October 15th, 2012 – 3:03 pm

I was hoping this morning that I would be able to blog again today. This month has been so busy, and these next couple of weeks are pretty much the “pinacle” of this incredibly hectic semester. Once November rolls around, everyone pretty much understands that finals are coming up and it’s time to get organized.

So, although I had wanted to spend this past weekend getting my hair done and maybe fit in a pedicure, I actually had to spend most of my weekend working on a project that I did not have time to finish last week, and it was due today! For some crazy reason, I also committed to running the Tulsa run next weekend – on the 27th of October. In case you’re not familiar with the Tulsa run, it’s a 9 mile race that starts in downtown Tulsa (usually on the coldest day of the season) and ends back downtown. It is a lot of fun, and there are some great friends from school who are running it. However, I’m not sure what I was thinking when I signed up for it – definitely not that I would be hosting our last Board of Advocates competition the weekend before, or that I would have to run the 9 miles without having put in much training! So, I ran 6 miles Saturday morning to see how I felt with that distance and, Yes, I have only been running 3 up until then….I’m embarrased to say that I had to walk A LOT, and I made up excuses as to why I was running so pathetically. The truth is, I just didn’t want to admit to myself that, without putting in the hard work and training it takes before being able to run any kind of distance, it’s just impossible to perform well.

Although you’ve heard it in many different contexts before, “You Get Back What You’re Willing to Put In” is extremely true through law school as well. Just like I have not properly trained for the Tulsa run (and will likely have to walk at least half), I can’t expect to do well on assignments or exams for school if I don’t “put in” the time that’s required to be successful. Thinking about this last night, after I was super sore from running and tired from working on my project, I still made an effort to stay up a little later than usual (after I put the boys to bed) and read for my 8:00am Basic Corporations class. I knew that if I had not “put in” the time and effort I needed, I would not have been able to follow the lecture this morning. Believe me, there will be times when you just don’t feel like “putting in” any more time or effort – or like you just don’t have any more “extra” time or effort left in you. However, this is the time when it matters most, and keeping in mind that someday you will “get back” what you have “put in” is important.

During the toughest times I’ve had in school over these past 3 years, I’ve kept the same picture in my mind – I walk across the stage at graduation with my little boys and my parents in the audience, and finally get to say to myself, “you did it.”

So, my hair didn’t get done and my toes still look atrocious (no thanks to the 6 mile run), but I’m still working hard at putting in the time it will take to make it to my finish line.