The Final Pre-Marathon Run

Since my last incident with my IT Band, I have sought advice from two athletic trainers. Basically, I was told that if I wanted to complete the marathon in April, I needed to stop running and let my injury recover. I had a bit of a panic attack at first, but I came to realize that I would have to do what I was told (for the most part) if I wanted to be able to run. The second trainer I saw told me I should even stop working out completely which then caused a major panic attack on my part. I am a bit OCD when it comes to planning working out into my schedule every day, so this was devastating news. My IT Band issue was much worse than I thought. Compromising a bit, I have continued cross-training with the elliptical, weight training, and other low-impact cardio machines, but have only done a few shorter runs.

I had to miss the last two Sunday runs which was really difficult. I still got up at 5 am last week to do a shorter run in Brookline, but I really miss running with the team. Tomorrow is the last long team run on the marathon course before we have to taper off. I am so excited to get to take part in this and hope my IT Band has somewhat healed from the therapy. I am very nervous it will give out on me again, but am trying to stay positive. I have iced it, taken medication, and done the stretches recommended, but I will not know how it will feel until I run tomorrow. We are doing 20 miles starting at Boston College, then running out to Wellesley near where the marathon begins, and then back to BC. I have not run this part of the course yet, so it will be helpful to familiarize myself with it.

After six months of training, I am entirely invested in this goal. I just received my bib number in the mail and there are signs hanging all around Boston rallying excitement for the marathon. On April 19th, I am determined to complete those 26.2 miles whether I am sprinting across the finish line or hobbling over it in pain. I can only hope for the first, but tomorrow will give me a better idea of how my injury has healed with the time I have taken off. On a positive note, the weather will be around 50 degrees with no chance of rain. I'm looking forward to the beautiful day and have a mint chocolate GU gel pack to go with it.

Reality check from the IT Band

This quote I found in a runner's world article pretty much sums up my personality with the way I feel:

"Dr. Pagliano describes most runners with ITB pain as "Type A's." "They run high mileage," he says. "They're not willing to back off, and they are willing to run through pain."

Yesterday, I thought I could run through the pain until my knee blew out around mile 11 and I faceplanted in the street. Yeah... I tried to do a walk-run sort of movement after that because I didn't want to stop. Every few steps it would trip me up again until I saw the coach not far ahead of me. He either saw me fall or just realized I was in alot of pain and told me to get in the car and ice my knee. Of course I'm stubborn and started crying and tried to convince him to let me keep running. I didn't win that one. He had me ice it for 15 minutes and drove me up the road a few miles so I wouldn't have as far to run. He was so encouraging, but I was just completely frustrated with myself and this reoccuring condition.

We were running the last leg of the Boston Marathon course equipped with lime green vest so we would stand out on the road. We started downtown by Copley, ran through where I live in Brookline, and then up past Newton. At nine miles there was a turn-around point where we headed back to Copley. At the turn-around I was in alot of pain. When we stopped for gaterade it didn't feel as bad and I convinced myself to keep up with my running partners and finish. As soon as we started running again I knew I would have to keep my mind of something...anything else. I fell behind, soon realizing I was going to have to run slow to prevent my leg from bending very much.

The IT Band is the Illiotibia Band that is a ligament that runs down the outside of the hip to the shin. My pain comes from the outside of the knee where the band becomes narrow and causes rubbing to occur between the band and the bone. This causes inflammation which I'm trying to control with IB Profen and ice. At about mile 11 it went from being an annoying child tapping me on the knee with a hammer, to an annoying child just being outright mean and whacking me with the hammer causing me to fall.

Don had me ice my knee and drove me into Brookline so I would have only three more miles to run to finish...this made my run only 14 miles instead of the 18 mile run I was hoping to do. It was painful to finish, but the ice helped immensely. I could feel the pain, but it was nowhere near what it was before. I finished back at Copley where over a hundred runners from Tufts and the John Hancock running team were finishing up what were for many, their longest runs yet. I was too disappointed to join in the excitement, but I was happy for our team members who had done so well. The team members I usually run with, completed 17 and 18 mile runs.

Since yesterday, I've realized that I need to take more preventative actions to keep this thing in check. More ice, medicine, stretching, and weekly therapy appointments. Last week, I had my first one where they performed was called the Graston tecnique. They warmed the IT Band and put some kind of solution on my leg. Then, they took what looked like the back of a knife and graded at my leg which is supposed to loosen the IT Band. It is very awkward and uncomfortable feeling but I think it helped.

The trainers that work with us are wonderful and even the coach came to my appointment to support me. They are used to runner's injuries and have great advice and knowledge to share. I refused to let this keep me from finishing, so I am going to do everything I can to get it under control.

This blog really has been therapeutic in helping me organize my thoughts and stay positive through my training. Thank you for reading this and keeping up with my journey. I am not used to being so far from home when I go through a challenge of this nature, and I really appreciate all the support. We are 41 days out from April 19th. I have a semi-long run next week and my longest on the 28th (18-20 miles). From there, I will taper off and rest until Marathon day. Next week I am going to try to run at a slower pace and see if that helps the pain. My competitive nature and runner's high always want to kick and make me run faster. I'm going to try to remember, however, that I'm not going for time. I just want to finish the marathon successfully and without any injuries.

It was truly a gorgeous day and we actually had to shed layers on the course! You can tell which picture was taken toward the end..I have a rather painstaking look on my face. But we are fortunate to have such a great coach who helps us document our runs by taking pictures and provides us with so much support and encouragement. A huge thank you to Don Megerle:)

This picture really doesn't need a caption...but it was taken downtown in Back Bay about a half mile to the finish.

Valentine's Day Run

Well, I was up at 5 am again yesterday to head out to Tufts. I'm getting pretty good at catching the T and then taking the bus out to Medford. I didn't get lost for once, and made it out there by 7:15. At 8 am, runners gathered outside the Cousen gymnasium to begin our long run. The course was 11 miles and then there was an additional 3 mile route we could add on to make 14 miles. This would be the most I had ran yet, and I was determined to complete those 14 miles. I was surprised to find that every three miles the coach had parked his car and had water, gaterade, bananas, jellybeans, or whatever else runners might need along the route. I had never run this hill that started around mile 4, but it was honestly bigger than the one from the Stew Road Race last week. It went straight up at a steep incline, and then a gradual incline for a a good mile or so...at least you can always look forward to running down the hill. I stopped for a quick cup of gaterade after that one.

I didn't know the course, and at one point I saw no one in front of me. I came to a fork in the road and looked behind me to motion to the a girl which way I should head. I followed her instructions and headed down a hill. A few minutes later she caught up with me and said that she had pointed in the wrong direction. She was also new to the course. So we trucked back up the hill together..I guess at that point you can only laugh it off. My body wasn't hurting yet and I soon learned we had only three miles left of the 11 mile route. I talked to this girl as we ran and it went pretty quickly. She is an undergrad at Tufts and this was also her first marathon. Because of her shin splints, she decided not to run the extra three miles after we completed the 11. Fortunately, there was a girl ahead of me with a GPS in her watch so we would know how much more we needed to hit 14 miles.

I got new Mizuno gloves this past week which are supposed to send heat to your hands...ha this is a far cry from the truth. My hands were so frozen I couldn't even put my iPod ears back in when they fell out. This caused further complications when my shoe came untied. When I stopped to tie my shoe, I couldn't do it, so just kept running to keep up with the two other girls. Then, I realized this probably wasn't the best idea and I really should tie my shoe. I told them to go ahead and I would catch up. Well, what should have been a simply hand movement took a good couple of minutes. It was so frustrating! Loop, swoop, pull..it should be this difficult! By the time I got it, I lost site of the other two girls. I didn't know where I was, but I knew the general direction I needed to go to get back. I also knew we had only one mile left when I stopped. I ran around a neighborhood for a while, until I saw someone walking their dog who pointed me in the right direction of Tufts. Eventually, I made it back to the main road that led to the gym. I am really good at getting lost EVERY time I come here. It would have been okay, but when I got frustrated and wasn't sure where I was, I slacked on my form and the outside of my knee was in a lot of pain. I should have stopped running, but I was determined to complete the 14 miles. Eventually, I saw the gym and made it back to our starting point where the coach was there with other runners. On a positive note he had heart shaped candy and gave me bananas to take home so they wouldn't go to waste. I was extremely happy to have completed my goal...but in a lot of pain. I iced my knee yesterday and today, but it is going to take a good couple days to recover from this one. I am still walking pretty stiff-legged.

I wanted to run more this weekend because I will not be running in the long run next week. Next Sunday, I am competing in a Miss Massachusetts local, Miss Boston. Some of my family and friends are coming in town for the show..including my mom and grandmother! My roommates and a few of my friends from Boston are also coming to watch. While I didn't anticipate competing this year, I soon realized that I missed performing, could use the scholarship money, and loved the MAO too much to take a year off. I auditioned in January with a five minute interview and my talent and was one of the 19 contestants chosen to compete. Because of limited time and space, I think they felt that 19 contestants would be easier to work with than the original 28. Now, I just need to catch up on my school work and recover my knee from yesterday so I will be ready to go by this weekend...heels and all.

Gaterade Jellybeans and Race Day Adrenaline

The race on Sunday went really well! The combination of gaterade jellybeans and all the people cheering for us along the route made me much more energized than I expected. I ended up running with a young woman who kept about the same pace as me. We motivated each other and once we hit mile 9, we practically sprinted the last half mile. We both liked to run with music so it worked out well. I know that's not standard for races, but I need my country music and Glee songs! One of my favorite songs to run with is "Mountains" by Lonestar. The lyrics go:

There are times in life when you gotta crawl.. Lose your grip, trip and fall. When you can't lean on noone else..That's when you find yourself. I've been around and I've noticed that-walking is easy when the road is flat. Them danged 'ole hiils will get you every time. Yeah, the good Lord gave us mountains, so we could learn how to climb.

It's a great country song and very motivating! Ironically, we were told there would be a "memorable" hill half way through. They really weren't kidding...there were about three hills
that made up one giant hill. The lyrics to this song are great anyway, but had even more meaning while I was running up that giant hill. The race was fun though and I got to meet more people on the Tufts' team. I thought the race would be 11 miles, so I was surprised to learn it was only 9.5. Plus, my running partner gave me a gaterade jellybean every two miles which gave me even more energy. I barely noticed the pain from my plantar fasciitis and I felt good after the race. It was about 20-25 degrees during the run, so at least it was not freezing outside!

Each Sunday I will do one long run, leading up to a 20 mile run on March 7th. I am sore today from sprinting the last part of the race, but overall, feel motivated and excited for the marathon. Now, I just need to stay healthy and not injure myself...and buy some gaterade jellybeans of my own... They are a great incentive while running!

Our President's Marathon Challenge coach, Don Megerle, is absolutely amazing! He is so motivating and takes pictures during every run. Some pictures from the race are below. The first picture was taken as my running partner and I were just about to cross the finish line.

Myofascial Rollling, Tennis Balls, and Ibuprophen

So I am finally starting to get my pain under control. I am not one for pain medications, but I guess that will be changing for now. I was told to take Ibuprophen three times a day which is alot for anyone..especially when I usually avoid the taking pain medication altogether. I am running a 15K tomorrow which is about 11 miles. With the problems I have been having lately, this will be a good amount. I have to be at Tufts at 8 am which means I have to leave by house a little after 6. I was told there was a big hill on mile six..can't wait for that one.

This the Great Stew Chase 15K road race which is the third oldest 15K in the country. I figure this will be good for me to run with the Tufts' team and experience a new route. I have been rolling on noodles for my IT band which causes pain on the outside of my knee. I had no idea how painful rolling would be. To an outsider it looks easy, but oh my goodness! I must have a million knots in my hips. I just started rolling a few days ago and it is still very painful. It is supposed to get easier the more you do it, so hopefully that happens soon. I have to position myself almost in a side plank to roll on my hip. I was told to hold myself on the areas that are most painful and do small sections at a time. Rolling is also great for hamstrings, gluts, back pain, or really any area that gets tight. I am also going to start standing and rolling my feet on tennis balls to alleviate the pain in my heels. My mom shipped me a package with new soles for my running shoes and plantar fasciitis gels which have helped immensely..I forgot how much these little things really make a difference!

So today, I'm not going to run to rest up for tomorrow. I think I'll use this extra time to do some much-need laundry..not a bad idea.

My Greatest Challenge Yet

Pain. That is what is going through my body right now. When I signed up for the 114th Boston Marathon with the Tufts President's Marathon Challenge team I had no idea what this would entail. I knew I would be training to run 26.2 miles, but I didn't realize the implications that it would have on my physical and mental well-being. I have always been a good runner and never questioned the limitations of my body. Training for a marathon seemed liked any other challenge I might take on... I train hard, I have a few breakdowns along the way, but eventually I meet my goal. I didn't take into account that marathon training requires nutrition and water regiments, proper stretching and recovery, and running in a different way than I ever have in the past.

I finally hit a wall last week. I had been running every day pushing myself to accomplish my training schedule and not taking time to treat my injuries, let my body recover, drink enough water, or even eat enough carbohydrates to really be able to reach my mileage goal. Now I'm having constant bouts with my knee and plantar fasciitis. It is amazing how a new pain or injury seems to develop every time I run. While running through the pain is certainly a possibility, I also realize that certain injuries will only get worse and could eventually prevent me from running altogether. So last week I traveled for an hour and a half by train and by bus to get to a workshop on injury treatment and prevention. Luckily, it was well worth the trip and I feel much more prepared for the road to come.

While physically I feel more prepared, I still need to journal my thoughts and stay positive. Writing is almost like free therapy for dealing with the challenges I am facing and keeping me on track. While I don't have time to blog every day, my goal is to blog once a week about my progress. I refuse to let negative thoughts creep into my mind any longer. I CAN DO THIS. I know it won't be easy and I am only half-way to my goal...BUT I know I can run 26.2 miles. My feet and knees sometimes disagree with me, but I am in the best physical condition I have ever been in and I refuse to give up.

To ensure that I am running what I need to run and sticking to my training plan, I am holding myself accountable through this blog. I have never been a person that lets someone tell me I can't do something so there is not reason I should start being negative now. On April 19th I will run in the Boston Marathon from the starting line in Hopkington, MA to the finish line in downtown Boston. I am 75 days and 138,336 feet away from reaching my goal. I can and will meet this challenge.

Since I am running as part of the Tufts University team (I am a Emerson-Tufts grad student in the Health Communication program), I must raise $1000 to support nutrition, medical, and fitness programs at Tufts. Tufts is a leader in research on healthy aging, childhood obesity, and in its work to eliminate famine. My personal page is below. Until next time...

http://www.tuftsmarathonchallenge.com/runners/Jenna%20Wilson

More pictures from Miss Muskingum Valley!

The lovely Top 5

Brandi's new hair-do!

My mom:)

Marlia Fontaine, Miss Ohio 2005, and me

The new Miss Muskingum Valley, Stephanie Rodgers!

Miss Ohio 2008, Karissa Martin, and me

Me, Megan Wombacker (Top 10), and Katie Camp (Miss Miami Valley)

A variety of colors as Adam Young serenades the young ladies after evening gown.

Miss Muskingum Valley

Last night, I attended the Miss Muskingum Valley scholarship program at Secrest Auditorium in Zanesville. Twenty-one young ladies vied for the title of Miss Muskingum Valley and the opportunity to compete at Miss Ohio in June. Congratulations to the new Miss Muskingum Valley, Stephanie Rodgers. Stephanie a graduate of Ohio State University and a native of Dresden, OH. This was her second Miss Ohio preliminary. Also, a huge congrats to my Miss Ohio roommate, Heather Wells, who was 1st Runner-Up! All the ladies did a fabulous job. Here is a breakdown of the scholarships awarded.

Miss Muskingum Valley 2009-

Stephanie Rodgers ($2800)

1st Runner-Up- Heather Wells ($1500)

2nd Runner-Up- Kaley Mitchell ($1000)

(pictured left)

3rd Runner-Up- Alicia Huyghe ($700) (pictured right)

4th Runner-up- Bree Grosshandler ($500)

Additional 5 in the Top 10- Megan Wombacker, Amanda Summers, Krystle Formosa, Danielle Henry, Christina Hagan ($200 each)

Ellen Spinner Interview Award- Megan Wombacker ($200)

Julie Marsh Community Service Essay Award- Megan Wombacker ($200)

Spirit of Chloe Award- Kaley Mitchell ($200)

Non-finalist Talent- Jodi Van Dyke ($200)

Titleholders at the event included Alyssa Hanson (Miss Scioto Valley), Amber Bussa (Miss Portsmouth), Katie Camp (Miss Miami Valley), Sasha Eby (Miss North Coast), Sarah Eash (Miss Fallen Timber's Outstanding Teen), and Olivia Maniaci (Miss SEO 2009) Several board members and executive directors were present as well as Miss Ohio 2008, Karissa Martin. Karissa sang her Miss America talent piece, "Girl in 14G," as well as the inspirational ballad "Astonishing" from Little Women.

Former Miss SEOs with Miss Ohio 2008, Karissa Martin

A much-needed update!

These past few months I have been neglecting my blog, and I truly apologize for that! I enjoy writing, I have since I was a little girl when I was determined to be an award-winning author (ha.. how things change), but I'll make it a late New Year's Resolution to update this blog on a regular basis. There is a great deal going on in my life, and therefore much to write about! Between my March of Dimes work, my grad school application process, and Miss Ohio preparation, I have been very busy.

Last weekend, I attended Miss Bay Village in Cleveland, OH. I had a mock interview that afternoon and attended the local program that night. Marlia Fontaine, Miss Ohio 2005, emceed and entertained at the event, singing one of my favorite songs, "Bridge Over Troubled Water." She sounded and looked phenomenal!...especially with that new baby on the way!:) Also, I wish my dad would have been in the audience because he would have been blown away by Paulette Maria Penzvalto singing, "You'll Never Walk Alone" from Carousel. This is one of his favorite songs and he has always has wanted me to perform it. I must say; however, after hearing this power-house sing it, I'll never touch the song! She was simply incredible!

I was surprised and excited to reunite with several contestants that I have competed with in the past. They all did a much better job taking pictures of the event! My camera died by the time the program began. I enjoyed sitting with my mom and watching the pageant from the audience perspective. Congratulations to Emily Pheils, the new Miss Bay Village! She is a very sweet girl and I know she will do a wonderful job at Miss Ohio. I look forward to watching several of these young ladies in Miss Muskingum this coming weekend...and I promise, I will take good pictures this time!

Other events coming up include our Athens County March for Babies Kick Off. Our Bobcats for Babies organization has been planning this in conjunction with the Athens community director. It will take place Tuesday, March 10, 2009 from 5:30 – 7:00 pm in our Student Center Ballroom. It is a time for students and community members to learn more about our March for Babies walk in May and hear the inspirational story of our 2009 ambassador family.

We also just elected our new Bobcats for Babies officers for the 2009-2010 school year. This was very exciting, because we will need strong leaders to keep this organization going. I started Bobcats for Babies my freshman year of college with the help of a few friends, and it has since developed into a well-established organization. This past week, we recorded a PSA at the radio station and held an awareness table to promote the Kick-Off event.

If you are interested in keeping up with our March of Dimes efforts, I also have a Bobcats for Babies blog at oubobcats4babies.blogspot.com.

Again, I apologize for the lack of posts over the last few months. I promise, I will budget my time better to include blogging! Until next time, thanks for being patient with me and I will have more updates soon!

Aaron Cox wins OU Idol!

OU Idol took over my life for pretty much the entire month of October. I literally ate, slept, and breathed OU Idol. My social life was a bit nonexistent and even my school work took a backseat to this production. It was the first show I have ever produced, and fortunately I had the help of my classmates, our Bobcats for Babies collegiate council, and the NCASC communications club.

In honor of Prematurity Awareness Month which is the month of November, we decided that OU Idol would be a great way to heighten awareness for premature birth and raise money for the March of Dimes. Prematurity Awareness Month takes place every November in honor of all the babies born prematurely, many of whom are no longer here with us today. Even when premature babies do survive, they often suffer life-long health problems such as blindness or cerebral palsy. When these babies are born early, there vital organs are not yet developed causing severe problems. Here is a picture of our campus graffiti wall we painted to further heighten awareness of premature birth.

On October 27th, twenty-six students auditioned for the OU Idol competition on the Athens campus in the Baker Student Center Ballroom. The contest was open to all students on the Athens campus. Contestants paid a $10 fee entry fee that benefited the March of Dimes. Contestants were ask to sing 60-90 seconds A Cappella for the auditions. After each performance, the judges provided feedback to each contestant. At the end of Monday's show the Top Ten contestants were announced, and then two more contestants were added in to make a Top 12. These Top 12 advanced to the OU Idol Finals on Tuesday, October 28th. During the Finals, contestants performed their entire song and were critiqued by three, qualified judges imitating Randy, Simon, and Paula. A Public Vote accounted for the score of the “fourth judge.” Ticket prices were $1 for the audition round and $3 for the Finals round. All Prizes were offered to the Top 12 Contestants. At the end of the finals night, the Top 5 contestants were announced, each receiving $25 to a local hair salon. The grand prize winner several gift certificates from around Athens, a $150 to a local hair salon, a gift basket, and a 3 song demo recording CD with LeVeck Entertainment and Production.

Aaron Cox wins OU Idol and the prize package worth over $1000! Aaron sang John Mayer's,"I Don't Trust Myself with Loving You" while playing acoustic guitar in the Finals Round.

The stage set-up in the Baker Ballroom. 125 students attended the auditions and almost 250 attended the Finals Round. OU Idol raised $700 for the March of Dimes! We had a great deal of media coverage and the front page of one of our local newspapers, "The Athens News." It was a fun show and was well supported by the community. Singers were able to showcase their talent and we were able to raise funds and heighten awareness for the mission of the March of Dimes.

March of Dimes Volunteer Leadership Conference 2008

It seems to have been a long time since my last post, and a great deal has taken place since then! October marked our March of Dimes Volunteer Leadership Conference as well as as OU Idol competition. The later took over my life for a good while, but was well worth it! Below are pictures from our Volunteer Leadership Conference in Houston, Texas. Every fall, volunteers from all over the country and our twenty National Youth Council members attend this conference. The past two year Sherri Shepherd, one of the co-host from "The View," has hosted the awards ceremony. Sherri had a premature baby a few years ago and has since become a life-long volunteerfor the March of Dimes. Other guests included Celebrity Chef Rock (pictured above) and Congresswoman Jackson-Lee, both of whom care dearly about issues dealing with infant mortality and premature birth. The President of the March of Dimes, Dr. Jennifer Howse, spoke to the National Youth Council when we arrived at the conference. This is always a highlight of my weekend. Below is a picture of me with Dr. Howse.She is an amazing transformational leader! The weekend was full of stories of triumph from families who have dealt with premature birth and workshops to help each volunteer better serve his community. I was part of a generation panel workshop that discussed trends in volunteering over each generation. I represented Generation Y and sat along side a representative from the Generation X, the Baby Boomers, and the Elders Generation.This was my third Volunteer Leadership Conference. It is always refreshing to my commitment to the March of Dimes and it is always great to spend time with other members of the National Youth Council. We are all college students from different states across the country and we are almost like extended family. Pictured below are some of our NYC members.

This conference yet another wonderful opportunity with the March of Dimes and I am honored to serve this organization that has contributed to the healthy life I am living today.

OU Idol, Las Vegas, and Miss NEO!

This week has been full of tests, quizzes, meetings, and planning for OU Idol! Our Bobcats for Babies group on campus will be producing an Ohio University Idol in October. We will be holding an audition round on Monday, October 27th and a finals round on Tuesday, October 28th. All proceeds benefit the March of Dimes! We are holding both rounds in out student center Ballroom and are currently accepting applications. I have spent at least 20 hours this week getting our registration forms, flyers, and logistics together so we can start publicizing the event. Now that everything is in place, we can better delegate work to committees. My National Communication Club is also working on the event to help members get experience in PR and advertising. For the audition round, contestants will sing 60-90 seconds of a song A Cappella. The top twenty who make it on, will get to perform the entire song to backing music at the finals. Prizes are yet to be determined, but hopefully the community of Athens will be feeling generous!

Tomorrow, I leave for Las Vegas for a week-long internship with Destinations by Design, a full-service meeting and event management company based out of Dublin, Ohio. The fifteen of us going will be working a Fourth-Quarter Kickoff Event for T-Mobile. This corporate meeting is for 2,600 of T-Mobile’s employees, handset vendors, and partners to come together and get ready for the Q4 Selling Season. We will be exposed to logistical planning procedures, event execution, and other event planning details. With a love for event planning, I know this internship experience will be very helpful to my future career.

I will return from Vegas on Friday, October 3rd, before Miss North East Ohio,which will take place on Sunday. It is bound to be a long day after flying across the country and going on no sleep, but I am looking forward to crowning the next Miss North East Ohio! Anne and Ken have been wonderful directors and will be great mentors to any of the contestants competing. Good luck ladies! I will see you in a week:)

Miss Lake Erie

Yesterday, six Miss contestants and three Teen contestants competed for the title of Miss Lake Erie and Miss Lake Erie Teen at Lexington High School. I had a great time getting to know each of the young ladies. In the dressing room, I shared a table with Heather Wells, who was my roommate at Miss Ohio. I also had the opportunity to get to know Ashley Hartman, Alicia Huyghe, Monica Johnson, and Brittany all of whom I had never competed with before. It was an honor to share the stage with each of these talented women. There might have only been six of us, but we had so much fun together! Ashley was first runner-up and I am sure I will see her again on the Miss Ohio stage. Also, congrats to Heather for winning the swimsuit award which was well-deserved. I was happy that my mom, dad, and grandma were able to attend the show. They are so supportive and I am so thankful they were there. I am excited to return to Miss Ohio again this year as Miss Lake Erie. A huge thank you to the Miss Lake Erie crew, James Grimes, and Kasey and Nancianne for putting on a great show.

On October 5th I will give up my title as Miss North East Ohio. Anne and Ken have been wonderful directors and I will miss them very much. If any ladies are interested, Miss NEO applicatons are due on Tuesday.

I am looking forward to my year as Miss Lake Erie and sharing my efforts through this blog. The beginning of this year has been a bit of a struggle thus far, so hopefully things will begin looking up:) My horoscope (Aries) even says I might meet someone interesting this month, so at least that is a start! Thanks to all the ladies for being so wonderful yesterday. I hope to see you all again soon! ...maybe even at Miss North East Ohio in two weeks:) Pictures are posted below!

Miss and Teen contestants before interview

My Miss North East Ohio directors, Anne and Ken Hablitzel

My wonderful, amazing grandma!

My mom and dad:)

Ladies in evening wear

Before the talent competition

And it begins!

Tonight was our first Bobcats for Babies meeting. Bobcats for Babies is a March of Dimes collegiate council at Ohio University I founded my freshman year of college. We went over general March of Dimes information and our schedule of events for the quarter. The most exciting update is that we will be planning an OU Idol where all proceeds go to the March of Dimes! We are excited to start off the new year and have lots of new faces joining us. At our fall student involvement fair last week we had almost seventy new students sign up. Here is a picture of our table below.

This Saturday I am competing in my first local of the season, Miss Lake Erie. I have been so busy with the start of the school year, it is hard to believe this weekend is almost here. Between my three volunteer jobs with the March of Dimes, new classes, organization meetings, and work, I have had little time to think about competing. I am excited, however, to get back into locals again.

Friday, I am traveling to Columbus to get my National Group Fitness certification. It is an all day process from 9 am to 6 pm. I have been teaching group fitness classes the past two years and absolutely love it! This quarter I teach four Pilates classes, two Step and Strengthening classes, and a CORE class each week. After college, I will continue teaching as a side job and my AFAA National Certification will make me much more credible.

On September 29th I leave for a week-long event planning internship in Las Vegas through the company Destinations by Design. I will be traveling with fourteen other members that were chosen from my National Communications Association club. I will miss a week of school, but the hands-on experience will be well worth it!

Well, for now I am off to study for a quiz and read from my exciting Marketing book. I teach aerobics at 8 am so I hope to get to bed at a decent time. Until next time!

Jenna

A slight pause after a long week

Friday could not have come any sooner! This was an extremely busy week, but very worthwhile. With the school year quickly approaching, I had a great deal of work to do for our Bobcats for Babies organization on campus. We have increased our membership to over thirty students, but always like to utilize the student volunteer fair at the beginning of the year to recruit more members. Bobcats for Babies is a collegiate chapter of the March of Dimes I started my freshman year of college. With the help of several supportive friends, it has grown into a well-known student organization. We organize mission events, raise funds, and heighten awareness for premature birth and birth defects. We now have started a blog for our organization to keep students more informed of our efforts on campus.

While catching up on my March of Dimes work, I have been working at our Ping Recreation Center on campus. As a group fitness instructor, personal trainer, and fitness assistant (basically a desk job), I spend a great deal of time at Ping. Today was especially long, since I put in eleven hours. A nice break from the week was taking a trip up to Cleveland to judge the Miss North Royalton pageant which is led by Sylvia Jenson, the director of the Miss Ohio local preliminary, Miss Greater Cleveland.

Since Cleveland is closer to my hometown than Athens, I drove home Wednesday night after work to cut the drive down to two and half hours. My mom, always trying to help, decided she would drive with me (I think she fears I will fall asleep at the wheel). Regardless, I had not seen my mom too much lately and it was fun spend time with her on the trip. The pageant took place on Thursday with interviews beginning in the afternoon. The contestants were split into five categories ranging from age five to twenty-one. I enjoyed talking with the little ones and was impressed with their speaking ability at such young ages. When I was seven years old, I highly doubt I could articulate my words very well. I was more worried about digging in the dirt and beating the boy next door in basketball.

Janelle Zindroaski, Miss North Royalton 2007, kicked off the event by singing the National Anthem. Janelle has competed in several Miss Ohio preliminaries, and shared that she has been participating in pageants since the age of seven. Later in the show she also sang LeAnn Rimes, "One Way Ticket," which has always been one of my favorite songs. She is a very sweet person and I hope I will be seeing her in the near -future at Miss Ohio locals.

One of the highlights from the show was when the youngest contestant and only boy, won the title of the Miss North Royalton Little Prince. After he was crowned, he began throwing up his arms, performing karate moves and flexing his muscles. He was adorable and the audience loved him!

Our judging panel had a great time the whole day. There were many laughs and stories told outside our judging duties.

From left to right: Me, Louisa Cieprel, Ann Carroll, Alison Liscoe, Lisa Iwasaki

Lisa (pictured with me on the right) is the current Miss Teen Ohio International, which was held in Zanesville this past March. She is a very beautiful, talented girl and was full of energy the whole day! Alison Liscoe also had a very impressive resume. She was a past competitor in the Miss Ohio America program, 3rd Runner-Up to Miss Ohio USA, and a semi-finalist on "America's Next Top Model." Now you know why I stood at the opposite end of the line for the judges photo! Also, Alison is getting married next week. Sylvia's husband Harvey was giving her all kinds of marriage advice, most of which was rooted in humor.

Another exciting part of the evening was the opportunity to meet Whitney Sue Fricke, the new Miss Cuyahoga County. She is absolutely beautiful and she too has a recent obsession with super-high waist line. We even took a picture to prove it. Whitney did a wonderful job performing her talent piece, "Orange Colored Sky." She has great stage presence. After the show, my mom and I met Whitney's family, who were all very kind. I can see Whitney doing very well this year at Miss Ohio.

Before we left, Lisa and I took a picture with Sylvia. Her energy amazes me! She never stopped moving the whole day. My mom and I arrived back in Zanesville around 1 am, and then I drove back to Athens. Since I had to work this morning at 6:30 am, there was no sense waiting to go back in the morning. It made for a long eleven hour day at work, but the experience at Miss North Royalton was worth it. It is always nice to experience an interview from the other side of the judge's table. I enjoy judging and it is always a good learning experience.

I am grateful that is finally Friday and to top the day off, I now have internet in my apartment. Basically, that means you will be hearing from me again soon.

Good Luck Sarah!

Sunday I attended the Miss Outstanding Teen Send-off party for Sarah Hider. I first met Sarah at Miss Lake Erie this past year and was immediately impressed with her. She is very mature and put together for her age, and a extremely sweet girl. Sarah leaves on Wednesday for the 2008 Miss Outstanding Teen Pageant which will take place in Orlando, Florida August 12-16th. If you would like to send her a card for good luck, the address is listed below:

Miss Ohio's Outstanding Teen
Sarah Hider
c/o Rosen Centre Hotel
9840 International Drive
Orlando, Fla. 32819

At the send-off, Sarah modeled her wardrobe and performed her talent piece, "Mr. Melody." Not only is Sarah beautiful, but I've always thought she is one of those naturally beautiful people. I am sure she will leave a great first impression with the judges. Below are some of the pictures I took of Sarah in her different wardrobe pieces. The bright pink gown at the bottom was Sarah's prom dress which she will now use for a production number. I love a girl who knows how to reuse and save money! Especially when the gown looks like brand new and great on her. The middle picture is of her walk-on gown and the top picture is of Sarah in her evening gown. It looks even more beautiful in person.

Since the send-off took place the day after I returned from Atlanta, I was extremely sleep deprived and not feeling too well. Because of this, my mom decided to take the trip with me to Mansfield. This made it nice that we could catch up and spend time together before I headed back to school. It was also great to see Kasey Wilson, Becky Minger, Roberta Camp, and Marlia Fontaine. We each performed two songs: Kasey sang "Never Alone" and "Time to Say Goodbye," (my favorite of hers), Becky sang "Summertime" and "Gold," (her Miss Ohio talent piece), and Marlia performed "The Impossible Dream" and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." I sang "At last" and Jordin Spark's (last years American Idol) rendition of "To Love Somebody." Originally, I had planned on singing my Miss Ohio talent piece, "I am Changing," but I lost about half of my voice from getting no sleep at my conference. Thankfully, I was well enough that I could somewhat sing by Sunday.

Marlia did a great job emceeing the event which was held at the Westbrook Country Club in Mansfield. One of the highlights of the event was getting to see Roberta and Kasey's engagement rings...both which are gorgeous! Best wishes to them both, although, I must say I will miss competing with Kasey. I always enjoyed competing with her and thought she would become a Miss Ohio.

After a group picture and many well wishes, my mother and I went to visit my host family from Miss Ohio this past year. Dr. Chuck and Nadji Young live on sixty acres of farmland on the outskirts of Bellville. This was their first year hosting, but they did a fabulous job! My roommate, Heather Wells, and I had a wonderful week with them. On the day of Heather's interview, I had spare time in the morning, so Dr. Chuck took me out on his gator. We went through miles of woods and farmland with their dog Buff chasing along behind us. Everynight Dr. Chuck would stay up until Heather and I would return home so we could all chat about the day as we rampaged the cupboards. After eating all of his dried mangos, he decided to buy us each our own pack.

Unfortunately, Dr. Chuck recently had a very serious surgery dealing with his aorta. When I saw him on Sunday, however, I was thankful to see him walking around and being his usual chatty self. He still has an infection, but you would never know it because of his optimistic outlook on life. Before we left, I got a picture with Nadji and Chuck as well as Buff whom they call, "The best dog in the world"....for good reason.


It ended up being a great day and seeing the Young's made me anxious to start competing in locals again. I'll keep my fingers crossed that my luck this year will lead me back to the Young's Tree Farm next summer.