Aaaah, the pleasure of blogging about yourself. Such a narcissistic pursuit. But since everyone's doing it, I might as well get back on the blog train.
I feel somewhat disingenuous posting on my 'racewalk' blog because, well, I haven't been racewalking very much lately. I haven't been thinking about racewalking very much, either. Or talking to racewalking friends. Or dreaming about racewalking. I am still doing some coaching and I have an athlete who makes me proud with her accomplishments, including a recent victory at the Master's National Championships in her age group. And yes, there were competitors that she crushed (in a very nice, polite sort of way, because she would hate to be characterized as the crushing sort of person). I'm also coaching a group of amazing athletes who are raising funds and awareness for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America. They are all getting ready to run in the Napa-Sonoma Half Marathon on July 20th. They are awesome. Some of them are fast. Some are faster and a few are even fastest, all of which makes me happy.
But I have not been racewalking. I have been playing with my wonderful kids. And beekeeping. And farming. And running on trails in the woods and mountains and parks. Sometimes I even enter a race and try to win. Little brag: I'm undefeated in 2014! I've only done two races, though, at the beginning of the year. But my range is incredible with wins at 5km and 50km. I figured it out this year and picked really small, local races with little competition. Now if I could only keep it up for the rest of the year, right? I am planning on testing my undefeated streak in August with some cross-country races and in September with an epic trail run in the 'mountains' east of San Diego. They call them mountains here, but they top out at 6,000 feet and where I come from in Oregon that's more of a foothill. It's all relative, I suppose. When I lived in Minnesota people raved about the skiing on Mount Frontenac with its whopping 420 feet of vertical drop from the summit.
Instead of writing about racewalking, I'll try to keep it related to endurance sports in a more general way. I still consider myself an endurance athlete, but I have a lot of work to do in the next few months to prove to myself that I'm still the same endurance athlete that competed with the best in the world in racewalking. Thinking of recapturing my former fitness reminds me of a racewalk story that I haven't told in years. I was at the 2005 Pan American Racewalk Cup in Lima, Peru, and racing the 50km. My new friend and 50km teammate, Ray Sharp, had decided to throw caution to the wind and use me as his early pacesetter in his quest for a sub 4:20:00 time. I say 'throw caution to the wind' because the conditions were not ideal and Ray had only walked close to that time once and 20+ years earlier. At one point early in the Lima race, I asked Ray how he was feeling and he said, "I'm feeling great. I know there's a 1:24 20km walker in here somewhere!" Well, he didn't find that young competitor in Lima, fading by the end, but he continues to race with an admirable zeal and curiosity about his potential.
In my own training, I'll see if I can harness some of Ray's enthusiasm for greatness. For now, I just need to start putting in the mileage. I'll be racing 50km at the Noble Canyon race and the more prepared I can be, the better I'll feel about my chances. Maybe I should go look at the trails I'll be running before I make any predictions, but if things go well I'd love to be up near the front contending for a great finish place and a fast time. You never know until you try, right?
Weekly mileage last week: about 25 miles, some slow and some medium.
Monday, June 9, 2014
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Napa, 2011 Edition, a few thoughts
Well, it looks like it's been an entire YEAR since I updated this blog. Ooops. My bad. I'm off to the Napa-Sonoma 1/2 Marathon with my Team Challenge crew again and I thought I'd record a few thoughts before heading out tomorrow morning. We have a smaller group of runners and walkers this year but they are just as dedicated and excited as last year's athletes. It took a few weeks, but the group really feels like a big family now. We're all working toward the same goals, facing many of the same challenges and supporting each other along the way. Everyone has put in the training and done the fundraising (a couple people need just a few more dollars, help 'em out!). And now it's event weekend.
The first season I coached with CCFA was Las Vegas 2009. I was new to the group and not 100% sure of my role. At the end of that season, I wasn't able to go to event weekend. I was off to a USATF Board meeting and missed the pleasure of seeing all my walkers and runners cross the finish line: their smiles, the joy and a wee bit of pain etched on their faces. So last year in Napa it was so rewarding to be there in person, sit down for a good meal the night before the race, share a few laughs, and wake up early with the walkers to see them step out past that start line and head down the road. And a few hours later, share those final few steps with them as they approached the finish line. What a thrill to be a tiny little part of someone else's dream, helping someone do something he/she thought wasn't possible just a few short months ago. I guess that's the biggest reward for a coach. Oh, and also that joy you get when someone gets hooked on running or walking and keeps coming back for more and more events. That's cool, too.
Best wishes to all those runners and walkers out there. If you're doing a race this weekend: tear it up! and have fun!
The first season I coached with CCFA was Las Vegas 2009. I was new to the group and not 100% sure of my role. At the end of that season, I wasn't able to go to event weekend. I was off to a USATF Board meeting and missed the pleasure of seeing all my walkers and runners cross the finish line: their smiles, the joy and a wee bit of pain etched on their faces. So last year in Napa it was so rewarding to be there in person, sit down for a good meal the night before the race, share a few laughs, and wake up early with the walkers to see them step out past that start line and head down the road. And a few hours later, share those final few steps with them as they approached the finish line. What a thrill to be a tiny little part of someone else's dream, helping someone do something he/she thought wasn't possible just a few short months ago. I guess that's the biggest reward for a coach. Oh, and also that joy you get when someone gets hooked on running or walking and keeps coming back for more and more events. That's cool, too.
Best wishes to all those runners and walkers out there. If you're doing a race this weekend: tear it up! and have fun!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Cupcakes and handstands!
I'm so proud of my Team Challenge walkers today. They all got through the longest walk yet with flying colors. We cruised through six miles in Coronado which is further than some of them have ever walked before. What a rush. Coronado is such a pretty place to walk. Our six miler started with views of the San Diego skyline and the Big Bay. After dipping under the Coronado Bridge, bright blue (Kelly's favorite color, of course... I'll get to that later), we walked alongside the swank golf course, towards the famous Hotel Del Coronado and down the Silver Strand bike path to the turn around.
Three miles out: easy. Three miles back: easy as pie... er, cupcakes, that is.
Awesome TC mentor Mindy baked up some delicious homemade cupcakes that would have looked as awesome as they tasted if not for sitting in a hot car for an hour and a half. Ooops. Next time, we'll have hot fudge or something, right? Excellent.
Today was a special day, too, because we honored Kelly, one of my most excellent walkers. Not only did she celebrate her birthday earlier in the week, she is one of this season's honorees. So, when we're out training and racing in Napa, we're doing it for you, Kelly! And since Kelly's favorite color is blue and she likes bright neon colors, some of us got all spiffed up in our brightest outfits. Kelly was so sweet to give me the prize for craziest-dressed dude today. Thank you! After walking, running and eating cupcakes, we got to show off our other skills like hula-hooping, limbo dancing, and hand-standing. Kelly went easy on me and let me win the hand-standing, which I am VERY proud of. So, thanks again Kelly, and congrats on your birthday.
This was a big week for both the runners and the walkers. We started doing a little speed play on Wednesday night and today was a long one. Next week, we'll do even more. I can't wait!
Three miles out: easy. Three miles back: easy as pie... er, cupcakes, that is.
Awesome TC mentor Mindy baked up some delicious homemade cupcakes that would have looked as awesome as they tasted if not for sitting in a hot car for an hour and a half. Ooops. Next time, we'll have hot fudge or something, right? Excellent.
Today was a special day, too, because we honored Kelly, one of my most excellent walkers. Not only did she celebrate her birthday earlier in the week, she is one of this season's honorees. So, when we're out training and racing in Napa, we're doing it for you, Kelly! And since Kelly's favorite color is blue and she likes bright neon colors, some of us got all spiffed up in our brightest outfits. Kelly was so sweet to give me the prize for craziest-dressed dude today. Thank you! After walking, running and eating cupcakes, we got to show off our other skills like hula-hooping, limbo dancing, and hand-standing. Kelly went easy on me and let me win the hand-standing, which I am VERY proud of. So, thanks again Kelly, and congrats on your birthday.
This was a big week for both the runners and the walkers. We started doing a little speed play on Wednesday night and today was a long one. Next week, we'll do even more. I can't wait!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Coaching New Athletes
The San Diego Team Challenge spring season started two weeks ago and I'm excited to see such a wide range of athletes. I'm the walking coach, joined by two great running coaches, Sean and Dave. We're into our third week of training and people are really starting to see the benefits of regular walking. Some of the walkers who are tackling the Napa-Sonoma Half-Marathon walk regularly, some used to walk and still others have never done an exercise program of any sort. Beginners and experts, together on the same journey. It's going to be great. It reminds me of a book that I read back in a college religion course called "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind." No matter who you are or what your experiences, live in the moment and realize that we all have so much to learn. That's why I love seeing people who are just getting started as athletes because even though I have been doing this for years, I can learn so much from them.
I hope to revisit this blog more regularly. Now that I'm coaching a great group of walkers and runners, I should keep a record of the journey that we take together. I've taken a big step away from competitive racewalking in the past year. Some of it has been by choice, some by circumstance. I'd like to get back to it, but time will tell at what level of involvement and commitment.
Here's a photo of some of the coaches getting introduced at the Napa Kick-Off party:
And one at the end of a recent training session:
I hope to revisit this blog more regularly. Now that I'm coaching a great group of walkers and runners, I should keep a record of the journey that we take together. I've taken a big step away from competitive racewalking in the past year. Some of it has been by choice, some by circumstance. I'd like to get back to it, but time will tell at what level of involvement and commitment.
Here's a photo of some of the coaches getting introduced at the Napa Kick-Off party:
And one at the end of a recent training session:
Friday, March 13, 2009
50km Post-race survey
Hey Walking Fans!
If you were at the 50km race in Santee last month, please take the time to complete this short survey I created to help me in planning for the next event that we host here in the San Diego area.
Click Here to take survey
Thanks and happy walking!
If you were at the 50km race in Santee last month, please take the time to complete this short survey I created to help me in planning for the next event that we host here in the San Diego area.
Click Here to take survey
Thanks and happy walking!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
2009 USA 50km Racewalk Championships – Report & Results
Santee, CA
Santee, CA hosted the 2009 USA 50km Race Walk Championships on Sunday, February 15 at 7:00am. Under partly sunny skies and cool temperatures, racing conditions were ideal for the first outdoor championship races in the 2009 USATF Racewalk Grand Prix Series. Athletes from around the country enjoyed the generous, professional hospitality of the City of Santee and the newly designed 1.25km loop on Mast Blvd.
EVENT PHOTOS
Philip Dunn and Karen Karavanic won the men’s and women’s divisions in 4:28:53 and 6:24:22, respectively, while Mike Tarantino, Nicolette Sorensen, Tim Seaman and Rachel Lavallee, came away winners in the 10km and 20km events.
Dunn defended his 2008 US Olympic Trials 50km win against a small field of racers. Dunn was challenged early by experienced 50km veterans Ray Sharp and Theron Kissinger but pulled away for a convincing win to grab his fourth national title at the 50km distance. He also qualified to represent Team USA at the 2009 America's Race Walk Cup in San Salvador, El Salvador in April and the 2009 World Track & Field Championships in August in Berlin, Germany.
Sharp struggled after the 25km mark and bent knee calls ended his day early. Kissinger gamely held on for second place in 5:04:33 and Stephen McCullough took full advantage of the dearth of high-level 50km walkers to claim third place. McCullough only arrived into San Diego at 2AM on a late flight from the East Coast and arrived 5 minutes late to the start. Not to be deterred, he marched on and inspired many with his gutsy determination.
Karavanic claimed her first US National title in steady, resolute fashion. Her winning time was only slightly off her personal best of 6:21:01 in 2007 when she finished second to Heidi Hauch. Dorit Attias flew in the night before from New Jersey to begin her preparations for an upcoming 24-hour race in France. She led the race early but fell afoul of the judges before the halfway mark and Karavanic marched on to victory.
Much of the morning’s excitement came in the open 10km and Western Regional 20km races that also started at 7:00am with the 50km.
The men’s Western Regional 20km title came down to a last second surge by Tim Seaman (1:37:49), though the athlete he coaches and whom he paced throughout the race was the revelation of the day. Trevor Barron, 16, shattered the American Junior 20km record (1:42:15, Philip Dunn, 1990) with his second place time of 1:37:49. Jose Moncada rounded out the podium finishers with a respectable first 20km effort of 1:45:13.
On the women’s side, Rachel Lavallee from Canada won in 1:38:30, but the Western Region title belonged to American Solomiya Login from Philadelphia, PA in 1:48:43. Lavallee tagged along with Seaman and Barron for well over 12km before they pulled away leaving her to a new personal record and a great season opener. After Login, Darlene Backlund (2:23:06) and Kathleen Frable (2:25:36) notched top three finishes.
Mike Tarantino bolted out of the blocks in the open men’s 10km and cruised to a comfortable win in 44:43. Tarantino qualified for Indoor Nationals the evening before with a solo 12:11 effort on a local college track, so he had a busy weekend of walking. He was followed home by 14-year old phenomenon Tyler Sorensen in 47:06, a large personal best. Trevor Barron’s new American Junior record at 20km may not be safe for long with the younger Sorensen fast on his heels.
Nicolette Sorensen, the speedy 13-year old from Lafayette, crushed her personal best in an outstanding 55:10 to take the women’s 10km title over San Diegan Liz Salvato (57:20). These three young walkers, Barron and the Sorensen siblings, were very exciting to watch and should certainly make an impact for years to come.
The City of Santee is to be thanked for their incredible logistical support of this event. They delivered a first-class venue, top-notch support staff and ideal weather, just as promised. USATF judges, officials and volunteers from around the region made it a professional event from start to finish. An enthusiastic crew from Elite Racing managed the course set-up on race day and couldn’t have done a finer job. Race announcers Tracy Sundlun and John Nunn made it a memorable event for participants and spectators alike and are to be thanked for generously donating their time.
The next stop on the USA Racewalk Grand Prix is the 2009 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Boston, MA on February 28 (men’s 5000mt) and March 1 (women’s 3000mt). Watch to see whether Tim Seaman reclaims his 2007 national title and Teresa Vaill defends her 2008 title.
RESULTS:
2009 USA 50km Race Walk Championships
50 kilometers
February 15, 2009
Santee, CA
Certification # CA09009RS
Conditions: 44-58 degrees, dry, partly sunny
Meet Director: Philip Dunn, 619-574-0683
50km Men
1. Philip Dunn 4:28:53
2. Theron Kissinger 5:04:33
3. Steven McCullough 7:00:21
DQ Ray Sharp
50km Women
1. Karen Karavanic 6:24:22
DQ Dorit Attias
20km Men
1. Tim Seaman 1:37:49
2. Trevor Barron 1:37:49 * new American Junior record
3. Jose Moncada 1:45:13 * personal record
4. Pedro Santoni 1:55:53
5. Adrian Jaime 2:05:30
6. Norm Frable 2:07:26
7. Rick Campbell 2:08:28
8. John Magnussen 2:14:02
9. John Backlund 2:16:51
10. Wayne Wurzburger 2:25:33
DQ Paul Johnson
20km Women
1. Rachel Lavalee 1:38:30 * personal record
2. Solomiya Login 1:48:43 * 1st in Western Regional Championships
3. Darlene Backlund 2:23:06 * 2nd
4. Kathleen Frable 2:25:36 * 3rd
10km Men
1. Mike Tarantino 44:43
2. Tyler Sorensen 47:06 * 14 years old
3. James Paschall 1:07:06
4. Jack Cassidy 1:08:24
DQ Matthew Forgues
10km Women
1. Nicolette Sorensen 55:10 * 13 years old
2. Liz Salvato 57:20
3. Lillian Cordova 1:01:59
DQ Patricia Paschall
Santee, CA hosted the 2009 USA 50km Race Walk Championships on Sunday, February 15 at 7:00am. Under partly sunny skies and cool temperatures, racing conditions were ideal for the first outdoor championship races in the 2009 USATF Racewalk Grand Prix Series. Athletes from around the country enjoyed the generous, professional hospitality of the City of Santee and the newly designed 1.25km loop on Mast Blvd.
EVENT PHOTOS
Philip Dunn and Karen Karavanic won the men’s and women’s divisions in 4:28:53 and 6:24:22, respectively, while Mike Tarantino, Nicolette Sorensen, Tim Seaman and Rachel Lavallee, came away winners in the 10km and 20km events.
Dunn defended his 2008 US Olympic Trials 50km win against a small field of racers. Dunn was challenged early by experienced 50km veterans Ray Sharp and Theron Kissinger but pulled away for a convincing win to grab his fourth national title at the 50km distance. He also qualified to represent Team USA at the 2009 America's Race Walk Cup in San Salvador, El Salvador in April and the 2009 World Track & Field Championships in August in Berlin, Germany.
Sharp struggled after the 25km mark and bent knee calls ended his day early. Kissinger gamely held on for second place in 5:04:33 and Stephen McCullough took full advantage of the dearth of high-level 50km walkers to claim third place. McCullough only arrived into San Diego at 2AM on a late flight from the East Coast and arrived 5 minutes late to the start. Not to be deterred, he marched on and inspired many with his gutsy determination.
Karavanic claimed her first US National title in steady, resolute fashion. Her winning time was only slightly off her personal best of 6:21:01 in 2007 when she finished second to Heidi Hauch. Dorit Attias flew in the night before from New Jersey to begin her preparations for an upcoming 24-hour race in France. She led the race early but fell afoul of the judges before the halfway mark and Karavanic marched on to victory.
Much of the morning’s excitement came in the open 10km and Western Regional 20km races that also started at 7:00am with the 50km.
The men’s Western Regional 20km title came down to a last second surge by Tim Seaman (1:37:49), though the athlete he coaches and whom he paced throughout the race was the revelation of the day. Trevor Barron, 16, shattered the American Junior 20km record (1:42:15, Philip Dunn, 1990) with his second place time of 1:37:49. Jose Moncada rounded out the podium finishers with a respectable first 20km effort of 1:45:13.
On the women’s side, Rachel Lavallee from Canada won in 1:38:30, but the Western Region title belonged to American Solomiya Login from Philadelphia, PA in 1:48:43. Lavallee tagged along with Seaman and Barron for well over 12km before they pulled away leaving her to a new personal record and a great season opener. After Login, Darlene Backlund (2:23:06) and Kathleen Frable (2:25:36) notched top three finishes.
Mike Tarantino bolted out of the blocks in the open men’s 10km and cruised to a comfortable win in 44:43. Tarantino qualified for Indoor Nationals the evening before with a solo 12:11 effort on a local college track, so he had a busy weekend of walking. He was followed home by 14-year old phenomenon Tyler Sorensen in 47:06, a large personal best. Trevor Barron’s new American Junior record at 20km may not be safe for long with the younger Sorensen fast on his heels.
Nicolette Sorensen, the speedy 13-year old from Lafayette, crushed her personal best in an outstanding 55:10 to take the women’s 10km title over San Diegan Liz Salvato (57:20). These three young walkers, Barron and the Sorensen siblings, were very exciting to watch and should certainly make an impact for years to come.
The City of Santee is to be thanked for their incredible logistical support of this event. They delivered a first-class venue, top-notch support staff and ideal weather, just as promised. USATF judges, officials and volunteers from around the region made it a professional event from start to finish. An enthusiastic crew from Elite Racing managed the course set-up on race day and couldn’t have done a finer job. Race announcers Tracy Sundlun and John Nunn made it a memorable event for participants and spectators alike and are to be thanked for generously donating their time.
The next stop on the USA Racewalk Grand Prix is the 2009 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Boston, MA on February 28 (men’s 5000mt) and March 1 (women’s 3000mt). Watch to see whether Tim Seaman reclaims his 2007 national title and Teresa Vaill defends her 2008 title.
RESULTS:
2009 USA 50km Race Walk Championships
50 kilometers
February 15, 2009
Santee, CA
Certification # CA09009RS
Conditions: 44-58 degrees, dry, partly sunny
Meet Director: Philip Dunn, 619-574-0683
50km Men
1. Philip Dunn 4:28:53
2. Theron Kissinger 5:04:33
3. Steven McCullough 7:00:21
DQ Ray Sharp
50km Women
1. Karen Karavanic 6:24:22
DQ Dorit Attias
20km Men
1. Tim Seaman 1:37:49
2. Trevor Barron 1:37:49 * new American Junior record
3. Jose Moncada 1:45:13 * personal record
4. Pedro Santoni 1:55:53
5. Adrian Jaime 2:05:30
6. Norm Frable 2:07:26
7. Rick Campbell 2:08:28
8. John Magnussen 2:14:02
9. John Backlund 2:16:51
10. Wayne Wurzburger 2:25:33
DQ Paul Johnson
20km Women
1. Rachel Lavalee 1:38:30 * personal record
2. Solomiya Login 1:48:43 * 1st in Western Regional Championships
3. Darlene Backlund 2:23:06 * 2nd
4. Kathleen Frable 2:25:36 * 3rd
10km Men
1. Mike Tarantino 44:43
2. Tyler Sorensen 47:06 * 14 years old
3. James Paschall 1:07:06
4. Jack Cassidy 1:08:24
DQ Matthew Forgues
10km Women
1. Nicolette Sorensen 55:10 * 13 years old
2. Liz Salvato 57:20
3. Lillian Cordova 1:01:59
DQ Patricia Paschall
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
USATF 50km Nationals – Details
USATF 50km National Racewalk Championships
and Open 10km & 20km races
February 15, 2009, 7:00AM
Santee, CA
Start/Finish at Mast Blvd & Magnolia Ave
1,250 meter out-and-back course, IAAF-certified
Top U.S. men and women compete for the national Open and Masters titles while the top five male walkers qualify to represent the U.S. at the Pan American Racewalk Cup in El Salvador. The winner will likely qualify for the World T&F Championship in Berlin, Germany if his time is faster than the IAAF 'A' or 'B' time standard. Besides the grueling 50km (31 mile) distance, there will be Open 10km and 20km races. Also competing at this elite event will be athletes from Sweden, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador and Colombia.
Register on-line at USATF.org
Come race or cheer on some of the finest walkers in the world!
Volunteer to help on race day – please send me an email! Help register athletes, count laps, hand out drinks, or serve as USADA (US Anti-Doping Agency) chaperones for the top three finishers. Thanks!
– Philip Dunn, race director and defending champ
and Open 10km & 20km races
February 15, 2009, 7:00AM
Santee, CA
Start/Finish at Mast Blvd & Magnolia Ave
1,250 meter out-and-back course, IAAF-certified
Top U.S. men and women compete for the national Open and Masters titles while the top five male walkers qualify to represent the U.S. at the Pan American Racewalk Cup in El Salvador. The winner will likely qualify for the World T&F Championship in Berlin, Germany if his time is faster than the IAAF 'A' or 'B' time standard. Besides the grueling 50km (31 mile) distance, there will be Open 10km and 20km races. Also competing at this elite event will be athletes from Sweden, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador and Colombia.
Register on-line at USATF.org
Come race or cheer on some of the finest walkers in the world!
Volunteer to help on race day – please send me an email! Help register athletes, count laps, hand out drinks, or serve as USADA (US Anti-Doping Agency) chaperones for the top three finishers. Thanks!
– Philip Dunn, race director and defending champ
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Back in the U.S.A.
I'm home and it's so nice. China was great. Olympics were great, but it feels so good to sleep in your own bed for the first time in weeks. And I slept nearly 12 hours straight through the night. I can't remember the last time I slept so well. Love it!
The return trip was long long long and I extended it even further by volunteering to get bumped out of San Francisco which gave me more time to drool on my backpack on a quiet bench in the corner of concourse B before my flight. Sleep has got to be one of the most underrated activities ever. The night after my 50km race, my legs were so achy I could hardly sleep at all. On the plane ride home, there were people yakking in the seat behind me. But find me a quiet place and I'm out.
The day before we left Beijing, my family and I hit the Great Wall head-on. We didn't mess around with the over-crowded, touristy hot spot of Badaling. We went for the remote, challenging hike from one end of the wall to the other: 16,000 kilometers. Well, it seemed like we hiked up and over every hill in northern China, but there were a few more sections of wall and a few more towers on the horizon that we didn't get to. The Great Wall at Jingshanling to Simatai. Maybe we only covered 10km but it was really hilly and when you've got a 30 lb toddler on your back, it seems longer than it is. He got down a couple times, but Miles was pretty content to just lounge around in his backpack and offer the occasional word of encouragement "BAH!" It's his multi-purpose 'B' word for just about everything: bus, ball, bird, bike, um-brella, basket, backpack, bus! another bus!
The quickest way to get to Jingshanling from Beijing is by taxi. It's a 2+ hour drive but Liz was able to find someone who lives right near Simatai and knew the shortcuts. He did a great job of getting us there and then drove around to Simatai to meet us four hours later at the end of our hike. As an added bonus, we stopped twice on the way home to visit the taxi drivers uncle and his brother. We were invited in for tea and when Dad asked about the small field of corn out in front of the house, we were sent home with a week's supply of corn. There's only so much corn you can eat the night before a flight back to the States, so we shared with the grandmothers that meet every evening by the front entry of the apartment building with the grandkids.
There are some places that are spoken of in hyperbole: "unforgettable" or "awe-inspiring." Recent visitors to Paris will say, "Oh, you absolutely have to see Notre Dame Cathedral." The Great Wall of China is one of those places. Before my first trip to China in 1995 for the World Racewalk Cup, I remember thinking that my expectations for the Great Wall were too high. "There is no way it will live up to the hype," I thought, "it can't be that impressive." It blew me away. Its scale is just so amazingly huge. As far as you can see, there it is, snaking across mountains and dropping into ravines at impossible angles. Its presence is just overwhelming. I had no idea that it would feel that big in person. It felt bigger than I could have imagined, and then to think that it's been there for hundreds of years and took thousands upon thousands of people to build. It truly is one of the wonders of the world. Wow.
And now I'm back at home in the living room of my little house in San Diego. Makes me grateful that I've been able to see so much of the world. It's such a big place.
The return trip was long long long and I extended it even further by volunteering to get bumped out of San Francisco which gave me more time to drool on my backpack on a quiet bench in the corner of concourse B before my flight. Sleep has got to be one of the most underrated activities ever. The night after my 50km race, my legs were so achy I could hardly sleep at all. On the plane ride home, there were people yakking in the seat behind me. But find me a quiet place and I'm out.
The day before we left Beijing, my family and I hit the Great Wall head-on. We didn't mess around with the over-crowded, touristy hot spot of Badaling. We went for the remote, challenging hike from one end of the wall to the other: 16,000 kilometers. Well, it seemed like we hiked up and over every hill in northern China, but there were a few more sections of wall and a few more towers on the horizon that we didn't get to. The Great Wall at Jingshanling to Simatai. Maybe we only covered 10km but it was really hilly and when you've got a 30 lb toddler on your back, it seems longer than it is. He got down a couple times, but Miles was pretty content to just lounge around in his backpack and offer the occasional word of encouragement "BAH!" It's his multi-purpose 'B' word for just about everything: bus, ball, bird, bike, um-brella, basket, backpack, bus! another bus!
The quickest way to get to Jingshanling from Beijing is by taxi. It's a 2+ hour drive but Liz was able to find someone who lives right near Simatai and knew the shortcuts. He did a great job of getting us there and then drove around to Simatai to meet us four hours later at the end of our hike. As an added bonus, we stopped twice on the way home to visit the taxi drivers uncle and his brother. We were invited in for tea and when Dad asked about the small field of corn out in front of the house, we were sent home with a week's supply of corn. There's only so much corn you can eat the night before a flight back to the States, so we shared with the grandmothers that meet every evening by the front entry of the apartment building with the grandkids.
There are some places that are spoken of in hyperbole: "unforgettable" or "awe-inspiring." Recent visitors to Paris will say, "Oh, you absolutely have to see Notre Dame Cathedral." The Great Wall of China is one of those places. Before my first trip to China in 1995 for the World Racewalk Cup, I remember thinking that my expectations for the Great Wall were too high. "There is no way it will live up to the hype," I thought, "it can't be that impressive." It blew me away. Its scale is just so amazingly huge. As far as you can see, there it is, snaking across mountains and dropping into ravines at impossible angles. Its presence is just overwhelming. I had no idea that it would feel that big in person. It felt bigger than I could have imagined, and then to think that it's been there for hundreds of years and took thousands upon thousands of people to build. It truly is one of the wonders of the world. Wow.
And now I'm back at home in the living room of my little house in San Diego. Makes me grateful that I've been able to see so much of the world. It's such a big place.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Checking out, Going Native
I’ve been stuck in the Olympic system since I arrived in China nearly three weeks ago. Everywhere I turn, I flash my Olympic credential and sashay through all the security checks, jump on a free shuttle bus or have a Team USA representative hand me a bottle of cold water. I’ve gotten so accustomed to being treated like a VIP, it was a shock today when I left the Olympic Village for good. No one offered to carry my luggage for me. I got all sweaty and no one was there to wipe my brow and hand me a cold beverage. I went in to the store and had to buy the food. This could take some getting used to. Paris Hilton never had it this bad.
When I got up this morning, I finished packing and looked around my suite and saw tons of stuff strewn around the common area: clothes, shoes, bags and random packaged food containers, mostly unopened. I had to assume Tyson Gay hadn’t checked out yet; there was so much miscellaneous stuff and everyone else had left. I mentioned it to one of the USATF staff and was told that he had already left. Anything in the room was trash that he didn’t want. So, if anyone wants Tyson’s underwear, I’m starting the bidding at $10. Just kidding. I should be able to get at least $50, right? Do I hear $60?
I was amazed, though, to see in other suites how much stuff people left behind, and we’re talking nice stuff like Closing Ceremonies shirts and shoes, the Nike Team USA t-shirts and pants. I hope that the volunteers who have worked so hard to put on these Games get to take some of the stuff home. With all the security checks on the way in and out, though, they might be asked where all the loot came from. “Really, Tyson gave it to me, I swear!”
On my way out the doors of the Village, there were tons of volunteers swapping gear with athletes and each other. When they saw that I had a few USA t-shirts to trade, they went crazy. I had 15 different people crowded around, passing my shirts back and forth, making offers of this or that shirt, pants or hat. I ended up with a complete volunteer outfit as well as a few shirts from other countries.
Once I was out the exit, I marched up to the apartment where my family is staying. I said I was done with this whole walking thing, but I lied. I enjoy walking to get from place to place. It’s already been four days since my race, so my legs are feeling almost normal again. The only time I really feel the fatigue from the 50km is when I try to jog a few steps or really hurry up a flight of stairs. Give me another week, and I’ll be raring to go.
A couple days ago, I met the family down at the Temple of Heaven. Today our plan was to hit the Forbidden City and tour until we dropped. Well, getting going around here is a bit tricky sometimes. I dallied in my departure from the Village, and then Miles needed a nap, and when we finally had lunch and rode the bus to downtown Beijing, the Forbidden City was only open for another hour, hardly enough time to see it all. We wandered through the hutongs just north of the Forbidden City and into Jingshan Park. Wow!
View of Forbidden City from Jingshan Park
In the middle of Jingshan Park is a large hill, topped by a temple and crowded with tourists, that looks out over the entire city down onto the golden-tiled roofs of the Forbidden City and out over the glistening skyscrapers of modern Beijing. It’s quite a contrast to simply turn your head and watch 600 years of history spin past. There are places in Beijing where time has stopped; there are no cars, no high-rises, only one-story buildings and cobbled streets. But most of the city is teeming with traffic, neon signs, and fancy shops or apartment buildings that reach for the sky. To see it all laid out below from atop Jingshan Park is a marvel.
Descending the backside of the hill brought us through a wooded pathway and onto what would normally be a quiet, secluded path adjoining a small, open pavilion. But through the trees we could hear a riotous banging of bamboo sticks, crazy percussive sounds and odd singing. When we finally got down the trail to the pavilion, it was filled with a group of musicians practicing on their ‘bamboo clackers.’ Liz tried to get a better translation of what the instruments were called but that’s as good as we got – bamboo clackers that sound like horses galloping over cobblestones or large wooden knockers on thick, oak doors. And it was crazy, banging, music. I’ll try to post a sound bite from what I recorded.
Liz and Miles trying out the bamboo clackers
The rest of the afternoon and evening was much less dramatic, with the exception of the weird crazy food stands that we found east of Tianenmen. In the heart of a very modern shopping district, they were selling all sorta of mouth-watering treats on skewers like silk worm cocoons, river snakes, scorpions, sea horses and tripe. Hmm, can't get enough of those crunchy snake heads!
Snakes, squid, and cuttle fish ready for frying
When I got up this morning, I finished packing and looked around my suite and saw tons of stuff strewn around the common area: clothes, shoes, bags and random packaged food containers, mostly unopened. I had to assume Tyson Gay hadn’t checked out yet; there was so much miscellaneous stuff and everyone else had left. I mentioned it to one of the USATF staff and was told that he had already left. Anything in the room was trash that he didn’t want. So, if anyone wants Tyson’s underwear, I’m starting the bidding at $10. Just kidding. I should be able to get at least $50, right? Do I hear $60?
I was amazed, though, to see in other suites how much stuff people left behind, and we’re talking nice stuff like Closing Ceremonies shirts and shoes, the Nike Team USA t-shirts and pants. I hope that the volunteers who have worked so hard to put on these Games get to take some of the stuff home. With all the security checks on the way in and out, though, they might be asked where all the loot came from. “Really, Tyson gave it to me, I swear!”
On my way out the doors of the Village, there were tons of volunteers swapping gear with athletes and each other. When they saw that I had a few USA t-shirts to trade, they went crazy. I had 15 different people crowded around, passing my shirts back and forth, making offers of this or that shirt, pants or hat. I ended up with a complete volunteer outfit as well as a few shirts from other countries.
Once I was out the exit, I marched up to the apartment where my family is staying. I said I was done with this whole walking thing, but I lied. I enjoy walking to get from place to place. It’s already been four days since my race, so my legs are feeling almost normal again. The only time I really feel the fatigue from the 50km is when I try to jog a few steps or really hurry up a flight of stairs. Give me another week, and I’ll be raring to go.
A couple days ago, I met the family down at the Temple of Heaven. Today our plan was to hit the Forbidden City and tour until we dropped. Well, getting going around here is a bit tricky sometimes. I dallied in my departure from the Village, and then Miles needed a nap, and when we finally had lunch and rode the bus to downtown Beijing, the Forbidden City was only open for another hour, hardly enough time to see it all. We wandered through the hutongs just north of the Forbidden City and into Jingshan Park. Wow!
View of Forbidden City from Jingshan ParkIn the middle of Jingshan Park is a large hill, topped by a temple and crowded with tourists, that looks out over the entire city down onto the golden-tiled roofs of the Forbidden City and out over the glistening skyscrapers of modern Beijing. It’s quite a contrast to simply turn your head and watch 600 years of history spin past. There are places in Beijing where time has stopped; there are no cars, no high-rises, only one-story buildings and cobbled streets. But most of the city is teeming with traffic, neon signs, and fancy shops or apartment buildings that reach for the sky. To see it all laid out below from atop Jingshan Park is a marvel.
Descending the backside of the hill brought us through a wooded pathway and onto what would normally be a quiet, secluded path adjoining a small, open pavilion. But through the trees we could hear a riotous banging of bamboo sticks, crazy percussive sounds and odd singing. When we finally got down the trail to the pavilion, it was filled with a group of musicians practicing on their ‘bamboo clackers.’ Liz tried to get a better translation of what the instruments were called but that’s as good as we got – bamboo clackers that sound like horses galloping over cobblestones or large wooden knockers on thick, oak doors. And it was crazy, banging, music. I’ll try to post a sound bite from what I recorded.
Liz and Miles trying out the bamboo clackersThe rest of the afternoon and evening was much less dramatic, with the exception of the weird crazy food stands that we found east of Tianenmen. In the heart of a very modern shopping district, they were selling all sorta of mouth-watering treats on skewers like silk worm cocoons, river snakes, scorpions, sea horses and tripe. Hmm, can't get enough of those crunchy snake heads!
Snakes, squid, and cuttle fish ready for fryingWhat now?
Standing on the infield of the Olympic Stadium I realized, I don't want this to end. Not just this evening, which has been amazing, but this lifestyle. I've been going to the Olympics as an athlete for the last three Olympics. I want to feel like an Olympian every day, forever. Watching the Olympic flame go out and realizing that it was all coming to an end, I felt like Cinderella at the end of the ball knowing that I had to go home. No more dancing. No more music. No more bright lights.
There are some things that you never want to end: a good book, a favorite TV sitcom (The Simpsons, of course) and the Closing Ceremonies. Okay, maybe for you folks at home after watching too many hours of Michael Phelps and gymnastics drama (is she really 16?!), you were ready to tune out the Olympics and get some fresh air. But being in the middle of it, breathing in the Olympics in the Village, the stadium and sharing memories with other Olympians, I wasn't so sure I wanted it to be over.
It's time to move on, of course, and I suppose that's the hardest part. What's next? Getting to the Olympics takes incredible discipline, perseverance and passion. I'm told that these are transferable career skills: anybody hiring? :) Seriously. I need a job.
My friend Kathy Colin competed in the Olympics in the sport of kayaking in 2000 & 2004. She and I marched into the Olympic Stadium together in Athens and I talked to her a few times before leaving for Beijing about what it's like to not be going to the Olympics. She wasn't sure how she was going to feel watching the Opening Ceremonies from her couch instead of being there. She said she might not want to watch and be so far removed from that lifestyle. She works more-than-full-time now and doesn't paddle nearly as often as in the past. She enjoys the freedom of not training every day but misses the competitions, the traveling, and the camaraderie and friendships that go along with being an athlete. It's just not the same at work.
I've told many friends that this was my last Olympics and they say, "Keep going! Train for London. Don't get a real job. You've got plenty of time to work 40 hours a week like the rest of us stiffs." My mom doesn't let me talk to those friends anymore. Hah! Seriously, though, I talked to Curt Clausen (three-time Olympic racewalker) and he said he doesn't miss the training but he misses the lifestyle. I can relate to that. I love the traveling, the racing, and the more flexible daily schedule. But my body is starting to wonder how much more 50km training it can take.
I'm sure I could ramble on more and more about what's next, but I'll focus a few more entries on what I'm doing here in Beijing before heading home. When I get home, then I'll start banging down some doors trying to find a job. References available upon request.
There are some things that you never want to end: a good book, a favorite TV sitcom (The Simpsons, of course) and the Closing Ceremonies. Okay, maybe for you folks at home after watching too many hours of Michael Phelps and gymnastics drama (is she really 16?!), you were ready to tune out the Olympics and get some fresh air. But being in the middle of it, breathing in the Olympics in the Village, the stadium and sharing memories with other Olympians, I wasn't so sure I wanted it to be over.
It's time to move on, of course, and I suppose that's the hardest part. What's next? Getting to the Olympics takes incredible discipline, perseverance and passion. I'm told that these are transferable career skills: anybody hiring? :) Seriously. I need a job.
My friend Kathy Colin competed in the Olympics in the sport of kayaking in 2000 & 2004. She and I marched into the Olympic Stadium together in Athens and I talked to her a few times before leaving for Beijing about what it's like to not be going to the Olympics. She wasn't sure how she was going to feel watching the Opening Ceremonies from her couch instead of being there. She said she might not want to watch and be so far removed from that lifestyle. She works more-than-full-time now and doesn't paddle nearly as often as in the past. She enjoys the freedom of not training every day but misses the competitions, the traveling, and the camaraderie and friendships that go along with being an athlete. It's just not the same at work.
I've told many friends that this was my last Olympics and they say, "Keep going! Train for London. Don't get a real job. You've got plenty of time to work 40 hours a week like the rest of us stiffs." My mom doesn't let me talk to those friends anymore. Hah! Seriously, though, I talked to Curt Clausen (three-time Olympic racewalker) and he said he doesn't miss the training but he misses the lifestyle. I can relate to that. I love the traveling, the racing, and the more flexible daily schedule. But my body is starting to wonder how much more 50km training it can take.
I'm sure I could ramble on more and more about what's next, but I'll focus a few more entries on what I'm doing here in Beijing before heading home. When I get home, then I'll start banging down some doors trying to find a job. References available upon request.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Race day reflections
It's been a few days now since I raced, but let me take you back to the morning of the 22nd and recreate what I was thinking and doing as I prepared for the race and walked my Olympic 50km.
Normally I have a rough time sleeping through the night before a big event and the Olympics is as big as it gets. Surprisingly, I slept fairly well. I only woke up three times to check that my alarm was set and turned on, another couple times because I was well-hydrated, and the few odd times to toss and turn and realize "Tomorrow is race day. Wow, it's almost here!" That may sound bad, but I've had much worse pre-race insomnia.
At 5:15, I was up and trying to open up my PowerBar Harvest bar as [CRUNCH] quietly as I [CRACKLE] possibly could. Washed it down with some water and chased it with a banana while double checking that I had all my gear packed and my race shorts on. Coach Joe Vigil and I walked over to the stadium shuttle bus at 5:45am. He's great but he wanted to spend the whole ride over to the Bird's Nest talking about developing racewalking in America. "Yes, yes, we gotta get more walkers and put the racewalk in high schools and colleges but I'm trying to focus on today. Big day today." By the time we got to the warmup track, I thought we had moved on but Tracy Sundlun was there and we got started again on solving America's racewalk problems. Anyone who knows racewalking knows that this conversation could easily last longer than any 50km race, so I went off to start my warmup at 6:30am.
At most track meets, there is a clerk-of-course where each athlete checks in, shows his number and gets assigned a lane or timing chip. The Olympics are no different, but the system of controls, double-checking and micromanaging everything you do is incredible. 40 minutes before the start of your race, you have to check in with the clerk and then you are sequestered for 25 minutes with little opportunity to warm-up. There's a short 50 meter patch of track that 60 guys are pacing on back and forth like restless tigers at the zoo. There's a bathroom, and a line. And volunteers that come by every few minutes to triple-check that you tied the timing chip onto your shoe properly. The best thing to do is get in your warmup out on the track, relax for 25 minutes in the call room, do some light stretching, practice some deep breathing, and lube the armpits to avoid chafing. Suddenly, the volunteers are frantic again and round everyone up into a line to head out the door, through the tunnel and on to the track.
The OLYMPIC STADIUM track and it's race day! It's hard not to think about how hard it was to get here, how many hours of training and nursing injuries, and getting up early and the list goes on.... And it's here, and I am here in the Olympic stadium and I'm getting goose bumps and have to remind myself to just breath and relax and focus. We walk half a lap around the track in a long line with our gear and wave to the couple thousand people who have already gathered in the stands. My brother is on the rail by the starting line so I go over to talk to him, find comfort in a familiar face and pose for some pictures. It's so nice to have him here practically at my side as I start this incredible race.
We are called to the line in no particular order. Fast starters position themselves on the front line. I find a spot in the middle in lane three or four. People are already sweating with the heat. It smells like a locker room. People mutter "Good luck" to each other in several languages, some to their countrymen, others to athletes from the same region. We're all in this together.
Bang! And we're off. Three-and-a-half laps around the stadium. Each lap is a little faster than the previous one until I'm hanging on to the back of the pack with a couple Lithuanians behind me and I'm already walking faster than my planned race pace. But I don't want to be the last one out of the stadium. Not this time. The field has already separated into several bunches and we head into the tunnel, echoing cheers from other athletes and volunteers bounce around and follow us out into the bright sunshine of the Olympic Green. "24 laps to go," says the sign as we hit the 2,000mt loop course. There is a white, steel barrier surrounding the course that keeps the spectators back 15 feet. At 7:30am, there are already thousands lining the fence. By the time we leave and head back to the stadium, there are several places where fans line the fence four and five people deep.
"Jia yo! Jia yo!" is what the Chinese scream at their athletes. "Go, go!" Soon, the locals are screaming it at everyone. "Jia yo! Jia yo!" The night after the race, I could hardly sleep because "Jia yo!" was echoing around my brain ad nauseum. It was like that feeling you get after having been on a boat all day and you close your eyes at night and feel the whole world rocking back and forth. "Jia yo! Jia yo!"
By 8km, I had caught up to Roman Bilek from the Czech Republic. I've probably raced against him before, but I don't really know him. He doesn't speak much English and my Czech is a bit rusty. But we formed an informal alliance and walked together for the next 20km. We took turns handing each other sponges and water depending on who was closest to the aid station. We walked shoulder to shoulder and the only thing we really said to each other was, "Water?" or "Sponge?" He pronounced "sponge" with a hard 'e' at the end so it sounded like "spongy," but we were communicating. It's easier sometimes to walk with someone than to walk alone and it was nice to have the company. There were a few times when I thought, "This is just like a training walk with John Nunn... except this guy doesn't talk very much or tell good stories." It made me kinda sad for a moment because John and I had talked a lot about how we would both be walking at these Olympics.
Shortly before 30km, my new friend Roman started to falter and I maintained my steady sub 5:00/km pace pulling away from him. He ended up ten minutes back at the finish.
People sometimes ask "What do you think about for four hours?" When I'm racing, I try not to think about too much. I spend a lot of time focusing on my technique, reminding myself to stay relaxed, and I repeat a lot of positive affirmations to myself. In the weeks leading up to an event, I might find something that helps keep me motivated in training and so I invariably come back to that during the race. "Get your foot under you quickly" was one of the things that I was thinking in recent speed workouts, so I thought of that a few times if I felt myself slowing up or feeling a little less-than-smooth. I often will get very short snippets of songs stuck in my head and they will just get stuck on a replay loop. I have no idea where it came from, but at some point in the race the lyrics "... disappear into the groove..." popped into my head. I'm not even sure if it's a real song, but it was stuck in my head, in a good way, for several laps. I did a race in Spain a couple years ago where they had a sound system playing throughout the entire 50km. At first, I was worried that it would be a distraction, but I ended up enjoying it. Whoever the DJ was did a nice job, too. For the first hour, we were grooving to some really mellow songs like "Dust in the wind," which was perfect for the first section of a 50km when you really want to keep your emotions in check and stay relaxed. Later, the DJ started to crank it up a bit with some disco tunes. By the end, we were in a euro-discoteque rave party with some thumping beats that helped get me pumped up for the last 10km.
Here in Beijing, the conditions didn't play as big a factor as people had feared. The air was fairly clear after the heavy rains the day before. The temperature rose throughout the morning while the humidity (97% at the start) dropped. It was hot, yes, but not so bad that everyone in the race suffered. The winner, Alex Schwazer, managed to break the 20 year-old Olympic record, so it couldn't have been too bad. The granite surface was covered with 4mm of Mondo, as promised, so our legs got a slight break (though they still took a beating - it's a 50km race!) The heat would have been a much bigger factor if there hadn't been aid stations set up on either end of the course. There was no shade on the course at all, so a regular dousing with ice water or a sponge made a huge difference. On nearly each lap, Tracy handed me a hat filled with ice as I came through the personal aid station and I handed him the hat I had been wearing. By the last few laps, I was taking a sponge at one end of the course, a bottle of water at the other end and my Vitalyte electrolyte drink in the middle. I was so wet, my shoes were squishy with water when I took them off after the race.
Before every big race, I make a series of goals. Most of them relate to how I want to feel before, during and after the race. I also make specific performance-related goals. Obviously the number one goal is always to finish. Training had gone well but not perfectly, so I wanted to walk at 5:00/km pace and finish at 4:10:00. I also had hoped to finish better than my previous Olympics, but the problem with a goal that focuses on a place finish is that you don't have any control over what your competition does. Yes, I would like to win every race I enter, but that's not alway realistic - especially at the Olympics (unless your name is Phelps). I was able to meet nearly all of my goals: I finished (yay!), walked faster than I though I would (4:08:32) and felt strong and in control the entire way. I didn't improve on my best Olympic finish, but I would have had to walk eight minutes faster to do that.
Back to the race. At 25km, my legs started to feel very heavy and fatigued. My first reaction was "Uh-oh, this is not good." But I quickly turned it around and said, "Okay, it's a 50km, you're supposed to be tired, just work through it." It helped, I think, that my friend Roman was clearly hurting more than I was and I was able to feed off of him as he slowed. It reminded me briefly of the Prefontaine quote, "Somebody may beat me, but they are going to have to bleed to do it." That's always a good pick-me-up in the middle of a race. I continued to plug away at a steady pace and by the last 15km, I was passing people who had lapped me and catching up to people who had been as much as five minutes ahead of me earlier in the race. My strategy of walking even splits was paying off. In the final 10km, only 16 guys walked faster than I did. With just 2km to go, I was gaining quickly on Tim Berrett from Canada and a Greek walker. I tried to accelerate but couldn't manage anything quicker than my 5:00/km pace. Tim told me later that I would have caught him if he hadn't been trying to catch the Greek walker in front of him. He ended up 14 seconds ahead of me.
Coming into the stadium for the finish was an unreal feeling. The place was packed and cheering wildly for each of the walkers as we came out of the tunnel. I would have liked to soak it in a bit longer but desperately wanted to finish as quickly as I could. After I crossed the line, I stopped and looked around for awhile realizing that in all likelihood it was the last time I would be standing at the finish line inside an Olympic stadium. How lucky am I to have had this incredible experience? I probably took longer than most, but I just didn't want to leave. It would have been silly to do a lap around the track, but if my legs had allowed it I might have tried.
One of the more agonizing inventions of the Olympic media moguls is the post-race mixed zone. After having walked for over four hours, stumbled across the finish line, in some cases collapsed in a heap, they expect every walker to go through the mixed zone. Stairs. They make you climb up a flight of stairs so they can get the best angle for a post-race interview. Oh, it's agonizing. At least they have the good sense to put hand rails all the way up and back down again. So I pulled myself up to the second level, talked to a nice reporter from NBC (don't know if any of that got aired or not), and then stumbled back down the stairs on the other side. Print media from all over the world were waiting down there. The Italian champion who had finished well ahead of me was still talking to some Italian newspapers as I went past and talked to someone from an Oregon newspaper and the USATF media representative.
Out of the mixed zone and into the post-race recovery room where there were lumps of athletes scattered around on the floor, draped over chairs, or moaning in the corner. Some were changing into dry clothes, some were just staring into space. I chatted with Tim Berrett for a bit and then walked, slowly, out to meet the USATF coaches and medical staff that were waiting for me. Coach Vigil had my phone, so I was able to call Liz and the rest of the family and arrange to meet them in the stands. Thankfully, there was an elevator up into the stadium seating. Stairs and I were not going to get along for awhile.
Okay, it's late here in the Village and I need to pack up my bags. I'm moving out tomorrow and then spending a few more days here in Beijing touring around with my family. I'll try to blog some more, but it may not be until I get back to San Diego at the end of the week. Check back if you like. Peace.
Normally I have a rough time sleeping through the night before a big event and the Olympics is as big as it gets. Surprisingly, I slept fairly well. I only woke up three times to check that my alarm was set and turned on, another couple times because I was well-hydrated, and the few odd times to toss and turn and realize "Tomorrow is race day. Wow, it's almost here!" That may sound bad, but I've had much worse pre-race insomnia.
At 5:15, I was up and trying to open up my PowerBar Harvest bar as [CRUNCH] quietly as I [CRACKLE] possibly could. Washed it down with some water and chased it with a banana while double checking that I had all my gear packed and my race shorts on. Coach Joe Vigil and I walked over to the stadium shuttle bus at 5:45am. He's great but he wanted to spend the whole ride over to the Bird's Nest talking about developing racewalking in America. "Yes, yes, we gotta get more walkers and put the racewalk in high schools and colleges but I'm trying to focus on today. Big day today." By the time we got to the warmup track, I thought we had moved on but Tracy Sundlun was there and we got started again on solving America's racewalk problems. Anyone who knows racewalking knows that this conversation could easily last longer than any 50km race, so I went off to start my warmup at 6:30am.
At most track meets, there is a clerk-of-course where each athlete checks in, shows his number and gets assigned a lane or timing chip. The Olympics are no different, but the system of controls, double-checking and micromanaging everything you do is incredible. 40 minutes before the start of your race, you have to check in with the clerk and then you are sequestered for 25 minutes with little opportunity to warm-up. There's a short 50 meter patch of track that 60 guys are pacing on back and forth like restless tigers at the zoo. There's a bathroom, and a line. And volunteers that come by every few minutes to triple-check that you tied the timing chip onto your shoe properly. The best thing to do is get in your warmup out on the track, relax for 25 minutes in the call room, do some light stretching, practice some deep breathing, and lube the armpits to avoid chafing. Suddenly, the volunteers are frantic again and round everyone up into a line to head out the door, through the tunnel and on to the track.
The OLYMPIC STADIUM track and it's race day! It's hard not to think about how hard it was to get here, how many hours of training and nursing injuries, and getting up early and the list goes on.... And it's here, and I am here in the Olympic stadium and I'm getting goose bumps and have to remind myself to just breath and relax and focus. We walk half a lap around the track in a long line with our gear and wave to the couple thousand people who have already gathered in the stands. My brother is on the rail by the starting line so I go over to talk to him, find comfort in a familiar face and pose for some pictures. It's so nice to have him here practically at my side as I start this incredible race.
We are called to the line in no particular order. Fast starters position themselves on the front line. I find a spot in the middle in lane three or four. People are already sweating with the heat. It smells like a locker room. People mutter "Good luck" to each other in several languages, some to their countrymen, others to athletes from the same region. We're all in this together.
Bang! And we're off. Three-and-a-half laps around the stadium. Each lap is a little faster than the previous one until I'm hanging on to the back of the pack with a couple Lithuanians behind me and I'm already walking faster than my planned race pace. But I don't want to be the last one out of the stadium. Not this time. The field has already separated into several bunches and we head into the tunnel, echoing cheers from other athletes and volunteers bounce around and follow us out into the bright sunshine of the Olympic Green. "24 laps to go," says the sign as we hit the 2,000mt loop course. There is a white, steel barrier surrounding the course that keeps the spectators back 15 feet. At 7:30am, there are already thousands lining the fence. By the time we leave and head back to the stadium, there are several places where fans line the fence four and five people deep.
"Jia yo! Jia yo!" is what the Chinese scream at their athletes. "Go, go!" Soon, the locals are screaming it at everyone. "Jia yo! Jia yo!" The night after the race, I could hardly sleep because "Jia yo!" was echoing around my brain ad nauseum. It was like that feeling you get after having been on a boat all day and you close your eyes at night and feel the whole world rocking back and forth. "Jia yo! Jia yo!"
By 8km, I had caught up to Roman Bilek from the Czech Republic. I've probably raced against him before, but I don't really know him. He doesn't speak much English and my Czech is a bit rusty. But we formed an informal alliance and walked together for the next 20km. We took turns handing each other sponges and water depending on who was closest to the aid station. We walked shoulder to shoulder and the only thing we really said to each other was, "Water?" or "Sponge?" He pronounced "sponge" with a hard 'e' at the end so it sounded like "spongy," but we were communicating. It's easier sometimes to walk with someone than to walk alone and it was nice to have the company. There were a few times when I thought, "This is just like a training walk with John Nunn... except this guy doesn't talk very much or tell good stories." It made me kinda sad for a moment because John and I had talked a lot about how we would both be walking at these Olympics.
Shortly before 30km, my new friend Roman started to falter and I maintained my steady sub 5:00/km pace pulling away from him. He ended up ten minutes back at the finish.
People sometimes ask "What do you think about for four hours?" When I'm racing, I try not to think about too much. I spend a lot of time focusing on my technique, reminding myself to stay relaxed, and I repeat a lot of positive affirmations to myself. In the weeks leading up to an event, I might find something that helps keep me motivated in training and so I invariably come back to that during the race. "Get your foot under you quickly" was one of the things that I was thinking in recent speed workouts, so I thought of that a few times if I felt myself slowing up or feeling a little less-than-smooth. I often will get very short snippets of songs stuck in my head and they will just get stuck on a replay loop. I have no idea where it came from, but at some point in the race the lyrics "... disappear into the groove..." popped into my head. I'm not even sure if it's a real song, but it was stuck in my head, in a good way, for several laps. I did a race in Spain a couple years ago where they had a sound system playing throughout the entire 50km. At first, I was worried that it would be a distraction, but I ended up enjoying it. Whoever the DJ was did a nice job, too. For the first hour, we were grooving to some really mellow songs like "Dust in the wind," which was perfect for the first section of a 50km when you really want to keep your emotions in check and stay relaxed. Later, the DJ started to crank it up a bit with some disco tunes. By the end, we were in a euro-discoteque rave party with some thumping beats that helped get me pumped up for the last 10km.
Here in Beijing, the conditions didn't play as big a factor as people had feared. The air was fairly clear after the heavy rains the day before. The temperature rose throughout the morning while the humidity (97% at the start) dropped. It was hot, yes, but not so bad that everyone in the race suffered. The winner, Alex Schwazer, managed to break the 20 year-old Olympic record, so it couldn't have been too bad. The granite surface was covered with 4mm of Mondo, as promised, so our legs got a slight break (though they still took a beating - it's a 50km race!) The heat would have been a much bigger factor if there hadn't been aid stations set up on either end of the course. There was no shade on the course at all, so a regular dousing with ice water or a sponge made a huge difference. On nearly each lap, Tracy handed me a hat filled with ice as I came through the personal aid station and I handed him the hat I had been wearing. By the last few laps, I was taking a sponge at one end of the course, a bottle of water at the other end and my Vitalyte electrolyte drink in the middle. I was so wet, my shoes were squishy with water when I took them off after the race.
Before every big race, I make a series of goals. Most of them relate to how I want to feel before, during and after the race. I also make specific performance-related goals. Obviously the number one goal is always to finish. Training had gone well but not perfectly, so I wanted to walk at 5:00/km pace and finish at 4:10:00. I also had hoped to finish better than my previous Olympics, but the problem with a goal that focuses on a place finish is that you don't have any control over what your competition does. Yes, I would like to win every race I enter, but that's not alway realistic - especially at the Olympics (unless your name is Phelps). I was able to meet nearly all of my goals: I finished (yay!), walked faster than I though I would (4:08:32) and felt strong and in control the entire way. I didn't improve on my best Olympic finish, but I would have had to walk eight minutes faster to do that.
Back to the race. At 25km, my legs started to feel very heavy and fatigued. My first reaction was "Uh-oh, this is not good." But I quickly turned it around and said, "Okay, it's a 50km, you're supposed to be tired, just work through it." It helped, I think, that my friend Roman was clearly hurting more than I was and I was able to feed off of him as he slowed. It reminded me briefly of the Prefontaine quote, "Somebody may beat me, but they are going to have to bleed to do it." That's always a good pick-me-up in the middle of a race. I continued to plug away at a steady pace and by the last 15km, I was passing people who had lapped me and catching up to people who had been as much as five minutes ahead of me earlier in the race. My strategy of walking even splits was paying off. In the final 10km, only 16 guys walked faster than I did. With just 2km to go, I was gaining quickly on Tim Berrett from Canada and a Greek walker. I tried to accelerate but couldn't manage anything quicker than my 5:00/km pace. Tim told me later that I would have caught him if he hadn't been trying to catch the Greek walker in front of him. He ended up 14 seconds ahead of me.
Coming into the stadium for the finish was an unreal feeling. The place was packed and cheering wildly for each of the walkers as we came out of the tunnel. I would have liked to soak it in a bit longer but desperately wanted to finish as quickly as I could. After I crossed the line, I stopped and looked around for awhile realizing that in all likelihood it was the last time I would be standing at the finish line inside an Olympic stadium. How lucky am I to have had this incredible experience? I probably took longer than most, but I just didn't want to leave. It would have been silly to do a lap around the track, but if my legs had allowed it I might have tried.
One of the more agonizing inventions of the Olympic media moguls is the post-race mixed zone. After having walked for over four hours, stumbled across the finish line, in some cases collapsed in a heap, they expect every walker to go through the mixed zone. Stairs. They make you climb up a flight of stairs so they can get the best angle for a post-race interview. Oh, it's agonizing. At least they have the good sense to put hand rails all the way up and back down again. So I pulled myself up to the second level, talked to a nice reporter from NBC (don't know if any of that got aired or not), and then stumbled back down the stairs on the other side. Print media from all over the world were waiting down there. The Italian champion who had finished well ahead of me was still talking to some Italian newspapers as I went past and talked to someone from an Oregon newspaper and the USATF media representative.
Out of the mixed zone and into the post-race recovery room where there were lumps of athletes scattered around on the floor, draped over chairs, or moaning in the corner. Some were changing into dry clothes, some were just staring into space. I chatted with Tim Berrett for a bit and then walked, slowly, out to meet the USATF coaches and medical staff that were waiting for me. Coach Vigil had my phone, so I was able to call Liz and the rest of the family and arrange to meet them in the stands. Thankfully, there was an elevator up into the stadium seating. Stairs and I were not going to get along for awhile.
Okay, it's late here in the Village and I need to pack up my bags. I'm moving out tomorrow and then spending a few more days here in Beijing touring around with my family. I'll try to blog some more, but it may not be until I get back to San Diego at the end of the week. Check back if you like. Peace.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Please Don't Close the Games
Hey blogging fans!
I'm literally frantic! I'm heading to the Bird's Nest for the Closing Ceremonies in just a few minutes. I've got my swank duds on and I'm trying to figure out how to make this belt keep my baggy pants up. I'll get it, don't worry.
Here are a few interesting post-race articles and one that makes me think I should move to Washington D.C. for my bid to make the 2012 London Olympics. Sorry for the dearth of blog entries of late but I'm trying to pack in all the sight-seeing, fun and late-night stuff that I missed before the race. Please forgive me. I'll try to get some more blogs rolling off the press post-Closing Ceremonies.
Wheeee!
Portland Tribune article
Carleton College article
D.C. tries to get into the Olympics
.... back from the Closing Ceremonies. Thank you Beijing. Off to bed. Hopefully I'll have more energy to write some in the morning (morning in Beijing). I've gotten clobbered by a head cold that snuck up on me slowly since the race so I may be sleeping in. Nearly all of my suitemates had it, too, so I shouldn't be surprised. Ciao.
I'm literally frantic! I'm heading to the Bird's Nest for the Closing Ceremonies in just a few minutes. I've got my swank duds on and I'm trying to figure out how to make this belt keep my baggy pants up. I'll get it, don't worry.
Here are a few interesting post-race articles and one that makes me think I should move to Washington D.C. for my bid to make the 2012 London Olympics. Sorry for the dearth of blog entries of late but I'm trying to pack in all the sight-seeing, fun and late-night stuff that I missed before the race. Please forgive me. I'll try to get some more blogs rolling off the press post-Closing Ceremonies.
Wheeee!
Portland Tribune article
Carleton College article
D.C. tries to get into the Olympics
.... back from the Closing Ceremonies. Thank you Beijing. Off to bed. Hopefully I'll have more energy to write some in the morning (morning in Beijing). I've gotten clobbered by a head cold that snuck up on me slowly since the race so I may be sleeping in. Nearly all of my suitemates had it, too, so I shouldn't be surprised. Ciao.
Photo Page....
At PowerBar hospitality house with Peter Vanderkay (swimming gold & bronze) and my PowerBar peeps
Action shot, midway through the 50km walk
In front of the Bird's Nest while walking with my Czech friend, Roman
Finishing in the stadium – what an awesome feeling!
Family visit to the Olympic Village
Miles, mobbed by the paparazziFor more photos from my 50km race, please go to www.racewalk.com
For complete results and splits from the 50km race, go to the official Olympic page
Friday, August 22, 2008
Among the best
I have to start by saying thank you. Thank you to all of you for sending messages of support and encouragement. Thank you for following along on this incredible journey of mine. In a way, I hope it has become your journey, too.
Thank you to my wife, Liz, without whom I could not do this whole racewalking thing. She is more patient, loving and supportive than I could ever ask her to be. Thank you.
Thank you to my family who came all the way to Beijing to stand in the blazing hot sun and cheer me on for four hours. Thank you to my son, Miles, who stayed awake for almost the entire race, saw me at one point and said, “Mama” (he calls both Liz and me ‘mama’) though he nodded off there at the end (I would have taken a nap, too, if I could have).
The race went as well as I could have hoped given the conditions and the fact that this was my third 50km of the year. I came in hoping to walk under 4:10 and I walked 4:08:32. My first 25km was 2:04:08 and the second was 2:04:24, pretty even splits on a day when lots of people struggled at the end. I finished 39th today against the best walkers in the world. I wasn’t the best, but I was among the best.
I’ll write more later, but I’m exhausted and need to meet up with the family again this evening.
Thank you to my wife, Liz, without whom I could not do this whole racewalking thing. She is more patient, loving and supportive than I could ever ask her to be. Thank you.
Thank you to my family who came all the way to Beijing to stand in the blazing hot sun and cheer me on for four hours. Thank you to my son, Miles, who stayed awake for almost the entire race, saw me at one point and said, “Mama” (he calls both Liz and me ‘mama’) though he nodded off there at the end (I would have taken a nap, too, if I could have).
The race went as well as I could have hoped given the conditions and the fact that this was my third 50km of the year. I came in hoping to walk under 4:10 and I walked 4:08:32. My first 25km was 2:04:08 and the second was 2:04:24, pretty even splits on a day when lots of people struggled at the end. I finished 39th today against the best walkers in the world. I wasn’t the best, but I was among the best.
I’ll write more later, but I’m exhausted and need to meet up with the family again this evening.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Radio time...
National Public Radio is going to run another story that has little old me talking about big old racewalking. The NPR piece talks about the 2km loop course outside the Bird's Nest stadium. It's great publicity for the sport and I'm psyched that we're getting some coverage. We'll work on getting the next storyline to read, "US racewalker wins Olympic gold."
This morning, I was up early for my last real training session before the race. My plan had been to go over to BNU and get a more precise track workout in, but there were some complications. Last night I was called and told to appear for a morning blood draw with the IAAF blood doping crew. So, training was shifted up and I stayed in the Village. There's a 900 meter course in back of the cafeteria where I did my 3km/3km/2km walk. While I was out there, Kenenisa Bekele and some of his Ethiopian compatriots were running an 'easy' morning warm-up. Bekele won the men's 10,000mt a couple nights ago. Yes, he was 'jogging' faster than I was racewalking. Surprise. This evening, Bekele ran just behind newly-minted American Bernard Lagat to qualify for the men's 5000mt final.
At 8:15am, one of the USOC team doctors walked Joanne Dow and me over to the polyclinic for our IAAF blood draw. The purpose, supposedly, is not to catch dopers but to establish a baseline for future doping controls. Joanne was joking that it was a big waste of time to test her the day before her last competitive race.
Sometimes I get a bit queasy around needles and today was no different. After the blood draw was over, I decided I should lie down. The Chinese nurses and doctors panicked, ran about in a frenzy and even rushed in a gurney for me. The USOC doc and I were laughing about their efficiency. I was fine, but it made for an exciting morning, that's for sure. It's funny how a little thing like a needle can get to me but I go out and walk a 50km the next day.
At 11am we had a team photo with all of the tracksters. When I get a chance to download the photos, I'll post some shots of me with some of my fast new friends.
I ate lunch in the Village and then took a short walk up to meet Liz and Miles who were out and about from the apartment. Miles has been very patient with all of the traveling, but it's really difficult for Liz without me around as much to help out. Traveling with a toddler is never easy and being in a foreign country makes it even tougher. As I've posted earlier, the Chinese are fascinated with Miles and love to touch him, grab at his cheeks or legs, and take his photo. He's put up with it pretty well, but I'm sure he'll enjoy being back home, too.
After spending a nice, mellow afternoon with the family and getting to hear Miles giggle and see him play in the apartment, I walked over to the field hockey pitch to watch the women's game between Germany vs. China. The local Chinese were so excited when China came from behind to win, but they were also supportive of the German team. The US women had played earlier in the morning against Spain and lost 3-2 to finish in 8th place. The Chinese go on to play in the gold medal game.
Kevin and I had a nice dinner in the cafeteria and then chilled out in the USATF lounge and watched Lagat and Matt Tegenkamp qualify in the 5000mt and Symmonds in the 800. All three of them won their heats and looked good doing it. All in all, it was a nice day but I definitely feel like I’m counting the hours now with my race just around the corner.
This morning, I was up early for my last real training session before the race. My plan had been to go over to BNU and get a more precise track workout in, but there were some complications. Last night I was called and told to appear for a morning blood draw with the IAAF blood doping crew. So, training was shifted up and I stayed in the Village. There's a 900 meter course in back of the cafeteria where I did my 3km/3km/2km walk. While I was out there, Kenenisa Bekele and some of his Ethiopian compatriots were running an 'easy' morning warm-up. Bekele won the men's 10,000mt a couple nights ago. Yes, he was 'jogging' faster than I was racewalking. Surprise. This evening, Bekele ran just behind newly-minted American Bernard Lagat to qualify for the men's 5000mt final.
At 8:15am, one of the USOC team doctors walked Joanne Dow and me over to the polyclinic for our IAAF blood draw. The purpose, supposedly, is not to catch dopers but to establish a baseline for future doping controls. Joanne was joking that it was a big waste of time to test her the day before her last competitive race.
Sometimes I get a bit queasy around needles and today was no different. After the blood draw was over, I decided I should lie down. The Chinese nurses and doctors panicked, ran about in a frenzy and even rushed in a gurney for me. The USOC doc and I were laughing about their efficiency. I was fine, but it made for an exciting morning, that's for sure. It's funny how a little thing like a needle can get to me but I go out and walk a 50km the next day.
At 11am we had a team photo with all of the tracksters. When I get a chance to download the photos, I'll post some shots of me with some of my fast new friends.
I ate lunch in the Village and then took a short walk up to meet Liz and Miles who were out and about from the apartment. Miles has been very patient with all of the traveling, but it's really difficult for Liz without me around as much to help out. Traveling with a toddler is never easy and being in a foreign country makes it even tougher. As I've posted earlier, the Chinese are fascinated with Miles and love to touch him, grab at his cheeks or legs, and take his photo. He's put up with it pretty well, but I'm sure he'll enjoy being back home, too.
After spending a nice, mellow afternoon with the family and getting to hear Miles giggle and see him play in the apartment, I walked over to the field hockey pitch to watch the women's game between Germany vs. China. The local Chinese were so excited when China came from behind to win, but they were also supportive of the German team. The US women had played earlier in the morning against Spain and lost 3-2 to finish in 8th place. The Chinese go on to play in the gold medal game.
Kevin and I had a nice dinner in the cafeteria and then chilled out in the USATF lounge and watched Lagat and Matt Tegenkamp qualify in the 5000mt and Symmonds in the 800. All three of them won their heats and looked good doing it. All in all, it was a nice day but I definitely feel like I’m counting the hours now with my race just around the corner.
Rain, rain go away
(It's Thursday morning here in Beijing)
I'm just leaving the Village now for the women's 20km racewalk competition and it is raining hard. The Village green out my window is usually swarming with athletes, but today there are colorful umbrellas scurrying around like bright beetles. People are rushing from their dorms directly to the buses or to the cafeteria. No delay, hurry hurry hurry.
Joanne Dow, the lone American in the women's race, is going to get soaked. She's overcome so many obstacles to get here that a little rain won't dampen her Olympic spirit, though. After 14 years of racing, she finally made her first Olympic team at the age of 44. Her oldest daughter, Hanna, is starting at Penn this fall. Some of Joanne's fellow Olympians still in high school!
Okay, go USA Racewalking! I'm off to the Bird's Nest.
I'm just leaving the Village now for the women's 20km racewalk competition and it is raining hard. The Village green out my window is usually swarming with athletes, but today there are colorful umbrellas scurrying around like bright beetles. People are rushing from their dorms directly to the buses or to the cafeteria. No delay, hurry hurry hurry.
Joanne Dow, the lone American in the women's race, is going to get soaked. She's overcome so many obstacles to get here that a little rain won't dampen her Olympic spirit, though. After 14 years of racing, she finally made her first Olympic team at the age of 44. Her oldest daughter, Hanna, is starting at Penn this fall. Some of Joanne's fellow Olympians still in high school!
Okay, go USA Racewalking! I'm off to the Bird's Nest.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Three days to go
Yesterday felt like a long day, so I slept in until 8:30am this morning. My timing was perfect, though, as I was able to join a couple others walkers who were out putting in some laps around the Village. I started my 10km workout with Tim Berrett, 5-time Olympian from Canada. We've known each other for years, raced against each other at World Cups, Pan Am Games, Olympics.... We were joined after 15 minutes by Jared Tallent from Australia. Jared was the 23-year old who finished third in the 20km race last Saturday. And now he's preparing for the 50km on Friday. It will only be his third 50km race, but he's optimistic he can bounce back quickly. He's having quite the month because shortly after his 50km race, he returns to Australia to marry his fiance, Claire Woods, who is racing Thursday in the women's 20km.
The US team has a nice set-up for our medical staff here in the Village. After my morning walk, I got some help stretching out and then got some chiropractic adjustments from Portland, OR based Ted Forcum. Thanks Ted!
When I got back to my suite, the door was locked. Usually we leave it open, but I had my key handy and let myself in. Tyson Gay, my suitemate, was standing right there and looked so happy to see me. "I've been locked in for an hour," he said. "Thank you!" Housecleaning must have locked up after themselves and the latch on the inside of the door broke when Tyson tried to let himself out.
I spent the afternoon relaxing, lunching with Joanne Dow in the cafeteria, and catching up on my blogging.
One of my sponsors, PowerBar, invited me to come to an event at their hospitality house tonight with other athletes. They were kind enough to pick me up and my whole family and take us over to their house. They had a nice dinner prepared and gave us all some PowerBar gifts. There were several photographers and journalists who took photos. Not surprisingly, they took lots of pictures of Miles. It was a nice place to get together with my family and meet a few other PowerBar-sponsored athletes. The women's marathon bronze medalist from China, Zhou Chunxiu showed up (slight language barrier but she was very happy to be there) and US swimmer Peter Vanderkay told some good stories about post-competition celebrations. He was on his way to another exclusive party in downtown Beijing.
Two other vendor/sponsors showcased their events at the PowerBar house including Suunto, who makes high-end heart rate monitors, and an innovative vibration training company called Galileo. The Suunto rep set me up with a free watch – oh, it's nice to know the right people! Thanks John!
Everyone was pretty tired by the time I got dropped off at the west gate of the Olympic Village. Miles had fallen asleep in Liz's arms and the rest of us were ready to nod off, too. I'm up for a bit watching the last of the track meet and listening to my Team USA teammates cheer and yell at the TV.
The US team has a nice set-up for our medical staff here in the Village. After my morning walk, I got some help stretching out and then got some chiropractic adjustments from Portland, OR based Ted Forcum. Thanks Ted!
When I got back to my suite, the door was locked. Usually we leave it open, but I had my key handy and let myself in. Tyson Gay, my suitemate, was standing right there and looked so happy to see me. "I've been locked in for an hour," he said. "Thank you!" Housecleaning must have locked up after themselves and the latch on the inside of the door broke when Tyson tried to let himself out.
I spent the afternoon relaxing, lunching with Joanne Dow in the cafeteria, and catching up on my blogging.
One of my sponsors, PowerBar, invited me to come to an event at their hospitality house tonight with other athletes. They were kind enough to pick me up and my whole family and take us over to their house. They had a nice dinner prepared and gave us all some PowerBar gifts. There were several photographers and journalists who took photos. Not surprisingly, they took lots of pictures of Miles. It was a nice place to get together with my family and meet a few other PowerBar-sponsored athletes. The women's marathon bronze medalist from China, Zhou Chunxiu showed up (slight language barrier but she was very happy to be there) and US swimmer Peter Vanderkay told some good stories about post-competition celebrations. He was on his way to another exclusive party in downtown Beijing.
Two other vendor/sponsors showcased their events at the PowerBar house including Suunto, who makes high-end heart rate monitors, and an innovative vibration training company called Galileo. The Suunto rep set me up with a free watch – oh, it's nice to know the right people! Thanks John!
Everyone was pretty tired by the time I got dropped off at the west gate of the Olympic Village. Miles had fallen asleep in Liz's arms and the rest of us were ready to nod off, too. I'm up for a bit watching the last of the track meet and listening to my Team USA teammates cheer and yell at the TV.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Out and About
For the first time, I went over to Beijing Normal University (BNU) to use the practice track and see the facilities that are set up for Team USA. Reports have been going around that the Americans brought all their own food and aren’t eating in the Village because they’re afraid of being dosed with steroid-injected beef and chicken by the Chinese. Well, BNU is where all the “safe American food” is being served to Team USA athletes. It’s also where many of the US coaches who don’t have credentialed-access to the Olympic Village are staying and where their athletes are meeting them for training every day. I didn’t take the time to eat a meal at BNU, but I did get in a good track session with a few other US athletes.
Joanne Dow and I met Tracy Sundlun at the track and he gave us splits and encouragement. I’m so used to training on my own that when Tracy asked if I needed anything from him, I couldn’t think of anything at first. Then I said, “Just tell me that I look great.” His response: “Well, I’ve had to lie before, I can do it again.” Hah! Also on the track were the modern pentathletes and open-water swimmers. The swimmers were doing a short, cross-training workout while the pentathletes were running 200 meter intervals. The two women competing in the modern pentathlon have strikingly different stories. Shelia Taormina is competing in her fourth Olympics in her third different sport. Amazing. She first raced on the US swim team. Then she competed for Team USA in the triathlon. Now she is 39 years old and contesting the five events of the modern pentathlon: fencing, shooting, equestrian, running and swimming. Her teammate is Margaux Isaksen and only 16 years old! Wow.
The week of a big 50km race, I like to do a short speed workout of 5 x 1km. They are always faster than race pace but not super fast. Before the World Cup in Russia in May, I did this same workout on the track in Gothenburg, Sweden and today’s was very similar. It would be great if I could replicate my performance in Russia, though the conditions here are likely to be warmer and more humid. Today I started out at 4:28 for the first 1km. Joanne had done several 200s before she jumped in and walked the first 1km with me. With a two-minute break between each 1km, I walked 4:24, 4:22, 4:18 and 4:15 to close out the series. It wasn’t as easy and relaxed as I would have liked, but it also wasn’t that hard. It’s nice to finish any workout and know that, if you had to, you could do it again tomorrow.
I headed back to the Village for shower, lunch and a wee bit of lying down to recover. My family is staying with a family friend who works at one of the local Beijing universities. He had asked if I could come speak to one of the classes about my Olympic experiences and I jumped at the chance. Like this blog, speaking to groups is one way that I share my story and help people understand what it’s like to be an Olympian.
Han Bing had arranged for an athlete from the Chilean Olympic Team to come and speak to the class, too, so Pablo McCandless and I spent over an hour talking to the students about the Olympics, what it’s like to be an athlete, and then answered their questions. Pablo is a slalom kayaker who practically stumbled into the Olympics. He was born in the US to a Chilean mother and American father, so he has dual citizenship. After doing a few races in slalom kayaking and competing at some World Cup events, the Chilean Olympic Committee asked him to train for the Olympics. Maybe he was being humble, but he made it sound so easy. Perhaps we should all move to Chile!
The students at Han Bing’s university are all American college kids studying Chinese language and culture and they are nearly done with their summer semester. A couple of them asked some very specific questions about politics in the Games and pollution in Beijing and how it has affected athletes. They told me later that they are writing final term papers or doing projects on those topics and wanted some good, first-hand information. All of the students were really enthusiastic and had some great questions. Some of them were impressed by the fact that all the athletes treat each other as equals. For example, Pablo is the only Chilean slalom kayaker and he talked about receiving help from other countries who have more resources given to their athletes. If he needs a ride from one competition to another, there’s almost always an extra seat in another country’s van. As I tell people, we are all Olympians. Five rings are five rings, no matter who wears them. At the same time, the more famous athletes are not immune from the standard hero-worship just because they are surrounded by other Olympic athletes. Walking to the cafeteria today, I saw Ronaldinho, the Brazilian soccer superstar. He was flanked by his Brazilian teammates on all sides, but athletes were still crowding up to him asking for pictures and autographs. At Opening Ceremonies, many US athletes were ebullient after getting a photo with Kobe Bryant. I guess meeting someone famous is universally exciting.
After speaking to Han Bing’s students, I meant to go directly to the Hometown Hopefuls house to meet up with my family. Normally that means climbing into a taxi, pointing at my laminated information card that has the address written out in Chinese, and resting my head back on the seat until we arrive. Today, I thought it would be fun to go native. I jumped on a bus. Ooops. The first mistake I made was to ask for help from eager teenagers at the Beijing Information kiosk in front of the university. They debated for awhile about which route would be best, finally settled on one, wrote it down on a piece of paper, and walked me over the pedestrian bridge to the other side of the street and had me get on bus # 392 going north. When I showed my piece of paper to the driver he shook his head violently, shooed me off his bus and pointed the other direction, south. On my second attempt, I rode 30 minutes south until the driver told me to get off with a friendly passenger who would direct me to the next bus I needed. He was very helpful and I was on my way again, east, towards the Worker’s Stadium. All of this ‘communicating’ was done in sign language and really bad Chinese (me) or English (them). On bus #118, I met a nice local who spoke passable English. He was happy to help me get off at the stop I needed and I arrived with a greater appreciation for bilingualism, good public transportation maps, and well-cushioned shoes.
As always, it was wonderful to see the family and hear all of the stories of their day’s adventures. Miles has been a super-trooper. His little blond curls have won over all the Chinese. My dad insists that Miles has had his picture taken as many times as Michael Phelps. And I believe it. The waitresses at the Hometown Hopefuls have ooohed and aaahed over Miles every time we visit. It’s like having baby sitters follow you around: Miles gets picked up, carried around, walked all over place while we sit back and enjoy the delicious food and drink.
I returned to the Olympic Village in record time. The cab driver knew the quickest, most direct way that avoided police barricades and traffic slow spots. I was back in time to watch the USA sweep the men’s 400 mt hurdles.
Joanne Dow and I met Tracy Sundlun at the track and he gave us splits and encouragement. I’m so used to training on my own that when Tracy asked if I needed anything from him, I couldn’t think of anything at first. Then I said, “Just tell me that I look great.” His response: “Well, I’ve had to lie before, I can do it again.” Hah! Also on the track were the modern pentathletes and open-water swimmers. The swimmers were doing a short, cross-training workout while the pentathletes were running 200 meter intervals. The two women competing in the modern pentathlon have strikingly different stories. Shelia Taormina is competing in her fourth Olympics in her third different sport. Amazing. She first raced on the US swim team. Then she competed for Team USA in the triathlon. Now she is 39 years old and contesting the five events of the modern pentathlon: fencing, shooting, equestrian, running and swimming. Her teammate is Margaux Isaksen and only 16 years old! Wow.
The week of a big 50km race, I like to do a short speed workout of 5 x 1km. They are always faster than race pace but not super fast. Before the World Cup in Russia in May, I did this same workout on the track in Gothenburg, Sweden and today’s was very similar. It would be great if I could replicate my performance in Russia, though the conditions here are likely to be warmer and more humid. Today I started out at 4:28 for the first 1km. Joanne had done several 200s before she jumped in and walked the first 1km with me. With a two-minute break between each 1km, I walked 4:24, 4:22, 4:18 and 4:15 to close out the series. It wasn’t as easy and relaxed as I would have liked, but it also wasn’t that hard. It’s nice to finish any workout and know that, if you had to, you could do it again tomorrow.
I headed back to the Village for shower, lunch and a wee bit of lying down to recover. My family is staying with a family friend who works at one of the local Beijing universities. He had asked if I could come speak to one of the classes about my Olympic experiences and I jumped at the chance. Like this blog, speaking to groups is one way that I share my story and help people understand what it’s like to be an Olympian.
Han Bing had arranged for an athlete from the Chilean Olympic Team to come and speak to the class, too, so Pablo McCandless and I spent over an hour talking to the students about the Olympics, what it’s like to be an athlete, and then answered their questions. Pablo is a slalom kayaker who practically stumbled into the Olympics. He was born in the US to a Chilean mother and American father, so he has dual citizenship. After doing a few races in slalom kayaking and competing at some World Cup events, the Chilean Olympic Committee asked him to train for the Olympics. Maybe he was being humble, but he made it sound so easy. Perhaps we should all move to Chile!
The students at Han Bing’s university are all American college kids studying Chinese language and culture and they are nearly done with their summer semester. A couple of them asked some very specific questions about politics in the Games and pollution in Beijing and how it has affected athletes. They told me later that they are writing final term papers or doing projects on those topics and wanted some good, first-hand information. All of the students were really enthusiastic and had some great questions. Some of them were impressed by the fact that all the athletes treat each other as equals. For example, Pablo is the only Chilean slalom kayaker and he talked about receiving help from other countries who have more resources given to their athletes. If he needs a ride from one competition to another, there’s almost always an extra seat in another country’s van. As I tell people, we are all Olympians. Five rings are five rings, no matter who wears them. At the same time, the more famous athletes are not immune from the standard hero-worship just because they are surrounded by other Olympic athletes. Walking to the cafeteria today, I saw Ronaldinho, the Brazilian soccer superstar. He was flanked by his Brazilian teammates on all sides, but athletes were still crowding up to him asking for pictures and autographs. At Opening Ceremonies, many US athletes were ebullient after getting a photo with Kobe Bryant. I guess meeting someone famous is universally exciting.
After speaking to Han Bing’s students, I meant to go directly to the Hometown Hopefuls house to meet up with my family. Normally that means climbing into a taxi, pointing at my laminated information card that has the address written out in Chinese, and resting my head back on the seat until we arrive. Today, I thought it would be fun to go native. I jumped on a bus. Ooops. The first mistake I made was to ask for help from eager teenagers at the Beijing Information kiosk in front of the university. They debated for awhile about which route would be best, finally settled on one, wrote it down on a piece of paper, and walked me over the pedestrian bridge to the other side of the street and had me get on bus # 392 going north. When I showed my piece of paper to the driver he shook his head violently, shooed me off his bus and pointed the other direction, south. On my second attempt, I rode 30 minutes south until the driver told me to get off with a friendly passenger who would direct me to the next bus I needed. He was very helpful and I was on my way again, east, towards the Worker’s Stadium. All of this ‘communicating’ was done in sign language and really bad Chinese (me) or English (them). On bus #118, I met a nice local who spoke passable English. He was happy to help me get off at the stop I needed and I arrived with a greater appreciation for bilingualism, good public transportation maps, and well-cushioned shoes.
As always, it was wonderful to see the family and hear all of the stories of their day’s adventures. Miles has been a super-trooper. His little blond curls have won over all the Chinese. My dad insists that Miles has had his picture taken as many times as Michael Phelps. And I believe it. The waitresses at the Hometown Hopefuls have ooohed and aaahed over Miles every time we visit. It’s like having baby sitters follow you around: Miles gets picked up, carried around, walked all over place while we sit back and enjoy the delicious food and drink.
I returned to the Olympic Village in record time. The cab driver knew the quickest, most direct way that avoided police barricades and traffic slow spots. I was back in time to watch the USA sweep the men’s 400 mt hurdles.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Relaxing in the Village
View out my window in the athlete's Village towards the cafeteria and "international zone"
Walking this morning with Joanne Dow the day after the men’s 20km race was nice. We followed a flat, paved loop around and through the athlete’s village. There is some bus traffic and lots of pedestrians along one of the long straightaway, but it’s a good 2.6+km around. It’s fun to walk past athletes who are headed to the cafeteria or back to their dorm rooms and feel encouraged and welcome.
Entrance to the Olympic Village, security tent
Since my race is less than a week away, I’m not doing that much mileage. I only walked 10km this morning and will do a short speed workout tomorrow. I’m really starting to feel much better about my race and my fitness, but I wonder how much of it is the extra rest, good food, and light training load I am getting now.
Kevin Eastler and I spent the midmorning and lunch talking about his future plans. He’s getting out of the Air Force and into General Electric’s former officer’s career program in upstate New York. He’ll be mentoring for a career in renewable energy projects like wind and solar for GE. He is fortunate to be able to step seamlessly from his athletic career into a full-time occupation. Kevin is also very interested in sustainable technologies and lifestyles. He and his wife plan to build a ‘green’ house that uses solar and wind to generate their energy needs, something I would be love to do some day (if I knew enough about it).
Laundry pick-up and drop-off in Olympic Village
After lunch, the US Racewalk team went to watch water polo. The USOC gives out tickets to athletes every day to a variety of events. There were extra water polo tickets, so we watched the Australian women battle it out with the Chinese in the pool. The hometown crowd was rewarded with an extremely aggressive and competitive game, but the highly rated Australian team was too much for the Chinese.
Pathway in Village with solar powered lighting
The rest of the day was pretty low-key for me. I read a little, talked to friends, had dinner in the village cafeteria, and watched some of the athletics events. None of the dorm rooms have TVs in them, so some of the USATF coaches went out and bought a TV and set up a common room for us to watch the track events without having to trek over to another building. It’s pretty fun to watch Olympic track events with a bunch of Olympic tracksters. Everyone knows everyone on TV and is yelling at them as if they can hear us from the Village. And the NBC commentators would learn a lot about the different events if they could listen in to what people were saying tonight. Some of the athletes in the TV lounge train with or compete against the athletes who were in the stadium tonight, so there were a lot of insights, positive and negative, about why someone raced well or poorly.
After having watched for half an hour, one of the throwers returned from the Village cafeteria with a huge McDonalds bag full of French fries, chicken McNuggets and burgers. Yes, the athletes eat McDonalds, though I’m not sure why. Kevin felt bad all morning after eating two Egg McMuffins for breakfast. I suppose if you eat junk food regularly, your body gets used to it. But it makes me wonder how much better these guys could be if they ate more healthily.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Winner or Champion?
A few years ago I heard Janet Evans speak about her Olympic swimming experiences. She talked about her first Olympics where she was a young, outrageously talented teenager who came in, won a bunch of medals, but didn’t really understand the significance of her performance. She said, “I was a winner. I crossed the line first, that’s it.” It wasn’t until she came back years later to compete in her second Olympics that she appreciated the dedication, perseverance and courage that it takes to make it to the Games. What she realized was that she could give her very best effort, be completely committed to her goal, and still not win. By living in the moment, appreciating her gift and giving it her best, she was a champion. It didn’t matter whether she was a winner or not. When she did win the gold in the relay, it was that much more special.
Which brings us to today’s 20km racewalk for men. Pre-race favorite Jefferson Perez is a winner by any definition: winner of the Olympics, World Championships, Pan American Games, World Racewalk Cup, etc, etc. However, he is also a champion. He wins with grace, humility and integrity. Today he finished second and won the silver medal. The ‘winner’ was Russian Valeriy Borchin who pulled away from Jefferson in the final five kilometers. Borchin served a one-year doping ban in 2005-06. He trains with the three Russian racewalkers who were banned weeks ago from these Olympics for EPO doping violations. His name was initially listed as one of those caught for doping but then his federation removed his name. Borchin is a drug cheat. He is not a champion. In my book, he’s not even a winner. It disgusts and infuriates me that he is allowed to race at all or that his coach is allowed to work with any athletes, especially kids and juniors who are just starting in the sport. Aaaagh, I get so mad.
America’s only 20km walker Kevin Eastler raced today for the last time (so he says). He announced days ago that he was very excited to be retiring from the sport immediately after his race. And since I am his roommate here in the Olympic Village, he has reminded me a thousand times since the race that he is retired. Tonight as I was heading to bed and he was heading out, he said, “Man, I’m so glad I don’t have to get up and racewalk tomorrow.” Thanks, roomie. Thanks a lot.
It was nice to get up early this morning to accompany Kevin to the National Stadium, take a short course walk-through (out the tunnel, around the 2km loop, and back) with US assistant manager, Tracy Sundlun, and see the procedure for the pre-race check-in. I walked with Kevin while he did a short warm-up and then headed into the stadium to catch the start. From the gun, Jefferson and some of the other pre-race favorites set a brisk pace. Kevin started conservatively and found himself in the back of the pack as they headed out of the stadium. Slowly, he began to catch the stragglers and moved up into 43rd place. His time was only a minute slower than his winning Olympic Trials race and the conditions were much tougher here. Given all the injuries Kevin has dealt with over the past year, he raced well.
I was rooting for Jefferson to repeat his gold medal performance from the 1996 Olympics, but he wasn’t able to match the surge that the convicted drug user from Russia set at the end of the race. To explain a little of the doping controversy, check out this article. I’m trying not to be too cynical about the drug use that seems to be pervasive in sports, but it's difficult. I’m optimistic that some day the testers will be one step ahead of the dopers and sports will be clean. I just don’t know how an athlete that cheats can feel any sense of pride or accomplishment at winning the gold. Or how someone can sleep at night knowing that he/she is a fraud. Sigh. Enough of that.
For some great photos and a summary of the race, check out Jeff Salvage’s excellent photo story.
The rest of the day was spent relaxing in the Village, listening to Kevin talk about the joys of retirement (shut up already!), and visiting with my family. Kevin and I took a taxi to the US Hometown Hopefuls hospitality. It was my first time there. The sponsor this year, Bank of America, found a really nice location with three stories, outdoor seating and a spot near the Worker’s Stadium – soccer and boxing events. The Hometown Hopefuls house is great because each US athlete can invite up to four friends and family to hang out, eat free food, watch video feeds of all the Olympic events, and check email.
My folks, Liz, Miles and Malcolm were all there and we stocked up on some good food, watched a few other sports on the live video feeds, and mostly tried to keep up with Miles as he was running around. Miles loved walking up and down the stairs with me. He doesn’t realize that I’m not supposed to be doing too much extra stuff like stair climbing or touristy stuff. But he got tired eventually, took a short nap, and we headed home.
The taxi ride home was an adventure of sorts. When Beijing was first awarded the Olympic bid in 2001, Chinese authorities assured the world that all the taxi drivers would be able to speak English by the time the world came to Beijing. Not so much. Liz helped me get on my way back to the Village by explaining, in Chinese, where I needed to go. The cabbie said, “Yeah, sure, I got it,” or the equivalent and we were off. We had driven 15 minutes and he started asking me, in sign language, whether we should turn or go straight. “I don’t know where we are!” We did make it, obviously, but if it wasn’t for the laminated card that says “Olympic Village” in Chinese that I showed to a few cops that stopped us at controlled intersections, I’m not sure we would have made it. Wheh.
Which brings us to today’s 20km racewalk for men. Pre-race favorite Jefferson Perez is a winner by any definition: winner of the Olympics, World Championships, Pan American Games, World Racewalk Cup, etc, etc. However, he is also a champion. He wins with grace, humility and integrity. Today he finished second and won the silver medal. The ‘winner’ was Russian Valeriy Borchin who pulled away from Jefferson in the final five kilometers. Borchin served a one-year doping ban in 2005-06. He trains with the three Russian racewalkers who were banned weeks ago from these Olympics for EPO doping violations. His name was initially listed as one of those caught for doping but then his federation removed his name. Borchin is a drug cheat. He is not a champion. In my book, he’s not even a winner. It disgusts and infuriates me that he is allowed to race at all or that his coach is allowed to work with any athletes, especially kids and juniors who are just starting in the sport. Aaaagh, I get so mad.
America’s only 20km walker Kevin Eastler raced today for the last time (so he says). He announced days ago that he was very excited to be retiring from the sport immediately after his race. And since I am his roommate here in the Olympic Village, he has reminded me a thousand times since the race that he is retired. Tonight as I was heading to bed and he was heading out, he said, “Man, I’m so glad I don’t have to get up and racewalk tomorrow.” Thanks, roomie. Thanks a lot.
It was nice to get up early this morning to accompany Kevin to the National Stadium, take a short course walk-through (out the tunnel, around the 2km loop, and back) with US assistant manager, Tracy Sundlun, and see the procedure for the pre-race check-in. I walked with Kevin while he did a short warm-up and then headed into the stadium to catch the start. From the gun, Jefferson and some of the other pre-race favorites set a brisk pace. Kevin started conservatively and found himself in the back of the pack as they headed out of the stadium. Slowly, he began to catch the stragglers and moved up into 43rd place. His time was only a minute slower than his winning Olympic Trials race and the conditions were much tougher here. Given all the injuries Kevin has dealt with over the past year, he raced well.
I was rooting for Jefferson to repeat his gold medal performance from the 1996 Olympics, but he wasn’t able to match the surge that the convicted drug user from Russia set at the end of the race. To explain a little of the doping controversy, check out this article. I’m trying not to be too cynical about the drug use that seems to be pervasive in sports, but it's difficult. I’m optimistic that some day the testers will be one step ahead of the dopers and sports will be clean. I just don’t know how an athlete that cheats can feel any sense of pride or accomplishment at winning the gold. Or how someone can sleep at night knowing that he/she is a fraud. Sigh. Enough of that.
For some great photos and a summary of the race, check out Jeff Salvage’s excellent photo story.
The rest of the day was spent relaxing in the Village, listening to Kevin talk about the joys of retirement (shut up already!), and visiting with my family. Kevin and I took a taxi to the US Hometown Hopefuls hospitality. It was my first time there. The sponsor this year, Bank of America, found a really nice location with three stories, outdoor seating and a spot near the Worker’s Stadium – soccer and boxing events. The Hometown Hopefuls house is great because each US athlete can invite up to four friends and family to hang out, eat free food, watch video feeds of all the Olympic events, and check email.
My folks, Liz, Miles and Malcolm were all there and we stocked up on some good food, watched a few other sports on the live video feeds, and mostly tried to keep up with Miles as he was running around. Miles loved walking up and down the stairs with me. He doesn’t realize that I’m not supposed to be doing too much extra stuff like stair climbing or touristy stuff. But he got tired eventually, took a short nap, and we headed home.
The taxi ride home was an adventure of sorts. When Beijing was first awarded the Olympic bid in 2001, Chinese authorities assured the world that all the taxi drivers would be able to speak English by the time the world came to Beijing. Not so much. Liz helped me get on my way back to the Village by explaining, in Chinese, where I needed to go. The cabbie said, “Yeah, sure, I got it,” or the equivalent and we were off. We had driven 15 minutes and he started asking me, in sign language, whether we should turn or go straight. “I don’t know where we are!” We did make it, obviously, but if it wasn’t for the laminated card that says “Olympic Village” in Chinese that I showed to a few cops that stopped us at controlled intersections, I’m not sure we would have made it. Wheh.
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