There is that time in
life where we are at our best. That
point where you are in sync both physically and mentally. You have a challenge. You visualize an outcome. You achieve that goal. A feeling of deep satisfaction and joy is created. A “high” of sorts is developed that keeps you
from being able to sleep at night. Your
focus is so real and vivid that you could almost reach out and touch it. Your mind has taken over in such a way that
you are on auto-pilot. Every breath,
every nerve impulse, every muscle contraction is happening at the exact time it
should--creating maximum effort and performance. The beast within your soul is
released!
I had the pleasure of
experiencing this feeling during the summer of 2013. In a span of two weeks, I ran the 5 fastest
races of my running career: a 3:37 1500 in Belgium, a 3:37 1500 in Italy, a
3:36 1500 in Germany, a 2:20 1000 in Belgium and a 3:36 1500 in Belgium. In each of these races I placed in the top 3
facing some of our nation’s and the world’s best middle distance athletes. Flotrack
was on site at many of these venues, and I recently watched some of the races
and interviews from these unforgettable milestones in my running career. I noticed a confidence and swag I never knew
I was capable of attaining. I noticed an
athlete on the rise. I noticed someone
with a potential that was just being tapped into. After my 2014 indoor and outdoor track
seasons came to a close, I look back at an athlete who completely lost these
feelings and thought it would be impossible to ever approach racing and
training in these ways again. However,
like we have all experienced many times in life—THINGS CHANGE—sometimes positively
and sometimes negatively. And it all starts with the mind.
My sole focus of this
2015 track and field campaign and beyond is to approach my training and racing
like I did that summer of 2013. I have
never felt so close to the reason why I was created to run as I did then. I feel like my main purpose in life is to run
and impact others through this sport. I
want to have fun again like I did in 2013, and I have now learned how to do
that. I learned that just like preparing
physically for a race, you have to take time and prepare mentally for one as
well—serious, thought-provoking, specific training. I had to make some changes with the way I
viewed myself, my goals and why I run track.
Do I run races only to run fast times? Do I have these high expectations
to only please others? Do I run because I am supposed to? Why do I run? Answering questions like these helped me find
my way mentally as I prepared to be the best athlete I can be. I had to figure out these and many other
questions for myself, and I am continuing to seek out and refine these
answers. My mental training has been the
key for me. I am having fun again. I
enjoy training again. I cannot wait to run every day (I am supposed to) again.
This past weekend
marked a pivotal point in the first 27 weeks of my season. A fresh start and many changes in my life
both personally and athletically took place then. And Saturday January 31st was my
first opportunity to see the outcome of the fruits of my own and many others
labor. My first indoor mile race took
place in Winston-Salem, NC, at the JDL Fast Track (www.jdlfasttrack.com)—the
fastest flat 200m track in the world. I
was slated to race against some of our nation’s best milers including Leo
Manzano (2012 Olympic Silver Medalist, 3:50 mile PR), Will Leer (top 5 in the
USA over 1500m for FOREVER, 3:51 mile PR), Cory Leslie (8:20 steeplechaser,
3:53 miler) and fellow Brooks athlete Riley Masters (2014 USA 1500m finalist
and 3:56 mile PR). This opportunity was
one that not many have, and I would like to thank Craig Longhurst and David
Shannon for their continual support as they invite me to their world class
facility and race each year. FAST
FORWARD… I finished 3rd in a time of 3:57.76 which converts to
3:54.66 with the NCAA flat track adjustment.
I qualified for the 2015 USA Indoor National Championships later this
month, and this time is one of the fastest mile times of my career. This race also produced another milestone as
it was the 10th time I have broken the 4 minute mile barrier on a
track in my career (8 times outdoor and 2 times indoor). I really surpassed my own expectations for
this race and could not believe how much positive adrenaline I was able to
produce and control leading up to, during and after the race. I was on “Cloud 9” and was so happy my father
(and so many others) was there to watch me run and that my mom was able to see
the live stream (Thank you Runnerspace.com).
God is so good. And so are Brooks and In the Arena. Without their support of my running career,
races and memories like this would not be possible. I am already looking forward to my next world
class opportunity as I am currently flying to Boston for the New Balance Indoor
Grand Prix. Thank you all for your
unwavering support as I love reading and receiving your encouraging comments
and words. We can all have fun in
life. We can all do something bigger
than ourselves! Onwards and Upwards!
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| Pre Race Strides at the Camel City Mile (P.C. Phil Bond) |
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| What a finish! Always run through the line (and lean if you have to)! (P.C. Mer Dolhare) |
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