Track and Field Blogs - Jenny Barringer

It feels like that past few days here at the Village have gone by quickly and have been full of... well, .... a lot of the same. This is one of the few times when a lot of the same is nothing to complain about! Billy and I have been waking up in the mornings to catch a bus to the USA training facility at Beijing Normal University. If you're going to compete in the Olympics, make the USA team! USATF and the USOC have done everything in their power to make our lives comfortable and convenient. The track that we workout at is a mere 10 minute bus ride away and when I stand in the street I could throw a rock and hit three different tracks! We've also been eating lunch there at BNU with my coach (who is staying there) and the food has been amazing. The Village is nice but you can't get away from the fact that they're trying to feed thousands of athletes and coaches every day. BNU is able to accomodate and specialize because they serve a much smaller USA crowd. Anyway, we finish training and lunch and then part with Coach to go back to the Village for the rest of the day.

There is a ton of stuff to do and see here. Billy and I usually head to dinner together in the evening and then march over to the USOC facilities to call home and use the computers in the evenings. It works out well because when we're about to turn down for bed all of you are just waking up in the morning.

I got a special treat yesterday. In Boulder I live in a four-bedroom condo and last year one of the rooms opened up. Through a series of e-mails and contacts we finally found a woman who was interested and finally agreed to fill the room for this year. I didn't realize until much later that she's currently living in Beijing! When she learned that I had made the Olympic team we arranged to meet up while I was here. So, yesterday I met my new roommate here in Beijing and got her a guest pass to join me in the Olympic Village. It was amazing to get to meet her all the way across the globe (and in her hometown)! She and I spent a few hours together just chatting and walking around the Village. She is so sweet and beautiful and smart... just like my two other roomies Rachel and Cari. It makes me anxious to get back to Boulder where I will be welcomed home by the three most amazing women I've ever met in my life. And I get to live with them which makes it even better :).

So, some excitement meeting Qian but mostly routine stuff going on here. It's good though to have routine before big competitions. I feel comfortable, relaxed, and confident. Workouts are going well, runs in between feel smooth, and I'm just as happy as ever. Imagine my biggest smile :)