This year I wanted to do some things that I have never really done before. I guess you could call it a "bucket list" of some sort. I kind of started to think about this during my time in the Dominican, and when I got back to the states I figured what better year then this year to do things I never have. I decided I wanted to start running and figured what better way to make myself do that then register for a half marathon. My ultimate goal is to run a full marathon, but figured I better start with a half and work myself up. The 20k is in June here in Des Moines so I have been training for that and I am loving it. During training the program I am doing it recommends that I take part in some 5k's and things like that, so I am also registered for the AIDS 5K here in Des Moines as well. My brother, Adam, is running in the AIDS run as well, so it should be a good run for a great cause and I can't wait for this summer. I am excited to see how I do during the half marathon and am ready to see what I can do.
As many of you know and as I have stated in a previous post, I am a die hard Kansas Jayhawk fan. I have loved watching them this year, and many know I would give anything to see them in person. I have gone to a few games over the years when they have played at ISU, but it just isn't the same as seeing them in a game either at Allen Fieldhouse, or some kind of tournament. It all started during the Big 12 Tournament this year in Kansas City. I was thinking about heading down to watch them, but I ended up not going. Then they received a 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and were placed in the Midwest Region. To cut this story short, they made it to regional finals in Saint Louis. The minute they won the game against NC State, I was online looking at tickets for the Regional final against North Carolina. I was willing to spend a pretty large amount of money to see this game, and ended up finding a great deal on tickets.
I was all prepared to drive the 6 hour drive alone, when I called my mom to see what she thought. Needless to say, she said her and my dad wanted to come with so I was pumped. We purchased the tickets Saturday night and Sunday morning I picked them up and we were headed to Saint Louis.
The drive there felt like it took 2 hours because I was so excited. We pulled into the parking ramp and when I got out of my car my legs started shaking because I was so excited (I am aware this is pretty embarrassing). The atmosphere down there was unlike anything I had seen. There were tons of Kansas fans, and quite a few North Carolina fans, all chanting and all that good stuff.
The game was close through out, and in the final minutes Kansas pulled away and got the big win for a trip to the Final Four. It was an experience I will never forget, and I am so grateful that I could share it with my parents. I have always wanted to hear the "Rockchalk Jayhawk" chant in person, and it gave me chills to take part in the chant during the final minutes. My family is obviously huge fans of the game, so it was an incredible experience for all of us. It was also really nice to be able to go nuts during the game and actually have people around you who do not care. Usually I am in my apartment throwing things and screaming until I have no voice left.
I am extremely excited about this Saturday's Final Four game, and I do realize that not matter what I do for the game, it will not live up to being there live, but I am still really excited. I will more then likely watch the game at my apartment with all the windows closed to hide the noise that I make during the games. My bracket is doing great this year as well. In the ESPN bracket challenge I am in the 96th percentile, which means that there is only 4 percent of the 6 million brackets entered that are better then me. Obviously I have picked Kansas to win it for as long as I can remember filling out a bracket, so I have them taking down Kentucky in the National Championship. Either way I am pretty happy that I got to experience the game to go to the Final Four, and also am pretty proud of how this years team has performed. No one expected them to be this successful this year, and they have been very fun to watch.
Other then that my life is pretty much the same. Just working a ton and trying to train for this half marathon I signed up for.
Hopefully this message finds you in great health and also having a great start to the Spring season. I am looking forward to catching up with you all again soon.
Until next time...
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