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Lead Stories: Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Nick Symmonds:
Post-Collegiate Running
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 24)

Posted November 18th, 2008 at 9:24 AM by Nick Symmonds

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

Welcome to the official blog of middle-distance track star and 2008 U.S. Olympian 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: nicksymmonds.com

I am often asked what a post collegiate running career consists of. Sometimes I am asked by a friend or a fan who doesn’t entirely understand how someone can make a living running. Other times I am asked this question by collegians who are interested in continuing their own track careers. Unfortunately, there simply are not a lot of resources out there to help these people understand the options available to athletes interested in running at an elite level after college. While there are many different options out there, I feel I must admit that I know very little about many of them and therefore only have the expertise to explain how my own professional running career came about. Ill start at the beginning.

After a fairly successful college career I had several sponsors expressing slight interest in representing me. Generally speaking, it is through these sponsors that one is able to make a living. I knew that in order to secure a good deal with these sponsors I would need two things: better marks, and an agent. As it would turn out I was able to tackle both of these challenges in the same weekend.
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Nick Symmonds:
Building the Base
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 23)

Posted November 3rd, 2008 at 4:29 PM by Nick Symmonds

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

I have returned to Eugene, Oregon and am in the process of building my base. As always, I felt terrible when I started to come back from my time off. Its amazing how out of shape one can get after simply not running for two weeks. I was ten pounds heavier and every step I took those first few days felt like an action that was totally foreign to my legs. I kept complaining about how incredibly out of shape I was to my parents and they just laughed and asked, “Wait, how many miles did you run today?”

That first week back the answer was usually five or six. I know to most runners that isn’t much, but to the average person 5 to 6 miles a day is a lot. I think that just goes to show you how strict our standards are for ourselves as runners. Even now, as I sit on my couch recovering from a 10 mile run I ran this morning I cannot help but cringe at how unfit I am. On the outside I probably look exactly the same as I did the day I won the trials this past July, but on the inside I feel so radically different.
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ESPN The Magazine Highlights Symmonds Training Blog

Posted October 17th, 2008 at 12:18 PM by Adam Jacobs

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

Nick Symmonds Blog The most recent blog entry published on TheFinalSprint.com by 2008 U.S. Olympian Nick Symmonds is featured in a new article on the ESPN The Magazine website.

Symmonds’ entry, entitled “Preparing for Indoor Track & My Base Training Regimen”, included a sample week of his base training regimen.

For the full text of Symmonds’ entry, please click here.

To check out the ESPN MagDaily by Evan Bartsch, “Reporting From The Jock-O-Sphere”, please visit:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3648628

Symmonds publishes new blog entries every other Monday at TheFinalSprint.com, so make sure to bookmark and check back often at: http://nicksymmonds.thefinalsprint.com

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Nick Symmonds: Preparing for Indoor Track & My Base Training Regimen
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 22)

Posted October 14th, 2008 at 9:30 AM by Nick Symmonds

Section: News & Results, Running & Training, Track & Field, Training Plans, Training Tips, Elite Athlete Blogs, Nick Symmonds

My two week break has just come to an end and, as always, I cannot believe how fast it went by. I had a lot of fun not worrying about getting my run(s) in each day and was able to do some of the things I love like hunting, fishing, golfing, and even getting out for some pick up ice hockey.

As much as I have enjoyed this break I woke up today VERY excited to begin my fall base training. I’ve said before that I truly believe this is where an athlete makes much of their progress. The stronger I become this fall the more speed work Ill be able to put in the spring as well as providing me the fitness to extend my outdoor season well into the summer.

I get messages and email from friends and fans that mean so much to me. Often I am unable to respond due to my busy schedule of training and travel. I apologize! Perhaps the most frequent messages I get are about my training.
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Nick Symmonds: Season’s End
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 21)

Posted September 23rd, 2008 at 12:55 PM by Nick Symmonds

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

I’m finally on my way home after a long 2008 season. Yesterday I ran my last race of the year in New York City down 5th Ave. The race was a road mile and certainly did not go as well as I would have liked. The field included some of the world’s best milers and I knew my only real chance of winning was to try and slow the pace down early and turn it into a kicker’s race. I took off fast from the gun and tried to take the lead so I could gradually slow it down, but as soon as I started to ease off the pace Jon Rankin was quick to take up the lead and continue to push. At that point I knew all I could do was try and hang on. We came through the first quarter in 54 seconds and I knew I was in trouble. The last half mile was painful and I finished the mile in 4:00.5. Certainly not a bad time, but far from the leaders who ran 3:50.5.

Of course, there was a bit of disappointment initially, but then I realized my season was finally over and I could take a few weeks of badly needed rest. Though I didn’t race nearly as much this year as I have in the past it has still been a very long season and the races that I did run in had a lot of pressure associated with them. Obviously, there were some low points in the season but looking back on it as a whole I am pleased.
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Lagat to Battle Willis & Symmonds at Fifth Avenue Mile

Posted September 17th, 2008 at 12:12 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Road Racing

The world’s most famous road mile is poised to add another thrilling chapter to its history when double world champion Bernard Lagat does battle with Olympic bronze medalist Nick Willis and U.S. Olympic Trials 800m champion Nick Symmonds here on Sunday at the 28th edition of the Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile.

Lagat, who also has two Olympic Medals to his credit, will not only be making his Fifth Avenue debut, but will also be running his first race on pavement. Already the reigning Millrose Games Wanamaker Mile Champion, Lagat will try to become only the second man in history –and the first since Isaac Viciosa in 1997– to win the Wanamaker and Fifth Avenue Miles in the same year.
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Nick Symmonds:
Back to Europe
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 20)

Posted September 9th, 2008 at 12:30 PM by Nick Symmonds

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

After an amazing experience in Beijing I boarded a plane bound for London to find a few races in Europe. Upon landing I was greeted by a good friend and taken to a cool little flat in southwest London. It was great meeting with my friends there, eating amazing meals each night and training in a huge park named Bushy that has miles of grass and dirt trails that wind through old manors and are home to a few large herds of deer.

After a few easy runs and workouts we headed up to Newcastle, UK to compete in the Gateshead Grand Prix. I felt great preparing for this 1000m race and new that it would be fast as it included a couple Olympic medalists. On paper I was one of the fastest 800m runners in the race and was left keying off the milers.
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Nick Symmonds: Experience
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 19)

Posted August 25th, 2008 at 9:30 AM by Nick Symmonds

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

It is August 24th and I have just finished packing my bags. I am about to leave China and fly to Europe for a few races, and I cant help but think back on all the incredible experiences Ive had over the last 17 days. Of course, there was a huge amount of disappointment thrown in there, but ultimately I just have to chalk another one up to inexperience and keep believing that I CAN run with these guys. With one more international championship under my belt I am that much closer to being the runner I know I can be and with determination and hard work I will make more teams and have more shots at World/Olympic medals. OK, now that Ive reaffirmed that, Id like nothing more than to share my experience at the 2008 Olympic Games!

Flying out here was a bit tedious but we had VIP treatment all the way. The highlight of the first few days was, of course, the Opening Ceremonies. It was awesome to see all the other track athletes, meet other USA Olympians from other teams, as well as President Bush and Lebron James among others!
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Nick Symmonds:
Off to Beijing!
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 18)

Posted August 11th, 2008 at 10:29 AM by Nick Symmonds

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

Note: The following entry was written on August 6th, just prior to Nick’s flight to Beijing. His next entry will be written on Sunday, August 24th and published the following morning on Monday, August 25th.

I’m currently in a dorm at San Jose State getting ready for bed early because I’m waking up at 6 AM to catch a flight to Beijing, China to compete in my first Olympic Games. Its hard to believe myself. The last month has been amazing; Ive put in many miles and had a lot of good workouts including one of the best speed-endurance sessions of my life yesterday. I woke up at 6:30 this morning to sneak in one last run on American soil.

The dorm I’m staying in is apartment style and sharing the rooms with
me are Andrew Wheating, Christian Smith, Dathan Ritzenhein, Galen Rupp, and Matt Tegenkamp among others. Its literally a whose-who of track and field and I suppose you would expect nothing less from the USA Olympic Track and Field team. Watching all of us go through team processing today you would have guessed our average age to be about 8 as we ran around filling shopping carts with the amazing team gear issued to each Olympian. It was literally Christmas in August.
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Nick Symmonds:
Conventional Wisdom
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 17)

Posted July 28th, 2008 at 11:44 AM by Nick Symmonds

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

Its July 15th as I sit on my couch in Springfield, Oregon and write this blog. To people who follow my race schedule closely that might seem a bit strange as I was on the start list for the meet in Luzern Switzerland tomorrow. I was actually scheduled to race again next week in Belgium and in London on the 25th as well. Unfortunately, I will not be running in any of these meets. I spent all spring looking forward to my trip to Europe and imagined running a 1:43 or two as I prepared to compete in China, but after the amazing experience of the trials I was left physically and emotionally drained. The combination of training, doing interviews, signing autographs and cheering on my teammates in the second session was simply too much. My usual perfect schedule that includes nine hours of sleep each night, regular meals, and naps in the afternoon was thrown for a total loop. By day 8 of the trials I was running on an average of about 5 hours of sleep and had lost 6 pounds. In training I felt worn out.
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