Geoff Martinson just can't say no to a good run.
The middle-distance runner from Prince George was suppose to take it easy after missing the qualification standard for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London in the 1,500m distance last June at the Canadian Track and Field Olympic Trials in Calgary. But instead Martinson replaced the track with the road as he competed in various 5-km and 10-km races and half marathons in the past year.
"I definitely wanted a good break, though one thing just kind of led to another and I just kept racing sort of in a different area," said the 27-year-old. "The love for track is not gone by any means but I need some time away from it to really figure out what I want out of track and to see if I still have that fire to go for another run at the Olympics."
Martinson competed in an international team challenge last October in Japan and recently took part in runs in Victoria and Vancouver. The former PGSS student resides in Victoria these days but was back in his hometown last weekend as a guest coach at the Gary Reed/Prince George Track and Field Club training camp held at Masich Place Stadium.
In addition to the road races, Martinson has also started working as a real estate agent in Victoria, something that has provided a new kind of challenge.
"With running you can get away with being pretty introverted but in sales I have to be sort of the opposite," said Martinson. "It's sort of forced me out of my comfort zone and you should always in life be pushed out of your comfort zone. I'm still figuring out where I'm going with everything."
Martinson said it's his plan to take the rest of the summer off from running and decide next year whether he wants to make the commitment to training for another shot at his Olympic dream at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio.
"This year I'm not making any decisions about it," he said. "I've already done more running then I've expected to, but as long as I keep running and, I'm staying in shape anyway, I'm never too far away from it. It'll always be a tickle in the back of my head."
Last year at the Olympic Trials, Martinson finished third in the men's 1,500m race but didn't meet the Canadian Standard time of 3:35.50. His personal best was 3:37.56.
Martinson said his disappointment at not going to London was somewhat appeased when he accomplished another one of his goals - breaking the four-minute mark in the mile, during a race he staged last summer in Victoria.
"At that time I was very unsure about what the future held for running and I thought, well if this is my last opportunity ever to break four minutes then I've got to do it," said Martinson. "I got some of the university guys to come out and pace me and I advertised it around and had a few people out watching."
He beat his previous time of four minutes, one second (4:01) in the mile, running a 3:59.
"I just broke it, but it was great to end the season on a high note," said Martinson.
