The thing about being a student athlete…

…is that you are busy. SO busy. So busy that you stop posting in your brand new blog after a whopping two posts!

I’m currently in the “writing” phase of my Master’s degree, meaning that I’m wrapping up some data analysis from my project and composing my thesis, all day every day. Understandably, writing for fun is kind of on the back burner. I mean, I didn't send my Christmas cards out until mid-January. 

While I’m reaching a point where I’m ready to move on and shift my focus predominately to training for the Olympics, school has been majorly cool. I began my Master’s degree in Exercise Physiology after finishing my undergrad because I wasn't running nearly at the level I am now, and I thought that I would be able to handle both training and pursuing another degree – something I knew I would do eventually. I’m grateful that my supervisor and the University of Calgary Kinesiology faculty have been extremely accommodating and supportive of my endeavors and crazy schedule, and it's been challenging but absolutely worth it.

Top 3 best things about school:

1.   It's fun! Obviously this only applies if you are a nerd like myself, but where/when else do you get to spend all your time learning about a topic you find fascinating, surrounded by peers who share common interests? You certainly get some pretty neat opportunities being in such an innovative and collaborative environment.

2. It’s a wicked job. I’m not TAing anymore, but I did for five semesters which was a serious hit to my free time but paid the bills quite comfortably. I’ve also worked as an exercise physiologist on a few research projects and it's quite enjoyable putting the skills I've acquired into practical use. While I’m definitely not making the big bucks like many of my friends working downtown oil-tycoon Calgary, as far as part time athlete jobs go, you really can’t beat the structure, relevance, and compensation.

3. It’s the perfect complement to training  – I’m mostly sitting, my only physical labour involves folding towels and whiping down sweaty bikes,  and my schedule is extremely flexible. Though I crave the days when I’ll be able to focus solely on training, I’m a person who is not content being static and school has certainly filled the void.

Top 2 worst things about school:

1.       It’s hard to split your passions. Athletics and academics really aren’t that different in that they largely involve people doing their best to attain goals and perform at a very high level in their field of choice. I’m a fairly passionate person, and love throwing myself into something, be it sport or research. Doing both is sometimes frustrating as you do have to manage your time and resources in two separate worlds where everyone around you is immersed in only one.

2.       Days are only 24 hours long. And athletes need a lot of sleep to perform well. This isn’t as big of a problem now that I’m not TAing, but I’ve gone through stretches where every waking moment is scheduled which isn’t too fun. That said, we all have to grind through things sometimes and I do acknowledge that I've been extremely fortunate with the opportunities I've been given.

Anyways, I’m typing this post on a plane en route to  Flagstaff for my first altitude camp. My goals are two-fold: to become a lean mean running machine, and to make a strong final push towards finishing my thesis. I can't wait for the track season ahead, but I'll probably never be too cool for school!!

Season Opening 5km road race - 15:36 :)

Summer Dreaming

Summer vacation is kind of a myth once you're in grad school (they don't tell you that when you sign up!), but I really took advantage of my unstructured lifestyle and had a whirlwind summer of racing adventures here, there, and everywhere. Although it's now November, I'm dreaming of warmer times and can guarantee that a "My Summer Vacation" post will be about 1000 times more interesting than one titled "My Fall" aka "What I've Been up to  Since it's Started Snowing in Calgary". So without further adieu,

My Summer Vacation

In April and May, I ran a few 5000m races in sunny California and came away with a tan and a  massive PB of 15:13.1, which was a big big BIG breakthrough. After many years of frustration, this was absolutely unbelievable and a major catalyst for the opportunities I earned the rest of the summer. 

Celia Peters and I having a wild time at Mt. Sac

Payton Jordan 5000m

Halifax - love this city to bits!

Feeling pretty good, I thought I'd test my speed with some 1500m and mile races as far apart as you can get on Canadian soil - Halifax and Vancouver. To that point, it had taken me five years to knock a grand total of two seconds off of my 1500m time (4:19 when I was 19 to 4:17 when I was 24), so I was quite satisfied with a six second personal best in the 1500m - finally. It was pretty neat participating in the Harry Jerome Mile (in Vancouver) as this year is the 50th anniversary of the Miracle Mile, which was the first time that two people broke the four minute mile in the same race, right at this very meet. It's pretty hard to fathom that this only happened 50 years ago, but what makes this feat even more miraculous is that that race was run on a cinder track in sneakers rather than spikes. Makes the rubberized tracks we have today seem downright luxurious! Anyways, it was neat to witness a tiny part of sport history.

Harry Jerome Mile 4:30

After a few days at home doing some science (grad student life!) I returned to  Moncton to run the Canadian Championships, and was excited to win my first senior title in the 5000m. My entire family is from the Maritimes, so my parents were able to come watch - always a treat!This was a much more pleasant experience than last year's nationals, to put it lightly. In 2013 I finished dead last in the  5000m final after having run for only 6 days following a stress fracture, pity clap and all.  Plus last year, we didn't get an opportunity to visit the world's largest lobster! A juxtaposition in many senses.

World's Biggest Lobster!

***

Amazing Leuven city hall

View off my balcony at night

View off my balcony during the day 

A few weeks later, I flew to Leuven, Belgium where I met up with 20+ fellow Canadians as well as many new American, New Zealand, and European friends. Many athletes use Leuven as a base to train and live while travelling to races all over Europe because the European season is slightly later than the North American season, and there are lots of great racing opportunities in close proximity. It was empowering to be in such a charming city surrounded by friends who are all there for the same reason - to run FAST!

Canada crew Leuven it!

After a week in Leuven, I travelled to Glasgow for the Commonwealth Games! This being my first "Games" experience, I was blown away by the whole event. The athletes' village felt kind of like a great big summer sport camp and was surprisingly not all that different from Canada Games or Legion Camp, but with fewer rules and better food. The race, however, was like nothing I'd ever experienced before.  It was truly surreal to be experiencing something I'd dreamed about forever - competing at a world class event - and I was so happy to be in that moment that I had to consciously force myself not to burst into emotional tears and refocus on the task at hand. The race passed by in a flash and I can hardly even remember details, other than there being sooooo much noise. It was absolutely deafening as a packed stadium of 30 000 fans were on their feet cheering for the entire duration of my 5000m. The atmosphere was so electric that I don't think I even felt pain! I felt that my 10th place performance was solid but certainly not perfect, and I left Glasgow with a slew of experiences and new found wisdom that I'm certain will pay dividends in the future. 

The race was after a downpour! True Scottish weather

Other highlights included:being reunited with my former WVU roommate Sarah-Anne Brault who was competing in triathlon, being mere steps from the Queen during the opening ceremonies, and watching Canadians from all sports kick ass!

Closing Ceremonies

Burrr....ice bath!

Fun times with my WVU roommate Sarah-Anne Brault!

The queen gave us a wave

Scottish countryside near Stirling

Cheerleader of the year goes to Bre Langley!!

I came home for a month after the games and resumed training, which was pretty difficult after such an emotional high! I eventually got back into my groove and in mid September traveled to Toronto for the inaugural Canadian 5km road championships. Megan Brown and company did a fantastic job creating a deep field of athletes, and the event was a blast! I'll definitely be back.

From Toronto, I was off to Morocco as one of ten Canadians selected to Team Americas for the IAAF Continental Cup. This meet is held every four years with eight athletes lining up in each event - two per Continent with a maximum of one per country. What an event! Team Americas consisted of athletes from all over the USA, Jamaica, Brazil, Mexico, Cuba, etc., which was very cool. I mean, my teammates  Dawn Harper, Kim Collins, and Veronica Campbell-Brown were cheering me on while I ran 200m repeats at the track at approximately half their speed, seeing as they are Olympic champion sprinters. Never in a million years did I think that would happen! I love meeting extremely elite athletes because the one thing that continually strikes me is how normal and even goofy they are in spite of their many accolades.

The meet itself was remarkably low key given the quality of competition, and it was a great way to cap off my season. The world record holder in the indoor 3000m stood beside me on the start line, and she lived up to the Dibaba name by putting on a  great demonstration in what it looks to be on top of the world stage, easily winning and running the last 600m of her race in under 1:30! This was both humbling and motivating as I have a long way to go, but was honoured to be in that race and am eager to be sprinting down the homestretch beside those ladies someday soon.

Africans waiting to strike

Exploring the Souks in Marrakech

After this marathon of a season (Metaphor! No marathons for me!), I took a well needed break and am now starting to ramp up my fall training. It's great that track and field/cross country/road running has so many distinct phases - certainly never any time to get bored!

A Camel! 

Fewf, that's a long post but it's been a long summer. Thanks for reading! 

Hello!

Hi friends! Welcome to my blog!

The other day at school, a colleague cheerfully exclaimed: “Jess I read an article about you! Wow! You seem to be sweaty all the time – I’m so glad this running thing is working out for you!” Her heart was in the right place, but this was all the motivation I needed to get the wheels turning as to how to let my friends and family know about my training, racing, and unique adventures I've been experiencing as of late. (This was also all the motivation I needed to start wearing regular clothing rather than comfy running gear 24/7, but that’s another story).

Seriously though, it’s occurred to me lately how interesting being a high performance athlete is, both in competition and training and in the lifestyle we find ourselves falling into. I have Olympic-sized goals, and I’d love to share my stories with you!