Amy Hastings' Journal

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

People kept telling me the first year out of college could be rough. So when my year came and went and things weren’t looking up I decided a change was in order and headed west. I have been training with Team Running USA California for a few months now and already know this is where I need to be to run fast. Every single night I go to bed knowing I did exactly what I needed to do that day to become the fastest runner I can possibly be. This, in and of itself, justifies my decision and that thought comforts me and puts me right to sleep.

Since moving to Mammoth Lakes, things have been going very well. The only exception being, two road races I attempted in the first month here. This proved to be slightly overzealous on my part, as I was perhaps, a little too eager to make up for last year. Shortly after the Tufts 10K debacle I returned to Mammoth ready to buckle down. From that point on, the workouts have been consistently improving and I’m confident that better races will follow. The next race I have planned is the Aramco Houston Half- Marathon in January. I still have a month of training before my debut half, which is good because with all of the new things I am learning I need all the time I can get.

Our daily routine is thorough and rigorous, but I love it. At morning practice we either do a workout or a slightly longer run. This is the time when I focus on knee drive for speed, changing my arm swing to increase forward momentum, and relaxing my shoulders so I don’t cramp up and die, while trying to keep up with the Olympians I train with on a daily basis. In the evening we spend an hour or two lifting, stretching and doing drills. I have never been a big fan of lifting but I can actually see myself getting stronger which makes going to the gym kind of fun (I did a pull up for the first time in my life about a month after getting here!)

The town of Mammoth has been the perfect place to train. There are gorgeous trails everywhere and when the weather is bad (this morning it was snowing and the winds were around 50 mph) we take a 20 minute van ride towards Bishop and all of a sudden it’s blue skies and nice weather. The city is small but it has all of the essentials and a few extras, like a gourmet bakery for dogs. No Starbucks. Gourmet bakery…for dogs. If there is anything you can’t get in Mammoth you can always head down the mountain North to Reno for the large city experience.

All in all I’m loving my experience here in Mammoth. I’m becoming stronger and tougher on a daily basis and training with my new coach and teammates has helped me to enjoy running more than I have in a long time. My first year out of college was rough but I learned from my mistakes, made a positive change and now I’m headed in the right direction.