Back to the Grind

Well day three back to classes and back to the grind and I am falling asleep in class! Don't get me wrong I am loving my class but trying to fit everything in my schedule is insane. 

Tuesday I honestly left my house at 630 a.m. and didn't get home until around 11p.m.  Busy busy busy! I love every minute if it though, just exhausted. 

Practices have been going extremely well. I got my full 3meter list off and changed my 1meter list around to start strong and end strong. 

I love my new teammates and can't wait to see what this season has to hold. I'll try and write more as I downloaded this awesome app I can type on the go :) 

Tonight it's the first football game of the season against USU. I am so excited! 

Go Utes! 

-Kersten xo.

Well summer 2013 it was fun

Today was the last day of summer and tomorrow I will be starting my senior year of diving at the U. I can't believe how fast this summer has done, well how fast all of my time at the U has gone. I have been so blessed to be at such an amazing school with amazing teammates and friends. I am looking forward to turning the page in my book of life. 

Wish me luck and as always: Go Utes 

Utah men's and women's swim and dive team 2013-2014

-Kersten xo

CANADA

Sorry I didn't get a chance to post anything the past few days I was enjoying being at home with my friends and family.

Did you know you really get to know someone when you spend over 32 hours in a car with them? Try it you will be surprised. You can either really end up hating them or end up wanting to spend another 32 hours in a car with them.

Being so far away from home being a D1 athlete I really forget the simple things of home, such as a Tim Hortons coffee or how Alberta you see nothing but sky. If you have lived in Utah all of your life go somewhere without the mountains so you can experience what it is like to have a full sky, not a half sky. You realize how important your friends really are; you learn who your true friends are. Being away for so long not many people will stick around, but they ones who do are your true friends.

Edmonton is home for me. It is truly beautiful and peaceful. As soon as I crossed the border into Canada I felt as ease. It's so simple, nothing else matters. Going home is just that little piece of heaven you get to enjoy once in a while.

Life slows down when you're at home. No practices, no classes, no worries. Simple and easy.

-Kersten xo.

Family: distance is just a number

Sometimes you just need a little getaway from reality, a little vacation. Tomorrow I am off to Canada to pick up my little brother and bring him back to Salt Lake City for a week. The three Merry siblings will be together for a little bit. It's tough being away from family. 

My youngest brother is 14 and lives in Ontario, Canada with my parents. My Dad is in the military and was posted over to Ontario from Alberta, where I spent most of my life. My middle brother Mitchell is 18; he plays hockey. He moved to Manitoba to play hockey this past year and then moved back to Alberta to graduate with his friends. It's crazy how we aren't able to all be together for holidays and big occasions. Last Christmas I spent it at work, Mitchell spent it with the family he lives with during hockey season and Andrew spent it with my parents. 

Although we all cant be together through the important things we make it work. We talk all the time, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Imessage. We are a really close family, but sometimes it is hard not being able to walk downstairs and have a conversation. It is also hard not being able to share not the hard times but the success! Sharing all the good things with the people you love is the best feeling in the world. I love the emails and messages but getting that hug after accomplishing something is amazing.

I love my family even if we are all over the map. That again is life as a D1 athlete. 

-Kersten xo. 

Practice makes perfect

Practice, a concept that we all hear and know. Practice consumes my life during in season training and right now I feel it is consuming my life during summer. I have high expectations for myself this year and I know I have to be practicing a lot right now to have the best season, but I am struggling. I want to do everything, and I want to just take a step back and breathe. Practice has been tough. It is tough when your teammates aren't around. It is tough when it's beautiful outside and you want to go adventure. It is tough when you're little brother is in town and you have to ditch him to go to practice. But it is also tough regretting the times you didn't go to practice to get better. Back to what I've said a million times. FIND THAT BALANCE. 
-Kersten xo.

The only limitations you have are the ones you put on yourself.

I was up bright and early at 5 a.m. eager and really nervous to see if I could actually run 10km (6.25 miles). The most I have ever ran in my life is 5km (3.2 miles). This was going to be an adventure.

My goal was well to complete the race, but also make it in under an hour. I had people laugh at me and say that it was impossible for me to run it under an hour.  That was encouraging...

I lined up a few minutes to 6 a.m. (start time) set my phone and had my music ready to go. When they said go I ran and ran and ran. I didn't stop once that entire time. The first 3 miles felt like a cake walk. I was going a really good pace (averaging 8minute miles). When I hit mile 4 I started hurting. I kept pushing myself though. I kept telling myself the only limitations I have are the ones I put on myself. I can do this. When I turned the corner on 200east there were people lined up all along the sides of the road cheering. It's Pioneer Day so everyone was waiting for the parade. There were little kids with their hands out, I high fived everyone who had their hands out. I wasn't doing it for record time I was doing it for fun, and that was my motivation and some fun for me.

I turned onto 900south and there it was the finish line. I slowed down a lot the last mile, but I had to finish. I kept smiling knowing I was almost there. I couldn't believe I did it.

I crossed that finish line 7th in my age group (19-24) and at a time of: 51 minutes and 52 seconds.

I did something today that people said I couldn't do. I did something for myself, a new goal a new accomplishment.

I was extremely lucky to have my coach, Richard, at my side through this. He inspires me to always do better. He always supports all of my goals and dreams in and out of the pool. He ran the half marathon and did amazing. I can't wait until I'll be running a half marathon.

 My little brother Andrew was waiting for me at the finish line. He was cheering me on as I came in. He helped volunteer for the event and I am so proud of him for that. I am so unbelievably lucky to have him as my little brother.

Travis was my number one fan today! He may have missed me cross the finish line (due to the fact I wasn't suppose to run that fast ;) but he was so proud of me. I am lucky to have him in my life and to support me in everything I choose to do.

-Kersten xo.

Have goals, dreams and expectations

Tomorrow I will be running my first 10km race. It is still weird to say. If anyone knows me they know how much I HATE running; I struggle to run a mile. I decided to set a goal, cross it off my bucket list and do this thing!

Last year I ran a 5km race and it went fairly well. I ran it in a good time without too much training. I was lucky to have the support of my teammates, coach and friend (he ran the race with me). This time my little brother Andrew will be volunteering at the finish line and I have a few close friends who will be watching me cross off a goal I have always wanted to accomplish.

My best friend/teammate Jasmine, coach Richard and me after my 5km last year

My goal for this is to beat my coach who is running in the half marathon. We start at the same time, and his pace will be a lot faster but he will be starting a good 10miles behind me, hopefully that is enough time to get myself moving. My goal is to finish the race between 50minutes and 1 hour and 10 minutes. That means I am looking at a 9minute mile pace. I haven't done much training for this race but when I was I had been doing 9minute and 22 second miles. So tomorrow will be a true test of what I can do.

Wish me luck and I will let you know how it went, after I can feel my legs again.

-Kersten xo.