Frank Tinney's Journal

Introductory Entry (Posted October 2, 2008)

Having arrived at ZAP Fitness just a couple of weeks ago, I quickly acquired the highly coveted "The New Guy" title. As I am the last member of the new teammates to arrive, I suppose the title will stay with me for quite some time. A bit of background: I was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan and just graduated from Princeton last spring. Having just moved to Blowing Rock, NC, which just so happens to be next door to Boone, NC (home of the Appalachian State Mountaineers), I have to be careful where I sport my Wolverine apparel…apparel that I actually don't have much reason to be wearing these days, considering the current state of affairs in the Big House. I can't decide which is worse…the state of the U.S. economy or Michigan football? Oh well, Ohio State already lost to USC by 32 points, which is maybe the next best thing to Michigan winning. That loss was particularly enjoyable to watch as I live with Columbus, OH native Alli Grace.

Aside from having to live with a Buckeye, though, it was pretty surprising how quickly the daily schedule here became routine. The running spots are amazing. Supposedly Lance Armstrong declared the Boone and Blowing Rock area as his favorite place to train in the United States…and I am quickly beginning to understand why. Although there are flat places to go for a jog, many of the runs go for miles without a single flat section. I am slowly becoming adjusted to this change in terrain; a process I think will be particularly beneficial for me as my biomechanics are less than stellar.

As for my personal training and racing, my goal right now is to train healthy. Although I don't have a terrible history of running-related injuries, living and training in an Olympic-development program like ZAP, it can be easy to get after it every day. Just about everything you need is taken care of. And after just a couple of talks with my new coach Pete Rea, it became quite apparent that just being at ZAP with a group of talented runners who are all devoting their daily schedules to getting fast will alone make you improve. You don't need to do anything crazy in training, you just need to minimize the little nicks and pains and things will fall into place. So for me, this year and particularly this fall, is about being smart, staying on top of my health and enjoying the ride along the way.