Sara Hall: Hello from Philly!
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #1)
Posted January 25th, 2008 at 3:00 PM by Sara Hall
Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Elite Athlete Blogs, Sara Hall
Welcome to the official blog of U.S. middle-distance runner Sara Hall. Sara’s list of running accolades include being a former NCAA All- American at Stanford, the 2006 USA 5K road champion, 5th place finisher in the 1500m at the 2007 USA Track & Field Championships and the 2006 champion at the Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile. Check back every other Friday for her latest entry!
Hello from Philly! I am staying out here in between east coast competitions for the next couple weeks with my training partners Jen Rhines and Kassi Anderson. Tomorrow we head to Boston for the Reebok Indoor Games, and then Jen and I will return before Millrose the following weekend. It has been fun getting to know the running community here in Philly and being reminded how running brings people together socially. I had this same impression in Flagstaff, Arizona prior to coming to the east coast. The running community in Flagstaff is made up of all kinds of people. From working the night shift at a pharmacy to taking a break from practicing law to recently graduating from college, all the runners come from different places, yet are brought together by this common passion.
These experiences, as well as some others I have had recently, have reiterated to me how life is all about relationships. It is so easy to get tunnel-vision as a professional athlete, and become so fixated on the goals you have in front of you and where you are in the process that it becomes all-consuming (especially in an Olympic year!).
I don’t mean in any way to downplay the importance of hard work and focus towards a worthwhile pursuit, but I know in my own life I often realize how I’ve come to fully appreciate the people along the way on my athletic quests only in hindsight. I have loved getting to know the other runners on the US circuit, and I think it’s great that competitors will go out to dinner together before races, warm-up together, and then step on the track to compete. Afterwards, they’ll cool down together and leave the competitiveness behind them and focus on enjoying the race experience and each others’ company.
This very thing transpired when I began my 2008 season last weekend at the New Balance Indoor Games mile in New York City. Though my performance wasn’t anything special (5th in 4:34) it has made me hungry for more racing! Getting back on the track had marked the completion of the longest stretch without a race for me in quite sometime… years in fact. There were no turkey trots this year, no Japan Ekidens, nothing in the months of October, November, and December besides lots and lots of training. And traveling. During the month of November, Ryan and I traveled to New York City, all over Israel for 10 days, back to my hometown Santa Rosa, CA, up to Portland, back to Salinas, CA for Thanksgiving, up to Mammoth Lakes, down to San Diego, and then off to Hawaii! Needless to say, professional running has made me very flexible and adaptable!
Now that my season has officially started with a good wakeup call in New York, I am reminded of the goal I set for the season back in October. It comes from the Bible chapter Ephesians 6 (The Message version): “Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life”. When I read this verse, it stood out to me that I am called to be faithful with the body, mind, and opportunities God has given me in preparing them to make the Olympic Team, and that is how I should measure the success of my season.
I love the phrase “sink yourself into that”- it is very fitting of our training this year, it has been intense! From the moment I started running again after taking a break after 5th Avenue Mile, our team has been doing everything possible to make ourselves efficient runners. From form drills, to plyometric exercises, to weights, to stretching and therapy, I am amazed how my body has been able to handle the workload as we keep piling it on! I feel myself becoming a stronger overall athlete and my stride has taken on a new bounce to it, so I’m excited to get in some good mile races indoors, and hopefully make the Indoor World team to Spain! Meanwhile, I am enjoying the process of “sinking myself into” my training, and appreciating the people along the way. I’ll let you know how the races go!
To comment on this entry please click here and to send questions to Sara, please fill out the form below:
Photograph: Courtesy of NYRR
***Note: We encourage EVERYONE to see a doctor before altering their diet, taking a supplement and/or performing athletic, fitness or other strenuous physical activity. It is your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of any information, instruction, opinion or advice contained in the content. Please also see our complete disclaimer.***
Tags: 5th avenue mile, bible, blog, elite athlete, elite athlete blog, elite athlete blog series, elite runner, ephesians 6, flagstaff, indoor mile, indoor track, Israel, Mammoth Lakes, mile, millrose, Millrose Games, new balance indoor games, olympic games, olympic team, olympics, professional running blog, Reebok, Reebok Boston Indoor Games, runners blog, running, running community, Ryan Hall, sara hall, tfs elite athlete blog series, the final sprint elite athlete blog series, thefinalsprint.com elite athlete blog series, track and filed, weblog, world indoor track championships
Like what you see? Subscribe to our feed!
WordPress database error: [Can't open file: 'wp_comments.MYI' (errno: 144)]
SELECT * FROM wp_comments WHERE comment_post_ID = '5981' AND comment_approved = '1' ORDER BY comment_date
The Final Sprint