View Workout (Corin Bowen)

Return to Log

Outdoor Track Nationals - London Olympic Stadium

May 5, 2012 (Afternoon)

Exercise Type: Run

Comments:
This is something I'll remember forever.

I was originally waitlisted for the 5k and the 1500, but I got into the 1500. I was actually really excited at the prospect of NOT running, because I'm so out of shape and I was sure I'd be really embarrassed. I also just love watching track meets, and I will never again get to watch a four-day track meet at the Olympic Stadium. This event was actually the official opening of the stadium, so there was a huge ceremony following "entertainment night" (which was not actually very entertaining) the evening of my race.

This was great because I wasn't actually embarrassed. :P I finished 9th of 12 in my heat, but stayed right in the pack for the first 800 or so. Thank GOD they went out slow. :P The 1500 has first round, semis, and finals, THREE DAYS IN A ROW, so the winners, who finished in 4:16 yesterday, didn't go under 4:40 in the preliminary heats. Think running the 1500 three days in a row sounds scary? How about this: they run preliminaries and finals FOR THE 5K. I AM NOT KIDDING. prelims on friday evening, finals on sunday. one day between.

Speaking of the 5k: in the finals (women), I watched the winner run a 15:40, the second place girl run a 16:00, and nearly everybody else come through between 17:00 and 17:30. This is after racing 48 hours beforehand. I was completely in shock.

I should also mention that they treated Nationals as a practice run for the actual Olympics, so every formality was taken here that will be taken in two months. This means that we had to get warmed up over an hour before and then get shuttled in straight lines from place to place, picking up numbers and following millions of instructions. Labels got ripped off all our water bottles and every logo or brand name on everything you owned got taped over. You had to go through airport security just to get into the stadium and couldn't bring in even a nalgene-sized bottle of liquid (which is fucking stupid. it is a TRACK meet). We also each had our own uniform-actioned attendants at the starting line who took care of our stuff, etc. This meet was CRAZY. I will never do anything like this again in my life.

No pain for me, so I'm going to try to run and bike a little more frequently, but I also have four engineering finals in the next two weeks, two of which are for graduate classes and ALL of which are 100% of my grade. If I fail any single one of them, I won't earn 12 credits this semester, and I'll lose all of my financial aid and scholarships, in addition to my cross country eligibility for next year. SO I am freaking out a little. just a little. Oh my god.

This was an awesome weekend though :) But I'm so excited to come home and run with you guys!!!! I miss you all so much.

SO PUMPED FOR CROSS