Trade-Offs

I've never been good at making decisions quickly. When choosing a college, I waited until the last possible day to send in my declaration, and God help me if a restaurant's menu is more than a page long - I'll be wavering between 5 choices as the waitress impatiently awaits my order. There's so many good options, I just don't want to miss out!

That's how I've been feeling this spring - there are so many exciting opportunities in front of me, it has been difficult to decide what to say yes to and what to decline. Having so many options is a blessing I'm very grateful for - there are trade-offs to each decision, but I know I'm lucky to have these choices to make.

One big decision I made recently was to defer my enrollment to grad school. I'm a book-loving, addicted-to-learning, can't-get-enough-of-school kind of person and I've been eagerly waiting for the right time in my life to tackle grad school. I thought that time was this fall, and I was excited to join Brown University's incoming class of Master of Public Health students.

Then, I ran 32:09. Running the Olympic Games standard was a game-changer for me, opening new doors and opportunities for my running. Although it wasn't easy to put school on hold for one more year, you only get so many chances to go after a dream. The moment is now, and I'm extremely grateful for Brown's support as I defer my enrollment and make running my focus this next year.

The other big decision I was faced with recently is whether or not to run at the USA Track Championships in June. Usually, this would be a no-brainer - it's a World Championships year, I'm well-positioned to compete for a Worlds spot, and in the best shape of my life. Why WOULDN'T I race?

Well, sometimes the calendar just doesn't line up. My husband's vacation schedule is extremely limited, and we have one small window in which to take our belated honeymoon. Unfortunately, that window is right smack in the middle of USA's. It hasn't been easy to choose to forego racing at Nationals, but I'm so excited to celebrate one year of marriage (and many more to come!) with my husband atop Mt. Kilimanjaro in just a few weeks! Marriage is like a marathon - you're in it for the long haul :) There will be other USA's and other World Championships, but just one chance to go to Africa on your honeymoon. So happily, off I go!

But first, I've got 2 more races left this season - a 5k on the track at the Adrian Martinez Classic next week, and then the culmination of a what's been a fantastically fun spring at the New York Road Runners Oakley Mini 10k on June 13. Looking forward to it!

Payton Jordan Race Recap

It's been a busy past few weeks for me, with 2 trips to California for racing. The travel was fruitful, as I ran nearly a 1 minute PR in the 10k last month and then dropped 30 seconds off my 5k time at Payton Jordan. You can't complain about a PR, but my 5k did leave something to be desired. Here's how things went down:

I got a bad start - usually I'm quick off the line, but this time I was a step back of everyone and found myself running out in Lane 2, working my way back to the front of the big group. It's been a few years since I've run a competitive 5k and it was a bit of a rude awakening to find myself fighting crowds and pushy elbows. Good practice for championship racing, but a tough start to the race.

The pace was fast-slow-fast, and again, I found myself out of my element. A creature of habit, I'm good at running the exact pace I'm supposed to, like a metronome. But races aren't always run with even splits, especially championship races, so while our 73-80-73 first 1200 threw me for a loop, in hindsight I know it was good practice for future big meets.

We came through the mile in 5:01, right where I wanted to be, but it sure didn't feel comfortable. 8 laps in and we were at 10:02, and I remember thinking "Man the 10k felt so much easier!" Yep, the 5k is a grind! I tried to get comfortable with the discomfort and stay positive. My face reveals how I was really feeling:

Pain face mid 5k with my high school teammate, Chelsea Reilly - go DHS!

I moved up in the field in the last mile, into 4th, but when I tried to dig, I didn't have much left. I got tangled up in some traffic with 600 to go and I unfortunately let this have an impact my race. I got outkicked in the last 100 meters but still finished a respectable 5th, in a PR of 15:42. You can't be disappointed with a 30-second PR, but I'd be lying if I said I was satisfied. I'm eager to get in another 5k at the end of this month and correct some of the mistakes I made at Payton Jordan.

But before my next 5k (which will be at the Adrian Martinez Classic on June 4!), I'm racing a 1500! Yep, you read that right - this distance gal is dropping down to the short stuff on Saturday at the New Balance Boston Twilight Meet. Let's see what kind of wheels this 10k girl has :)