August 6, 2007
Hello from Europe! I am writing this entry from my dorm room in the university town of Leuven, Belgium where I have been staying the past month and using as a “home base” between my competitions. So far this year I have competed in three different cities in Belgium, Madrid, and London. This weekend, I will make my first trip to Germany to a small meet in Leverkusen, and then spend a few days traveling around the area. I also look forward to exploring new areas! The races have had their ups and downs as all competitive seasons do (I’ve gotten tripped in two out of my last three races!), but I am learning to stay positive and enjoy the experience rather than being fixated on the outcome.
Since I last wrote, I had the pleasure of tutoring at the Chula Vista Public Library in the months of May and June, and meeting some amazing students. In addition, I was able to help coach the extremely talented Eastlake Flash Youth Track Club. Both experiences were very different, in that with tutoring I was able to get to know each student individually and work them one-on-one, whereas with the Flash I was working with 30+ athletes and sharing my knowledge and experiences with them somewhat more distantly. I was inspired by the young athletes’ work ethic, the respect that they showed us, and their hunger to learn and improve. I noticed that a few of the girls didn’t have proper racing shoes, and happened to be the same size foot as me, and so one day I brought them each a pair of my ASICS racing spikes. I will never forget seeing their faces light up, and how quickly they ripped off their shoes to try them on! Even though I didn’t get to know many of the athletes as much as I would have liked to, I hope that I made a small impression on them through example. We had them fill out a questionnaire for In the Arena, and one question was, “Who is a person you’ve met recently that you admire?” One of the girls came up to me, and asked, “How do you spell your name? I think I spelled it wrong here.” I looked down to see that she had written my name for that question, and I was touched!
Similarly, I was very impressed with the students I tutored at the library. Before I began tutoring, I was wondering if there would be students that would come expecting me to do their homework for them and looking for the quick way out. The very opposite was true! I quickly learned that many of the students were very bright, and in fact were looking for opportunities to showcase their talent and do the work themselves. Often the students weren’t there to help them pass a class, but because they wanted to get 100% on an assignment and wanted me to make sure they did. I saw in them a lot of myself at that age, as I was never satisfied with getting less than the top score. It was this drive that allowed me to attend my dream-college, Stanford, and I hope that as a result of me sharing with them, they will also believe that they can reach their goals too if they continue to strive for the best out of themselves.
Both experiences were unforgettable, and I miss my new friends in Chula Vista! I am looking forward to continuing my project when I return home to Mammoth in September. Although I enjoy the racing circuit in Europe, living over here is very running-centered. Although it is good for a period to be focused, there is an emptiness in having your daily life revolve around yourself. I am excited to return to my friends at Mammoth Elementary in a month and share with them the experiences I’ve had over here!

May 7, 2007
As I pulled up to Mammoth Elementary School, still sweaty from my morning workout, I reached for the door knob when suddenly it burst open towards me. "Where have you been? I've been waiting for you?!" demanded Megan (name changed), one of the students I had recently connected with in the Special Education classroom. She grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the playground where we spent the remainder of recess building ski runs on the snow burm at the back of the basketball courts. It was only my second day at the school, and I hadn't realized how quickly Megan had become attached to me!
In the days that followed, we spent a lot of time together, talking during lunch, working on her math, or doing running relays around the blacktop. Megan didn't have many female friends, or friends at all for that matter, and she sensed in me the safety to be her tomboy self, knowing that I accepted her, and liked her, for who she was. Naturally athletic, she was intrigued by my position as an athlete, and announced proudly, "Well, you know, I'm a professional backwards runner!" But I think what I will most remember about Megan was how she morphed into a completely different person in the classroom than on the playground. She went from being vivacious and bubbly to meek and insecure. I remember the first time we went from recess into the classroom, I couldn't figure out what had happened. Was she feeling sick? Had we run too much? But as time went on, I noticed that when we were doing something academic, her disposition completely changed. As the weeks went on, I made it my goal to give Megan as much positive feedback as I could in the classroom, hoping to increase her confidence and bring out her natural personality.
It's students like Megan that make me excited to return to volunteering, even after a physically exhausting day of training. The challenge of seeing "what makes them tick" and how to relate to them to inspire and help them improve is a challenge I enjoy even more than the physical challenges I face in training. And the progress of seeing a child gain more confidence in themselves is a success that I cherish often even more than race victories.