“Everyone processes things differently. We hoped that it wouldn’t take away from the rest of my year but you never know in those moments. To bounce back with a 3:59 (for 1,500m) was like, ‘Hell yeah! I deserve to be doing this and racing at this level and competing. This is what we trained for all year.’ It was almost like a rewarding moment coming back from that disappointment...Our conversations were really positive. It was about what you could be excited about ahead. There are world champs the next two years and then an Olympic team. This sport moves quickly and there’s a lot more to be excited for right away. That definitely helped turning around on the trials.”

Josette Norris is a professional runner for the Reebok Boston Track Club. If track and field had a breakout star of the year award, Josette would be a strong candidate for that. She came into the year with personal bests of 4:10.82 for 1,500 meters and 15:29.34 for 5,000 meters. Now, she’s at 3:59.72 for 1,500 meters which is No. 9 on the all-time U.S. list and 14:51.32 for 5,000 meters which is No. 10 on the all-time U.S. list. She also ran 4:22.71 for the mile this year. Her best races came after she finished 8th in the Olympic Trials final for the 5,000 meters despite having the fastest time of the year going into the race. She candidly discusses what it was like to overcome that disappointment and then go on an absolute tear, which included a third-place finish in the Diamond League final. Her trip to Europe was the first time she left the country. You’ll also get to enjoy plenty of fun New Jersey banter. 

So if you’re in the Jersey or Pennsylvania area, get yourself a cup of Wawa coffee and enjoy this chat which I’d love to dedicate to Josette’s mom, who is a huge fan of the pod.

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