My first race in 10 months.
My first 1500 in 3 years.
Words I never thought I would have to write in my online
running log (found here). It has been a strange and difficult last two
years with the transition out of college to a new team, new coach, new
city.
After moving to Minneapolis in the fall to join Team USA Minnesota, I hit a few
bumps. First a right achilles injury in
the fall, then a left achilles injury in the winter, and then an iron
deficiency just a couple weeks ago that had me in total wonder as to why I was
so exhausted. Yet through these
situations, I finally was able to dust off the spikes and lace up for a 1500 at
Macalester College.
Admittedly it wasn’t anything to write home about, but I did
come away with the win after running wire to wire in 3:55.05. It was the classic “first race syndrome” with
jello legs halfway through and the feeling of running through sand the last
200. Challenged with 400 to go, my rusty
race instincts booted up and turned a rusty gear to hold off my opponent and
close with a little room to spare.
While my past 7 months of training have been rather
inconsistent, I’m hoping that a little reliance on Old Man Strength, a friendly
runner’s term, will carry me through this season unscathed to some faster times
once I hit the track for a 5k. On deck
for next weekend is the Payton Jordan 5k at Stanford—a mecca of sort for US
distance runners and a prime opportunity for a fast race. This will be my first ever trip to Palo Alto
to hit the famed oval there, as we never made the journey during my collegiate
days.
I have a tendency to liken this first year with Team USA
Minnesota to my first year at the University of Cincinnati, which my legendary
college coach, Bill Schnier, likes to call, “the worst freshman year of anyone
he’d ever coached.” While I wouldn’t
exactly call this year the worst, it
certainly has been far from consistent, which has a direct impact on my performances. I always told our freshman at
Cincinnati to be patient and let the work come to fruition with time, as it
would take a year to get used to the new level of training to see the fruits of
their labor. Likewise, I see that same
thing at work here at Team USA Minnesota: my first year might have a couple
flashes of bright light (hopefully a 5k PR!), but I am confident that with
consistency under this new program that I will be able to reap what I have
sowed in the next year.
I often think about what Ben True said when he was under
Mark Coogan—he gave himself 5 years.
Those first two years he did well with a couple of hot races, but he
really took off on that third year running some incredible races on the track
and fighting with the top guys in the US for national team spots. I hope that my story is similar and too can
be inspiring for others seeking the highest level in athletics.
