Bronze in Bama: Lessons from My First National Championship
Two weeks ago, I stood on the podium at my first-ever national championship — the USATF Masters Outdoor Championships in Huntsville, Alabama.
I’ve had some time to reflect on both the race itself and the 18 months of nearly uninterrupted training that led up to it. This wasn’t just another meet; it was a milestone — and one that came with lessons I’ll carry into my next training block.
The Drive and the Disconnect
Driving from the DMV to Alabama is no joke. I split the trip down, stopping near Virginia Tech, but drove straight home immediately after the race — because work waited the next morning. The mental whiplash of standing on a national podium one day and sitting in front of a laptop the next stuck with me.
It gave me a tiny window into the strange duality many unsponsored pro runners live with. Some qualify for Worlds while holding down full-time jobs in marketing, coffee shops, or classrooms. They’re elite performers in a niche sport, often without the fame or recognition that comes with other professional arenas.
As Olympic triathlete Morgan Pearson likes to say: “No one cares, work harder.”
On Burnout and Nerves
Surprisingly, I felt calm throughout the trip and on race day. Part of that calm was probably fatigue: after 18 straight months of training and racing, I was mentally burned out. Not in a “I don’t care” way — I still had a fire to medal — but I was definitely ready for the break I took immediately afterwards.
Burnout happens — and we should normalize talking about it. You can feel burned out and still perform. It’s not always a binary.
Race Day Details
The meet itself felt familiar — packet pickup, bib, warm-up — all business as usual. The only novelty was the “call room,” which in this case was a cordoned-off space beneath the bleachers where we were held before being walked out. The confined space made it tough to stay loose, and by the time we lined up, I was feeling a little tight. Still, nerves stayed manageable, and focus was high.
I entered the 1500m final seeded second in the 30–34 age group. The top seed was a full 12 seconds ahead of me on paper, while I had a 25-second cushion over the third seed. That kind of spread made things interesting. I also came in off two subpar tune-up races in June, so I wasn’t chasing a time. My focus was purely on medaling.
The Race
I settled into 4th place early, about 10–15 meters off 3rd. My plan was to sit until somewhere between 700 and 1100 meters, then make my move.
Two of the other medal contenders went out hot and never fully came back to me. I reeled them in slightly, but not enough. Still, I felt strong with 600 meters to go and made a decisive move to grab the bronze. I held that position through the finish, ultimately putting 18 seconds on the runner behind me.
It wasn’t the silver I hoped for. It wasn’t the 4:25 I thought I might be capable of at the start of the season. But it was a medal — at a national championship — and my first one at that. I was proud of the race when I finished it, and I still am now.
What I Took Away
On a different day, maybe I would have pushed harder on lap two or tried to cover the early move. But I made the choices I did based on how my body had felt for weeks — and I stand by them. More than anything, I left Huntsville energized. From being announced on the line to racing on the big screen, from seeing my name in official USATF results to competing against top athletes from across the country, I got a taste of the sport at a higher level. It wasn’t the full pro experience, but it was enough to make me hungry for Round 2.
