By Julia Lobaina
Before the women’s 800-meter race began, Jessica Hull and her Oregon teammates were reminded by assistant coach Maurica Powell to focus on the fact that the day would be all about hard efforts. Due to weather conditions, April rains and 20 mph winds with gusts up to 49 mph, the focus was not on getting the shiny new PR time.
Hull finished the race in second place in 2 minutes, 10.66 seconds, just three seconds away from her personal best of 2:07.36 . She finished the race right .4 seconds behind the winner, Oregon teammate Susan Ejore.
Since moving across the globe from the Golden Coast of Australia to Eugene, Hull has had to adjust her ways of training and pre-race rituals. As the winds swept through Hayward Field, Hull focused on rolling with the conditions and not allowing the winds to disrupt her mindset, especially the headwind down the homestretch. Although the weather was not in the runner’s favor, it was still a reminder, particularly for Hull, that it’s not always going to be perfect out on the track.
“It’s pretty crazy out there,” Hull said. “But I think it was a good way to reset and reintroduce outdoor because the weather doesn’t impact our indoor times.”
Even though the conditions hindered the athletes’ abilities to perform at the highest level, Hull believes these drastic changes help improve the process of preparation.
“When we get conditions like today, you have to be prepared for everything because everyone on the line is, so you better be as well,” she said.
