Issue 26

End of the Year Reflection with Drew Hunter

This year, Drew Hunter had one of his best seasons yet. Highlighted by a 4th place finish in the 10k at the U.S. Olympic Trials, Drew’s performances reflected the newfound consistency and enjoyment he had found in training. After stacking months of healthy, consistent running, Drew started to become the athlete that he always knew he could be. He clocked personal bests over a range of distances and regained confidence in who he was as an athlete, teammate, and person. In today’s newsletter, Drew reflects on the changes and improvements he made this year, and his renewed appreciation for the sport. Before hearing his thoughts, here is a quick recap of everything Drew accomplished:

• 3:33 for 1500m (Personal Best)

• 13:08 for 5000m (Personal Best)

• 27:38 for 10,000m (Personal Best)

• 2nd place - B.A.A. 5000m

• 4th place - U.S. Olympic Trials 10,000m

I didn’t have the perfect year– but I had a strong year. I wanted to reflect on my season below, with no planned agenda— so I apologize if I ramble on. I hope you all enjoy it.

I started this season coming off one of my worst years on the track. My last track race in 2023 was a 3:42 1500— a time I had run back in my senior year of high school. Not only was the time disappointing, but my relationship with running was also in decline. I had to really figure out why I am competing and what my reason for pursuing this funny little sport was. I took the longest break I’ve ever had (that wasn’t injury-related) and started back up in October with one goal: to enjoy running with the team again. Not everyone knows this, but with 2024 being an Olympic year and the final year of my running contract, the clock was ticking. If I wanted to be running in 2025, I needed to have a strong year in 2024. My starting point was just trying to have fun at practice again– not what most olympians are focused on in the most important season of their lives…. Or so I thought. 

I slowly got back into the swing of things in the fall, the majority of it with Joey. Here’s a #runninghack: Live close to someone you enjoy running with, it makes it a lot easier to get out the door everyday even if your motivation is iffy. We started things really slowly, not only building up but with workout paces. I was running as slow as I did my sophomore year in highschool in training– workouts that included 5 minute pace 400m repeats. But, things started to get more exciting with the momentum of getting in better and better shape. I still didn’t believe in myself; I was convinced I wouldn’t become an Olympian and that I’d have to figure out a new path for the coming years. But, I was enjoying being at practice with my teammates and trying some new training for the first time in a few years. That was good enough.

We had our team summit in January 2024. This was a great opportunity to tell the team my goals for the season and be a little vulnerable with the people who could hold me accountable for the year. I distinctly remember telling the team where I was at with my running. In short, I know I am talented but I'm wounded and not confident in my abilities. In order to be confident I need to train like I belong, and that was the cycle I was striving for. My goals for the entire 2024 Olympic track season were simple. I wanted to:

1. Be good at everything. I was sick of being a one trick pony. Last year all I did was focus on the 1500, and it was a disaster. I wanted to be strong, fast, and well rounded on the starting line again. I know that this sounds counterintuitive but as a distance runner, you have to have all the tools on the starting line. There is that famous saying im sure I will butcher. It goes something like this:  “to the man with only the hammer, every problem looks like a nail.” This saying highlights the cognitive bias known as the "law of the instrument," where people become overly dependent on their skills or tools and may lack the flexibility to consider alternative methods or perspectives. I needed to try something new, in order to grow. Joan cut out the BS of all my training this year. I did the exact same thing almost every week. For a lot of people, this would be boring and not work, however, for me, it was exactly what I needed. I constantly felt like I wasn’t training hard this year, but I got out the door every Monday knowing I would have another solid week with no big setbacks. The compound effect of this is CRAZY after weeks and months. 

2. Run my best in June. We have so many year round opportunities as track athletes. In the fall you can do road races, winter you can smash indoor track races, and all spring and summer you have track meets every weekend. I believe that you can have it all (run well when I need to), but not necessarily all at once. I believed that If I prepared to run best at the Olympic Trials, that meant not doing every race that I wanted to do. So, I trained over the Fall/Winter, opted for cross country over indoor track, and kept momentum on my side all the way until June. 

These goals allowed me to focus on the process of becoming a well rounded athlete. Simple. I put a 10k on the calendar in March, which had me fired up for something new and off to the races we went. I began to address the mental challenges I was facing in the only way I knew how—by confronting them head-on. I started every single day by walking downstairs to my dingy unfinished basement and meditating on what I was struggling with. I would walk on the treadmill with headphones on and think about my life and running. That simple. I slowly started to sort out a lot of the baggage I was hanging on to and was able to get confidence from my newfound love of the sport again. 

I had no idea how the 10k would go, and I walked away running 27:38, getting the Olympic Trials standard. A month later I ran 13:08 for almost a 10 second PR in the 5k, also hitting the Olympic Trials standard. A month after that I finished 4th in the Olympic Trials 10k, finishing behind some pretty good runners to miss out on the Olympic team. Finally, I ran a 3:33 1500 PB in July. This was a fast recap of my season, leaving out tons of details of all these races. The point I am trying to make is I ran well in everything this year. I got out of my own way. Looking back on races this year, I stopped asking how to achieve success, and instead I asked how to avoid failure. This method can reveal insights that are not immediately obvious when approaching a problem from the traditional angle. I am not saying everyone should do this, but it sure simplified things for me with regards to my running this season. 

My season is over and my wife is about to give birth to baby #2 (another girl for those wondering.) Based on what other parents have told us, the second child is the hardest because it makes the playing field 2v2 for the first time. I’m sure we’ll be in the weeds for a few months, but I’m in no rush to get back into shape. I don’t have goals yet for 2025, but I imagine I want to keep things more or less the same with my routine. Don’t push training too hard, avoid big mistakes, enjoy the people I am pursuing this with, and finally–don’t take it too seriously! 

Thanks for following along with my end of year reflection and recap. 

Cheers,

Drew

Stay Tuned:

Next up on The Hammer, hear from Anthony Camerieri as he reflects on his first year as a pro!

The best athlete is a healthy athlete…

Pairing a background in physical therapy with his own experience at the highest levels of running, Anthony works to build training plans that keep athletes healthy and progressing toward their goals. He is a dynamic coach who is knowledgeable on incorporating cross training to supplement mileage. If you’re interested in working with Anthony, apply for coaching on our website.

Hammer and Axe Training Plans

Our coaches have written training plans fit for runners of all experience levels! Whether you are trying to make the national meet in high school XC, running your first ever marathon, or interested in trying out double threshold training, we have a plan that meets your needs. Check out our library and find one that works for you!