KIMbia Athletics

I thought I would send an update on what’s been going on with me these last few weeks. To say that it’s been a rough few weeks would be an understatement, but if anything it has made me stronger.

A few weeks ago at the Olympic Trials was close to the lowest time during my athletic career, but as I said, I truly feel like it has made me stronger. My parents were able to make it out for the meet and it was nice having them there to help cope with the letdown of not making the team, a dream that I’ve had for my entire career. Now I can joke around about the race that at least I was an Olympian until the last 100 meters. After a few hard and depressing days, I turned around my mentality and was working out great and ready to take on the summer season.

After a solid week of training we ran a 1500 in Madison as a tune-up before Europe that turned out really well in terms of attendance. We put the race together last minute and were able to attract over ,000 people after making it public for only two days. We ran it quite late, too, at 9:20 p.m. on the 15^th of July. I didn’t run very well, however. I took 3^rd behind Matt Tegenkamp and Jonathon Riley; they pretty much kicked my butt in the last 200 meters. I was pretty upset after that race, as I was hoping that it would be the turnaround I needed to completely get over the disappointment of the Trials. However, it only sunk me further. I was frustrated and searching for answers, but still was determined to turn things around.

As anyone who knows me knows, I’m stubborn and I was/am not going to let this get me down and conquer me. I shipped out the next morning for Belgium, where my next race was held. Once I got over here I felt rejuvenated and had a completely new outlook on my running. I wasn’t having any fun the last few months with running, which I’ve never encountered before; it actually felt like a job, and I wasn’t feeling like doing it anymore. So when I got here I decided that I am going into the rest of the summer with no expectations and focus on just enjoying it more like I have in the past.

So bringing you all back up to speed on my race Sunday night. I have very mixed feelings about it. It went really well for 11.5 laps–I was running the race of my life and it was going very well. Prior to the race I had heard that the pace was going to be going through 3K in 7:45, which is 12 seconds faster than I ever gone through 3K. At first I thought I would run from the back and let the lead pack go and run even pace, but after about an hour of thinking that I said screw it, and I didn’t come to Europe and not try to turn around my season to run even pace. I went out the first mile in 4:13 and felt quite comfortable, so I was optimistic about my chances of doing well.

I ended up coming through 3K in 7:53 and two miles in 8:25 and I still felt comfortable, but the pain was starting to creep in. I told myself that I had just over a mile to go and that I was going to get myself in the front pack, so I began to move up gradually and got myself into about 7^th place with two laps to go. I stayed here until the bell lap where I really started to hurt and worried that I would not be able to finish the race, so I checked off, which is what I really regret. Maybe if I would have stayed in the pack I would have gotten the competitive juices and that would have overcome my inevitable dying over the last 200 meters. I crossed with a lap to go in 12:05, so I figured that if I even maintained pace I would run fast and under 13:10.

Unfortunately, my body, though it held up really well the whole race, quickly fell apart the last 300 meters, especially the last 150. I ran 73 seconds for my last lap and ended up hitting 13:18.51. I am very indifferent about the outcome, because I still hit the A standard for next year, but also went 11.5 laps of pain to come one lap short of running a great race. So there is frustration, but I enjoyed being in the race and just competing with no expectations and having fun racing again. I am going to try to get in another 5K in September that should be quite fast, so we’ll see how that works out.

My next race will hopefully be a 3K in either London or Monaco on the 29^th of July. I will be returning to the States on the 31^st of July to train for a month, with a short stop to the Falmouth Mile on the 8th of August, and then coming back over for some more races after the Olympics. Which include most likely right now a 3K at Gateshead on the 31st of August, and then hopefully another 5K attempt at Brussels on the 5th of September. Afterward I hope to have qualified for the World Athletics Final in the 3K in Stuttgart, Germany on the 13th, and return home to run 5th Avenue Mile on the 20th, which will bring my racing season to a close.