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Recently graduated Loyola HS standout Mark Matusak checks in for Day 7 from Canada!

PanAm Juniors 1500m Finals race photo
courtesy of Patrick Olear!

       I watched some great races last night in the women's steeple, the men's and women's 800 and the
men's 10k . We took 2 podium spots in each of the races. After the races, I headed to the trainer's room and jumped in a trash can for a makeshift ice bath. The 10k'ers and a couple of the girls went to dinner. I had a quick bite to eat earlier so I was getting ready for bed. Mel was kind enough to bring me some pasta though so I was able to eat just as I was starting to get hungry. I went to sleep about 11pm.
       This morning I woke up and went to breakfast. I had a banana and a belgian waffle. After breakfast we had the final teammeeting. We discussed the closing ceremonies and the coaching staff passed out picture plaques to the medal winners up to that point. Sharieffa(sp?), our athlete liason serenaded us with an acappella of "Wind Beneath My Wings." It really helped me focus in on what I had to do later that day. We also had the chance to fill out evaluation forms about the staff and the experience in general. USATF really does its best to make our experience the most comfortable and worry-free that they can.
        I went for a quick shakeout run after the meeting and afterward chatted with Nicole and Sarah while I stretched out. After the run, I went to the therapists' suite and got my hamstrings and quads loosened up for the race. Next, I headed
back to my room and took a nice long nap. I woke up and hung out on the porch a bit with Linzy and Mel. They went off to 7-11 and I went to the cafeteria for lunch at about 2:45. I ate two plates of pasta and a banana. After lunch I went back to my dorm and just relaxed. I got my uniform ready and put my numbers on my bag, my warmups, and my singlet. I watched the Britney Spears concert on TV and then watched a couple of the sprints on TV before heading over to the track.
       About and hour and a half before race time I walked over to the stadium and said hi to my mom and Coach Diaz and his lovely wife. I talked about my final race strategy and then headed to the indoor track. About an hour before my race I starting warming up. I was feeling relaxed. The race played out just as I wanted it too. As you can see on the video, I was last for the first 400m, but I was able to stay in contact and relaxed. I moved up a bit after the first lap and held my position there until Galen surged to break the pack up. I surged to make I would not be stranded in the chase pack. It was Galen, the two Canadians, and then myself. With 300m to go the pace started picking up. I moved passed Galen with 200m to go and tried to go with the Canadians. My kick just wasn't there this time as it has been the last couple weeks. It was
awesome placing third and being able to carry the American flag around the track. The meet volunteers took us to the awards staging area and I changed into my podium warmups. Next we were presented with our medals and I was able to go back to see my family.
        After everything calmed down I walked back to the dorm to shower and get ready for the closing ceremony. The closing was more spontaneous than the opening ceremonies, but the fireworks show was great. Everyone was having a good time and finally able to relax. After we walked out of the stadium I changed my clothes again. I didn't feel like dancing in rain gear warmups. I went to dinner with the rest of the distance guys and ate some beef and pork. I wasn't too hungry though. After that we went back to the dorm and just hung around for a while. We saw the Michigan guys and girl off because they decided to go home tonight. Later on, the rest of the distance guys and girls went to the Alumni Center for a little bit of dancing. We danced until about 1am and then came back to the suites. We all hung out for a little while longer. Finally I said my goodbyes and I went inside to pack. After packing, I was exhausted so I went to sleep.
         I had a great time during the whole trip. It's an awesome experience to be able to hang out with
people who share the same love that you do. I forged a lot of great friendships and earned some valuable experience. I look forward to making my next national team. Thanks to everyone for all your support. I appreciate it very much. Well, that's the wrap on what was a very successful weekend for Team USA.