Recently, I found out that I will no longer be receiving
financial support from the Oregon Track Club Elite.To be honest, I kind of expected it after how the last few
years have gone for me. Last year was a choice I consciously made to take the
summer off. I stand by that decision as something that needed to happen
for me, Bridget Franek, the person and I truly believe that it provided me with
the motivation and drive that I will be needing to carry me through 2016. This
year, I really wanted to be racing but was sidelined by an unfortunately
frustrating injury, which I had no control over.None of that changes the fact that I will be in my prime
this next Olympic cycle and still have big dreams! Through all this, I have
continued to put in significant work, despite the fact that I have not had
an opportunity to let it show. My two hiatus’ have unfortunately both come
right smack dab in the middle of racing season but both years I did all the
preliminary work through the fall and winter. Those training benefits have
still been accumulating and definitely have the potential to pay off down the
road.Getting an MBA degree in Sports Marketing, I know that
companies and clubs have to make business decisions when funding athletes and
keeping me around is not exactly in the Nike model- even if I do have the
experience and potential to get back and accomplish big things. While no longer
receiving funding doesn’t necessarily mean that I will have to leave Eugene,
Oregon, or the OTC, it does make it a little more difficult to stay.Having seen the writing on the wall, I was able to stay
relatively calm throughout my conversation with Coach and with a strange peace
in my core, I was able to watch from a sort of detached, outside perspective as
my mind still spun through a roller coaster of other emotions….NERVOUS that I only have two years to make a significant
transition and get back into the swing of things.EXCITED to try something new.SAD to have to leave great friends and a community that I
love.HAPPY to have a chance to get closer to family.WORRIED that I will not be able to get healthy and start
training again.SCARED about the uncertainty of getting the funding and
support to continue to focus and train how I need to in order to accomplish my
goals…..These were all things that I know I will have to
prioritize and think about as I decide where I want to take my career next. At
first, I was confused about this peace I was feeling deep in my core, despite
all the other unknowns. Did it mean that I didn’t care as much as I used to
about my running? Did it mean that I had taken being on the OTC Elite for
granted? No, I realized that none of this was true at all. The peace was simply
the evidence and result of the growth I had undergone over the past four years.When I came to the Oregon Track Club, one of my goals was
to understand myself better- as an athlete and as a human. I was so lucky to
have been in a collegiate environment that came easy to me. I was coddled and
well-taken care of, to the point where I questioned whether or not I was truly
learning about what it actually took to be the best I could be. I took it for
granted that things had always gone smoothly and that I just continued to
progress year after year. In my mind, if it came this easy, it meant that I was
not being stretched enough and that I could be getting a lot more out of
myself. At that time, I thought that professional running would be completely
different from what I had known in college. I didn’t feel like I knew anything
about what the essential ingredients were going to be for a successful
professional career. I didn’t feel like I understood what physical training I
would need nor what mental approach I would have to take to thrive in this new phase.Training with the Oregon Track Club taught me a ton about
this stuff. From my teammates, I gained an international perspective of the
sport. I learned about how differently people from European and African
countries approach the elite athlete lifestyle, training, and competition.
Getting to befriend and spend time with many of my American running idols gave
me access to their personal journeys, their experiences, their mistakes, their
successes and their victories. And from Coach Row…oh, Coach Row….his criticism,
his blunt personality, his no-nonsense approach, thickened my skin and forced
me to grow up and search myself in a way that few other coaches would
have. His personal experience and success demanded respect and as an athlete, I
wanted to always prove to him that I was completely bought in to whatever he
threw at me. However, his style required us athletes to know ourselves and know
what we needed to do individually to get the results we wanted. He was not
going to me hold my hand in anything. Not going to give me the splits how I
wanted to hear them. Not going to tell me exactly what drills to do for warm
up. Not going to direct me when to do doubles….That was not his style. He
planned workouts and was there to direct them but that was it. For the
seasoned, confident athlete, this approach was ‘spot on’. For the young,
hesitant athlete wanting to learn and be mentored….maybe not so
much. There were Ups (Deagu World Championships, Olympic Games) and there
were Downs (a summer of mental burnout and a nagging injury) throughout my
experience in the OTC, but I would not change anything about it and I will
certainly never regret it.Now it is time to reassess however, and ask, is this
really the best place for me now? What options do I have from here? To be
honest, I really have no idea. I do know that I am still passionate and
motivated to press on towards 2016 in whatever way possible and with positivity
and hope. With school out of the way, and having made such gains of
personal development in the sport, I really hoped that this year I
could pull all the pieces of this running career together and
truly test my limits to see how good I could be. That peace inside me says
that I don’t need to change this goal just because of a change in circumstance.
However, I do need to eat and have the resources to feel financially secure
wherever I am. I’m hopeful that the connections and relationships I have
built in the sport will help me through this somehow. And
the independence I gained from Coach Row’s style, helps me move forward
with more belief than I have ever had in myself and my ability to figure
things out. I am confident that there is more to come for Bridget Franek
in the 3k Steeplechase.At this
point, I will be prioritizing my needs and exploring my options. I hope that as
long as I am honest with myself and others throughout the process, I will end
up in a situation that is just as good, if not better, for my training (and
life) than the previous years. Maybe this is even a chance for me to get back to
Ohio and closer to family again? I will be open to any advice and suggestions
and plan to use my track AND Sports Marketing resources to find the best
solution. Please stay tuned and as always, thank you for your support.
x
