Track and Field Blogs - Jenny Barringer

August 8^th, 2008 I stepped into my very first Olympic stadium. I marched into the “bird’s nest” accompanied by hundreds of other USA athletes and following the Stars and Stripes, carried by our own Lopez Lomong. It was such an incredible experience of pride and opportunity. I could hear the booming fireworks, see the crowd of thousands, feel the expectation, and smell the competition ahead. The noise was deafening as the Chinese and Olympic crowd welcomed us into the stadium. We walked a lap of the track and circled the very place where champions would be made in the coming weeks. The memory that sticks with me a year later is the emotion rather than the sight. It was truly a “moment” to remember over just a visual memory.

August 15^th and 17^th, 2008 I reentered the stadium to lap the track a total of fifteen more times. Despite being far out of the medals, those laps resulted in two great runs and an overall performance I could be very proud of.

July 31^st, 2009 I raced in the 1912 Olympic stadium in Stockholm, Sweden. It was my first Super Grand Prix race of my life. It was a dramatic run inside my head. Nothing happened as I expected. As I clipped off one lap after the other I was experiencing an emotional rollercoaster. After leading, I was swallowed up by a pack of runners and had to fight against the emotional white flag I was ready to hoist. That temptation was sufficiently pummeled when the final lap bell sounded, triggering a bell in my own head to finish strong. The victory was sweet because I knew I had beaten my toughest challenger- my own mind.

Yesterday, I entered the third Olympic stadium of my career and all in just the past year. I raced in Beijing, then in Stockholm, and yesterday I went to visit the stadium here in Berlin. The site of the 1936 Olympics with such greats as Jesse Owens, it was an honor to walk the long tunnel from the practice fields into the stadium. What I noticed right away is that the stadium feels like it has a Greek feel but at the same time it’s very modern. I took a lap on the bright blue surface and watched the busyness of set-up. Cameras being positioned, children being taught how to walk the baskets to the finish line, banners being hung, the steeple barrier yet to be put into place. It was fun to see the seats empty and all of the energy concentrated right around the track. The stadium is beautiful. It has long straights and the open oval sky is gorgeous on a clear day.

I’m so excited and energized about this weekend. I’m coming down a little though. I’ve got a lot to focus on. There’s a job to be done. It’s fun, but it’s got to be total business for the next few days. If things play out right, I hope third’s the charm.