Sunday, January 22, 2012

Best First Week Ever

Reflecting on my entire academic career, I think this may have been the most enjoyable first week of classes for multiple reasons! The beginning of the semester is one of the most exciting times of the year. You haven’t seen friends and classmates for about a month, classes are new, fresh, and exciting, and homework and studying hasn’t gotten too demanding yet. For me, this first week also marked the return of running! I had been injured since early November, and recently this week my knee injury was properly diagnosed by a new physical therapist I saw back home, and two minor exercises were all it took to correct the problem.
It’s unfortunate that the injury was misdiagnosed for so long. It’s the type of situation where I could have only missed a few days of running if I would have gotten these exercises right off the bat, but sometimes God has other plans. I think he really used these past few months to ground me and make me consider the role running plays in my life. I’m confident that He’s placed me on the Drake track and cross country teams for a reason, and I’m excited to start getting back in shape, however I will be redshirting the indoor track season (saving my eligibility) because I am not fit enough to compete right now. That’s ok, it’ll give me time to establish an aerobic base for the outdoor season, where I plan to specialize in the two longest events held on the track, the 5,000 and 10,000m.
It will also allow me to devote my time and attention to some other interests in the early months of the year. I am almost finished applying to REU programs for the summer, I’m currently coaching a 7-8 grade boys basketball team in my church’s upward sports ministry league, and the guys in campus fellowship are working hard on a top secret Valentine’s Day program for sisters in our fellowship and other girls at Drake. I’ve also started new chemistry research under a new professor, and a few of my classes have already started off quickly.
I will certainly be blogging about much more of these experiences throughout the semester. One week down, fifteen to go, I hope the following weeks went as good as the first!

Mike

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