Nick Symmonds:
Season Opener
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #5)
Posted January 28th, 2008 at 1:41 PM by Nick Symmonds
Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Elite Athlete Blogs, Nick Symmonds
Welcome to the official blog of elite American middle-distance runner Nick Symmonds. For more information about Nick please visit: www.nicksymmonds.com
This weekend marked the real beginning of 2008 for me. Traveling across the country to race at the Boston Indoor Games was a decision not easily made. Many factors go into choosing a season opener and Coach Gags [Frank Gagliano] and I vacillated all fall whether or not to open up here. Fortunately, we were on the same page as to what we hoped to gain from my 2008 debut. It might seem strange that so much thought went into a race that is run in January and does not qualify me for anything in particular, but I will try to explain our thought process and what we were looking for in a season opener.
For me, the first race of every season is a stressful one. Maybe it’s because I am not accustomed to the nerves or maybe its because I know my training has purposely not been geared towards racing fast. At any rate, I approach these competitions with equal parts excitement and dread. I think, perhaps, one reason I place so much weight on an otherwise unimportant race is that it is the first real reflection of how my base training has affected me and where my legs are. Over the past three months I have worked hard to build up my mileage and to convert the sharp and speedy muscles I left behind in Osaka into strong, lean legs that can handle the demands of 70 mile weeks. The tempo runs, mile repeats, and Sunday long runs are the type of training more suitable for a miler, but certainly not the stuff fast of which 800 meter races are made. Most of us step into our season openers planning on running them “off of base,” as it must be.
As I stressed about my first race I kept reminding myself of the big picture (something I have to do often on, and off, the track). Of course, the races that really matter are in June and August. This race was about having fun, breaking up the training, and seeing what we need to work on this winter. Gags and I chose BIG for just these reasons and looking back on the weekend I feel we accomplished our goals. Though I was unable to come home with a win [Ed. note: Symmonds finished second in the men’s 800m with a time of 1:51.16, just behind Khadevis Robinson’s 1:50.92]. I relearned a couple important lessons on tactical racing and found that my speed is continuing to improve. I also had the privilege to hang out with some of the most elite athletes in the world, enjoy a great post-race meal, and see part of Boston. All in all it was a very rewarding weekend.
This is an exciting time in my life and I hope that through this blog and my interviews you are able to share in the excitement with me! Over the next few months I look forward to addressing any questions anyone may have and I would be happy to go into more depth on any subject regarding the life of a professional runner, my background, or running in general. For those of you who watched the race this past weekend, THANK YOU for supporting me and USA Track and Field and I’ll see you in Boston from February 22nd through the 24th for the US Indoor Championships!
- Nick
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Tags: 800m, 800m trainig, 800m training, base training, boston inddor games, elite athlete blog, elite athlete blog series, frank gagliano, indoor track and field, Khadevis Robinson, Nick Symmonds, professional running blog, season opener, thefinalsprint.com elite athlete blog series, track and field, us indoor championships, usatf
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The Final Sprint
sorry if you get this twice. I’m a freshman 800m runner at a fairly small college and i was hoping to pick your brains for some nutrition tips. What kind of diet would you recommend given the demands of the training for the 800? Thanks and good luck in boston
February 2nd, 2008 at 12:50 pm