Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Hello World

I'd like to begin blogging for a couple of reasons.  For one, as I've gotten older (jeez, I'm almost 23!) I've become more and more reflective and thoughtful.  I need a diary-like outlet in which to spill my convoluted thoughts with the hope of organizing them.  As a bonus, I hope that somebody somewhere will glean some wisdom from what I write about running, school, life, girls, ways to prevent nipple chafe, or what have you.  Lastly, as I squeeze the last drops of NCAA track eligibility from my collegiate career, I figure it's time to start putting myself out there with the goal of entering the professional running circuit in 2013.

A bit about me:

I'm from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and am currently training and going to graduate school at the University of Texas in Austin.  I ran for Princeton and used all but one indoor season of eligibility there.  Due to Ivy league regulations I could not run my final season in a 5th year, so I had to go elsewhere.  My situation is somewhat unusual: most transfers or graduate students have at least an outdoor or cross country season left, whereas I have only indoor track, the neglected little brother of the other two when it comes to distance events.  I plan to continue training here in Austin following that season and if all goes well, pursue a professional running career.

Most of the topics I think I'll write about in this blog will pertain to how running interacts with other aspects of life: work: family, relationships, a social life.  I believe that the ideal approach to training does not necessarily equal a day focused only on running but a balanced one that exercises the mind, body, and emotions.  I attribute my success as a collegiate runner to the additional challenges simultaneously posed by school, relationships, and social interactions.  In short, a runner toughened by more than the stresses of training over a long period of time is more focused, better equipped to react to unexpected situations, and can enjoy the entire process of living as a runner to a fuller extent.

My hope is that runners everywhere and of all ability levels might gain some wisdom from the sharing of my experiences.  The running community has given a lot to me in the past eight years, and I think it's time to begin giving back.


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