Welcome to My Brain on Running! Where I Bravely Share my Life- Long Journey as Athlete and Coach.

Here I Go Again

Here I will post my Journey from Zero miles to my first steps and process towards a sub 6 minute mile marathon by 2024. It should be dramatic as I have been through this process 3 previous times starting all the way back in 2009 when Coach Webster and I drew up a 3 year plan to achieve the Olympic Marathon Trials 2012- reducing a 3:16 to a 2:44 just days before the cutoff. 2016, after switching school districts, I did train specific, but got wild a month before the cutoff and went for it again at Cal International. I missed the cut by 13 seconds. And then, 2020 - I had the best build up ever- confident we could touch 2:35. The week before, I tweaked my ankle. Insane. After all the years of work - I mean this would be thr first time I would be able to race a marathon in the Nike Next Percents lol Just that alone was promising for a PR. But for real, I choose to get a cortisone shot for the first time. Stepped to the line with a taped ankle and lots of NSAIDS (all choices I would not have made if it weren't for the gravity of the situation it being the trials and all and possibly my last visit there. The race started painful but at mile 4, I felt all the pain leave my body and I started to fly. I felt so fit and fast- passing all over the place and smiling. All of a sudden- BREAK. My leg. I couldn't walk. Three stress fractures on my right leg- the opposite of the foot. My leg couldn't keep doing all the work for the injured foot that was numbed. I couldn't cheat my way out of this one. Coach came and carried me to safety and held me. It was a hard lesson and experience and the effects of it took time to heal from. As the post months accrued, I realized I needed to get some help for things I never learned growing up in my sport. Issues runners like me dont like to admit. Things like Low energy availability, being obsessive and compulsive instead of listening to my body, and trusting that optimal not maximal is was where the real magic happens. Here, I want to talk about my ideas, thoughts, and experiences training for the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials as a Master's Athlete and my fourth time around. I have learned a lot by doing, but even more through working with the best in my sport and being able to apply all this to the athletes I currently coach. What a blessing this gift is to share with you. And while this blog may only reach a few people, I know in my heart it will help me to process the process and in turn mature and grow me in a way that will help my athletes, coaches, and friends.