My collegiate track career is rapidly coming to a close, I have about two weeks left until Nationals (NAIA), that is if I am one of the three athletes on the team they decide to take. I did my part and now it is out of my hand and up to the coaches. I say this because each team is allotted three right of entry spots for athletes with a provisional qualifier and there are four of us with a provo. The head coach says that he will choose based on rankings but I have trouble believing that he will take three distance runners (1500, 10k, 5k) and leave his lone sprinter, a 400 hurdler, behind. The bias goes to the hurdler for many reasons, that I don't need to get into.

The title (relief) comes from my 5000 this last weekend. It was our conference meet, held at Mt. Hood Community College. It had the potential to be the last meet of the season for me. But I rose to the occasion and ran the race of my life. The race went out on a fast enough pace to get me provo, with some breathing room. I needed to run anything faster than 15:12.00. After the first mile, I was running relaxed at the back of the lead pack of 9, we went through at 15:00 pace (4:48). The second mile slowed and was 5:00. The eventual winner made a move with 4 1/2 laps left and had some go with him. I didn't respond, but started to move up at about 1400 left. At 600 to go I was in fourth and moving. I caught two College of Idaho runner at 500 and just went around them. One challenged but couldn't hang at 300. As for the winner I was gaining on him all the way to the line. I ran my last 600 in a 66, 30. I finished in 15:06.20 which is a 15 second PR, placed second (my first podium) and I believe that is All-Conference, qualified for Nationals and was under the meet record. A huge relief.

I owe all of this to two of my teammates Kevin Jeffers and David Laney, who already have their Automatic qualifiers, for graciously taking the race out and making sure that the pace would be fast enough to get the time.