The US road 10k championships was going to be the final race of my long season. I had moved back home, switched coaches, gotten in some solid training, and had high hopes of hitting a good one after a lackluster year of performances. Atlanta, per the pre-race report promised to be hot and humid, and it didn't disappoint. Stepping out into the afternoon Atlanta heat, the air was heavy and stuck to you as tightly as your sweaty clothes.
The Peachtree (the race hosting the championships this year) volunteers had met me at the airport to give me a ride to our hotel and greeted me with a bag of homegrown Atlanta peaches! A savior for my grumbling stomach after a long day of travel! I arrived at the hotel a little after 8PM and immediately sought out a restaurant to grab a quick meal before turning in for the night.
The next morning came quickly and soon enough I was warming up (didn't take long to start sweating!) and doing my final strides on the starting line. The elite field favorites were announced, with a nice contingent of foreign athletes competing for the generous purse of $15,000, and the gun fired. I settled in to a comfortable pace early, the large group of leaders pulling away out front. As I settled in during the primarily downhill portion of the first three miles I positioned myself nicely in the top 40. I thought, if all went well I can compete here to end. However, the deceiving slopes of the second half of the race zapped me more than I would have liked and after mistaking a media overhang for the finish (and kicking prematurely ) I crawled up the last slope and puttered across the finish drenched in sweat.
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| Just a few of the 60,000+ that showed up! |
While I may not have achieved the success I had set out for myself this season in competition I have learned many new things about running and especially about the professional ranks. The life of a professional runner is peculiar. The majority of us scrap together an existence to continue on and feed mainly of of our passion for the sport. Which, I believe, may make our breed the most noble of athlete.
As for myself, I have discovered how rewarding it is to give back to the community and share what I have learned with others. It is amazing the impact you can have on another person by just showing a little interest, especially when you are looked up to. Just as I was inspired when I was younger by older individuals and athletes I'm now taking on that important role. In Arizona I worked with the youth of Cottonwood, helping introduce healthy habits and exercise to them. Before that, when I attended UCLA, I found a lot of satisfaction when working with kids at track camps and teaching them about the sport. And now, I find myself coaching high school runners, sharing all that I know with them and building a small community of runners that will go on to do the same. All the while I still train at the highest level, striving for my goals and bringing my unique message to the people I come across.
I have said this before, and I'll say it again because I think it is important. When you are in a position to make and impact (and we all are) ask yourself who you can inspire. Have you inspired someone today?
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| High school newbies, the future stars of distance running! |
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