Thursday, December 27, 2007

Getting Started

Hello to all! This is my first blog and I'd like to take the time and bring things up to date. A lot has gone on this past year for me. I started the 2007 year with a big move out to San Diego, California to train at the Olympic Training Center. It was a great training experience and a life changing experience. I met a lot of awesome people out there and actually was first introduced to In The Arena through my room mate at the time, Gabe Jennings. I trained out in California through August and came back home for my off season. Things were going great until I found out I was no longer a resident at the Olympic Training Center. What I thought was a sure bet was not, and I had to scramble to figure out how I was going to make things work for me during this upcoming Olympic year.

I made the decision that I would move back to Minnesota and get myself an apartment in Minneapolis and train. I was disappointed that I was no longer able to stay in California but at the same time I was excited to be back in Minneapolis where I was comfortable. I spent most of the fall months searching for an apartment and trying to hold a steady workout schedule as well I could. I was definitely not ideal. It was a highly stressful time for me. I had no money, and no place to live in Minneapolis. I commuted frequently from my home near Rochester, MN and sometimes would spend the night on friend's couches just so I could train on the University of Minnesota campus and search for places to live. It was a desperate time. I was saved though when I was accepted to be a part of In The Arena.

Becoming a part of In The Arena made my difficult times a little easier to cope with, I'm incredibly thankful for the help. I began my community project at the Boys and Girls Club in south Minneapolis. I began just after the Thanksgiving weekend. I go in nightly from 5 until 8 when the club closes. It works out perfectly with my schedule, allowing me to train during the day and spend a few hours in the evening hanging out with some pretty neat kids. It's a nice break away from training for me to go and volunteer at the club. I look forward to going each day. There is never a dull moment working there. The kids have so much personality and I have found them to be very accepting. I'm definitely looking forward to spending the year working with them.

I'll be sure to blog regularly to keep those of you interested informed about what is going on in my life from training to working at the Boys and Girls Club through out this Olympic year as I work towards earning myself a spot on the 2008 Olympic Track and Field Team.