Hello my name is Janet and I have Olympic Fever (feels really good to admit that out loud). I have had a serious case of Olympic Fever since the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta and can honestly tell you I am counting down until the Opening Ceremony on July 27. That date has even been in my calendar for months now...again serious Olympic fever.
I caught the Olympic fever as I mentioned during the Atlanta Summer games when I was a mere 8th grader coming off of my first season on a track and field team. The coach thought that I could be a sprinter and put me a couple of times in the 400m race. Well I am not a sprinter...never will be a sprinter and I hated it. Then the Olympics came around that Summer and I remember watching the Men's 400m race when Michael Johnson won. I remember his time of 43.49 and comparing that to my 400m time (which I won't even mention) and realizing how incredible Olympic athletes really are. Ever since that Summer Olympics I have been hooked and look forward to every (Winter or Summer) Olympic year.
In many ways we, as runners, have a lot of similarities to Olympic athletes. We set goals and we work hard to achieve those goals. Of course my goals are not to win a gold medal but sometimes just hitting that PR or even finishing your first marathon is your version of the gold medal. I have always been a goal oriented person and when I set a goal it is my mission to accomplish that goal...my gold medal.
With the introduction of Twitter, I started following a lot of Olympic athletes the last couple of years just to see in 140 characters or less how their training went that day, what is their favorite food, etc. I have to say I love reading about their day to day as an Olympic athlete. I also love it when they share their favorite training tip. Check out this awesome recipe from one of my favorite Olympic swimmers Natalie Coughlin http://oneill365.com/2012/04/25/mustard-bath-recipe-from-natalie-coughlin/ This is her homemade mustard bath recipe and I have tried it and love it! It takes the standard Epsom salt bath to a totally different level. Plus it really does help with recovery!
With London around the corner, magazines, websites, TV commercials, advertisements, etc. are filled with Olympic inspiration. I absolutely love it and feel it has been an inspiration for me this year. With 5 weeks and 4 days (not that I am counting down or anything) to Ironman Louisville, I am ready to see all my hard work pay off to achieve my gold medal.
This past week was a huge week. I covered 145 miles of swimming, biking, and running all in 5 days (I took Monday and Friday off). This week is a pull back week leading into my biggest training week to start on Monday. Overall this past week of training went very well but I am happy about shorter mileage this week. The hardest day was Sunday when I ran 18 miles while it was very hot and I was still recovering from my Saturday training session. But it will all be worth it just to cross the finish line.
Happy Running!
