Meridia Mondays | Issue 45
Should Gracie go to worlds in the 5k or the mile???
Happy Monday, Meridians!
Another incredible week of racing for our team! Eaaaarly on Saturday morning, Gracie lined up for the USATF 5k National Championships in Indianapolis, IN. This would be her first ever road 5k and the field was pretty strong, with National Champions and 5k specialists all vying for those precious spots on Team USA for the World Championships in Sept.
But for Gracie, this race was a bonus. She already made the team! Her runner up finish in the USATF Mile National Championships last week earned her a spot on Team USA (her first international team!!). Plus Gracie is known as a steeplechaser, not a 5k runner, so she got to enter this race as a dark horse, which is such a fun spot to be.
However, it was a very quick turn around from last week’s 2 races in Des Moines (read all about those here if you missed it) and the 5k is an intimidating race for someone who has been racing more miles and 3ks. The 5k is known very a very special kind of burn. Athletes usually report feeling “the burn” fairly early on in the race, and then riding that red line right to the finish. When we asked Gracie why she decided to add another race to her schedule this month and fly to Indy for the 5k, here’s what she said:
I think it’s the right time for me in the season to do something that really challenges me, especially mentally.
Breaking Down the Race
Before the race, Gracie said her goal was:
“To put a solid hard effort in for 15 minutes, to be a bit risky and still stay confident that I can handle the pace and finish hard.”
The race went out HOT, with Emma Grace Hurley setting the pace at 4:41 through the first mile 😳… but Gracie was fearless! Coming off a great training block in Alamosa, CO where she trains at 7,000 ft of elevation, Gracie’s coach encouraged her before the race that she’s in the best aerobic shape of her life. Training like that is so challenging, but the payoff is that you can afford to take some risks like going out hot in a 5k and trust that your legs will still be there in the final mile. It paid off big time and Gracie crossed the line in 3rd place with a time of 15:03, a new personal best and a VERY legit 5k time.
For women’s distance running, the 15 min barrier in a 5k is a big one and breaking it is a huge accomplishment. We’re sure this is right around the corner for our youngest teammate!
Now Gracie has a big decision ahead of her… should she compete in the mile or the 5k at the World Championships in Copenhagen in Sept??
The schedule for the World Championships has the mile at 10:10am and the 5k at 1:10pm, so while a double is technically possible, it would be very challenging!! Another athlete, Emma Grace Hurley, also qualified in 2 events- the half marathon and the 5k- and she knew immediately that she would rather focus on the half marathon. For Gracie, it’s not as easy of a decision and she needs to decide which race she wants to compete in by tomorrow!
What do the fans think she should do?? Vote below and Gracie may or may not take your opinion into account 🤣
Wildwood Miles- a Mile for Women and Girls!
Calling all of our Colorado subscribers! At the end of this month, there is going to be a super fun event hosted at the Boulder High School Track that invites women and girls of all ages and abilities to race one of our favorite distances… the mile!
There will be lots of different heats all evening on May 30th, and whatever time you estimate finishing in will determine which heat you get placed in. We cannot emphasize this enough: ALL PACES AND AGES WELCOME!
There will be some super speedy high school girls ripping fast times, and there will be moms, maybe even grandmas, little girls, and college-aged girls all running the distance in celebration of our bodies.
Team Meridia will be there cheering and we are leading warmups in the infield during the event to help everyone get their bodies ready to run!
This is the first time this event will be hosted in Boulder, but the organization, Wildwood, has hosted it a few times in Portland. HERE is an incredible video of last year’s event in Portland so you can get an idea of the vibe.
This is your personal invitation to sign up and come run a mile with us! It’s gonna be a blast! Get a friend, daughter, mother, sister, auntie or grandma to come with you! There’s gonna be some amazing giveaways and freebies from brands who are supporting this event.
See you there :)
All Our FAVORITE Things
Ever wonder what a group of professional women wear, use, and eat on a daily basis? Things like sports bras, recovery tools, protein powders, even jewelry and makeup?
Now you can find all of our favorite things in one place. If you’re looking for yourself or a thoughtful gift for someone you love, our FAVES PAGE is a great place to start. We get commissions on clicks and purchases from our favorite things, so this is also a great way to support our team!
Meridia Mentors (Session II)
In January we launched our mentorship program for collegiate athletes looking to go pro after school. This is an important endeavor to us because in our sport there is not a draft or formal process to “go pro.” So it’s up to the athletes to get information and figure it out for themselves. It’s also an individual sport, so there’s a lot of different ways to go about setting yourself up for success in the sport. We don’t have all the answers, but we are eager to share what we have learned and support these athletes as they take the next steps in their careers. If you or someone in your circle is in the NCAA right now and is looking for guidance, information, and support around the process of going pro in running, click here and fill out your information.
Our second session will be on Sun, May 17th and you don’t have to have attended the first session to attend session 2.
Thank you for reading! If you are enjoying following along with our team and know of anyone else who might also enjoy this type of storytelling, be sure to share this newsletter with them using the button below.
And if you’ve missed any of our previous issues, you can catch up here.
See you next Monday!
Team Meridia
Annie, Colleen, Gracie, and Courtney
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