Track and Field Blogs - Flotrack Blogs

I'm back connected to the internet. Hooray! Heather and I left the hotel in Osaka at about 6am on the morning of the 28th. Between all of the time changes and the traveling it has somehow now become the 30th and I'm finally settled in Leuven, Belgium. I'll explain a bit of the journey. Heather and I took off from the hotel in a taxi and caught a flight on Korean Air to Seoul, South Korea. We had a layover there (2 hours I think?) and then flew to Paris, France. When we got in we went through customs and… more »

i would guess that a significant portion of the flocasts subscribers are now headed back to school in the coming weeks, if they haven't already. not to get nostalgic, but i am going to miss classes. well, maybe not classes, but definately the schedule/ regimen it throws you into. it's so easy to go from practice to class or class to practice once you're into your semester rythym. before you knew it, it was december and you were in great shape and finished with finals. i loved it. oh well, i'm sure i'll do just fine without research papers, cases… more »

Ok, so the last few days have been hard but I will be back tomorrow. I could not be in the press area again last night but that will all change becuase there are people out that believe what we are doing is good. I will try to get Bernard and Webb tomorrow and all the post race interviews you can handle. I recieved a ton of emails and Flotrackr messages of support and I cannot tell you how much that helps. Thanks so much and I will keep on keeping on.

Flo Jr. more »

Just have to say sorry that the coverage has been a little up and down, but I have been running into some road blocks here. I have been spending a lot of time trying to fix these problems and it has drained me mentally and physically. There are only so many times you can fight the good fight. I am going to have to find other ways to get you guys coverage. I hope everyone is doing well and I will talk to ya'll later.

Mark more »

Well the last time I wrote a blog was a couple days out from competition. I competed on the 25th and 26th. My competition did not go so well, I was disappointed with the outcome of my performance. I did alright in the first event the 100mH, but from there it kindof snowballed! While the competition was going on I could not understand why I was not competiting to the standard that I expected of my self, because I felt prepared. After the competition I learned more than I could have ever imagined. Me and my coach walked… more »

I have done my last workout. It went well. I have just been getting a lot of treatment for my body. Trying to make sure everything is good and ready. Since we are one of the last events, we have to wait around until it's time for us to run. It is cool on one hand because we are able to fix or work on any last little nicks, nacks, or injuries we may have, but it is a bit tough because we have to wait around while everyone else is in competition mode. The key is to not use… more »

12:00pm
So, I haven't written in a few days and I'm sure that makes me look like I'm pouting. I promise that's not the case. Yes, I'm disappointed that I didn't make the final... very disappointed. Not just because I didn't make it rather because I know I could have and maybe should have. I really didn't intend on coming to Osaka and walking away saying "Oh well, it was a good experience." I really wanted to contribute to the team and do as well as possible.

Now, the best way to do that is… more »

It has taken me a while to get caught up here in Osaka. The travel took a lot out of me and the heat drains you throughout the day. I have been going to both the morning session and the evening sessions the last two days and it keeps me from doing my video blogs so I will try tomorrow to get a video blog up and going again. Sorry about that.
Talk ya'll real soon,


Mark more »

I will try to do a couple race recaps when I have time. So here is a recap of a couple of the races from this morning.
I just got back to the hotel from the morning section of day 1 and I have already learned so much. This is my first World Championships experience and I have not been to an Olympics yet, so this is the biggest comp I have ever been to. Like I said I have already learned a lot and I think Sully (Kevin Sullivan) sums it up in his interview when he said,… more »

So that's my new nickname, courtesy of Beaux Greer, did you pick up on the Andre 3000 reference? I didn't think so ... hahaha. Anyways, tomorrows the big day! I was getting pretty nervous today when Lindsey (Anderson) and I were looking at the start lists, but then when I was running today and doing drills and strides at the track I felt much more at ease. I realized that this is what I love to do, and I feel like I've been waiting forever to run this race. Enough already!!! I'm a woman of action and I can't wait… more »

8:40pm
It's the evening of the 24th here and that means there's just one night of sleep between me and the most prestigious race of my life so far. Not to worry though, the hard work has been done and because of that all I need to do is what I'm capable of in order to execute a respectable performance. You have to be one of the best to even make it this far and that fact alone gives me confidence going into this prelim.

Despite all of this though... I'm still nervous as anything.… more »

I have finally made it to Osaka!
I left at 12:50 AM on Thursday New York time and arrived in Seoul, Korea 13hrs later at 3:30 AM Seoul time and I had 6 hrs to kill in the Seoul airport until my flight to Osaka so I worked on the "Running School" Video. The Running School was a lot of fun, the campers were great, all 500 of them. After sleeping on a couple chairs in the airport I headed off to Osaka and landed at noon Osaka time and took a an hour bus into the city. I… more »

Worlds coverage starts tomorrow night and I have to say IÂ’m getting pretty excited for it. I filled in my fantasy team on IAAF.com and spent the $4.95 to get the WCSN.com coverage (thankfully Eliterunning.com put up a schedule of the distance events so I donÂ’t need to add the 13 hours for every event I want to watch). CBC will have TV coverage here in Canada on the weekends and Mark will surely have some good interviews here on Flotrack. Yes, it would be safe to say IÂ’m a big track fan, and, IÂ’ll admit, a bit of a… more »

Just got back to the Hotel after my track session. It went well but I did feel effects of the humidity.
8x400m @ 58.5 with 90 sec rec: 58.3, 57.3, 57.6, 58.3, 58.2, 58.2, 58.2, 57.2
The legs didnÂ’t feel bad, I just took a while to find rhythm. The two 57Â’s early on really pissed me off because I didnÂ’t want to go any faster than a 58, but its been a good while since I have done a track workout and my pacing was all off. The lack of rhythm could have been from the hard… more »

I'm just ending my 21st birthday and everyone back at home is just beginning it :). I'm writing a little bit later today because I had a little chance to celebrate.

Starting from the beginning: I woke up this morning to run with Heather. It was the most industrial run I've ever been on in my life!!! I think it took us 25 minutes to run the first 12. We ran in downtown Osaka and it was madness. I only had to run 5 miles easy so I thought going to the track would be kind… more »

Well, I am in Osaka now. I have been here 3 days and I have done 2 good workouts and one easy day. My first workout day was just a blow out for my legs. I did a couple of 150's and some 200's on 24. My easy day was a long run about 45 minutes easy. Then today I did a little tougher and faster workout. It was so hot when I did it. I have tried to keep up with my core strength so I do some core stuff either in the morning or evening. My workout went… more »

Ok so the debate here has been the heat. Kim Smith finds it funny that I feel this isnÂ’t as warm as we had it in Arkansas, and although I agree its really humid here I feel its far better running conditions. Today will be my test, 8x400m @ 58.5 with a 90sec recovery. ThatÂ’s not a tough workout but if the weather does affect me I should feel it creeping in during the recoveries. So I will get back to you about that one! I am really feeling good at the moment, all my runs have felt smooth and… more »

10:00PM

First, Track stuff. I got out to the track today (finally) to do a workout. It was about a thousand degrees and the sun was beating down like a hammer to an anvil. After I warmed up I ran 4x300 at race pace and then finished up with a few more at sub-racepace. It was a great pre-race sharpening exercise and I felt really good. I was able to keep my recovery very limited between intervals so that indicated to me that the heat wasn't getting to me much. When I finished I did some… more »

9:05 am
Yesterday morning I woke up early again for a really easy 6 miles. I swear it was a lot more comfortable weather but then some people think we're just getting used to it. I ended up exploring a little bit on my run and found myself in some really packed apartment-like neighborhoods. I was there around 7am so the streets between the houses were packed with young kids walking to school (I'm assuming). They all had identical Nike soccer bags, which was kind of intersting, instead of backpacks. They also were dressed to a t. All of… more »

Osaka has been so fun! It has been great running and hanging out with some famous runners. Leo Manzano and I have been trying to stay out of trouble. We went to the mall and had a blast with all the little kid sinks and toilets. You can check out his blog for some of the pics. It's funny b/c we just started busting each other's chops right at the bat and we've been inseparable since He still hasn't beat me at Wii Tennis, but he keeps killing me in Boxing. If only the Wii could tell when a low… more »

Greetings from all of us in Kobe, Japan! By all of us I mean Terrence, Deena, Andrew (Flotrack 800m Champion – in case you missed it) and myself. We left Europe on August 9th and have been training here in Kobe, Japan for over a week now. The travel was great timing for me since I had a sub par race in Stockholm, Sweden on August 7. It was nice to leave Europe behind (for now) and the bad race was forgotten as soon as I stepped off the plane in Japan. My tolerance for the heat and humidity from… more »

Since recovering from stress fracture in March, all my training has been geared towards this week. I have now completed my final workout, and am ready to take on the world!! wooo! it`s nice to feel fast in training to have my confidence high 5 days out.

Yesterday's workout is one I have done many times, the week before a major race. This was by far the best I have ever felt, which was really surprising considering how tight and sore my hamstrings have been since the flight.

It went as follows:
… more »

So, I'm having a fantastic time in Japan. So much so, that I have totally neglected this here blog.

Its great here, so clean and safe and I totally feel like a celebrity. When we go to the track for practice, there are about 100 seats that they allow little kids to watch and take pictures while we practice. Today Katie McGregor, Alice Schmidt and I stopped to sign a couple hats as we passed by and the kids totally go berserk. Its just amazing to me the amount of enthusiasm they have for our sport… more »

7:05pm

I woke up earlier this morning to run in hopes that I might beat the heat a little. No such luck. I got on the path by about 7am and I think it was already in the high 80s. I ran 6.5 miles doing my usual 10 min. out, 10 back, water stop and then back out again. It seems kind of silly but it's worth it to get the much needed water breaks. 6.5 miles, strides, cool. Totaled about 7.5 to 8 for the morning.

Now onto the actual interesting stuff :).… more »

I arrived in Japan a couple days ago. We are about an hour outside the city right now, in Rinku town. I got on Japan time almost automatically, and I also have felt great in pratices even the day right after travel.
Well yesterday me and a couple teammates took the train into downtown Osaka, it is about a 45 min train ride. We walked around the streets for a while with no direction and decided to head back to the train station after a while. On our way back we saw an interesting little side street and decided… more »

So I am sitting here in Tokyo Haneda Airport all spaced out and blurry eyed, and I figure IÂ’ll write something on my blog to kill the timeÂ…
I am on my way to Osaka from Arkansas and let me tell you it has been a marathon of a journey, I think it is a 24hour door to door trip! This is probably not the best frame of mond to introduce myself into the world of Flocast but hey this travel thing is one of the biggest hurdles a professional track athlete will have to overcome. I find sleeping… more »

I had a time trail with Galen, ran a 3:43 1500m. Just getting the legs going, it seems like it takes a littlt bit to get the get adjusted. I had Dinner with Lagat and McAdams last nite. Today i had Dinner with MCAdams, Webb, Lagat and a few others.
Anyways hope everyone is doing well.. more »

10:45pm
Ok, I'm starting this planning on it being short because I'm tired... we'll see how it goes.

I woke up at 7 and waited for Heather to show up to hang out for my morning run. By the time I got out to do it the heat index was up to 98 and it felt like it. I had a long run scheduled for today but considering the conditions we made some compromises. I ran steady for 45 minutes and then finished off the last 30 minutes pretty easy. I ran back and forth from… more »

Well, Just finished my last workout at home before I leave for Japan. It went well. I have been doing a lot of strength work. A lot of repeat 600's, 800's, and stuff like that. Usually I do a lot of speed stuff, and I have done some but mostly rhythm, relax, strength stuff just to stay fresh and strong. It is always a challenge to take such a long break between races because you always train so hard and try to time everything perfectly. I am starting to think it just comes down to focus. It has to come… more »

I made it into Osaka yesterday afternoon. It was a long flight but overall travel was easy. It is so hot and humid here. You walk outside a are just instantly soaked. I did a run last night around dusk and it was terrible. The best way I can describe it is it is like the worst day you could get in the midwest. I plan to do my last hard workout tommorrow night so I will see how tough the conditions really are then. I got an ice vest from Nike to use, but it weighs like 10 pounds… more »

After being intially sent into the "athletes village" (4 hotels in a 2 mile radius in downtown Osaka), I quickly found out that I was the only athlete in sight. The IAAF didn`t officially arrive until the 20th, so access to training facilities was going to be difficult.

I spent the first day trying to scope out the city for good running areas, food, massage and bottled water. Rumors about the humidity in Osaka were spot on. All the Japanese woman had unbrellas for shade, and the Men all fanned themselves with rolloed magazines. Few Locals… more »

I made it into Osaka today. After 13 hours of flying and who knows how much actual time of traveling, Heather (CU's assistant coach traveling with me) and I headed out for a 6 mile run. The hotel here is huge and I'm staying on the 38th floor. The view is amazing, overlooking the water and parts of the city, but my ears pop in the elevator ever time I take it, so there are trade-offs :).

I ran on a bike bath just outside the hotel. I saw quite a few guys out there while… more »

another week down, another week of work put into the bank. my strength coach, Trey Zepeda, has moved me into a totally different phase of training. this week was fun, but painful at times. the sets and reps were totally different than anything i've been used to. this week i have been very familiar with the term AMRAP, or As Many Reps As Possible. each week that goes by brings me that much closer to the olympic trials and beijing.

i just need to keep making deposits.

as mark (yes, THE mark… more »

On Monday I headed up to Ann Arbor to catch Nick Willis do his last workout in the states before heading to Osaka. Nick and I had talked a couple weeks before so I knew he was working out Monday evening but on Friday I called up Anna Willard and she was down with me filming her workout. Anna Willard, the steeplechaser who just finished her career at Michigan, got second at USAs and headed to Osaka on Tuesday as well. I will be posting her workout right now (hope you like it).
Being a former steeplechaser, I must… more »

I had ran with the Galen and the Gouchers in the Morning, spent the day with Josh McAdams, Tom Brooks, Lindsey Anderson, Fernando Cabada, Aaron Aguao and Anna Willard. Played the Wii with Josh and beat him in Boxing and in Tennis, he will tell you otherwise tho. Later went with a run with Josh and Tom. It seemed like the japanese people thought it was wierd to see a group of guys with no shirt running through their streets. more »

Well we got in last nite, It was about a 15hr flight. We got our bags and when we were heading out of the airport to be picked up. We were greated by Japanese children who greated us; we exchanged gifts with them and took pictures with them at the same time also greated by lots of japanese media.I think the best part of the nite was meeting the children.
I woke up this morning and went for a run with Galen Rupp and the Gouchers.
We are staying at a really nice hotel, and the security… more »

Now that IÂ’m planning my next 12 months I need to start getting ready for the possibility of Beijing. Going to Flagstaff for a month in the spring is still in my buildup as I feel it worked well last year. At an Athletics Canada team Beijing information session in 2005, (that IÂ’ve since been kicked off of), we were told it would be a good idea to get over to China and experience the culture. Its also going to be fairly hot there so maybe its a good idea that I get out of the Canadian winter for a… more »

I leave for the airport in under an hour, so I only have a few minutes to post. The past two months since USA's have been pretty up-and-down in terms of training, but the past few weeks my ankle feels about 90% better and my workouts have been going much better. Its feels like its been a long summer because I've mostly been in Ann Arbor and I'm very much ready to head out to Japan. Mike McGuire, my coach, and I decided to do a little tune-up race at the Falmouth mile and I'm really happy I did. I… more »

Hey guys, I just got done packing for Osaka. Its been a busy day. Finished with summer classes and ended the day with a good work out. Well more like a time trial. Ran an 800m somewhere in the midst of 1:45. I felt good, ive really been hitting the strength/weight training and i think im in the best shape of my life.
I leave for Osaka Tomarrow morning..
C ya from Osaka!!! more »

After feeling a little sluggish at the PanAm Games, the last two weeks have been the best workouts I've had in about a month. I'm stoked to go and represent the USA in Japan. Unfortunately, the last two weeks have been crazy.
After winning USAs, I decided to defer optometry school in Memphis, TN for a year to prepare for the Olympics. We had been pre-approved to buy a home there, my wife had interviewed for a good teaching position, and we sold our contract on the apartment we'd been staying in. So ever since getting back from… more »

It's Sunday and packing for Osaka begins! After competing at the US Championships I never thought this time would arrive. I leave Wednesday morning at 5:30 am. I'm not a morning person at all, but I'm feeling I will be that morning! This has been an amazing time for me. I graduated from Washington State in May, and I'm now proudly representing Asics. I feel so blessed that I can pursue my dreams.
Since the US Championships I've been training very hard and feel faster and stronger than ever. I have for sure gone through tough days since then.… more »

Well here it is a couple of weeks before the start of the worlds. I have had a pretty decent season this year. My races have been all right. Some just like I expected and some totally unexpected, but, that is life isn't it. Since coming back from Europe, I have been training, training, and training. The key is to find a balance. That is what I am trying to do because if I do not I will be consumed with my preparation for worlds. It is good to be back and see my wife. Not to mention, I live… more »

Osaka is just around the corner. I can't believe it is almost here, it seems like it has been so far off on the horizon all year. I am really excited! The trip to Europe was solid, I had three good races. The times were not as good as I hoped for but I finished well in them and feel that they fine tuned me for the upcoming World Championships. I was very happy to get back even though I will only be home for three weeks before going to Japan. My wife is very pregnant! She is almost 35… more »

well, my last season at Texas was a long one. even though i only competed indoors, every week seemed like an eternity. indoors couldn't get over fast enough and my wrist couldn't heal any quicker.

all that's over now.

i've settle in to a new place a few blocks from the track,and i'm on my own. starting fresh. i've been in the weight room 3 times a week and going for 30 minute runs twice a week. this pales in comparison to what many of you are doing, but for me, it's a huge… more »

Let me recap the spring and summer of 2007 for yÂ’all and to do so IÂ’ll tell you where I was coming fromÂ… 2006 was a disappointing season as I contracted a nasty case of Bronchitis in March which completely screwed up Commonwealth Games in Australia, World Cross in Japan and much training going into the summer season. So not only did I have my first season of not PBÂ’ing over 1500m and 5000m since I started running seriously in 1998 but, I actually wasnÂ’t even that close to my PBÂ’s. I managed to run 13:43 by the end of… more »

Today is an exciting day for flotrack because we are introducing athlete blogs. A couple times a month our athletes will post and let us know about what they are doing on and off the track. It is another way for us to get to know our athletes. You will be able to leave comments and be flotrackr friends with the athletes. I encourage you to leave comments because I know how you guys have helped me keep on keeping on and I guarantee it will leave an impact. I cannot over state the power of your comments and words… more »

Many of you might unfamiliar with me, Reid Coolsaet, because IÂ’ve spent most of my life in the Great White North. So hereÂ’s the low down on who I am and what IÂ’ve done so far.

I was born, raised, went to school and continue to train in Canada. Normally people want to know PBÂ’s coming out of high school (we had a 13th grade in Ontario), 4:06 1500m, 6:05 2000ms/c, 8:52 3000m and 15:56 5000m. Throughout high school I didnÂ’t really run that much other than cross-country in the fall as I concentrated on downhill… more »

I just wanted to say thanks to all the athletes and coaches. I tried to get as many of them in the video as possible but I know I missed a few so I wanted to thanks some of the people you did not see in the video. Jen Rhines and Stephen Haas for helping do some play by play, Kate O'Neill, Mary Cullen, Roisin McGettigan, Molly Huddle, New Zealand dudes, David Krumenacker, Reid Coolsiet, Eric Gillis, Paul Morrison, Steve Sherer, Chris Layne, Andy Stubbs, Ray Flynn, Aaron Aguayo, Brian Olinger, Chris Lukezic, Alistair Cragg, Aries Merrit, Sarah Jamieson, Steve… more »