Track and Field Blogs - Nate Jenkins

So I’m sitting at home doing what I normally do which is tour the running websites. I watched the NYC video’s on the American press conference here on flotrack. Now to be totally honest I am a pretty cocky guy. I think its part of getting good you have to believe you can do it or it will never happen. But anyway they had a press conference for the Americans and I was bothered that two of the athletes they highlighted were guys who finished behind me at the trials and who had slower PB in the marathon then me.

Now don’t get me wrong, Carney and Rohatinsky are better then me and having better years then me, but still it stung a little. Not so much that I had a problem with the NYRR decision to put them in the press conference. What it did upset me about is how I have not followed up my run at the trials with the type of running I needed to do to prove myself.

So where did I go wrong? First I failed, absolutely failed, to fix my hip/hammy problem. Then I let myself get anemic. I also got caught behind the eight ball, planning races on the assumption that I would fix the hip/hammy and not planning based on my actual situation. Also I didn’t expect results quick enough and I need to be trying more different types of treatment until I get this thing under wraps.

Still I can’t feel like I slighted myself I ran a great race last November despite some set backs and the same hip/hammy problem I’m fighting right now, but I didn’t back it up well. I ran a lot of races but really I only ran two decent races, both in September, and two ok races. That is out of 12 races for the year, and some of those were just horrible. I had two DNF’s and three races in July that were just embarrassing. By running like this I end up sitting at home watching Flotrack instead of being on it.

So moving forward how do I fix this? First we start on Sunday, where I need to run well in spite of my hip/hammy. It is probably going to slow me but frankly my fitness is in the kind of place where I should still be able to run pretty well, like at the trials last fall. Second I need to fix the hip/hammy I honestly believe that if I can move past it I am only a few weeks from a 2:10 or better marathon. Third I need to train for and race in races that won’t bother the hip/hammy until I get it fixed, so I’ll focus on indoor track first. When I get the hip/hammy on the run I need to do training that will bother it less and allow me to get race ready without getting it re-aggravated. I have found those workouts and I will be ready for my next race.

I am focused and confident that I will in the next year fix my hip/hammy and keep it fixed long enough to properly prepare for a marathon where I can show that I am an American marathoner worthy and demanding of the public attention and respect.