Earlier this month, I raced in my old stomping grounds of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. I was excited to head back to the city where I first chased my running dreams. For those of you who have been reading this blog for the past 5 years (has it really been that long?!), you might remember that it was originally titled Running Joyfully in SF. Since then, I’ve dropped the SF. The cities have changed (San Francisco to Cleveland to Providence), but the goal remains the same: to compete at the Olympic Trials.

Actually, I should amend that – the goal has changed too. Back when I first started competing post-collegiately, I was chasing the Olympic Trials standard – it was all about getting to the Track Trials and racing amongst our country's best at Hayward Field. But in the past 5 years, I’ve grown as an athlete, and in turn, so have my goals. Now it’s not just about getting to the Trials – it’s about kicking ass at the Trials, and beyond! It’s about competing on the world stage, representing my country, and running really darn fast.

And at Cross-Country Club Nationals, I made some progress on these goals. In my first cross-country race in 3 years, I finished 7th in a 6k PR of 20:05, and in the process punched my ticket to Edinburgh, Scotland and earned a place on my first USA team. On January 9th, I'll be representing the US and racing in the red, white, and blue - and let me tell you, I couldn't be more excited! :)

There's still plenty of work to be done, and I'm logging more miles than ever in preparation for 2016. But with the unwavering support of family, friends, coaches, and teammates, I'm running joyfully every step (well, most of them!) of the way :)