Plymouth grad and world class track athlete Morgan Uceny is no different.
“When I first got out of school I don't know if I really thought it would happen (making the Olympic team),” she said from San Diego, preparing to head to Europe for meets in Birmingham, England and Stockholm, Sweden. “I got out of college and things began to fall into place. When I first started I just wanted to get there. Now I want to be on the podium.”
A new coach and a new place to train in the past year have put that possibility in place for the runner who finished second in the 800 last weekend in the New Balance Grand Prix in Boston.
“I moved to the Mammoth Track Club last year and I've made a huge jump from previous years,” she said. “There was a time when I was just in the race with some of the best runners in the world. Now I can stay with them. I can be one of those difference makers at the front of the race. It's a lot more intense training than what I've been doing. I just need to keep going, trust my coach – he knows what he's doing – and keep doing what I've been doing.”
The life of a professional athlete is a different one, especially in the world of track.
“It's kind of like a full time job,” she said. “You can easily spend six hours a day training. You have your tough run in the morning. The evening run is more for recovery. You get therapy at different times during the day, it all depends on the day.
“You have an agent that handles your shoe contract, people that handle your travel, doing interviews. We're still not NBA players but it's a different kind of thing.”
Uceny recently changed sponsor companies from Rebok to Adidas and travels this weekend to Europe for a pair of indoor meets. One of the top runners in the world in the 800 and 1500, the indoor season is a tune up for the coming outdoor season.
“The indoor meets aren't as competitive especially in a year where there is an outdoor World Championship,” said Uceny. “Indoor season is kind of a means to an end. I'm trying to get in shape trying to prepare for the outdoor season.”
See video and track Morgan's success on the web at http://www.mammothtrackclub.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment