I guess I have taken a slightly different path than your typical pro athlete. Luckily I’m a runner and not a swimmer, or a Chinese gymnast who hits her prime at what, 12? I wasn’t able to train full-time until after I got my contract with Reebok in 2004. Before that, it was kind of an “intense hobby."
When I came out of college (UNC Chapel Hill, 1997) I wasn’t the best, but I was improving. I was just a late bloomer. In 2004, I just missed making the Olympic team after leading for much of the way.
Even though I was probably the dark-horse, it was still a huge disappointment. It not fun to finish fourth and get passed in the last 800 meters of a marathon, but that performance helped get me my contract with Reebok.
- Read Blake's column in its entirety in Saturday's Herald
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