Track and Field Blogs - Dot McMahan

As time progresses, I’m getting slower and slower. I knew this would happen and I’m embracing it. Sure I miss my teammates. I meet them every morning, only to see their backs and hear distant laughs within a mile. There are days when I run almost every step alone. Then there are other days when I get to run with the daily grinders. They are the runners I’ve known for years. Rochester, MI community runners with real jobs, people who run because it makes them feel good. It’s been great getting know these ladies better. I once was a daily… more »

Just a couple of things to talk about so this will be short. 2008 was a great year for me. Lots of PR’s, made another world team, and wore a smile through it all - just an all-around great year. There’s nothing better than leaving frustrations behind, you know, when everything comes together. I feel like 2008 was that for me. Three years of training with the Hansons’ came full circle. On a personal note, sparing you lots of details, I can officially say that I will be a Mommy come spring. I couldn’t be happier. I’m looking forward to… more »

With the 20k champs behind me, I’m looking ahead to the rest of my fall training. I’ll be racing two more high profile events. The first is the US 8k national champs in two weeks. In the past, shorter distances like this haven’t been my strength. However the course has some hills so it should help me perform well against some quicker ladies. The second race is the World Half Marathon champs in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This will be my second World Half team. Second to the marathon trials, there was one more thing I wanted to accomplish this… more »

It’s hard writing about running when you’re on downtime. I like to use downtime for non-running thoughts and activities. Recent thoughts; biodiesel fuel, geometry and getting another degree. Recent activities; eating Girl Scout Cookie Blizzards, training Ozzie to stop chewing electrical cords and installing new door handles and hinges on our interior doors. Nothing very exciting is going on at the moment. School starts in 2 weeks for private schools and 4 weeks for public schools. I’ll be tutoring again but until then things are quiet. Over the next month I’ll be training for the 20k champs. It will be… more »

There was so much excitement going on the last few weeks that I put off writing this until now. I've been watching the Olympic Track and Field trials for quite a few years, but the thrill this year was on a whole new level. That was due in part to the excellent post race coverage and background stories on numerous websites like Flotrack. Although, it was mostly because I actually got to experience an Olympic Trial myself, first hand. I can identify with the daily dedication it takes and the sacrifices made year after year, just to earn the opportunity… more »

Another day, more rain, and the humidity rises. It’s officially wet season here in MI. The trails are muddy and the mosquitoes are getting more annoying everyday. Running feels like a chore on these sticky days. I’m exhausted, thirsty and muddy at the end of nearly every run. But it’s the Midwest and by next week we’ll have a different “season”. Unfortunately we had to endure a track 10k during this wet season. All of us ladies ran at the Midwest Distance Solution in Hillsdale, MI. Luckily for us, they had cups of ice cold water every lap. There’s results… more »

Three outstanding runners made the team, two of which have heartbreaking stories from the 2004 Trials, placing 4th and 5th….alternates for the last Olympic team. It’s really the American dream, heartache in 2004 followed by 4 years of hard work, determination and sacrifice in addition to executing their race plan to finally make the team. For myself, I ran a near perfect race and could not be much happier. As some of you know, the marathon is a tough monster to tackle. Go out at too hard of a pace; pay the price later by hitting the wall. Don’t take… more »

A day shy of two weeks until the big day. The weather here in MI has taken a nice turn toward Spring. Just in time for us to head to FL for some heat acclimation. We'll be down there for 10 days before traveling to Boston. We have a nice house all to ourselves while our two men and coaches share another house. One long run left and one workout left. The pieces are coming together. I hope it's a picture of me finishing the race with a huge PR and perhaps an American flag.

I… more »

I’m nearly 7 weeks into Olympic Trials marathon training with five more to go. Workouts are going great. However, I’m taking recovery days easy, out of necessity. I’ll hit about 115 miles for this week. Hungry? Tired? Sore? Winter blues? YES, all of the above. Spring is around the corner though and soon enough I’ll be running in shorts again!

After the Houston half marathon in January, our coaches decided on target times and workout paces for each of us. Mine is definitely aggressive, yet achievable. It is a nice change from Chicago’s “safe” marathon training… more »

Hi, I’m Dot and this is my opening blog on Flotrackr. I am one of five women athletes on the Hansons’-Brooks Saturn Distance Project.

It has been nearly 3 years since I moved here to Rochester, MI to join the team, and it has been one of my best decisions. However, you may not have agreed with me this morning, based on the weather we had during our first official OT workout. It was 23 degrees, with probably 7” of snow on the ground, that fell overnight, and we were on a new course. This was… more »