life lessons out of my blog besides pancakes fuel champions….Do not get your panties in a bunch.  Oh and a total quoatable moment from D because I love him.  “I’m so glad to surround myself with attractive people, now when I look in the mirror, I don’t have to say there is only one beautiful person in the room.  I can say two”

Question for you:

Tell me about an inspirational person in your life.