About

My name is Jason Pedersen and I am a Junior at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Az studying Mechanical Engineering. I compete for NAU’s Cross Country and Track & Field teams. PD is a nickname that a teammate gave me as a freshman in college, and it stuck.

My Roots

I was born May 15, 1987 and grew up in Simi Valley, Ca, just north of Los Angeles in Ventura County. I played lots of sports as a kid, but running was always number one. My older sister began running track so it was only natural that my brother and I gave it a go. I had my first track practice with the Simi Valley Running Rebels in March of 1993 at the ripe old age of 5, and I have been running competitively ever since.

I was fortunate to have immediate success in running. During those first few years, it became apparent that I wouldn’t spend my running career sprinting out of blocks or jumping into sandpits; I was a distance runner. In ‘97 I ran a 5:00.01 1500m as a 10 year old and continued to see similar success through elementary and middle school.

High School

I started high school in the Fall of 2002 as a very ambitious 15 year-old. Alan Webb had broken Jim Ryun’s High School National Record just one year before, and I had already made plans to join the 4-minute club.

As you may have guessed, that never happened. My freshman year went really well, running 9:37.48 for 3200m placing me among the best freshmen in the state. Each year after that, however, I failed to progress like many of my peers: 10-second PRs turned into 2- or 3-second PRs and so on. Fortunately, I was a part of some really great teams at Royal High School (Two State titles, one runner-up, and two births to the Nike Team Nationals in cross country) and will cherish the memories we made.

College

After being on such a great high school team, I wanted a similar experience in college. After taking a few recruiting visits, I decided to spend the next 4 years (or 5 or 6…) competing for and studying Mechanical Engineering at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff at 7,000 feet. I took several trips to Mammoth Lakes in high school for some altitude training (8,000 feet) and it was something I thought could help me bring my running to a new level.

Since arriving, my running has been progressing slowly but steadily. The 2008 cross country season I had big improvements, breaking 25 minutes for 8km twice and racing at Nationals on a top-10 team. The 2009 season was my best yet, finishing in the top-100 in the nation and scored on the 4th best team.

Currently

I have two years of eligibility left in track and one cross country season. I realize that these last couple years will be my last chance to compete on a cross country or track team and they will likely be my last opportunities to compete at a high level. I can hang up the spikes as a happy runner if I feel that I have achieved my full potential in the sport.

But who knows? I can only hope that I improve to a point were competing after college is realistic and won’t aim for anything less.

What lies ahead

After I graduate in May 2010, I plan to stay at NAU to get a Masters degree while I finish my eligibility. After I finish my Masters, the plan is to find a career near home in Southern California and “take up what a friend of ours calls the hearty challenges of lawn care (Once A Runner, John L. Parker, Jr.).”

Triathlons

Once I have life figured out, I would like to take a crack at training seriously for triathlons. Summer of 2009 I competed in my first Olympic distance triathlon and finished 8th overall. If I can ever swim a 1500m under 20 minutes (I know, big “IF”) than I think I may have a shot at being a semi-Pro. After training so hard for so long on one task (covering ground as fast and efficiently as possible with nothing but my feet, of course), the prospect of starting something new, like swimming, and seeing vast improvements is very exciting.

Progression

Running

Swimming

2 Responses to “About”

1. Harlan says:

   January 27, 2010 at 4:00 pm

   PD- I like the website, update you track Pr’s from 08 and 09. Also, your currently in the GRE, so I wish you well. Let me know how it goes. It was good seeing you up there, I had forgotten how much I like You:) I also would love to see you back on the track, so good luck with all the injuries. Also, the guy was up on his roof on Sunday shoving and he looked to be about 50% done, but he was definately slowing down as he had the Mrs. with him out there too.
2. Summer 2010 Triathlon Training Part 2: Swim « RunPD says:

   July 25, 2010 at 8:46 pm

   [...] About [...]