the team to know that Ive played in that many

Keeping Eloise Wellings in one spot long enough to get her to explain her remarkable sporting, philanthropic and personal life takes some manoeuvring.She had been running all morning, as part of her weekly 130km training regime. The afternoon was devoted to taking her three-year-old daughter, India, to the movies. Gym work had to be fitted in, as well as organisational work for an international charity of which she is a founding director.A trip the supermarket provided an opportunity this day to detail how she somehow is able to juggle numerous important responsibilities to ensure her longstanding Olympic dream can be fulfilled.This takes time, as the Eloise Wellings story does not just incorporate the usual elite athlete script of determination, success, and a list of personal-best times. It also involves anguish, frustrations, manias, incredible willpower, unexpected turns and the most humane of ventures - in which the prime aim is to assist those who desperately need help.Of all the athletes representing Australia at the Olympics Games in Rio de Janeio, none can boast a busier, broader life than the nations representative in the 5000m and 10000m female track events.For the 33-year-old Wellings, just getting to the Rio starting line is an achievement -- as she has had on numerous occasions every excuse to give up this athletic caper as it was too tough, too unfair.This has been the longest of hauls. Due to suffering repeated stress fractures - 11 in total -- Wellings missed three successive Olympic Games before eventually competing in London in 2012.She first qualified when 16 years old for Sydney but had to withdraw, after being measured for the team uniform, through the effects of a stress fracture caused by an ongoing eating disorder. There were similar dramas surrounding her campaign to get to Athens and Beijing.Wellings often wondered during why she kept going during an exasperating decade she now describes as her wilderness years.Blame that on a longstanding Olympic fixation.Since she was a young child, her life seemed to revolve around the Olympics. In her bedroom, she made an Olympic podium from phone books and encyclopaedias. She would play the national anthem and imagine she had just won gold for Australia. Any game she participated in had to have an Olympic touch.The Olympics ended up being a bit of a childhood obsession, Wellings tells ESPN.I remember watching the Atlanta Olympics when I was young, and being so inspired by it -- especially the womens distance events. At that time, I had shown a bit of promise at Little Athletics, while my mum was a good runner.It was so important for me to watch Olympic athletes reaching the pinnacle of their sport and I thought I would love to do that one day.It got to the stage where I would do projects at school about the Olympics. I wouldnt play games with other kids unless it was named after an Olympic event. The other kids didnt mind. They just played on. They knew it was something I really wanted to do.The fact that it was such a massive goal and obsession from an early age played a huge part after having so many setbacks in helping me get back on the horse. As it had been such a big dream for such a long time, I wasnt going to give up easily.Missing out all those times before finally making it was heartbreaking. It was tough each time, but if I didnt have that Olympic goal it would have been a lot easier to just do something else.Wellings told ESPN that her problems emanated from an eating disorder that began when she was 13.I missed those key bone-building years when I was young. I was obviously training quite hard, was involved in a high-impact sport, and my nutrition wasnt adequate enough to cope with that. Eating disorders are rife through female distance running.Maybe I was a bit stupid to keep going, but the fact is that I love running. And time heals. I knew I hadnt made it, and that also kept me going. I had a really supportive family who were always reassuring me to keep going and maybe one day it would happen, and if it didnt, theyd be proud of me anyway. That was such a good message, especially when I missed out on my first Olympic as a teenager.The toughest Olympics to miss out on was Beijing because I honestly thought third time lucky.I was in really good shape. The only thing that was going to stop me from making it was injury, and thats exactly what happened. I dont recall any other time when I wanted to quit than then.I remember saying to my husband: Im done.But there was an upside. Through her pursuit to compete at Beijing, Wellings met the most inspirational of Olympic athletes, whose experiences saw her life change direction.In 2008, Wellings was at a United States training camp in Portland, Oregon, trying to rehab my foot in time for Beijing where I met the Ugandan Olympic runner, Julius Achon.We became very good friends, and he told me his story, which included being forced to be a child soldier in Northern Uganda.He was held captive for three months, and saw his chance to escape when a government plane flew over the rebel camp. He and 14 other boys attempted to escape, but were shot at by the government plane. Nine were shot and six survived -- including Julius.Achon succeeded in making the 300km trek back to his home village, where he used running as a way to get educated. He eventually received a running scholarship to the U.S. and competed as a middle-distance runner at two Olympics -- Atlanta and Sydney.I didnt make Beijing but that was more than made up by my life being transformed through meeting Julius, Wellings tells ESPN.A few months later, my husband and I went to Uganda with my parents-in-law to attend Julius wedding. That was when we met all the orphans Julius has been caring for, and all the people in his community. The 25-years of civil war there had left incredible destruction and poverty.When we were flying home back to Sydney we knew we had a responsibility to try to do something about it.Julius had a job in Portland coaching the best US runners. But when I met him that was coming to an end, and he was worried how he was going to continue supporting his orphans and family back at home. His story was the inspiration behind the Love Mercy Foundation.The Love Mercy Foundation has over the past seven years provided financial support to many poverty-stricken Ugandan families.One of our main programs is a micro-loan farming program called Cents for Seeds. This is having a huge impact, and is our main focus for the next five years. This year we are running it with just over 7000 women, where $Aus30 sponsors a woman through a 30kg load of seeds. Out of that she usually harvests around 150kg of food. She also gets re-trained by agriculturalists who do workshops. It is really empowering the women and families to create their own livelihood.She hands back the loan at the end of the season, so we can pass it on to another woman. With the rest of her harvest, she can sell it at the marketplace and use that money for her children education, as well as buying food and household items. It also helps with improving the persons self-esteem.Our goal with Cents for Seeds is to have 20,000 women involved by 2020. To do that we need to raise $Aus2million. So far this year we have raised over $Aus500,000, which is exciting.Wellings and her husband, Jon, a film maker and photographer, travel to Uganda at least once a year.Julius has a big cross-country day for kids every November, so we try to get over for that. While there we visit Cents for Seeds villages. When things settle down with my running, and I eventually retire -- who knows when that will be -- my husband and I plan to spend a good chunk of time over there; probably six or 12 months.Meeting Achon also brought everything into perspective.Being injured was how I met Julius and how we started the foundation. Thats why I can honestly say that I wouldnt take one of my injuries back. I have developed friendships and relationships through being injured, and have learnt a lot about my body.My faith is also important. I believe that God has a plan, and everything will work out for the better, even if there are times when youre thinking youre walking around in the dark.The focus is now on Rio, which includes several weeks of altitude training in Los Angeles. Wellings believes she is in the best physical shape of her career.I know it sounds as if I get injured all the time, but I actually havent been injured for five years now. So I feel my experience going into Rio is my biggest asset.I also believe I am in the best position Ive ever been for both events. I did both in London, and felt I underperformed a bit. We did cut back a lot of my training to make the starting line that time.We really didnt take any risks. And I knew that going into London there was a good chance I might be a little under-done.After missing the previous three Games, the London Olympics was also extremely emotional. I was at the starting line, looked up and saw 20 of my family and friends who had made the trip over. Rio will be a lot more business-like.Wellings finished 20th in the 10,000m and 30th in the 5000m.Im also a different athlete to what I was five years ago. Theres been a real focus on gym work and nutrition, using unprocessed food and natural vitamins like calcium, magnesium as well as ubiquinol to compliment my diet and energy needs for training.I have stopped putting limitations on what I think I might be able to do at Rio. You dont go into races to run fourth or fifth or sixth or seventh, or merely make the final. You go into races to win. Im going to try to get myself in the best shape possible. That at the moment is going well. I do feel stronger than ever.Wellings responsibilities as a mother have not been put on hold. Part of he entourage in Rio will be husband and daughter.India is very excited. Every time she hears the word Rio on the news, she says: Thats where were going. I am very lucky to have a super-supportive husband. I definitely wouldnt have been able to do what Ive done without him. I think we are a very good team. We are still navigating raising a child, but it is a journey were really enjoying.And what a journey.Eloise Wellings spoke to ESPN as a brand ambassador for Kaneka, the Japanese manufacturer of Ubiquinol. Cheap Cecil Cooper Jersey . Ouellette, from Montreal, already has three Olympic gold medals since joining the team in 1999. Cheap MLB Jerseys . Brad Jacobs and his Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., team took control of the game early. http://www.cheapbrewersjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-paul-molitor-jersey . -- Adam Snyder returned to the San Francisco 49ers this season because the offensive lineman thought it was his best opportunity to win a championship. Cheap Robin Yount Jersey . "I dont know that were close," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "I just think, right now, the acquisition cost just doesnt work for us right now. I dont know if I can quantify how far off or things like that that they might be but I would say we continue to have dialogue. Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic . The Olympic champion curler and TSN curling analyst immediately went online to look at the Halls long list of honoured members. Thats when the enormity of the honour sunk in. MINNEAPOLIS -- Mitch Leidner has returned to lead the Minnesota huddle with a finally healthy left foot.Hes bringing 35 games of experience with him.After enduring his share of struggles with accuracy and injury over the first part of his career, Leidner turned a corner during the second half of his junior season despite playing through the pain and limitation in his left foot that essentially dogged him since the third game of his sophomore year. Now hes one of the Big Tens most seasoned players, getting national acclaim as one of the top NFL draft prospects at his position.As a native of the Twin Cities area, having played at Lakeville South High School, Leidner has occasionally bristled about the complaints from fans that have come with the job as the quarterback of the states only major college. Leading the Gophers to victories over rivals Iowa and Wisconsin and a spot in the conference championship game would be a sweet way to finish as a fifth-year senior.Id probably just retire right after that. Go move up to northern Minnesota and never talk to anybody the rest of my life, he said, jokingly. But I guess on a serious note, it would just feel really good.Leidner, who has a 16-13 record as a starter, first hurt his left foot Sept. 13, 2014, in a loss at TCU.My big toe was basically floating around in my shoe, he said Thursday, as the Gophers prepared to begin fall practice.The injury was aggravated early in the 2015 season, and Leidner had surgery to repair torn ligaments right after the Quick Lane Bowl win over Central Michigan. He sat out of spring practice to recover, but his presence around the program this year has been as large as any player since, probably, quarterback Adam Weber concluded his career in 2010.All Ive got to say about Mitch is thats a man on a mission, said tight end Brandon Liingen.dddddddddddd Ive never seen a guy more dedicated to a cause in my life. Its definitely been infectious, too.Leidner, a bruising scrambler with 1,129 yards and 23 touchdowns rushing in his career, used a diet change to drop about 20 pounds. The goal is to play this season at around 230 pounds.Hes put a tremendous amount of effort in, coach Tracy Claeys said.Leidner spent another summer at Peyton Mannings passing camp, picking the brain of the now-retired NFL star. He met again with a sports psychologist offered through the athletic department. He connected with new offensive coordinator Jay Johnson, who grew up in the same suburb as he did. The back-to-normal lower body will undoubtedly be the biggest boon, helping him better avoid pressure in the pocket.Its going to make a huge difference, Leidner said.Down the stretch last year, he often wore a walking boot all week, taking it off only for practice.I always knew I was going to play in the back of my mind, no matter what condition I was in, Leidner said. At practice, throwing on the run and things like that sometimes was just impossible for me, but I knew that in the game Id get enough adrenaline pumping that Id be good to go.Particularly at wide receiver and on the offensive line, the Gophers have some areas that will be watched closely this month and next. Theres no concern about the quarterback, though.I think its comfortable for other guys on the team to know that Ive played in that many games, to know theyre stepping into the huddle with a guy whos been there before, whos played Michigan before, whos played Ohio State a couple times, and they know that I can get the