Blog

So much has happened since I last blogged. I flew to Ireland twice to race, I have become fully accustomed to the Walsh way of life in Cardiff, I went to the Olympic village for the first time, and I experienced a unique moment of walking in the Olympic opening ceremony. I was happy with how my pre-Olympic races went. I ran a mile at the Cork City Sports International Meet, coming 1st in 4:31.78 and an 800m at the Morton Pre Games, coming 4th in 2:04.53. Both were personal best times, which of course was encouraging. I have been spending most o...

That’s certainly not a phrase heard chanted at many sporting competitions; but with it being an Olympic year, it’s certainly still relevant. I know that fact first hand; all spring I had envisioned me crossing the finish line at Eugene in the top 3. What an experience it would be to get to do a victory lap around Hayward Field with a small American flag, knowing I would get to represent my country in London. Unfortunately that dream didn’t become a reality as I just wasn’t strong enough to cover the move made by Rupp, Te...

Part of the reason we run is to emulate our heroes.  We learn for them and dream to run as fast as they do.  The guys who did it for me were Bob Kennedy and Todd Williams. They were studs when I was learning distance running.  I wanted to be like them. I also wanted to be like my older college teammates, and they talked about Pat Porter.  I quickly learned that he was the king of cross country.  There was no question about that. I was a Division II guy and so was Pat Porter as an Adams State alum.   (A now treasur...

I’m going to the Olympics! This certainly is an amazing thing for me to say…I have only dreamt about this happening, but now I get to live it! As I begin my Olympic adventure, I would love to share it with my two favorite running sites, NZRun and Flotrack. So tune in for updates on how things are going as I prepare for the 2012 London Olympics.  At the moment I am going through a transition. Having studied at Stony Brook University, in the United States, for the past five years I am now beginning a career as a professional run...

Hello everyone, hope not to bore you with this first entry but I thought it would be fitting to start things off this way… With this being an Olympic year and all I decided to red shirt with Coach Heins’ approval to prepare for a big summer, but after NCAA indoors I was second guessing that decision. Something was missing back in March, I wasn’t strong enough, I felt like a miler over the longer distances, yet we carried on with plan despite hitting a bump on the road. It was decision time I along with my family and Coach had...

I've been out in Europe for about a week now. Aside from sightseeing, awkward attempts to communicate with non-English speakers and waffle runs, I've seen two very different sides of the European experience, a reflection of the difference between those looking to make it in professional track and field and those who already have. Diamond League competitions are all about giving the world's best an avenue to showcase their talents against other top individuals. At my first Euro meet in Paris, I witnessed how one of the world's most glamorous cit...

            If one counted the reasons that Anna Pierce should not run fast, at the top of the list would be items that many athletes struggle to overcome.   However, Anna's confidence and focus paid off today as she ran 4:05.42 to hit the Olympic A standard for 1500 meters.  Disappointing races indoors and at the Pre Classic are in her rearview mirror as she places herself near the top of form charts heading into the trials. Now in the top four timewise among all entrants, Pierce brings closing speed an...

At the close of the 2011 calendar year, the upcoming (and now imminent) Olympic Trials provided the impetus for me to take some serious inventory of the way in which I was preparing on a daily, seasonally and long term basis in my pursuits as a professional runner. As many people connected to my career are aware, I made the difficult decision to scale back my assistant coaching role at UC Davis, where I spent five years as a student-athlete before joining the staff in my first post-collegiate year. When I began to inform people of my decision, ...

The season is well underway and in the same breath, I feel like I have hardly begun for the year! So much of the foundation work is in the books and now I hope my racing will show all of the fitness I've gained over the winter and spring months. I am truly excited and energized by the progress I have made so far as our group is gearing up for another exciting adventure. The first really big test comes in just a few very short days with the 1500m at Pre on Friday. My palms sweat and my heart flutters when I think about standing on the starting l...

There is little doubt that the Southern California (aka CIF Southern Section) High School Division Finals at Mt SAC on Saturday will draw a far larger crowd than the USATF High Performance Meet at Oxy on Friday. Track and field in the month of May in southern California has been dominated for decades by the nail-biting three rounds of competition between League meets and the California State Meet Prelims/Finals. The first round kicked off last Saturday with the Division Prelims spread across four sites. The second round continues on Saturday a...