Amy's Journal: The Road to Beijing
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September 14th
I meant to get my photos on the website this weekend but we still have some boxes to unpack from our move.
Andrew is back teaching and coaching, even on a torn meniscus.
I did manage to put my photos on Facebook. I hope you enjoy them! Even if you don’t have a Facebook account
you can view them through these links:
Opening Ceremony
Pandas!
Olympic Village
Olympic Village Part 2
Olympics
Olympics Part 2
Olympics Part 3
Olympic Race
Olympic Race Part 2
Olympic Track & Race
Great Wall
China
Dalian, China – Track & Field Team’s Olympic Training Camp
I just gave me first school presentation to Merlo Station in Beaverton. Andrew is the Life Science
teacher/department. My slide show presentation is entitled, “Olympic Experience, 20 years in the Making”.
It ended up being 60 minutes long with 3 short breaks to let students ask questions. I showed them my USA gear,
credential, etc. They were a great group and so respectful. I wore one of my USA track suits. I need to get my
Opening Ceremony suit cleaned so I can wear it to the next presentation. At the conclusion of my “Olympic
Experience” Presentation, I talk about dreams and goal setting.
I am a big believer that everyone has a gift and it is your job in life to find that gift and use it. I was giving a gift to
run. Everyone has their own special gift. It can be sports, music, art, chemistry, teaching, or being an amazing
mom/dad that raises kids to be the next great generation that fixes the problems in the USA/World.
Once you have found your gift you need to set goals. I use the stair step goal setting approach. You can’t get from
the bottom of the staircase to the top, without taking some steps. (Unless, it is a really short staircase; in that
situation, you need to set some loftier goals!)
Visualize that you are at the bottom of the staircase. Your goal is at the top. What things do you need to do in
order to achieve that goal? What steps do you need to take to get there? Are there skills you need to learn?
Classes to take? Training?
Now draw a simple staircase and at the bottom write today’s date. At the top of the staircase, write down the
ultimate goal. On the stairs in between, write the steps or intermediate goals you need to achieve to reach the top
stair or ultimate goal.
Remember you need to have some short term goals as well. You need to have some success along the way or
you will get frustrated. My goal took 20 years to realize, but I did have successes along the way to keep me
motivated. I went through each step, some more painful or longer than others. But in the end, I am an Olympian
and I would not change this journey.
Good Luck in your journey!
Amy's Home
August 28, 2008
HOME
I flew home August 19th. I came home early with the intent to get some training done before I headed off to
Europe for some fast 1500 and 5k races. However, when you don’t run fast they don’t let you into European
races. The day I left Beijing, I was told I would not be let into the European races.
At first, I was really disappointed because a goal of mine is to run in Europe. In life, we like to make plans but God
always has his plan for us. I am always amazed how things end up working out. At the time you don’t
understand why it happened but eventually it makes sense. The day after we arrived home Andrew hurt his knee
at practice. He had an MRI and we will get the results back tomorrow. He will probably need surgery because he
can’t bend it or bear weight on his leg. Now, I am thankful I am not leaving the country to race. I would not want to
leave him alone with a hurt leg.
After my race, I took 3 days off and started back running when I returned home to Portland. My calf and Achilles
has been sore since the training camp in Houston. I could not get my calf to loosen up the last couple of weeks.
All the running on cement in Houston and Beijing did not help. My shin started hurting when I returned home and
after my long run the pain increased. It feels a lot like my previous stress fractures. Alberto decided that now
would be a good time to take a break. Mentally and physically it is a good time to take a break.
So now I have to cancel all the road races that I had just signed up for. But again, it is probably for the best
because we are in the process of moving into a new apartment. (Thank goodness Andrew is a high school
coach.) I bought lunch for the kids in exchange for having them help me move since Andrew can’t move things.
Coming home from the Olympics is a different experience. I spent 20 years trying to accomplish this goal. Now
what? I think it will take some time to really process the experience. It went by so fast while I was there. It is for
the best that I am going to take a break. I think it would have been hard to move, take care of Andrew, and try to
start training and racing at a high level right away after the Olympics.
Mentally and physically I am tired. A break does sound good! I am going to take 2 weeks completely off. Then I
will start back with a couple easy weeks of mileage (with the hope that my shin is healed). During that time I am
going to do slide show presentations at the schools about my experience at the Olympics. I will also head back to
Kendallville, IN for some hometown visits during Apple Festival and Home Coming at my High School. It should
be fun.
I will return to full training in October. My goals for next year have not been defined yet. But they will probably
include making the World Team in the 10k and running my first marathon. Worlds for Track and Field will be in
Berlin, Germany next summer. (Yes, we do compete every year and have a World Championship. We don’t wait 4
years to compete against the best. The Olympics are a special event though.)
For now I am finishing up the packing of the little things, helping Andrew get around, and enjoying my break! I will
write more updates that include some details about the Olympics. PLUS I will start posting my pictures of the
Olympics. We had to wait 3-4 days post before we could post them. I can’t wait to share them with you!
Amy's Home
August 17th POST RACE
The time has flown by since my race. I have not had time to get to a computer since the race. I am sorry it took so
long to post this. The day after the race I went to the Great Wall and toured Beijing. Today I went to Chengdu,
China. I toured the Panda Breeding Research Center and held a 1 year old baby Panda (a 60 pound bundle of
fur!) That was my present to myself for making the team. It was an amazing experience.
Now about the race.....
The race did not go well. When we got up that morning and felt how much cooler it was plus the lack of humidity,
we knew it would be fast. I just told myself to put my nose in it as long as possible and see what happens.
Alberto told me to go out in the middle of the pack. My ultimate goal was top 10. I was position 3 on the starting
line. I knew I would get knocked back. By 300 meters I was in the back but I surged and got to the middle of the
pack by the time the first lap was done. It felt fast but I went with it. At 1k we were 3 minutes. I thought we would
slow down. But at 2k we were 6 minutes. I panicked at that point. We were running 30 minute pace and I knew I
could not do that. I slowed down to a more reasonable pace for me. I was in a small group of runners. However,
once I slowed down I could not pick it back up. I was stuck in that rut and it just got worse. My breathing was fine
but my legs would not go. I just did not get in a groove. My right side kept getting tighter, my arm and my leg and
glutes. With 2k (5 laps) to go my goal was just to finish and not drop out. I got lapped by the leaders. I cheered
Shalane and Kara on as they passed me. I then got passed by the winners in the the straight away.
Getting lapped twice by the leaders was not my proudest racing moment. But at that point it was about finishing
my Olympic race. I was so proud of Shalane for getting third. She is so tough! That was a great race for her and
the USA! Kara ran a PR and was 10th. They had a good showing in the first night of the Athletics (track). Kara
and Shalane will return to the track on the 19th for the 5k prelims.
(As I write this I am getting the results from today, Team USA had a rough day on the road and track. Sometimes
you just have a bad day/race. Today showed it can happen to anyone. Galen just finished his 10k as I am writing
this. He did great and there are only better things to come for him.)
I am looking forward to racing a few more times this summer in Europe then back to the roads for some fall
racing around the US. I have not set my schedule yet for the summer or fall.
Thanks for all the support. It has been amazing reading your emails. It really helped!
I will post more updates about my travels in China. I will also write about our Pre-race time-line with the call
rooms, etc. It is interesting how things are done at International races and big meets.
Amy's Home
August 14, 2008
One day to go! I am starting to feel better and more situated here. My last feel good workout was yesterday. I did
300's. They went better than expected. I ended up running them faster than I was suppose to but that is ok. I
think at this point faster is better than slower for my mental prep!
Village life is interesting and fun. It is like college all over again but this time there are 10,000 people and most of
them don't speak English. Actually most of them can speak some English. They love to talk to us and get better.
They have laundry service here. We separate our whites and colors into 2 mesh bags. You can't fill them all the
way up because the clothes get washed and dried in the mesh bags. But at least they get dried. The other
options is washing your clothes in the sink but things don't dry very well here. If you hang something to dry it takes
3 days.
The cafeteria is a fun place to meet people. I only go in there for bananas, yogurt, and drinks. Bananas are a hot
item. They go fast and they only have them out for breakfast. We also have a mini plastic coke bottle key chain
that we can swipe at any coke machine in the village to get free drinks. They have coke, coke zero, water, sprite,
green tea, orange juice and this yummy orange drink. I drink it for breakfast. It is probably not the best choice
because it is probably loaded with sugar.
Taking a taxi is an experience. I spent almost 3 hours in a taxi yesterday. I had to take a taxi to the Nike Hospitality
Center to see my chiropractor. It took me awhile to find a taxi that would take me there. Nike gave us taxi cards
but most of the drivers looked at my card and told me no. I found one that spoke a little English. He told me that
the card is not very specific. He wrote out better directions for me so that I can show the next driver his directions.
He also told me that there is a percentage of Chinese over the age of 30 that can't read. That would explain why
some of them look at the card and say no.
From there I had to take another taxi to the center where the US has its camp. That is also the location where I
get all my meals. We have a track, full medical, weight room, and ice baths. I had a taxi card but it just says the
name of the University. They dropped me off on the wrong side of the University. The University is gated and at
every gate they said no and kept pointing down the street. Finally, I found a guard that put me in a taxi and told him
where to take me. That was a 2 hour adventure for sure! Finally I was at the track and got to do my workout, over 2
hours after I was suppose to be there. I am just rolling with this journey and whatever comes my way. I am off to
catch the bus to get lunch. They are very strict here about schedules. The bus pulls out on time not a minute late.
I usually end up running to get there! Thanks for all the support.
Amy's Home
August 12th, 2008
I am back in the Olympic Village. I have 3 days till the race. What a beautiful day here. We have sun and blue
skies! Alberto said that Friday is suppose to be one of the hottest days here. Kara and I think that will be great for
us. Heat is an equalizer.
I am feeling better after my last workout. I took yesterday really easy. We will hit the track again tomorrow for
some 300's to get our legs turned over.
At training camp, I took yesterday afternoon easy. I went for a long walk along the beach. I came upon a temple
like structure with a big bell. It was on a cliff overlooking the ocean. It was beautiful. It made me remember why I
run. I use to run for 4 reasons, now I have 3.
1. To see how good I can be. (My goal is to improve every year.)
2. To travel and see new places (experience other cultures)
3. To meet new people
My 4th one use to be: eat new and exciting foods in different places. I use to be an adventurous eater. However,
with Celiac that is not possible. Now I carry my own bars and my translation cards that explain what I can eat.
The cards also tell about Celiac.
The walk reminded me to slow down and enjoy the experience. Start trading pins to meet other athletes and just
be in the moment. I still need to focus and prepare for the race but not forget the journey and the experience here.
Thanks for all the emails and support. Please know that I am reading them but I just can't respond. I am sharing
computers with the rest of the US athletes. I enjoy hearing from other Celiacs, as well.
I will try to do daily updates. I will post pictures when I am allowed (3 days after the Games end).
3 days to go!
Amy's Home
8/11/08
TRAINING CAMP
I only came to camp for a few days (today is the last day) but the break was worth it. We are in a great hotel on the
beach. We have clear skies and great accommodations. The food here is amazing - Thanks to Chef Adam
Sacks! The food is so good we are all over eating.
Because we are away from the Olympic Village they are taking a lot of precautions with security. We have police
escorts every where we go. They shut down the roads when we travel to the track and back. No one is allowed to
be on the roads when we are on them. They also shut down all the traffic to and from the airport when we arrive
and leave. We are getting the presidential treatment here.
We are on a golf course and a beach, but we can't touch the water. The water is full of jellyfish! I have never seen
so many. Plus there is a fish farm here and they don't know how we would react to what ever they put in the
water. We can look but don't touch.
I had my last long workout yesterday. I will admit it did not go well. We have 300's on Wednesday and I am
hoping to feel better when I do those.
I appreciate all the emails and well wishes. It is great to hear from people from my past. The Kendallville News
Sun has a video interview with my parents and other people from my hometown. It was so great to see everyone.
Julie Manger was correct. I did see her running at Bixler lake when I was 8 years old. I wanted to run because it
looked fun. My parents let me run the Mother's Day 5 mile race in Kendallville when I was 10. That is where I met
Julie and other road racers like Al Huth and Joan Gary. They took my family under their wings and taught us about
running shoes and road races. At the time Nike did not make kid running shoes yet. I had to wait a few years till I
grew into running shoes. Julie and company started me off with road racing, my first love. I plan to get back to my
roots and road race this fall after my track season is over.
The Kendallville News Sun also published the picture of the women's track team with the President. I am the one
on the right of the picture. Here is the link to the video and picture with the President:
Click here to see it.
Thanks again for all the support!
Amy's Home
August 9th, 2008
Hello from Beijing!
I arrived on the 7th and attended the Opening Ceremony on the 8th. Today we transferred to the USATF Training
Camp away from Beijing. Due to travel, meetings and the Opening Ceremony I have only been getting about 5
hours of sleep the last few nights. Even though we spend a lot of time waiting in lines and on buses it has been
an amazing experience so far.
The village is nice but big. The main street is a mile long. I have not figured it out yet! The cafeteria seats 5,000.
I can't eat there due to my wheat and gluten allergy (Celiac Disease). The village did get a lot of complaints about
not having wheat and gluten free foods so they just added some yesterday. However, they do not prep it gluten
free, so I still can't eat it. I have to eat at the USOC camp they have set up for us 20 minutes from the Village. I am
not complaining though, I prefer safe food over convenience!
It is extremely hot and humid in Beijing. The air is so thick. You sweat through your clothes in minutes and stay
wet all day. The air looks bad but it does not hurt to breath. I raced here in 2002 and it burned my lungs to breath
at that race. But the air does not burn your lungs here.
We did the Opening Ceremony last night. What an amazing experience. Before the ceremony we got to meet the
President and Mrs. Bush and Former President Bush. We were held in gymnastic stadium till we were ready to
walk. We did not get to see anything that happened before we walked so it will be nice to watch the taped
coverage when I get back. The lighting of the torch was amazing. To watch the guy run around the top of the
stadium was the highlight of the night. We were all soaked in our suits. Even at midnight it was still so hot. The
buses back to the Village were smelly! Meeting other athletes from other sports from both the US and around the
world was so much fun.
The IOC has set rules about blogging and journals during the games. They are monitoring our websites. If we
break any of the rules we can be banned from competing. I am not allowed to post pictures of the games until 3
days after the games end. I am also never allowed to post pictures of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. I
also can't post pictures of sporting events or other athletes. I also can't conduct interviews of other athletes.
After the games end I will post pictures of my experience at the Olympics.
I am now at training camp. I look forward to three days of getting back into a routine. We have one more workout
before the 10k. We will do that tomorrow night.
We were informed about the stabbing of the in-laws of the Men's Volleyball Coach. It was a very sad event in
Beijing today. Our thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family. The USOC has taken precaution and
investigated. They do not feel that it was an attack on the US and have informed us that we are safe.
Even before that event, security has been tight at the training camp. We have police escorts and the roads are
closed. Our every move is monitored here because we are away from the village.
Time for bed! So long for now. If you have any questions about the experience or the village send me an email
and I will try to put the answer in the next journal entry.
6 days to go!
Amy
Amy's Home
July 29th, 2008
Hello from Houston. I am doing some heat and humidity training prior to going to Beijing. I am slowly adjusting to
the conditions.
We have been receiving daily updates about Beijing and our travels. It will be a long process to get there. They
are trying to make it as easy as possible. The governments have set up special lines to get us through customs
faster. United Airlines is letting athletes take three bags free of charge. However, I won’t take three because I don’
t want to haul that many around. I will take a lot of books to keep me busy on the plane and in the lines that we will
have to wait through. We will first go through processing in the US before we head to China.
I am going to walk in the Opening Ceremony. I am really excited about that. They are going to tailor our outfits that
we will wear. We were told that the Opening Ceremony will take 6 to 7 hours on our feet but it is a week before my
race so I will be fine.
I am still training hard. The race is 17 days away! The time is flying by, except when I am running in the heat!
Amy's Home
July 18, 2008 4 Weeks to go!
This will be my Road to Beijing Journal. I have not done a very good job in keeping up with my journal this year. It
has been and up and down year. When I get injured I tend to go into hermit mode.
However, things seem to be on the up and up for me right now. I can’t believe it has been 3 weeks since the
Olympic Trials 10k. The time has gone really quickly. I took two weeks really easy and then jumped right back
into workouts. We are back to training hard.
My typical training schedule is:
7 AM Up and eat breakfast. Walk dog, check email and relax before practice
9 AM Arrive at Nike to begin AM session
This can include an easy run or workout, lifting, plyos, drills, stretching, hurdle drills, and icing.
12 – 1 PM Finish session, head home and eat lunch
1 – 3 PM nap
3 – 6 PM session
This can include an easy run, aqua jogging, biking, swimming, core or abdominal work, massage, chiropractor,
stretching, icing or other appointments.
6 – 7 PM head home
7 – 8 PM eat dinner
8- 11 PM Relax, check email, watch TV, walk dog and go to bed
This is a full day of training and taking care of the little things. I truly believe that most of my improvement is
because of the little things and the support I get from Alberto and
Nike. I have access to the Alter-G treadmill, under-water treadmill, massage therapists, and ART (active release
therapy). They all play a huge role in my training. I also get to train with one of the best distance runners, Kara
Goucher. Training with a bronze medalist gives me a big boost of confidence.
I also have a great support system with my husband, parents, and the Beaverton community (especially the
Westview Cross Country Parents). I could not have made the Olympic team with out my support team!
We have received so much information about our trip. This is going to be an amazing experience. I have set my
goals high. I am excited to be on the Olympic Team but that is not the end of the road for me. I am not going to
settle for just being excited about making the team. I am going to go to Beijing to represent my country and
compete. I plan on racing with the best in the world to see where I stack up. I am going to stick my nose in the
race and see how far I can go. I have my sight set on the top 10.
I am set to leave Portland on August 2nd. We will do final processing in San Francisco and then depart for Beijing
on August 3rd. We will report to training camp in Dalian, China on August 5th. I will have 10 days to acclimatize to
the heat and humidity of China. That is the perfect amount of time to adapt.
That is all for now!
Amy's Home
DECEMBER 10, 2007 - Holiday Season and a WIN!
Thanksgiving was great this year. I ran the Manchester Road Race in Manchester, Connecticut. What a great city
and race. I stayed with a wonderful host family - Bill and Carol O'Neil. They were so nice. I enjoyed spending the
holiday with them and their family. They even had gluten-free food in the Thanksgiving meal that I could eat. Bill
drove the course with me twice before the race.
My parents also drove 12 hours to watch me run the race! They are really dedicated. Manchester had a great
pasta dinner the night before the race but I could not eat it due to my wheat/gluten allergy (Celiac Disease). My
parents and I went to Outback after the pasta dinner. Outback has a Gluten Free menu. My pre-race meal was
salad, steak and sweet potato. Yum!
After dinner I talked to Alberto. He told me to stay with the leaders till a mile to go then take the lead and go for the
win. I had done an 8k time trial a week before the race in 25:57. We knew I was ready to run fast. Because
Manchester is 4.748 miles there is not a mile to go marker. Before I headed back to my host family for the night
my parents drove the course backwards so that I knew where a mile to go was located. My parents also staked
out their cheering locations. They both got to 2 places on the course.
The weather on race day was awesome. It was 60 and sunny, perfect race conditions. The course looks
intimidating. Mile 2 is up hill and mile 3 is down hill. We went out in 4:55. Mile 2 was in 6 minutes up the hill and
mile 3 was 5 minutes. I hit 4 miles in 21 minutes. I ran 24:39. I was so excited! It felt awesome and I was in
control the whole time. All the cross training and hard work has paid off. Finally a race I would not call a death
march. The win and how the race felt makes me very excited about this next year.
I loved the race and the town. The community really gets involved. The entire race course was lined with
spectators. This was the 71st Manchester Road Race and they know how to put on a race and get everyone
involved. To get that many people to compete or watch the race on a holiday is a great accomplishment. There
were over 10,000 people running and walking. I loved the event and hope to come back. I would love for my
husband and parents to come back with me next year.
Links to Race Results and Interviews:
http://manchesterroadrace.com/Race-Results/default.asp
http://manchesterroadrace.com/Race-Results/Top10Women.asp
http://www.thefinalsprint.com/2007/11/letherby-begley-win-71st-manchester-road-race/
Runners World On-line Brief Chat:
http://dailynews.runnersworld.com/2007/11/a-brief-chat-11.html
Now it is time for some training. I will do a full indoor track season and cross country nationals in San Diego in
February. I am dealing with a little plantar problem but so far I am able to train through it and treat it aggressively.
The holiday and rainy season is the hardest time of year for me. My body wants to eat and hibernate but I need to
work hard. Should be fun!
I have been sleeping in an altitude tent or cube since 2000. But now I have my bedroom at altitude. I like not
being shut up in a tent at night. I am sleeping any where between 12,000 and 14,000 feet depending on the
machines and how many times I open the door. The house is filled with noises from the machines but we are
use to it by now. My Jack Russell, Sadie, is adjusting to the altitude but my Yorkie, Sara, is not doing so well. She
has to sleep in the bathroom to get a break from it.
A very tentative race schedule for this winter is:
January 19th Seattle Mile/3k
January 26th Boston Reebok 3k
February 1st Seattle or Millrose
February 8th New Balance Mile
February 16th San Diego Cross Country Nationals 8k
Again it is very tentative.
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and can enjoy their time with family, friends and loved ones.
PS - Did you see that Eugene was granted US Track National for 2009 and 2011. PLUS they will host the Olympic
Trials again in 2012. We are very excited about that.
Amy's Home
November 9th, 2007 - Ups and Downs
I raced the Mike Hodges Invite October 13th, 2007 at Clackamas Community Colleges. It was a gorgeous Oregon
day. I was supposed to run it as a tempo run. However, the weather was awesome and I felt great. I went out
and came through the mile in 5:02. I just kept pushing and ended up running 15:49.2. I was so excited. This was
faster than I ran on the track in the spring. (Here is a link to the website Runnerspace.com and my interview after
the race.)
This gave me confidence that the cross training during my rehab for the Achilles injury paid off. However, this race
also started plantar fasciitis in my other foot. So I have been dealing with that. One more bump in the road.
I have always slept in night boots but now I have added other rehab tools to help fight it. I always wear shoes. I
have cut a hole in the heel of my insole to relieve pressure. I roll my foot in the morning with both a tennis ball and
golf ball. I do towel scrunches and move marbles with my toes. I am seeing a lot of Doctors to get treatment and
therapy. We will exhaust all means of therapy before we go in and remove a bone spur that seems to be the main
source of my pain. I do not want to do that because it will mean 6 weeks of no running again.
I have about 38 weeks left till the trials.
Speaking of the Trials, I am sure you have heard about Ryan Shay's death at the Men's Marathon Trials. It was a
sad reminder how short life is. It reminds you that injuries and set backs are just small things in life. The
important things in life are not really things. They are family, friends, and the experiences along the way. I am
blessed to be able to share this journey with my husband, Andrew, and my family and friends. I am blessed that
Alberto is still with us and has not given up on me through each of these trials this year. Enjoy the journey!
Amy's Home
September 24, 2007 Wait, Weight, Patience and Perspective
It has been way too long since I last wrote. Every time I wanted to write I just did not know where to begin.
January to May was a waiting game. I just wanted Andrew to move out here so we could be a team again. I
started back running and my first 5k was decent considering it was after a broken ankle. However, little injuries
and set backs came up.
I decided not to run US Nationals in Indy because things were just not going well for me. I was there and watched
Kara make her first track team. All three of my team mates made the team and it was awesome. We had our 8th
and final Yoder Begley XC Camp. Rick Hammer will continue it without us at Manchester College.
After US Nationals things started to turn around with my running. I had 2 great weeks of training and was about to
start road racing. However, I injured my Achilles and have been out ever since. Now three months later I did my
first workout back. It felt great to be back outside running hard.
Usually with an injury that keeps me from running for almost 3 months I would of gone crazy but so many things
have happened during that time that I felt blessed with my life. Alberto's heart attack was just the beginning of
things. Jenny Crain's accident was hard to believe. She is such an amazing person. Every day in the pool or on
the bike when I get tired of being inside cross training, I just think about her and her fight to recover. I also have a
cousin in a coma and others struggling with things in life much greater than an injured Achilles. I gained a new
perspective with things. I did not get angry about my injury. I just worked that much harder and longer.
I spent my time in the pool and on the bike. I started swimming again too. At first 5 minutes was hard but now I
can swim for an hour. I get asked if I am a tri-athlete. I just say I am a wanna-be. I also spent a lot of time on the
Alter-G Treadmill.
I also re-evaluated my nutrition. I was diagnosed with a wheat and gluten allergy almost 2 years ago. (More on
that another day.) Usually my diet is full of fruits, veggies, rice, potatoes and gluten free substitutes. But
sometimes I binge on things because I feel deprived of muffins, cake, etc. I knew I was addicted to sugar when I
went through 3 party bags of M&M's in a week. I have been told that I work against myself when I eat that junk in
excess. I decided that I am working way too hard with cross training to blow all my hard work on eating junk. So I
swapped out my processed sugar treats for fruit and veggies. I am keeping the farmers markets in business!
Instead of reaching for M&M's at night I eat watermelon or any of the other varieties of fruit I have on the counter. It
has paid off and I am finally at a weight I am happy with.
I have 9 months to continue to improve and stay healthy. Alberto and I hope this was the last little bump in the
road for a long time. I am going to devote myself to running and see where it takes me. Kara told me on the run
today that anything is possible.
Amy's Home
April 14, 2007
You will have to excuse me for not writing since Stanford. Andrew had spring break and I wanted to spend time
with him.
The race was better than I had expected. I had so much anxiety built up about racing again. The race went really
smooth and I was pleased to go under 16 minutes. The spikes felt good too! There was a rabbit and I was
instructed not to go out with them. I hung back and ended up in the lead of the second pack. That seems to be a
place I usually end up! We were still fast. I went through the 400 in 72 and the 800 in 2:28. Right after the 800
meter split I heard, “Amy Yoder Begley you get to the back of the pack.” So I finally figured out where Alberto was
and recognized his voice. I dropped back and got to enjoy the race by hanging on. I really never looked at the lap
counter; I just focused on the girls and went with the race. With 1300 meters to go he told me to start racing. I
remember seeing the clock with 400 to go and it said 13:45, I remember thinking that I have to run 75 seconds to
break 16 minutes. I closed in 69 but still got out kicked. I was happy with 15:54.
Now that I have the first one out of the way, I am looking forward to the rest of the season. I am trying to have a
long term approach to my training. So many times we make goals and long term plans but we get stuck on the
day to day. We don't see all the good things we have done in a week, we only see the slow repeat that day or a
pound gained. We lose sight of the long term goal that we are building toward. I want to break 15 minutes in the
5k. It will be a long road to get there from here but that is the long term goal that I hope to accomplish in the next
16 months.
The best part about Stanford was Flocast being there to film the races. They were at Mt. SAC this weekend too. I
stayed up to watch the 5k once they posted it. That was a great 5k by Shalane. She has really upped the bar for
everyone. Great job Shalane! Thanks Flocast for being at the races and doing a great job! Flocast enables
parents, family and friends to see the races without the expense of flying there. I love that. If you have not been to
the website here is the address:
http://www.flocasts.com/flotrack/stanford2007.php
I am looking forward to seeing how everyone does at Boston. It should be an interesting race with the cold
weather added in. Have a great weekend! - Amy
Amy's Home
March 28, 2007
I woke up yesterday and put the Today Show on as background noise as I got ready for practice. I rarely have the
TV, so it was really a random moment when the first commercial was about the Beijing Olympic coverage. It said
500 days till the start of the Beijing Olympics. Talk about motivation to get out the door on a rainy gloomy day!
The little things….
I am always telling people to take care of the little things: sleeping, eating, stretching, drills, lifting, icing, etc. The
things that seem easy to include in the day but at the end of the day you skipped them for convenience. Today I
was thinking about other little things that can distract you or that you focus on. For example I am crazy about my
feet. Andrew always says it takes me a long time to get my shoes on because things have to be just right. He
also comments that I wear the lightest racing shoes but the heaviest socks. So today I finally broke out of my
shell and wore “no show” socks. Seems like a totally insignificant little thing but I just have never wore lighter
socks. Some people race without socks but I can only go one step at a time!
Another little thing, spikes. I have been doing strides and a few repeats in them this week. I have not been in
spikes since last June. The first day felt like I was running on stilts. Today I felt a lot better with them on. By
Saturday I hope to be comfortable in them for at least 12.5 laps at Stanford. I am excited and nervous to begin the
track season. When I get nervous about racing I start cooking and baking new recipes to keep me occupied.
Yesterday it was lentil pilaf and gluten-free pancakes.
It is always interesting to find out what little things other people focus on. Some people have to wear the same
pair of socks, or underwear. Some people have a lucky charm or specific pre-race meal. I have had a lot of
different things over the years but right now I don't really have anything like that. Everything here is so new that I
feel like I have started over with a blank page. We will see what habits I develop or little things that I find that I
“need”.
There are so many other little things in the day that we fuss about and focus on but at the end of the day it all
comes down to getting the job done and giving 100%. The more days I go to sleep knowing I did everything right
and gave 100% the closer I be to accomplishing my goals.
Amy's Home
March 21, 2007
I thought if I am headed east to race I might as well go early and visit Andrew in Atlanta. What a visit that turned
out to be! I left Oregon when everyone here was sick with colds and pneumonia to go to Atlanta where everyone
had the flu. Andrew came down with the flu within the first 24 hours of me being there. I avoided all sickness that
week but ended up with food poisoning! Great immune system, bad luck. Our week to visit just turned into a
week to sleep and recover. We headed to Arkansas not knowing what to expect from our bodies.
8 Months….That is how long it has been since my last race. I know I have been running and racing since I was 10
years old but there is a lot of rust to shake off. My first race back was the Run for Their Lives 5k in Little Rock,
Arkansas. ( http://www.theirlives.com/) The race has been held in May but this year they moved it to March. They
have asked me come for the last couple of years. The first year they asked me to come and try to break the
Arkansas State 5k record for road races. I ran 16:02 that year and accomplished the goal. However, I have just
gotten slower since then. They understood that I had only been running for 11 weeks this year and were just as
gracious as ever. The race keeps setting records for attendance and money raised for the Children's Charities.
They do a great job with the race and this year they added a hot breakfast after the race along with all the other
great post race snacks. (I can't eat half the post race foods due to my Celiac Disease (wheat/gluten allergy) but I
will journal about that another day.)
It was great starting my year back in Arkansas. I even got to race an old teammate, Christin Wurth-Thomas. She
came down to try and get the record this year but ended up running 16:11. She had me gapped a half mile into
the race. The first 800 felt like it was the fastest sprint of my life. When I saw 5:09 for the mile split I could not
believe it. It felt so much faster! The 10:30 for the 2 mile split was not much better, and then you go up a little hill.
By the time the hill hit I just wanted to keep my legs moving. My brain and legs were still trying to figure out what I
was doing. But in the end it was a start and you have to start some where, it might as well be back in my home
away from home - Arkansas. "Wooo, Pig, Sooie"
Amy's Home
January 19th, 2007
2007 is a new year with many new beginnings for me. I am starting this year with a new home, new coach, new
training partners....and I hope it will all lead to new P.R.'s! I fell in a bathroom in June 2006. I developed a
hamstring strain and ischial bursitis from running through it. I did not workout from July to November. I was
released to start working out on a Friday. That same Friday in November I was running in the woods at the
Chattahoochee River Trails in Atlanta and fell and broke my ankle. Andrew and I decided that something had to
change if I was going to continue to pursue my dreams and goals.
I am very grateful to Alberto Salazar and John Capriotti at Nike who had faith in me. They let me join the Nike
Oregon Project with injuries. THANK YOU!
Now, 2 months after my ankle fracture, I have started to run again. The ankle is healing really well thanks to Dr.
Julien in Atlanta who saw me that next day, bright and early on a Saturday, to confirm the break and put me in a
cast.
Here in Oregon I am running on the Alter-G treadmill at Nike. It has been a great rehab tool for me. I am able to
run with less weight and get back into shape much faster. I don't feel like a bag of potatoes when I run.
I spend my days cross training, lifting and running on the treadmill. I really don't mind being inside on the
treadmill. I have been in Oregon for 17 days; we have had 2 days of snow (4 inches) and 10 days of rain. I enjoy
staying dry and warm listening to my ipod shuffle!
I do look forward to joining Kara outside for a run, or plyos or even a workout. It will take a while for me to regain
my fitness.
Andrew and I look forward to a new phase in our relationship now that he is not my coach. He likes having
someone else tell me what to do for a change.
I wish all of you the best in 2007. I took a big leap towards my goals in moving to Oregon this year. I hope that all
of you set goals and really go after them this year.
Amy's Home
I meant to get my photos on the website this weekend but we still have some boxes to unpack from our move.
Andrew is back teaching and coaching, even on a torn meniscus.
I did manage to put my photos on Facebook. I hope you enjoy them! Even if you don’t have a Facebook account
you can view them through these links:
Opening Ceremony
Pandas!
Olympic Village
Olympic Village Part 2
Olympics
Olympics Part 2
Olympics Part 3
Olympic Race
Olympic Race Part 2
Olympic Track & Race
Great Wall
China
Dalian, China – Track & Field Team’s Olympic Training Camp
I just gave me first school presentation to Merlo Station in Beaverton. Andrew is the Life Science
teacher/department. My slide show presentation is entitled, “Olympic Experience, 20 years in the Making”.
It ended up being 60 minutes long with 3 short breaks to let students ask questions. I showed them my USA gear,
credential, etc. They were a great group and so respectful. I wore one of my USA track suits. I need to get my
Opening Ceremony suit cleaned so I can wear it to the next presentation. At the conclusion of my “Olympic
Experience” Presentation, I talk about dreams and goal setting.
I am a big believer that everyone has a gift and it is your job in life to find that gift and use it. I was giving a gift to
run. Everyone has their own special gift. It can be sports, music, art, chemistry, teaching, or being an amazing
mom/dad that raises kids to be the next great generation that fixes the problems in the USA/World.
Once you have found your gift you need to set goals. I use the stair step goal setting approach. You can’t get from
the bottom of the staircase to the top, without taking some steps. (Unless, it is a really short staircase; in that
situation, you need to set some loftier goals!)
Visualize that you are at the bottom of the staircase. Your goal is at the top. What things do you need to do in
order to achieve that goal? What steps do you need to take to get there? Are there skills you need to learn?
Classes to take? Training?
Now draw a simple staircase and at the bottom write today’s date. At the top of the staircase, write down the
ultimate goal. On the stairs in between, write the steps or intermediate goals you need to achieve to reach the top
stair or ultimate goal.
Remember you need to have some short term goals as well. You need to have some success along the way or
you will get frustrated. My goal took 20 years to realize, but I did have successes along the way to keep me
motivated. I went through each step, some more painful or longer than others. But in the end, I am an Olympian
and I would not change this journey.
Good Luck in your journey!
Amy's Home
August 28, 2008
HOME
I flew home August 19th. I came home early with the intent to get some training done before I headed off to
Europe for some fast 1500 and 5k races. However, when you don’t run fast they don’t let you into European
races. The day I left Beijing, I was told I would not be let into the European races.
At first, I was really disappointed because a goal of mine is to run in Europe. In life, we like to make plans but God
always has his plan for us. I am always amazed how things end up working out. At the time you don’t
understand why it happened but eventually it makes sense. The day after we arrived home Andrew hurt his knee
at practice. He had an MRI and we will get the results back tomorrow. He will probably need surgery because he
can’t bend it or bear weight on his leg. Now, I am thankful I am not leaving the country to race. I would not want to
leave him alone with a hurt leg.
After my race, I took 3 days off and started back running when I returned home to Portland. My calf and Achilles
has been sore since the training camp in Houston. I could not get my calf to loosen up the last couple of weeks.
All the running on cement in Houston and Beijing did not help. My shin started hurting when I returned home and
after my long run the pain increased. It feels a lot like my previous stress fractures. Alberto decided that now
would be a good time to take a break. Mentally and physically it is a good time to take a break.
So now I have to cancel all the road races that I had just signed up for. But again, it is probably for the best
because we are in the process of moving into a new apartment. (Thank goodness Andrew is a high school
coach.) I bought lunch for the kids in exchange for having them help me move since Andrew can’t move things.
Coming home from the Olympics is a different experience. I spent 20 years trying to accomplish this goal. Now
what? I think it will take some time to really process the experience. It went by so fast while I was there. It is for
the best that I am going to take a break. I think it would have been hard to move, take care of Andrew, and try to
start training and racing at a high level right away after the Olympics.
Mentally and physically I am tired. A break does sound good! I am going to take 2 weeks completely off. Then I
will start back with a couple easy weeks of mileage (with the hope that my shin is healed). During that time I am
going to do slide show presentations at the schools about my experience at the Olympics. I will also head back to
Kendallville, IN for some hometown visits during Apple Festival and Home Coming at my High School. It should
be fun.
I will return to full training in October. My goals for next year have not been defined yet. But they will probably
include making the World Team in the 10k and running my first marathon. Worlds for Track and Field will be in
Berlin, Germany next summer. (Yes, we do compete every year and have a World Championship. We don’t wait 4
years to compete against the best. The Olympics are a special event though.)
For now I am finishing up the packing of the little things, helping Andrew get around, and enjoying my break! I will
write more updates that include some details about the Olympics. PLUS I will start posting my pictures of the
Olympics. We had to wait 3-4 days post before we could post them. I can’t wait to share them with you!
Amy's Home
August 17th POST RACE
The time has flown by since my race. I have not had time to get to a computer since the race. I am sorry it took so
long to post this. The day after the race I went to the Great Wall and toured Beijing. Today I went to Chengdu,
China. I toured the Panda Breeding Research Center and held a 1 year old baby Panda (a 60 pound bundle of
fur!) That was my present to myself for making the team. It was an amazing experience.
Now about the race.....
The race did not go well. When we got up that morning and felt how much cooler it was plus the lack of humidity,
we knew it would be fast. I just told myself to put my nose in it as long as possible and see what happens.
Alberto told me to go out in the middle of the pack. My ultimate goal was top 10. I was position 3 on the starting
line. I knew I would get knocked back. By 300 meters I was in the back but I surged and got to the middle of the
pack by the time the first lap was done. It felt fast but I went with it. At 1k we were 3 minutes. I thought we would
slow down. But at 2k we were 6 minutes. I panicked at that point. We were running 30 minute pace and I knew I
could not do that. I slowed down to a more reasonable pace for me. I was in a small group of runners. However,
once I slowed down I could not pick it back up. I was stuck in that rut and it just got worse. My breathing was fine
but my legs would not go. I just did not get in a groove. My right side kept getting tighter, my arm and my leg and
glutes. With 2k (5 laps) to go my goal was just to finish and not drop out. I got lapped by the leaders. I cheered
Shalane and Kara on as they passed me. I then got passed by the winners in the the straight away.
Getting lapped twice by the leaders was not my proudest racing moment. But at that point it was about finishing
my Olympic race. I was so proud of Shalane for getting third. She is so tough! That was a great race for her and
the USA! Kara ran a PR and was 10th. They had a good showing in the first night of the Athletics (track). Kara
and Shalane will return to the track on the 19th for the 5k prelims.
(As I write this I am getting the results from today, Team USA had a rough day on the road and track. Sometimes
you just have a bad day/race. Today showed it can happen to anyone. Galen just finished his 10k as I am writing
this. He did great and there are only better things to come for him.)
I am looking forward to racing a few more times this summer in Europe then back to the roads for some fall
racing around the US. I have not set my schedule yet for the summer or fall.
Thanks for all the support. It has been amazing reading your emails. It really helped!
I will post more updates about my travels in China. I will also write about our Pre-race time-line with the call
rooms, etc. It is interesting how things are done at International races and big meets.
Amy's Home
August 14, 2008
One day to go! I am starting to feel better and more situated here. My last feel good workout was yesterday. I did
300's. They went better than expected. I ended up running them faster than I was suppose to but that is ok. I
think at this point faster is better than slower for my mental prep!
Village life is interesting and fun. It is like college all over again but this time there are 10,000 people and most of
them don't speak English. Actually most of them can speak some English. They love to talk to us and get better.
They have laundry service here. We separate our whites and colors into 2 mesh bags. You can't fill them all the
way up because the clothes get washed and dried in the mesh bags. But at least they get dried. The other
options is washing your clothes in the sink but things don't dry very well here. If you hang something to dry it takes
3 days.
The cafeteria is a fun place to meet people. I only go in there for bananas, yogurt, and drinks. Bananas are a hot
item. They go fast and they only have them out for breakfast. We also have a mini plastic coke bottle key chain
that we can swipe at any coke machine in the village to get free drinks. They have coke, coke zero, water, sprite,
green tea, orange juice and this yummy orange drink. I drink it for breakfast. It is probably not the best choice
because it is probably loaded with sugar.
Taking a taxi is an experience. I spent almost 3 hours in a taxi yesterday. I had to take a taxi to the Nike Hospitality
Center to see my chiropractor. It took me awhile to find a taxi that would take me there. Nike gave us taxi cards
but most of the drivers looked at my card and told me no. I found one that spoke a little English. He told me that
the card is not very specific. He wrote out better directions for me so that I can show the next driver his directions.
He also told me that there is a percentage of Chinese over the age of 30 that can't read. That would explain why
some of them look at the card and say no.
From there I had to take another taxi to the center where the US has its camp. That is also the location where I
get all my meals. We have a track, full medical, weight room, and ice baths. I had a taxi card but it just says the
name of the University. They dropped me off on the wrong side of the University. The University is gated and at
every gate they said no and kept pointing down the street. Finally, I found a guard that put me in a taxi and told him
where to take me. That was a 2 hour adventure for sure! Finally I was at the track and got to do my workout, over 2
hours after I was suppose to be there. I am just rolling with this journey and whatever comes my way. I am off to
catch the bus to get lunch. They are very strict here about schedules. The bus pulls out on time not a minute late.
I usually end up running to get there! Thanks for all the support.
Amy's Home
August 12th, 2008
I am back in the Olympic Village. I have 3 days till the race. What a beautiful day here. We have sun and blue
skies! Alberto said that Friday is suppose to be one of the hottest days here. Kara and I think that will be great for
us. Heat is an equalizer.
I am feeling better after my last workout. I took yesterday really easy. We will hit the track again tomorrow for
some 300's to get our legs turned over.
At training camp, I took yesterday afternoon easy. I went for a long walk along the beach. I came upon a temple
like structure with a big bell. It was on a cliff overlooking the ocean. It was beautiful. It made me remember why I
run. I use to run for 4 reasons, now I have 3.
1. To see how good I can be. (My goal is to improve every year.)
2. To travel and see new places (experience other cultures)
3. To meet new people
My 4th one use to be: eat new and exciting foods in different places. I use to be an adventurous eater. However,
with Celiac that is not possible. Now I carry my own bars and my translation cards that explain what I can eat.
The cards also tell about Celiac.
The walk reminded me to slow down and enjoy the experience. Start trading pins to meet other athletes and just
be in the moment. I still need to focus and prepare for the race but not forget the journey and the experience here.
Thanks for all the emails and support. Please know that I am reading them but I just can't respond. I am sharing
computers with the rest of the US athletes. I enjoy hearing from other Celiacs, as well.
I will try to do daily updates. I will post pictures when I am allowed (3 days after the Games end).
3 days to go!
Amy's Home
8/11/08
TRAINING CAMP
I only came to camp for a few days (today is the last day) but the break was worth it. We are in a great hotel on the
beach. We have clear skies and great accommodations. The food here is amazing - Thanks to Chef Adam
Sacks! The food is so good we are all over eating.
Because we are away from the Olympic Village they are taking a lot of precautions with security. We have police
escorts every where we go. They shut down the roads when we travel to the track and back. No one is allowed to
be on the roads when we are on them. They also shut down all the traffic to and from the airport when we arrive
and leave. We are getting the presidential treatment here.
We are on a golf course and a beach, but we can't touch the water. The water is full of jellyfish! I have never seen
so many. Plus there is a fish farm here and they don't know how we would react to what ever they put in the
water. We can look but don't touch.
I had my last long workout yesterday. I will admit it did not go well. We have 300's on Wednesday and I am
hoping to feel better when I do those.
I appreciate all the emails and well wishes. It is great to hear from people from my past. The Kendallville News
Sun has a video interview with my parents and other people from my hometown. It was so great to see everyone.
Julie Manger was correct. I did see her running at Bixler lake when I was 8 years old. I wanted to run because it
looked fun. My parents let me run the Mother's Day 5 mile race in Kendallville when I was 10. That is where I met
Julie and other road racers like Al Huth and Joan Gary. They took my family under their wings and taught us about
running shoes and road races. At the time Nike did not make kid running shoes yet. I had to wait a few years till I
grew into running shoes. Julie and company started me off with road racing, my first love. I plan to get back to my
roots and road race this fall after my track season is over.
The Kendallville News Sun also published the picture of the women's track team with the President. I am the one
on the right of the picture. Here is the link to the video and picture with the President:
Click here to see it.
Thanks again for all the support!
Amy's Home
August 9th, 2008
Hello from Beijing!
I arrived on the 7th and attended the Opening Ceremony on the 8th. Today we transferred to the USATF Training
Camp away from Beijing. Due to travel, meetings and the Opening Ceremony I have only been getting about 5
hours of sleep the last few nights. Even though we spend a lot of time waiting in lines and on buses it has been
an amazing experience so far.
The village is nice but big. The main street is a mile long. I have not figured it out yet! The cafeteria seats 5,000.
I can't eat there due to my wheat and gluten allergy (Celiac Disease). The village did get a lot of complaints about
not having wheat and gluten free foods so they just added some yesterday. However, they do not prep it gluten
free, so I still can't eat it. I have to eat at the USOC camp they have set up for us 20 minutes from the Village. I am
not complaining though, I prefer safe food over convenience!
It is extremely hot and humid in Beijing. The air is so thick. You sweat through your clothes in minutes and stay
wet all day. The air looks bad but it does not hurt to breath. I raced here in 2002 and it burned my lungs to breath
at that race. But the air does not burn your lungs here.
We did the Opening Ceremony last night. What an amazing experience. Before the ceremony we got to meet the
President and Mrs. Bush and Former President Bush. We were held in gymnastic stadium till we were ready to
walk. We did not get to see anything that happened before we walked so it will be nice to watch the taped
coverage when I get back. The lighting of the torch was amazing. To watch the guy run around the top of the
stadium was the highlight of the night. We were all soaked in our suits. Even at midnight it was still so hot. The
buses back to the Village were smelly! Meeting other athletes from other sports from both the US and around the
world was so much fun.
The IOC has set rules about blogging and journals during the games. They are monitoring our websites. If we
break any of the rules we can be banned from competing. I am not allowed to post pictures of the games until 3
days after the games end. I am also never allowed to post pictures of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. I
also can't post pictures of sporting events or other athletes. I also can't conduct interviews of other athletes.
After the games end I will post pictures of my experience at the Olympics.
I am now at training camp. I look forward to three days of getting back into a routine. We have one more workout
before the 10k. We will do that tomorrow night.
We were informed about the stabbing of the in-laws of the Men's Volleyball Coach. It was a very sad event in
Beijing today. Our thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family. The USOC has taken precaution and
investigated. They do not feel that it was an attack on the US and have informed us that we are safe.
Even before that event, security has been tight at the training camp. We have police escorts and the roads are
closed. Our every move is monitored here because we are away from the village.
Time for bed! So long for now. If you have any questions about the experience or the village send me an email
and I will try to put the answer in the next journal entry.
6 days to go!
Amy
Amy's Home
July 29th, 2008
Hello from Houston. I am doing some heat and humidity training prior to going to Beijing. I am slowly adjusting to
the conditions.
We have been receiving daily updates about Beijing and our travels. It will be a long process to get there. They
are trying to make it as easy as possible. The governments have set up special lines to get us through customs
faster. United Airlines is letting athletes take three bags free of charge. However, I won’t take three because I don’
t want to haul that many around. I will take a lot of books to keep me busy on the plane and in the lines that we will
have to wait through. We will first go through processing in the US before we head to China.
I am going to walk in the Opening Ceremony. I am really excited about that. They are going to tailor our outfits that
we will wear. We were told that the Opening Ceremony will take 6 to 7 hours on our feet but it is a week before my
race so I will be fine.
I am still training hard. The race is 17 days away! The time is flying by, except when I am running in the heat!
Amy's Home
July 18, 2008 4 Weeks to go!
This will be my Road to Beijing Journal. I have not done a very good job in keeping up with my journal this year. It
has been and up and down year. When I get injured I tend to go into hermit mode.
However, things seem to be on the up and up for me right now. I can’t believe it has been 3 weeks since the
Olympic Trials 10k. The time has gone really quickly. I took two weeks really easy and then jumped right back
into workouts. We are back to training hard.
My typical training schedule is:
7 AM Up and eat breakfast. Walk dog, check email and relax before practice
9 AM Arrive at Nike to begin AM session
This can include an easy run or workout, lifting, plyos, drills, stretching, hurdle drills, and icing.
12 – 1 PM Finish session, head home and eat lunch
1 – 3 PM nap
3 – 6 PM session
This can include an easy run, aqua jogging, biking, swimming, core or abdominal work, massage, chiropractor,
stretching, icing or other appointments.
6 – 7 PM head home
7 – 8 PM eat dinner
8- 11 PM Relax, check email, watch TV, walk dog and go to bed
This is a full day of training and taking care of the little things. I truly believe that most of my improvement is
because of the little things and the support I get from Alberto and
Nike. I have access to the Alter-G treadmill, under-water treadmill, massage therapists, and ART (active release
therapy). They all play a huge role in my training. I also get to train with one of the best distance runners, Kara
Goucher. Training with a bronze medalist gives me a big boost of confidence.
I also have a great support system with my husband, parents, and the Beaverton community (especially the
Westview Cross Country Parents). I could not have made the Olympic team with out my support team!
We have received so much information about our trip. This is going to be an amazing experience. I have set my
goals high. I am excited to be on the Olympic Team but that is not the end of the road for me. I am not going to
settle for just being excited about making the team. I am going to go to Beijing to represent my country and
compete. I plan on racing with the best in the world to see where I stack up. I am going to stick my nose in the
race and see how far I can go. I have my sight set on the top 10.
I am set to leave Portland on August 2nd. We will do final processing in San Francisco and then depart for Beijing
on August 3rd. We will report to training camp in Dalian, China on August 5th. I will have 10 days to acclimatize to
the heat and humidity of China. That is the perfect amount of time to adapt.
That is all for now!
Amy's Home
DECEMBER 10, 2007 - Holiday Season and a WIN!
Thanksgiving was great this year. I ran the Manchester Road Race in Manchester, Connecticut. What a great city
and race. I stayed with a wonderful host family - Bill and Carol O'Neil. They were so nice. I enjoyed spending the
holiday with them and their family. They even had gluten-free food in the Thanksgiving meal that I could eat. Bill
drove the course with me twice before the race.
My parents also drove 12 hours to watch me run the race! They are really dedicated. Manchester had a great
pasta dinner the night before the race but I could not eat it due to my wheat/gluten allergy (Celiac Disease). My
parents and I went to Outback after the pasta dinner. Outback has a Gluten Free menu. My pre-race meal was
salad, steak and sweet potato. Yum!
After dinner I talked to Alberto. He told me to stay with the leaders till a mile to go then take the lead and go for the
win. I had done an 8k time trial a week before the race in 25:57. We knew I was ready to run fast. Because
Manchester is 4.748 miles there is not a mile to go marker. Before I headed back to my host family for the night
my parents drove the course backwards so that I knew where a mile to go was located. My parents also staked
out their cheering locations. They both got to 2 places on the course.
The weather on race day was awesome. It was 60 and sunny, perfect race conditions. The course looks
intimidating. Mile 2 is up hill and mile 3 is down hill. We went out in 4:55. Mile 2 was in 6 minutes up the hill and
mile 3 was 5 minutes. I hit 4 miles in 21 minutes. I ran 24:39. I was so excited! It felt awesome and I was in
control the whole time. All the cross training and hard work has paid off. Finally a race I would not call a death
march. The win and how the race felt makes me very excited about this next year.
I loved the race and the town. The community really gets involved. The entire race course was lined with
spectators. This was the 71st Manchester Road Race and they know how to put on a race and get everyone
involved. To get that many people to compete or watch the race on a holiday is a great accomplishment. There
were over 10,000 people running and walking. I loved the event and hope to come back. I would love for my
husband and parents to come back with me next year.
Links to Race Results and Interviews:
http://manchesterroadrace.com/Race-Results/default.asp
http://manchesterroadrace.com/Race-Results/Top10Women.asp
http://www.thefinalsprint.com/2007/11/letherby-begley-win-71st-manchester-road-race/
Runners World On-line Brief Chat:
http://dailynews.runnersworld.com/2007/11/a-brief-chat-11.html
Now it is time for some training. I will do a full indoor track season and cross country nationals in San Diego in
February. I am dealing with a little plantar problem but so far I am able to train through it and treat it aggressively.
The holiday and rainy season is the hardest time of year for me. My body wants to eat and hibernate but I need to
work hard. Should be fun!
I have been sleeping in an altitude tent or cube since 2000. But now I have my bedroom at altitude. I like not
being shut up in a tent at night. I am sleeping any where between 12,000 and 14,000 feet depending on the
machines and how many times I open the door. The house is filled with noises from the machines but we are
use to it by now. My Jack Russell, Sadie, is adjusting to the altitude but my Yorkie, Sara, is not doing so well. She
has to sleep in the bathroom to get a break from it.
A very tentative race schedule for this winter is:
January 19th Seattle Mile/3k
January 26th Boston Reebok 3k
February 1st Seattle or Millrose
February 8th New Balance Mile
February 16th San Diego Cross Country Nationals 8k
Again it is very tentative.
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and can enjoy their time with family, friends and loved ones.
PS - Did you see that Eugene was granted US Track National for 2009 and 2011. PLUS they will host the Olympic
Trials again in 2012. We are very excited about that.
Amy's Home
November 9th, 2007 - Ups and Downs
I raced the Mike Hodges Invite October 13th, 2007 at Clackamas Community Colleges. It was a gorgeous Oregon
day. I was supposed to run it as a tempo run. However, the weather was awesome and I felt great. I went out
and came through the mile in 5:02. I just kept pushing and ended up running 15:49.2. I was so excited. This was
faster than I ran on the track in the spring. (Here is a link to the website Runnerspace.com and my interview after
the race.)
This gave me confidence that the cross training during my rehab for the Achilles injury paid off. However, this race
also started plantar fasciitis in my other foot. So I have been dealing with that. One more bump in the road.
I have always slept in night boots but now I have added other rehab tools to help fight it. I always wear shoes. I
have cut a hole in the heel of my insole to relieve pressure. I roll my foot in the morning with both a tennis ball and
golf ball. I do towel scrunches and move marbles with my toes. I am seeing a lot of Doctors to get treatment and
therapy. We will exhaust all means of therapy before we go in and remove a bone spur that seems to be the main
source of my pain. I do not want to do that because it will mean 6 weeks of no running again.
I have about 38 weeks left till the trials.
Speaking of the Trials, I am sure you have heard about Ryan Shay's death at the Men's Marathon Trials. It was a
sad reminder how short life is. It reminds you that injuries and set backs are just small things in life. The
important things in life are not really things. They are family, friends, and the experiences along the way. I am
blessed to be able to share this journey with my husband, Andrew, and my family and friends. I am blessed that
Alberto is still with us and has not given up on me through each of these trials this year. Enjoy the journey!
Amy's Home
September 24, 2007 Wait, Weight, Patience and Perspective
It has been way too long since I last wrote. Every time I wanted to write I just did not know where to begin.
January to May was a waiting game. I just wanted Andrew to move out here so we could be a team again. I
started back running and my first 5k was decent considering it was after a broken ankle. However, little injuries
and set backs came up.
I decided not to run US Nationals in Indy because things were just not going well for me. I was there and watched
Kara make her first track team. All three of my team mates made the team and it was awesome. We had our 8th
and final Yoder Begley XC Camp. Rick Hammer will continue it without us at Manchester College.
After US Nationals things started to turn around with my running. I had 2 great weeks of training and was about to
start road racing. However, I injured my Achilles and have been out ever since. Now three months later I did my
first workout back. It felt great to be back outside running hard.
Usually with an injury that keeps me from running for almost 3 months I would of gone crazy but so many things
have happened during that time that I felt blessed with my life. Alberto's heart attack was just the beginning of
things. Jenny Crain's accident was hard to believe. She is such an amazing person. Every day in the pool or on
the bike when I get tired of being inside cross training, I just think about her and her fight to recover. I also have a
cousin in a coma and others struggling with things in life much greater than an injured Achilles. I gained a new
perspective with things. I did not get angry about my injury. I just worked that much harder and longer.
I spent my time in the pool and on the bike. I started swimming again too. At first 5 minutes was hard but now I
can swim for an hour. I get asked if I am a tri-athlete. I just say I am a wanna-be. I also spent a lot of time on the
Alter-G Treadmill.
I also re-evaluated my nutrition. I was diagnosed with a wheat and gluten allergy almost 2 years ago. (More on
that another day.) Usually my diet is full of fruits, veggies, rice, potatoes and gluten free substitutes. But
sometimes I binge on things because I feel deprived of muffins, cake, etc. I knew I was addicted to sugar when I
went through 3 party bags of M&M's in a week. I have been told that I work against myself when I eat that junk in
excess. I decided that I am working way too hard with cross training to blow all my hard work on eating junk. So I
swapped out my processed sugar treats for fruit and veggies. I am keeping the farmers markets in business!
Instead of reaching for M&M's at night I eat watermelon or any of the other varieties of fruit I have on the counter. It
has paid off and I am finally at a weight I am happy with.
I have 9 months to continue to improve and stay healthy. Alberto and I hope this was the last little bump in the
road for a long time. I am going to devote myself to running and see where it takes me. Kara told me on the run
today that anything is possible.
Amy's Home
April 14, 2007
You will have to excuse me for not writing since Stanford. Andrew had spring break and I wanted to spend time
with him.
The race was better than I had expected. I had so much anxiety built up about racing again. The race went really
smooth and I was pleased to go under 16 minutes. The spikes felt good too! There was a rabbit and I was
instructed not to go out with them. I hung back and ended up in the lead of the second pack. That seems to be a
place I usually end up! We were still fast. I went through the 400 in 72 and the 800 in 2:28. Right after the 800
meter split I heard, “Amy Yoder Begley you get to the back of the pack.” So I finally figured out where Alberto was
and recognized his voice. I dropped back and got to enjoy the race by hanging on. I really never looked at the lap
counter; I just focused on the girls and went with the race. With 1300 meters to go he told me to start racing. I
remember seeing the clock with 400 to go and it said 13:45, I remember thinking that I have to run 75 seconds to
break 16 minutes. I closed in 69 but still got out kicked. I was happy with 15:54.
Now that I have the first one out of the way, I am looking forward to the rest of the season. I am trying to have a
long term approach to my training. So many times we make goals and long term plans but we get stuck on the
day to day. We don't see all the good things we have done in a week, we only see the slow repeat that day or a
pound gained. We lose sight of the long term goal that we are building toward. I want to break 15 minutes in the
5k. It will be a long road to get there from here but that is the long term goal that I hope to accomplish in the next
16 months.
The best part about Stanford was Flocast being there to film the races. They were at Mt. SAC this weekend too. I
stayed up to watch the 5k once they posted it. That was a great 5k by Shalane. She has really upped the bar for
everyone. Great job Shalane! Thanks Flocast for being at the races and doing a great job! Flocast enables
parents, family and friends to see the races without the expense of flying there. I love that. If you have not been to
the website here is the address:
http://www.flocasts.com/flotrack/stanford2007.php
I am looking forward to seeing how everyone does at Boston. It should be an interesting race with the cold
weather added in. Have a great weekend! - Amy
Amy's Home
March 28, 2007
I woke up yesterday and put the Today Show on as background noise as I got ready for practice. I rarely have the
TV, so it was really a random moment when the first commercial was about the Beijing Olympic coverage. It said
500 days till the start of the Beijing Olympics. Talk about motivation to get out the door on a rainy gloomy day!
The little things….
I am always telling people to take care of the little things: sleeping, eating, stretching, drills, lifting, icing, etc. The
things that seem easy to include in the day but at the end of the day you skipped them for convenience. Today I
was thinking about other little things that can distract you or that you focus on. For example I am crazy about my
feet. Andrew always says it takes me a long time to get my shoes on because things have to be just right. He
also comments that I wear the lightest racing shoes but the heaviest socks. So today I finally broke out of my
shell and wore “no show” socks. Seems like a totally insignificant little thing but I just have never wore lighter
socks. Some people race without socks but I can only go one step at a time!
Another little thing, spikes. I have been doing strides and a few repeats in them this week. I have not been in
spikes since last June. The first day felt like I was running on stilts. Today I felt a lot better with them on. By
Saturday I hope to be comfortable in them for at least 12.5 laps at Stanford. I am excited and nervous to begin the
track season. When I get nervous about racing I start cooking and baking new recipes to keep me occupied.
Yesterday it was lentil pilaf and gluten-free pancakes.
It is always interesting to find out what little things other people focus on. Some people have to wear the same
pair of socks, or underwear. Some people have a lucky charm or specific pre-race meal. I have had a lot of
different things over the years but right now I don't really have anything like that. Everything here is so new that I
feel like I have started over with a blank page. We will see what habits I develop or little things that I find that I
“need”.
There are so many other little things in the day that we fuss about and focus on but at the end of the day it all
comes down to getting the job done and giving 100%. The more days I go to sleep knowing I did everything right
and gave 100% the closer I be to accomplishing my goals.
Amy's Home
March 21, 2007
I thought if I am headed east to race I might as well go early and visit Andrew in Atlanta. What a visit that turned
out to be! I left Oregon when everyone here was sick with colds and pneumonia to go to Atlanta where everyone
had the flu. Andrew came down with the flu within the first 24 hours of me being there. I avoided all sickness that
week but ended up with food poisoning! Great immune system, bad luck. Our week to visit just turned into a
week to sleep and recover. We headed to Arkansas not knowing what to expect from our bodies.
8 Months….That is how long it has been since my last race. I know I have been running and racing since I was 10
years old but there is a lot of rust to shake off. My first race back was the Run for Their Lives 5k in Little Rock,
Arkansas. ( http://www.theirlives.com/) The race has been held in May but this year they moved it to March. They
have asked me come for the last couple of years. The first year they asked me to come and try to break the
Arkansas State 5k record for road races. I ran 16:02 that year and accomplished the goal. However, I have just
gotten slower since then. They understood that I had only been running for 11 weeks this year and were just as
gracious as ever. The race keeps setting records for attendance and money raised for the Children's Charities.
They do a great job with the race and this year they added a hot breakfast after the race along with all the other
great post race snacks. (I can't eat half the post race foods due to my Celiac Disease (wheat/gluten allergy) but I
will journal about that another day.)
It was great starting my year back in Arkansas. I even got to race an old teammate, Christin Wurth-Thomas. She
came down to try and get the record this year but ended up running 16:11. She had me gapped a half mile into
the race. The first 800 felt like it was the fastest sprint of my life. When I saw 5:09 for the mile split I could not
believe it. It felt so much faster! The 10:30 for the 2 mile split was not much better, and then you go up a little hill.
By the time the hill hit I just wanted to keep my legs moving. My brain and legs were still trying to figure out what I
was doing. But in the end it was a start and you have to start some where, it might as well be back in my home
away from home - Arkansas. "Wooo, Pig, Sooie"
Amy's Home
January 19th, 2007
2007 is a new year with many new beginnings for me. I am starting this year with a new home, new coach, new
training partners....and I hope it will all lead to new P.R.'s! I fell in a bathroom in June 2006. I developed a
hamstring strain and ischial bursitis from running through it. I did not workout from July to November. I was
released to start working out on a Friday. That same Friday in November I was running in the woods at the
Chattahoochee River Trails in Atlanta and fell and broke my ankle. Andrew and I decided that something had to
change if I was going to continue to pursue my dreams and goals.
I am very grateful to Alberto Salazar and John Capriotti at Nike who had faith in me. They let me join the Nike
Oregon Project with injuries. THANK YOU!
Now, 2 months after my ankle fracture, I have started to run again. The ankle is healing really well thanks to Dr.
Julien in Atlanta who saw me that next day, bright and early on a Saturday, to confirm the break and put me in a
cast.
Here in Oregon I am running on the Alter-G treadmill at Nike. It has been a great rehab tool for me. I am able to
run with less weight and get back into shape much faster. I don't feel like a bag of potatoes when I run.
I spend my days cross training, lifting and running on the treadmill. I really don't mind being inside on the
treadmill. I have been in Oregon for 17 days; we have had 2 days of snow (4 inches) and 10 days of rain. I enjoy
staying dry and warm listening to my ipod shuffle!
I do look forward to joining Kara outside for a run, or plyos or even a workout. It will take a while for me to regain
my fitness.
Andrew and I look forward to a new phase in our relationship now that he is not my coach. He likes having
someone else tell me what to do for a change.
I wish all of you the best in 2007. I took a big leap towards my goals in moving to Oregon this year. I hope that all
of you set goals and really go after them this year.
Amy's Home
