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    I thrive on being apart of something bigger than myself. In high school, college, and now in my professional career, I love contributing to a team. I enjoy sharing the process and the outcome. It is much more fun to celebrate this wonderful sport with others!     In roughly two weeks, team USA will take on the best distance runners at the World Cross Country Championships in Punta Umbria, Spain. Our women's team is comprised of 6 beautiful, talented, tough, hard working ladies. I am excited for our team and ho...

 Wow, one month away from the big day! This morning I laid in bed visualizing of all the things I will be doing and feeling on November 7th. I got mammoth sized butterflies in the pit of my stomach just thinking about it. I imagine I will have a flood of emotions. I will try to act tough, put on my game face, and convince myself it is just another race, even though I know deep down, it means more to me than just any old race. I will be dressing and fueling myself for the big battle, waving and kissing loved ones goodbye, and loading a bus ...

 Mammoth Lakes, California is runner's heaven. It is no wonder that some of the best marathoners in the world call this trail mecca home. The awe inspiring views and endless soft surfaces make running lots of miles easy, however, the thin air does not. I have found myself out of breath just casually walking up the stairs.... which makes me question my fitness! Everyday living seems a bit harder. For the past month I was home in North Carolina where it was a sweaty hot mess. Which I love, but it meant I finished every run saturated in persp...

 I do not train specifically to be a 1500m runner, but I sure do love racing them! Who would want to race for 15 or 31 minutes when they can race for about 4 minutes?! Over the past fourteen days I have raced two 1500s, which has been lovely! Compared to my usual track races, they are over so quick, only 3 and 3/4 laps of pain. The last 1500 was at the Oregon State track meet in Eugene where I finished second in 4:08. It was so much fun, I immediately wanted to run one again. I am extremely encouraged by how I felt running. It was the smoo...

I have a secret weapon.   His name is Simon Bairu. For the next couple weeks I have the privilege of training with Simon. Simon is currently easing off his amazing 10k performance and slowly beginning a break before he starts the long and arduous journey of marathon training. Fortunately, I get to steal him as a workout buddy for the next 2 weeks and I couldn't be more excited! I wonder how many female runners get to have a 27:20 10k athlete pacing them through their track workouts? I am guessing not many. I am a very lucky girl! Normally...

 Well, the Stanford track may not have been magical for me Saturday night but it was for my team mates!!!!!! My 5k race wasn't really a race and instead it turned into a lonely time trial. Big bummer! As a result, I ran mostly by myself battling a headwind until the last 100m where I was out-kicked (not fun). I have realized that my strength as a runner is also my greatest weakness. Sometimes I am just too stubborn and aggressive. In this situation, I was probably better off saving a fast effort for a different time and place (my coach wis...

 Over the years, I have run for many different reasons.  But, if I had to boil down my motivation to one simple reason….. I love to see the joy it brings my family. There is nothing better than finishing a race and seeing the excitement and joy in my family's face. I am addicted to this and this "moment" is the only reason I will have a hard time moving on from the sport.   My 2010 track season begins this weekend at the Payton Jordan Invite in Palo Alto, CA and I am pumped! I am getting butterflies just thinking about it....

Ok, so I am not a good blogger. Mostly, I do not think my life is very entertaining and simply I feel silly writing about myself. Recently, I have had a few friends tell me that I need to start posting something on my website even if I think it is boring, because in the end most people like to hear how "normal" professional athletes are. I agree, I love when I read about other athletes and see that they go through the same ups and downs or even like the same food. This past weekend, I connected with an amazing athlete who left me inspired. I w...