Molly Huddle Saucony

I don’t quite remember if that was after the 10,000m or 5,000m. I remember being relieved after the 10k, my main focus, and happy and excited after the 5k because I actually felt better there than in the 10k earlier, and I wasn’t sure if I could win that one. It was hot as well, I remember the 10,000 being in the morning at something like 9 or 10 am. The sun was at a bright late morning angle and it was typical humid Eugene weather, with the big pollen puffs floating around the track. It feels like you’re in a lazy, summer version of a snow globe, and it’s actually a challenge to stay amped, but I’d gotten used to the Hayward Field vibe after 8 years.  It wasn’t a typical schedule for a track event, which could have been a little disorienting.  Instead, I made sure to embrace it as a mix of my normal practice time and sort of like a road race start schedule. That season was probably the most intensely focused I’d ever been . I was coming off the embarrassing result of the world championships the year before and just wanted to move on and have something bigger and better to be remembered by, and the Olmypics was that opportunity. I doubled at the trials and winning both 5 and 10k felt like a step in the right direction. I was feeling fit and having really good workouts much of the winter and spring. 

 

Since then, I’ve moved up to a new event. I’m trying to see what my potential is in the marathon, which feels like a different sport all together compared to track. It’s a much bigger and more elaborate puzzle . That makes it interesting and scary but also full of possibility, because the variables could fall in your favor one day and you could win something really big. The track seemed less like that, it felt like my best and most natural place but also like I was reliving the same races over and over at the word champs, for the most part. I felt stuck in the 6-10 range and was hoping to have more than one shot to break into the top 3 in my lifetime. 

 

My goals now are to return to the track to make another Olympic Team after not making the team at the Marathon Trials . I actually think the only sustainable way for me to be a good marathoner is to bounce back onto the track once in a while to refresh my speed and form. That second chance was supposed to happen this summer, but now that the Olympics have been postponed I think it may allow me to get back into track workouts for a longer time and not rush so much, which could be good. As a veteran athlete, though, every year is more valuable and your body takes more work to keep performing at a high level. These are all challenges on the table right now.

 

I would tell 2016 me that I’m really fit, so be confident! You did your best, so good job. It’s not going to look that way at the time but looking back you’ll appreciate it more.