This was our Athlete Gift =)
Most people who know me know that I raced at the Track & Field Olympic Trials. Only those closest to me knew that I raced at the Trials while 8 weeks pregnant. My decision to race, even though I knew the result would be far off of my original goals for the season, was because I felt like I deserved to race. I worked extremely hard to qualify. I've been developing as an athlete my entire life. I knew that I wanted to be racing at the Olympic Trials in 2012 after my season in 2008. I was happy with the season, but not satisfied. Competing at the Olympics has been a goal of mine since I was in 8th grade.
When I found out that I was pregnant, my goals for the trials changed. I went from having the goals of making the final AND qualifying for the Olympics in London to simply doing my very best in the prelim. I did not want to toe the line if I wasn't going to commit to racing my ass off. I decided to commit; to give 100% the entire 3000m. The race would have been disheartening had I been unrealistic. I remember being thinking at one point, "Just go." And, as one of Rogue's most favorite quotes in the recent past says, "Just F!cKiN6 Run". I kept my eyes up on the backs of my competitors, which helped me stay engaged as they were very much running away from me. I never thought about how far back I was. I only thought of giving it my all. I finished with a time of 10:32- 34 seconds off of my season best. Had I run close to my PR of 9:49, I would have made the final. I was a bit off.
I'm at the back of the pack in the red top, purple bottoms.
Looking back on my experience at the Olympic Trials, I am so happy that I went and competed. Most people don't get the opportunity to compete at the level of the trials, and I didn't want to take that for granted. My husband told me that he was very proud of me for my effort, as did both of our parents. Joe's sweet mother said that even if I had 100 Olympic Gold medals around my neck, she couldn't be more proud of me for deciding to race and for giving it everything I had. I'm not sure what the future holds for me on the track, but I do know that I will continue to run as long as my body can handle it.
My new goals for the present and near future include having a healthy pregnancy, a healthy baby, and getting back to hitting the pavement HARD as soon as I can. I want to remain a member of Rogue Athletic Club. I want to be a strong force on the US road circuit. I want to represent the Rogue community to my best ability. All while being a good mother. It might be 10 months from now and it's definitely going to be a challenge… but with the support of my husband and our loved ones, I'm confident that I can make it happen. Dacia is proof that it can be done. =)
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