I decided to move from Boulder to Portland last spring to give running everything I had.  Since leaving Boulder and joining Jerry Schumacher's talented Oregon Track Club, my perspective on what it means to train hard has been permanently changed. As I remember my first workout and the pain I went through during it and through the rest of the day, I remember thinking there is no way I can do this three times a week. I spent most of the rest of my day on the toilet due to some minor (okay, major) stomach issues. I have had similar pain in my stomach only a handful of times in my life;  after maybe two workouts at the end of the season in college when Wetmore had us go "to the death" leading into nationals, and after eating some less than fresh antelope meat back in my college days. This pain in my stomach followed every workout for the next 7 weeks. I was recovering just in time to handle most sessions, but trying to hang with Bairu (Simon Bairu) and Nelly (Tim Nelson) day after day is no easy task. My fitness finally took a turn for the better in the last few weeks and I think it was just in time, and my stomach issues have subsided. I have been able to finish every workout the Zen Master could throw at me, and as important, I have enjoyed running more than ever before. I have big dreams going into next weekend, no different than most men who will start the race.
    
In running, more than any other sport, we train every day dreaming of that perfect race where everything comes together in unison and the hard work finally seems worth it. It's a brutal sport because there is often not much reward for the hard work which nearly every distance runner puts forth. In two weeks, over 130 runners will toe the line of the Olympic Trials Marathon, and three people will get the opportunity to run for the USA in London.  Out of these 130, most runners have the dream that everything will come together perfectly and that it will be him who gets the opportunity to run in London. It would make every run in the snow, ice and rain worth it; every injury and bad workout would be wiped permanently from memory. As for me, right now, everything I've been doing has been focused towards this race, and nothing exists beyond January 14th.


More athlete blogs for Olympic Marathon Trials