Meeting with an Olympian

Yesterday I met with Ed Eyestone.  I think I'm safe to say that Ed and I are friends. (Ed, if you read this and you disagree, let me know, because I thought...) Okay, so I emailed Ed and told him I needed to talk to him etc. and he said he would totally talk to me and we had a little meeting.

I told him at the beginning that I didn't want him to tell me if what I was doing was possible or a good idea but rather to tell me how to get to where I wanted to get if he were me. I don't know the ins and outs of elite, professional running so I also don't know what to do in order to get to the Olympic trials.  That was my purpose in visiting with Ed Eyestone.  This is what he told me, broken down:

1. "As your friend, I would be doing you a disservice if I didn't tell you that I don't think this is a good idea, I don't think it's possible, some dreams are meant to be and judging by your high school performances and collegiate performances this type of goal is not within your reach--So don't do it." (I'm paraphrasing a little, but this is pretty dang close to what he said.  Even though I told him I didn't want to hear this, I'm glad he did and I appreciate his professional, realistic advice.)
2. Get Daniels' Running Formulas and use that book for workouts.
3. Get your mile time down.  The guys who are the best at the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters are able to run an all-out mile in around 4:00 or better.
4. Train specifically for the 5,000 and 10,000.
5. It'd be nice  if there was a weak event, but there isn't--we're stacked.
6. Run a race each month.

It was a great meeting and at the end of it all he said if I proved him wrong he would get down on bended knee and beg me for forgiveness.  I told him he could write the foreword to my biography.  He consented.  The end.