What an experience. I am so lucky to have been able to attend this. At 8:15 all of the Canadians staying in the Olympic Village gathered for a little pep rally by our Chef de Mission Mark Tewksbury; he reflected on is past moments and experiences as an Olympian. It was a great pump up speech and by the time the Canadians made our way outside everyone seemed to be pretty hyper- afterall this was the Opening Ceremonies for London 2012 Olympic Games.
On our walk over to the main stadium there was lots of fans from local schools lining the roads cheering for every country that walked by. The ceremonies had started by the time we arrived, so we didn't get to much of what happened before the countries were marched in. On our walk over, I got to know some other athletes pretty well and had a chance to talk to Ian Miller and others who have competed in more than one Olympics. It was an opportunity to hear their stories and what they endured on the way to their dream.
Once we got closer to the stadium you could feel the energy coming out of there. The cheering, the music, and the closer you got the more anxious I got. Finally as we came down the tunnel and turned the corner to the stadium you could see all the lights and the people. The stadium was full, each seat had blue lights on them, and the crowd was loud! All you could see was constant flashes from cameras. Before we walked in, they asked that we not be on our cameras for the first 200m so that we could take in the moment of walking in as an Olympian and to let all of our fans from home see us (not our cameras). Standing there, waiting for "CANADA" to be announced was emotional. To think that I have realised my dreams, i'm living my dream right now! I'm walking in as an Olympian, representing my country. I can't really explain the feeling in words of what it feels like to be walking in there.
We saw lots of Canadians in the stands, waved and smiled the whole time. This was a time to enjoy the moment. The lighting of the torch was a highlight, it was in lit in the middle of all the athletes and coaches who marched in.
Now that I'm in Germany, this is a chance to settle down and get away from all the hype in the village. Here in Germany, all we get to do is focus on our training, recovery, and getting some down time.
It's almost go time!!!
Melissa
Monday, 30 July 2012
Saturday, 7 July 2012
London 2012 Olympic Games...I'm an Olympian!
Where do I even begin. Well..lets start with the "Olympian" part. Last Saturday on June 30th, I qualified for the London 2012 Olympic Games in the 800m. All I needed was a top 3 finish at our National Championships and I would earn my spot on the Olympic team with 25 other track and field athletes.
Leading up to that week, I travelled to Vancouver for the Harry Jerome track classic where I ran a good race, finished 3rd overall in 2:00.45. From there I went to Victoria for the Victoria International and won the race in 2:01.00. By that point, I was tired. I was really craving some training and some down time from travelling. In that past month of May and a little bit into June I had been racing lots and travelling even more. Luckily I made plans to head straight to Calgary after Victoria to stay with my cousin Jenny. The purpose of this trip was to get acclimatized to Calgary weather and just get some good training in with lots of down time. And I did exactly that. Jenny, D'Arcy, and Aja were such gracious hosts I felt like I was at home the moment I walked in the door. Jenny and I got some much needed time to catch up on everything as I stayed there for almost 2 weeks before the trials began. While visiting and relaxing, I did get some very good workouts in. A former Lancer athlete and friend of mine, Matt Sinclair, came out to take over as the "coach" for most of my track workouts. It was nice not doing the workouts alone.
On Wednesday, June 27 I moved into a hotel to prep for the Olympic Trials. My family also arrived that night and I was over the moon excited to see them. My brother Jonathan came out to surprise me, but it was a little to late for his liking when I saw him so he was a tad on the grumpy side. Never the less, I was ecstatic to see him and him to see me.
The track and field meet started on Wednesday, but my heats of the 800m didn't go until Friday evening. I was very nervous. I can't tell you why as I already had my A Standard and I was sitting in a good position for the finals. There's just something about running heats and the little unexpected things that might happen to throw you out of contention. Fortunately, I ran a smart race and won my heat and got a big Q to qualify for the final the next day. Big Q's mean that the first two women in each heat automatically "qualify" for the final, little q's mean the next two fastest times are the ones who get to enter the final. Once the heat was over I felt so much better, I was much more relaxed and felt good going into the next day. However, that changed VERY quickly once I woke up the next morning. Here I was facing the most important race in my career so far, the race that my entire season has been built up to...and I had to run it in almost 2 hours. When I say nervous- I mean very nervous. I was shaky, I couldn't eat, and I had a hard time smiling. Which usually isn't the case before any race. Sure, I get nervous- but I can usually get my lunch down and smile and laugh.
I saw my parents before the race and they both reminded me that I needed to have fun. That has been my motto for the entire year, why would it be any different know. And they were right, there's no reason that I couldn't make this fun as well (regardless of the fact that my Olympic berth was waiting on this one and ONLY race). My coach Dennis also offered some good advice. He said no matter what the outcome of this race, you cannot be upset with your season. You are the 3rd woman EVER to go under 2:00 minutes in Canada and you ran an outstanding personal best of 1:59.82. He was also correct, I couldn't be upset with that. But here I am thinking- if just the littlest of things go wrong I will have thrown away a dream of mine that I've had since I started running. Let me tell you- that was not going to happen. I quickly gathered myself together and by the time I was at the start line doing a few strides I was ready to go. I had calmed down about 10 folds and I was excited to run. Looking back on my nerves, I can see how quickly your mind can get in the way and potentially ruin everything. A lot of this is mental at this point and thankfully I was able to overcome it. I was reading an article about Jessica Zelinka, and her coach reffered to an article about a tennis player who was asked about the fifth set and how much of it is mental, and the tennis player (Ivan Lendl) replied with "No, if I'm fit, it's not mental". In other words, it's a lot easier to be mentally strong when your fit and you're ready to shine. I'm the fittest I've been in my track career, so I think back to when I was nervous before my race, I put all my eggs into one basket to quickly. I needed to separate those eggs and look at the bigger picture and realise that this was all in my favour. I had the Olympic A+ standard, I'm fit, and I just need a top 3 finish- not even win, just top 3.
Lets get to the juicy part now. The race! Dennis and I talked before the race and he had prepared me to be ready for anything. A fast race and a slow one. There were currently 2 other women in the race who hadn't achieved the A Standard yet but were very close. They each had their B Standards respectively. Keeping that in mind, if they wanted an Olympic berth they would both have to run A Standard in this final to be selected. The thinking was that the pace was going to be fast and the girls were going to go after it. Well..it did the exact opposite. When the gun went off I was in lane 6. I had two women on my outside, so I couldn't really judge the pace until I got around the corner. We got to 200m in about 30 sec. and I knew then that this was going to be a sit and kick race. I was sitting in about 6th or 7th coming around to 400m. I was near the back of the pack, but had tucked in enough so that I wasn't running in lane 2 for the entire race. We split in 67-68 seconds, about 10 seconds slower than what we would normally split, and stayed in the same pack till about 250m to go. The pace wasn't really moving all that fast yet, but with 250m to go I knew I needed to make my move then... or forever hold my peace. Thank-fully I moved when I did, because all the other women decided to move as well. I surged to the front and challenged the leader, Lem-Lem, for first. We held our positions to the finish line, Lem- Lem with the gold, my-self with the silver, and Jessica (the other 800m Olympian joining me) with the bronze. It was a very tight race, 10th's of seconds separated us. But again, we did what we needed to do.
It was pure relief and elation once I finished that race. I'M GOING TO THE OLYMPICS is all that was running through my head. I hugged up Jessica as we had both realised our dreams in a mere 2minutes and 7 seconds. I could hear my family screaming (well my Mom and Auntie Donna, the boys (Dad and Jono) were too emotional to scream). I am so thankful that my family was there to share that with me. I even had some extended family from Calgary there as well, and of course my Lancer family. It was tears and hugs and celebrating for a good 15 minutes. I can't put into words this feeling, and it has yet to sink in that my dreams have come true. A lot of sacrifices have been made and there has been lots of hard work put into this dream by everyone involved.
While my family and I were celebrating in Calgary, the entire Valley (from what I've heard) was celebrating at home. My cousin, Emily Bishop, along with many good friends of ours planned a "Run for Melissa" in support of my training and realising my dreams. It was a HUGE, and I mean huge, success. Over 300 + runners came to participate and lots of volunteers involved. On top of that, the Trivia night that Stefanie Valiquette, Linda Roy, and Ben Phillion all started was another major event. Again, the entire Valley seemed to come together again and support my dreams. Raffle prize's, volunteers, the kinds words in emails, facebook messages, and texts... I've heard so many wonderful things from home and it's just been a constant support system for me. I cannot express in words how much I appreciate the support that everyone has been offering. Thank-you from the bottom of my heart to everyone involved, the event planners, the volunteers, the donations, to those who participated, and those who support me...THANK-YOU! I am amazed and to be honest, un-aware until about 2 months ago, the support I had at home. The Valley and surrounding area has offered me a support system that I didn't know could grow so large and that I would be so endlessly thankful for. I can't wait to see everyone when I get home :)
I'll be leaving for Europe in a few weeks. We have a raced planned in Dublin, Ireland and from there we will head over to London and Germany for a training camp before competition. My first round of 800's will be on August 8th! I've attached the race below for your viewing.
'Til next time,
Melissa
Canadian Olympic Trials- 800m
Leading up to that week, I travelled to Vancouver for the Harry Jerome track classic where I ran a good race, finished 3rd overall in 2:00.45. From there I went to Victoria for the Victoria International and won the race in 2:01.00. By that point, I was tired. I was really craving some training and some down time from travelling. In that past month of May and a little bit into June I had been racing lots and travelling even more. Luckily I made plans to head straight to Calgary after Victoria to stay with my cousin Jenny. The purpose of this trip was to get acclimatized to Calgary weather and just get some good training in with lots of down time. And I did exactly that. Jenny, D'Arcy, and Aja were such gracious hosts I felt like I was at home the moment I walked in the door. Jenny and I got some much needed time to catch up on everything as I stayed there for almost 2 weeks before the trials began. While visiting and relaxing, I did get some very good workouts in. A former Lancer athlete and friend of mine, Matt Sinclair, came out to take over as the "coach" for most of my track workouts. It was nice not doing the workouts alone.
On Wednesday, June 27 I moved into a hotel to prep for the Olympic Trials. My family also arrived that night and I was over the moon excited to see them. My brother Jonathan came out to surprise me, but it was a little to late for his liking when I saw him so he was a tad on the grumpy side. Never the less, I was ecstatic to see him and him to see me.
The track and field meet started on Wednesday, but my heats of the 800m didn't go until Friday evening. I was very nervous. I can't tell you why as I already had my A Standard and I was sitting in a good position for the finals. There's just something about running heats and the little unexpected things that might happen to throw you out of contention. Fortunately, I ran a smart race and won my heat and got a big Q to qualify for the final the next day. Big Q's mean that the first two women in each heat automatically "qualify" for the final, little q's mean the next two fastest times are the ones who get to enter the final. Once the heat was over I felt so much better, I was much more relaxed and felt good going into the next day. However, that changed VERY quickly once I woke up the next morning. Here I was facing the most important race in my career so far, the race that my entire season has been built up to...and I had to run it in almost 2 hours. When I say nervous- I mean very nervous. I was shaky, I couldn't eat, and I had a hard time smiling. Which usually isn't the case before any race. Sure, I get nervous- but I can usually get my lunch down and smile and laugh.
I saw my parents before the race and they both reminded me that I needed to have fun. That has been my motto for the entire year, why would it be any different know. And they were right, there's no reason that I couldn't make this fun as well (regardless of the fact that my Olympic berth was waiting on this one and ONLY race). My coach Dennis also offered some good advice. He said no matter what the outcome of this race, you cannot be upset with your season. You are the 3rd woman EVER to go under 2:00 minutes in Canada and you ran an outstanding personal best of 1:59.82. He was also correct, I couldn't be upset with that. But here I am thinking- if just the littlest of things go wrong I will have thrown away a dream of mine that I've had since I started running. Let me tell you- that was not going to happen. I quickly gathered myself together and by the time I was at the start line doing a few strides I was ready to go. I had calmed down about 10 folds and I was excited to run. Looking back on my nerves, I can see how quickly your mind can get in the way and potentially ruin everything. A lot of this is mental at this point and thankfully I was able to overcome it. I was reading an article about Jessica Zelinka, and her coach reffered to an article about a tennis player who was asked about the fifth set and how much of it is mental, and the tennis player (Ivan Lendl) replied with "No, if I'm fit, it's not mental". In other words, it's a lot easier to be mentally strong when your fit and you're ready to shine. I'm the fittest I've been in my track career, so I think back to when I was nervous before my race, I put all my eggs into one basket to quickly. I needed to separate those eggs and look at the bigger picture and realise that this was all in my favour. I had the Olympic A+ standard, I'm fit, and I just need a top 3 finish- not even win, just top 3. Lets get to the juicy part now. The race! Dennis and I talked before the race and he had prepared me to be ready for anything. A fast race and a slow one. There were currently 2 other women in the race who hadn't achieved the A Standard yet but were very close. They each had their B Standards respectively. Keeping that in mind, if they wanted an Olympic berth they would both have to run A Standard in this final to be selected. The thinking was that the pace was going to be fast and the girls were going to go after it. Well..it did the exact opposite. When the gun went off I was in lane 6. I had two women on my outside, so I couldn't really judge the pace until I got around the corner. We got to 200m in about 30 sec. and I knew then that this was going to be a sit and kick race. I was sitting in about 6th or 7th coming around to 400m. I was near the back of the pack, but had tucked in enough so that I wasn't running in lane 2 for the entire race. We split in 67-68 seconds, about 10 seconds slower than what we would normally split, and stayed in the same pack till about 250m to go. The pace wasn't really moving all that fast yet, but with 250m to go I knew I needed to make my move then... or forever hold my peace. Thank-fully I moved when I did, because all the other women decided to move as well. I surged to the front and challenged the leader, Lem-Lem, for first. We held our positions to the finish line, Lem- Lem with the gold, my-self with the silver, and Jessica (the other 800m Olympian joining me) with the bronze. It was a very tight race, 10th's of seconds separated us. But again, we did what we needed to do.
It was pure relief and elation once I finished that race. I'M GOING TO THE OLYMPICS is all that was running through my head. I hugged up Jessica as we had both realised our dreams in a mere 2minutes and 7 seconds. I could hear my family screaming (well my Mom and Auntie Donna, the boys (Dad and Jono) were too emotional to scream). I am so thankful that my family was there to share that with me. I even had some extended family from Calgary there as well, and of course my Lancer family. It was tears and hugs and celebrating for a good 15 minutes. I can't put into words this feeling, and it has yet to sink in that my dreams have come true. A lot of sacrifices have been made and there has been lots of hard work put into this dream by everyone involved.
While my family and I were celebrating in Calgary, the entire Valley (from what I've heard) was celebrating at home. My cousin, Emily Bishop, along with many good friends of ours planned a "Run for Melissa" in support of my training and realising my dreams. It was a HUGE, and I mean huge, success. Over 300 + runners came to participate and lots of volunteers involved. On top of that, the Trivia night that Stefanie Valiquette, Linda Roy, and Ben Phillion all started was another major event. Again, the entire Valley seemed to come together again and support my dreams. Raffle prize's, volunteers, the kinds words in emails, facebook messages, and texts... I've heard so many wonderful things from home and it's just been a constant support system for me. I cannot express in words how much I appreciate the support that everyone has been offering. Thank-you from the bottom of my heart to everyone involved, the event planners, the volunteers, the donations, to those who participated, and those who support me...THANK-YOU! I am amazed and to be honest, un-aware until about 2 months ago, the support I had at home. The Valley and surrounding area has offered me a support system that I didn't know could grow so large and that I would be so endlessly thankful for. I can't wait to see everyone when I get home :)
I'll be leaving for Europe in a few weeks. We have a raced planned in Dublin, Ireland and from there we will head over to London and Germany for a training camp before competition. My first round of 800's will be on August 8th! I've attached the race below for your viewing.
'Til next time,
Melissa
Canadian Olympic Trials- 800m
Sunday, 3 June 2012
Olympic A+ Standard- CHECK!
Oh I'm so excited. Even though the race was 3 days ago, it still hasn't sunk in that I ran under 2:00 minutes and I am only the 3rd Canadian to ever do it...oh, and it's the Olympic A+ standard. The support from everyone has been unconditional and I am so grateful.
While in Tempe, Arizona Dennis got a call from a former athlete of his, Tim, who is now a Nike rep. He offered us the opportunity to run at Prefontaine Track Classic in Track Town USA which is Eugene, Oregon. We jumped at the opportunity. Unfortunately, Dennis couldn't attend; but a very close friend of mine and the Canadian record holder in the hammer throw, Sultana Frizell, was competing as well. She's been on this stage before and this was just going to be another meet under her belt, and she took me under her wing for the few days that we were in Eugene. The University of Oregon boasts one of the nicest facilities, as they are considered "Track Town USA". Stands surround the entire track and they are known to have a very good crowd at every meet.
Race day was Friday, June 1st. Being on the west coast of the country the air was fresh and the temperature perfect for racing. However, there was a slight drizzle and some wind but nothing to throw any of us off too much. The race consisted of mainly Americans, all girls who have previously gone under the 2:00 minute mark, and two Canadians (myself, and Jessica Smith who is from Vancouver). Dennis and I discussed this race in detail and settled on the fact that this was an un-planned opportunity to run fast, and we knew the pace was going to be there, so I was to just get out and run fast. There was a pace-setter who was supposed to go out in 57 seconds through the first 400m, but it ended up being in 55 seconds. Fortunately, I was in a good position and went through in 57 seconds. I was feeling good and I felt the need to pick it up a little with 300m to go. I went wide into about lane 2 to get around some girls, but they felt the need as well to pick it up. With 200m to go I was able to tuck into lane 1 again and I just focused on pumping my arms and cycling my legs. I crossed the line in 3rd which I was pretty excited with. We waited and waited to see the times come up, but it was raining and cool so we decided to head back to get our stuff. It wasn't until I got back to the tent after the race to collect my belongings that my phone is ringing. It's my boyfriend on the other line and he's VERY excited, at this point I realise I have run A+ standard for the OLYMPICS and dipped under the 2:00 minute mark. Needless to say, I was very excited and made my phone calls to my family and coach.
Coming up, I will be heading to Vancouver on Thursday for the Harry Jerome Track Classic which is held on Sunday night. Then to Victoria for another race on Wednesday, June 13th. From there I will head to Calgary and stay with my cousin, Jenny, and just get some training in. I still have lots of work to do. This is no time to settle. I still need a top 3 finish at Nationals. I'm just going to keep on my track that I've been on up until this point. No need to get too excited yet until my name is on the list and my ticket is booked.
I want to thank everyone again for their support. I can't put into words how much this all means to me. To Stefanie, Linda, and Ben and everyone who is going to the Fundraiser in June- THANK YOU! I have so many wonderful amazing people behind me. I'm anxious to get home to see and hug everyone up. Also, to my Uncle Bobby, his crew, and the forestry crew you've all been very generous in your support so I thank all of you as well.
'Till next time
Melissa
I've attached the race below from runnerspace.com
Prefontaine Classic 2012 Women's 800
While in Tempe, Arizona Dennis got a call from a former athlete of his, Tim, who is now a Nike rep. He offered us the opportunity to run at Prefontaine Track Classic in Track Town USA which is Eugene, Oregon. We jumped at the opportunity. Unfortunately, Dennis couldn't attend; but a very close friend of mine and the Canadian record holder in the hammer throw, Sultana Frizell, was competing as well. She's been on this stage before and this was just going to be another meet under her belt, and she took me under her wing for the few days that we were in Eugene. The University of Oregon boasts one of the nicest facilities, as they are considered "Track Town USA". Stands surround the entire track and they are known to have a very good crowd at every meet.
Race day was Friday, June 1st. Being on the west coast of the country the air was fresh and the temperature perfect for racing. However, there was a slight drizzle and some wind but nothing to throw any of us off too much. The race consisted of mainly Americans, all girls who have previously gone under the 2:00 minute mark, and two Canadians (myself, and Jessica Smith who is from Vancouver). Dennis and I discussed this race in detail and settled on the fact that this was an un-planned opportunity to run fast, and we knew the pace was going to be there, so I was to just get out and run fast. There was a pace-setter who was supposed to go out in 57 seconds through the first 400m, but it ended up being in 55 seconds. Fortunately, I was in a good position and went through in 57 seconds. I was feeling good and I felt the need to pick it up a little with 300m to go. I went wide into about lane 2 to get around some girls, but they felt the need as well to pick it up. With 200m to go I was able to tuck into lane 1 again and I just focused on pumping my arms and cycling my legs. I crossed the line in 3rd which I was pretty excited with. We waited and waited to see the times come up, but it was raining and cool so we decided to head back to get our stuff. It wasn't until I got back to the tent after the race to collect my belongings that my phone is ringing. It's my boyfriend on the other line and he's VERY excited, at this point I realise I have run A+ standard for the OLYMPICS and dipped under the 2:00 minute mark. Needless to say, I was very excited and made my phone calls to my family and coach.
Coming up, I will be heading to Vancouver on Thursday for the Harry Jerome Track Classic which is held on Sunday night. Then to Victoria for another race on Wednesday, June 13th. From there I will head to Calgary and stay with my cousin, Jenny, and just get some training in. I still have lots of work to do. This is no time to settle. I still need a top 3 finish at Nationals. I'm just going to keep on my track that I've been on up until this point. No need to get too excited yet until my name is on the list and my ticket is booked.
I want to thank everyone again for their support. I can't put into words how much this all means to me. To Stefanie, Linda, and Ben and everyone who is going to the Fundraiser in June- THANK YOU! I have so many wonderful amazing people behind me. I'm anxious to get home to see and hug everyone up. Also, to my Uncle Bobby, his crew, and the forestry crew you've all been very generous in your support so I thank all of you as well.
'Till next time
Melissa
I've attached the race below from runnerspace.com
Prefontaine Classic 2012 Women's 800
Thursday, 24 May 2012
My 2nd Olympic B Standard
On May 19th, I travelled to Tempe, Arizona for the Tempe High Performance Track and Field Meet. I had been in Arizona previously this year in March and the temperatures were pretty warm (mid-high 30's). When I walked out of the airport I was stunned. The heat was something I haven't experienced in a long time. It was dry heat, no humidity. Living here in Windsor I'm accustomed to lots of humidity, sweating the second you walk out of your house. Needless to say, I knew I needed to get lots of water and Gatorade into me if I was going to be running.
The day of the race, Monday, May 28 it was a record high temperatures for that time of year in Arizona; 105 degrees (or 40.5 degrees Celsius), it was like turning your oven on and standing in front of it. It was HOT.
Race time came around 7:40pm, and unfortunately it wasn't cooling off. It was still 105 degrees. Luckily, I stayed inside all day and I was sure to hydrate. During my warm-up I couldn't keep my mouth and throat moist enough. As with the last 2 races I had in the heat, I was struggling through my warm-up. I was feeling the effects of the heat but knew that I couldn't base how I felt in my warm-up on my performance.
We were fortunate enough to have a rabbit take us though 500m. We got out in 58 seconds through the first 400, I was sitting in 3rd, a girl from the USA in 2nd, and the rabbit leading the pack. With 300m to go the rabbit dropped out and I knew I needed to get going a little quicker. The goal was to get to 600m in 1:29 sec. and we were right on. At that point I had passed the girl from the USA and was in 1st. I just concentrated on staying relaxed and moving my arms to get to the finish line. I crossed the line and the time came up as 2:01.24. My 2nd B Standard!
I didn't come into this race chasing any type of time or standard, I just wanted to get into a quick race. Now with two B standards under my belt, I need be in the top 3 at Nationals of those with B Standard. However, if someone runs A standard on/or before Nationals, then I need to run A Standard as well and finish in the top 3. With only about a month left, I really need to concentrate on my training and staying healthy.
As well, in other news; just before my race in Tempe, my coach got an email wondering if I would like to race at the Prefontaine Track Classic in Eugene, Oregon. This is a Diamond League event and I'm very excited about it. The Diamond League is a series of races around the world where the top athletes go to perform. Last year when I got to rabbit the 5000m at the Diamond League in Stockholm, SWE I was just so excited to be out there as a rabbit. And now to think I get to run my own event. This race will take place on Friday, June 1st in the evening so stay posted for some results!
The day of the race, Monday, May 28 it was a record high temperatures for that time of year in Arizona; 105 degrees (or 40.5 degrees Celsius), it was like turning your oven on and standing in front of it. It was HOT.
Race time came around 7:40pm, and unfortunately it wasn't cooling off. It was still 105 degrees. Luckily, I stayed inside all day and I was sure to hydrate. During my warm-up I couldn't keep my mouth and throat moist enough. As with the last 2 races I had in the heat, I was struggling through my warm-up. I was feeling the effects of the heat but knew that I couldn't base how I felt in my warm-up on my performance.
We were fortunate enough to have a rabbit take us though 500m. We got out in 58 seconds through the first 400, I was sitting in 3rd, a girl from the USA in 2nd, and the rabbit leading the pack. With 300m to go the rabbit dropped out and I knew I needed to get going a little quicker. The goal was to get to 600m in 1:29 sec. and we were right on. At that point I had passed the girl from the USA and was in 1st. I just concentrated on staying relaxed and moving my arms to get to the finish line. I crossed the line and the time came up as 2:01.24. My 2nd B Standard!
I didn't come into this race chasing any type of time or standard, I just wanted to get into a quick race. Now with two B standards under my belt, I need be in the top 3 at Nationals of those with B Standard. However, if someone runs A standard on/or before Nationals, then I need to run A Standard as well and finish in the top 3. With only about a month left, I really need to concentrate on my training and staying healthy.
As well, in other news; just before my race in Tempe, my coach got an email wondering if I would like to race at the Prefontaine Track Classic in Eugene, Oregon. This is a Diamond League event and I'm very excited about it. The Diamond League is a series of races around the world where the top athletes go to perform. Last year when I got to rabbit the 5000m at the Diamond League in Stockholm, SWE I was just so excited to be out there as a rabbit. And now to think I get to run my own event. This race will take place on Friday, June 1st in the evening so stay posted for some results!
Sunday, 13 May 2012
OLYMPIC B STANDARD!
This past week I travelled to the Cayman Islands and to Puerto Rico for two FAST races. The Cayman Invitational was the first event, held last Wednesday (May 9th). Dennis and I stepped off the plane on the 7th in the Cayman Islands to thick, humid, hot air. I love the heat, but for track and field athletes, especially those in the distance events, humid weather can make or break a race. Luckily, the Windsor summer doesn't feel much different from this so I told myself I would be OK. On race day, I did a pre-race shake-out run in the morning and was feeling good. The race was scheduled for 6:35pm, and by that time the light wind had died down, but it was still pretty hot. My warm-up was not going well, I was really feeling the heat. But, with previous experience I knew that a bad warm-up is not any sign that it would be a bad race. Dennis and I talked race plans and I pushed how I felt about the warm-up out of my head. I knew that there were some fast girls in the race, and we had a rabbit, so everything would be set out for a good race. I just tried to breath, calm myself, and get the sweat off my face.
The race ended up being delayed about 20 minutes, which was perfect. It gave me time to settle down, get in some good strides before the race, and most of the all, the temperature cooled off just enough.
There were 5 girls in the race plus 1 rabbit. The gun went off and away we went. I was sitting in about 3rd coming into 400m, at about 300m I could feel the pace start to slow a little so I got out of the way of traffic and continued pushing forward. With 250m left I was feeling good so I went for it and finished strong running a time of 2:01.81 a new personal best and winning the race. I was very excited with this result; it's thousands of a second off of Olympic B Standard which is 2:01.30. The crowd at this meet was unlike any other crowd I have experienced. These fans LOVE track and field, they cheer (loudly) for every competitor. It gives me chills thinking about it, but I do have to thank the fans as they were spectacular and very supporting. Coming down the home stretch and there are thousands of people screaming and yelling at you... it lights a fire under your butt.
The next day we left early in the morning to travel to Ponce, Puerto Rico for the last race of the season on May 12th called the Ponce Grand Prix. This was a race that we had originally planned on going to, we knew there was some big names, and a deep field; 6 of the 8 girls in the race had previously run under 2:00 minutes in their career. Again, weather was hot and sticky but we ran at 8:25pm under the lights of the stadium and the conditions couldn't have been better. I was nervous for this race because I knew that it was going to be a little tougher to find a spot in the race, and it would be going out much faster than what I had previously done. And, not to mention I just ran a personal best 2 days earlier. My warm-up was OK, feeling a little bit of the previous race in my legs in some of my drills, but I knew I had to forget about it. Once I'm on the line, none of that matters anymore.
Once the gun went I knew I had to get the cut-in at a decent spot in order to be in contact with the front of the pack. We went through 400m in about 58, and I was still in contact with the lead 4 girls. With 300m to go the pace started to move and I went with it and decided to keep going with it. I finished 2nd in the race, but even better I accomplished a huge goal of running Olympic B Standard and setting a new personal best of 2:00.76!!!! I'm still on a high after being home for a few hours. It was such a positive week and such a boost to my confidence at this time of year. This is what I've been working so hard for, every single day. I'm very excited with the result and cannot wait to see what the rest of the year has to offer.
The support after the races via text, facebook, twitter, and e-mails was mind blowing. I want to say THANK-YOU to everyone for their support. It's a very comforting feeling knowing that this many people are behind me, cheering for me.
Up next, I'm heading to Phoenix, Arizona for a race on May 21st.
Unfortunately, no race footage of either race. If I find anything I will be sure to post.
The race ended up being delayed about 20 minutes, which was perfect. It gave me time to settle down, get in some good strides before the race, and most of the all, the temperature cooled off just enough.
There were 5 girls in the race plus 1 rabbit. The gun went off and away we went. I was sitting in about 3rd coming into 400m, at about 300m I could feel the pace start to slow a little so I got out of the way of traffic and continued pushing forward. With 250m left I was feeling good so I went for it and finished strong running a time of 2:01.81 a new personal best and winning the race. I was very excited with this result; it's thousands of a second off of Olympic B Standard which is 2:01.30. The crowd at this meet was unlike any other crowd I have experienced. These fans LOVE track and field, they cheer (loudly) for every competitor. It gives me chills thinking about it, but I do have to thank the fans as they were spectacular and very supporting. Coming down the home stretch and there are thousands of people screaming and yelling at you... it lights a fire under your butt.
The next day we left early in the morning to travel to Ponce, Puerto Rico for the last race of the season on May 12th called the Ponce Grand Prix. This was a race that we had originally planned on going to, we knew there was some big names, and a deep field; 6 of the 8 girls in the race had previously run under 2:00 minutes in their career. Again, weather was hot and sticky but we ran at 8:25pm under the lights of the stadium and the conditions couldn't have been better. I was nervous for this race because I knew that it was going to be a little tougher to find a spot in the race, and it would be going out much faster than what I had previously done. And, not to mention I just ran a personal best 2 days earlier. My warm-up was OK, feeling a little bit of the previous race in my legs in some of my drills, but I knew I had to forget about it. Once I'm on the line, none of that matters anymore.
Once the gun went I knew I had to get the cut-in at a decent spot in order to be in contact with the front of the pack. We went through 400m in about 58, and I was still in contact with the lead 4 girls. With 300m to go the pace started to move and I went with it and decided to keep going with it. I finished 2nd in the race, but even better I accomplished a huge goal of running Olympic B Standard and setting a new personal best of 2:00.76!!!! I'm still on a high after being home for a few hours. It was such a positive week and such a boost to my confidence at this time of year. This is what I've been working so hard for, every single day. I'm very excited with the result and cannot wait to see what the rest of the year has to offer.
The support after the races via text, facebook, twitter, and e-mails was mind blowing. I want to say THANK-YOU to everyone for their support. It's a very comforting feeling knowing that this many people are behind me, cheering for me.
Up next, I'm heading to Phoenix, Arizona for a race on May 21st.
Unfortunately, no race footage of either race. If I find anything I will be sure to post.
Wednesday, 25 April 2012
Mt.Sac Relays
My season opened last Saturday in Walnut, California. The weather was BEAUTIFUL and conditions were great. I ran 2:03.91 and placed second in my heat. Unfortunately, I got stuck in lane two for most of the race; however, those are things you can't control and sometimes they happen. Its a part of racing that you have to be prepared for. Overall, I thought it was a good opener, a lot of things to learn from it (as there is with every race) and I'm really looking forward to my next two competitions coming up. Now its time to get back into hard training and prepare for the rest of the season.
I've attached below the link to my race.
And a HUGE THANK YOU to all my sponsors for all of your support. These opportunities that I'm presented with wouldn't be possible with your help.
Flotrack- Womens 800m Olympic Development Section
I've attached below the link to my race.
And a HUGE THANK YOU to all my sponsors for all of your support. These opportunities that I'm presented with wouldn't be possible with your help.
Flotrack- Womens 800m Olympic Development Section
Sunday, 15 April 2012
Quest for London 2012 Starts April 21st
On April 21st, I will be opening up my 2012 outdoor season in Walnut, California at the Mt. Sac Relays. I will be competing in the Olympic Development section, and in order to be considered for this section I must have proved fitness/time by my recent IAAF World rankings. I'm really looking forward to this opener, the race includes other Canadians that I will be competing against in June at our Nationals in Calgary.
After Mt. Sac, I will be competing in two high level international meets in the Cayman Islands and in Puerto Rico. This trip will allow some exposure to top ranked athletes in the country. These are races to get out there, have fun, and perform well.
As of now, with my indoor performance back in March of 2:02.09, I'm only 69/100ths of a second short of the Olympic B standard of 2:01.30. These upcoming races will provide numerous opportunities to achieve that standard.
As well, two weeks ago I attended the Olympic Development Training Camp in Scottsdale, Arizona. It was a positive experience and I took away a lot of new things from this camp. We had access to our National team coaches, the best ancillary support, and a nutritionist; all of which I gathered some valuable information and plan to be using this season.
After Mt. Sac, I will be competing in two high level international meets in the Cayman Islands and in Puerto Rico. This trip will allow some exposure to top ranked athletes in the country. These are races to get out there, have fun, and perform well.
As of now, with my indoor performance back in March of 2:02.09, I'm only 69/100ths of a second short of the Olympic B standard of 2:01.30. These upcoming races will provide numerous opportunities to achieve that standard.
As well, two weeks ago I attended the Olympic Development Training Camp in Scottsdale, Arizona. It was a positive experience and I took away a lot of new things from this camp. We had access to our National team coaches, the best ancillary support, and a nutritionist; all of which I gathered some valuable information and plan to be using this season.
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