Jen Rhines's Journal

February 29, 2008 (posted March 3, 2008)

I have been a little slow starting this journal entry because I don’t really know what to say about my indoor season so far. Despite solid training all of my races have been mediocre—no stunning victories or huge disappointments. It doesn’t make them very exciting to write about!

But I am really excited to be heading to Valencia, Spain this weekend for the World Indoor Championships! It is one of the European countries that I have always wanted to visit and haven’t yet had the opportunity. Terrence and I will be spending a couple of extra days there after the meet to relax and explore before I head to New York for the NYRR Women’s Invitational 8K the following weekend. I love to travel so I am really going to enjoy these next couple of weeks before I head back up the mountain (to Mammoth) to prepare for the outdoor season!

I planned to run an indoor season this year because I felt that I needed to work on racing tactics in the shorter races. Having run the marathon for a few years and then dropping back down to the 5000 I felt needed a little more experience racing the mile and 3K to maximize my 5K potential this summer. I realize that although I wasn’t pleased with all of my recent races I know what I need to work on and these races did serve their purpose.

Things are starting to click in training and I’m feeling really good heading into the race next weekend. I’m ready to get out there prove that I can run with the best in the world!

December 5, 2007 (posted December 7, 2007)

The Bagel Run

About two weeks ago on a Thursday morning I pulled up in front of Biff’s Bagels in Flagstaff, AZ at 7:25 AM. My friend, Phil Wharton, had asked me the day before if I wanted to come to the “Bagel Run” and I responded with a definite “Yes!” Only then did I realize I had committed myself to showing up for a run in the cold at 7:30 AM. There was a large group gathered including Phil, Greg McMillan and his athletes, Mark Floreani, Eron from Adidas, Amy Hastings, Lauren Fleshman, Alica Shay, and several others as we headed out in to the frosty morning. The Bagel Run is a weekly event in Flagstaff; basically whoever is in town training is welcome to show up Thursday morning for an easy 10-mile run and to hang out and socialize afterwards at the bagel shop.

I had traveled to Flagstaff for a Memorial Service for Ryan Shay, which was held the previous evening in Buffalo Park. Phil presided over the ceremony, which was a moving tribute to Ryan followed by a walk of reflection around the trail where he and the local runners often did interval workouts. After meeting such a close knit group of runners in Flagstaff I know that they will support Alicia in any and all ways possible as she begins to recover in the coming months. The short time that I spent there got me to thinking and I came to realize that the one thing that I really appreciate about being a runner is the incredible friendships and camaraderie that, we as runners, share. Although it will always be a cutthroat competition for every spot on every team, our companionship still transcends these competitive rivalries. This is the reason why, although I’m really not a morning person, I am here in Flagstaff on a Thursday morning at Biff’s Bagels.

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While in Flagstaff I was able to reunite with my good friend, Phil Wharton. He and his wife Ellen brought back many memories of my early running career back on the East Coast when I had just graduated from Villanova. I met Phil in NYC where he was running MPI (now Wharton Performance) – the sports therapy clinic that he started with his dad. I was a senior in college and in need of therapy, confidence and guidance for what lied ahead in my running future. Seeing him now interact with some of the younger athletes in Flagstaff reminded me of how much I have learned and evolved as an athlete over the past 10 (or so) years. As an athlete there are always areas that we need to work on, whether it’s physical, mental, or emotional. I can now see the difference in my approach to all of these various challenges that always seem to come up in the life of a professional athlete; and as a more mature athlete I can face them with a directness and honesty that I know that I didn’t have when I was a younger.

This past year I had my best track season ever. I ran personal bests in every event except my favorite one - the 5000 meters. The sting of not accomplishing this despite the plenty of opportunities that I had is still with me every day. But now it is a different kind of “sting.” It is something that provides me with that extra fire. It keeps me motivated and feisty even during my current base training phase – which can sometimes get boring for me. It allows me to look at my goals and accomplishments in a new way. Although I didn’t get a PR in the 5K I feel that I did a great job in the event on a competitive level. I competed in the event for the first time at Worlds, was able to make the final and came home with a seventh-place finish. Life (and running) is not all about time, as I used to think, but about our experiences along the way. Heading towards 2008 I look forward to drawing on all of these experiences and putting all the pieces of the puzzle together – making it my best season yet!

Thanks Phil. Thanks for bringing me to Flagstaff. Thanks for reminding me of what is real. Thanks for the Bagel Run invitation. And a special thanks for helping all of us to put these things in perspective – in tragedy and in triumph.

 

July 2007 (posted August 9, 2007)

Here are the highlights of each of the meets I have attended in some capacity so far this summer!

Paris-

I had always wanted to run the Gaz de France meet in Paris and this year I had the chance- I ran the 5000. Despite running in a stadium full of 55,000 cheering Parisians and competing in very strong 5000-meter field the pace dawdled, starting at around 72 second pace and getting as slow as 80s somewhere in the middle of the race. I decided to roll with it; I figured it would be fun to see what I could run for the last 400. However, I knew I was in trouble when my arms started to feel numb with 300 to go. I ran a respectable 1:40 for the last 600 and finished in eighth place but it fell far below my expectations. In hindsight, it was a not so subtle reminder to Terrence and myself to incorporate more emphasis on changing pace into the track workouts to prepare for the heats at Worlds in Osaka. The highlight of the meet was watching Alan Webb accelerate over the last 60 meters to overtake the pre race favorite, Mehdi Baala, and win the 1500. It was very inspiring!

Rome-

Rome has become one my favorite cities to visit for both sightseeing and racing. We were only able to squeeze a little trip into the city this time but we managed to visit the Pantheon and go to our favorite coffee place in Rome that’s right nearby. For the second year in a row, the 5000 in Rome went very well for me. I placed fourth in 14:58, just 3 seconds off of my PB. Breaking 15 minutes for the first time this year was a big boost to my confidence and the workouts really started to improve following the race. When thinking about it I realized Rome really has been good to me; I even ran my marathon PB there in 2006- my most inconsistent event!

Braaschaat-

Braaschaat is a small town outside of Antwerp, Belgium, about an hour drive from our training base in Leuven, Belgium. The six lane track in Braaschaat is in beautiful setting, nestled in the trees so there was virtually no wind. Deena, Andrew (Deena’s husband) and I were there as spectators to watch our training partners compete and support Alan Webb in his American-record attempt in the mile. I also did a little commentating; helping Mark Floreani with his flocast broadcast of the mens and womens 1500 and 5000. It was a great night. There were fast times by Americans in all of the distance events and the evening culminated with Alan’s American record in the mile. He made the last solo lap seem effortless and was able to dip under the record by over a second. My guess is that this small meet will be very popular next year!

Monaco-

The rain was pouring down in Belgium the morning we left for Monaco but when our plane touched down in Nice it was sunny and warm (finally)! The meet hotel overlooked the Mediterranean and it was just a short walk to several shops and cafes. The evening of the meet was cool and the flags were still – the racing conditions were perfect. I had my best race of the season, placing second in the 3000 in a time of 8:35. It felt great to duplicate in a race what I had been doing in training sessions the past couple of weeks. We had a very strong American presence in the race with four of us running 8:44 or faster! We only had a few hours the next morning to relax and enjoy Monte Carlo but Terrence and I have decided our next vacation will definitely be in Southern France or Itlay!

Now it is back to work to prepare for the next couple of races and the World Championships in Osaka, Japan at the end of August!

May 13, 2007 (posted May 17, 2007)

It always amazes me what a great place Stanford is to run distance races. The wind will be howling all day long but around 7:00 PM without fail it calms down and the temperature drops about 20 degrees. The conditions were absolutely perfect to run a 10K. The 10,000 meters at the Cardinal Invite was the race that I had been focusing on for the past few months. The race turned out to be both a breakthrough and a little bit of a letdown at the same time – I ran a personal best of 31:17 but didn’t come close to my goal time of sub 31:00. My Running USA teammate Sara Hall got me off to a great start running 73 – 74 second pace for the first six laps. I felt really comfortable running behind Sara and took the lead after she stepped off the track. I went through 5K in 15:30, a little off the 15:20 – 15:25 that I was looking for but still on a great pace. Fortunately in the later stages of the race when I started to lose focus, Kim Smith came up on my shoulder and I quickly snapped out of it and was able to strong over the last 800 meters. I am not usually a front-runner so it was a big boost to my confidence to win the race and run a PR after leading 19 of the 25 laps. I know now that when I get into a race with a group of women going after that sub 31minute barrier I will be able to do it!

Following the Cardinal Invite in Palo Alto we returned home to Mammoth Lakes for a few final weeks of altitude training before the track season gets into full swing. It is amazing as athletes the things that we can get ingrained in our minds. I was making a purchase at our local tea shop, Edisto, here in Mammoth Lakes, and my total came to $14.59. I was fully expecting to receive $5.01 in change from my $20 instead of $5.41. I am so used to thinking in terms of seconds and minutes for training I was thinking my total was 14:59 and 5:01 was my change. This incident reminded me that it’s time to let old barriers go and focus on new goals. I had the goal of breaking 15 minutes for the 5K for so long that even though I’ve accomplished it, it’s still embedded in my mind. It got me to thinking that focusing on these exact times (sub 31, sub 15) can be very limiting, whether you’re ready to sail right past a goal time or if you’re not quite there yet. If I hadn’t been so focused on just breaking 15 minutes last summer in Brussels I may have run more aggressive and run even faster (I ran 14:55). At Stanford if I hadn’t been focusing on my splits to break 31 minutes I would have been a lot more excited the second half of the race. I was running the best 10K that I’ve ever run so mentally it should have been all positive thinking! As I head into the track season I’m excited to switch gears and compete in the 1500 meters at the adidas Track Classic and the Reebok Grand Prix meets. Since I have no time barriers to try to break here, at least not yet, I am free to put my head down, run hard and compete.

April 5, 2007 (posted May 10, 2007)
Stay tuned for Rhines' upcoming journal entry about the Mt. SAC Relays and the Cardinal Invite

Last weekend I had the opportunity to run the Carlsbad 5000 for the first time in my career. I had heard lots of great things about the race and was eager to toe the line and see what it was all about. Since our training group is doing some sea level training at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA, Kate (O’Neill), Sara (Hall) and I were able to drive up to Carlsbad to jog the course a few days before the race. It didn’t seem particularly difficult at 7:00 minute pace but I knew it might be a different story on race day.

And was it ever! Meseret Defar (2004 Olympic champion and 5000-meter World Record holder) of Ethiopia was attempting to break her own World Record so we got off to a quick start. I had run a 15:05 5K leg of the Yokohama Ekiden as part of the US Team in February. In that race of I felt smooth the whole way, leading me to believe I could run faster at Carlsbad after five more weeks of training. My goal at Carlsbad was to run aggressive and stay with the leaders as long as possible. I was able to handle the quick start but I was already a second or two behind Defar at the first mile. As I passed by 3K and 4K I was surprised to see my pace slowing despite pushing hard and focusing on keeping Meseret as close as possible. I crossed the line in second in a time of 15:21; 20 seconds behind Meseret. I was relieved to hear her say that she felt the same way about the race – that she was running strong but the splits kept getting slower. It is amazing how different two races can feel – even if it’s the same distance.

Although I was a little disappointed with my finishing time, overall, it was a great day. There was tremendous crowd support out on the course and many people stopped to offer congratulations while I was cooling down. It was fantastic to see so many people participating in and enjoying our sport!

My Running USA teammates and I celebrated the weekend with our Ethiopian competitors and the staff from Elite Racing (the group who put on the Carlsbad race) at the Red Sea Restaurant. We enjoyed some authentic Ethiopian food and attempted a little dancing (we weren’t quite as fluid with the shoulder movements as our Ethiopian friends!) During dinner we watched some footage of some of Meseret’s races from last summer – culminating with her world record run in the 5000 meters. We left fired up to start the track season at the Mt.SAC Relays next week!

December 8, 2006 (posted December 14, 2006)

I hate the marathon. When I sat down to write this entry I had been thinking, how am I going to spin my marathon experience this fall into a positive, warm and fuzzy journal entry? I decided to say forget it- I’m going to tell it like it is.

Back in the beginning of November, Terrence and I headed to Japan where I would be running the Tokyo Women’s Marathon on November 19. My training had gone extremely well this fall – coming off of my best track season ever I was able to conquer workouts and runs that I had not been able to do in the past. The trip was smooth and we settled in at the Nihon Aerobic Center in Chiba. It was a great place to rest up from the trip and complete the last week of somewhat hard training before the race. On a clear day we had a great view of Tokyo from our hotel room and I was itching to get into the city. Once there, we had a couple of days to do a little sightseeing before I had to stay off my feet completely. Two things that struck me about Tokyo were:

1. The amount of shopping that was available
2. How incredibly clean it was wherever you went in the city.

Tokyo was like heaven for a germaphobe and shopaholic like me!

The weather had been quite warm leading up to the day of the race (which would have been just fine with me) but the clouds rolled in the evening before and it was cold and damp when I woke up on race morning. At the start, the weather didn’t seem too bad - I thought maybe the conditions would be similar to the London Marathon last spring where Deena (Kastor) ran 2:19. I had anticipated that the race would go out fast but it was even faster than I had expected. We went through 5Kin 16:30 and 10K in 33:15. At that point I decided to back off to 5:30 pace since I knew that I wasn’t in shape to challenge Deena’s American record. It proved to be a huge mistake letting the pack go that early as I ended up running the rest of the race completely alone. I thought I would be able to pick people off as they fell off the pack but the rain and wind picked up and the temperature continued to drop for the rest of the race. It seemed that except for the top two, we all slowed down at about the same rate so I never caught anyone, except one woman who eventually dropped out.

Although it was a relief to finally approach the national stadium where we ran a lap around the track before heading to the finish it was a huge contrast to the finish that I had envisioned before the race. Being a track runner, I thought that it was a good omen that the race started and finished on the track. I had pictured myself entering the packed stadium and using my track speed to battle it out with another competitor for a place on the podium. In reality, it was quite sad; I was frozen and trudging slowly through the water in lane one. It had to be the slowest lap I’ve ever run around the track in competition. I crossed the line in seventh place with a finishing time of 2:35.

In looking back at what I saw as a disappointing performance in Tokyo, I realize that I wasn’t as devastated as I was after running 2:37 at the ING NYC Marathon last fall. I think that is because I have come to the realization that right now the marathon is not my best event. I know that everyone thinks I should be a great marathoner, especially because of my shuffling stride and my low center of gravity. However, right now I think that I am just not mentally ready to run the marathon. I have not put it together like I have in the shorter distances. I know that I don’t thrive off of running alone in a race and grinding out the pace mile after mile.

I lose the sense of competition in the marathon that I feel when I am competing on the track or on the roads at shorter distances. Tokyo was not all bad. The race did serve a purpose in that is has helped me come to the realization that I love the track. Now I can focus 100 % on track this year and what I want to achieve between now and Beijing. I will really work hard to improve my times in the 5000 meters and 10,000 meters. I may even drop down and run some 1500s and 3Ks if I get a chance. I know that I still have a lot of time to drop in all of those events.

A few days ago Terrence and my former coach, Matt Centrowitz, were talking about my 2006 year. They both agreed that right now things are just not coming together for me in the marathon and that we shouldn’t try to force it. They know that I am having fun running the short races and having success in those races doesn’t’ hurt that trend either, so I will probably stick to the track for a while. Matt suggested to Terrence that he should spur me on by making the deal that if I don’t break 14:50 for the 5000 meters this summer, then I have to go back to the marathon. I think that they brainstorm to find ways to push me towards something I want by threatening me with doing something that I am not quite ready for. So, I have my work cut out for me on the track!

I know that someday I will conquer the 26.2-mile beast. It is not that I hate the marathon, okay; well maybe I do after some bad races. I did like it after I made the US Olympic Marathon team in 2004. I know that I can and will run well in it sometime down the road. But for now… I am not in a rush to run another one anytime soon. I plan on running competitively for at least a few more years so I am sure that I will make it back to the marathon starting line. I know that I have unfinished business to tend to. If I look back at my track season, I realize that it took me 10 years to finally break 15 minutes in the 5K, but I finally got it. I have wanted to break 31 minutes in the 10K ever since Deena did it so maybe I will go after that one next. And after that, who knows??? I will get the marathon right eventually, but hopefully it won’t take another 10 years.

Late August 2006 Entry (posted September 13, 2006)

I believe the last time I wrote a journal entry, I ended my entry with this quote, “in Zurich I will break 15 minutes for the 5K or I will die trying.” Well, neither of these two things happened. The field was small and the pace was fast. I felt strong running 71second laps but the field spread out quickly. I saw the Australian woman, Eloise Wellings, moving up but I thought… “I’m running 71’s, I’m under pace, I should just stay here”. Then, all of a sudden I was by myself and the pack was long gone. The rhythm of 71 second 400’s quickly turned into 73’s & 74’s and I finished in 10th place in 15:10. It wasn’t a complete disaster- it was my second fastest time ever- but it certainly was not the result that I traveled all the way back to Europe for. Eloise ended up having a great run. She bridged the gap to the lead pack and ran 14:54 – a personal best. So…I had another week until the Memorial Van Damme in Brussels where there was another 5k race. The following thoughts occupied my mind for most of the week. “What would have happened if I had gone with Eloise in Zurich?” I will never know but there is a good chance I would have broken 15 minutes. “What if that was my chance to break 15 and I blew it? What is wrong with me?”

I had never heard that much about the atmosphere at the Brussels meet, but it was phenomenal! The stadium was packed with 60,000 people and there were drums playing for all of the events. This reminded me of the 2000 Olympic Trials in Sacramento where I made my first Olympic Team. This type of atmosphere is what I love about running on the track in Europe. Before the race I heard that the Ethiopian women were going to run aggressive and that is what happened- the race went out really fast. Fortunately for me, Kim Smith of New Zealand was in the race. Our racing styles compliment one another and we were able to work together to maintain an even pace. Mentally the race went by quickly – all of a sudden there was just one lap to go and I saw the clock – I only had to run around 72 for the last quarter to break 15! I finished eighth in 14:55 – a personal best by 10 seconds. It is amazing how much better you feel in a race when you are on pace to achieve your goal. I ran 15 seconds faster in Brussels than in Zurich and it felt much easier!

When I graduated from college in ’96 I set a career goal of breaking 15 minutes for 5K and after only running 15:12 last summer I was beginning to think it wasn’t going to happen. I credit much of my success this summer to my coach (and husband) Terrence Mahon and to my Running USA training partners. It is always inspiring to train with an athlete as accomplished as Deena (Kastor) and although I have been running professionally for 10 years now, training with younger athletes just out of college keeps me feeling young and fast. It’s not always easy for me to be coached by Terrence because I like my coach to be brutally honest with me and sometimes that’s hard to accept from your husband. In the end his support and steadfast confidence in my ability helped me overcome my tendency to be too conservative and always play it safe. As a result I ended my season with a breakthrough race that puts me #3 on the US All Time List for the 5000. Now I’m settled back at home in Mammoth Lakes, CA to train for the Tokyo Marathon on November 19. I think that consistently running fast times this summer will give me the edge that I need to compete with the top women this November in Tokyo.

Summer 2006 Entry (posted August 18, 2006)

My first race of the summer was in Aaslt, Belgium, about an hour from where we would be based for the month in Leuven, Belgium. Since the race was July 1 we traveled straight there from US Nationals and were put up in dorms by the meet. We were literally at the meet, next to the track, with 3 to 5 people in each dorm room. The rooms even had bunk beds- just like camp when you were a kid! I raced the 1500 and placed 5th in a time of 4:21 (racing within 48 hours of an overseas trip has never been my strong point!). This race also happened to coincide with my 32nd birthday so in reflecting on the day I was thinking…I’m 32; I’m living in a camp-like dorm and I just ran a 4:21 1500; maybe this will be my last season on the track…

Things can change quickly in Europe (for good or bad) so it’s always on to the next meet. Although training continued to go well, my second race, in Lucerne, Switzerland was a sub par 9:09 in the 3000. But I had the 5000 in Rome in less than a week’s time so there was no time to dwell on it and we were off to Italy. And FINALLY, FINALLY a good race! I ran 15:05, a seven second personal best off of an erratic pace. For the past five years I have been running 15:12 to 15:14 so it was thrilling to break through that barrier. I felt that this breakthrough would set me up for a great 10,000 meters in Helsinki. The race was the perfect pace for my fitness; I went through 5k in 15:30. At a critical point in the race I let the leaders go and slowed to 15:54 for the second half. I finished in 31:24, a personal best by two seconds. I would normally be pleased with a PB(we all know they can be very hard to come by) but I was incredibly disappointed with the way I competed. I had planned to end my season here, but after this race I felt I had more to accomplish this year.

I returned to the US for two weeks of training in Philadelphia. Tomorrow I am off to Europe where I will be running the 5000 in Zurich next week. Racing in Europe always has its ups and downs and I want to end this season on a high note. The disappointment I felt in Helsinki is still with me but I have finally learned my lesson this time. I will lay it all on the line in Zurich and if I don’t break 15 minutes I will die trying!

Introductory Entry about the Rome Marathon

After 3 months of marathon preparation in Woodside, CA, with Team Running USA I was off to Italy to run the Rome Marathon. This was my second trip to Rome and upon my arrival it was much different than I remembered it. The sweltering heat of the summer track season had been replaced by a cold rain. By the time I headed out for my evening run the weather had cleared (eerily like Woodside). I was off to the Villa Borghese Park for an easy hour jog. One section of the park had a great view of the Piazza del Popolo – which was around the 30K mark in the marathon. I enjoyed exploring the park and seeing some sights during this easy run- the next day I would be back for a much harder session.

It continued to rain on and off leading up to the race. This was good for me because it kept me from shopping and walking around to all of the historic sites. And anyone who knows me also knows that I love to shop!

The press conference for this race was a unique experience. I had never been to one that was not in English. I had no idea what questions the press was asking, what the race organizers were saying to the media, what my Italian competitors were saying. I now know what it is like for a foreign runner to come and compete at a major US race.

The weather was beautiful the morning of the race. It was sunny, but not too warm. Maybe it was not the best marathon weather but I prefer a little warmth over being cold. After an enthusiastic but slightly chaotic start we were off. I had a large pack of men and women to run with so the first half of the race went by relatively fast. The race course goes by many historic sites but I didn’t see most of them since I was concentrating on the race. The leaders surged slightly past halfway and I tried to cover the move but I was not able to go with them. As I made my way towards the 30K mark and the Piazza del Popolo I thought I would be inspired through this section since it leads to the Piazza di Spagna and lots of great shops (and I love shopping) but I had forgotten that it is all cobblestones so I didn’t get the boost that I was hoping for. I ran steady over the rest of the race and crossed the line in 4th place in a personal best time of 2:29:32. It was not quite what I was aiming for but a huge improvement over my previous 2 marathons. I think that I will take away a lot from this marathon experience and be ready to run even faster this fall.

My post marathon recovery consisted of three days of sightseeing and shopping through Rome. OK, it was a little more shopping than sightseeing. In between a tour of the Pantheon and stroll around the Castle Sant’Angelo I bought 3 pairs of Italian shoes and some really nice silk scarves. But you know what they say, “When in Rome…”