Sometimes it is about the journey and not the destination. The destination for me and my two teammates, Shalane Flanagan and Tim Nelson, is the New York City Marathon on Nov. 7, but Aug. 1 marked the start of our journey.
As we drove along the scenic route from Reno, Nev., to Mammoth Lakes, Calif., to start our six-week training camp, I could sense a feeling of excitement and anticipation within the group. We were about to embark on something completely new, and although nothing in our running careers had specifically prepared us for this journey, everything we had done up to this point in our careers, had prepared us for this moment. To be honest, the marathon didn’t seem overly daunting. We had faith in our coach, Jerry Schumacher, and we knew that regardless of what lay ahead, we would face all obstacles as a team. Our philosophy has always been: It’s us against the world. And New York would be no different.
For Tim and I, preparing for New York would be another shared milestone in our careers, eight years of shared joys and frustrations. Ever since our days at the University of Wisconsin, Tim has been the one training partner who has stayed constant. Before I broke the 21-year-old Wisconsin 10,000-meter record, it was Tim and I who pushed each other in practice day in and day out, and, unfortunately, the same held true the following year when Tim broke my school record. But at the time, neither one of us could have ever imagined what was in store when Jerry Schumacher — then the distance coach at Wisconsin — told us that we would be doing some special things together, that we would be climbing to new heights.It all started in 2000 when Jerry successfully recruited Matt Tegenkamp to Wisconsin. I joined the Badgers in 2002, and Chris Solinsky and Tim followed in 2003. Matt, the American two-mile record holder, has always been the leader of the group and the one who we would often turn to for guidance. Matt was the one who would tell us things we didn’t want to hear, but had to understand if we were to be successful. Chris, the American 10,000-meter record holder, was like the younger brother who always felt as if he had to prove himself. Chris prided himself as being the hardest-working person in the country and his work ethic rubbed off on all of us. We all had something to learn and we gained much from one another.
By 2008 we realized that there was only so much we could accomplish training through the unforgiving Wisconsin winters. Thus we decided to relocate west to Portland, Ore., where we would have mild weather and strong support from Nike. Jerry packed up his family, including four kids under the age of 10, and moved with us across the country. We brought along Evan Jager, an up-and-coming star from Illinois who had finished his freshman year at Wisconsin and decided he wanted to stay with Jerry. Soon after our arrival in Portland, were were joined by Shalane Flanagan, the American-record holder and 10,000-meter Olympic bronze medalist. Shalane was the first member of our group who wasn’t affiliated with Wisconsin, but she brought a new dynamic to the group and many valuable lessons on what it takes to succeed at the highest level.
A year and a half after Shalane joined, here we were, the three of us, running along scenic trails around Mammoth Lakes in preparation for the New York City Marathon. One of the things I will draw inspiration from is Shalane’s determination. I will always remember how Shalane would try to stick with Nelson and me on our runs like a little sister following her older, cooler brothers. Day in and day out she would run with us until she was exhausted. Eventually this took a toll on her and she started to fall off earlier and earlier. There where times we could sense this and we would want to slow down so she would be able to last with us a bit longer, but we knew we would not be doing her any favors by doing so. Instead, we would maintain the pace and even accelerate a little. Her perseverance is a lesson in tenacity and is something we have all learned from.
Regardless of what happens in New York, two things are guaranteed: the three of us will have gained wisdom from our first marathon experience, and we will also forever be able to share in the memorable journey to New York.
As we draw closer to our destination and prepare to take on the world, my hope is that I have inspired my teammates half as much as they have inspired me.
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