INDIANAPOLIS — For most Hoosiers, running is a hobby, at most. Some may consider it a chore.
However, for adopted Hoosier Allie Wilson, running is everything, especially during an Olympic year.
"I never even dreamed that I was going to be doing it professionally or for my job one day," Wilson said, "so the fact that I'm here doing that is really cool."
Wilson is the reigning 800-meter national champion.
"I feel like I'm a very easy-going girl, very competitive," Wilson said.
She's also a Nike athlete, and she trains at Butler University.
"This is technically spring training, yes," Wilson said. "It's a little chillier than we thought."
Allie is used to colder weather, though. She grew up Pennsylvania and went to college in New Jersey.
She then bounced down to the Atlanta Track Club for a few years, but when her coaches moved to Indianapolis a few months ago, Allie did too.
"I believe so much in my coach and what he has done with me so far," Wilson said, "and there was just no part of me that felt comfortable switching up what we're doing."
Plus, Wilson says 2024 is all about making the Olympic team, which makes staying with her coaches even more important.
"I felt that is my best chance to do so," Wilson said.
"We're at the beginning of outdoor season," Wilson's coach Bianca Martin said. "We are kind of in a grind phase, for sure."
With the 2024 Paris Olympics quickly approaching, Wilson is taking training one step at a time.
"They do make it look easy, but everybody starts somewhere, and I promise you they're working just as hard as anybody out there," Martin said.
"They love what they are doing," Wilson's second coach Andrew Begley said. "They are doing this as their job. It's just a lot of fun."
"I think we do a lot of reciprocal inspiration around here," Martin said. "I definitely draw a lot from them."
For now, Wilson continues to train and workout in Indianapolis.
At the end of June, Wilson will compete for her spot on Team USA at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Team Trials in Eugene, Oregon.