Nick Symmonds: World Indoor Championships 2008
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #8)
Posted March 11th, 2008 at 4:30 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. Make sure to check every other Monday at http://nicksymmonds.thefinalsprint.com/ for Nick’s latest entry! For more information about Nick, also please visit: www.nicksymmonds.com
I am currently sitting in a cafe in Oviedo, a small city in the north of Spain and I’m thinking I have the best job in the world. I get paid to travel to many foreign places doing what I love to do. Well, usually I love this job, but sometimes it challenges me with the most difficult experiences. I ran into a new challenge this past weekend in Valencia, Spain at the 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships.
After passing through the prelims and semi-finals with relative ease, I found myself preparing to race in my first World finals. I was about to compete against five of the fastest people on this planet. The prospect had me excited to say the least and I had no idea what to expect. Though this was my first final on the World level, I have been in many championship races. They are, especially in the 800m, impossible to predict.
I assumed that it would go out at a modest pace and eventually slow down leaving things perfectly set-up for me to unleash a 200m kick that would surely result in a top three finish … No such luck.
From the gun we were close to all-out sprinting. The youth Kaki from Sudan was on a mission to prove that he was the fittest in the race and was set on leading the entire race. I did all I could do just to hang on to the pack. I crossed the finish line in last (6th) place and was absolutely devastated.
Looking up and seeing my time of 1:46.48 (a new PB and the fastest time indoors by an American in 4 years) did nothing to lift my spirits. The only thing that mattered to me was the two sub 1:45’s that the top two finishers had run. I was in shock, in awe. I put on my sweats and trainers and got outside as fast as possible.
After races like these only a good half-hour run can put things in perspective. As I ran along the streets surrounding the velodrome I slowly started to appreciate what I had accomplished. Two days removed from the race, I am proud to have been able to represent my country in the finals.
My top goal since I arrived on the world scene has been to help bring American middle-distance running back to the top. Though I am very impatient when it comes to this goal, I realize that the first step towards achieving it is simply having an American singlet in the finals. Although I’m not satisfied having accomplished this feat, I am going to savor the experience.
In five months there is another, more important, final that will take place in Beijing and that is the race in which I want to be. If nothing else, I am fired up to train hard, to live the life that a champion must live, so that perhaps, in August, I will place even higher and just maybe come home with a medal.
-Nick
Check back on Monday, March 24 for Nick’s latest entry at: http://nicksymmonds.thefinalsprint.com/
To comment on this entry and to send feedback & questions to Nick, please click here.
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Tags: 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships, 800 meter run, 800 meters, 800m, devastated, disappointment, elite athlete blog, elite athlete blog series, elite athlete nutrition, Europe, IAAF World Indoor Championships, indoor track & field, middle distance, Nick Symmonds, olympic hopeful, oviedo, personal best, personal record, professional running blog, race prep, spain, sprint, thefinalsprint.com elite athlete blog series, track and field, training, traveling, Valencia, valencia spain, velodrome, World Indoor Championships, world indoor track championships
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The Final Sprint
[…] Buckles Web Log wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerpt Welcome to the official blog of elite American middle-distance runner Nick Symmonds. For more information about Nick please visit: www.nicksymmonds.com I am currently sitting in a cafe in Oviedo, a small city in the north of Spain and I’m thinking I have the best job in the world. I get paid to travel to many foreign places doing what I love to do. Well, usually I love this job, but sometimes it challenges me with the most difficult experiences. I ran into a new challenge this past weekend in […]
March 11th, 2008 at 2:48 pm[…] Welcome to the official blog of elite American middle-distance runner Nick Symmonds. For more information about Nick please visit: www.nicksymmonds.com. I am currently sitting in a cafe in Oviedo, a small city in the north of Spain and … MORE >>Creadit By weight loss […]
March 11th, 2008 at 3:19 pmNick,
What guys like you and Steve Sherer and Scott Bauhs has done over the last several years is inspiring.
March 20th, 2008 at 2:57 pmIt’s great to see these runners come up from the Div 2 and 3 and NAIA ranks to do well.
Keep up the great work…
I was at indiana University watching the Regional cross country meet there this past fall and I had on a Willamette cross country shirt..
I mean, the shirt you can buy on line…i do that for just a hobby, every college team I can think of.
Anyway, at the Great Lakes regional I had on a Willamette shirt and this really old man comes walking up to me and looks at the shirt, then looks at me and says:
“It’s Will-ammit’ Dammit”!
I said “scuse me?”
he said again “The name of the school.
It’s Will-ammitt’..Dammit!”
Ya learn something new everyday.
hi nick I¨m a spanish runner that I meet you in madrid´s meeting, only I want to congratulate you for the race in valencia and if you came to madrid please tell me where and i will go to see you. thank you. coke
March 22nd, 2008 at 6:03 pmGreat race Nick! It sounds like everyone went out smokin’. Be happy with your PB and keep working for Bejing.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:06 pm