Nike Running Camps

Day 5 - Friday 7/29

       Today was a little more relaxed than the past few days. I woke up at 7:50 and went for a run with Josh, Neal, and Nicole Blood. My run was about 4 miles. After the run, I walked over to the fitness center and did core work and upper body work. Next came the ice bath. I walked with Neal and Josh over to the cafeteria to have breakfast. I had an amazing belgian waffle with bacon and potatoes. After breakfast I went back to my suite and showered. Then, I took a much needed nap. I woke up refreshed and watched a couple of videos of Olympic races. Next, I went outside and traded some clothing with fellow Team USA members. I hung out on the porch steps with the distance guys--Neal, John, Kevin, Jacob, and some of the distance girls-- Sarah, Nicole, Linzy, Erin, Maria, and Mel.
       My dad came to pick me up for dinner at 5:00. We picked up my mom at the hotel and saw my coach and his wife off to dinner. My family went to dinner at a steak house by ourselves. I ate some very tasty filet mignon and had this massive piece of cheesecake with rasberry sauce for dessert. Since my coach and his wife took the only car, my mom, dad and I took a taxi back to my suite. My parents stayed to watch the evening races.
       I put on some rain gear because there was a bit of a drizzle and walked over to the track with Neal and Josh. I met their Eastern Michigan coach at the indoor track. Mel and Lisa were prepping for the women's 3k. I headed out to the track and hung out with the Eastern Michigan guys along with Linzy Allen. Jacob, the 800 guy from Eastern Michigan, ran smart and finished second in his heat to qualify to the next round. Then I watched Mel and Lisa run their 3k's. Mel ran great to tie her PR and finished 4th overall. I watched the men's 5k next which had Paul and Daniel representing the United States. The race went out reeeeeeeal slow. With about a mile to go or so the hometown Canadian took off and gapped the field a bit. Our guys kept their composure and reeled him back in. With about 1000m to go, I believe, Dan took off and was rolling down the homestretch. He stayed strong and won the race. Paul ran smart and closed very well at the end to grab the silver medal. It was an exciting day of races, and it feels good to sense the competition around you
start to heat up. I am heading back to my suite now, I'm looking forward to the next group of distance races tomorrow.

Mark's Day 4 Diary   Mark's Day 3 Diary   Mark's Day 2 Diary     Mark's Day 1 Diary