Heather MacLean laced up her sneakers and went for a run on a hot August morning. At the Tokyo Olympics, she had missed qualifying for the ladies’ 1,500 meter final, and as she began to jog, she was confronted with that unpleasant reality.
“My legs had never felt heavier,” she said.
Many athletes dream of competing in the Olympics, the culmination of years of hard training. But there’s no clear path for what happens next in the days and weeks following the games. MacLean had heard of a post-Olympic crash.
However, I don’t think there was any way for me to prepare, ”she said in an interview this week.Heather MacLean will run in the Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games on Saturday at the Armory in Washington Heights. Elle Purrier St. Pierre, who established a national record for the event in 2020, and Athing Mu, the defending Olympic champion in the 800 meters, are also on the field.
It will be MacLean’s first observer meet since the Olympics. MacLean’s coach at Group New Steadiness Boston, Mark Coogan, advised her to be meticulous in her tactics.
“Simply because I lived it,” said Coogan, a former Olympic runner. The Olympics may be a tremendous letdown, so I felt it was important to just support them: “What an incredible year.” Nobody but us imagined you’d make the Olympic crew, and now you’re one. And when you recharge, we’ll resume. ”
Heather MacLean, 26, has risen quickly. Her first job was in her junior year of high school in Peabody, Mass. She was working at a grocery store with one of her closest friends at the time.
“She was my job experience,” MacLean said. As a result, I joined the practice team so we could carpool to work and practice together.
Heather MacLean quickly established herself as a true specialist who enjoyed hard work. After setting several records at Peabody Veterans Memorial High School, she persevered thru mishaps and difficulties at UMass to become an all-American. But it wasn’t until her final year that she considered working professionally.
With a master’s degree and no educational requirements, she joined Group New Stability Boston and made steady development. Last June, she made her first national team by placing third in the 1500 meters, behind Purrier St. Pierre and Cory McGee.
“The Weight of Gold,” an HBO Sports documentary, highlights the psychological well-being challenges that certain Olympic athletes face: their sacrifices, the outsized expectations they internalize, and the inevitable uncertainties that confront them post-Olympics: What now?
Ahead of her arrival in Tokyo, she had to deal with “immense stress”.
Trying to maintain her normal schedule, she stated, “because I’m clearly really delighted and so thrilled with everything that’s occurring, and I desire to speak to everyone.” At the same time, I want to protect my own authority, so I let lots of people near me. It was difficult to navigate.
At the Olympics, she won her first heat in 4 minutes 2.4 seconds, just missing her personal best, before finishing 12th in her semifinal.
She had intended to compete in a couple more races after returning home, but felt weary. She had to tell herself she had nothing to show.
“I chose the best option for myself,” she said.
Before she ended her season, she traveled to Cape Cod to run the Falmouth Highway Race alongside Molly Seidel, an Olympic bronze medalist in the ladies’ marathon, and Dana Giordano, a close friend and fellow professional runner. Seidel entered the marathon for charity, donating $1 for each racer she passed.
Heather MacLean knew Seidel would jog the seven-mile route, so she met up with friends the nite before the marathon. She wasn’t feeling great at the start.
“I just had three hours of sleep, and they just started sprinting,” MacLean said. Why are we moving so fast? But it was great fun.
Seidel and her team passed nearly 5,000 racers. MacLean used Falmouth to snuff out a unique year. She couldn’t imagine taking another plane. She also had some persistent injuries she wanted to address.
“I wasn’t feeling fluid,” she said. “I just needed to be able to go for a run and feel good about myself, and that took time.”
During her self-imposed break, MacLean moved into a fresh new Boston apartment. Her birthdate She walked and listened to podcasts. She iced curlers. In the Peloton craze, she became a regular at her favorite restaurant, The Breakfast Membership. (100% breakfast.) She made espresso for Shawn. And on “Heather MacLean Day,” the mayor of Peabody presented her with a key to the town.
By early December, she was back to jogging slowly. She’s been teaching with her colleagues in Arizona’s high altitudes.
“She’s craving,” Coogan said.
Heather MacLean has learned to prioritize her mental health, which has aided her as an athlete. She reads mindfulness books. She does yoga. She conducts guided meditation before bed. She has worked hard to put down her phone and limit her time on social media. Her pals are aware of her various habits.
“I feel like people think I’m in bed with all of those crystals,” she said. OK, I do have crystals. But no! ”
She looks like herself again, she says, ahead of her first follow-up meeting in months. She can run.
