Olympic Trials Qualifying Update

• Since the last newsletter, I’ve run four races - mostly good. On May 3rd, I ran an 800m, with the goal of running a Trials qualifying time of under 2:03.5. I ran 2:06 and felt bad! In retrospect, it made sense since I did some hard workouts the week before but still I maintained naive optimism going into the race.

• On May 17th, I ran a 1500m PR of 4:08.5 in Los Angeles at the USATF Distance Classic. I was happy to run another PR and a time that I thought had a good shot of qualifying for the Trials. It was a beautiful night in LA, and I was put in a fast heat in which I had the slowest seed time of 4:09. The race was crowded - 19 people on the start line all with similar seed times. My plan was to get out fast, ahead of the traffic. That plan was LA IV Bar immediately foiled when the woman next to me stuck out her hand and pushed me backwards getting off the start line. So, I settled in at the back of the pack and went along for the ride. I ended up running pleasingly even splits and placing 11th (and beating the one who pushed me).

  One crazy thing I learned about on this trip to LA was the existence of "IV bars" - I passed one on the street. From what I understand it’s a recreational form of administering an IV, marketed as a salon experience (photo of the IV "menu" at right). I wondered what magical fluids were contained in the "Athletic Performance" drip, but not enough to venture inside.

• On June 1st I ran another 1500m race in Nashville at the Music City Track Carnival, a meet that has long been a staple in my track season. I like this meet because the weather is predictably warm, sunny, and still, it’s well-organized, and attracts enough good runners for a quality race but not so many good runners that I’m excluded from the best heat. My goal was to either run a PR of 4:07 or place in the top 3. On race day, it was uncharacteristically windy and rainy and I ended up placing 7th in 4:10. I was disappointed with the result but did my best and wouldn’t have done A better start in Nashville than in LA (credit: Kevin Morris) anything differently if I could do it again.

Last Saturday, June 8th, I ran a 1500m at the Adrian Martinez Classic in Concord, MA. This was my last chance to run a Trials qualifying time since the qualifying window ended on June 9th. It was a beautiful day, I was delighted that I didn’t have to travel far for the race, and I felt at home with a lot of familiar faces including teammates on the Battle Road Track Club. It was a fun atmosphere, since community races preceded the high performance races in the evening. My goal was to run 4:07, a time I thought would certainly make the Trials. I ended up running 4:09 to place 5th, falling short of the goal but still running a race I was proud of. I especially enjoyed hawking down two professionals in the last 50 meters of the race. Video of the race is here.

So, now what? Now we wait and we worry. This is the worst part of the season - waiting for everyone to enter the national championships. The deadline to enter Trials events is Tuesday, June 11th at 11:59 PM PST. Any entries by that deadline have a second deadline of Thursday, June 13th at 11:59 PM PST to either scratch or declare that they will race. If I’m in the top 36 by June 11th at 11:59 PST, I’m in. Otherwise, I’ll have to wait until Friday and hope enough people scratch to put me in the top 36. You can follow the drama at the entry page! Nervously watching the entries roll in while on vacation

• Regardless of the outcome in a few days, I’m proud of my season so far. I’ve lowered my 1500m PR by 2 seconds in the 1500m and I’ve run 4:08-4:10 on four occasions, which is consistency I’ve never had in seasons past. By quitting my job, I have not only been able to train more, but also train better. Taking the time to objectively analyze training over the past few years led me to implement training modifications that I believe are directly related to my improved racing performance. I’ve also enjoyed racing trips more - socializing with friends and family I rarely see and not having to worry about squeezing in work around the trip has made me feel more present and focused.

  However, I’m not completely satisfied with the season - back in Newsletter 1, I wrote that I wanted to run 4:05 for the 1500m and 2:00 for the 800m. I still want to run those times and believe that I can. If I don’t qualify for the Trials, I’ll probably take a few more swings at summer races. If I do qualify for the Trials, I’ll aim to make the final of three rounds there - 36 people run the first round, 24 run the second round, and 12 run the final round. The top 3 finishers in the final round go to the Paris Olympics.

• Navigating LA traffic (credit: DyeStat)