I figured the title was more than appropriate for the past four months of my life. The seemingly neverendless setbacks were at times more than I could bare by myself.. This blog is much needed, especially for the time since I have last posted. Dating by in January, things were swimmingly. My boot just came off, my cast was removed and things were heading in the correct direction. Then, things began to topple. To keep a possibly super long story relatively short, there were a lot of injuries. Foot tendon problem, tendonitis in posterior tibial tendon, achilles tendonitis, hamstring strain, calf strain, achilles tendonitis, soleus issure and now possible nerve problems. To skip over all of that garbage, which I don't feel like blogging about, I'll speak on the present and future. Throughout these ups and downs, I have had a lot of motivation. Big East was this weekend and we had some solid performances. Seeing those and seeing individuals who I beat in cross country thriving in success makes me just that much more motivated. I know what I am capable when healthy, but there has never been a chance for me to do these things in track. Broken feet and nagging injures have sidelined me every track season. As I tell people, I did get the tattoo with an "XC" on the side of my leg, not an oval track. Cross country is something I am really looking forward to. Even though that is easily my favorite time of the year, I am currently looking forward to running an hour a day. After that accomplishment, I plan on getting to 4 doubles a week. By then, I should be stroking out 100+ mile weeks. If that does occur as planned (which unfortuantely, nothing has gone to plan the past four months), I will get down to 125lbs. This upcoming cross season is going to be absolutely incredible. The team has such a great opportunity for success and tip top success at that. Podium is certainly in reach and to me, there is no limit. Pat has already been AA. Tits has been AA. With that being said, Weeks and I have beaten both of them before. There are four guys who should be AA. With a plethora of people who can fit into that 5-7 spots, we can be so good. I am really looking forward to summer training, seeing individuals develop and getting back into the swing of things. Cross country is going to be so much fun. Aside from the obvious excitement towards summer training and cross season, friendships seem to be guiding me back into running. I have been avoiding certain people that I think may drag me down and then meeting new people. This combination, along with connecting to good friends, is allowing me to live a happier life. Ultimately, this happy life (as silly as that may sound) is guiding me back into things. Unfortantely, FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) is now over until the fall, but we are going to continue putting God first in our lives. One tidbit that I really picked up on and am trying to instill into my life is "JOY". This is not the simplistic idea of happiness, but rather living by this can give you happiness. JOY stands for Jesus, Others, Yourself. You put Jesus first in your life, otheres second and finally yourself third. By doing this, I think I can get a better grasp on my surroundings and truly appreciate things more. I feel blessed to be where I am and I know that God has put this path before me. If I were to turn around or give up, I can only be ashamed as I would be a quitter. No matter how rocky a path, always continue foward. We are going to be doing huge things this upcoming cross country season - it is going to be an absolute pleasure taking part in it. That's all for now!

Forrest