In His Own Words: Nike OTC Elite Jordan Schilit - New Challenges, New Opportunities

At flrunners.com we've had high school bloggers, college bloggers, but never before had we had an alumni turned pro blog for the site. We are happy to announce that we will be joining former 2009 Tampa Jesuit graduate and Haverford College alumni Jordan Schilit in his experiences as a professional runner with Nike's Oregon Track Club-Elite.

 

Jordan's accolades include NCAA Division III Runner-Up at 1,500m and 5,000m, 6-time All-American. 3-time USTFCCCA Mideast Track athlete of the year, 7-time Centennial Conference champion. He holds the school and conference record in 5,000m and led his cross country team to three top-2 finishes at NCAA championships (2010-2012), including one national title. Schilit's personal bests include 3:45 (1,500m),  4:03 (one mile), and 13:59 (5,000m).

 

He is a testament to what hard work and dedication truly can do and we are excited to share his story with you.
 

New Challenges, New Opportunities

 

Hi everyone,

 

This week, I was very excited to see USA Track & Field post its qualifying standards for the USA outdoor championships in Sacramento, CA on June 26-29.  Based on my personal bests, I still have quite a ways to go before being accepted into the meet. But after moving to Track Town and seeing how successful my fall and winter training went for me, I think that it’s perfectly reasonable to set my sights on hitting one (or maybe two) of the qualifying marks.

 

My plan is to concentrate on the 1500, and possibly run a 3k and/or 5k at some point during the outdoor season. This year, the qualifying marks that I’m focusing on are 3:39.00 (for the 1500) and 13:32.00 (for the 5k). Both would be quite an accomplishment for me, especially as a first year post-collegiate athlete. However, if I take a look back at my natural progression over the last 6 years or so, I think that these time goals are logical and realistic.

 

Most runners in my shoes – guys right on the cusp of making a USA national championship – might be a little disappointed to see that USATF’s qualifying marks this year are among the toughest of all-time. However, I see it as an awesome opportunity. This year will be one of the deepest and most competitive years for USA distance running as a whole, so it would be amazing to be a part of that caliber national championship meet. The top runners in the United States keep raising that bar, so I guess the guys in my shoes – the ones who would simply be honored to toe the line next to those top guys – need to accept that challenge and train harder than we’ve ever trained before. It’s a new year, with new challenges and new opportunities. Spring is right around the corner. The outdoor season is about to get underway. I can’t wait!!

 

Hope to see you at USATF Outdoor Nationals in Sacramento!

 

Thanks for reading!

 

-Jordo