This year I want to try to write a blog before and after every meet. This weekend I am running in the UW Invitational in Seattle, WA. It is my first meet of the 2008 season and will hopefully the beginning of a very special season for me. It is also my first indoor race as a professional. Last year I was injured and not running all of January and February because of a torn calf and achilles tendonitis. Everything this year has been great so far. In December I had to take a week really light because of some tightness in my calf that was similar to what I felt last year. Other than that I have been 100% healthy and am excited about opening up my season.

:: Weekend Schedule ::

Friday: Distance Medley Relay – I am running the 400m leg
Saturday: 800m and 4x400m relay leg

:: Pre-Race Thoughts ::

I have been trying not to think about my 800m race very much this week. It is a little bit different situation than I’ve ever been in. I’m starting off the season with everyone else in a strategic event. When I ran the 400m, all I had to worry about was myself because I knew my event and I knew my body. I knew that no one was going to affect my race enough for me to worry about. Now I am in this world of strategy, pacing, and thinking. I have seen the heat sheets and know who the competition is, and we have a rabbit (pace setter). But what I realized as I was riding the Oregon team bus up from Eugene is that I’ve been so focused this season on my training on and off the track that I don’t even know what kind of shape my training partners are in. two or three of them are in my heat. As the season gets going I won’t even think twice about this because I will know how everyone is racing. This week I don’t have any recent history to strategize off of except for the fact that I know what pace the rabbit is supposed to go. So I feel a sort of blindness going into the race, but I’m going to stick to what I know and what I feel. That’s why I brought along my sunglasses. They always put me in my own little world on the track and help keep me focused.

I’m running the 400m leg of the DMR, which should be both fun and a good warm-up for the next day’s races. In that race we are up against a good Oregon team and last year’s NCAA champions, Stanford. The 400m leg is not very significant in the final time of the race but will be important for positioning. (the four legs are 1200m, 400m, 800m, and 1600m) I plan on being in the lead when I get the baton and keeping the lead, but if I happen to not be in the lead it will be my job to get it.

The 800m I’ve already talked about but the goals of the race are to run 1:49 or better, which would be a qualifying mark for the US Indoor Championships in Boston in February. I also want to get off to a good start competitively so will also be gunning for the win this race. The 4x400m relay is coach’s way of finishing the day with some more speed work. I think I’m running the second leg but that could change several times before the race gets under way. And really, a speed work is all I’m after in this race. I have no idea who we are running against or how good they are, but the other two races are what I’m focused on this week.

:: Final Thoughts ::

In college I would often run 3 or sometimes 4 events in a meet. At the NCAA meet my senior year I ran 7 races in 4 days, and at Pac-10’s that year I ran 6 races in 2 days. I thought after turning professional that those days were over but here I am again running multiple events. But I loved it in college and I’m ready to tackle it this weekend. Wish me luck and check back Sunday to see my Post-Race blog