TheFinalSprint.com | Premier Running Destination for Marathons, Track and Field, Race News, Podcasts, Training Advice and More!

Lead Stories: Friday, July 18, 2008

Nick Symmonds: Teammates
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #11)

Posted April 22nd, 2008 at 12:45 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

Most mornings I wake up excited at the physical challenges I have planned for me that day. Whether it is an intense set of 200s, a grueling day of mile repeats, or just an easy jog followed by some lifting, I usually roll of out of bed anxious to start my workout. Today however, I woke up and was literally dreading my morning session. On the schedule I had a 5 mile tempo run averaging 5:05 pace. As an 800 meter runner this is a difficult workout, but I’m usually able to key off my teammates and literally let them drag me down the marked bike path that runs along the Willamette River. Today however, I did not have the pleasure of working out with any of them and was left tackle this 5 mile monster by myself.

I am part of a very unique training group here in Eugene, Oregon; there is no other running team in the United States as talented or as deep as the Oregon Track Club Elite. It is a group that has been carefully selected by the great coaching minds of Frank Gagliano and Vin Lananna as well as the higher ups at Nike. We have guys who have run 45 seconds for 400 meters, guys who can run well under 13:30 for 5000m and guy who can race the lights out of any distance in between. It is an honor to be part of this group and sometimes I forget just how important my teammates are to me and how much more difficult and less enjoyable my life would be without them.
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

Nick Symmonds: Goin’ Home!
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry 10)

Posted April 7th, 2008 at 6:28 PM by Nick Symmonds

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics, Elite Athlete Blogs, Nick Symmonds

At the age of 18 I was applying to colleges and, though I wanted to stay in the Pacific Northwest, I also knew that I had to get out of Boise, ID. Boise had been my home for 15 years and while it was a great place to grow up, I needed a change of scenery and wanted to see what life was like in other cities. However, returning to Boise has always been extremely important to me. This Friday I will be going home for the weekend and this got me thinking about why I return home every few months.
Read the rest of this entry »

2 comments, add yours | Permalink

Nick Symmonds: The Last Bales of Hay
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #9)

Posted March 24th, 2008 at 6:15 PM by Nick Symmonds

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics, 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

If you have ever raced competitively and trained to peak for a specific race then you have heard the phrase “the hay is in the barn.” This, of course, refers to the months and years of training you have logged in preparation for that race. The race I am preparing for is the Olympic Trials and I have been accumulating hay for this one for about 10 years now. It’s amazing to think that in three months I will finally have my chance to realize this dream. However, a lot can happen in three months.

After taking five days off in Spain and just being your standard American tourist (i.e. not running a step and eating WAY too much) I returned to Eugene five pounds heavier and as mentally fresh as I’ve ever been. This is exactly where I want to be. I find that a few extra pounds help me stay healthy during the months of intense training and after an intense indoor season I needed that five day break from living the life of a professional athlete.
Read the rest of this entry »

2 comments, add yours | Permalink

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

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.
Read the rest of this entry »

5 comments, add yours | Permalink

Josh Cox: Promising Proposals (Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #4)

Posted March 5th, 2008 at 6:10 PM by Josh Cox

Section: Motivation, Famous Quotes, Elite Athlete Blogs, Josh Cox

Welcome to the official blog of U.S. marathon runner Josh Cox. Every other Wednesday visit http://joshcox.thefinalsprint.com for Cox’s latest blog entry and for more information, also please visit: www.joshcox.com

Promising Proposals: An arbitrary assortment of creative concepts, propitious projects and thoroughly awesome ideas.

“If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.”
- George Bernard Shaw, world famous Irish Playwright

“If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it.”
- Albert Einstein, German-born American Physicist

For a change, I’ll actually start with the sport of choice around here - Track & Field. Running is the largest participatory sport in America. In other words: more people lace up their shoes and head out the door than any other activity. Yes, more than the big three: football, baseball, and basketball.
Read the rest of this entry »

13 comments, add yours | Permalink

Josh Cox: Ad Finem
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #3)

Posted February 26th, 2008 at 12:15 PM by Josh Cox

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Motivation, Track & Field, Famous Quotes, Elite Athlete Blogs, Josh Cox

TFS Elite Athlete Blog Series JOSH COX 425x75 copy Welcome to the official blog of U.S. marathon runner Josh Cox.
Check back every other Wednesday for his latest entry and for more information about Cox, also please visit: www.joshcox.com

In ‘97 Cox ran and won a 50-mile ultra, in ’99 he ran his first marathon making him the youngest Trials qualifier. The following year he clocked 2:13, which opened the door for him to train with the world’s best in Kenya. Cox has tried his hand at Reality TV, been all over magazine covers and is a fixture in the sport.

Ad Finem – The Dream Carcass

Ad Finem – Latin: To the end/towards the end (of a page, a chapter, or a three-part, Latin-laced blog at TheFinalSprint.com)

The heights by great men reached and kept,
Were not attained by sudden flight.
But they, while their companions slept,
Were toiling upward in the night.

— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“Well, I wake in the morning,
Fold my hands and pray for rain.
I got a head full of ideas
That are drivin’ me insane.
It’s a shame the way she makes me scrub the floor.
I ain’t gonna work on Maggie’s farm no more.”

— “Maggie’s Farm” by Bob Dylan

“Don’t you let it all pass you by
Looking through life’s window pane
Don’t you sit around wasting time
That would be a crying shame

There’s a power that’s deep inside
And it burns just like a flame
Just believe and you’ll see that God
Will shower you like pouring rain

If you want it
You can change your world today
If you want it
Just break free and walk away”

— “If You Want It” by Lenny Kravitz

It’s closing time. Clear the dance floor and move toward the exits. Club Latin is shutting down. The night was fun, the music was great but everything with a beginning has an end. Temet Nosce, Carpe Diem . . . Ad Finem. The music has stopped, the lights are on, but as the bouncers usher you out I hand you a promoter’s card—don’t worry, it’s nothing scandalous, I’m like Kix®, kid-tested and mother approved. Well, most mothers . . .
Read the rest of this entry »

17 comments, add yours | Permalink

Nick Symmonds:
Roll with the Punches
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #7)

Posted February 25th, 2008 at 9:21 PM by Nick Symmonds

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Elite Athlete Blogs, Nick Symmonds

TFS Elite Athlete Blog Series NICK SYMMONDS 425x75 Welcome to the official blog of elite American middle-distance runner Nick Symmonds. For more information about Nick please visit: www.nicksymmonds.com

Nick Symmonds elite athlete blog There is so much to write about this week! The last fourteen days have been very exciting for me. Preparation for USA Indoors went very well. The weather in Eugene was ideal and I felt very prepared as I sharpened up for this meet. However, I was thrown for a bit of a loop trying to get to Massachusetts. Our flight was canceled out of Eugene not once, but twice, and in order to get to Boston on time three of my teammates and I ended up flying the red-eye out of Los Angeles. It was not the ideal travel schedule, but this sport is about rolling with the punches. My legs felt much better after a few hours of rest and a shake out. I felt great going through the prelims and though the final was a bit frustrating for me, it was a great race and a great time. I hope anyone who caught the race enjoyed watching it! Its tough to run half a mile and lose by 1/100th of a second, but that is why they measure the finish so accurately. Next time I’m just going to have to dig down that much deeper.
Read the rest of this entry »

2 comments, add yours | Permalink

Nick Symmonds: Nutrition
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #6)

Posted February 11th, 2008 at 2:30 PM by Nick Symmonds

Section: News & Results, Nutrition, Track & Field, Elite Athlete Blogs, Nick Symmonds

Nick Symmonds elite athlete blog It’s Sunday morning here in Eugene which means I have a long run to complete. During my base phase I will run as far as 14 miles for my weekly long runs and though i know these training sessions are extremely important, I don’t really look forward to them. That is why I generally procrastinate all day and usually head out in the afternoons. This allows me to actually enjoy a relaxed morning with a large, calorie rich breakfast.

Today, as I was fixing my usual Sunday morning, pre-run meal, I got to thinking about what I eat. Some of the most common questions I get about my training are in regards to nutrition. There are some athletes who are a bit neurotic about what they eat, and I guess I would have to say that I am not one of them.
Read the rest of this entry »

One comment, add yours | Permalink