20km Olympic Trials

July 17--Sacramento

I thought it would be hard to watch today's 20km Olympic Trials because I wasn't competing. My knee injury has cut into my racewalk training for weeks now and I knew if I raced I would likely overdo it. Coach is right, though, I have a much bigger race to focus on in just six weeks. Yikes, that seems like such a short time.

It was very exciting to watch the guys mix it up today. I had expected the race to be a bit more tactical than it was. From the beginning I wasn't surprised to see a slow pace and a large pack. But Kevin Eastler and Tim Seaman made a break for it much earlier than I would have guessed. The finish times of the top four ended up being a bit slower than some people anticipated, but given that it was a trials race it shouldn't have surprised too many people. It was great to see a few young guys getting into the thick of things with Ben Shorey and Matt Boyles showing only a few nerves at their first 20km Olympic Trials. With luck and preparation, perhaps they will be on the podium four years from now.

2004 Olympic Games – Introduction

July 15-- San Diego

I've been wanting to begin this journal for weeks now. Since March 21, I have known that I was on the Olympic team when I hit the 'A' standard in the 50km in Tijuana. Now I have finally gotten around to writing the first of what I hope will be many journal entries as I prepare for the 'big dance' in Athens. This journal may not be the most informative Olympic resource, but I hope to share my experiences with friends and family around the country so that they can feel a part of the Games. I know the cost of a plane ticket is prohibitively expensive for most, so in some small way I hope to bring the Games to you.

Read on and enjoy.