I've been a runner for over a decade and still love learning something new about the sport, and try to do so daily.  Whether it be a new training method, new stretching/plyo technique, another weight routine for distance runners, or a new technology in footwear or apparel.  There is something to be said for being a student of the sport.  I draw inspiration from watching the best race and train, I'd like to think that mimicry and visualization has its benefits... and sites like Runnerspace have only helped to boost our sport to a new level. 

  After running at a high level in HS and at the D1 level in college I could still be considered one of the many dreamers out there, I am always looking for that next "breakthrough."  We all believe we can someday run that "dream race" (it's what gets us out in the cold, rain, or oppressive heat), and mine is going to cover 26 mile and 385 yards in 2:18:59.  I believe that miles over a period of time equal great things, but also have come to appreciate the simplicity and beauty of the sport.  It's fun to let the kid in all of us come out, and imagine yourself running next to the Ritz's and Teg's, during those days where you feel like you're barely touching the ground.  For the vast majority of us, those effortless 10 milers are going to be our "national championships" and I have come to cherish those runs even more as the years have passed.

  One thing I have learned as I have moved through the ranks and now am a post-collegiate runner is patience and maturity are both what seperate the very talented from the very best.  I am constantly telling myself and anyone who is rushing things that "Rome wasn't built in a day."  It takes a great deal of patience and maturity to accept that, but sometimes we need to take a step back and redraw things.  The beauty of our sport is that it is unpredictable, one needs to be able to walk that fine line between to much and not enough.  All to often we fall off that fine course, but the beauty of hitting it dead on and running that PR is worth it.  I've learned that I would rather take my time in training and do it right, than rush it continue on that spin cycle of hurt, train hard, get fit, race to soon, and get hurt.  I have come to look forward to the challenges the sport presents, because it does not allow you to relax.  I am constantly analyzing what I am doing and if it is right for the course I would like to ulitimately follow.  Running is a simple activity of putting one foot in front of the other faster than the next person, but it really is a thinking man's sport.  Each and every person has a "sweet spot" with their training and lifestyle and the challenge is having the maturity and patience to find that "spot."

  I'd love to coach a few athletes someday, as well, as I think my passion for the sport and finding that path to success is very high.  It has taken me a decade to realize I love the sport and not just the successes I have had or the ease with which it originally came to me. I love seeing others succeed and truly believe running is one of the most personal and real ways to express oneself.  A race and the passion involved someone pouring it all out, whether it be an olympian or a local jogger, is something capable of bringing us all through a range of emotions because we have ALL been there before and know how great that hurt feels.

I am a tech rep for Saucony, and am very very excited about where the brand is currently and where we are going to take it to... "Loyal to the Sport."  I recently became engaged to the love of my life,by catching her off guard with a ring and dressed in a suit at the finish of a 5 miler we run every year!  Any girl that will ride her bike in the pouring rain alongside you on a training run, or still wait for you at every mile marker of a tough half marathon is a keeper. 

  Just like every year... each new year brings promise and hope for the next 365 days... and like every year I make myself a promise to make that year "my" year.  Instead of trying to skip the little steps and jump to the top of the staircase I have a grasp on the minute details and hope I have finally found my "sweet spot."  Here's to 2010 being the year...