Track and Field Blogs - Alli Grace

I came to ZAP Fitness last fall, under trained and running behind everyone in races and practices. It took me almost 6 months to get fully adjusted to the training in the mountains, and the increase in mileage. I went to the University of Kentucky, a low-mileage type of program that focused mostly on middle distance running and speed work. Once I was acclimated to everything here, I started to come around at the end of the outdoor track season. I had a few successful races, knocking 6 seconds off my 1500 PR, 16 seconds off of my 5k, and PRs on the roads at Bele Chere, in Asheville, NC, and Crazy 8’s to complete the season. I was jacked because I felt stronger than ever, but I came around too late. My fitness proved to me that I was in great shape to have made a qualifying standard at least in the 5k, but there were no more track races to run.

I took some down time to recover and geared up for the next training cycle of my second year at ZAP. The training has been going very well so far, based off of the strength of last spring and the build-up toward even more strength and aerobic endurance this year. The team has been doing mostly progression runs, hill intervals and structured fartleks. Our coach, Pete Rea, has also incorporated a new set of drills twice a week, and the normal core training and weight lifting on our own.

My first race was October 8th, the Tufts 10k in Boston. It was my first 10k ever, and I was excited to test myself and see what I could do in a longer distance. The atmosphere was amazing in Boston, and it opened my eyes to a different level of competition. I was competing against former Olympians and some of the best U.S. elite distance runners in the country. I was in awe, and had no expectations, just knew that I was determined to go into the race excited and ready to roll with the big dogs.

Within the first mile, I went out more conservatively and as the race progressed, I kept rolling people in and catching up to one group, and then going after the next group. With about 2 miles to go, I knew I was in a good position to do pretty well in the race. Once I saw a pack of accomplished runners ahead of me, I knew I could let them pull me along into the finish and I wanted to chase after them. I finished the course in 34:01, and was thrilled to have run a great 10k debut.

The race proved to me that I was in pretty good shape and that I am not afraid to run with women who are more experienced than me at this distance. It made me realize that I have reached another level of training and racing, and with a solid block of training, I can do very well this year. I am looking forward to more competitions and getting stronger as I progress into spring. The ultimate goal this year is to get the qualifying standard in the 5k and 10k. So far, things are looking up and I’m pumped for my next race, which will be a 10k on the track in Indianapolis on November 10th. It should be an awesome opportunity to test myself again, and see if I can qualify for the Olympic Trials! Wish me luck!