I made it safe and sound to Cork, Ireland! Arrived yesterday around noon after about 16 hours of travel and little sleep, but was excited about being here. Flying in, seeing all the beautiful green hills I told Ben Blankenship (a runner from the University of MN who decided to start his European racing travels with me here in Ireland), "This might be my new favorite place I've ever been to...so long as the people here are nice..." (my former favorite place was Switzerland, and the people there were very accommodating). Well, I obviously hadn't done my homework, or I would have known that Cork has a huge reputation for being filled with the most welcoming, hospitable people in all the world. I'd have to agree.
So when we walked out from baggage claim we had a woman ready and waiting to drive us the short distance from the airport to our accommodations (some dorms near the track). She was very kind and seemed quite excited about pointing out the sights here as she drove in the RIGHT SIDE of her car on the LEFT SIDE of the road. I sat in front with her, and felt quite odd being in the "driver's seat" without a steering wheel...haha.
Everyone says that the best way to get accustomed to the new time zone over here is NOT to go to sleep right away when you get there in the morning, so we quickly settled in to our rooms, and changed to go on a run. I ran with three of the guys who plan on racing the 1500m here as well, and it was nice to have company to keep me awake out there!
Next on the agenda was showering, which is a glorious/refreshing feeling after being stuffed in a germ-tube airplane all night! Once I was cleaned up, it was time to head straight out the door again though, because we had all been invited to a reception, and were promised "finger food" if we attended. I was pretty hungry at this point, so it was an easy sell. Plus, the meet coordinating people who were taking care of us at the dorms seemed pretty excited about it, and you never want to let someone down who is that freaking nice to you.
As it turns out, this reception took place at an army base-type establishment, and we started off the event by taking a group picture (with all of us athletes, some military officials, and local governing people) in front of two big 'ol tanks. Then we took it inside for the reception, not without shaking hands with all the uniformed folks, who all said "You're very welcome!!!" enthusiastically as way of greeting. We then listened to some speeches, which was particularly tough for me because I was sooo tired, and we were to listen to the speeches standing up. By the time everyone was done talking, and the finger food finally showed up (and was eaten), I was about toasted. Apperntly so was Ben...on the way back to the dorms he fell asleep through a bit of crazy driving on the left side of the road and loud conversations. Well, him being asleep looked so enjoyable, I decided to take a nap when we got back.
It was 5:30, and I was thinking I could take just a short nap before dinner at 6. I set an alarm, and...woke up at 8:35. Wupps, didn't even hear my alarm. Since dinner was only supposed to go until 8pm, I walked out of our secure dorm building, key card in hand, to go next door to buy a little something to eat. On my way back in, I found out my key card must not have been activated for the front door though, because I was locked out. I went to the office that issued us our keys, locked as well for the night. Next try, I went to the cafeteria to see if there were any dinner stragglers still around to let me in. I walked in to find one of the kitchen staff people just cleaning up. He noticed the food I just purchased in hand, before I could tell him my situation of being locked out, he excitedly pulled out leftovers from the dinner I missed for me to take (another example of their amazing hospitality). Luckily for me, he also had the phone number of someone who could help me get inside too. :) After eating the lovely leftovers provided for me, it was time for bed (again!), and I had a fantastic first night of sleep. This ended day one of Euro trip 2011.
Today's been pretty awesome too. In a nutshell, had some breakfast, went to the track (which is surrounded by gorgeous green Irish scenery), ate lunch at a bistro on campus, and then came back to the dorms to free-load off Will Leer's wireless Internet, write a blog, and watch some movies on his computer. First it was Hot Fuzz, now we're on to Justin Bieber's Never Say Never. Whattaday.
Tomorrow will be the 1500m at 3:25 Ireland time (I think 9:45am at home) in the 60th running of the Cork Citysports track meet. I guess Cork is the 2nd biggest place in Ireland, second to Dublin, BUT this is like the only international athletic competition held in Ireland every year. Cork, it's an honor to be here, and I hope to do you all proud tomorrow!
Friday, July 1, 2011
Sunday, June 26, 2011
God works in mysterious ways.
When things don't go exactly as planned, or at least as I'd hoped, it is easy to question my decision to pursue a career that is wrought with inevitable failures. It's impossible to be successful every single time you race. Plain and simple.
The logical and optimistic side of my brain reminds me that as long as I keep trying, that heartbreak will be intermixed with bursts of absolute joy that always last a lot longer than the current lump in my throat. In fact I have plenty of joyful memories I doubt I could ever forget from this crazy sport of track and field.
The hurt and frustrated side of my brain, however, asks if it's really worth it. Why invest so much time, energy, and my heart into something that has such variable returns? I came to this US Championships in Eugene, Oregon with a mission to make a final. I had a time under my belt this season that told me it was possible, I narrowly missed a similar fall to the one that took me down and out of contention last year in the preliminary round of the 800m...everything seemed to be coming together. And then I blow it. I finished 5th in the semifinal- a race that only takes 4 people to the final round.
Now I am flying home, while the women I was hoping to race in the US Championships Final are busy preparing for what will undoubtedly be an amazing race.
When I look at it this way, my mind clouded by such recent disappointment, I beg God to tell me what He wants from me- is this all part of His plan? Or maybe His intent was for me to be in that final today. He told me to be strong and courageous...maybe it was me who didn't follow through.
In the midst of this I wonder if it is really worth it. Especially when it also comes at the cost of traveling away from home for several weekends, sometimes weeks, and the occasional month at a time throughout the year. Call me a homebody, but I do get homesick- even when I am visiting exotic locations all around the world. I'd argue if you had a home life as overwhelmingly wonderful as mine, you'd miss it too. It's not just the day-to-day routine of home that I miss, mind you. It's the big things I can't just "catch up on" later. After I fly out again this Wednesday for a three-week European racing trip, for example, I will miss good 'ol American fireworks on the fourth of July for the second year in a row, I won't attend bachelorette parties for three great friends, two weddings will come and go, and I won't be there to witness Ben's three-peat championship at the Afton 25k trail race (go get 'em Benny!)
Even as I was wallowing over these things I cannot change, I am amazed at how quickly God reminds me to count my blessings, and then pours blessing upon blessing on me just to make his point clear. My day started this morning at 4:21am (I never set my alarm for even minutes...something Ben got me accustomed to). I quickly got dressed and zipped up my suitcase and went out into the crisp Eugene morning to wait for my teammate, Gabe and her boyfriend Justin to come from her hotel to pick me up on their way to the Portland airport (about a 2.5 hour drive). Though it wasn't ideal for me to leave so early (my flight wasn't booked until 2:30pm, Gabe's was at 8:10am) I was grateful for the ride. Around 5:05am, I am still waiting, and getting worried. Gabe calls me, and says her GPS isn't working, the timing is tight, and she is worried she'll miss her flight if she keeps looking for my hotel. For a minute it looked like I was going to have to find a different way to get to Portland, and I was awake much earlier than I'd ever needed to be.
By some stroke of luck, they gave it one more try, the directions worked, and they found me! We ended up making good time on the road, and got to experience a bright sunrise over the beautifully lush countryside of Oregon on the way.
Gabe had no trouble checking in to her flight, and I requested a last-minute switch to the same flight, rather than having to wait another 7 hours for my own flight. The clerk told me it was my lucky day, there was just one seat left on the plane. When I was called to the gate desk, the clerk handed me my seat assignment: 6A...first class. What are the odds?
And then, definitely the highlight of my morning, I was making my way down the walkway to board the plane when a man called my name from behind. He was the proud dad of a young woman named Hannah, who just graduated from Hopkins High School. She had been in Eugene for the Junior USA Championships. They told me how she had seen my 600m race video, and was a big fan of mine. She had a successful weekend, running a new PR of 2:11 in the 800m, and will certainly have a bright future at Harvard. The look of admiration in her eyes as she asked for my autograph reminded me right then and there of the big reason I love having this sometimes burdensome, but wonderful gift. It doesn't just affect my life. The good days I have on the track can reach multitudes. It can inspire and encourage others. It can serve as a little window for people to see the incredible power and grace of God.
Even if I don't make a final, I am perfectly loved and unconditionally accepted. I am forever on His team, clothed in His uniform, and representing something much greater than myself. There is no sacrifice I could make to ever match the endless gifts He provides for me. All I can do is continue to offer up my best, and cling to that logical and optimistic side of my brain that says YES, this is worth it. YES, I would miss this is if I gave up now. And YES, I still believe I am on the brink of a breakthrough. Like a dam about to burst, I will break free of my doubts, and rush across this earth, hopefully seeping in and leaving a positive, enriching little puddle as I go. ;)
The logical and optimistic side of my brain reminds me that as long as I keep trying, that heartbreak will be intermixed with bursts of absolute joy that always last a lot longer than the current lump in my throat. In fact I have plenty of joyful memories I doubt I could ever forget from this crazy sport of track and field.
The hurt and frustrated side of my brain, however, asks if it's really worth it. Why invest so much time, energy, and my heart into something that has such variable returns? I came to this US Championships in Eugene, Oregon with a mission to make a final. I had a time under my belt this season that told me it was possible, I narrowly missed a similar fall to the one that took me down and out of contention last year in the preliminary round of the 800m...everything seemed to be coming together. And then I blow it. I finished 5th in the semifinal- a race that only takes 4 people to the final round.
Now I am flying home, while the women I was hoping to race in the US Championships Final are busy preparing for what will undoubtedly be an amazing race.
When I look at it this way, my mind clouded by such recent disappointment, I beg God to tell me what He wants from me- is this all part of His plan? Or maybe His intent was for me to be in that final today. He told me to be strong and courageous...maybe it was me who didn't follow through.
In the midst of this I wonder if it is really worth it. Especially when it also comes at the cost of traveling away from home for several weekends, sometimes weeks, and the occasional month at a time throughout the year. Call me a homebody, but I do get homesick- even when I am visiting exotic locations all around the world. I'd argue if you had a home life as overwhelmingly wonderful as mine, you'd miss it too. It's not just the day-to-day routine of home that I miss, mind you. It's the big things I can't just "catch up on" later. After I fly out again this Wednesday for a three-week European racing trip, for example, I will miss good 'ol American fireworks on the fourth of July for the second year in a row, I won't attend bachelorette parties for three great friends, two weddings will come and go, and I won't be there to witness Ben's three-peat championship at the Afton 25k trail race (go get 'em Benny!)
Even as I was wallowing over these things I cannot change, I am amazed at how quickly God reminds me to count my blessings, and then pours blessing upon blessing on me just to make his point clear. My day started this morning at 4:21am (I never set my alarm for even minutes...something Ben got me accustomed to). I quickly got dressed and zipped up my suitcase and went out into the crisp Eugene morning to wait for my teammate, Gabe and her boyfriend Justin to come from her hotel to pick me up on their way to the Portland airport (about a 2.5 hour drive). Though it wasn't ideal for me to leave so early (my flight wasn't booked until 2:30pm, Gabe's was at 8:10am) I was grateful for the ride. Around 5:05am, I am still waiting, and getting worried. Gabe calls me, and says her GPS isn't working, the timing is tight, and she is worried she'll miss her flight if she keeps looking for my hotel. For a minute it looked like I was going to have to find a different way to get to Portland, and I was awake much earlier than I'd ever needed to be.
By some stroke of luck, they gave it one more try, the directions worked, and they found me! We ended up making good time on the road, and got to experience a bright sunrise over the beautifully lush countryside of Oregon on the way.
Gabe had no trouble checking in to her flight, and I requested a last-minute switch to the same flight, rather than having to wait another 7 hours for my own flight. The clerk told me it was my lucky day, there was just one seat left on the plane. When I was called to the gate desk, the clerk handed me my seat assignment: 6A...first class. What are the odds?
And then, definitely the highlight of my morning, I was making my way down the walkway to board the plane when a man called my name from behind. He was the proud dad of a young woman named Hannah, who just graduated from Hopkins High School. She had been in Eugene for the Junior USA Championships. They told me how she had seen my 600m race video, and was a big fan of mine. She had a successful weekend, running a new PR of 2:11 in the 800m, and will certainly have a bright future at Harvard. The look of admiration in her eyes as she asked for my autograph reminded me right then and there of the big reason I love having this sometimes burdensome, but wonderful gift. It doesn't just affect my life. The good days I have on the track can reach multitudes. It can inspire and encourage others. It can serve as a little window for people to see the incredible power and grace of God.
Even if I don't make a final, I am perfectly loved and unconditionally accepted. I am forever on His team, clothed in His uniform, and representing something much greater than myself. There is no sacrifice I could make to ever match the endless gifts He provides for me. All I can do is continue to offer up my best, and cling to that logical and optimistic side of my brain that says YES, this is worth it. YES, I would miss this is if I gave up now. And YES, I still believe I am on the brink of a breakthrough. Like a dam about to burst, I will break free of my doubts, and rush across this earth, hopefully seeping in and leaving a positive, enriching little puddle as I go. ;)
Monday, June 13, 2011
"Those Pesky Wabbits!"
No one could sum up my last two racing experiences better than Elmer Fudd when he said, "Oh, those pesky wabbits!"
For those of you who may not know, many professional track races have a "rabbit", or a person who starts the race with the intention of setting a specific pace for the other athletes, and then drops out at some agreed upon distance. The purpose of a rabbit is to get the race moving fast, without forcing one of the racing athletes to run out in front like a sacrificial lamb (it takes a higher expenditure of energy to run a race from the front). When you have a good rabbit, a race can be so much fun because you can sit on their shoulder, forget about your effort, and just roll with them until it's time to do your own work for the last portion of the race. In a perfect world, a rabbit would always run the pace asked of them. But, of course as the racers we need to remember it is not a perfect world, and sometimes rabbits screw up.
Exhibit A: The Appworld Solutions Elite Women's 800m in St. Louis, Wednesday, June 1st 2011
Before I say anything negative about the rabbit situation at this meet, I must first say that it was an absolute JOY to compete there. I loved the atmosphere, the fans, and the support staff that treated us so well during our stay in St. Louis. This was a charity meet at a high school with the best facilities I've ever seen, so our elite women's 800, and a men's mile to follow were the "highlights" of the night. They made us feel like superstars as they introduced us out on the track, and I loved meeting so many talented young athletes after the meet.
With that being said, however, take a look at the video coverage:
http://www.flotrack.org/coverage/238830-Big-River-Festival-of-Miles-presented-by-Under-Armour/video/494121-Festival-of-Miles-Appworld-Solutions-Elite-Womens-800
This is a perfect example of what I call an "excited rabbit." In the end, this girl did a great job of hitting the time we had asked her to run through 400m (57 seconds). However, she went out in 25 seconds (50 second 400 pace) for the first 200m, which is too fast for all of us who have to do one more lap still, effectively making herself useless to the athletes who are trailing too far behind her. She was a wonderfully sweet girl who I loved to get to know, but it sure would have been nice to have had her a little closer to me for the first lap, so I didn't feel like I was leading the race from wire to (almost) wire. It was my own mistake to start coasting in on the second lap, though, I will admit that!! In the end, an excited rabbit is a loss of a good opportunity, but it is not the end of the world. She didn't impede me from running my own race, it just as if she weren't there in the first place.
Exhibit B would be this past weekend in New York at the Adidas Grand Prix.
There was no video coverage of this race, so you'll just have to trust me on this one. Our rabbit was both an excited rabbit, and...shall we say, a pesky rabbit. As soon as the gun went off, this girl was out fast, just like the rabbit in St. Louis, she hit the 200m in about 25 seconds, leaving the leaders of the real race back to do their own work. This rabbit had told us she was planning on going through the 400 in 57 seconds, and then dropping out on the inside of the track, at 450m (so, the top of the curve in the second lap). I'm not sure where the wires got crossed, but after she went through the 400m mark, she put the brakes on. Which would be fine, if she got off the track, but she put the brakes on, and was coming to a complete stop...in lane one. So as the race is coming directly behind her, there was a bit of a pile-up. I yelled out "Watch out!", which wasn't enough warming before I physically ran into her, lost all my momentum, and then tried to pick it up again. There was a general bustle all around as the racers got put back together, but in the end I ran a disappointing time, and I'm not sure how much of that I should blame on the interruption of the race, and how much was my own shortcomings.
I am aware that rabbiting is an intimidating job, and the people who are willing to go out there and give it a try do deserve our respect, I just found it especially frustrating to race in these circumstances in my two races preceding the USA National Championships. I could certainly have used a fast, confidence-boosting race...but alas, I will have to wait to prove to myself that I am ready in the preliminary round in Eugene!
The good news is, I have already run a near-best time this season, I am healthy, happy, and hungry for more races to come. Another piece of good news is there are NO rabbits in US Championship races...ha!
For those of you who may not know, many professional track races have a "rabbit", or a person who starts the race with the intention of setting a specific pace for the other athletes, and then drops out at some agreed upon distance. The purpose of a rabbit is to get the race moving fast, without forcing one of the racing athletes to run out in front like a sacrificial lamb (it takes a higher expenditure of energy to run a race from the front). When you have a good rabbit, a race can be so much fun because you can sit on their shoulder, forget about your effort, and just roll with them until it's time to do your own work for the last portion of the race. In a perfect world, a rabbit would always run the pace asked of them. But, of course as the racers we need to remember it is not a perfect world, and sometimes rabbits screw up.
Exhibit A: The Appworld Solutions Elite Women's 800m in St. Louis, Wednesday, June 1st 2011
Before I say anything negative about the rabbit situation at this meet, I must first say that it was an absolute JOY to compete there. I loved the atmosphere, the fans, and the support staff that treated us so well during our stay in St. Louis. This was a charity meet at a high school with the best facilities I've ever seen, so our elite women's 800, and a men's mile to follow were the "highlights" of the night. They made us feel like superstars as they introduced us out on the track, and I loved meeting so many talented young athletes after the meet.
With that being said, however, take a look at the video coverage:
http://www.flotrack.org/coverage/238830-Big-River-Festival-of-Miles-presented-by-Under-Armour/video/494121-Festival-of-Miles-Appworld-Solutions-Elite-Womens-800
This is a perfect example of what I call an "excited rabbit." In the end, this girl did a great job of hitting the time we had asked her to run through 400m (57 seconds). However, she went out in 25 seconds (50 second 400 pace) for the first 200m, which is too fast for all of us who have to do one more lap still, effectively making herself useless to the athletes who are trailing too far behind her. She was a wonderfully sweet girl who I loved to get to know, but it sure would have been nice to have had her a little closer to me for the first lap, so I didn't feel like I was leading the race from wire to (almost) wire. It was my own mistake to start coasting in on the second lap, though, I will admit that!! In the end, an excited rabbit is a loss of a good opportunity, but it is not the end of the world. She didn't impede me from running my own race, it just as if she weren't there in the first place.
Exhibit B would be this past weekend in New York at the Adidas Grand Prix.
There was no video coverage of this race, so you'll just have to trust me on this one. Our rabbit was both an excited rabbit, and...shall we say, a pesky rabbit. As soon as the gun went off, this girl was out fast, just like the rabbit in St. Louis, she hit the 200m in about 25 seconds, leaving the leaders of the real race back to do their own work. This rabbit had told us she was planning on going through the 400 in 57 seconds, and then dropping out on the inside of the track, at 450m (so, the top of the curve in the second lap). I'm not sure where the wires got crossed, but after she went through the 400m mark, she put the brakes on. Which would be fine, if she got off the track, but she put the brakes on, and was coming to a complete stop...in lane one. So as the race is coming directly behind her, there was a bit of a pile-up. I yelled out "Watch out!", which wasn't enough warming before I physically ran into her, lost all my momentum, and then tried to pick it up again. There was a general bustle all around as the racers got put back together, but in the end I ran a disappointing time, and I'm not sure how much of that I should blame on the interruption of the race, and how much was my own shortcomings.
I am aware that rabbiting is an intimidating job, and the people who are willing to go out there and give it a try do deserve our respect, I just found it especially frustrating to race in these circumstances in my two races preceding the USA National Championships. I could certainly have used a fast, confidence-boosting race...but alas, I will have to wait to prove to myself that I am ready in the preliminary round in Eugene!
The good news is, I have already run a near-best time this season, I am healthy, happy, and hungry for more races to come. Another piece of good news is there are NO rabbits in US Championship races...ha!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
PS- links...
Here's some links to see about some thIngs that I wrote about in my last post..
TC 1-mile: http://www.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?do=videos&video_id=45706&event_id=2513
Coverage of the Medtronic TC 1-mile from Carrie Tollefson (watch the end, that's my Apple Valley team!): http://www.ctollerun.com/
OXY 800m: http://www.flotrack.org/coverage/238774-Occidental-Oxy-High-Performance-Meet-2011/video/491430-W-800-F02-Championship-Alice-Schmidt-15948-Oxy-High-Performance-2011
Ok folks, that's all I've got for now!
TC 1-mile: http://www.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?do=videos&video_id=45706&event_id=2513
Coverage of the Medtronic TC 1-mile from Carrie Tollefson (watch the end, that's my Apple Valley team!): http://www.ctollerun.com/
OXY 800m: http://www.flotrack.org/coverage/238774-Occidental-Oxy-High-Performance-Meet-2011/video/491430-W-800-F02-Championship-Alice-Schmidt-15948-Oxy-High-Performance-2011
Ok folks, that's all I've got for now!
So much to tell!
Well, it's been an eventful whirlwind of a couple weeks for me! I think I'll start from the beginning, and work my way back up to what's going on today!
First off, I owe a very big thank you to everyone who was out on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis on May 12th for the Twin Cites 1-mile! As many people know, this event serves as the site for the USA 1-mile championships- having this event at home is such a treat to us local professionals, let me tell you! This event is so well-planned and organized, having waves of local and visiting runners of all ages running through the wide open streets of Minneapolis all night. It is by far, my favorite event from last year, and ranks at the top this season too so far!
I wasn't so sure if this race was going to be my favorite event this year as I went about the earlier part of that day. I developed a sore throat, some congestion, and all-over achiness that morning, and to be perfectly honest, had more of a sense of impending doom than I did excitement as I was making my way to the race course. If it were any other race, I probably would have taken myself out, but I couldn't stand the thought of missing this great opportunity to run at home in such a high caliber race, especially since I had ALL my parents (both mine and Ben's) coming to watch the race. :) I figured "mind over matter" would be the best approach to this race, so when the gun went off, I pushed the way my body felt out of my mind, and instead tried to soak up the energy of the race, and all the fans that lined the streets the entire way. When we reached the 3/4 mile mark, I was still in the game, but was seriously concerned that I may have burnt all the fuel I was going to have, but it is that final 400m of the race where the crowds were erupting with energy. I counted bodies, and noticed I was sitting in 6th place with maybe 300m to go. I finished 6th last year, so I decided I want to improve on that finish, and at east get one more person. Well, I caught the one, and then saw a few more racers not too far ahead of me, from there to the finish line, it was a momentum shift for me gaining, and others coming back to me. The best way I can describe it is it was effortless and magical. I love days like that. Long story short, I managed to nip my very talented teammate, Gabriele Anderson, right before the line to place 2nd in the race.
I was already elated with this finish, but then the cherry on top was to look to my left, and see the team I coach, the Apple Valley high school distance girls, all there, decked out in their gold warm ups, ringing cowbells and smacking around inflatable noise makers that they picked up along the course...I almost cried I was so happy I could do them proud that night. I don't think there was a single runner out there, not even the returning Champion from the men's race, David Torrence, who had more energetic fans than I did...I am so lucky.
The day after this amazing race, I boarded my plane to China...still sick...I was that girl everyone hates to sit by on the plane, sneezing and sniffling the whole way...dang. I got there, raced, and headed right back (as I wrote about in previous blogs). I got home Monday afternoon, unpacked, did laundry, and quickly re-packed to leave Thursday for a trip to L.A. for the Occidental High Performance meet. Luckily by this time my cold was finally breaking, and I was excited to be going to a place with almost guaranteed good weather, a fast field of competitors, and no excuses.
Well, almost no excuses. My teammate Gabe and I both had brought small rolly carry-on bags for this trip, but at the gate in the Minneapolis Airport, the airline had to check our bags because the overhead compartments on the plane were all filled. When we arrived in Burbank, California...our bags did not. Luckily, US Airways volunteered to compensate us for any essential items we needed to buy while we waited for our bags to arrive later that night. We still hadn't run yet, and as professional runners there for a meet..."a business trip" per se...we decided new running shoes, socks, shorts, and a shirt were necessary items. We found a cool running shop in Pasadena called "A Snail's Pace", and for the first time in a long time for the both of us, we bought running stuff. I in my Asics and Gabe in her Brooks gear. We felt like we were donning costumes (yes, again with the costumes!) as we ripped the tags off every single piece of clothing we put on to go for a run. Well, the expected arrival of our bags that night was delayed, they didn't come the next morning...and as the day went on, we began to get seriously nervous about whether we'd get our spikes, uniforms, (and for me, my teddy bear, Roscoe!) before the race the next day. FINALLY, a little over 24 hours after landing in Cali, our bags were delivered to the hotel, and we were able to visit the track for our pre-meet workout in our spikes and clean clothes...haha.
The next day, race day, arrived quickly because of all the stress and distraction of losing our bags. The night cooled down, the wind died down, and as expected, the night was setting up for a great track meet. I had discovered a song on "my iPod" (I put that in quotes because it is actually not my iPod...Ben found it on the ground on a run this past winter, and despite our attempts we couldn't locate the owner of it, so we kind of inherited a new iPod, and new music with that of course!), but this song I discovered, called Walking on Air by Kerli, had perfect lyrics that were inspiring to me that day:
"Do you know what it's all about? Are you brave enough to figure out...know that you cam set the world on fire...if you're strong enough to leave your doubt. Feel it...breathe it...believe it...and you'll be walking on air. Go try....go fly...so high...and you'll be walking on air.."
From this song, I decided my mantra for those race was to be strong and courageous, to leave my doubt and see if I could ealk on air, so to speak. I took off from the start, following ckosely behind our rabbit who took the race out in about 57 seconds for the first quarter. I did my best to keep the pedal down, and battle all the way to the finish, placing 4th in a fast race, and running 2:01.08. My PR is 2:01.05, which I ran back in 2007, so getting back within a breath of my best time ever was so encouraging and exciting for me.
I look forward to giving another go at the 800 next Wednesday night in St Louis!
And now, onto other news...
Ben and I began our house hunting quest earlier this year, and really ramped it up this week. We visited 8 houses on Tuesday morning, and at the end of the day, just one was standing out as "the one". We called our parents, and set up another visit to the home, today (Thursday). But, last night, we got a call from our realtor letting us know that another party will be putting an offer in on the house today...and if we wanted a chance at this house, we had to out in an offer of our own. Long story short, we decided to go for it. We got the paperwork sent 12 minutes after 12 noon, when the meeting with the seller was supposed to begin. Included in our paperwork, I felt impelled to write a note, letting the sellers know how perfect this house would be as our first home, and that we would take good care of the place, just as the previous owners clearly had. A few hours of waiting later, we got the call that they had made their decision, and we got it! They said our offer was very close in value to the other offer, but my note is what tipped the scale. So cool. :) As long as everything goes well with inspection, etc., our closing date shall be July 29th, and then we've got ourself a home! Yay for no more pouring our money into rent! Needless to say, we are very excited for this new beginning...now all we have to do is get some furnuture to fill the place up a bit! :)
Ok, so that ends the saga of my life these past couple weeks...feels like a storybook to me. I am so very aware of how blessed I am for my health, for my family and friends, for my job(s), for my faith, and for my future that I can hardly imagine getting any better...but will always dream and hope it does...because, really, what else can any of us do, but live in positive expectation for the future.
First off, I owe a very big thank you to everyone who was out on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis on May 12th for the Twin Cites 1-mile! As many people know, this event serves as the site for the USA 1-mile championships- having this event at home is such a treat to us local professionals, let me tell you! This event is so well-planned and organized, having waves of local and visiting runners of all ages running through the wide open streets of Minneapolis all night. It is by far, my favorite event from last year, and ranks at the top this season too so far!
I wasn't so sure if this race was going to be my favorite event this year as I went about the earlier part of that day. I developed a sore throat, some congestion, and all-over achiness that morning, and to be perfectly honest, had more of a sense of impending doom than I did excitement as I was making my way to the race course. If it were any other race, I probably would have taken myself out, but I couldn't stand the thought of missing this great opportunity to run at home in such a high caliber race, especially since I had ALL my parents (both mine and Ben's) coming to watch the race. :) I figured "mind over matter" would be the best approach to this race, so when the gun went off, I pushed the way my body felt out of my mind, and instead tried to soak up the energy of the race, and all the fans that lined the streets the entire way. When we reached the 3/4 mile mark, I was still in the game, but was seriously concerned that I may have burnt all the fuel I was going to have, but it is that final 400m of the race where the crowds were erupting with energy. I counted bodies, and noticed I was sitting in 6th place with maybe 300m to go. I finished 6th last year, so I decided I want to improve on that finish, and at east get one more person. Well, I caught the one, and then saw a few more racers not too far ahead of me, from there to the finish line, it was a momentum shift for me gaining, and others coming back to me. The best way I can describe it is it was effortless and magical. I love days like that. Long story short, I managed to nip my very talented teammate, Gabriele Anderson, right before the line to place 2nd in the race.
I was already elated with this finish, but then the cherry on top was to look to my left, and see the team I coach, the Apple Valley high school distance girls, all there, decked out in their gold warm ups, ringing cowbells and smacking around inflatable noise makers that they picked up along the course...I almost cried I was so happy I could do them proud that night. I don't think there was a single runner out there, not even the returning Champion from the men's race, David Torrence, who had more energetic fans than I did...I am so lucky.
The day after this amazing race, I boarded my plane to China...still sick...I was that girl everyone hates to sit by on the plane, sneezing and sniffling the whole way...dang. I got there, raced, and headed right back (as I wrote about in previous blogs). I got home Monday afternoon, unpacked, did laundry, and quickly re-packed to leave Thursday for a trip to L.A. for the Occidental High Performance meet. Luckily by this time my cold was finally breaking, and I was excited to be going to a place with almost guaranteed good weather, a fast field of competitors, and no excuses.
Well, almost no excuses. My teammate Gabe and I both had brought small rolly carry-on bags for this trip, but at the gate in the Minneapolis Airport, the airline had to check our bags because the overhead compartments on the plane were all filled. When we arrived in Burbank, California...our bags did not. Luckily, US Airways volunteered to compensate us for any essential items we needed to buy while we waited for our bags to arrive later that night. We still hadn't run yet, and as professional runners there for a meet..."a business trip" per se...we decided new running shoes, socks, shorts, and a shirt were necessary items. We found a cool running shop in Pasadena called "A Snail's Pace", and for the first time in a long time for the both of us, we bought running stuff. I in my Asics and Gabe in her Brooks gear. We felt like we were donning costumes (yes, again with the costumes!) as we ripped the tags off every single piece of clothing we put on to go for a run. Well, the expected arrival of our bags that night was delayed, they didn't come the next morning...and as the day went on, we began to get seriously nervous about whether we'd get our spikes, uniforms, (and for me, my teddy bear, Roscoe!) before the race the next day. FINALLY, a little over 24 hours after landing in Cali, our bags were delivered to the hotel, and we were able to visit the track for our pre-meet workout in our spikes and clean clothes...haha.
The next day, race day, arrived quickly because of all the stress and distraction of losing our bags. The night cooled down, the wind died down, and as expected, the night was setting up for a great track meet. I had discovered a song on "my iPod" (I put that in quotes because it is actually not my iPod...Ben found it on the ground on a run this past winter, and despite our attempts we couldn't locate the owner of it, so we kind of inherited a new iPod, and new music with that of course!), but this song I discovered, called Walking on Air by Kerli, had perfect lyrics that were inspiring to me that day:
"Do you know what it's all about? Are you brave enough to figure out...know that you cam set the world on fire...if you're strong enough to leave your doubt. Feel it...breathe it...believe it...and you'll be walking on air. Go try....go fly...so high...and you'll be walking on air.."
From this song, I decided my mantra for those race was to be strong and courageous, to leave my doubt and see if I could ealk on air, so to speak. I took off from the start, following ckosely behind our rabbit who took the race out in about 57 seconds for the first quarter. I did my best to keep the pedal down, and battle all the way to the finish, placing 4th in a fast race, and running 2:01.08. My PR is 2:01.05, which I ran back in 2007, so getting back within a breath of my best time ever was so encouraging and exciting for me.
I look forward to giving another go at the 800 next Wednesday night in St Louis!
And now, onto other news...
Ben and I began our house hunting quest earlier this year, and really ramped it up this week. We visited 8 houses on Tuesday morning, and at the end of the day, just one was standing out as "the one". We called our parents, and set up another visit to the home, today (Thursday). But, last night, we got a call from our realtor letting us know that another party will be putting an offer in on the house today...and if we wanted a chance at this house, we had to out in an offer of our own. Long story short, we decided to go for it. We got the paperwork sent 12 minutes after 12 noon, when the meeting with the seller was supposed to begin. Included in our paperwork, I felt impelled to write a note, letting the sellers know how perfect this house would be as our first home, and that we would take good care of the place, just as the previous owners clearly had. A few hours of waiting later, we got the call that they had made their decision, and we got it! They said our offer was very close in value to the other offer, but my note is what tipped the scale. So cool. :) As long as everything goes well with inspection, etc., our closing date shall be July 29th, and then we've got ourself a home! Yay for no more pouring our money into rent! Needless to say, we are very excited for this new beginning...now all we have to do is get some furnuture to fill the place up a bit! :)
Ok, so that ends the saga of my life these past couple weeks...feels like a storybook to me. I am so very aware of how blessed I am for my health, for my family and friends, for my job(s), for my faith, and for my future that I can hardly imagine getting any better...but will always dream and hope it does...because, really, what else can any of us do, but live in positive expectation for the future.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
My first Diamond League experience...
Well, I'm done competing, and as it goes with any new experience, I'm a bit disappointed, I learned a lot, and I am encouraged for my future races.
First off, it is a BAD idea to come to china 24 hours in advance before a race. I did my best to sleep when I got here last night (for 6 hours), and then took a walk in the morning, did a
shakeout in the afternoon, and then HIT A WALL of wakefulness at about 5pm. I was drifting for a couple hours before I went to the warm up track, and even there my mind was doing the thing it does right before you fall asleep, where you think one thought, and then it goes on a tangent to many others, until you realize what you're thinking doesn't make sense anymore...oh boy. I did my best to ignore the fact that I was tired, remind myself of the great opportunity I have here, and to stay engaged.
Warming up did help, thank the lord! Once I was running I could stay awake, though the walking part in between drils, etc. felt very lethargic. Not sure if the tiredness was especially hard because at home it is the wee hours of The morning, or if my congestion/stuffiness that I picked up this week (lucky me!) was getting to me too.
REGARDLESS of all the excuses I could make, my legs felt good doing strides, I felt pretty light and quick on drills, and was hoping for the best. The check-in/calls process at the meet was much less intimidating than I originally imagined, which was a nice surprise too.
For the race itself, I was in lane 2, and felt I got out pretty well, and was happy with my position until suddenly a couple girls squeezed me back right around the 200m mark. I thought to myself, oh well, this is a diamond league race, the rabbit is supposed to go out in 58, if I stay in the middle of the pack and be patient I should be ok...but the leader was actually
through the 400m in 60, so we had a little work to do on the second lap. In hindsight, I know now I should have started making a stronger move probably at 300 to go, because I started kicking closer to 200 to go, passed 2 women, finished, and realized I had a ton left in me.
(That's the encouraging part!) The 800 felt SUPER short in comparison to what I've been doing lately, but very comfortable, too comfortable, I realize now. I felt more like I finished a repeat in a workout than I did like I finished a race. At Oxy next week, I'll have to keep that in mind and really be confident and more aggressive/assertive in the earlier parts in the race.
All in all, a good experience, I am grateful to have a chance to see what an amazing meet like this is all about, I remember watching the diamond league meets online while we were in Europe last year and thought how cool it would be to be in one, yep, it is pretty dang cool. Hopefully I'll earn another chance soon.
In other good news, 8th place earns 1,000 bucks here, so the Kampf cash train flowing;)
I'm currently seeing how "the other half" lives in the Delta Sky Lounge in Tokyo as I await my next flight home. I'm lucky enough to make some athlete friends who happen to fly even more than I do,so they've got platinum membership and guest passes to share with me! I'm gonna go see what free food I can take advantage of...:)
First off, it is a BAD idea to come to china 24 hours in advance before a race. I did my best to sleep when I got here last night (for 6 hours), and then took a walk in the morning, did a
shakeout in the afternoon, and then HIT A WALL of wakefulness at about 5pm. I was drifting for a couple hours before I went to the warm up track, and even there my mind was doing the thing it does right before you fall asleep, where you think one thought, and then it goes on a tangent to many others, until you realize what you're thinking doesn't make sense anymore...oh boy. I did my best to ignore the fact that I was tired, remind myself of the great opportunity I have here, and to stay engaged.
Warming up did help, thank the lord! Once I was running I could stay awake, though the walking part in between drils, etc. felt very lethargic. Not sure if the tiredness was especially hard because at home it is the wee hours of The morning, or if my congestion/stuffiness that I picked up this week (lucky me!) was getting to me too.
REGARDLESS of all the excuses I could make, my legs felt good doing strides, I felt pretty light and quick on drills, and was hoping for the best. The check-in/calls process at the meet was much less intimidating than I originally imagined, which was a nice surprise too.
For the race itself, I was in lane 2, and felt I got out pretty well, and was happy with my position until suddenly a couple girls squeezed me back right around the 200m mark. I thought to myself, oh well, this is a diamond league race, the rabbit is supposed to go out in 58, if I stay in the middle of the pack and be patient I should be ok...but the leader was actually
through the 400m in 60, so we had a little work to do on the second lap. In hindsight, I know now I should have started making a stronger move probably at 300 to go, because I started kicking closer to 200 to go, passed 2 women, finished, and realized I had a ton left in me.
(That's the encouraging part!) The 800 felt SUPER short in comparison to what I've been doing lately, but very comfortable, too comfortable, I realize now. I felt more like I finished a repeat in a workout than I did like I finished a race. At Oxy next week, I'll have to keep that in mind and really be confident and more aggressive/assertive in the earlier parts in the race.
All in all, a good experience, I am grateful to have a chance to see what an amazing meet like this is all about, I remember watching the diamond league meets online while we were in Europe last year and thought how cool it would be to be in one, yep, it is pretty dang cool. Hopefully I'll earn another chance soon.
In other good news, 8th place earns 1,000 bucks here, so the Kampf cash train flowing;)
I'm currently seeing how "the other half" lives in the Delta Sky Lounge in Tokyo as I await my next flight home. I'm lucky enough to make some athlete friends who happen to fly even more than I do,so they've got platinum membership and guest passes to share with me! I'm gonna go see what free food I can take advantage of...:)
China!
This blog is being sent out a bit late because apparently China has strict Internet regulations on social networking websites like facebook and blogger! More to come about the race...
As my plane was landing in Shanghai this morning/last night (it was
8:30am for MN, 9:30pm for China...either way you look at it, working
into my 18th hour of travel), two things came to mind:
First thing was, wow, in 24 hours, I'll be done with my race already...
Secondly, I got to reminiscing about my very first travel trip as a
Gopher. It was indoor season, and we were flying to Indiana for a meet
at Notre Dame. I was so excited about the trip I remember emailing my
parents when I got there to tell them: FIRST, we took a bus from
school to the aiport, THEN we took the underground tram from one side
of the airport to ticketing, AND THEN we took a plane to Indy,
followed by ONE MORE bus to get to South Bend...we took so many forms
of transport, just to get to a track meet!
If only God had warmed me then...honey, you aint seen nothin yet!
I've decided today, after the longest trip of my life, traveling is
one of those odd experiences where time seems to have no meaning...the
only way to measure the passage of time is by your progressive
exhaustion, discomfort, and longing for a bed. To add to my body's
confusion was the meal schedule on our flight...we boarded around 3pm,
they fed us dinner around 4:30pm, then brought around a bag with a
little sandwich, apple, and cookie around 8pm (was this supposed to be
lunch again? I dropped it in my backpack and forgot about it), and
then I was awoken for a breakfast-type meal at like 1am...WHO EATS 3
MEALS from dinnertime to 1am? Lol...I just didn't understand if they
were trying to adjust us to the time zone we were entering by serving
us a whole day's worth of meals in reverse, or what...All whining
aside though, the crew on board was excellent, I mean no disrespect to
Delta for serving us so much food, and I especially don't mind racking
up a bunch of sky miles from them too!, all I'm saying is it created
some internal confusion.
Then the mental confusion was epitomized as I woke up and looked up on
the tv screen above me as we descended into Shanghai, and thought to
myself, weird, I feel like I've seen this episode before, now where
was I watching this show? Then I rememered it was the very first show
I tuned in to, on the first flight from Minneapolis to Tokyo, just 16
hours prior. Even though it kind of felt like no time had passed at
all because I spend so much time in the same place, it seemed soo long
ao since I saw that show the first time. Weird.
Once landed, I got a ride with one other late-arriving athlete (who
had been traveling since TUESDAY!) to the meet hotel, which is pretty
much attached to the track stadium! Very cool! It was around 11pm
here, and I walking in to a sleeping roommate in my hotel room, rammed
into a wall while looking for a light switch in the bathroom, but
finally brushed my teeth, and made my way to the bed I was longing
for. Even though it was late morning on my home time clock, I lad down
and slept for an amazing uninterrupted 6 hours more.
I got up early, snacked on the scones my mom sent with me (thanks
mom!!), and now I'm thinking about how I might spend my day! I race at
9:10pm, seems like a long time away, but I don't think I mind having a
bit of recovery/adjustment time anyways.
Oh, one other fun story from the flight (I'm sorry I've probably
complained a lot in this one so I want to end on a good note!) during
one of my standing breaks on the plane, there was an older man
standing and stretching with me who turned and said, "ya know, if they
made the aisle just a little bit wider, we could lay down a track
surface and run on here!" I laughed and said yeah, that'd be awesome!
I couldn't tell if he was just saying that, or if he knew I was a
track athlete, so I asked, 'did you know that's why I am traveling to
China- to run in a track race?!" He laughed and said he had no idea,
but thought it was pretty cool anyways too.
Ok, at some point I'd also like to write up a little something about
the great excitement that was the USA Championships Road Mile on
Thursday night, but for now I think I best be off! I'm hoping the good
performance there will transition me well into my first 800m tonight!
OH BOY!
Love to everybody at home...
Heather
As my plane was landing in Shanghai this morning/last night (it was
8:30am for MN, 9:30pm for China...either way you look at it, working
into my 18th hour of travel), two things came to mind:
First thing was, wow, in 24 hours, I'll be done with my race already...
Secondly, I got to reminiscing about my very first travel trip as a
Gopher. It was indoor season, and we were flying to Indiana for a meet
at Notre Dame. I was so excited about the trip I remember emailing my
parents when I got there to tell them: FIRST, we took a bus from
school to the aiport, THEN we took the underground tram from one side
of the airport to ticketing, AND THEN we took a plane to Indy,
followed by ONE MORE bus to get to South Bend...we took so many forms
of transport, just to get to a track meet!
If only God had warmed me then...honey, you aint seen nothin yet!
I've decided today, after the longest trip of my life, traveling is
one of those odd experiences where time seems to have no meaning...the
only way to measure the passage of time is by your progressive
exhaustion, discomfort, and longing for a bed. To add to my body's
confusion was the meal schedule on our flight...we boarded around 3pm,
they fed us dinner around 4:30pm, then brought around a bag with a
little sandwich, apple, and cookie around 8pm (was this supposed to be
lunch again? I dropped it in my backpack and forgot about it), and
then I was awoken for a breakfast-type meal at like 1am...WHO EATS 3
MEALS from dinnertime to 1am? Lol...I just didn't understand if they
were trying to adjust us to the time zone we were entering by serving
us a whole day's worth of meals in reverse, or what...All whining
aside though, the crew on board was excellent, I mean no disrespect to
Delta for serving us so much food, and I especially don't mind racking
up a bunch of sky miles from them too!, all I'm saying is it created
some internal confusion.
Then the mental confusion was epitomized as I woke up and looked up on
the tv screen above me as we descended into Shanghai, and thought to
myself, weird, I feel like I've seen this episode before, now where
was I watching this show? Then I rememered it was the very first show
I tuned in to, on the first flight from Minneapolis to Tokyo, just 16
hours prior. Even though it kind of felt like no time had passed at
all because I spend so much time in the same place, it seemed soo long
ao since I saw that show the first time. Weird.
Once landed, I got a ride with one other late-arriving athlete (who
had been traveling since TUESDAY!) to the meet hotel, which is pretty
much attached to the track stadium! Very cool! It was around 11pm
here, and I walking in to a sleeping roommate in my hotel room, rammed
into a wall while looking for a light switch in the bathroom, but
finally brushed my teeth, and made my way to the bed I was longing
for. Even though it was late morning on my home time clock, I lad down
and slept for an amazing uninterrupted 6 hours more.
I got up early, snacked on the scones my mom sent with me (thanks
mom!!), and now I'm thinking about how I might spend my day! I race at
9:10pm, seems like a long time away, but I don't think I mind having a
bit of recovery/adjustment time anyways.
Oh, one other fun story from the flight (I'm sorry I've probably
complained a lot in this one so I want to end on a good note!) during
one of my standing breaks on the plane, there was an older man
standing and stretching with me who turned and said, "ya know, if they
made the aisle just a little bit wider, we could lay down a track
surface and run on here!" I laughed and said yeah, that'd be awesome!
I couldn't tell if he was just saying that, or if he knew I was a
track athlete, so I asked, 'did you know that's why I am traveling to
China- to run in a track race?!" He laughed and said he had no idea,
but thought it was pretty cool anyways too.
Ok, at some point I'd also like to write up a little something about
the great excitement that was the USA Championships Road Mile on
Thursday night, but for now I think I best be off! I'm hoping the good
performance there will transition me well into my first 800m tonight!
OH BOY!
Love to everybody at home...
Heather
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