Jess Minty - Mission Accomplished.
It is an incredible feeling to achieve a much sought-after goal. There is so much energy that goes into developing that dream, making a sound plan, following it through the ups and downs for months on end, and then finally taking advantage of the opportunity on that day. This past month, I realized a life-long dream to qualify for the Olympic Trials. It was a performance I had worked towards specifically every day since my disappointing result at the U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Generally, however, I have dreamed of qualifying for the Olympic Trials since I became passionate about running as a young girl.
The last six months have given me more confidence in myself as an athlete than I have ever had before. I worked with undeterred focus towards making myself as strong as I could possibly be leading into my goal race: the Aramco Houston Half Marathon, which also serves as the U.S. Half Marathon Championships. With the qualifying window opening January 2010, this race was the first opportunity for me to qualify for the Olympic Marathon Trials. I knew the course would be fast, the conditions seasonably pleasant, and the field of women competitive: perfect conditions to run a fast race.
This fall I ran, and ran, and ran some more. I ran more than I have ever run. And I loved it. I put in week after week of higher mileage and felt my body learn to love being in motion for long periods of time. Two hour runs were no longer intimidating; a six mile afternoon run could be done in my sleep. Pete and I worked on my mental approach to running as well. I came to embrace the idea that I am a "professional." I took better care of my "investment" by sleeping more, stretching more, icing more, and generally doing all the supplemental things that I have time for but had not taken full advantage of. I learned to recover more while training more to keep motivated and injury-free.
My low-key race results through the fall did not show the effort I was putting in to my training. I ran races that were strong efforts but were no where close to where I wanted to be. In workouts, I would be far behind my teammates on most days. At times, I questioned my decision to move towards a higher mileage training approach and began to wonder if devoting even more of my energy to the supplemental work was akin to placing "too many eggs in one basket," but I kept my focus knowing that ultimately the only result I cared about was coming with the New Year.
Standing in the morning darkness surrounded by the tall financial buildings on the the starting line at Houston, I was smiling. Of course I was nervous, but I knew that I had six months of the best training of my life. All of my work had led me to this moment. To quote my fellow townsman, Henry David Thoreau, "We must walk consciously only part way toward our goal and then leap in the dark to our success." I was about to take that leap.
As for the result? I am very happy to say: mission accomplished. My time of 1:14:22 put my well under the half marathon qualifying standard of 1:15:00. I know that in two years time I will be racing in the Olympic Marathon Trials. That does not mean, however, that I am resting on any kind of laurels. I have even greater dreams to realize now. With this, my first Olympic Trials qualification, out of the way, I will be able to take more risks in my marathon debut in April at Boston.
This past week I began marathon-specific training and I am enjoying the whole process anew: setting goals for myself, riding the boundless energy and deep fatigue that comes with this very intense training. Before I know it, I will be on the starting line in Hopkinton, with my thoughts looking ahead to the roar of the crowds at Wellesley, the challenge of the hills through Newton, and finally, the career-defining turn onto Boylston St. Just like at Houston, I am sure I will have a smile on my face; another leap in the dark, towards success, is just moments away.