���Ĵ�ý

In November 2019, I qualified for the US Olympic Team Trials in the women���Ĵ�ý�s marathon. I had a pretty short turnaround before the actual trials, which were the following February. But the goal had really been qualifying for the trials. Making the Olympic team is a whole other level. The trials course was definitely harder. I went in knowing that my time wasn���Ĵ�ý�t going to be outstanding. My qualifying time, at the Philadelphia Marathon, was 2:44:14. I finished the trials in Atlanta in 2:55:09.

(Illustration: David Cowles for Rochester Review)

I certainly didn���Ĵ�ý�t set out with the goal of anything like the Olympic trials. I don���Ĵ�ý�t think I even knew what that was. My goals started small and got more ambitious as I progressed. I ran my first half-marathon in 2008. Then I set the goal of finishing a marathon, and I thought that was going to be it. But then it went well, and I thought, ���Ĵ�ý�maybe I can improve my time.���Ĵ�ý� In the marathon, breaking the three-hour barrier is a major milestone, but I actually did not set that as a goal. It just sort of happened after I ran several marathons. I ran a 2:53 in Berlin, when I actually had a pretty bad race, and I thought I could have done better. If I was so sure about that, I thought, ���Ĵ�ý�why not target the Olympic trials? Because if I make it, it will be the accomplishment of a lifetime. And if I don���Ĵ�ý�t, I will still have gotten faster. I still will have set PRs [personal records] along the way.���Ĵ�ý�

To help me stay motivated, I���Ĵ�ý�ve always found people to train with, rather than going it alone. Having people around is motivating because you���Ĵ�ý�re seeing them put in the work, so it makes you want to put in the work. It���Ĵ�ý�s also grounding. You suddenly realize that other people also have bad days, whereas if you���Ĵ�ý�re by yourself, it���Ĵ�ý�s easier to think, ���Ĵ�ý�Oh my gosh, I���Ĵ�ý�m never going to get there.���Ĵ�ý�

I also think having a coach, no matter what your goal, can be really helpful. A coach can take a lot of the guesswork out. When I���Ĵ�ý�m feeling really tired and a little sore, I can���Ĵ�ý�t really step outside myself and decide: Should I just suck it up and do the workout, or am I risking injury? It���Ĵ�ý�s good to have a guiding force to help you think through things in a less emotional way.

���Ĵ�ý�After every marathon I���Ĵ�ý�ve run, I���Ĵ�ý�ve felt a little bit of a void. This is a common experience after meeting a big goal.���Ĵ�ý�

You feel a void, because you spent all this time and energy and attention on that one thing, and suddenly it���Ĵ�ý�s gone. I���Ĵ�ý�ve had this happen enough times now to know that it���Ĵ�ý�s going to come, but that doesn���Ĵ�ý�t make it easier to get through. And I don���Ĵ�ý�t like to decide too hastily what to do next. For me, that always backfires. I���Ĵ�ý�ve needed to take time to decide what���Ĵ�ý�s going to be meaningful.

Last year, I dealt with that void by thinking about my next goal before the Olympic trials. I knew it couldn���Ĵ�ý�t be another marathon. I needed something completely different. I decided to try a triathlon and signed up for the SOS (Survival of the Shawangunks) Triathlon in New Paltz, New York.

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored how important it is to be flexible. The triathlon was supposed to take place last September. It���Ĵ�ý�s now supposed to take place this year, but we���Ĵ�ý�ll see. When I started training, as always, I relied on a group to keep me going. I have some friends who are into cycling, and one of them is in Paris, and one is in Copenhagen. So we all got on our bike trainers and set up a Zoom so that we could ride together virtually. It���Ĵ�ý�s very unlikely we would have done that in normal times.

This article originally appeared in the spring 2021 issue of Rochester Review magazine.

���Ĵ�ý� Interview by Karen McCally ���Ĵ�ý�02 (PhD)