The most difficult times for me after disappointing races is right after I cross the finish line. The disappointment really sets in strong at this point. The first person I saw at the finish was Meb. I gave him a hug and congratulated him on a great run. If there was one guy I was pulling for it was Meb. He had shown me what the heart of champion looks like through the hard times, now it was my turn to have that same heart in my disappointment. Read More

I woke up at 5 am yesterday morning without an alarm, wide-eyed and full of optimism. It felt almost wrong that the day was finally here. I had been looking forward to this day since I first watched the 2006 ING New York City marathon from the lead vehicle. From that day I was hooked on the marathon and couldn’t wait to run myself and test myself through the five boroughs. Read More

Last week was a good week. In terms of training it was the most defining week of my buildup for the ING NYC marathon. Coming off a very difficult Sunday marathon simulation I was expecting to feel a little sluggish with only one day rest before my 1000 meter repeat session on Tuesday. It was one of those good surprises when I got part way into my workout and realized there was a freshness to my legs that hadn’t been there since I began my heavy marathon training. I knew the rest of the week was going to be special, and it had to be, since I had my hardest runs I would be doing leading up to NYC on Friday and Sunday. Read More

Have you ever thought about what a difference a few seconds can make? I have never been so thankful for a few extra seconds as I was this week while doing my last hard uphill run. On last Thursday morning Sara and I had driven 15 minutes to what has become one of my favorite runs in preparation for the hills of the ING New York City marathon. Read More

As I nervously laced up my custom built Asics running flats last week prior to my 18 mile tempo run I could not help but smile to myself as I thought I am living every kids dream. As a kid growing up I was sports mad. When I wasn’t forced to go to school I did nothing but play sports or watch sports on tv. At that time professional basketball players were just starting to come out with their own custom built shoes that were becoming available to the general public. I remember wanting a pair of Air Jordan’s but not having anywhere near the bills I needed to sport them. I always dreamed of what it would be like to have my own shoe. Now I know. Read More

Today as I was out running the last 20 miles on the NYC marathon course I felt like I re-learned a very important lesson and fulfilled my purpose for coming to New York City this week. I was having one of those days where I was tired and my run wasn’t going as well as I hoped. All I could think about was how off my body felt, how tired I was from getting up at 5:30 am, how hard it was for me to navigate the city roads and traffic, how I wished I was back home in the forest. Really I was reaping frustration because I had let my heart become too self-focused. As I ran along, God was telling me this is what it is like to be running with an inward focus, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Though I heard Him, it didn’t make it from my head to my heart until after the run, as I lay on the massage table, still irritated by the morning, God impressed on my heart, get outside yourself. Read More

Because I race only race six times a year I am always really excited for race week when it finally rolls around. I was particularly pumped about racing the ING Philadelphia Distance run because I had heard so much about the event from my teammate Deena Kastor, who had set the American Record at the event a few years back. She always talked about the city, course, and event as if it was the perfect environment for supernatural running.
Even though I have had mixed results in my races leading up to marathons I couldn’t help but dream about hitting one of those special days when I feel like I’m floating on heavens clouds. I was secretly hoping to run faster than I had ever run before. So I ran my last interval workout on Tuesday of 8 by 1000 meters with high aspirations for Sundays race. Read More

This week brought the first signs of fall and with it the excitement of increasing fitness as the ING NYC marathon draws near. For the first time this summer the shirt is staying on unless we are really running hard and I have already begun craving pumpkin lattes from Starbucks. There are many parts of fall that I enjoy, but the best part of fall is the feeling of being weeks away from top form. Read More

As I sit in a warm Epsom salt bath, as is my custom on my easy days to help relax my muscles and decrease inflammation, I am not only training my physical body, but my mind and spirit as well. I like to use these “down times,” whether it be sitting in a creek, icing in my bathtub, getting a massage, or using my Normatec as opportunities to dream, visualize, pray, and recharge my mind and spirit. There are various ways methods that I use, such as music, sermons from iBethel.tv, reading books like the one I am currently working through The Biology of Belief, praying, and sometimes just sitting and putting myself on the streets of New York, where I will run my next marathon to train my mind and spirit. Tonight I just sat and reflected on something that I had spent a lot of time thinking about, not only this week, but throughout my entire running career. Read More

When I was first starting out as a runner 13 years ago I wondered what it would be like to be a professional runner.At that point in my career I was only running 5 miles a day and had a hard time comprehending what a pro runner does all day.If I could have only foreseen into the future to yesterday I would understand that it is more than a full time job, it is a lifestyle. Read More