I am currently training full-on-Fall! I have been getting
regular treatment by a great physio for my hip, which is not completely normal
yet, but very close and manageable to train through. The guy is great and what
I felt like I needed all along but couldn’t find! He will no doubt have me back
on track (no pun intended) in no time!
I have been racing a bit in local road races and XC,
mostly using them as opportunities to put in hard efforts with people. The
first was a 10k in Medford, OR. I ran it as a tempo at 6 min pace and won some
prize money! It was great to get to see southern OR (I totally fell in love!)
and to spend the weekend with good friends! Congrats to TRE members Craig Leon, Rui Yong, and Mel
Newberry (on her debut half WINNNNNN)
Race
results HERE.
Fun personal
results HERE.
The other was a XC race in Portland- part of the Red
Lizard Series. There are 5 races now through November which are open to anyone
(you should come run!!). After about 4 years of not running Cross, I just went
for it and signed up for all 5! After the first one, I was laughing at myself
and how weird I am…I ran the entire first half of the race with a HUGE smile on
my face, just so happy to be running and competing! I was unimpressed with my
time but I am excited to get faster as the fall progresses. It was a co-ed race
which was super fun and I was third girl to some of my steeplechase competitors
and friends Olivia Mickle and Julia Webb in the BAC.
Results HERE.
As far as my future training decisions, I have gotten
myself through the process of prioritizing and deciding what is most important
to me. This definitely did not happen overnight and I relied on a lot of the
things I learned about myself last summer while away from the sport. At first
it was scary and uncomfortable to allow myself to admit how I actually felt
about these things that I have grown to love so much and pour so much of myself
into- training, competing, Oregon, the Eugene community, the OTC and my
teammates and coaches. But as I’ve let go, I’ve found that the XC race is not
the only place that lost joy is being revealed. I have set my sights in a new
direction and the more I think about the possibilities and opportunities ahead,
the more excited I find myself. In my gut it feels right and leaves me with
more energy and positive anticipation than I’ve felt in a while. A trip at the
end of the month should confirm my decisions and leave me with something even
more concrete to report on.
In the meantime, I have started classes in my final term!! My
teachers are great and the subjects are very interesting (wealthy management
and industrial ecology). I think its going to be a great final lap! I decided
to pursue my MBA in Sports Marketing so that I could get a better idea about
the business side of the sport. I am finishing up my studies with an
independent study project on Branding Olympic Athletes. I would love to share
my findings and insights with anyone else who is interested and plan to do so
through this blog in the coming weeks. Please stay tuned!!
