Thomas Morgan's Journal

March 19, 2008 Entry (Posted March 20, 2008)

After a very busy February, the month of March has been a welcoming change. I am finally home and getting back into a routine. After a good US Cross Country showing, I decided to run the NACAC (North America Central America and Caribbean) Cross Country Championships two weeks later. The week in between I was in Ireland running a 5K on the roads and a 6K cross where I finished seventh and fifth, respectively. I was pretty confident going into NACACs. My racing was coming around and I was training well all winter, I was racing to win.

The other races had a decent mix of countries, but the 8K was just four of us, six Canadians and one St. Lucian, 11 people. The Canadians had surprisingly won the previous three races. The pressure was on. They were very aggressive from the start. I was running in fourth or fifth most of the race and had let a 10-meter gap open by the middle. I was running pretty hard and very impressed with their showing. By 2K, I realized that we could easily lose depending on our third and fourth runner. I also realized that I was supposed to be running for the win and decided to close that annoying gap. Once I got up there, I realized the Canadians had gotten in way over their head and they were noticeably struggling. I powered to the finish and Josh Simpson was close behind. It felt good to win individually and as a team. It reminded me what cross country is supposed to be all about. When a team operates together, everybody steps up and gives their best performance for a greater purpose.

Back to ZAP and back to training. I am feeling very fit and it is sometimes hard to be patient when things are going so well. I never thought I would say this, but I am looking forward to my first 10K track race at Stanford on April 4. I know it will be a battle but I have never been more ready for a 10K than now. Hopefully I will get an Olympic Trials qualifier and have one more option for the Trials in three months. The march begins and the buzz is all around. Every four years there is a very exciting reason to be runner.

February 18, 2008 Entry (Posted February 20, 2008)

Unlucky Number 13

The USA Cross Country Championships in San Diego this past weekend was a very good race for me. Probably my best race since May. It is a great feeling when you finally come around and start training and racing well. You just snap out of a slump like a daydream and wonder: “What have I been doing this whole time?” I finished 13th in 36:26 for 12K in the second longest race I have ever run (besides US 10 Miler last fall). Unfortunately, 13 is not a lucky number and will almost certainly deny me a spot on the World Cross Team. Like all my good races, I can’t get out of my head how I think I could have run faster. This is obviously no different, considering I was 10 seconds from making the team. I replay the race in my mind and I count all the ways I could have picked up 10 seconds. I won’t go into them. Coulda, woulda, shoulda. Nevertheless, I am happy with my performance and am getting really excited about the next couple months of training.

The next two weeks for me will be more like racing vacations. Straight from US Cross, we have the opportunity to go to Ireland and Northern Ireland for The Armagh Road Race and Ras na hEireann Cross County race. I made this trip two years ago and had a blast. Then, I will be racing the NACAC Cross Country Championships in Orlando, FL. After four races in three weeks, I will be ready to finally head back to ZAP in Blowing Rock, NC (I have spent one night there since December 6). I can relax for just a bit and then start the big push to the Olympic Trials, where nothing else matters.

Introductory Entry (Posted December 28, 2007)

Enjoying The Fireworks

As dedicated runners, we often and purposefully get enthralled by our training and racing cycles. To be in a calculated routine is what many of us can contribute to our successes. However, this meticulous schedule often leads us to be so focused on the big picture that we leave little room to enjoy it along the way. I have experienced so many people and so many places in the name of running. While traveling to all corners of the country and a handful of other countries and meeting 100+ different people, I don’t always get a chance to soak it in. Not many people have the opportunities that I have and I consider myself very fortunate. When I compete, I have a responsibility. Not only to give my best performance, but to enjoy the process of doing it. I want to enjoy every trip I take because there isn’t anywhere else I’d rather be than competing.

Last year, I ran the Emerald Nuts Midnight Run in Central Park on New Year’s Eve. It was one of the most memorable and enjoyable races I have ever had. It felt like a party, because it was. The New York Road Runners, in their usual fashion, left nothing out for the elites. We had a nice hotel nearby (highlighted by a flat screen in the bathroom) where we hung out until the late start. At the race there was a heated tent with drinks, food, hot chocolate and coffee for the elites. After the race, champagne was added. The race was started after a countdown to midnight and signified by a huge fireworks display overhead. I love fireworks and didn’t want to miss them so I found myself gazing skyward during the first few minutes of the race. It was also one of my best races last year. I had a good time because I ran well (first place), but I also think I performed well because I was enjoying myself.

A few other ZAP Fitness guys and I are going back to this race next week and after a mediocre fall of racing, I want to get 2008 started with a bang of more than just fireworks. My New Year’s Resolution is to always remember why I run. The daily grind of a training routine is necessary to reach your potential, but I run because I have fun competing and I love the fireworks.