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Nick Symmonds: One More Hurdle Behind Me
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #14)

Posted June 2nd, 2008 at 8:39 PM by Nick Symmonds

Section: Elite Athlete Blogs, Nick Symmonds

Welcome to the official blog of elite American middle-distance runner Nick Symmonds. Be 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

With the state of my physical and mental well being left to much interpretation in my last blog, I thought I would take this opportunity to update everyone on how things are going here in Eugene, Oregon. After getting my knee sliced open at the Adidas Track Classic I returned home panicked and not totally sure what was going to happen to my season. I slept very poorly that night, woke up, and throwing all rational thought aside, decided to run 8 miles on my freshly sewed up knee. Crazy thing was, I felt great. My knee felt numb but did not bother me on this jog and I thought things were going to be just fine. However, once I got back home my knee began to swell and ache and ooze due to all the stress I had put on it.

Fortunately, we have an incredible doctor here in town who was able to see me right away. Doctor Olson is an athlete himself and understands the neurotic nature of an elite runner and just how important it was for me to continue training. That is why when he told me to take at least 4 days off I listened. I tried negotiating with him and Coach Gags, but they both came to the same conclusion: it was better to take a few days off and give things a chance to heal than to risk getting an infection which would force me to take a month off. So, with my head hung low I returned to my house and watched a movie.

I’ve dealt with injuries before and I can tell you that I do not handle them well. However, my usual way of dealing with them which mainly includes going camping and drinking beer seemed inappropriate given the importance of this season. Instead, I relied on my amazing friends and family to keep my spirits up. I spoke with my old coaches and used their wisdom and words of encouragement to stay positive and focused. I had dinner with Gags each night and we talked about what kind of workouts we could run to get back in shape as quickly as possible. Also, I met with Dr. Olson almost every day so he could look at my wound and make sure things were healing as they should.

Going into this break in training I was upset and stressed out, but looking back on it I realize more than ever that everything happens for a reason. I was physically and mentally drained the week leading up to the adidas Track Classic. After four days of recuperating I came back with fresh legs and a fresh outlook on my season. Gags started me back relatively easy (a few easy miles with some strides) and I knew that I would be OK after a couple workouts.

As a result of the down time I was unable to compete at the OTC exhibition meet at Hayward Field but, thanks to resourceful thinking on Coach’s part and the generosity of Nike we were able to throw together a few great 800s the following week up at Nike World Campus. I went up last Thursday not knowing what kind of time I was ready to run, but just wanted to race like a champion. I ran a smart race and posted a US leading time of 1:46.14. Though that time was taken down a few days later by Khadevis Robinson I am confident that after this weekend it will again be mine. I’m looking forward to the Prefontaine Classic where I will be going in as the defending champion and meet record holder. These are certainly two things I never thought I’d be able to say! I plan on racing with the intensity and patience I showed last year and hope to show that I am more than ready to be a part of this year’s Olympic Team.

-Nick

Be sure to check back on Monday, June 16th, 2008 for Nick’s latest entry at: http://nicksymmonds.thefinalsprint.com/

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