Back in Athens for the big dance!

August 24--Back in Athens for the big dance!

The past week has just flown by and I'm now back in Athens after a short morning flight on Olympic Airlines. The Olympic Village is as lively and active as ever with less than half the athletes still waiting to compete and the majority staying up late, partying, sleeping in, and making a serious dent in the Big Mac inventory at the cafeteria's McDonalds. On my way through the security check point I did some celebrity watching and spotted Ian Thorpe from Australia (swimmer) and Haile Gabreselassie from Ethopia (distance runner). Like everyone else, they were walking around, talking to friends, getting some food or heading back to their apartments here in the Village.

I still have three more days until I race, but it was important to get back from Crete to settle in at the Village and get a few nights of good rest. Hopefully it won't be too loud. All the rowdy swimmers are staying in another set of apartment buildings, so it should be okay.

My parents and my wife get in to Athens this afternoon and check in to the house they are renting this evening. I'm not going to be able to meet them at the airport, but with any luck I will track them down later. Perhaps we'll all do lunch or dinner downtown tomorrow before I come back to the Village to get my pre-race rest. Usually during the week before a big 50km I spend a whole lot of time lying around doing nothing. Mostly I read, watch TV if there is one, or spend time with friends. If I don't have to walk somewhere, I won't. If I can sit instead of stand, I will. If I can take the elevator rather than a flight of stairs, I will. It makes me seem horribly lazy, but I figure I make up for it by walking 50 kilometers. The trouble is that after I have raced 50km, I still don't want to take the stairs, walk anywhere or even stand up if I don't have to. I'm just too tired. It takes a few days to start feeling normal again. I remember the day after the Pan Am Games 50km in Santo Domingo last fall wanting to go to the beach after breakfast. Well, right after breakfast, I decided I should probably get in a quick nap for some energy. I woke up 2 hours later and it was close to lunch time, and that seemed like a good idea, too. After lunch, I was full and felt like lying down... you get the idea. I never made it to the beach. Then we flew back to the U.S. at 1:30am that night. At least after this 50km I should have a couple days to relax before doing anything too strenuous.

That's all I have to report today. I'll probably just spend the rest of the day reading, surfing the internet, or chatting with new friends here in the Village. Enjoy the Games!