Turn that "No Trials" frown upside down!

Tonight is the Olympic Trials 10k. At 7:20 PM, the fans at Hayward Field will fall silent as the starter raises his gun, and then BANG, the race to London will begin. 24 talented women will race their hearts out for a spot on the Olympic team.

Where will I be when the gun goes off? Not on the starting line - the starting line that I dreamed about, fantasized about, thought about on each and every run for the past year. 33:01 just didn't quite cut it... it took 32:48 to qualify for the Trials this year. That's speedy!!

Instead of on the starting line, I'll be watching the race on TV, viewing from afar instead of competing. I had tickets to the meet tonight, but watching the race from the stands felt a little like rubbing salt in the wound. Better to sell those babies to someone who could really enjoy them.

But enough bumming - time to get out this funk! Here's my 3-step plan to turn that "No-Trials" frown upside down!

1) Retail therapy.

I've gone shopping this week. Twice. (Three times if you count online shopping.) There's nothing a little trip to H&M and Gap can't fix. Plus I treated myself to a super-cute Oiselle running tee - adorable, right? I feel better already!

2) Book a trip to Eugene anyway.

What's the next best thing to competing at the Olympic Trials? Spectating at them! If I can't race, I'll cheer! Tons of friends will be racing in Eugene and even more will be making the road-trip to watch and cheer, and I'll be joining them. My wonderfully flexible boss understands my need to make this pilgrimage to TrackTown, even though I won't be competing. So I'm headed to Eugene next Thursday (thanks boss!!) to watch the distance events and cheer like a crazy woman for all my friends racing! GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

Throwback to 2006 - Jonah and I cheering on little bro Brendan at the CA HS State Meet

3) Surround yourself with friends. Tonight I'll be sharing a bottle of wine with running friends while we have a viewing party to watch the 10k on TV. These ladies understand and share my disappointment about the Trials - they've all been on this running roller coaster ride before. So thanks in advance to Brooke, Sarah, Alexa, and Fitz - no time to be sad, gotta be glad, especially when surrounded by such amazing friends! Here's to a summer of joyful miles together :)

So, follow steps 1-3 and you should be grinning in no time! When I hit the trails tomorrow after taking my requisite post-season break, I'll be smiling, because running is still the thing that brings me great joy.

See ya in Eugene!

No Eugene... but a girl can still dream

On Friday night I gave the 10k Olympic Trials A Standard one final shot... unfortunately, I came up short. My track season has concluded, as there will be no Olympic Trials for me... no 32:45, no Eugene, no Hayward Field.

I ran 78 seconds per lap for as many laps as I could (I was 16:20 through 5k, 20:56 through 4 miles) but couldn't quite hold the pace in miles 5 and 6. I ended up finishing a respectable 7th place in a new PR of 33:01.03. It's not quite the time I wanted, but it's a PR - and the rule is that you can't be upset if you run a best time. The older you get, the less frequent the PRs come, so you've got to be happy and celebrate them. So while I left Portland feeling a little bittersweet, overall I'm trying to be pleased with the personal best.

This race brings my Olympic Trials bid to a close. My time currently places me 36th on the 2012 descending order list -- it's been a CRAZY-fast year for American distance running (for reference, my 33:01 would have ranked 17th in 2011, 13th in 2010, and 10th in 2009). With more than 24 women having run the A Standard auto qualifier, it means those of us without the A Standard won't be toeing the line in Eugene on June 22nd. Thus, my Trials bid ends here.

Running fast, but with many faster women in front of me

So, what's next? I'm not quite ready to hang up the racing shoes. I'm the fittest I've ever been and want to take advantage of that fitness... this spring I've PRed in the 1500, 5k, and 10k, so why not go for a PR in the half-marathon? :-) I'll be chasing that PR in Duluth, Minnesota on Saturday, where I'll be racing at the USA Half-Marathon Championships! I'm excited to race a fast half-marathon against a competitive field!

While I won't be racing in Eugene later this month, I haven't given up on my Olympic Trials dreams. Like I said in my previous post, this race in Portland wasn't my last chance, nor are the 2012 Trials the end of the road. In many ways, they're just the beginning of bigger, better things to come. I wish I was headed to Eugene, but sometimes these things are out of your control. You do all that you can do, run as fast as you can, and sometimes, life doesn't work out the way you'd hoped. I'm sad, definitely, but I'm also at peace with knowing that I've run to the best of my abilities.

So I won't stop dreaming, won't stop setting big goals, won't stop eying fast times. I'm already looking ahead to summer base training, a fall road racing schedule, my marathon debut, and the 2016 Olympic Trials...! The wise Olympic marathoner Magda Lewy-Boulet once told me that success in our sport is all about sticking with it. If you can stay in the sport and continue competing despite the roller coaster ride, if you can weather the injuries and the heartbreaks and can tough it out when you want to quit, you'll eventually find great success. Sounds like great advice not just for running but for life!

Here's to sticking with it and dreaming big! And as always, thank you for sticking with me on my running adventure - your support is more important than you know. THANK YOU!

Joyfully,
Kaitlin