It was another notch on the belt for Humboldt's Olympian.
Brianne Theisen narrowly won the women's heptathlon event at the prestigious Hypo Meeting in Austria on May 26.
"I wasn't expecting to win it," Theisen said from an airport terminal in Philadelphia. She was on her way to Toronto for a photo shoot with Sportsnet magazine before heading home to Eugene, Ore. "I was hoping for a top three finish, but when we got started I could tell that all of the other girls didn't seem ready at all."
Theisen capitalized on her opponents' lack of preparation, taking a lead into the second day of the competition.The heptathlon consists of seven events spread out over two days. She briefly lost her lead after the long jump but was able to retake it with strong performances in the javelin and 800 metres. The weather in Austria was cold and wet, similar to the environment in Oregon, where Theisen most often trains.
"It was a weird meet because it was really cold," she said. "My overall point total wasn't high, but it came down to who could handle the conditions best."
Theisen finished with 6,376 points, barely edging out Nadine Broersen and Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands. Olympic champion Jessica Ennis of Great Britain got married the week before the meet and didn't compete.
The year immediately following the Olympics (Theisen finished 11th in the heptathlon in London) is one ripe with opportunity for hungry athletes.
"My coach always says to take advantage of the year after the Olympics," Theisen said. "People don't have the motivation to train at that time."
In Theisen's case, there's always external motivation for those times when another day on the track seems like a curse. Her fiancé, Ashton Eaton, is the reigning world record holder in both the decathlon and heptathlon and won gold in the former at the London Games. They live in Eugene, the epicenter of the track and field world in North America.
"It's different than training from anywhere else," Theisen said. "There are always college or pro athletes training here."
Of course, being the biggest show in town means it can be almost impossible to forget about track and field.
"It can be hard to live in Eugene; you can never get away from it," Theisen said. "People are always asking questions about it."
Theisen and Eaton try to inject some balance into their lives by keeping the track talk to a minimum at home. Sometimes they'll talk after a particularly good or bad practice, but a momentary escape from it all can be liberating.
When she gets back from Toronto, Theisen will continue with her training schedule - 35 hours a week, Sundays off. It's a demanding one, but has clearly served her well.
Come fall, there will be a respite and a chance to visit her parents and grandparents, who still live here in Humboldt.
For now, though, it's back to the grind.
