I'm coming up on the end of my first month with Team USA Minnesota in Minneapolis and I couldn't be happier with my decision to move and join this team. For me, the move has been pivotal in my commitment towards being an elite distance runner--it was like jumping in headfirst rather than dabbling around with my toe. With the move away from family and friends came the realization of a true commitment to fulfilling my potential as an athlete.
While I miss my family and friends back home, I am quickly finding my place here in Minneapolis among my amazing housemates, fantastic teammates, coach (Dennis Barker), and ever supportive team founder and president, Pat Goodwin.
The workouts that Dennis prescribes are not individually much more challenging than what I have done in the past (at least so far!), but it's the accumulation of 3-4 quality days a week that has fatigued my body more so than ever before. But with that greater fatigue comes a greater training stimulus for improvement, and it is on that which I am supremely confident in a great season once I lace up the spikes. As Dennis said to me earlier this week, "It's when you can put in months of this type of training uninterrupted that people make big jumps." So for now, I'm just in the zone with training, looking forward to the day that I can test out the new limits of my body as the result of consistent quality workouts.
I had tossed out the idea of running in the Manchester Road Race on Thanksgiving, but Dennis didn't seem so keen on the idea of racing so soon. That'll make my mom happy at least because I'll make my way back to Cincinnati for some turkey and mashed potatoes instead. I'll likely end up jumping in the Cincinnati Thanksgiving Day Race and see what happens, but won't be making any changes in my training schedule for it.
Beyond that, I had the pleasure to meet David Monti (elite athlete coordinator for NYRR events) this past weekend during the TCM events and I'm hoping to get a spot on the line for the Emerald Nuts 4 Miler on New Years Eve (gun goes off as the ball drops at midnight) in Central Park in NYC. It would be really fun event and a great way to kick off the new year.
Following that rust buster, pending entry, indoor season will fall upon us with plans to run some fast races and compete at the US Indoor Championships in Albuquerque on February 22-23.
Until then, head down and blinders on!
