A Look Back and a Look Forward

Well I guess now is the time that everyone is looking back on 2013, and looking forward to 2014, and I guess I shall join them as well.

2013 was a good year for me.  I ran a PR in the 1500, met and moved in with my girlfriend Sarah, hit the Olympic Trials "B" Standard in the 1/2 Marathon, and ran my first full marathon.  I was top American in 2 relatively major road races, posting two top 5 finishes, won a 10k in California, and even ran some XC again!

While 2013 was good, it also had plenty of bumps in the road, and growing pains.  Learning how to be a professional athlete with a job hasn't been easy, and getting that down played a crucial role in beginning to post better performances.  Along with that, I also recruited the help of an experienced coach, Trina Painter, who has led me to the successes of the fall.  Her ability to take my ambitions and turn them into reality has been nothing short of incredible, and I can't thank her enough for what she's done for my career. 

There are tons of people to thank for 2013 and I'll try to list as many as possible: Vince and Sarah Sherry (for employing me, and guiding me through the maze that is professional running), Sarah Grothe (for being my biggest fan), the aforementioned Trina Painter, Kym Wilkens (for keeping me healthy), all my teammates and friends: Adam Vess, Steve Soprano, Forrest Misenti, Ryan Blood, Becky Belanger, Matt Walsh, Forrest Boughner, Julian de Rubira, Rivers Puzey, some other groups that have helped me out: Swiftwick Socks, and of course my Parents who put up with my relative poverty and support throughout whatever I'm trying to do.  I'm sure I've missed some people, which I don't mean as an insult, sorry.  I can't thank any of you enough for the support and help. 

So now 2014. 2014 is the year where I begin to make my mark.  If 2013 was the year of gaining experience, than 2014 will be the year I gain some scalps.  I'm more motivated than ever to make big things happen on the track and on the roads.  This will be my year. 

Keep an eye out for some familiar faces in Runners World in the coming months, and keep an eye out on my blog because some big things are hopefully coming here in the next few weeks.  Below is my tentative 2014 racing schedule.

Nick Hilton
The Moderately Talented Distance Runner

2014 Spring Racing Schedule

1/24 NAU Invitational (Mile or 3k or Both)

2/7 NAU Mountain T’s Invite (3k)

2/15 USATF Cross-Country Championships 12k Boulder, CO

3/9 Mountain to Fountain 15k Fountain Hills, AZ

3/21 Baldy Castillo 1500 Arizona State

3/29 ASU Invite 5k

4/5 Stanford Invite- 10k

4/18-4/19 Mt. SAC Relays 5k or 10k

5/4 Payton Jordan Invitational 10k

5/10 USATF 25k Championships at the Fifth Third 25k

6/21 Grandma’s Marathon

7/4 Downtown Mile

(Several of the Flagstaff Summer Series Trail Race through July and August)

9/3 USA 20k Championships at the Stratton-Faxon 20k

10/5 USA Marathon Championships at the Twin Cities Marathon

11/16 USA 12k Championships in Alexandria VA

12/13 USA Club XC Championships Bethlehem, PA

Some thoughts, plus a quick Club XC wrap-up

So I’m on a flight to San Francisco, and I’m getting a bit tired of reading, so it seems like the perfect time to type out a blog post. 

I had a dream last night that I was, for all intents and purposes, fully sponsored by Saucony.  It was certainly a fantastic dream.  What runner in my position doesn’t dream of being fully sponsored by someone?  To have all your gear taken care of, travel money, cost of living stipend, and everything else involved with being a fully funded representative of a shoe company. 

I’m sure that there are some pressures involved with that as well.  I can’t imagine what it’s like when your contract is about to be up, the gut wrenching feeling of not knowing if your main source of livelihood is about to be taken away.  That is a pressure that I don’t believe I have felt yet, and one I’m not sure I want to feel. 

I remember waking up this morning, and being pretty disappointed at the fact, that no, I’m not a Saucony sponsored athlete, and that nope, there is no check in the mail from a shoe company on the way to pay my rent. 

I could quit being a distance runner and go get a full time job that makes 40k+ per year.  Be way less stressed about my expenses, and when my prize money is coming because well, I have a car payment due, and student loans to pay.  But what fun would that be?

I have the best day job in the world.  Regardless of what people say, I’m still a Professional Athlete, and what kid doesn’t dream of being that at some point?  Maybe I’m not doing it the most glamorous of ways, but shit! I’m still doing it. 

Maybe I live paycheck to paycheck, and maybe every race I run that has prize money involved is a critically important race, because that $300 pays for the next trip. Maybe living like this is stressful, but it’s LIVING at its finest.  Here I am, on a plane, sitting next to one of the best runners in the USA, on our way to a National Championship race where we’ll go mano-a-mano with some of the other top runners in the country.  How is this not wonderful?  How is this not life at it’s finest, in its full glory?  Who needs handfuls of the green stuff, when at 12:45 Saturday morning I’ll be spiked up, amped up, and running balls to the wall in the mud, hurdling hay bales.  Sounds like living to me.

And I couldn’t ask for a better life.

I won’t say no if Saucony comes calling though, they have some pretty sweet shoes.

In news, I was honored to be a part of the first EVER Team Run Flagstaff Pro XC Team at this years USATF Club Cross Country Championships.

We finished 3^rd Overall with a stud team (Ben Bruce, Nick Arciniaga, Matt Llano, Adam Vess, Forrest Misenti, Steve Soprano, Rivers Puzey, and myself).  It was a truly incredible experience.

The course was tough, (thanks Max King) as was the competition, but overall was a great time.  The best part by far though, was the feeling of being back on a team.  We had a great synergy, and I think we certainly developed that sense of belonging to something.  It was definitely a piece that I’ve missed since college, and I’m glad to be back a part of a team, with fantastic teammates.  I look forward for what the future holds for this fledgling organization.  I think there are going to be some really great things coming out of this.

Good things are a-coming.

Nick Hilton

The Moderately Talented Distance Runner