On Friday night, my friend Audrey and I went to the Gator Gymnastics Home Opener against University of Illinois – Chicago. That was the second gymnastics event I have been to and I must say, I am still impressed. I was impressed with the venue, the crowd, the team, and the ability. The energy inside the O’Dome was incredible; the UF team was introduced by a round of cheers from UF cheerleaders, a show by the Dazzlers, strobe lights, music, and lots of yelling. Just another reminder of how much camaraderie and spirit our school has. Of course, the way the gymnasts were able to move their bodies and flip in the air leaves your mouth hanging open. I took a few great pictures too:

Moving on, Saturday was perhaps the longest day I’ve had in awhile but definitely a fun and rewarding experience. The Gainesville Sports Commission, where I am currently the Public Relations Intern, hosted the 4th Annual Jimmy Carnes Indoor Track and Field Event at the O’Dome. We had contestants over the age of 18 from all over Florida and Georgia competing in multiple field and running events. Olympic competitor Justin Gatlin and Nike competitor David Oliver in the hurdles and dash races!

I was stationed as security on the inside of Gator 1, making sure the spectators didn’t come through the door where the athletes were starting the race literally 3 feet away. I got a birds-eye view of the starting line and I was drooling over the competitors all afternoon. It was my first time going to a track meet and, being so close to the athletes, they really are impressive human beings. Every body was toned and perfect and their demeanor just dripped with determination and focused energy.

I was only able to take one picture during set up but even the O’Connell Center was buzzing that morning.

Overall, it was a very exciting and exhausting weekend. Even in just the short time I’ve been interning at the Gainesville Sports Commission, I’ve learned so much. I truly believe that all of this hard work will pay off and this will be a very rewarding experience. I can’t wait to take pictures and document our next meet!

So I started doing some research and I found this great plan for people who had never run before; it mostly concentrates on building stamina. The plan is as follows:

Week 1:

Run for one minute. Walk for 90 seconds. Repeat 8 times. Do 3 times a week.

Week 2:

Run for two minutes. Walk for one minute. Repeat 7 times. Do 3 times a week.

Week 3:

Run for three minutes. Walk for one minute. Repeat 6 times. Do 3 times a week.

Week 4:

Run for five minutes. Walk for two minutes. Repeat 4 times. Do 3 times a week.

Week 5:

Run for eight minutes. Walk for two minutes. Repeat 3 times. Do 3 times a week.

Week 6:

Run for twelve minutes. Walk for one minute. Repeat 3 times. Do 3 times a week.

Week 7:

Run for fifteen minutes. Walk for one minutes. Run for fifteen minutes. Do 3 times a week.

Week 8:

Run for thirty minutes.

The great thing about this plan is that you are increasing your stamina each time while giving yourself mental breaks to stay motivated. And each week the distance increases but you don’t really notice it. I’m beginning Week 3 right now, and for never running in my life, it’s really not that bad.

Which brings me to another point, we all know that successful workouts (and New Year’s resolutions) are 40% actual work and 60% mind games that you play with yourself. As an avid user of Twitter (Follow me @UFGator4PR), I decided to find a few accounts that would keep me motivated during my workouts.

Of course, Nike was at the top of the list when I searched for things like “running” and “workouts” and so on. And I must say, the PR girl in me is very impressed. You basically follow the Nike Running account (HERE!) and see motivational tweets from other runners and their successes, pictures of athletes, and make use of awesome hashtags like #MakeItCount and #NeverStopRunning. How very PR-y and social media-y of them, right?

Like I said before, the PR girl in me is #impressed but now the runner part of me is #motivated.

You can visit Nike Running’s full website here.

After an amazing Christmas vacation and New Years celebration, I returned to Gainesville on Monday, January 2. That very same night, at 2 o’clock in the morning, my best friend Kassie and I rode this fantastic little thing called the MegaBus – curious?! — that took us all the way to Atlanta. We arrived at 8 a.m. and needless to say, we were exhausted! It is very hard to sleep on a bus full of strangers and poor Kassie had some kid fall asleep on her shoulder. Thanks to an understanding receptionist, we were able to check into our hotel early and take a nap.

We spent the next 2 days exploring the city — MARTA, World of Coke, CNN Tour, Centennial Olympic Park, Atlantic Station, Downtown, Midtown, etc. We explored so many different areas and places in Atlanta, I actually feel confident navigating the city. The trip overall was a worthwhile experience and gave my self-esteem a little boost. I was so confident after the trip that I made a list of places in Atlanta I would love to work for. I even made a few contacts

Now this week is a whole different story. My semester officially started this past Monday and I’m already swamped! I’m taking my capstone public relations course and it is going to be very busy albeit rewarding. In addition to my full schedule at school, I’ve started my new (and final!) internship. I am the Public Relations/Sports Management Intern at the Gainesville Sports Commission. I’ve only been in the office twice but I’m pumped about all of the exciting events we have planned this semester. Our first event, Jimmy Carnes Indoor Track & Field Collegiate, is this Saturday. I will be working the event all day. It’s unfortunate that the internship requires so many hours and is unpaid, but I know the experience is completely worthwhile. You know what they say, do what you love and the money will follow……hopefully.

I’ll be sure to post pictures and keep my small, but loyal, band of followers updated throughout this semester. It’s proving to be an exciting one

bleeds orange & blue….refuses to wear garnet & gold…she is not afraid of Hurricanes or Crimson Tide…she knows Georgia is only good for its peaches…she has conquered Rocky Top and has stared into the eye of the Tiger…she can fry a Gamecoack, roast a Razorback, train a Bulldog, outsmart a Commadore, scalp a War Eagle, tame a Wildcat, and defeat a Rebel!

she knows the SWAMP is a dangerous place where “only gators get out alive,” has a pet named Albert, and believes every animal is GATORBAIT…she learned the CHOMP before walking and “We Are the Boys” before the ABC’s.

A true GATOR GIRL has pride with no boundaries, passion with no limits, and was born to yell…..GO GATORS!

I don’t mean to sound slutty….but feel free to use me anytime you want.

Sincerely,

Grammar

realistic? probably not. but here goes:

1) Get a Job

2) Pay off my school loans

3) Get a motorcycle

4) Own a handgun

5) Mini-vacation in Miami/Key West

6) Have a spa day

7) Change my hair do

8 ) Change my hair color

9) Go to a UF football game as an alumni

10) See snow

11) Go to a wedding

12) Go to a Magics game

13) Go to a Steelers game

14) Go camping in the mountains

15) Buy a house/condo

17) Get a new car

18) Host a Thanksgiving at my house

19) Go to Disney world

20) Own a speargun

21) Get my diving license

22) Take a real Vacation

23) Go back to Europe

24) Take a road trip

25) Fall in love again.

My next 3 years are going to be very busy!