Word of the Day: Stress

2nd Monday in a row and I'm on a roll! :) I have SO many things I could write about that I'm having a hard time getting anything written because my mind is so scrambled.

STRESS.
Stress comes with the territory, this territory. In a profession where your livelihood and ability to provide for yourself is almost solely based on what your body can do and how it can perform, you begin to realize how important every little thing you do (and don't do) can affect your performance. And then comes the stress, exponentially piling up because you realize that you are no longer 100% in control of your actions so in turn, no longer in control of your stress levels.

The best way to describe my current situation is "the period of change". I briefly alluded to it on my last post but it's the changes in my living situation and training that are stressing me out the most. And when this Queen stresses, everybody watch out!
To those that don't know my coach (LJ) left his position out here at Clemson University last January and ever since then the burning question has been, "Where are we going next?" Last year because of good "pre-kicked out" preseason training, great coaching, greater hard work&talent, and the GRACE of GOD I was able to still have my best post-collegiate season thus far but that didn't come without struggle and a whole lot of hardship. But again those tales will be saved for another post but to give you a BIT of insight, below is a picture of me doing squats. Common right? Yeah, most track athletes squat but do you see where I'm doing them at? There is no gym and no squat rack, instead I am lifting at the high school track we had came to train at after getting put out of Clemson's track, weight room, etc. 

Yeah, just take that in! lol Now I'm definitely not complaining, the job got done for the year and I finished with the #2 time in the WHOLE WORLD this season (Thank God!!) but sometimes I wonder if I subtracted the struggle and minus the cold days we were left without training, if it could've been an even grander season. ?? Answers I'll never know and can't find out so best not to dwell on them.

Instead I've just been focusing on this season and beyond and doing the things necessary to keep from ever being put in that kind of situation again, which can be pretty hard in this sport. Being a professional track and field athlete, unlike the NFL or NBA, doesn't mean being drafted to a team or getting picked up by an owner to represent them, getting flown out to a brand new city and receiving the best of the best treatments and training on a daily basis in order to perform at your highest level. Instead, most track athletes stay with their college coaches the first couple years out, pray they get a lucrative sponsorship from one of the major athletic shoe companies, and have to rely on their own money in order to receive treatment and necessary recovery methods to perform at their best level. Yes, that is professional athletics for you lol.
A change will come in this sport, that I am sure of, but in the mean time I have to rely on my own funds and the benefits that I get from being an elite Tier 1 athlete (health insurance, grant money, and access to the Olympic training center) to prepare me for years to come. 

Speaking of Olympic training center (OTC), I recently (or not so recently) played with the idea of moving out to the training center in Chula Vista, CA to do my training during these cold weather months in South Carolina and while my coach is still ironing out the details of when we'll be leaving Clemson and where to. It's located right near San Diego is sunny Southern California boasting the best facilities, treatments, on campus dining, and Olympic coaches free of charge to me. If that's not reason enough for me to jump on the next thing smoking and want to move out West, my boyfriend now lives out there which makes this offer all the more tantalizing lol. One of the drawbacks though is that there are no sprint/hurdle coaches out there & I would have to be away from my coach. The OTC facilitates mostly jumpers, throwers, and multi-event athletes because they are known to usually receive the least funding in the sport so the center decided they want to offer these services to the most needy. But in a period where everything is so volatile in my life I think going out there to focus 100% on training and getting my workouts sent to me from my coach and looked over my the staff at the center, will give me a sense of ease and allow me to escape all the craziness going on with moving and relocating going on over here and especially since my lease at my current apartment is up the end of November so I HAVE to move regardless!

Now do you see why I'm stressing?? lol. I knew 25 was going to bring change and I prayed that it would all be for the better and I honestly think that with this new opportunity presenting itself to me is a testament to just that. Change is good, and change is going to come. I'll just have to trust my gut instincts and let my hard work and determination carry me the rest of the way.
Wow I actually feel a little better just from typing that!! :)

Well that's all folks! What are some ways you all deal when you have unwanted stress put upon you? And how do you keep reminding yourself that this isn't going to last forever? Let me know and thank you all for reading! Until next time..


*MUAH!

MeTime Mondays!

#MeTimeMondays

Usually when people think of "Me Time" I'm sure they think of a relaxing day full of pampering exercises such as massage, facials, manis and pedis and while that sounds GREAT it's time to usher in a new meaning, at least for me. Me Time Mondays will be regular days but before the day is up I am vowing to do at least one thing to make sure to further the Queen Harrison brand and updating my blog!! THIS BLOG!! (http://www.goqueengo.blogspot.com) Yes, every Monday you can expect a blog post from yours truly because whether I am aware or not there are a lot of people out there that look to me for help, encouragement, or just wanna see me because they think I'm interesting! And since I really love my fans, friends, and family ANYWAY what better way to show it then to give them funny stories, stimulating topics or just plain insight into what Queen Harrison is doing on the regular! 

Getting started, I'm currently sitting at my dining room table in my house in South Carolina. I just finished eating dinner (1st dinner I've made in my OWN house in about 3 weeks) and now I'm reflecting on the day and how my life is playing out esp since turning 25 in September. Sometimes, I honestly can't believe I'm 25 not only because I don't feel a day over 20 but because time honestly seems like it's in hyperdrive! Be that as it may, I'm claiming my year of being 25 to be my BEST YEAR YET and I plan on doing whatever is necessary to make sure that happens, even if that means leaving places and people behind and making major changes.

Speaking of changes... Today was my first official day back to training with my coach, Lawrence Johnson, and the 'BoogieFast Track Club' & boy am I wiped out! This year's set up is totally different; from the location (temporary) we're training at, mindset, to the members of the group! Besides LJ (coach) I am the only original member of BFTC left!! My homegirls/old TPs (training partners) have decided to fly the coop and take their talents elsewhere for their own personal motivations, leaving me behind with funny/crazy LJ and replaced by two baby divas in Brianna Rollins (100mH) and T'erea Brown (400mh)! The dynamic of the group has definitely changed (noticeably even after only ONE day) but I think that this group has promise and ability to be a force to be reckon with. Combining talent, beauty, and a host of egos and personalities I am VERY interested to see what becomes of this new BoogieFast group. But, I am claiming the best and predicting 3 new faces of USATF to emerge and take over the hurdle scene :) I'll save more insight into my new TPs for a later date and just focus on me now.

I just got back to South Carolina from the USATF Elite Athlete Summit hosted in Miami, FL this year. For those of you who don't know, it's much more than just a fun weekend provided by USATF to celebrate the athletes' accomplishments and instead is an opportunity for us athletes in such an individualized sport to come together to toss around ideas of how to improve the sport in this country and voice our concerns of the current state of USA Track and Field. I went down there a bit hesitant thinking that this was just going to be another time that everyone would just be talking a good game and nothing gets done but surprisingly with our new CEO in Max Seigel I actually am starting to buy into the idea that USA track is headed in the right direction, for the organization and for the athletes that are apart of it! But Miami wasn't all work no play, one thing about track athletes and that is that we KNOW HOW TO PARTY and have a good time!! lol Between competitive beach volleyball, partying at Cameo night club and the talent show put on by our alumni association, there was a LOT of fun to be had!

Of COURSE everyone there was required to take part in the talent show so you had world class athletes up there acting, reciting poetry, "singing" and even a lil bit of twerking!! haha I'm sure some video footage from the event will eventually hit the internet but until then I will just let you all's imagination run wild but I will tell y'all that I WAS in the winning group (S/O and shooodooop to my talent show partners: DeeDee Trotter, Jeneba Tarmoh, Brianna Rollins, Christine Spence, and Jessica Beard) and our performance was definitely camera and video worthy :)

Well it's getting late and I have to wake up early again tomorrow to lift at 10am and then practice again at 3:30 (YAY for 2-a-days) plus I want to post this before my midnight deadline sooo with that I'll say happy reading, thanks for visiting and I'll see yall next Monday! This is some of how I spend my #MeTimeMonday, how will yall spend yours? No matter what walk of life or career path we've decided to take I think it's important to promote your positive points and always look to better yourself, so why not NOW! (aka at least every Monday)

Smooches! Oh, and go check out my Work, Rest, and Play IAAF Interview if you need a little bit more of Queen Harrison before the end of the day ;) *MUAH!*

Life always goes on..

Hey yall!!

It's been quite a long time since I posted on my blog, I feel like I've been neglecting it but I usually only update when I feel the urge. So obviously, I got the blog ITCH :)

Quick rundown of what's been going on with me..

I am in the middle of fall/winter training down here in Clemson, South Carolina.  This is my first offseason that I am training with Lawrence Johnson (my coach) since the 2008 season so I am anxious and excited to see what I have to do and what comes of it when the season begins.

As of right now I will be running a couple meets during the indoor season mostly to get a gauge on how my training is going and also to give the world (and my competition) a little taste of what they have to look forward to for this 2013 outdoor season.  After failing to make the 2012 Olympic team in either hurdle event this past year it really put things into perspective of how my training must go this year for me to be successful and make the World Championship team in Moscow, Russia! Though I didn't make the Oly team I ended my 2012 season on a very high note in the 100 hurdles so I'm blessed for that.

In more recent and very sad news one of my girlfriends was recently killed about 3 days ago.  I understand that everyone has to die one day and that people die everyday but I have been fortunate enough to not have many people I know pass away so it definitely was a huge blow.  The way that I found out about it probably made it even worse.  To give a little background when I was in college and a year or so after I was in a relationship with a football player who got drafter to the KC Chiefs.  Because he played there and I would go to visit him frequently I began to become acquainted with a few of the girlfriends, wives, baby mother's, etc. of other players on the team since we'd be at the games together.

So, while I was out there I got to know my girl Kas.  Now if I sit here and say we're the best of friends I'd be lying because our main connection was through our men's professions but either way when you meet women who have a similar lifestyle to you and you both have to deal with the same things I think that it gives you an unspoken bond.  Either way, a couple days ago I got a call from my sister saying that she wanted to make sure I was OK and make sure B (my ex-boyfriend) was alright too because she had seen something on the news about a 25 year old football player in KC that had killed his girlfriend and then went up to the facility and committed suicide.  While I obviously wasn't in Kansas my sister and brother wanted to make sure that I wasn't and also that it wasn't B.  Immediately I hit up my girls from KC to make sure everyone was OK and that's when I got the news that it was Kas and I automatically started crying.  It really put things into perspective that you really never know what's going on in someone's head or household.  I had just seen Kas about 2.5 weeks earlier in Dallas when I went to a birthday celebration for one of my other girlfriends.  It was almost surreal because that CAN'T happen to someone I know, not someone who JUST had a beautiful baby and from what I knew to understand had a happy and healthy household. It was just a sad story and even worse that their child has to grow up without either of her parents living. 

So, that is the end of my depressing chapter of this post.  I will be heading to her funeral this weekend which I feel is necessary but I am also dreading it because I think it will really hit me that she really is gone when I see her and her family under these grave circumstances. All that I can do now is pray for the baby and be around for support to anyone who may need it.

Well, that's about all I have for today. I tweeted RIP Kas in one of my tweets a couple days ago and a lot of people wondered who I was talking about, now question answered.

Until next time!

Peace and Blessings,
 Queen

Home sweet home!

I'm finally back from my 7 day trip down to the Caribbean (Saint Maarten and Grand Cayman).  You would think that traveling to two tropical islands such as those that I wouldn't ever want to come home BUT after a while living out of a suitcase and sleeping in hotel beds starts to wear you down! I had such a great time both places but traveling to and from the islands wasn't as easy as I thought it'd be.  First things first, I almost missed my first flight out of Charlotte because instead of going straight to the airport Kristi and I (Kristi Castlin, one of my training partners) decided that a quick trip to the mall was in order before we jet set out the country.  Long story short, "someone" *cough cough* took EXTRA long in the mall so we had to RUSH to get to the airport, park, go through SECURITY and then run to our gate.  Now, I'm the type of person that openly laughs at people who I see running through the airport so that day I KNOW we were the object of ridicule.  I had to RUN to get to the gate and no, I'm not talking about a slow trot or jog, I'm talking about a full out sprint through Charlotte airport while our names were being called over the airport intercom saying, "Paging Harrison and Castlin, the gate is about to close". LOL!! I'm laughing just thinking about it! BUT we made the flight! 

Then, on our leg from Miami to Saint Maarten, there was a huge storm over SM so after a couple scary attempts to try and land in the midst of the storm, our pilots decided that it was safer to detour to San Juan, Puerto Rico and try to wait it out.  I guess the weather over there stayed really bad b/c we ended up having to spend the night in PR and leave early in the morning the next day! AND to top it off, my bag didn't make our flight from Miami soo I was stranded in only my travel gear! BUT I AIN'T COMPLAINING! lol

Of course I was down there for "business" but that didn't stop me from enjoying myself and taking in some of the sights that each place had to offer.  At both places our hotel was on the beach so I HAD to sit out and put my feet in the clear water for a little while! In Saint Maarten after I was done competing we had a whole extra day there so we went to this festival called "fish day" that they had on the French side of the island.  It was sooo fun! They had music, vendors, dancing and lots and lots of food! Here's a pic of the stage where they had a "whine ya body" contest and the HUGE fish dinner that I had!!! 

 

I had a lot of fun in Saint Maarten but I think that my time in Grand Cayman was my favorite out of the two.  I competed at the Cayman Invitational and it was the first time this meet had ever been held so it felt good to be a part of the inaugural event!  The hotel, the beach, the people, the weather and everything was LOVELY!  In addition the atmosphere at the track meet was exciting with all the people cheering (mainly for Jamaica BUT it's all good lol).

Ok, this is getting long haha. Let me wrap it up with how I did on the TRACK. Whoop whoop! I ran 12.9 for 6th place in the 100 hurdles in Saint Maarten and I ran 56.8 in the 400 hurdles for 3rd place at the Cayman Invitational.  There were some really great ladies in both of my races and although I obviously didn't get the results that I would have hoped for, I was really happy to be back on the track and able to finish the races healthily after hurting my quad/hip flexor a couple weeks ago! I'm a fierce competitor and I don't take losing very well, no matter what's the reason! :) Now that I got that first 400 hurdle race under my belt it's back to intense training for the next couple weeks here in SC before I jet back out of the States over to Europe to run a couple races there (Ostrava, Hengelo and then Rome)!  It can get tough traveling so much but I LOVE what I do and wouldn't trade it for anything!! 

Thanks for checking me out y'all! I'll be back soon but in the mean time, keep up with ya girl on my website QueenHarrison.com, my FB page, or @goQueengo on twitter.

SMOOCHES! 

Go Get...Your Blessing!

"It's alright to crawl before you walk, it's alright to walk before you run.  But if you wanna get what you never got, gotta do something that you never done!"

Even though this is only my second entry I've been SO excited to get back to writing sooo let's go! So if you follow me on twitter (@goqueengo) you saw me tweet a couple days about a song that I really felt touched and motivated me and well…I'm STILL hooked! As I write I'm actually listening to the song right now. It's a new single by the gospel duo Mary Mary entitled "Go Get It"!  Though it's gospel, I wouldn't consider myself very religious probably not "religious" at all. I was raised in the Nation of Gods and Earths by my parents from birth but living in America you can't help but be influenced by Christian thoughts and values sooo I'd think of myself as someone on their PATH to righteousness, taking a little from this and that. But that's neither here nor there, the song talks about a person that is emerging from a trouble past that's getting stronger, finally at the brink of greatness and is now being assured that it's THEIR TIME to be blessed.  Whew! Talk about an eye opener!! I was riding in the car the first time I heard it and I only caught the end of it but I automatically felt the need to rush home and search it online to hear the whole thing. I think the upbeat tempo and the constant repetition of the phrase "Go get your blessing" and "It's your time" that made the song sink in so much.  Like every human being, I've had my ups and downs and struggles both in my personal life and athletic career but i always ALWAYS saw the light at the end of the tunnel (even if i had someone ELSE show me the light). I had a so-so season last year and battled with a foot injury that kept me from running the 100 hurdles all year, but I feel like this year will be redemption.  I feel very confident in my training, my mindset, and my progress so hearing the Mary Mary song was like that last confirmation saying 'YOU GOT THIS GIRL!!!'

  OK now to some TRACK stuff!! First things first, I had another track meet this past weekend down in Tuscon, Arizona. It was called the Jim Click Shootout Invitational and it had the coolest concept. I'm post collegiate so the rules didn't apply to me but they did a conference vs conference competition where the teams from the same conference combined their points from each event and in the end a CONFERENCE instead of a school was the "winner". Maybe I'm a little lame but I thought that it was really cool especially when they held a banquet before and after the meet for the student athletes and coaches, something very similar to what they do when you go to the NCAA meet! Anyways, I ran the 100m hurdles and the open 400m dash, placing 3rd in the hurdles (12.7) and 1st in the 400 (53.1). Despite my mishap in the hurdles where I clipped hurdles 9 and 10 and didn't run through the line, I was actually very impressed with my season opener and my 2nd open 400 in years!  Each track meet I'm getting my "racing legs" back and learning how to implement the small things that I'm learning in practice so THIS weekend won't be any different. I'm running 100hurdles, 400, shuttle hurdle relay, and a 4x4 down at the Florida relays in Gainesville, FLA.  I am in LOVE with the state of Florida so I'm pretty excited to come down to the heat and turn the heat up on the track also!  I'm not big on talking about it, I'm more of a "be about it" type of person sooo… it's go time!  77 days and counting until the first day of the 2012 Olympic Trials. I will be successful, I WILL go get my BLESSING!

Until next time!..

Wanna hear Mary Mary's 'Go Get It'? Check the song out here!

Go Get It

Hi, my name is

At the beginning of the season in October I decided I was going to start blogging. It would consist of my different thoughts and opinions as a reference to my mindset and training during an Olympic year. Two months ago I decided I was going to really buckle down and start the aforementioned blog but only sporadically as I thought of something "blog-worthy". Today, March 22, I look at the blank entries on my website and realize that maybe I need to put myself on some type of schedule in order to effectively get it done. So, TODAY is the day.

      I like to think of myself as somewhat of a private person. You know the mysterious hazel eyed hurdler named Queen whose story no one knows, BUT come to find out once you delve into the life of an elite athlete all your mystery is gone and is replaced by tagged Facebook photos and articles telling your life story. Be that as it may I'm definitely not complaining, people's interest in my life is actually flattering so who better to tell about me, than ME? :)

Before I start I'd like to give a disclaimer that the thoughts and opinions voiced in my writings are my own and reflect myself and myself alone. In addition I will be blogging in my own voice which means sometimes i may not have correct grammar I may misspell a few words or just sound outright crazy! but I think that if I went back and tediously edited my words that it wouldn't feel as ….authentic.

Right now I am on a chartered bus with the Clemson University track and field team riding to a track meet in Orlando, Florida at UCF. It is the 2nd day of a two day trek down to the sunny state and surprisingly it hasn't been as bad as you would imagine a 12+ hour bus trip to be. I am down here to open up my outdoor season with an open 400 and a leg on the 4x400m relay. The excitement of "testing the waters" overpowers any nervousness or soreness still lingering from previous hard workouts and training. And there definitely IS soreness. In the past 2.5 months not only have I switched coaches, programs, and states I've also picked up a rigorous weight training program that is doing everything but etching my name on a headstone. But I FREAKIN LOVE it! I have my share of aches and pains, gripes and groans but overall i have that feeling you get when you finally return home after you spent a long time away. See, my current coach, Lawrence Johnson, is actually my former coach and the man who recruited the then 5'5, 147lb long and triple jumper out of Hermitage High School in Richmond, VA.  Following my sophomore year and entrance onto the 2008 Olympic track team, Clemson U offered LJ a position as head coach and director of track and field to which he accepted. I would be lying to say that his sudden abandonment didn't put a bad taste in my mouth for years but now I'm over it and back where I belong.

I can't promise that I'm going to blog every day, every other day or even every week but what I can promise is that I'll give it to you 100% each and every time and make it as entertaining as possible in the process. Well that's all I'll write for now just to get my feet wet but before I end I want to leave it with a question. What kind of things do you all like to read or want to know about ME? Of course there's always track and I can always go into intricate details about some of my workouts but besides that stuff let me know what you want to read and I'll try my best to let you guys in on THE SECRET LIFE OF QUEEN HARRISON. ;)

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