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Lead Stories: Saturday, September 6, 2008

Ryan Hall: Olympic Memories
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 15)

Posted August 20th, 2008 at 12:52 PM by Ryan Hall

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics, Elite Athlete Blogs, Ryan Hall

Welcome to the official blog of top U.S. distance runner Ryan Hall as he begins his quest for Olympic gold! Check back every other Friday for Ryan’s latest entry at http://ryanhall.thefinalsprint.com/

I have always dreamed about what the whole Olympic experience would be like. I have seen portrayals of the Olympics in many movies, the most memorable of which was “Cool Runnings,” but to experience it for myself has been both exciting and boring. I know that “boring” wouldn’t seem to be the adjective of choice when describing the Olympic experience, but the truth must be told that the Olympics is not all excitement, all the time for us athletes. I have been telling people that I want to go back to the Olympics sometime when I am not competing so I can get the full experience.

My journey started nearly two weeks ago when I left my hometown in Big Bear after an exciting send off party held in my honor where nearly two thousand people turned out to support me. Upon arriving in San Jose for team processing I was surprised to learn that I was the only athlete going through team processing that day. I had pretty much the whole staff waiting on me, which made a four hour process go by in a little under an hour. I was the last of the nearly six hundred US Olympians to pick up all my gear, which meant that I had to settle for some oversized items, such as some size 44″ cargo pants (I hope that I don’t fit into those anytime soon). Even though processing was pretty much empty it was still exciting to finally get the official USA gear. It was surreal to try on the opening ceremonies gear.
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Sara Hall: The Calm Before The Storm
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 14)

Posted August 15th, 2008 at 9:00 AM by Sara Hall

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics, Elite Athlete Blogs, Sara Hall

Welcome to the official blog of U.S. middle-distance runner Sara Hall. Sara’s list of running accolades include being a former NCAA All- American at Stanford, the 2006 USA 5K road champion, and the 2006 champion at the Continental Fifth Avenue Mile. Check back every other Friday for her latest entry at http://sarahall.thefinalsprint.com/

Nihao (hello) from Dalian, China! I am writing this from the US training base on the coast of China. We are enjoying some quiet days of training and resting along with our teammates and other Team USA members here before leaving for Beijing in a week. I am excited to get to Beijing and experience the energy of the Olympic Games, as we are somewhat removed from it all here, except for the television coverage of the games (in Chinese). It will be fun, also, to get a taste of what “real China” is like where we are there, as we haven’t gotten to experience much here since security is tight.
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Ryan Hall:
A Bad Case of the Mondays
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 14)

Posted July 31st, 2008 at 12:26 PM by Ryan Hall

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics, Elite Athlete Blogs, Ryan Hall

I could write a whole book on the lessons I have learned from marathon training. I feel like every time I build up for a marathon I get a whole life’s worth of wisdom from just three grueling months of training. These past couple of weeks has been filled with ups and downs. One day I will be doing a 13-mile tempo run feeling strong and filled with energy. The very next day I will be doing close to two hours of running (split between two runs) and feel like I couldn’t take on a recreational jogger. Deena has routinely been dropping me on my easy runs, but its OK, I can take it, she is a bronze medalist after all.
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Ryan Hall: Olympic Trials and Running Shoes [Part I & II]
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 13)

Posted July 18th, 2008 at 12:00 PM by Ryan Hall

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics, Elite Athlete Blogs, Ryan Hall

PART I

This past Tuesday I returned to Mammoth Lakes to put in my last hard month of altitude training after spending a week in Eugene to watch Sara compete in the Olympic Track and Field Trials. Watching the trials was one of the most emotional week-long experiences of my life. Watching some of my teammates and friends qualify for the Olympics kept me up late at night as a result of my excitement for them. However, my heart broke with my wife and some of my other teammates who failed to qualify. I could feel their pain as my own. I know all too well what it feels like to dream big, invest everything, and come up short. It is a risk we all take as athletes and when it all comes crashing down there is really very little one can say in the face of shattered dreams.

When I was a senior in high school I had a huge dream to run a sub-four minute mile. I can remember very clearly my last crack at it.
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Kate O’Neill: Re-living Childhood at Red Robin
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 12)

Posted July 7th, 2008 at 10:41 AM by Kate O'Neill

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics, Elite Athlete Blogs, Kate O'Neill

Hi, this is my blog in TFS’s Elite Athlete Blog Series. Bookmark kateoneill.thefinalsprint.com and check back every other Monday for my latest entry as I strive for the 2008 Summer Olympics!

The 2008 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials have been addicting. As much as I would have preferred to have a spot on the starting line rather than the living room couch, I still found myself enjoying the viewing experience. I was cheering along with the amazing Hayward field crowds; feeling inspired at the breakthrough performances of Christian Smith in the 800 meters, Amy Yoder Begley in the 10,000 meters, and Billy Nelson in the steeplechase; feeling awe at the survival story of 1500 meter Olympian Lopez Lomong; and smiling at the pure joy that registered on Abdi Abdiriham’s face as he celebrated after his victory in the 10,000 meters.

I had been afraid that watching the Trials would be emotionally difficult. For some moments, it was. I kept re-living the last Olympic Trials and wishing the intermittent four years had brought more success. For the most part, I tried to re-direct those thoughts toward the next four years. The thought of all that I want to accomplish makes me excited, but does not completely vanquish the feelings of nostalgia for the past.
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Josh Cox: The Library
(Part I) - “A Dream”
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 10)

Posted July 5th, 2008 at 9:00 AM by Josh Cox

Section: News & Results, 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

Not too long ago you had a dream - this dream as a matter of fact. Don’t feel bad, you just forgot, most do. How many of us remember our dreams? How many attempt to remember them – try to revive them – try to bring them back? We dream, but then we wake, reality sets in, and our dreams are forever lost. It’s understandable, we’re busy, we have things to do, obligations, you know. Sometimes we remember bits, pieces even, occasionally we think about dreams but most times they just slip and slide away, unless you’re in the habit of writing them down – as I am. I do this while I’m still dreaming, I know it sounds odd, but it’s for the best. Author George MacDonald described this moment in the first strides of Phantastes: “I awoke one morning with the usual perplexity of mind which accompanies the return to consciousness.”

It’s the moment when your dream still has a pulse but it’s faint and fading fast. This is when we must write – before the dream dies. If only more people remembered their dreams. Forgotten dreams, dreams forgotten. What could be more tragic?
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Sara Hall: Sled Dog Racing
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 12)

Posted June 28th, 2008 at 3:00 PM by Sara Hall

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Elite Athlete Blogs, Sara Hall

One night at pre-season camp in Mammoth the summer before my freshman year at Stanford, we had a guest speaker come talk to us as a team. The one thing I remember from his talk was his story of going for a ride on a dog sled in Alaska. The morning of the ride, he came out with the sled driver, and as soon as the dogs saw them, they just started going nuts, pulling at their chains and working themselves into a frenzy. One of the dogs was so excited he actually pulled on his chain so hard that he pulled the stake out of the ground! “You see that?” asked the driver, “They all want to be one of the ones that is picked to pull the sled. They were created to run, it’s what they love to do best”.
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Kate O’Neill:
Personal Fulfillment
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 11)

Posted June 23rd, 2008 at 7:58 PM by Kate O'Neill

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Motivation, Track & Field, Olympics, Elite Athlete Blogs, Kate O'Neill

Hi, this is my blog in TFS’s Elite Athlete Blog Series. Bookmark kateoneill.thefinalsprint.com and check back every other Monday for my latest entry as I strive for the 2008 Summer Olympics!

With the Olympics fast approaching, I have been spending more time than usual thinking about goals. Ever since the Chicago Marathon, I had been chasing the goal of making the US Olympic Marathon team. When that did not work out, I was miserable, but quickly made new goals. I had to remind myself that being part of the US Olympic team was not the only reward of accomplishing my goals. The feeling of personal fulfillment was my prime motivation and that was something that I could still chase after.

For some people, personal fulfillment comes from very different accomplishments. After my long run this morning, I lounged on the couch for a while and watched the MTV show “Made” with one of my roommates. I had never seen the show before today. For those of you who are not familiar with it, the series profiles teenagers who want to be “made” into something more glamorous such as singers, athletes, or dancers. To guide them in the process, they are given a coach who is an expert in their chosen field. On this particular episode, a girl named Dyanna wanted to win her high school’s beauty pageant.
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Ryan Hall: The Countdown
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 12)

Posted June 20th, 2008 at 7:55 PM by Ryan Hall

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Track & Field, Olympics, Elite Athlete Blogs, Ryan Hall, Road Racing

As I laid awake last night trying to fall asleep, I did what I have a tendency to do once training is clicking well and I feel my legs beginning to feel “alive” again after the initial callusing is complete from the first month of marathon training; I began the countdown. Only a little more than two months until I run in the Olympic marathon.

Countdowns are nothing new for me. When I was a little kid my siblings and I used to fight over who gets to open the next day’s door on a Christmas countdown board. I am not going to lie, it was the chocolate behind the door that we were really fighting over, but it did make Christmas all the more special once it finally arrived.
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Nick Symmonds: Anticipation
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry 15)

Posted June 17th, 2008 at 12:00 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. 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

Ive always tried to keep my mind focused on my most immediate competition and generally to keep it from drifting towards thoughts of other upcoming races. I find that if I get caught up in thinking about the Trials or the Olympics or any other race, I’m distracted from the
nearest challenge and the valuable opportunities it may present to learn and grow as an athlete.

So now, with my last race before the trails out of the way, I am finally free to let my mind focus on what I need to do in the prelims. At this point there is not a whole lot more I can do to build my strength and only a little more sharpening to do on the speed side. Really, I am just going to try and get as much rest as I can and make sure that on June 27th my legs are as fresh as possible. I know now that the most important thing I can do to be prepared is to just take care of my body and do my best to ensure that nothing tragic happens.
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