Dinner and Talk with Olympians for Women's Running Magazine

Workout: 16 M at the Track

I arrived to the track early to do a quick workout before practice since the track workouts are usually short. I did a 2 M warm up, then 5 x 1000 m with a 200 m jog in between each interval. When the team arrived, we did a 2 M warm up and 6 x 1000 m. Then, I did a 4.25 M cool down barefoot on the turf while talking with another runner who said that his aunt placed 3rd in the NYC Marathon. He also said that there are a group of Kenyan runners that train at 8,000' of elevation in New Mexico where he grew up, and he ran with a Kenyan woman who won the Boston Marathon. It is so exciting to hear stories like this! I enjoy running with the team because I push myself harder to keep up with some of the guys and this prepares me for races.

I was invited to attend a roundtable discussion and potluck dinner at The Crib (where I am staying), hosted by the Director of Communications of Mammoth Lakes Tourism. As we sat at the dining table munching on salad, gourmet cheese and deli meat from Bleu, steak, grilled zucchini, watermelon, and pesto pasta, the editor in chief of Women's Running Magazine interviewed Olympians: Deena Kastor, Alexi Pappas, and Sarah Attar. The entire evening was professionally filmed. There will be an article and video about the discussion published in January. Although, I wasn't asked any questions personally, I very much enjoyed hearing funny stories, nutrition tips like buying a monthly box of seasonal produce, hearing their thoughts about how Mammoth has supported athletes including 15 local olympians, how they keep their passion for running (scenic views, trails, animals, and running with teammates), and how women are breaking barriers in distance running (like Sarah). They were very open and expressive, and it was overall a great event! Alexi, who came back home in Mammoth today, introduced herself to me and said she will be attending the practices with the club. I am so happy that I will get to see her and hopefully get to know her more because I would like to ask her about her experience training for and racing at the Olympics.