So here it goes....a change, a new beginning. No more 9 to 5 at the desk behind an old computer, I've now become part of the movement that is Flotrack. My first step is to move out to Austin, TX to join the team at HQ.

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I thought back to the start of Flotrack and Mark's travels throughout the country in the "White Pearl" (his van) and all of the experiences he took away from it. With that in mind, I decided I would set out on my own road trip....or FloTrip as we call it (yeah I know, its pretty original). So it has begun, my journey leads me to a new destination with each passing day. New people, new places, new workouts, and much fun.

My goal is to bring you as much as I can over the next few weeks, but I'd like your help. I'm posting the route that I will be traveling and want you to check it out.


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I started up in Maine (at my parents') and am currently in NC (at Zap Fitness). If there is anything that you would really like to see between here and Austin please let us know! A workout, a run, an interview.....ANYTHING! I'd like to do some cool stuff out there and I'm sure there is plenty of it so let me know. Log on to Flotrackr and shoot me a message. If its in my path and I can see it then lets do it! Feel free to let me know what you think as I go, but I'd like to try and bring you something new just about everyday if I can.

I hope you enjoy and thanks for all your support!

well, i've only got one (two at the absolute most) meets till eugene. i've just been sitting and waiting. the trials can't get here fast enough. and the usatf seding about two emails a week concerning housing and travel to and from eugene and beijing doesn't help that fact. but that's the worst of my problems at the moment, which is a blessing. my hip feels great, i'm getting in a lot of technical work, and my form is coming around. i'm stronger, healthier, more flexible, and we haven't even tapped into the explosive stuff on the track and in the weightroom. all the track workouts are far exceding my old practice bests. i would love it if the trials were in a week, but i have to sit and wait for another month and a half. it's the one difference i'm not that fond of in being a post collegiate athlete. not having a meet week in and week out to look forward to... not having to lace 'em up and get after it and compete every weekend from april on through june. but i'm after a different title this year, so i guess change is to be expected.

Three outstanding runners made the team, two of which have heartbreaking stories from the 2004 Trials, placing 4th and 5th….alternates for the last Olympic team. It’s really the American dream, heartache in 2004 followed by 4 years of hard work, determination and sacrifice in addition to executing their race plan to finally make the team. For myself, I ran a near perfect race and could not be much happier. As some of you know, the marathon is a tough monster to tackle. Go out at too hard of a pace; pay the price later by hitting the wall. Don’t take in enough calories during the race through fluids; run out of energy later in the race. “Bonking” is all too common among all runners, elites and mid-packers alike. And of course the fatigue/pain that you know is coming at some point in the race, even if you do everything right - it’s going to hurt like hell. Going into this race I knew I could only do as much as I was trained to do. If I did the little things right, like run a consistent pace, take in fluids every 3 miles, get enough sleep/rest this week AND other competitors made some mistakes, I had an outside chance to make the team. Since I can’t control weather or other people’s race, I needed to run my own race. Sounds easy right? Well as some of you may have noticed, I’m a bit competitive so keeping focused on myself and not what other people are doing during the race is extremely difficult. The competitor inside me was screaming, “You are just as good as them, go with them!” But I knew that was not how I was going to run my best. That’s a very long explanation of why I helped lead the second pack through 20 miles, trailing the first pack by 15 seconds at the halfway point.

The final 6 miles, considered the “real” second half of the race, were no shock to me, the hardest. I had already passed a handful of people, including two former Olympians (who both eventually DNF). My mile pace began to slip from 5:50 to 6:03’s as my legs had been hurting for the previous 5 miles or so. Nevertheless I kept my eyes up searching for the unraveling first pack . Not seeing more than little specks, I buried my head and prayed to make it another mile. Sure enough those specks got bigger and bigger as I maintained sub-6:05’s. I continued to pass people moving from 14th to 9th those last 6 miles. Finally, after a big kick at the line, I nabbed 8th. But it was hard convincing myself that I needed to sprint for that 8th spot, and not settle for 9th because I just wanted the pain to stop.

Honestly, after the finish I didn’t think much about my time or place. I just ran as hard as I could and was thrilled with that accomplishment! Then I saw my husband and he was so surprised and excited for me. The last time he saw me was at mile 21, and I was in 11th place. His enthusiasm along with my fellow competitors, who were close during the race, really got me pumped. How could I think 8th place wasn’t something special? All those top ten favorites’ lists that came out before the Trials never included me. No one thought I was a top ten runner!!! Then a stranger said to me, after I told her I got 8th, that I was a part of history. Wow, I never thought about it that way before! It’s true though. Anywhere you look for results from the Olympic Trials they name the top ten finishers.

When I decided to become a professional athlete I wasn’t sure how far I would get or what was really possible, only that I wanted to become the best I could be. But within the last year, based on my progress and training, that changed. I now felt that a top ten finish was a reality and there was even an outside chance of placing in the top 3 to make the team. So, I didn’t make the team, but my place is still significant and my finish time a respectable achievement. I’ve made a place in history and am very happy with the race outcome. No matter what the future holds for me, at least I know I did everything I was able to do on race day and I have zero regrets.

The Payton Jordan meet is an awesome experience every year. This year was beyond anything that I had seen before though. First off, it was so awesome that people didn't have to pay to get in and the only place that was off limits to spectators was the track itself. This made for a great atmosphere for the races, which were awesome as always.

My race was as perfect for me as any races are. The pace got out a touch slow which was certainly in my favor. We were a bit afraid that the pace might go out in 13:45 or even faster and that would have probably been over my head, but for me to be able to go out in 14 flat or so and be right in the middle of the pack was perfect. Nobody ever made any moves that I couldn't cover until the very end. The pack was spread out enough though that I was able to be on the inside lane for most of the race (unlike Mt. Sac).

With a mile to go I felt great and was planning on making a move to the front. Apparently, Mottram felt the same way though so we both ended up going at the same time and his move was a bit stronger than my move. After that, it was a bit of a free for all as people either tried to make up ground and pass, or hang on. I saw 26:47 on the clock with a lap to go and I started giving it everything I could. The clock on the other side of the track said 27:28 and I knew I had a 30 in me to hang on for the A standard.

This changes everything. Now I really have to start focusing on my shot at making the Olympics rather than having the trials being a nice cap to my season. All along, I was planning to double at the Trials and I have told many people my plan. Now since I don’t have the Olympic A standard in the 5000 it doesn’t really make sense to do it. So I imagine that I will only be doing the 10000 at the trials. I have entered both though just incase anything changes.

For NCAA nationals I have been planning to run the 1500 and the 5000. After talking to my coach today, we might be revising this as well. I have been really looking forward to tackling the 1500 and I think that my greatest challenge in Division II would come from Aaron Braun and the rest of the field, but now that my chances of becoming an Olympian have increased, there is a strong possibility that I might focus all of my energy on the 5000. This is a very hard decision because I only have 2 more track seasons in college to win National titles and get All Americans but the Olympics are only every 4 years and I only have so many chances… We all know the story but there is a good chance that I might only do the 5000 at nationals.

For now, though I just have to recover from the 10k and let it soak in. I can’t believe how fast I have become. Four years ago my first 10k was an extremely painful 31:29. My training is way different. I’m stronger, faster, older and taller than I was then but I never could have imagined what would become of me. And to think, this is still just the beginning.