Did the Starts Align?

by Rachel Mitchell

September 21st, 2014


Figuring out whether or not to run post collegiately was my first decision, but the following questions involved who would I train with, where would I train, and who would coach me? The first thing I did was write a list of what was most important to me, i.e. coach, training group, proximity to home, training environment, financial support, etc.  Then I found myself in a bind between coaching and training group as my top two priorities. Initially, I had my mind set on staying at my alma mater, Sacramento State, to serve as a volunteer assistant and to train with the team, but after getting different opinions I felt I owed it to myself to explore other options. I started researching different elite training group websites and quickly realized, just like when I decided on my college choice, that I wanted to remain near friends and family. Although I wish I had the opportunity to go check out a Mammoth Running Club or Portland I stayed with my gut feeling and ruled those out. Essentially that meant that my options were New Balance Silicon Valley, Bay Area Track Club or staying in Sacramento. For me, pursuing NBSV or BATC meant moving home to Fremont, in the East, Bay, because I could not afford to live on my own in those areas. If I chose to stay in Sacramento, I would have support from my parents under the condition that I also maintain a part-time job. Another factor that would anchor me in Sacramento was being coached by my former college coach, Scott Abbott, under whose guidance I experienced a great deal of success. Ultimately I weighed my options and decided to stay in Sacramento. I found that I could accomplish much of what most of these other groups were doing here under the coach I preferred. When I decided to pursue a post-collegiate career I was willing to go all in with running as my top priority. The side job I have involves about 20 hours a week with good hours that allow me to make some additional money while focusing on my running career. I did have some training partners lined up for most of my workouts, and I felt good about my situation. Boom! Then I discovered that the Sacramento Running Association was being restructured to offer developmental grants to local athletes and that the NorCal Distance Project was shifting their base to Sacramento. Before I got my hopes up, I patiently waited and kept training. Drew Wartenburg was someone I had approached earlier in the summer about whether or not to keep running post collegiately. Knowing my situation he asked if I would be interested to meet with him and Kim Conley to discuss if I was a good fit for the group and vice versa. As it turns out, it was the perfect fit, and I would have been crazy to not take advantage of this opportunity. In the three weeks since we began meeting for practice, I have already reaped the benefits…from seeing Dr.Lau a chiropractor at Elite Sport and Spinal Care to getting my VO2max and lactate threshold tested by Dr. Roberto Quintana. On top of all that, the NorCal Distance Project is packing our bags for a four-week altitude camp in Flagstaff, Arizona during the month of October. I fully believe that the structure of this group, the women I train with on a daily basis, the Sacramento area, and a great coach will push me to the next level. I could not have asked for anything else, so yes, I think the stars did align.