I am so sore today!

I'm sore because last night I ran 4.2 miles on the treadmill, went to yoga and pilates class (pilates=ouch), then ran another 2. I'm feeling the pressure with the 10k next Saturday! And this 10k is particularly scary because it is in the (intense) hills of Vicksburg :( I feel confident about the 6.2 miles, just not so much in addition to hills.. So this week is going to be dedicated to running. I'm hoping to get in at least two long runs, maybe three, with 3 or 4 mile runs in between. Gosh, it feels nice to type 3 or 4 as my short distances :)

On a different note, today was the first day of state NATS! Remember that singing competition I did in the fall? Well that was regional for MS, LA, and AR. This was just for Mississippi! I decided to do both the musical theatre and classical categories. During prelims for MT, I started with "Unusual Way" from Nine, which has grown on me tremendously, and they requested "Wouldn't It Be Loverly" from My Fair Lady. I definitely forgot the words in the middle of the second, but I still got two yeses out of three, putting me forward to semi-finals, in which I sang "Loverly" again, this time actually remembering the words ;)

For the classical category, I began with "Loveliest of Trees" by John Duke, a piece that, though I'm very insecure about it, is so beautiful that I can't resist it. They then requested (to my great relief) "Per La Gloria" by Bononcini, from the 26 Italian Songs and Arias book. This song I have been singing since last year, and I'm very comfortable with it. The third song on my list was from a John Carter cantata ("Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child") and I had barely even sung through it three times, banking on their not choosing it. Anyway, the two I sang went fairly smoothly, and I, again, got two out of three yeses, enough to allow me to sing in the semi-finals for classical as well! For this, I chose the Italian piece, because I knew my nerves would be even more racked and I couldn't depend on myself to sing the Duke. So now, I'm waiting on my friends who are still in Hattiesburg to text me with the verdict on whether or not I will be going back tomorrow to sing for finals! ::fingers crossed::

Here is a recording of "Unusual Way", a song which many of you may not have heard. It's become a favorite of mine even though I truly didn't care for it much whenever I began singing it and listening to it. There's something so powerful about the raw feeling of it.. Anyway, enjoy this lovely lady singing it far better than I ever could :)