Thanksgiving and No Race to Run...

For the first time since 2004, I didn't run a race on Thanksgiving Day. The last race that I ran was the Bridge Mile in Halifax; I haven't run a race on American soil since the Indiana meets before the Olympic Trials and as of now I don't have definite plans for my next race. It's been so long since I posted that I don't know exactly where to start. Throughout the 2008 track season I intended on posting more than I did and I had hoped to catch up at some point. The season went so horribly that by the time that it was over I didn't feel like saying any more than I had to. After my longest break in ten years I debated what was next for me. I left my coaching position at Iowa State in June with the intentions of pursuing running full-time but after the season I wasn't sure that I wanted to run competitively any more. It took a lot of reflecting and talking with friends, coaches and family before I decided that I wanted to pour myself back into the sport on a more full-time level than ever before. Today marks my first week living in Colorado Springs, CO. In each of the last two weeks I have run over 100 miles and training seems to be going well. I’m going to wait to post specific details until I see how I adapt to living at 6,000 feet. I'm sure I've said this before but I aim to make posting on this site a more regular habit. Thanks to anybody that is still checking after my extended hiatus from posting. My goal is to continue to post more regularly with updates on training and general progress rather than just a link to results. I sincerely appreciate the people that have come to me in person, called or sent me an email to encourage me to continue to pursue my athletic goals. Despite an overwhelmingly disappointing season I found 2008 to be a great lesson. Firstly, it was a lesson in humility. After finding success in 2006 and 2007 I thought I would somehow be able to manage a full-time coaching job and continue to progress athletically. More importantly, I learned a lot about the people that care about me. Aside from my family members who have never failed to show unconditional encouragement, people like Mark Misch, Houston Franks, Greg Hipp, Corey Ihmels, Tommy Neal, Jon Little, Murray Taylor, Shawn Love, Reggie Clifton, Brian Mahoney and countless others have shown their steadfast support for me on a level that I can barely comprehend (if I've missed you, please forgive me). I’m blessed to have people who have invested in my success so whole-heartedly and at this point the only way that I can think to repay them for their efforts and contributions is to run faster than I had ever previously imagined. Next week I head to the USATF Annual Meeting in Reno. Hopefully in another two weeks I have more good news to report on training. Originally, I had planned on running the USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Spokane on December 13 primarily as a chance to visit my aunt and uncle that live there. At this point I think I need the extra time to adapt to training here before I’m ready to toe the line. I’ve got more news to post but that will be soon to come…