I AM BLESSED

Hello fans!

I am new to this whole blogging thing, but it is something I must do to keep all of you informed of what I am doing.  I usually don't do too great of a job keeping family in the loop of upcoming races, or just in general how life is going, so if I don't contact you directly, this may be the next place to look!  

Well, I've just finished Year One as a professional runner with Team USA Minnesota, as well as Year One as the Volunteer Assistant Coach with the University of Minnesota Men's Cross Country and Track & Field program.  As a coach, we had a very nice year, once again qualifying for Nationals in cross country, and the track team defended its last two Big Ten Indoor titles with another win, but lost a very close heartbreaker to host Iowa at the Outdoor Championships.  As an athlete, I had a very nice year, especially given that I was hampered with injuries from June, 2010 until mid-February, 2011.  I ran personal bests in four out of my five races, so I am confident that with health and great training, I can be one of America's best!

Now for the real meaning of this post: I am truly blessed!  Since the time I first starting running as a chunky little freshman in high school, I have been provided great support from my family, coaches, and my teammates.  I received that same support when I went off to college to run at the University of Minnesota.  In a sport that I truly love, I cannot ask for more support than I currently have.  I still receive great support from my family and my girlfriend, Melissa, as they all believe the sky is the limit for me; Team USA Minnesota and our sponsors (PTOSI Physical Therapy, LynLake Chiropractic, Lifetime Fitness, and Twin Cities in Motion to name a few) have allowed me to pursue my dream of becoming one of America's top distance runners.  I have a great coach in Dennis Barker who has done a tremendous job with all his athletes, and I look forward to running at the same level as Katie McGregor and Antonio Vega someday.  I have great teammates who are all supportive of each other, and I always look forward to seeing them at workouts.

I am truly blessed to have a great support system around me to allow me to follow my dreams!