Kate O’Neill: Countdown to the U.S. Olympic Trials
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #1)
Posted January 21st, 2008 at 2:26 PM by Kate O'Neill
Section: Elite Athlete Blogs, Kate O'Neill
Hi, this is my blog in TFS’s Elite Athlete Blog Series. Bookmark http://kateoneill.thefinalsprint.com/ and check back every other Monday for my latest entry as I strive for the 2008 Summer Olympics!
First off, I’d like to thank Adam Jacobs and The Final Sprint for inviting me to take part in this new feature of their website. This is an exciting year for track and field in the US. I think we are going to see amazing performances all year long as we all strive to improve our PRs and make a name for ourselves on the world scene.
The inspirational finishes of the men’s Olympic Marathon Trials in November has set a high standard for the rest of us to reach. In 2004, the US was not able to send a full squad in the men’s 5,000 meters, the women’s 1500 meters, or the women’s 10,000 meters to Athens. That certainly is not going to happen this year. A number of people already have met the standards in every event and many more are preparing to make 2008 into a breakout season. The new rule allowing one person with a “B” standard to qualify for the time will make the Olympic Trials even more exciting as no one can assume that a spot on the team is secure. (Sounds a little bit like the current presidential primary season…)
As we head into the Olympic Trials, new running websites like thefinalsprint.com are adding to the momentum through blogs, podcasts, and footage of races that would not have been taped until the last few years.
For my introductory entry, I’ll give a brief sketch of my life as a runner.
My parents tried to expose my twin sister Laura and me to as many sports as possible. We tried soccer, basketball, softball, tennis, and golf. We never really found success in any of these sports. During my first soccer season, I only touched the ball once in a game – when it hit me in the face and knocked out my first tooth (which is very exciting when you’re in kindergarten.) I did a little better in softball, but I couldn’t hold a metal bat (my arms were really skinny and it was too heavy for me). I was stuck swinging a wooden bat, which of course meant that nothing I hit ever went very far. After two years of tennis lessons, I only managed to serve the ball over the net two times. Golf and basketball were equally disastrous.
By the time we reached middle school, we had concluded that we were terrible at any sports involving a ball. Luckily, we both realized that we liked swimming so we joined a swim team around the time that we gave up on our other athletic endeavors. When we reached high school, we were torn between continuing to swim with our team and trying to find a new sport at our school (which did not have a swim team.) Our parents encouraged us to take up running. Being very obedient daughters, we followed their advice.
We both improved during high school, but we were a little overextended. We took extra classes, stayed up too late studying, and got involved with many clubs and activities. At that time, running was just another activity for me.
During our senior year, we decided to make the college decision independently. If we ended up at the same place, that would be great. If we ended up at the same place, that would be great as well. Early in the fall of our senior year, Laura decided to apply early decision to Yale. I hesitated for a few weeks. Part of me thought we should go to separate schools, but when I made a list of the pros and cons of different schools, I realized that Yale was the place for me. On my visits there, I had loved the campus, the team, the coaching staff, and the residential college system.
Things changed a lot when I went to college. I still studied hard, but stopped taking extra classes, made getting enough sleep a priority, and cut back on activities. My coach also gradually increased my mileage. In high school, I had only done about 20 miles per week. By my senior year, I had worked up to 65 miles per week. Not surprisingly, those changes made a huge difference! My 5k time dropped by a minute and my 3k time dropped by 40 seconds between my freshman and senior years. Laura enjoyed similar improvements. When we graduated in 2003, we both decided to continue training with our college coach, Mark Young, for the next year in hopes of qualifying for the 2004 Olympic Track Trials in the 10k.
At that time, qualifying for the actual Olympics was not a goal. The “A” standard was over a minute faster than my PR. I thought that I could work down to that time over the next four years, but not do it within my first year of graduating. Surprisingly, things progressed faster than I had anticipated. My training improved and I was lucky enough to have big breakthroughs at important races. Being a part of the Olympic team that year was an amazing experience and it has made me eager to return.
Things just fell into place that year, but the next few years were a lot harder. I’d never been hurt before, but then I kept getting injured. I decided that in order to reach my full potential, I needed to try training at altitude. In the summer of 2005, I moved out to Mammoth Lakes, California to train with Team Running USA. After going through a long transition (adjusting to altitude, changing my running form, moving up to the marathon, and addressing some lingering injuries) I feel like I am finally headed in the right direction. I cannot thank my coach, Terrence Mahon, enough for being so supportive during that time. The Olympic Marathon Trials are now just three months away and the Track Trials are six months away. I’m excited to see how much my teammates and I can improve and rise to the opportunities presented during the Olympic year.
Thanks for reading and for all of your support!
- Kate
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Tags: Beijing, California, elite athlete, elite athlete blog series, elite runner, high school, kate oneil, kate oneill, Mammoth Lakes, marathon, mark young, olympic hopeful, Olympic Trials, summer olympics, team running usa, Terrence Mahon, tfs elite athlete blog series, the final sprint elite athlete blog series, thefinalsprint.com elite athlete blog series, track and field, u.s. olympic track & field trials, u.s. olympic womens marathon trials, yale
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January 21st, 2008 at 4:35 pm[…] Read the rest of this great post here […]
January 21st, 2008 at 5:29 pm[…] Kate ONeil created an interesting post today on Kate OâNeil: Countdown to the US Olympic Trials (Elite Athlete …Here’s a short outlineWe tried soccer, basketball, softball, tennis, and golf. We never really found success in any of these sports. During my first soccer season, I only touched the ball once in a game – when it hit me in the face and knocked out my first … […]
January 21st, 2008 at 10:47 pmKate,
It’s so awesome that you have a blog here! You are an amazing runner and a really nice person. I look forward to reading your blogs and following your training. Good luck at the trials!
-Stephanie
January 22nd, 2008 at 1:02 amKate,
Congrats at Houston. So exciting! Wish we could come out and watch you in Boston. We’ll definitely be up early on the west coast watching online. Good luck with preparations and thanks for making the chocolate/peanut butter footballs the other night!
January 22nd, 2008 at 1:23 pmHi Kate,
March 21st, 2008 at 8:38 amThis Blog is great. It’s every exciting to follow your progress. We’ll be in Boston to cheer you on at the trials. See you then!
Love,
MaryEllen & Jim