Joe Stilin and I are both new to the program and Tallahassee was the first place we got to know each other sense we both arrived at Zap Fitness. So, in the beginning we were in that awkward introduction phase where we are trying to figure each other out. Asking the standard questions you would ask anyone in this situation, such as what kind of training did you do at your last program? What’s the highest mileage week did you ever do? What have run for the 5k? Mile? etc... It took the first couple days to get adjusted to each others living habits but by the end of the first week Joe and I were getting along and working together like Batman and Robin, Lucy and Ethel, Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper.
For example, this is how breakfast went down everyday. When we got back to the hotel from our morning run, Joe would go ice in the pool while I went upstairs to start breakfast. I would chop all the vegetables and crack the eggs into the bowl. By the time I was done with that, Joe would be done with icing and tag me out so I could take a shower. Joe would then start whisking the eggs and begin cooking everything on the stove. Then, when I was done taking a shower I would switch with him and finish the rest while he took his shower. Finally, by the time it was all said and done Joe was out of the shower and breakfast was served. It was like clock work.
The running in Tallahassee was everything you would want for a distance runner. Spending six weeks in the Sunshine State is defiantly a bonus, but the true beauty of Tallahassee is in the amount of training venues it has to provide. If you want grass, gravel, single track, or if you are like me, who wants miles of smooth asphalt, Tallahassee has it all. These last six weeks have been unbelievable. We were able to get in a great six week training block that will set us up perfectly for outdoors. I am grateful for the resources provided to us as we set out for the 2016 Olympic dreams.