Alexi Pappas: Gaining Perspective at Maclaren Marathon

Alexi Pappas reflects on how a change in perspective can refresh your approach to running. Photo: Alexi Pappas

By Alexi Pappas / TrackTown USA

For many runners, from professionals to enthusiasts, our sport becomes something to complain about. We moan about the weather, crowded trails, old shoes, aching muscles, past injuries – it’s easy for us to focus on the negatives rather than relish in the positives. It’s only natural. After all, running is a sport that attracts perfectionists – we are always striving to improve ourselves – and it’s our instinct to focus on what we want to change and improve. It’s easy to blame external circumstances for poor performances or bad workouts, but the truth is, for most of us, the only thing limiting our running is ourselves. It just sometimes takes a change in perspective to realize it.

Earlier this spring, I had the opportunity to meet a group of runners who completely refreshed my perspective. For them, running is the ultimate privilege. These runners were inmates at the MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility outside of Portland, OR, a prison for boys in their teens and early 20s. For these kids, running is a privilege they earn. Not everyone is allowed to run – it must be earned through good behavior. For those few who earn the privilege, running is a small taste of freedom in an otherwise restricted existence.

Here’s how it works: MacLaren offers rehabilitation programs, from barber training to mechanic classes to journalism courses, and one of those enrichment programs is the opportunity to train for a marathon. The entire marathon is run within the confines of the prison grounds with an interior circumference of a little over a mile. Most runners I know complain about running small loops – I myself have been known to get “tired” of the one-mile Amazon loop in Eugene I’ve come to know so well in my own training – but these young men relish the opportunity. Many of them actually know nothing about running when they sign up, but they do know it is something different and something, presumably, freeing. When they take up the opportunity to run, they learn quickly – in fact, the Eugene Marathon’s own Ian Dobson was a volunteer coach at the program, introducing the inmates to the fundamentals of training and recovery.

Ian was actually coaching me for the 2016 Rio Olympics during the same time that he started volunteering as a coach for the MacLaren marathon program. At the time, my focus was completely on preparing for the Olympics – fine-tuning my performance at the absolute highest level. At that elite level, you’ve got to focus in on “first world problems,” like making sure you’re using the absolute best equipment, training in the ideal conditions, and fueling in just the right way. I remember Ian telling us why he couldn’t be there for some of our weekend training, because he was coaching at MacLaren an hour away in Woodburn, but I didn’t think much more about the program at all. I assumed that all of my energy should be on my own Olympic preparation and I never took the opportunity to go with Ian and help out myself.

But now I understand what Ian got out of his trips up to MacLaren to work with the inmate-athletes: perspective. Transitioning from an environment where elite athletes are paid to run to a situation where kids are grateful for the chance to run circles around a fenced-in yard is a powerful dose of reality. It’s a reminder of why we love to run in the first place.

I experienced this firsthand during my own trip to the MacLaren prison marathon. The running program in the prison culminates in an actual 26.2-mile race around the prison grounds. I was there with a camera crew from Vice, who was creating a short documentary about race day in the prison.

The first thing I did when I arrived was get introduced to the athletes. I expected to meet driven, focused youth, but my expectations were exceeded when I met one kid in particular, Johnathan. I remember the first thing I noticed was the book Johnathan carried under his arm: Mastery, by Robert Greene. This is a book one of my coaches once handed to me and I still reference it today. Johnathan explained to me that one of his fellow MacLaren-mates, a mentor of his, passed the book along to him. He told me about this tradition of some of the boys sharing resources like this, in hopes of passing along the skills and leadership – and hope – that might help them succeed when they re-enter the community. Johnathan and I instantly connected over having similarly profound experiences with this book and I also fundamentally appreciated his desire to be a role model.

Johnathan told me how he spends time training young inmates in the gym as a personal trainer, and then we actually went to the gym together and shared with each other our favorite routines. I felt lucky to learn from him and I am so confident that he will help many people when he re-enters the community.

For Johnathan, this was not his first marathon – he considered himself a “seasoned” marathoner, having competed in the last two editions of the MacLaren marathon program. Out of the other six inmates competing, only one had completed a marathon before. We had a pre-race pasta dinner together which was as surprising to me as it probably was for them. I expected to be surrounded by prerace nerves and anxiety. But what I found was a table full of confidence. For these boys, there was no question as to whether or not they would be able to complete the marathon distance. They expressed to me that compared to the experiences they’d had in their lives, a physical challenge like this – something as simple as running – seemed entirely possible.

Still, the boys looked to me for pre-race advice. So I shared the only tidbit that I thought might be helpful: I told them that I was not necessarily “meant” to make the Olympic team. I told them how I used to be the worst runner on my college team and slowly improved year by year, learning from mentors and teammates around me. Nobody expected me to ever break the top 10 on my team, let alone qualify for the Olympics. I think this was surprising to Johnathan and the others: our circumstance now is not forever. We can take control of our future if we choose.

Then the marathon happened, and Johnathan was the athlete who cheered on everyone around him even when he was in pain. He himself was one of the slower runners, but he eagerly supported when his teammates lapped him. I walked the last five miles with one of the athletes, for whom marathon cramps set in late into the race. While walking, he told me that he will be finished with his sentence and re-enter the community in a few short months. The first thing he wants to do when he leaves: go camping for the first time. For him, running has been the best way to engage with nature while in the facility – something I take for granted when it’s pouring rain and I would rather not go outside to train. The next time I even consider staying inside because the weather isn’t perfect, I’m going to think of Johnathan and get myself out the door.

All of the athletes completed the marathon, even if it meant walking the last five miles with me. Johnathan and the other inmates helped me understand how grateful he was to run – an activity I now understand he sees as a privilege, not a right. I think about running differently now that I have met Johnathan. Johnathan’s goal is to one day compete in the Eugene Marathon and I hope I am there to cheer for him when he does.

During training – whether we’re building up for a 5k or a marathon or the Olympics – it’s easy to fall into a trap of non-gratitude. We focus on the minutiae and obsess with how we can maximize each little bit of our training. But taken too far, this leads to resentment and bitterness. Nothing’s worse than a bitter runner. So every now and then, it’s good to reconnect with what made us love running in the first place. Maybe it doesn’t require a visit to a prison. But seeing those young adults feel free – even as they ran in circles around the prison yard – made an impression I’ll keep with me always. It reminded me to be grateful for every step.

TrackTown Tuesday Season Finale Looks Toward the Future

OTC Elite star Sally Kipyego (right) shares a laugh with the TrackTown Tuesday crowd. Photo: Jake Willard/TrackTown USA

By Brenten Kelly / TrackTown USA

The last TrackTown Tuesday of 2019, held at the Downtown Athletic Club on June 4, looked toward the future of track and field in the community.

OTC Elite’s Sally Kipyego headlined the event, showcasing her vivacious personality to the crowd. Kipeygo, a prolific distance runner with a 2012 Olympic silver medal in the 10,000m to her name, has since made the transition to the marathon. That journey has brought both triumphs and challenges. One of those successes was a runner-up finish at the 2016 New York Marathon.

“I remember crossing the finish line in New York and coming in second was amazing,” said Kipyego. “You can’t replicate that. I love the marathon, but I have a hate-love relationship with it. But it’s more love.”

She also shared a story of how, while was driving a car in Kenya, young girls were shocked to see a woman driving on the road.

“Children need to see people like them doing great things for them to believe that it is possible,” said Kipyego.

That experience stuck with her as she noticed the impact athletes can have on young children. In 2014, Kipyego partnered with Shoe4Africa, a foundation that builds schools and hospitals in Kenya. In collaboration with that organization, her alma mater primary school has since been rebuilt and renamed after her.

As she prepares for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon, Kipyego is focusing on developing her mindset.

“I say to myself: I have achieved this before and I have run this race before,” she said. “I have been successful at this before, so I can do it again.”

University of Oregon Athletic Director Rob Mullens was also a guest on the show, sharing information with the crowd on Duck athletics and Hayward Field. According to Mullens, the development of Hayward Field is crucial to the sport of track and field.

“Hayward is so unique – not only what it does for UO track, but it is the epicenter of track in this country and even for the world,” said Mullens. “I was really struck when I arrived here that this was a really unique community gathering spot.”

University of Oregon Athletic Director Rob Mullens talks about the vision for the future of the Oregon athletics department. Photo: Jake Willard/TrackTown USA

Mullens oversees the entire Oregon athletic department, and he discussed the common thread throughout all the programs in regard to recruiting and attracting athletes to Oregon.

“We look for people who are a great fit,” said Mullens. “We keep things simple: we want a culture of excellence in everything that we do. The foundation of everything is providing an exceptional student-athlete experience.”

Prefontaine Classic Meet Director Tom Jordan tested the crowd with trivia on athletes who are set to compete at the Pre Classic on June 30 in Stanford, CA. Jordan acknowledged that the Eugene fans are still the best track and field supporters in the country.

Prefontaine Classic Meet Director Tom Jordan gives a preview of this year’s event. Photo: Jake Willard/TrackTown USA

“One of the things that was special is to see the kind of loyalty and appreciation that the fans in this area have for the Prefontaine Classic,” said Jordan. “In return, I have appreciation for you all because I’ve been to a lot of track meets around the world and I think the fans here are the most knowledgeable in the world.”

TrackTown USA CEO Michael Reilly gives the crowd a first look at 2020 Olympic Trials ticketing information. Photo: Jake Willard/TrackTown USA

TrackTown USA CEO Michael Reilly concluded the show by revealing ticket information for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field. Tickets will go on sale to the public on July 25, 2019 at 9 a.m. Pacific. More information on Olympic Trials tickets can be found at TrackTown20.com.

OTC Elite Veterans Highlight TrackTown Tuesday

Hassan Mead and Ben Blankenship (left to right) share stories with the TrackTown Tuesday crowd.

By Brenten Kelly / TrackTown USA

Long-time teammates and Oregon Track Club Elite stars Ben Blankenship and Hassan Mead headlined TrackTown Tuesday at the Downtown Athletic Club on May 7.

The duo shared stories and laughs with the crowd. They discussed their recent successes as well as detailing how they have grown throughout their professional careers.

Since joining OTC Elite in 2012, Blankenship is still evolving as a runner. He pointed to his victory at the 2018 USATF National Club Cross Country Championships as an example of this evolution.

“I just wanted to go out there and enjoy running,” said Blankenship. “Every day we step out on the track and are judged on how we perform. I wanted to retool myself in a different way.”

Mead recognized the importance of adaptability in tackling the 5,000m and 10,000m.

“We train for across the field,” explained Mead. “That way, when we want to race, we will be prepared for all of them. In 2017 we went for the 10k and I got the title for the US. You have to be ready so in case one event doesn’t work out, you can be prepared for the other.”

The Oregon track & field program was represented on the TrackTown Tuesday stage by Associate Head Coach Curtis Taylor along with sprinters Cravon Gillespie and Venessa D’Arpino. According to Taylor, the foundation for Oregon’s success moving forward is in the overarching culture of the program.

Cravon Gillespie, Venessa D’Arpino, and Coach Curtis Taylor (left to right) talk about their preparations for the upcoming Pac-12 Championships.

“The most important thing is to find people who fit with Oregon and want to stay at Oregon,” said Taylor. “We want people who want to be here and Be Oregon…these guys (D’Arpino and Gillespie) are the definition of that.”

D’Arpino reiterated that same philosophy as she described her motivation behind transferring to Oregon from Oregon State.

“It’s always been Oregon,” said D’Arpino. “I’m Oregon-born, Oregon-raised. I wanted to represent the state where I came from. That’s always been the goal.”

Gillespie also reflected on his journey to Oregon, which began in Pasadena, Calif.

“Coming from Pasadena, I have a lot of friends that have a lot of talent but made the wrong decisions and went down the wrong path,” said Gillespie. “My thing is to stay focused and stay humble. When I got the opportunity to come here, I took it and wanted to make the most of it.”

Next up for the Ducks are the Pac-12 Championships, May 11­–12 in Tucson, Ariz.

Nike Running Insights Director John Truax, a University of Oregon alum, has been working at Nike for nearly 30 years, and shared some of his proudest accomplishments from that time with the audience. That included helping to establish and name a running trail on the Nike Campus after his colleague and mentor Geoff Hollister.

Truax credited Hollister for instilling in him a sense of the importance of giving back to the running community at large.

“I think giving back to the sport is what we should all be doing,” said Truax.

Sasha Spencer Atwood asks John Truax about his proudest accomplishments in his 30 years at Nike.

Truax also described his connection with University of Oregon student Justin Gallegos. In October, Truax presented Gallegos with a Nike contract, making Gallegos the company’s first professional athlete with cerebral palsy.

“With Justin, he is a passionate kid,” said Truax. “That’s what drew me to him – his love for the sport…He inspires a lot of people. Nike has a lot of great athletes around the world and sometimes they are hard to relate to. But for Justin, anyone can relate to him.”

The final TrackTown Tuesday of the year will be at the Downtown Athletic Club on June 4.

TrackTown Fitness Concludes Most Successful Season

Participants gather on Pre’s Trail to cheer after the final TrackTown Fitness session of the season. Photo: Jessica Gabriel, TrackTown USA

By Brenten Kelly / TrackTown USA

EUGENE, Ore. – The final TrackTown Fitness session of 2019 was held along Pre’s Trail on Easter Sunday morning.

Now in its fifth year, the free community program had its most successful season ever with a total attendance of 1,707 over 13 weeks for an average of about 130 runners and walkers each session.

With Hayward Field currently under construction, TrackTown Fitness utilized three different venues this year: Autzen Stadium, the Moshofsky Center, and Pre’s Trail. In addition, PeaceHealth enhanced the program with its weekly “Run with the Doc” initiative in which runners and walkers were encouraged to chat about a healthy, active lifestyle with participating doctors.

Dr. David Saenger, a PeaceHealth cardiologist, had this advice for those who wanted to develop a healthier lifestyle.

“Exercise should become a habit you have to do every day,” Dr. Saenger said. “I always tell people it is like brushing your teeth. You wouldn’t go a day without brushing your teeth, so you shouldn’t go a day without exercise.”

Dr. David Saenger, a PeaceHealth cardiologist, was on hand at the final TrackTown Fitness session of the season. Photo: Jessica Gabriel, TrackTown USA

One person who embodies those habits is local marathon runner Kathy Ward. She served as a Run Hub pacer at the Eugene Marathon on April 28 for those targeting a 4:20 finish. Ward, who has completed six marathons, said she enjoys the relaxed running of pacing versus the grind of competing.

“When I finished Boston, that was my fifth marathon when I crossed the finish line, and I said ‘I’m never doing another marathon,’” Ward said. “But for pacing, I meet people from all around the country and they would be talking to me. It’s just so fun to meet people and find out where they are coming from.”

“I’ve become friends with all these kids because they are in their 20s and 30s and are asking me for advice,” she added. “We just talk the whole way. It’s been so much fun training.”

Kathy Ward, a TrackTown Fitness participant, holds up her pacing sign during the Eugene Marathon. Photo: Eugene Marathon

Ward’s training, of course, has included TrackTown Fitness on Sunday mornings since moving to Eugene four years ago.

“Some of the people here have been here since the first time I came,” Ward said. “It’s been so fun and now we all go to TrackTown Tuesdays. The running community in this town is awesome.”

That running community was out in droves for the Eugene Marathon weekend, with packed races for the Duck Dash and 5k on Saturday, and the marathon and half-marathon on Sunday. Participants crossed the finish at the 50-yard line of Autzen Stadium, then enjoyed the post-race festival in the stadium concourse, the site for the majority of TrackTown Fitness sessions this season.

Although TrackTown Fitness has finished for the year, the next TrackTown Tuesday will be May 7 at the Downtown Athletic Club.

Alexi Pappas: Be a Good Teammate to Yourself

Photo: Alexi Pappas

By Alexi Pappas / TrackTown USA

With the track and field championship season coming up, hand-in-hand with final exams for high school and college athletes, it’s important to remember to be as kind to ourselves as we are hard on ourselves.

High school and college are hard enough. Studying for finals, competing in championships, memorizing your lines for the school play – all of these tasks are “hard enough” on their own. We’ve all heard the advice about how to best tackle multiple goals: make a to-do list, stay organized, plan ahead, and so on. But what I’m here to tell you is to remember to be kind to yourself.

What I mean by this is that as you juggle multiple commitments, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and build up stress and resentment, which will decrease efficiency, lead to more stress, and spark a negative feedback loop. But if we can positively manage our feelings and be kind to ourselves no matter how overwhelming our schedules might seem, we’ll be more effective at getting our tasks done and accomplishing everything on our plates this spring.

The first step is to recognize that it is challenging to balance school commitments with athletic commitments. Embrace that it’s hard! It’s okay for things to be hard in life. Recognizing that you have a hard set of tasks ahead can be invigorating and inspiring.

I find that the best way to maintain this perspective is to remember that everything you’re doing is a choice. You’ve chosen to be an athlete. You’ve chosen to be a student. So, during those weeks when you have less free time than your friends who aren’t athletes, just remember that you chose to be in this position.

For me, that’s a very empowering thought: when I’m in the library while my friends are out socializing, I remember that it’s my choice. I’ve seen some teammates feel like they’re victims for being “stuck” in the library. But that’s a negative perspective – they’re forgetting about the bigger picture. The bigger picture is that they’ve made a choice to be student-athletes, and there are only 24 hours in a day, so of course they’re here in the library when their non-athlete friends aren’t. With that perspective, being in the library becomes a pleasure. It’s something you’re doing to earn your life as a student-athlete, just as much as showing up to practice and working out. Getting into this positive headspace of choice rather than sacrifice is the most important step towards being kind to yourself. I specifically recall one midterm exam period at Dartmouth when a bunch of my cross country teammates and I decided to post up on a Friday night in the otherwise empty library. We chose to do this together and even though it wasn’t a party in the traditional sense, it felt like a party to us.

The next step is to take a close look at the hours in your day and determine if you’re using them well. I think of my time in 30-minute intervals, usually just enough time to get one small task done, and it amazes me how many “intervals” I discover in my day when I’m thoughtful and disciplined. Instead of checking my phone while I’m sitting on the bus, I’ll open my computer and get some work done. If I’m feeling worn down and I need a break, maybe I’ll spend that 30-minute interval on social media instead of getting work done, but usually if I’m being honest with myself I know that ultimately I’ll feel better using my spare “intervals” to cross things off my to-do list. I like to treat the time intervals the same way that I’d treat an interval of running: once I commit, I’m in it until the interval is over. This makes it easier to focus when I’m working and it also makes it easier to let go and relax when I’m not.

Another strategy I use is to determine exactly what I have to do and what I don’t. This doesn’t mean that I skip things, but it does mean that I try to work smart. I prioritize my tasks, and usually the first line of defense is saying “no” to opportunities that take up time in the day that aren’t directly related to my immediate goals. For a student, this might mean turning down social opportunities during championship season, or dialing back involvement in other clubs just for the few weeks of spring competition. Or it might even mean asking your teachers if you can work ahead on your academic syllabus so that your workload is lighter during competition time. It also means taking the time to figure out how you study most efficiently. Some people work better in groups, others make study guides, and so on – the point is that it’s sometimes easy to slip into working how it seems we “should” be working even if that isn’t the most efficient way for you personally.

I understand that all of these suggestions actually seem like more work at first, but really it’s just being proactive so that when competition season comes you’re not suddenly faced with work and commitments that could have been handled in a more efficient way. Even though it takes a bit of willpower to plan ahead and work smart, I see this as being kind to myself because at the end of the day, I know that I’ll sleep better and feel more relaxed if I know I used my time well.

And that is my ultimate self-kindness test: whenever I’m faced with a decision about how to use my time, I ask myself: “will doing X help me fall asleep easier tonight?” Some days, vegging out on social media or going out with friends really is the answer. But most days, making the choice to get ahead of my to-do list is the kindest choice for me.

Being as kind to yourself as you are hard on yourself takes practice. It’s a different mindset than most of us are accustomed to. Because being kind to yourself doesn’t mean letting yourself off the hook – it’s just the opposite. It means that you’re having intention with your day and looking out for your best interests; it means that you’re your own teammate. Teammates hold us accountable, teammates believe in each other, and teammates always want the best for each other. This spring, be a good teammate to yourself.

Bowerman Track Club Stars Headline TrackTown Tuesday

Olympians Shelby Houlihan and Colleen Quigley (left to right) share their journeys as professional runners.

By Brenten Kelly / TrackTown USA

The April 2 edition of TrackTown Tuesday featured Olympians, UO student-athletes, and hometown entrepreneurs in front of a near-capacity crowd at the Downtown Athletic Club.

Bowerman Track Club teammates Shelby Houlihan and Colleen Quigley anchored the show, sharing stories not only of their accomplishments but also of their connection as teammates. Houlihan described the competitiveness of being a professional athlete on the BTC squad.

“The team sets a high level of expectation,” said Houlihan. “We had 7 of 8 women on the Olympic team. I was the one who raced last. I saw all my teammates line up and make the Olympic team. I said, ‘Okay, if they can do it, I can do it too.’”

The crowd was treated to videos of wins by both athletes from the past two seasons.

Houlihan’s victory in the 1500m at the 2018 U.S. Outdoor Championships was perhaps her breakout performance. “I always knew I had it in me,” said Houlihan. “I had such a patient build up in mileage. Trusting the process and eventually one of these years it would all come together. Last year was perfect for it. Hopefully it continues to keep clicking and I keep getting stronger.”

Quigley felt her mile victory at the 2019 U.S. Indoor Championships was a long time coming as she had lost to Houlihan the past two years. Laughs were shared with the crowd as Quigley and Houlihan displayed their friendly competition. Still, that race meant a lot for Quigley who has suffered injuries since turning pro.

“Each time I’ve been injured, there’s a low point of thinking I’m never going to be able to run again,” said Quigley. “Then I get into these highs of being able to run and being grateful for running. I am now able to run with a sense of joy and freedom. It’s a constant up and down but I just have to ride those waves.”

Former Stanford track and field standouts turned married entrepreneurs Lauren Fleshman and Jesse Thomas showcased Picky Bars, their nutrition bar company. The idea for the bars was borne out of Thomas’ need for healthy fuel for his training.

Picky Bars co-funders Jesse Thomas and Lauren Fleshman share a laugh with the TrackTown Tuesday crowd.

“I made Jesse energy bars that were digestible for him,” said Fleshman. “Being an entrepreneur was way out of the question. But then I asked, ‘Why is there nothing on the market made with real whole food ingredients and based in sports principles?’”

Fleshman was a five-time NCAA champion at Stanford and a two-time U.S. national champion in the 5,000m. She now coaches the elite running team Little Wing. Thomas, a professional triathlete, has found that his work at Picky Bars has been a good counterbalance to his athletic endeavors.

“It’s been really exciting to have something to sink your teeth into that is intellectual and that you’re passionate about,” said Thomas.

University of Oregon track and field horizontal jumpers Chaquinn Cook and Rhesa Foster were onstage after big individual performances that contributed to their team’s 3rd place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships last month in Birmingham, Ala.

UO horizontal jumpers Chaquinn Cook and Rhesa Foster (left to right) recount their 2019 NCAA Indoor Championships experience.

UO senior Cook broke her own indoor triple jump school record with a leap of 13.83m (45-4.5) to notch a runner-up finish in that event.

“The feeling of just being on the runway and getting the clap going,” said Cook. “Not trying to freak myself out. All eyes were on me and I was able to do something good in the light of everybody.”

Foster also impressed with a fifth-place finish in the long jump at the NCAA meet. On her final jump in the competition, she soared to a mark of 6.31m (20-8.5). The junior is aiming to set her goals even higher this outdoor season.

“In the past, if I set out goals I did not reach, it took a number on me mentally,” said Foster. “I try not to get stressed out now. For the upcoming outdoors, I need to work on my speed and timing and just have fun with it.”

The next TrackTown Tuesday will be on May 7.

Alexi Pappas: On the Benefits of Racing Below Peak Fitness

Alexi Pappas racing amongst her competitors at the Pacific Pursuit 10k. Photo: Alexi Pappas

By Alexi Pappas / TrackTown USA

After racing the 2018 Chicago Marathon, I was proud that I had made major strides since my injury a year earlier, but I also knew that I had a ways to go before I would be ready to qualify for Tokyo 2020.

Building up my fitness meant toeing the line at races I knew I wouldn’t win. I don’t like losing, but racing is a very motivational training tool for me, so skipping out on races until I was “fit enough” wasn’t an option. So after Chicago, my coach and I signed me up for a track race in early February: a 10k in San Diego, where the competitors would be chasing the world standard time. Technically, I had the fastest personal best going into the race by about 40 seconds, but my coach told me honestly that I was “not in Rio shape.” In the past I might have avoided toeing the line in such a situation, fearing losing to women I felt I should beat. But the truth is, I knew signing up for this race was the right thing to do.

Why do we sign up for races in the first place? One, a race on the calendar gives us a certain period of time to commit to, a time during which we are focused on the one goal coming up. Two, upcoming races make us nervous in the good way. Thinking about a race is like thinking about Christmas – you know it is coming and you do everything you can to prepare. You think about your outfit, the meal beforehand, and you can hardly even sleep the night before. But that’s okay because it’s Christmas! Three, competing in a race provides an honest assessment of where you are in terms of fitness and readiness, both physically and mentally. It always provides some kind of honest feedback from which to move forward.

When I ran the 10k in San Diego, I was feeling good. I wanted to celebrate my health and run as hard as my fitness would allow. When the race began I put myself in the front pack, running a pace my coach already told me might be too fast for me to sustain for the entire race. The top few women in the race had just qualified for the World Cross Country team, so they knew they were in good shape. I understood this intellectually, but when the race actually started I didn’t have the heart to reign myself in. I wanted to stick with these girls, who I believed I could beat at my peak, but who were now far fitter than I was.

About 5k into the race, I hit a wall. Thankfully it was not an injury wall, but instead it was a fitness wall. My pace dropped off and I finished the race far behind the lead girls. Coach put it this way: I was 100% healthy and 60% fit.

I was happy, of course, to be healthy. That was the whole point of this race, to test my fitness and confirm my health after the Chicago Marathon. But I still couldn’t help feeling sad at not running faster. “Bravies” were coming up to me to take photos, and even though I was smiling on the outside, on the inside my mind was racing. I was wondering how long it would take me to get fit, if I’d ever get fit again, and have other great runners gone through this?

I gravitated towards one of the women I just raced – Jen Rhines. She is a three-time Olympian and someone I’ve long admired. “What would Jen do?” is a common refrain amongst her teammates and really anyone who has been lucky enough to train with her. That’s because Jen is known to have an even mind, a long career, and the right balance of grit and wisdom. She is a good example for anyone. I met Jen in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., when we were both training at altitude and have admired her ever since.

I worked up the courage to ask Jen: “Have you ever had a race like this? A race where you didn’t run as fast as your peers because you’re not super fit, but you know or hope you’ll get there?”

Jen nodded immediately: YES! She had been there, exactly in my position, and completely understood and empathized with what I was feeling. She was never afraid to put herself on the line and has had her fair share of races like this. I was so grateful and relieved to hear that from her. It would be one thing to hear this from my coach or my dad or anyone else, but hearing it from Jen, who had literally been in my shoes before, meant the world to me. This is what we can offer each other as peers in this running world: we can share our specific experiences with each other, which will help add to the greater understanding of what a running journey can look like. For me to know that Jen had been in my position before gave me permission to believe that it was an okay and even necessary and good part of the process. She made me feel capable. I left the track feeling optimistic and energized instead of sad and scared.

When I was younger, I would have never put myself in a position to race when I wasn’t ready to run my best. But now I understand the diverse functions that racing can have in an athlete’s career. There are races, like the Olympic Trials or the Olympics, when we should show up 100% ready to race. And then there are other races, less high-stakes ones, which help us practice a specific tactic, and then there are others that are meant to show us where we are. I remember going to a race on the Oregon Coast where I was just meant to practice my prerace routine. Then I ran another race where the goal was to work on my finishing kick. This race in San Diego was meant to kick my butt and pump me up for the season ahead.

It is glamorous to show up for a race when you are ready to compete for the win, and it takes grit and bravery to show up when you’re not. It’s better to confront your limits and get your butt kicked than to avoid them. There is a time and a place to race conservatively, and this wasn’t one of those times. That wasn’t the purpose of this race. That being said, it wasn’t easy losing to women I would rather beat. It wasn’t easy running slower than I am theoretically capable of. But it was the truth.

I heard a story about a world-class athlete who had an injury that took her out of competition for a very long time. Luckily she got healthy and her coach was ready to throw her back into competition. But there’s a huge difference between being healthy and being fit. That’s what’s so hard about being injured: you work so hard to fix your injury only to have to work hard again to claw your way up back to your peak fitness, all the while avoiding getting re-injured.

So this nameless athlete, she was finally healthy again, but she refused to show up to races because she said she “wasn’t ready.” Meaning, she was too afraid to lose. She did not want to race and lose to girls she would have beaten before her injury – she wanted to first regain her fitness, thenrace. But here’s the thing: you will never be “ready.” It takes racing – and losing – to regain your fitness and return to the competitive level you were at pre-injury. When you put walls in front of yourself because you’re afraid, you might find that you are never ready. The fear of racing and the possibility of losing became so large that she was never able to race … her career fizzled out and she never competed at the highest level again.

It takes bravery to race because racing is not about always being ready. The point is that we show up, then show up again, then keep showing up until we finally achieve our goal. When you win or run a personal best, that’s fantastic. But when you don’t, you still benefit. You’ve still committed to something and followed through. You’ve gained experience, you’ve gained fitness, and you’ve gained pride. That’s what racing is all about.

Coach Cristobal Headlines Star-Studded TrackTown Tuesday

Oregon head football coach Mario Cristobal talks to the TrackTown Tuesday crowd.

By Brenten Kelly / TrackTown USA

An impressive lineup of Oregon-based talent headlined TrackTown Tuesday in front of a crowd of 150 at the Downtown Athletic Club on March 5.

Oregon head football coach Mario Cristobal started the night by reminiscing on the lessons he learned from his time as an athlete at the University of Miami and as an assistant working under Alabama coach Nick Saban. He also walked the crowd through how his staff built one of the best recruiting classes in the country.

“The number one thing is: it’s Oregon. It sells itself,” Cristobal said. “People ask what do you do that’s different? What is the secret sauce? It’s being genuine, passionate and getting after it. To us, working hard doesn’t cut it. You have to be passionate and fanatical about your approach.”

Cristobal emphasized the inclusion and warmth the city of Eugene has shown to his family. In addition, he spoke about how the connection to the history of Oregon football has had a powerful impact on his team.

“Our young men had to recognize the history of Oregon and what Oregon is,” he said. “You have to know and understand those who came before you. What they did, how they did it and why it is so important. We have our guys take a deep dive into history…Your love for a place genuinely grows when you understand all the people that have worn the same shoes you have worn.”

The UO track and field program was represented by freshman Max Vollmer, sophomore Keira McCarrell and assistant coach Seth Henson.

Vollmer, a decathlete, is eager to start his collegiate career for Oregon this spring after an impressive fifth-place showing for his native Germany at the 2017 European Athletics U20 Championships. He cited former Duck Ashton Eaton as his role model and part of the reason he wanted to come to Oregon.

“Ashton Eaton is the reason why I started doing the decathlon,” Vollmer said. “I like to think about human limits. I’m interested in what I can achieve. Ashton was good in all these events. He was my motivation. I watched all his videos to understand his greatness.”

McCarrell, a javelin thrower who qualified for the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships, is focusing on the heptathlon this season. She described the magical feeling she gets from the Hayward Field fans.

“We had our high school state meets at Hayward,” said McCarrell, who attended West Salem High School. “The culture was so contagious. There’s nowhere else in the country that is going to have a community like this. When you’re coming down that homestretch, the energy brings you home.”

UO track & field assistant coach Seth Henson appears onstage with multi-event athletes Keira McCarrell and Max Vollmer (left to right).

Henson, an Oregon native, works with the UO multi-event athletes along with pole vaulters and high jumpers. He explained the balancing act of coaching multi-event athletes.

“You have to be a jack of all and a master of none,” Henson said. “In the multi venture, always trying to juggle their athletic development with the technical side of it…There is a lot of communication in our room.”

The show’s final guest was Sabrina Southerland, a new addition to the Oregon Track Club Elite roster. Southerland is not a new face in the Eugene community – after graduating from Georgetown in 2017, she joined the Ducks for her final year of collegiate eligibility.

Those in attendance were treated to the video of Southerland’s 800m win at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships. Southerland remembered the race well.

“I could hear Coach Johnson say ‘Relax! Relax Sabrina!’” Southerland said. “I just had this really strong surge at the end. I was like, why not? I felt really confident at that point.”

The next TrackTown Tuesday will be April 2.

Former Duck Sabrina Southerland talks about joining Eugene-based professional team Oregon Track Club Elite.

Family Dynamic on Display at TrackTown Fitness

TrackTown Fitness participants enjoy the views around Autzen Stadium. Photo: Hannah Clauss, TrackTown USA

By Brenten Kelly / TrackTown USA

EUGENE, Ore. – As 2019 rolls on, TrackTown Fitness continues to bring together runners and walkers of all backgrounds on Sunday mornings.

One family, in particular, illustrates the pervasive sense of community that has become the program’s defining characteristic. On Feb. 3, Jim Johnson and his son, Eric, worked to follow the quick pace of Eric’s young son, Holbrook.

“This is me and my wife’s third year of coming here,” Jim Johnson said. “We try to maintain a good base of fitness. She is a master’s track runner, so this fits in really well.”

Jim Johnson’s wife, Mary, was a UO track athlete in the 1980s. Together, they now share the joy of exercise with their son and grandson.

“We just love the community feel of this,” Jim Johnson said. “The people you see coming year after year, watching them progress. This whole feel of being involved. It’s a great party and gets you out of bed on Sunday mornings.”

Eric enjoys the family time that he is able to share with his Dad and his son.

“I grew up running with my dad,” Eric Johnson said. “It’s just about being fit and being healthy – and coming out here and trying to instill that mindset in Holbrook.”

The value of physical activity at every age is an important tenet of the program, and it is often highlighted through the ‘Run with the Doc’ segment. The most recent iteration of TrackTown Fitness on Feb. 10 featured pediatric hospitalist Dr. Serena Black from PeaceHealth Medical Group.

Dr. Serena Black, a pediatric hospitalist with PeaceHealth Medical Group, discusses the importance of physical activity for people of all ages. Photo: Hannah Clauss, TrackTown USA

Dr. Black applauded the effort she saw on display during the workout. “It’s been wonderful,” Dr. Black said. “This is a nice opportunity to interact and see these people in their different stages of training. They are all motivated to be out here, even in the cold…I think that program is a real motivator if you have a plan every Sunday to come out.”

Dr. Black is a runner herself and reminded participants that it is never too late to start a healthy lifestyle.

“I would tell people that I was never a runner or physically active till three and half years ago,” Dr. Black said. “I didn’t think I could do it. I just started with a few miles and gradually worked in to it and it’s been such a liberating thing to realize how much your body really can do. Everybody at different levels should be out there moving and interacting with the environment. Try to set a goal and try to reach it.”

OTC Elite athletes have been in attendance throughout the program to encourage those goals – Nijel Amos, Hassan Mead, Ben Blankenship, Tom Farrell, Sabrina Southerland, Andy Trouard and Vincent Ciattei among them. The elite athletes have been eager to coach, answer questions, and provide support for the runners and walkers week to week.

The next TrackTown Fitness will be Sunday, Feb. 17 at 8 a.m at Autzen Stadium.

Alexi Pappas: Good Idea to Embrace Invisible Tradeoffs

By Alexi Pappas / TrackTown USA

A family member passed away recently and I needed to fly to the east coast with two days notice for the funeral. This is tough news for anybody, but for an athlete, traveling is doubly challenging: when your job is your body, intensive travel takes on a whole new level of costs. I needed to get from remote Mammoth Lakes in California to the east coast, which is not easy in the middle of winter.

For an athlete, traveling doesn’t just mean you’re sleepy the next day, it can potentially throw your entire training cycle off balance, and possibly even lead to injury. Runners love routine – I’ve written about this before. But sometimes, immediate circumstances come up which override all else.

I needed to be there.

Naturally, the upcoming journey felt stressful. I was sad for my family’s loss. As an athlete, I had two training runs and a long run on my original training schedule which I’d now need to somehow figure out how to fit in. To make matters worse, my flight out of Mammoth was delayed and the airline rebooked me on a redeye. I didn’t sleep at all and only had one hour from when I arrived on the east coast until I needed to leave with my family for the funeral. Since I landed feeling quite sleep-deprived, I decided to take the day off. I think most runners in my position would have made a similar choice. In my mind, one day off wasn’t a big deal. I would still make it back home to do my long run the next day.

The weather, however, had other plans. Due to high winds, my return flight back to Mammoth was re-routed to San Francisco. Instead of being at home with my teammates, I was stuck in an airport hotel in an industrial area until the next day. As icing on this terrible cake, it was pouring rain and howling wind and the hotel treadmills were all broken. It was one challenge after another.

Still, I thought, I couldn’t skip my long run – especially since I hadn’t run the day before. I didn’t want to start out my week with a huge mileage deficit. So I laced up my shoes and braved the crazy storm outside along the industrial road.

Within minutes I knew this run was a bad idea. I was in the hurt box, bad. I could feel the exhaustion from the weekend, both emotional and physical, down to my bones. Each step felt like a struggle. Now look – I’ve had tough runs before, and I know that sometimes you just need to suck it up and push through. I’m not one to shy away from hard work. But deep down, I knew that this wasn’t one of those moments. I knew this from experience. Because through my experience as an athlete over the years, I’ve come up with the concept of “invisible tradeoffs.”

An invisible tradeoff is when you need to sacrifice your training for the greater good because of a reason that might not have been intentional at first. In my case, it was not my intention that my weekend would be as exhausting and stressful as it was. Because here’s the thing: your cells know EFFORT. When your body is tired it needs to recover, period. Even though a sleepless night on an airplane will not result in the same athletic benefits as a long run, your body’s need for recovery is the same. If you ignore the invisible tradeoff and try to have both things – the exhausting weekend and the long run – you are taking a serious risk of injury.

Luckily, as the windswept rain crashed into my face, I saw two high school-aged boys merrily trotting along the path ahead of me. They were wrestlers trying to lose weight before a big match. I asked if they were from around here and if I could run with them. And since I was trying too hard to run fast on my own, I knew that going with these boys would not only feel safer, it would be smarter for my body because it would force me to run their pace: in this case, high school wrestler slow.

I tucked in behind them and just ran whatever they were doing, which ended up being much less mileage at a far slower pace. I felt bad for a moment that I was running so slowly, but then I reminded myself of the tradeoff I was making and put the run into perspective.

I made it back to my hotel and promptly passed out until my flight the next morning. The following week, I had one of the best training weeks of my life, including a mile repeats workout that I will never forget. Had I over-trained and under-rested the weekend before – ignored the invisible tradeoff of the travel and stress – I probably would have had a mediocre training week at best, and an injury at worst.

Here’s the thing about invisible tradeoffs: we need to accept that they are real, legitimate things that demand recovery just as much as any training. I imagine that many stress fractures and other over-training injuries could be avoided if more coaches and athletes took invisible tradeoffs into account. As athletes, we either need to have the maturity to accept these changes in plans, or at the very least, tell ourselves: let’s not and say we did!

TrackTown Tuesday Features Oregon Student-Athletes, OTC Elite and Eugene Civic Alliance

Jonathan Harvey and Jessica Hull discuss the Oregon track & field student-leadership team. (Photo: TTUSA)

By Brenten Kelly / TrackTown USA

Athletes and advocates alike took the stage at the first TrackTown Tuesday of 2019 in front of a crowd of 150 at the Downtown Athletic Club on Feb. 5.

The night started with a touching tribute to Barbara Kousky, who passed away last December. Kousky was an important figure in the Oregon Track Club and had a long and distinguished career in track and field management.

UO senior and 2018 NCAA outdoor 1,500-meter champion Jessica Hull was joined by her Duck teammate Jonathan Harvey, a hurdler and member of the men’s 4x400m relay. Harvey, a California native, explained his journey to becoming a part of the Oregon athletic tradition.

“Growing up, Oregon was always my dream school,” said Harvey. “I used to follow the football and track team all the time. I ran track when I was a little kid. So it was just destiny honestly.”

Hull and Harvey were selected by their peers to be on the leadership council for the track and field team. That council sets the precedent for what it means to be an Oregon student-athlete.

“We are trying to develop this concept of being a Duck,” said Hull. “Figuring out what that means as an individual and what that means as a collective, day in and day out for practice and competition.”

“Being a Duck to me starts with school,” Harvey added. “Making sure you’re doing the work, going to class and sitting in the front, to be an example for non-athletes and our teammates. On the track, [it means] working hard and showing you are relentless. That you want to get better everyday.”

OTC Elite newcomers Drew Piazza and Vincent Ciattei both made their TrackTown Tuesday debuts. As star distance runners from Virginia Tech, Piazza and Ciattei run the 800m and 1,500m, respectively. What was once a dream to run for OTC Elite turned into a reality when Ciattei and Piazza got the message they had been waiting for.

Newcomers of OTC Elite, Vincent Ciattei and Drew Piazza (Photo: TTUSA)

“A few days before we got the email, we both said, ‘Wouldn’t it be great for us to run for OTC?’” said Ciattei. “I thought that would be the perfect set up. Then we got the email saying that exact same thing. It was just unbelievable.”

Piazza was drawn to the passionate track community of Eugene and the value that is placed on the history of the sport.

“Here in the community, everyone gets it,” said Piazza. “It’s awesome.”

Ciattei spoke of how surreal it has been for him to be a part of OTC Elite and to be training with the athletes he idolized in high school.

“Everyday at practice, we’re training with Olympians that I knew or looked up to,” said Ciattei. “We had something special at Virginia Tech, but this is a completely different level…I even had Nijel Amos as my phone background in high school.”

Bev Smith and Bridget Franek discuss the Civic Park project on behalf of Eugene Civic Alliance (Photo: TTUSA)

Bev Smith, Oregon women’s basketball legend and Executive Director of Kidsports, appeared on stage with Olympic steeplechaser Bridget Franek. They spoke about the progress of the Civic Park project on behalf of Eugene Civic Alliance. Smith stressed the importance of physical activity in the lives and health of children, and the need for the community to provide opportunities for youth sports.

“Kidsports has been in the community for 65 years and it’s founded under the premise that all kids play,” said Smith. “It is a right for these kids to play and improve their development.”

Franek outlined the evolution of Civic Park, which has raised more than $25 million and is still fundraising. The facility will house indoor courts and outdoor turf fields to accommodate all sports in the same footprint once occupied by Civic Stadium.

“We started construction in October of last year and the first phase is set to be completed in spring of 2020,” said Franek.

The next TrackTown Tuesday will be March 5.

TrackTown Fitness Kicks Off 2019 at Autzen Stadium

A crowd of 200 gather in the concourse of Autzen before the first TrackTown Fitness of the year. (Photo: Hannah Clauss)

By Brenten Kelly / TrackTown USA

EUGENE, Ore. – The 2019 TrackTown Fitness program started its 13-week journey on a foggy morning at Autzen Stadium last Sunday. An estimated 200 runners and walkers came prepared and eager to set their fitness goals for the year.

Andy Trouard, one of three OTC Elite athletes in attendance, was impressed by the big turnout for the first meeting.

“You don’t get the title ‘TrackTown USA’ for no reason,” Trouard said.

With Hayward Field under construction, TrackTown Fitness is now held at Autzen Stadium. The route along the concourse and perimeter of the stadium stretches 700 meters. The trees mixed with the fog along the northeast side provided a scenic backdrop for the early morning participants.

Vin Lananna, UO associate athletic director, kicked things off with an overview of the fitness program. Lananna emphasized the great opportunity to run or walk at Autzen Stadium and touched on an upcoming session to be held on Pre’s Trail. The overall message was to motivate the crowd to be active during the program and beyond.

Dr. Lorne Bigley, a family medicine physician with PeaceHealth Medical Group, also spoke to the crowd about the vital role of physical activity in overall health. He did so as part of “Run with the Doc”, an engagement made possible by TrackTown Fitness partner PeaceHealth.

Dr. Lorne Bigley of PeaceHealth Medical Group discusses the importance of living an active lifestyle. (Photo: TTUSA)

No experience is required for TrackTown Fitness. The free weekly program is open to all ages and abilities. On Sunday, toddlers, seniors, and those in between were seen having a great time. Runners, joggers and walkers can go at their own pace. The goal is to start the week with a sense of community and exercise, and to carry that momentum forward.

OTC Elite’s Ben Blankenship, Sabrina Southerland and Trouard were on hand to support the runners and walkers. They enjoyed the enthusiasm of the crowd.

“Today was pretty cool,” Southerland said. “Meeting all these people, coming out so early in the morning to walk, run and jog. Really amazing to get to know a lot of the people here in the community and their passion for running.”

The next TrackTown Fitness will be Sunday, Feb. 3 at 8 a.m. at Autzen Stadium.

UO Heads to Razorback Invitational; OTC Elite Eyes Seattle

By Brenten Kelly / TrackTown USA

EUGENE, Ore. – After a solid start to the indoor track and field season at the UW Preview, the Ducks are looking ahead to the Razorback Invitational on Friday and Saturday, in Fayetteville, Ark. Oregon head coach Robert Johnson is bringing a full team to Arkansas for their second meet of the year.

“It’s a step up in competition for us,” Johnson said. “We’re taking a full contingent…all of our cards and everyone we have will be competing.”

Ducks Track & Field Head Coach Robert Johnson previews the upcoming Razorback Invitational. (Photo: TrackTown USA)

Johnson discussed the shortness of the indoor season and what it means for the Ducks to improve every meet.

“Season starts in January and ends in March,” he said. “It’s one of those things that hurries by. You have a few opportunities to see where you are and couple other opportunities to etch your name before you have the conference meet.”

Senior Jessica Hull, the reigning NCAA outdoor 1,500-meter champion, will run in her first meet of the season along with 12 other Ducks making their indoor debuts. She is entered in the distance medley relay on Friday and the mile on Saturday. Hull says this will feel like ripping off a band-aid, but is ready to start.

Jessica Hull will make her 2019 indoor season debut this upcoming weekend. (Photo: TrackTown USA)

“It’s a shock to the system,” Hull said. “I put a few weeks of training here now. Coming off a really big cross season. I’m expecting it to be really hard, but I’m ready to embrace that and hopefully it feels a bit better each time.”

UO junior Tristian James competed in the long jump, triple jump and 60 meters at the UW Preview. James highlighted the scale of the Razorback Invitational and what it means for the rest of the season.

“Going to be a big meet,” he said. “Big name schools are coming. We are going to have a lot of (NCAA) qualifiers not only at the meet, but for the Ducks.”

After the Razorback Invitational, the Ducks will travel to Albuquerque, N.M. for the Don Kirby Invitational on Feb. 8-9.

The Ducks won’t be the only local track and field athletes in action this weekend.

Oregon Track Club Elite will be represented by four athletes at the UW Invitational in Seattle on Saturday.

Hanna Green is entered in the women’s mile, while Harun Abda is expected to compete in the 400 meters. In addition, Drew Piazza and Neil Gourley will be making their OTC Elite debuts in the men’s mile.

OTC Elite newcomers Drew Piazza, Neil Gourley, and Vincent Ciattei (left to right). Piazza and Gourley will make their OTC debuts this weekend at UW. (Photo: OTC Elite)

Abda said he would be using the race as preparation for the USATF Indoor Championships, Feb. 22-24, at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island, N.Y. Abda hopes to compete in the 600m at the national indoor meet.

“I’ll be using starting blocks for the first time so I’m hoping that goes OK,” Abda jokingly said.

Alexi Pappas: On the Importance of Dynamic Movement

By Alexi Pappas / TrackTown USA

I never knew quite how important dynamic movement was to my health as a runner until after my first major injury when I had to regain all my fitness from scratch. For me, “dynamic movement” refers to exercises that force my body to move and gain strength in non-running ways – specifically, side-to-side and up-and-down movements that don’t strengthen naturally with running alone. While dynamic movement doesn’t directly make you a faster runner, high dynamic strength can be a helpful factor on an uneven cross country course or in a rough track race, and most importantly, having a dynamically strong body increases durability and prevents injuries.

When I was developing as a runner in high school, dynamic movement was a major part of my training, but I just didn’t know it. Competitive soccer (and recreational basketball and other sports) were an integral part of my life until college – what I knew was that it made me happy, what I didn’t know was that playing other sports made me a much stronger and more durable runner.

In soccer, for example, as compared to running, movement is much more lateral and unpredictable. Movement happens in all directions, including sometimes up in the air, and a goal in training is to prepare your body to jump, slide, switch directions, or execute any number of other movements quickly and efficiently. So naturally, the training included more lateral, dynamic, and jumping type movements as compared to my cross country and track training which was much more straightforward (no pun intended).

When I went to Dartmouth, I carried over much of the durability soccer lent me into my collegiate running life. I believe my athleticism sustained throughout my first few years at Dartmouth and likely even beyond, since I did not get any injuries. Perhaps my participation in intramural hockey my freshman year played some role, but in any case, I still felt like an athlete. I went to Oregon for a 5th year and we were trained in dynamic movements by legendary coach Jimmy Radcliffe. Our running coach, Maurica Powell, worked to incorporate Coach Radcliffe’s training into our routines, and many of the movements we did reminded me of what I might have done as a soccer player. I did not feel particularly graceful when doing those routines, but I knew that small doses of athleticism continued to be infused into my training and would benefit me tremendously.

My dynamic athleticism continued into my professional career, where my coaches continued to have us jump, throw, push, and more at practice (outside of our running), but ultimately I got my first serious injury at age 27 shortly after the 2016 Rio Olympics. This injury happened after a series of sudden stresses that I encountered at once, and mainly boiled down to over-training and under-resting as I transitioned into becoming a marathoner. The injury took me out of running for nearly six months. It took me months to find the right kind of care to help my specific injury, and by the time I did, I was completely out of shape. I tried to maintain my fitness through cross-training, but we didn’t want to push my body and exacerbate my injuries through overdoing the cross-training. So, the result was that I not only lost my running fitness, but also the athletic dynamic movement durability that I had built up.

In time, I became healthy and was able to run and train again. Then, just as I was beginning to taste fitness again, I got re-injured. I recovered, started running little by little, and got injured again. I didn’t understand why I was caught in this cycle. What was I missing?

Then I sat down with my physio, John Ball, and his team at Maximum Mobility Chiropractic in Arizona, and discovered the issue. Instead of just looking at my injury in the moment, John traced me back to my athletic roots. When I first found running and started to get really good, I was coming to the sport as an athlete. I was already playing soccer, basketball, and softball – and this athletic background provided the foundation for my transition into running. As I was running more and getting faster, I was doing it with an athletic body that had a built-in durability. Now, here I was trying to come to running from zero. It was like I was trying to paint a wall without putting the primer down first. None of the paint could stick. I understood that as I worked to slowly regain my running fitness, I also needed to work on regaining my athleticism. I needed to jump, leap, and move sideways. I needed to incorporate dynamic movement into my training.

Only this time, I would do it right. Instead of racing to reach 100 miles a week, I ran 4-5 miles a day and took high intensity interval training classes to help me become the durable athlete I needed to be. I dedicated time each day to working on my dynamic movement, pulling together my favorite exercises and drills into a “circuit” every day. At first, I almost did more dynamic movement work than running. Then, in time, I was able to incorporate more and more running. I started to recognize myself again – I started to feel the connection between my body and mind that I was familiar with, but hadn’t felt in a long time. Now, I run more miles than I do explosive jumps, but I will never completely phase out athletic movement in my training routine. Just yesterday, I picked up a basketball and dribbled it around the gym after weights practice, and I knew it was a good sign when I still felt somewhat natural going for a layup.

As a special addition to this story, I wanted to share more specifics about the dynamic movement “circuits” I created for myself. The inspiration for my circuits came from Dr. John Ball, Coach Jimmy Radcliffe’s book, and Sarah Whipple, a former UO teammate and a High Intensity Interval Training designer.

You do not need to do a circuit every day. They should be incorporated into your weekly plan as it makes sense, perhaps only doing circuits on easier running days. As your mileage increases, perhaps one circuit a week or on an off day is the best plan to avoid overtraining.

Now let’s get to the specifics. In total, one “circuit” takes me about 18 minutes. The 18 minutes are broken down into three 6-minute sets, each comprised of two different movements which I alternate back and forth (for a total of six movements). I like to do 40 seconds “on” followed by 20 seconds of rest, rotating between two different movements three times each. So the entire circuit looks like this:

In terms of what each of the four “movements” are, I follow these general guidelines: 1) something sideways, 2) something vertical, 3) something core, and 4) something where you “explode.”

Some specific examples: a speed ladder is great for the “sideways” circuit, step-ups on a low block work well for vertical, deadbugs are great for core, and med ball 180 turns are great for the “explosion” movement.

There are unlimited resources online for dynamic movement ideas, and it’s up to you to categorize them and build your own circuits. I like to switch it up – I never do the same circuit twice! This is important, since the whole point of dynamic movement is to constantly change things up and keep your body guessing. I have a trove of dozens of movements that I mix and match when I design my circuits.

Alexi Pappas: Why I Love Turkey Trots

By Alexi Pappas / TrackTown USA

I was introduced to the tradition of running “Turkey Trots” later in life. At first, the idea of running a race on Thanksgiving morning did not excite me: I’ve always been resistant to running on holidays, especially the one where I am meant to eat, take a nap, and then eat again. But now I’m hooked on the Turkey Trot tradition and it has become an indispensable part of what I look forward to when I think of Thanksgiving.

I ran my first Turkey Trot in the fall of 2016, shortly after the Rio Olympics. This was a large Turkey Trot with an entire field of elite athletes. But there was also an open race with hundreds of people, and I convinced my husband, dad, and best friend to sign up. After the elite race finished, I joined my family in the crowded open field. It was wonderful. We were surrounded by people, some serious and some running in turkey costumes, and the atmosphere was festive and playful. When my husband stopped to walk, I walked with him. It was so different from the sometimes stressful world of “serious” racing. It was a nice reminder that racing is FUN. After the race we drove back home and had our Thanksgiving feast, buzzing with the energy of having just run a race together. It was a bonding experience. I loved it.

When I reflect back on why I loved my Turkey Trot experience so much, I realized that it came down to a sharing of joy. First, fun-running in the open race with my loved ones reminded me of my love of running and the running community. Without the pressure to perform and run fast, I was able to enjoy all the little things that make running such a special group sport. Rather than zoom past the spectators and volunteers along the course, I could slow down – or even stop – to give a high-five and have a connection. I ran with my phone, snapping selfies along the way. I had a blast. And the next time I toed the line at a competitive road race that would have otherwise been nerve-wracking, instead I was reminded of all the FUN things associated with road racing and it brought a smile to my face.

But the joy isn’t one-way. I believe that by running in the Turkey Trot together, my loved ones also gained a deeper appreciation for the sport I love so much. Often, when my husband or dad is at a race, they’re there to watch and support me. They enjoy being there, don’t get me wrong, but frankly it can be a bit stressful. They know that I have professional and personal stakes in the race, so there’s a competitive anxiety in the air, which can be exciting but also not super joyful. And also, they are on the sidelines. Like many family members who come to support us runners, our loved ones are not able to run at the level we are. So when they come to a race to support us, they exist on the outside. But when we all run the Turkey Trot, stopping for walk-breaks as needed and just having fun, we are all in it together. They get to experience the joy of participating in a race themselves, no matter what their pace. And that personal experience of joy stays with them, helps them have a deeper appreciation for the sport, and ultimately brings them closer to you. In a sport that can so often feel isolating and individual, especially at the highest level, this kind of inclusion can be so important! It fuels your whole team. And when your team is strong, cohesive, and positive, that fuels you as an athlete.

For those of you still skeptical about taking the Turkey Trot plunge, I get it. I was once like you. But here are eight reasons why I love Turkey Trots and why I think you will too:

• Everyone can participate together. My dad semi-walked it, my husband raced against my best friend, and I raced against elite runners when we all ran the Silicon Valley Turkey Trot. It was amazing to all toe the line together.

• You can stay local. Most towns host their own Turkey Trots. There are large ones, and smaller ones, and they all feel like a community gathering.

• It’s a holiday, so the atmosphere is festive! The thing about a Turkey Trot is that everyone’s there to have FUN. Sometimes road races can get intense, but that tends not to happen on a Turkey Trot. People are there to cheer and celebrate and get pumped up for dinner!

• It’s short. Most turkey trots are short enough that there’s a race in there, but you’re still going to have energy for the rest of the holiday – maybe even more energy after that runner’s high! It’s the perfect amount of challenge to give you and your family that nice sense of accomplishment.

• It’s genuinely healthy to move around before you feast. In fact, you might find that you enjoy your Turkey Day meal even more after that burst of excitement from your morning Turkey Trot. Don’t be shy about luxuriating in a post-meal nap – you’ll have earned it.

• The weather can be awesome. It’s nice to have an excuse to get outside and spend time in the fall before winter sets in.

• Race shirt with a turkey on it: I have so many race shirts, but one of my favorites is my Turkey Trot shirt because … it’s silly! It has an adorable turkey on it. Plus, if your whole family participates, then you all get to look super cool in your matching shirts.

So, if you’re on the fence, just give it a try – and I promise that you’ll have a good time, and maybe even discover a new tradition that you’ll look forward to for years to come.

Alexi Pappas: Lessons Learned from my First Marathon

By Alexi Pappas / TrackTown USA

Since I ran my first race, a 5k fun run attached to a larger marathon in Napa, Calif., I have understood the marathon to be the most classic distance race. I remember watching my dad cross and collapse across the finish line of the marathon later that day with a time of just over 4 hours, and I remember how proud but tired he looked.

When I had the honor of sitting in the lead car for the New York City Marathon, I had the chance to see thousands of people cheering for loved ones alongside the course. I saw the leaders finish, and then, hours later after a dinner party at Tavern on the Green, I returned to the finish line and saw the very last runner complete her race with a small crew of marathon employees cheering her on. I had considered racing a marathon last year and even two years ago, but decided to wait until the moment felt right – and this year at the Chicago Marathon, I decided the time was right to finally brave this epic event myself.

The 2018 Chicago Marathon was my first serious race since the 10,000 meters at the 2016 Rio Olympics (I’m not counting the 5k Turkey Trot I ran in November 2016, which was literally the last time I stepped up to a starting line). I took significant time away from competition to deal with the first big injury of my life, and also to give myself some time to transition to marathon training. My training cycle building up for Chicago had gone very well, but my coach made sure I was aware of what the specific goal of this marathon was: to race, of course, but most importantly, to gain an understanding of the marathon itself. Mentors had told me that the marathon could be considered its own sport entirely different than track. But until I experienced it myself, I couldn’t quite fathom what this truly meant.

Before the race, I spent time visualizing the race and imagining parts where I thought I might struggle. I imagined myself pushing through the rough patches and continuing on. I visualized myself executing the race plan I developed with my coach. I imagined myself excelling in this new event. I even spoke to young athletes at an event in Chicago a few days before the race about this very concept: about how if you visualize yourself not giving up then you are more likely to succeed. But no amount of visualizing could have possibly prepared me to truly understand what I was about to endure.

“I TOED THE START LINE LIKE GOOD PASTA: SLIGHTLY UNDERCOOKED. MAYBE TOO UNDERCOOKED, BUT THAT IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN OVERCOOKED.” – ALEXI PAPPAS

I toed the start line like good pasta: slightly undercooked. Maybe too undercooked, but that is always better than overcooked. I felt the same pang of excited nervousness that I missed so much during my time off from racing. I was at the very front of the start line, with thousands of people behind me all about to wrestle the same monumental task together. I thought for a moment about how running is a team sport masked as an individual sport. Then the gun went off, and we went.

The first unexpected thing I noticed was my GPS watch didn’t work properly amongst all the other GPS-clad runners and tall buildings. I would need to split my watch manually and try to run by feel – but for me, coming off such a long break, running 5:45 per mile pace wasn’t as intuitive as it used to be. I hadn’t run consistently at that pace so often, especially because my training was done at high altitude (8,000 feet), where we generally train much slower. But I stayed calm and tucked into a pack. I found a group of men to run with, but quickly found that, like me, they were also having trouble sticking to one pace. Then it began to rain! I felt excited and grateful to be racing, but increasingly overwhelmed by what became a much more complicated race.

Then, about 10 miles into the race, I began to feel a weakness in my leg that had previously been injured. My hamstring was tugging and I felt my mobility decrease with each passing mile. The feeling wasn’t pain, more of a limitation, but it was unexpected and restrictive nonetheless. I’ve experienced moments of pain before in races, where it was up to me to push through, but this was different. It wasn’t a matter of pain, it was a matter of mechanical limitation. Apparently, though I was healthy in every other way, my hamstring was not yet strong enough to carry me at those paces for a marathon distance. This limitation had never revealed itself in practice, but now – at a distance beyond anything I’d ever raced before – I was forced to deal with a challenge I had not anticipated or prepared for at all.

Inside, I had a moment of realization where I understood I was not going to physically be able to achieve the goal I had set for myself. It was not about mentally pushing myself to do it – I’m no stranger to pain but I literally could not run faster than I was running. But that didn’t mean I needed to stop. I could feel that my hamstring could keep going, just not anywhere near the pace I planned. I had a choice: clock a time I wasn’t hoping for and perhaps finish in a place that could be seen as embarrassing, or drop out. Some elite runners will drop out of a race so that they don’t finish with a “bad” time on their record. This is the easy way out. I thought about how I might feel ashamed to finish a race with a performance that is beneath what I am capable of and what people expect from me. What would be the worse failure: running slow or dropping out? Does crossing the line but not achieving your race plan mean you are a failure? Or is it better to stop so you can never know for sure how you would have finished? There is a lot of time in a marathon to think.

Alexi Pappas running the 2018 Chicago Marathon. (Photo: Alexi Pappas)

But then I opened my ears to the voices around me. All around me, people were cheering for me, yelling “go bravey!” I let those voices flood my mind for a mile or two and felt the sudden understanding that although I was no longer able to achieve my initial goal, I could still accomplish a goal. I could change my goal mid-race and redefine what success meant for me in this race. I changed my goal to simply focusing on finishing the race.

My goal was no longer to race the marathon but to finish it. Simply continuing to put one leg in front of the other became the ultimate challenge for me. I felt a sudden calmness – I felt that I was suddenly folding into the thousands of people behind who all had the very same goal. The Chicago Marathon is many people’s first marathon, and I imagined I was not the only one who would be beyond proud to finish the thing.

Every runner who passed me cheered for me, and I no longer felt ashamed. I felt grateful for their support, because it actually felt real. I felt like I was experiencing the world in slow motion. The race was long, so very long. But sure enough, 16 miles turned to 17, 18 to 19 … and so on. I focused on things outside of myself: the crowds, the city of Chicago, and the teens I’d told nights before that if chasing a goal were easy, anyone would do it. I told them I’d been the worst on my team before, which was the case when I first went to college. I worked my way up slowly. I understood at mile 22 that the marathon might feel the same way. I have always been a late bloomer and nothing has ever come easy for me. But when I hang in there, things do come. I know the marathon is like that too.

I will never forget the feeling when I saw the finish line. Alongside the finishing straightaway were all the people I loved: my family, my husband, my coach, my team, and even my best friend since I was two years old. I felt overwhelmingly proud because I knew I accomplished my goal. I also felt a twinge of sadness that I had to let go of my initial goals – but I knew that was because of a factor beyond my control – my hamstring – and I had no choice.

That’s the tricky thing: determining when you should re-frame your goal versus when you need to dig deep and double down on it. You control what you can control, and you can’t control what you can’t control. For example, it started pouring down rain in the middle of the race – another uncontrollable factor. If that had been the only uncontrollable thing to happen to me, I still would have needed to adjust my goal to account for the slower pace due to rain. The things you can control – pain, determination, fueling – those are factors that, ideally, should never cause you to re-frame your goal. Those are things you work hard to perfect and conquer. These challenges are characteristic of all the races I’ve ever run. I’ve always had to make choices to not give up. But how do you know the difference between reframing your goals versus giving up?

Alexi Pappas and Jeremy Teicher catch up post-marathon. (Photo: Alexi Pappas)

It is incredibly important for us as athletes to understand the difference so that we can properly assess our decisions during a race and maintain our integrity to our goals. The most important thing as athletes is to have integrity with our goals: which simply means that we always want to try our best. If trying our best is compromised by things within our control, this is a problem, but if our best is compromised by things out of our control, then doing our best simply means performing to the best of our ability within the new limitations. So even if your goal changes – your pace is slower due to rain – your integrity is still maintained.

At the Chicago Marathon, I was fighting two limitations that were totally out of my control: the rain and, more urgently, my hamstring. In this situation, trying my best meant reframing my goal. I still felt sad about not being capable of achieving what I set out to do, but I was happy I had integrity as an athlete nonetheless. And what made this experience particularly special to me was that I was not alone in this endeavor. In the Chicago Marathon, there were thousands of people all trying to do the same thing: to run with integrity. I sensed that as I was pushing myself, so was everyone else around me at the very same time. I understood that this experience connected me not only to the runners around me, but also to all marathoners who have ever crossed the finish line.

Alexi Pappas: A Good Coach will Help You Love Your Sport

By Alexi Pappas / TrackTown USA

Running is a sport where the athletes are driven by love: at some point along our athletic journeys, we fell in love with the sport. This love can strike at any stage in life, but for many of us, it was first sparked by a coach – sometimes later in life, but often in high school.

It is not always our choice what coach we might have in high school, but the lucky ones get someone who is selfless, energetic, and thoughtful. A great coach, I observe, turns “I” into “We” and gives athletes permission to believe in themselves. 

My high school experience was quite different. When I was in high school, I didn’t love running. The coaches at my high school (at the time) were insistent on everyone on the team focusing solely on running – this may be a good idea for a college athlete or an aspiring Olympian, but I was only 16 years old when I was asked to quit all other activities and just run. And while I was a very talented runner, one of the best in California as a sophomore, I wasn’t in love with the sport yet. I enjoyed winning and I enjoyed running as one of the many activities I did at the time: soccer, theater, student government – activities I loved because of the leadership I found in coaches and mentors there. I was not ready to quit soccer, student government or theater.

A 16-year-old should never be asked to quit anything. A 16-year-old should be encouraged to do all the things that will stretch her mind into believing in itself. And so, I got kicked off my high school team by coaches who simply didn’t understand this. I didn’t run my junior and senior years of high school. My high school coach had a hugely negative impact on my impression of running. It would have been very easy for me to never run again.

But my life changed when I got a phone call from the first coach who helped me understand what running can be at its best: her name was Maribel Souther and she became not only a coach but a mentor and a maternal figure for me as I moved across the country to pursue running at Dartmouth. The first thing Maribel did was to bring my new teammates and me to the woods of New Hampshire to engage in a training camp where there was no tap water or electricity. There, we had no distractions besides the sound of our footsteps in the woods. There, I understood that running could be a team sport and that it was okay to love running and also be good at running. At the time, I was the worst on my team and also in the Ivy League and probably one of the worst D1 runners in the country. I was not good enough to travel and compete with the team. However, that did not mean I couldn’t love it. Maribel took us adventuring through the woods and allowed me to understand how to amuse in pain alongside teammates who truly wanted me to be by their side. I improved slowly but surely. Being good, I learned, would come with loving what I was doing. And loving what I was doing took being around other people, and most importantly a leader, who loved what they were doing.

Maribel retired from coaching when I was entering my junior year, and this was when I was lucky to meet another incredible coach in my life: Mark Coogan. Where Maribel essentially introduced me to running in a way I hope people get to be introduced when they are much younger, Mark brought me into the mental side of the sport and showed me what believing in myself really meant. Mark is himself an Olympian, and so his confidence in me meant a lot. It was more impactful for me to hear Mark tell me it was okay to set lofty goals than when my dad told me the very same thing. This is the benefit of having a coach who has “been there,” as Mark has. It’s a different sort of mentorship than your parents can ever provide. Mark picked up where Maribel left off and helped me understand that my love for running could translate seamlessly into my commitment to my goals in running and, ultimately, success beyond my wildest dreams. I may not have been ready to take this kind of step as a 16-year-old, but when I met Mark, I was 20 and ready. Mark gave me permission to believe in myself in a way that has left a permanent impact on me. I have not stopped believing in myself.

When I had the chance to go to Oregon for a fifth year to be coached by the incredible Maurica Powell, I took it. Maurica is a rare person in that she is able to be extremely focused on coaching at the highest level one moment, and then switch gears and show us how to have a flourishing personal life outside the sport. Yes, Maurica elevated me as a nationally competitive and NCAA Championship team member athlete, but she also showed my team and me what it was to be a successful woman with a thriving career and vital family life. There were times when Maurica told us when she had stayed up late because her son was sick, and there were also times when she didn’t tell us anything about her personal life because it was Championship week. In total, she knew how to help us develop as athletes who could win national titles and also as people who can envision their life after college, and for that I am very grateful. Maurica knew that in order to be a successful athlete, you need to feel that you are thriving. This is a word that she uniquely used, and it continues to be a guidepost for any life decision I make today: “will this choice make me thrive more or less?” This guidepost applies to everything from training decisions to non-athletic choices – a thriving life needs to be balanced, and that balance is different for everyone. This was the perfect lesson to learn as I transitioned into a professional running career.

As a professional, I’ve had the gift of being coached by Mark Rowland, Ian Dobson, and Andrew Kastor, who helped me become the Olympian I am. Coaching in the pro world feels similar but different from coaches in the academic world: you become more of a partner with your coach, two professionals chasing the same goal. But the same general principles still apply: a good coach will always make you believe in yourself and encourage you to have a thriving life … and above all, a good coach helps you understand how to love the sport.

Alexi Pappas: Nothing Routine about Summer Training

By Alexi Pappas / TrackTown USA

My college coach once told me that a solid fall season is made in the summer. At the time, this didn’t make sense to me, but now I understand that summer is the time to rejuvenate, prepare, and grow in a different way than is possible during the school year. Over the summer, we grow on our own terms.

So what does it actually look like to transition from the team season and school year to the summer time when we must fend for ourselves? The biggest change is in the routine. Routine is very important for a runner. Whether it’s daily team practice, adult running groups, or even just a morning run, committing to a routine is key to achieving athletic goals. So, as we enter summertime, when our established routines are put on hold – school is out, work gives way to vacation – it’s more important than ever to keep long-term goals in mind and proactively create new routines to stay on track.

Of course, it’s not always possible or even ideal to maintain the exact same routine in the summer as you did all year – but it is important to create a new routine that will work for your changing schedule. If your team does not meet for practice in the summer, or if you’re traveling and physically not in your usual place, you’ll have to plan ahead. Rather than suddenly find yourself off-balance in a new situation, it’s so important to expect and embrace this time and create a new routine. What I find is that if I don’t plan ahead and find myself in a new place or situation without a routine, it takes extra willpower to adjust and create a new routine on the fly, and my training takes a hit as a result.

The summer after my freshman year at Dartmouth I had my first full-time real job at a green start-up in Oakland, and I needed to learn how to train at a time other than my usual Dartmouth team schedule of early afternoon. I tried training in the morning but found that my sleep was too precious, so I adjusted to evening runs. I also found that I needed to run a few less miles to account for all the energy I put into that job. I always like to think about how my cells don’t know mileage, they know energy output—and I needed to adjust accordingly.

So, in order to proactively create your new routine, the first and most important step to a great summer is to determine what your goals are. It’s always important to know what your goals are, running or otherwise, so that you know what you’re working towards. Goals give us something to wake up for. Your goal could be preparing for a specific race, it could be to stay consistent and healthy, or you could be looking to build a strong base for a successful cross country season in the fall. Write your goals down so that no matter where summer brings you, you always know what your athletic trajectory will ideally be.

The second step is to anticipate the changes that you’ll be facing this summer and how that might impact the pursuit of your goals. Will your team stop meeting regularly? Do you have a vacation booked? Will you work full time? And so on.

The third step is to determine what new routines you’d like to establish to best achieve your summer goal. It’s also good to take a look inward and decide what you will need to thrive. If you love the regularity and accountability of team runs but your team is off for the summer, then communicate with like-minded runners and form your own group schedule together. If you know you’ll be in a new place, do the research ahead of time and locate the best running trails near where you’ll be staying. You could even reach out to local running groups and ask to temporarily fold in with them. Overall, the more you can plan ahead of time the easier it will be to get out the door each morning – you’re “checking a box” every day rather than reinventing the wheel each morning.

As you embark on your new routine, it’s very helpful to keep in touch with your teammates or running partners throughout the summer to remind you of your goals and to encourage you to be accountable. I never pushed to be in touch as much as I would during the school year, but it’s always great to have someone to check in with and feel a sense of satellite support. My class of girls on the Dartmouth cross country team had an email chain we used to keep in touch and share photos from our very different summers. I liked knowing that even though we were all somewhere different, we were also all preparing to reunite again.

I also find that it’s very helpful to continue calling training “practice,” even if you’re meeting just yourself and the birds! I set a specific time to get out the door each morning (or evening) so that I made sure I do it, just like I would if I had my coach waiting for me. This is also the advice I share with someone who is not on a team but who has a goal – anyone with a running goal might call their daily trainings their “practice.”

Also, remember to sleep! The school and work year can make it tough to find time to nap or get nine hours of sleep each night. The summer is a perfect time to sleep diligently, recharge, and convert all the hard work you did over the past year into growth. 

The last thought I’d like to leave you with is to embrace the change that summer brings and enjoy it! Yes, we runners are creatures of habit, but shaking up our normal routines can be incredibly positive for our long-term growth. It can be sad to leave the teammates you love, but take advantage of the opportunity to explore running on your own or with new people.

One summer when I was away from Dartmouth, I met and trained with a group of women who changed my running life. I was living in Los Angeles and I reached out to an all-adult-working-women group of runners called the “Janes,” and they showed me that running truly is a choice and our time training is meant to be relished. These women helped push me way out of my routine in a good way, as I’d wake up at 5:30 a.m. to meet them at some far away pier and chase the sun up into the sky as I listened to stories so different than those I’d hear from my college teammates.

So, if you’re traveling somewhere new, embrace the change. Running is the best way to discover a new place. Find new trails! Get lost! Make new running friends! Make this summer an adventure! Some of my favorite running memories are from when I’m exploring a new place and falling in love with new trails.

One summer, my teammate Greta Feldman and I decided last minute to go train in Park City, Utah, together, and every day felt like a new adventure as we discovered trails we never knew existed. When I went on family vacation to Paris in high school, I saw more of the city than anyone in my family because I ran outside every morning before our tourist activities began.

So just remember: as you identify your goals, anticipate the changes to your normal routine, and proactively prepare your new routines, remember to have fun and embrace this summer as an opportunity to grow.

USC Claims NCAA Title with Spectacular Finish

Kendall Ellis anchored the 4x400m relay, winning USC the national team title by 1 point. (Photo: Nick Lackides/TrackTown USA)

By Linden Moore / TrackTown USA

The USC Trojans won their second team outdoor championship title on Saturday at the 2018 NCAA Women’s Track and Field Championships.

The Trojans were all smiles on the podium as they hoisted their trophy in the midst of a downpour at Hayward Field.

But their fairytale finish didn’t come easy.

USC wins the national team title  in a race that came down to the 4x400m. (Photo: Theo Mechain/TrackTown USA)

USC secured the team title with 53 points after trading spots back and forth throughout the day with Georgia and Stanford, who finished second and third, respectiverly, with 52 and 51 points. 

“I wanted it for the team. We wanted this so bad all season, we wanted to be national champions,” said USC senior anchor Kendall Ellis.

 Until the 4×400-meter relay, the odds of USC winning seemed unlikely. Coming into the last race of the day, the Trojans needed a photo finish to gain 10 points to secure the top spot on the podium.   

However, the standings didn’t deter Ellis and her teammates, sophomores Kyra Constantine, Anna Cockrell and senior Deanna Hill from keeping their sights on the championship. 

“We’re Trojans, it’s what we do, we fight on,” they chorused in the front of a group of reporters following their victory.

Purdue held a steady lead for most of the race until Cockrell, on her second leg, handed the baton to Hill for the third leg, who sprinted toward Ellis to deliver the baton for the final lap.

It was not a clean exchange. Hill’s mishandle of the baton almost cost them the win. Ellis almost tripped before sprinting the final 400m.

“I ended up tripping her, but we got it through and she took off and everything was good,” said Hill. “I passed it off to her, she didn’t take it the first time and the second time she put her hand out I got it in there.” 

Consequently, Ellis had to make up 15 meters to catch Purdue’s Jahneya Mitchell. Once Ellis got hold of the baton, she and her teammates knew she’d find a way to gain a fast kick to make it to the finish line.

“I knew she had it; I had no doubt in my mind that Kendall would take it,” Cockrell said. “Even though they bobbled the baton as soon as Kendall got it safely and took off there was no doubt in my mind we were going to win the team title.”

Overall, the group understood the importance of the finishing strong, and took that with them until the end.

“Bottom line, they knew it always comes down to the 4×4, it’s what we’ve been working through all season to finish off strong,” Ellis said.

USC head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert echoed her team’s excitement following her team’s victory.

“I’m still trying to recover,” she said. “It feels amazing I’m so proud.” 

Gilbert was unsure of the result until the last second when she nervously looked at the scoreboard.

“I didn’t know what time they were going to put on that board first. I was a wreck,” said Gilbert. 

The race demonstrated a concept that she’s emphasized throughout the season: for her team to focus on controlling their races and not stress about their fellow competitors. Another key message she shared with her team is that the process doesn’t have to be perfect. 

“One real major thing that I’ve been focusing on this year is it doesn’t have to be perfect to still get it done,” said Gilbert. 

Gilbert’s words rang true as her team faced the challenge head-on.

“I told them it’s going to come down to the national championship,” Gilbert said. “Be prepared for this very moment so it’s your moment. I knew that we could recover it and we just had to stay steady.”

Keturah Orj of Georgia claimed her fourth consecutive national title in the triple jump with a winning jump of 46 feet, ¾ inch (14.04m).

“I think I only took three jumps, I’m really happy with where I’m at,” Orji said.

Despite fouling on her first jump, she stayed steady throughout the rest of the competition to maintain her title.

“I wish I didn’t foul my first jump because I would’ve felt more confident during the competition,” she said. “The best thing you can do is get back out there and see if anyone responds to it.”

As he finishes her career at Georgia, Orji reflected on her goals coming into college.

“I didn’t think I’d accomplish that coming into college. I just knew how competitive it was to compete in collegiate track and field and I’m blessed to be able to do that,” she said.

In the end, the last NCAA Women’s Outdoor Championships at historic Hayward Field was one to remember.

Georgia, USC Men Celebrate Record-Breaking NCAA Meet

The Georgia Bulldogs win the 2018 NCAATF National Championships (Photo: Nick Lackides/TrackTown USA)

By Maggie Vanoni / TrackTown USA

The University of Georgia Bulldogs won their first-ever national team title at the 2018 NCAA Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Friday, but they were far from the only team celebrating.

USC finished fourth with 34 points, but they climbed onto the awards podium in spectacular fashion with three collegiate records.

Georgia built a 34-point lead after a solid opening day performance, and never dropped from first place throughout the two days of competition. The Bulldogs tallied a winning total of 52 points in front of the 11,644-person crowd at Hayward Field.

Two-time defending champion Florida placed second with 42 points for its 10th straight podium finish, while Houston was third with 35, matching its best NCAA team finish in school history.

“It’s pretty special,” Georgia head coach Petros Kyprianou said. “It’s extremely fulfilling right now.”

Four hundred meters may be just be one lap, but Friday night, the Trojans dominated the distance every chance they got.

Starting in the 400 meters, sophomore Michael Norman wowed the crowd with a winning time of 43.61 seconds.

It was more than just a personal best for Norman. He broke a 26-year-old meet record (USC’s Quincy Watts, 44.00), a 25-year-old Hayward Field record (Michael Johnson, 43.74) and the collegiate record set last year by Texas A&M’s Fred Kerley (43.70).

Norman’s time puts him as the No. 7 all-time performer in history and makes him the fastest American in the event since Jeremy Wariner in 2007.

Michael Norman after his 400m win which broke the collegiate, facility, and meet record. (Photo: Nick Lackides/TrackTown USA)

“I wasn’t surprised at all,” Norman said. “Coming into the race I knew the field was so deep, so I knew that it was going to be a challenge coming in, so they elevated me to this next level and we really worked off of each other.”

In the 400-meter hurdles, USC sophomore Rai Benjamin placed first with a personal best of 47.02. Besides breaking the NCAA meet and collegiate record of 47.56 set by Florida’s Kerron Clement in 2005, he also shattered the 25-year-old Hayward Field record of 47.69 set by Kevin Young. Most impressive, his performance is now equal to the No. 2 performer in world history, tying Edwin Moses’ all-time best mark.

“I saw 47.02, and I was just like, ‘okay that’s cool,’” Benjamin said. “It didn’t really hit me until the announcer said everything, and I walked over to the board and saw 47.02, and was like that’s a big leap from 47.98. I couldn’t be happier, and I think it’s still kind of soaking in.”

The Trojans weren’t done.

In the final event of the meet, the 4x400m relay, USC once again came out on top in record-setting fashion. With Norman and Benjamin both running sub-44 legs, the Trojans posted a winning time of 2:59.00, breaking the meet and collegiate records (LSU, 2:59.59, 2005), and the Hayward Field record (Texas A&M, 2:59.60, 2014).

“While we were warming up, we were watching them run and halfway through we walked over and watched Rai (Benjamin) win and we were like, ‘Alright, now it’s our time to get it,’” said USC freshman Zach Shinnick, who ran the third leg on USC’s relay.

Houston also started the day making history.

Winning their second consecutive NCAA outdoor 4×100-meter relay title at 38.17, the time marked more than just a season best. The Cougars walked off with a meet and collegiate record as they broke the old mark of 38.23 set by TCU in 1989. It also beat the Hayward Field record of 38.42 established by LSU in 2016.

“It was crazy, but it wasn’t anything that we hadn’t expected,” said Houston junior John Lewis III. “If you go in believing that you’re going to do something great, then you have a better chance at doing something great, and we did something great today.”

With four collegiate and six NCAA meet records, plus a school winning its first NCAA title, the final NCAA Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships at historic Hayward Field will go down as one of the best ever.