Relax and run your ass off

With the With the Olympic Trials coming up Jan. 14, I am happy, healthy and most importantly hungry for a spot on the team. I’m in my taper now, meaning my toughest workouts are behind me. As they say, the money is in the bank, the hay is in the barn.

There is nothing I can do now that will help me in the race except relax and know I have done all I can do. Though I can sense my family and friends are getting nervous, I am usually not too nervous until just before the starting gun goes off.

Prior to the 2008 Olympic Trials, my life was pretty simple: Run, eat, sleep.

Repeat. That’s not a bad thing. All of my efforts were focused on a single goal, having a solid race in the Trials and getting the spot on the Olympic team. Though things had not gone perfectly before the 2008 Marathon Trials — I struggled with injuries — I was still a favorite going into the race. I heard several people ask Bob Sevene, my coach, if I was going to make the team. The answer was always a terse, “Yes.” Once you have your coach’s confidence, it’s hard to be too nervous. So my mantra before 2008 was “Relax. You just need a solid race.”

Fast forward almost four years. Things are very different this time around. I have a sweet, extremely active 21⁄

2 year old boy. He seems to have inherited my stubborn streak and love of running and his father’s work ethic and love of Cheez-Its.

The other day he was in his little pedal car driving around the house when he announced he was going to work like Dadda, but needed some coffee first. I asked him if Mama works, and he emphatically said, “No!”

“Well, what do I do?” I asked.

Quin responded, “You run!”

So true, he has seen me go out the door and log quite a few miles these last few months, but 99 percent of the time it does not feel like work. A lot of my big runs were on the weekends when I have the most time. My friend called me the other day to say her husband saw me flying down the Marina State Park bike path with my coach following me closely on his bike. I said I was running marathon pace, about 5 minutes 30 seconds per mile, and it was one of my last workouts before starting to taper for the big day. Years ago, I used to have people drive by and say, “Do you know there is a strange man following you?” I even had a cop stop Sev one time while I was doing road workout to make sure he was not stalking me. Though I am tempted to say. “I’ve never seen the guy before” just to add some excitement to our day, I have resisted so far. In fact, we have been such a fixture lately, that the cops wave or stop to ask how training is going. Life is certainly different than four years ago, but Sev has been a constant in the chaos.

I imagine if you ask Sev if I have a chance to to make the team this time his response would be, “I don’t know. Let’s just run the damn race.” Not having completed a marathon since Beiijing, I am not considered a favorite this time around. Sev has been coaching for over 40 years and maintains that this is one
of deepest fields in history.

With only three spots for the Olympic Team there will be a handful of great athletes that don’t make the team.

My mantra this time around will be “Relax . . . and run your ass off!”
Olympic Trials coming up Jan. 14, I am happy, healthy and most importantly hungry for a spot on the team.
I'm in my taper now, meaning my toughest workouts are behind me. As they say, the money is in the bank, the hay is in the barn. There is nothing I can do now that will help me in the race except relax and know I have done all I can do. Though I can sense my family and friends are getting nervous, I am usually not too nervous until just before the starting gun goes off.

Prior to the 2008 Olympic Trials, my life was pretty simple: Run, eat, sleep. Repeat. That's not a bad thing. All of my efforts were focused on a single goal, having a solid race in the Trials and getting the spot on the Olympic team. Though things had not gone perfectly before the 2008 Marathon Trials — I struggled with injuries — I was still a favorite going into the race. I heard several people ask Bob Sevene, my coach, if I was going to make the team. The answer was always a terse, “Yes.” Once you have your coach’s confidence, it’s hard to be too nervous. So my mantra before 2008 was “Relax. You just need a solid race.”

Fast forward almost four years. Things are very different this time around. I have a sweet, extremely active 2 year old boy. He seems to have inherited my stubborn streak and love of running and his father's work ethic and love of Cheez-Its. The other day he was in his little pedal car driving around the house when he announced he was going to work like Dadda, but needed some coffee first. I asked him if Mama works, and he emphatically said, “No!” “Well, what do I do?” I asked. Quin responded, “You run!” So true, he has seen me go out the door and log quite a few miles these last few months, but 99 percent of the time it does not feel like work.

A lot of my big runs were on the weekends when I have the most time. My friend called me the other day to say her husband saw me flying down the Marina State Park bike path with my coach following me closely on his bike. I said I was running marathon pace, about 5 minutes 30 seconds per mile, and it was one of my last workouts before starting to taper for the big day. Years ago, I used to have people drive by and say, “Do you know there is a strange man following you?” I even had a cop stop Sev one time while I was doing road workout to make sure he was not stalking me. Though I am tempted to say. “I’ve never seen the guy before” just to add some excitement to our day, I have resisted so far. In fact, we have been such a fixture lately, that the cops wave or stop to ask how training is going. Life is certainly different than four years ago, but Sev has been a constant in the chaos.

I imagine if you ask Sev if I have a chance to to make the team this time his response would be, “I don’t know. Let’s just run the damn race.” Not having completed a marathon since Beiijing, I am not considered a favorite this time around. Sev has been coaching for over 40 years and maintains that this is one of deepest fields in history. With only three spots for the Olympic Team there will be a handful of great athletes that don’t make the team. My mantra this time around will be “Relax . . . and run your ass off!”