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Lead Stories: Friday, November 21, 2008

Be True To Your School

Posted May 18th, 2008 at 11:30 AM by Jesse Squire

Section: News & Results, Cross Country, Track & Field, College

“I got a letterman’s sweater
With a letter in front
I got for football and track
I’m proud to wear it now
When I cruise around
The other parts of the town
I got a decal in back

So be true to your school now
Just like you would to your girl or guy
Be true to your school now
And let your colors fly
Be true to your school”

I did not go to a track meet this afternoon.

This is an unusual situation for me on a Saturday in May. There’s always a meet going on somewhere, and my previous blog wasn’t written under the name of “The Track & Field Superfan” for nothing. But this wasn’t just any Saturday, and not just any track meet that I didn’t attend.

I ran at Bowling Green State University in the early 90s, and while I wasn’t particularly good for a college runner I thoroughly enjoyed taking on the extreme physical challenge of training and competing in the NCAA’s highest division. I liked my experiences in Bowling Green so much, I remained in the town for fifteen years after graduation, only leaving six months ago when my wife’s career took us away. I bled burnt orange and seal brown.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Most Favorites Advance in World Indoor 3000m Qualifying

Posted March 7th, 2008 at 9:45 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

meseret defar 2006 stuttgart The 12th IAAF World Indoor Championships opened here today at the Palau Lluis Puig, and nearly all the top entrants in the men’s and women’s 3000 meters advance to their respective finals.

The first heat of the women’s qualifying round offered perhaps the best glimpse of tomorrow’s final when defending champion, Meseret Defar (Pictured)of Ethiopia, and one of her top challengers, Kim Smith of New Zealand, broke away with three laps to go to finish 1-2 in 8:51.02 and 8:52.82, respectively. Their times were particularly impressive, considering they ran the first kilometer in a pokey 3:06.22.

“It was easy,” Defar said after the race, speaking in English. “I keep for tomorrow.”
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U.S. Indoor Track & Field Championships Recap

Posted February 25th, 2008 at 12:00 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

matt-tegenkamp Shannon Rowbury and Matt Tegenkamp [Pictured] dominated the 3-K’s, while Khadevis Robinson just held off Nick Symmonds in the men’s 800m to highlight two days of action at the AT&T U.S. Indoor Championships here. The meet served as the U.S. trials for next month’s IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics in Valencia, Spain, with the top-2 finishers in each event earning provisional berths on the U.S. team.

As expected, Tegenkamp defended his title, but now has the distinction of winning the national 3000m crown in the slowest ever time since the event was introduced to these championships in 1987. In fact, his 8:02.52 clocking is the only winning time north of eight minutes in the history of the meet.
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USA Indoor T&F Champs: Shareese Woods Annihilates 2nd Heat to Claim 400m Title

Posted February 24th, 2008 at 7:28 PM by Jared Markowitz

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Special Features, Live Race Coverage

The Women’s 400m final at the 2008 USATF Indoor Championships featured a remarkable individual effort by unattached athlete Shareese Woods who took the title out of the second heat.

Moushaumi Robinson won a very close first heat, but she came up just short of Woods. Woods ran a scorching 52.03 to win her heat by 1.34s and the overall title by 0.3s over Moushami Robinson. Mary Wineberg (who had the fastest time in the preliminary round) was third in 52.36.

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USA Indoor T&F Champs: Myers Uses Strong Finish to Claim 1500m Title

Posted February 24th, 2008 at 6:53 PM by Jeremy Sussman

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Special Features, Live Race Coverage

Rob Myers claimed his second USATF Indoor 1500m title with a stellar time of 3:40.89. The former Ohio State star bided his time in the pack for the first kilometer before taking control during the last quarter mile.

The race got off to an honest start with Kalpanatit Broderick taking it out in 57.82 for 400m and slowing a bit to split 1:59.82 for 800m. He was followed by Myers, Stanford Alum Russell Brown, and Sean O’Brien with the rest of the field still in tow.
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USA Indoor T&F Champs: Teter Returns to Form with 800m Win

Posted February 24th, 2008 at 6:28 PM by Jared Markowitz

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Special Features, Live Race Coverage

The Women’s 800m marked a triumphant return to the top for U.S. record holder Nicole Teter. Teter ran 1:58.71 to set the U.S. record back in 2002 and was a major factor on the world 1500m scene before a slew of injuries slowed her in recent years. However she did break 2:00 last year and ran a 2:03.80 a few weeks ago. Her race here was her first national championship since 2003.

Tonight’s race was led early by Nicole Cook, who took the field through 200m in a brisk 29.6. She was followed closely by Teter, Miesha Marzell, and Tiffany McWilliams on the outside. The order was unchanged through 400m which was reached in 1:01.17.
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