Coaching Full Circle!

December marked the end of my first two seasons of coaching. First, with the boys of University City High School and second, with the youth running group I co-founded, 2nd Recess. Both ventures were very successful and I have come away from these experiences wiser.

It is my belief that everyone can find success through running, no matter their ability. Hard work and commitment allow a person to shine. I pass this message on to my athletes young and old and hope that resonates as strongly with them as it does me.

Coaching has taught me patience and the value of good communication. Developing a team or an athlete is akin to designing and constructing a building. If you want it to last you can't skip steps or use cheap materials. Everything must be done with care and quality. Thankfully I've had these opportunities to share my experiences with others and in turn learn a whole lot more about my life as an athlete.

Although I'm still unable to fully train I have been able to hone the mental and psychological skills I'll need to take my career to the next level. I would have never had the opportunity if injury and chance had never knocked on my door!

In the end I have come to believe that we can all enact lasting change and inspiration on ourselves and others through our actions. Inspiration through action. I ask myself how I can inspire others through my actions - and you should too!

Repost: #USATFAnnualMeeting

The following is a reposting from something I wrote on Grassroots Running Project. I hope that as an athletic community, we can come together to resolve inadequacies and build the reputation of USA Track & Field as an equal and prosperous venture. Read on!  

(the original post can be found here: http://grassrootsrunningproject.wordpress.com/) 

This past weekend the USATF held its annual meeting in St. Louis where its officers and many members gather to review the past year's athletic exploits and pitfalls and rules and regulations. This year's meeting in particular was exciting because it marked the end of the 2011 season - and ushered in the Olympic year 2012. With the marathon trials only a few short weeks away the spirit of an Olympic year is fast taking over the track and field world. 

However, underneath this jubilation, a dedicated group of athletes and supporters had come to the annual meeting to express their dissatisfaction with the inequities buried deep within the sport. The movement, spurred by Nick Symmonds' Facebook group titled "I'm tired of the USATF and IAAF crippling our sport" has gained great momentum in the weeks since it began. 

The issue at hand pertains to the limitations placed on athletes regarding how they can display sponsors on their person during competitions. However, it can be argued that the matter goes much deeper than that. The USATF's professional and developmental systems, already suspect, is crumbling even further. The major gains at the tip-top of the sport are not a proper barometer for the overall health of the system.  The current grievances voiced are merely a warning that our track and field athletes desperately need more support - outside of their full or part-time "day" jobs. 

The annual meeting did provide one step in the right direction. A new rule was proposed that would allow "allow two logos on an athlete’s uniform, that of the manufacturer and another sponsor, the latter a new feature that is planned to come into effect on Jan. 1, 2012" (1).While this measure appears to be a big coup for the fledgling movement only time will tell if its positive momentum will continue to push forward and send much need shock waves throughout the system.

As a community of athletes we need to be able to support one another when we can. Do you have something to say or want to share ideas about how we can make the system better? Join us at Grassroots Running Project to explore the ways in which we can help our track and field community. 

Injuries & Opportunities: Read on!

     When one door closes another one opens. We are all familiar with this saying, and now I am too. It's been almost 3 months since I've had a training run without any pain or discomfort and in that time I've gone through all the emotional ups and downs one can go through when dealing with an injury.

     However, one road block along the journey means nothing, I just have to find a different way around. While my injury has barred me from doing many things, it has allowed me to focus my energies in other positive ways. Since moving back to San Diego in June (I got injured in August) Natasha and I have started a new running venture: the Grassroots Running Project. We had many reasons that drove us to want to create something but our one main goal was simple: to share our passion for the sport with others. 

     What started out as disparate ideas came together to form one company with a very specific aim. Our dream is that our Grassroots Running Project can make a positive impact on the running world through it's  coaching, community, and career platforms. Ever since I began running I became entranced with the different methods people espoused in order to make runners great. I knew someday that I would also like to try my hand at the art of coaching - use my experiences to take someone to the next level. So, part of the Grassroots Running Project is devoted to personal coaching and I've taken my passion to the people. Natasha, after growing up with running and volunteering with Girls on the Run, had hopes of one day starting a youth health and fitness organization aimed at teaching kids how to have fun while staying fit. Along came our move to San Diego and the drive to make a difference caught on fire. Enter 2nd Recess, the Grassroots Running Project's community youth running/health program. This part of our project has moved so quickly we are in our fourth week with hosting it with the San Diego Track Club! The Grassroots Running Project has a third purpose behind coaching and community services. In the future we hope to be able to support the careers of the aspiring champion distance runners and bring awareness to inequalities present in the current system. It has been exciting to hear the talk online about making changes and we hope to join in when we can! 

     The one thing Natasha and I have always wanted to avoid  was have our dreams be hampered by the prospect of failure. This mindset  has led us this far in our running careers, and throwing caution to the wind, has driven our enthusiasm even more to start something we think can really make a difference. However, we don't just want to do it alone. We want to include everyone's passion, excitement, and thought. So, if you have something to say or wish to get involved in some way, please contact us! 

You can find us on Facebook (Grassroots Running Project), Twitter (GrssRtsRunProj), and WordPress (http://grassrootsrunningproject.wordpress.com/)!!! Or via email at grassrootsrunningproject@gmail.com