a glimpse at the future

Today is November 2nd and yes, this is day two of my blogging and day two of National blogging month. Before I write any future blogs I think I owe it to those who read my writing (or rambling...) to paint a picture of my current life...

...As my profile says, I moved back to Elgin, IL (where I grew up) from Seattle, WA after a 2 1/2 year escapade of living and working in the Great Northwest.  It was a bit hard for me to leave Seattle, but when it came down to it there were many reasons and forces that literally drove me back to my home.  First, I quit my full time job at blueseventy, a job I came to love.  How many people can honestly say they love there job?  Yeah, there were days that weren't fun, but most days were.  Lots of fun travel, meeting great people in the sports of triathlon and swimming, but as my dreams grew stronger to become a faster and more competitive runner, I realized that I couldn't give enough of my energy to blueseventy needed to fulfill my job there.

I looked for some part time work in Seattle, but reality sunk in that with the hours that I need to put into training, rest and recovery and then all the "little things" I knew I couldn't make enough money to pay for rent, utilities, gas, car insurance, etc, etc, etc...I looked and looked for cheap living in Seattle, even asking some of my Club teammates (the older ones) if anyone had a room in their house to rent cheaply ,or even free, to me.  When nothing came up, I planned a trip home for a 5 week period to 1) race a ton 2)meet a beautiful girl named Beth, and 3)really test if I could "manage" to live back at the 179brookside dr...

Well, reason 2 was one huge reason, but within the racing and training back home I got re-connected with a former coach at York High school, Charlie Kern, who I worked with over a few summers way back when I was in High School.  He doesn't coach at York anymore, but is putting together his own coaching business, mostly coaching groups for key races around the Chicagoland area (chicago marathon, hot chocolate 15k, etc), but he was working with a small group of elites, one of which is a former teammate of mine at Loyola, Colleen Newhart.  I got to do some workouts with Charlie while I was back and after a few meeting with him I knew that we would work well together!  So the decision to move back was set in my head, although it did take more convincing for my Dad...don't get me wrong he was and is happy to have me home, but I don't think he totally believed that I would move home knowing how much I enjoyed Seattle and how close of friendships I had (have...) out there.

As I said at the beginning, I do ramble, but I hope that it's starting to paint a picture for you and give you a little glimpse into my future of running...

So I have now been back in Elgin for nearly 2 1/2 months...it's crazy how time flies!  Some of my concerns moving back was that I didn't have medical insurance (I still don't...) and with my past, how was I going to stay healthy.  Well, I had to get creative and also use the contacts I have to "mend" together what I call my "Olympic Insurance"...Alright well, first I knew with the colder Chicago winters I'd need a somewhere to workout when it was too cold to do shorter runs.  I have a treadmill at home, but, not a huge fan of running in the basement with the really low ceilings...I am soooo thankful for my friend Luke Malm.  When I visited with him on the trip home from Seattle (which may be a blog story this month, stay tuned!) with Beth, he reminded me that his mom, Cathy, still worked at the Elgin YMCA, which is litearlly less than 2 miles from my home.  Mrs. Malm was able to get me a 2 year membership to the Y that is all inclusive, meaning I have access to the gym, pool and classes.  Yoga has been a huge part of my therapy and has kept me sharp and even increased my inflexible self a tad bit!

After about 4 weeks of training with Charlie I started having minor issues with my hips, just some nagging problems.  Charlie works his magic and connections and gets me into an elmhurst Chiropractor named Dr. Mike Calcagno.  So, story goes, Dr. Mike is what got me through my Senior State Track meet in high school.  He volunteers his time and efforts with the York High School XC and track team at the state meet every year, giving massages and stretching kids out....well, when I attempted (and succeeded) at medaling in the 800 (5th), 1600 (7th), and 3200 (2nd) that year (2002), he is the big reason my body stayed together.  Now, Dr. Mike is doing some pro-bono work for me, allowing me to get adjusted, stretched out, core exercises and use the electric stim.  This is HUGE in my training and am still in awe of Dr. Mike's big heart to the elite athletes that have very little!

Soooo, I hope that this story of the recent past and present can give you a glimpse at my near future as I take on my dreams with a full head of steam and turn making the Olympic Trails into Reality!

2012, out!