Time to Race

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.