OLYMPIC HOPEFUL, JOY MILLER, PODIUMS AND CARRIES ON RUNNING…

Stablemate and Irish Olympic hopeful, Joy Miller, finished second at Saturday’s OUC Orlando half marathon, finishing in 1:16.

But rather than stand around signing autographs and posing for snaps with fans, Joy carried on through the finish line and ran an extra five miles so that she could complete her full training session. (Later she posed for snaps.)

Fellow Stablemate and 2:22 marathon stud, Jaydn Asay took to Strava and posted on Joy’s feed: “Dang! You’ve been killing it lately. Nice work!”

Here’s Joy’s race recap from Facebook…

“Thank you Orlando for showing me a whole new side of me.

A spur of the moment trip to do my long run in Orlando turned out to be the greatest training session of my life thus far….

I decided to run the OUC Orlando Half Marathon & Track Shack Lake Eola 5k as past of my long run that included a 15mile tempo at GMP. My real goal of this tempo was to run a steady 6/6:06 pace and have it feel easy and pray I might pick up podium place. If It didn’t feel easy I’d cruise away at 6:15s… 

I knew two miles into the half, 6 pace was very comfortable and by 10k I was clocking off 5:51s and feeling comfortable. So comfortable in fact that I was smiling and laughing w/ spectators and thanking volunteers and law enforcement even going out of my way for the occasionally high five. 

It wasn’t till 10miles that I saw low 58 on the timing clock that I realized “oh shit I’m running my half PR pace and I still have 5 miles to go” and here’s what happened next…

I kept on cruising, running negative splits at my ease (who am I). I finished my 15 mile tempo, smiling having averaged 5:52 pace; for my long run of 18.2 miles, averaging 6:03 pace. 

These are times I’ve watched women I highly highly look up too knock out in training, I never ever thought that could be me—NEVER. But somewhere along the line I found my confidence to truly believe that actually is me—I can be one of those amazing women I look up too. My run in Orlando showed me the NEW STRONGER ME! I could have let 2019 break me down but instead I decided to say (rudeee-dudeee word) that and take back me and who I truly can be.

If you’ve been through the wringer and feel like you have hit rock bottom please for the love of God reach out to me because if you knew where I’ve come from this year to where I’m going in 2020, I can guide you and help you get back on your feet trust me.”