...to make the 2012 Olympic Team!

I've been thinking a lot lately about what it will take to make the Olympic team this year.  By the way, it is already 2012.  In case you missed it, Happy New Year.  Personally, I can't believe it's already 2004!  If you read my last couple blogs, you know that I just turned 35 this past November and for years I've struggled with multiple injuries and setbacks, as many runners do.  I'm happy to report that I just ran 55 miles last week, the highest week since January 2011.  In fact, this past weekend I ran a crazy 5 mile trail race, just for fun, and am very excited that my Achilles Tendon was not bothering me at all. (This is really exciting, so I encourage you to feel giddy about it with me :)  The trails were extremely rough and tough and were actually rutted and terraced in ways that made it very difficult to run fast or get any rhythm, not to mention the 16 degree weather, half inch of snow and patches of ice that littered the steep hilly paths.  Ultimately I crossed the line in 30:23  I have no idea of the accuracy of the course or my mile splits, but I ran in a way that made my heart pump pretty hard.  It was a good fartlek/tempo effort.  Overall, a great week of training with Thursday's 8x800m workout (2min rest,  2:28 cutting down to 2:18), the race on Saturday, and Sunday's 12 mile long run.  

So, what is it going to take to make an Olympic team in the steeplechase?  I looked back at the top U.S. marks for the last 12 years including the last 3 Olympic years and counted the number of athletes who had run the Olympic 'A' standard (currently 8:23.1)  An athlete must run the Olympic 'A' Standard in order to be on the Olympic Team (It's actually much more complicated than that, but that's the simple rule).  There have not been more than 5 U.S. Steeplers in the same year to hit that 'A' Standard, but, if I look at the athletes who have recently been at the top and consider some up and comers and some old men who might re-emerge, I could see 6 to 7 athletes running better than 8:23 this year.  Based on past Olympic trial races, my best guess tells me that it will take 8:19 to place in the top 3 at the trials to make the U.S. Olympic Team (my PR 8:22.16). 

Ok!  So, what do I need to do to be able to run 8:19, 3 seconds faster than I ever have before?  Let's break it down.  My conversion time from an open 3000m race to the 3000m steeplechase should be in the 22-25 second range, which means I need to be in shape to run 7:54-7:57 for a 3K.  (My PR, 7:55)  This also means that I will be in shape to run about 4:04 in the mile and 13:40 for 5K (My PRs, 4:07 and 13:53).  Truth is, if I run anyone of my PRs I'll be feeling confident to run close to 8:22 again....but 8:22 is not my goal, it's 8:19 or faster!

Ok, now let's look at a time line.  If I'm going to run 8:19 in the final of the trials at the end of June, after running a prelim, I'll need to be running around 8:26-8:28 at the beginning of May, and Ideally 8:36 late april, Opening around 8:42-8:45 early April.  Ok, so how do I get there?  I'm barely building base, so that must continue through February and March without any burps...burps?  Hiccups, maybe?  Yeah hiccups.  I will build from the ground up with my speed and turnover.  100s, then 200s, then 300s, 400s, 800s, miles etc.  Threshold runs must grow from 5 miles at 5:20 pace to 8 miles at 5:20 pace, and then 8 miles at 5:15 pace, to 8 miles at 5:10 pace etc.  VO2Max work might need to wait until March, but by then things will really start to come together.  Core strength, flexibility, plyometric strength, hydration, sleep, and overall balance must be ironed out a bit, because without these, the rest will not happen. 
Coach Helmer was speaking to the Indiana Track and Field team a couple weeks ago before the indoor track season started and I found myself doing a mental check of my progress since this past summer when I spent 6 weeks in a boot after getting PRP injections in my Achilles tendon.  I realized that if I was to grade myself in each category, I was failing across the board.  I was embarrassed for myself and I really dwelled on how and why I let things get so inharmonious.  My wishing and hoping far outweighed my actions.  I could bore you with the excuses and potential reasons I am holding back, but in the end, here are my goals: 4:04, 7:54, 13:40,  and 8:19.  I know what I need to do.  No time to waste.  Time to start executing!  

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