Trading a bicycle for a Ferrari

Seems that Mike is tuning up nicely and rounding into shape at precisely the right moment. I like the metaphor he deploys of turning a bicycle into a Ferrari. I can't imagine anyone could be revved up anymore than Mike must be at this moment. Let 'er rip, Mike.

From Mike in Beijing:

08.17.08: 5 Days Out

Today was the last “intense” training day for me. This morning I had a sprinting workout, which at this stage is more for hormonal increase and release rather than trying to get faster. After the morning sprints session, I had a technical session that included some light ball throws designed to generate arm speed as well as some runway work to solidify my approach. In the previous days, my upper body and arm was moving much better than my legs. My coach said that it looked like I had a Ferrari engine strapped to a bicycle and thus the timing was off. Today it was much better and my legs are finally starting to feel alive. My arm is in the best shape it has ever been in. My coach jokingly was looking for a radar gun over here to check my arm speed. I threw 95pmh from the outfield in college and I’m guessing I would top out around 99-100mph now. The majority of the track and field athletes from the USA who have not made the finals in their respected events are now finished for the most part and the mood around the village is getting more festive. Unfortunately for me I still have a few more days before I can let my hair down! Tomorrow is another rest and recovery day. I plan to do some laundry, check a few hundred emails and maybe catch a nap or 2. See yall on the 18th,
Mike

Good things come to those who...

...wait.

Yes, patience is a virtue. But the patience Mike is exhibiting --ten days into the world's most pressure-filled sporting event, in one of the busiest cities in the most populous country, when all environmental indicia point to excitement, movement and athletic expression --would rival Job's.

Hang in there, Mike. Your turn will come. And when it does, we'll be cheering.

From Mike in Beijing:

08.16.08: The Countdown Begins

We are well underway with the track and field portion of the Beijing Olympic Games, and there have been a few upsets and a few stellar performances on the USA team. One of the toughest things to do is to sit back and watch all of your friends with whom you have trained and competed against live out their Olympic dreams. The javelin throw is one of the last events of the games, as it was also last at the USA trials. Due to the lateness of my event, I have had the opportunity to watch many of my friends compete. I had the joy of watching one of my best friends, Hyleas Fountain, have the performance of her life and win the bronze medal in the heptathlon. I have also had to sit and watch some of my other close friends see their dreams fade in the men's shot out and discus throw. It has been quite the emotional rollercoaster. Now that the javelin is the last throwing event to compete, the focus has been placed upon Leigh Smith, Breaux Greer and myself to pick up the slack in the USA medal count.

In my recent blog entries I mentioned that the amount of free time that I have is dwindling every day. I find myself staying up until well after midnight due to many of the things that I need to do during the day. The most difficult thing for me has been the juggling act of doing what I need to do to prepare for my event and also taking time to watch my friends compete and share their Olympic experience. As I have said before, there just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day and it doesn't seem possible that I have been in China for over 1 1/2 weeks. These games are indeed flying by and I am caught in the middle of the preparation vs. experience dilemma. My training has been great and the biggest focus now is just getting a sense of normalcy. I have competed well in 12 meets year...my program is timed perfect, my health is good and I am approaching lifetime bests in the weight room. As impossible as it may sound, I very well may just have to approach the Olympic Games as just another track meet (with over 1 BILLION people watching). My plan so far when its time to throw...."just push print."

See you on the 08.17.08
Mike

Back to the Mothership

Mike sent the following from Beijing this morning (which is this evening in China). He and the US Team have headed back to the city, command central, the mothership, where they'll be testing themselves against the world's best in their respective events. We continue to send our very best to Mike and the whole US Team as they begin their Olympic odyssey.

08.14.08:Back to the Chaos

I arrived back into Beijing today, and was quickly reminded of how much busier things are here than at our training camp in Dalian. As I mentioned in my 1st blog entry, there isn't enough time in the day to get everything done! This blog entry is an example as I am running late for another team meeting in about 5 minutes.

Here is what is on schedule for tomorrow...

5:45am wake up
6am depart USA housing facility at athlete village
6:30am depart for Beijing Normal University (USOC headquaters)
7-8am breakfast
8-9am treatment and therapy
9:30-11:30 last throwing session
11:30-12pm treatment and therapy
12-1pm Lunch
1-3pm rest and recovery
3:30-5pm sprinting and jumps training
5-6pm treatment and therapy
6:30-7:30 Dinner
8pm depart Beijing Normal for USA housing facility at athlete village
9pm team meeting
9pm email and blog updates
10pm lights out

I will make an attempt to give everyone an idea of what my daily schedule is leading up to the qualification and final rounds here in Beijing.

Gotta run, catch up with you tomorrow!
Mike

Perspective and Poise

This morning the following post came in from Mike in Beijing. And while at first blush it seems a bit disheartening, let me put that anxiety to rest:

During the interregnum between the Olympic Trials (when Mike punched his ticket to the Games) and the US Team departure for China, Mike and I had a long phone conversation, which ranged topically from a recap of the javelin competition in Eugene to his preparations for the Olympics to his travel itinerary. In the midst of it, as Mike was recounting to me the laundry list of interviews and press requests he'd fielded, I innocently asked him if he was growing at all tired of all of the hooplah.

He paused for just the briefest of moments and replied, "No, no I'm not. I mean, in a month all of this is going to be over and everything will go back to normal and none of these people will be knocking on my door. So for the time being, I'm pretty happy to enjoy it and to soak it all up in the moment." Of course, that's a rough approximation (I didn't record the call or anything so I don't have his exact response!). But what was immediately clear to me was how balanced and mature Mike's response was. He's absolutely right.

So whatever small and niggling little injuries befall him in the days to come --while I hope they disappear before he takes his rightful place on the Olympic javelin runway on August 21st --I'm confident they'll not disrupt at all his preparations and his performance, nor his enjoyment of the experience. At the risk of pushing the alliterative envelope: Mike has both perspective and poise, as the title of this post suggests. And for that reason --among many others --I'm confident of the success he'll have, both in the competitive arena and outside of it.

08.13.08: Too Good to Be True…

It would have to be a fairy tale ending to be able to go into the Olympic Games 100% healthy, maybe even too good to be true. And so it is…today was the first set back in my training, although it was a minor one. I have had problems with my low back and pelvis slipping out of alignment causing periodic pain over the past few days. I suppose that's what happens when you're loading 528lbs on your back. As a result I had to modify my training program for the 1st time. However, the modifications that we have made more than likely have more of a mental impact than physical. Basically, as my coach would say, “the hay is in the barn” and all we are doing now is tightening a few screws. Tomorrow I fly back to Beijing in preparation for my last throwing session on the 15th. I will be training at the USA Olympic Committee Headquarters at Beijing Normal University but will be staying in the Village with the rest of the team. I will send updates with what a typical day in the village looks like for me in the next blog. I have to get packing!

Catch you later!
Mike

Mike Hazle, F1 Race Car...and Driver!

Kudos to Mike for keeping us all posted on his Beijing journey. He sent the following missive from the US Training Camp this morning (evening for him). I love his analogy of the F1 Grand Prix car; it's one of the most masterful and eloquent examples I've seen of how to explain the daily focus of an elite athlete on the verge of a monumental competition. Go, Mike!

08.12.08: Rest & Recovery
Today was my 4th day at the USA Track & Field Training Camp here in Dalian, China. Another rest day…when I say rest day, it just means that there wasn’t any sprinting, lifting or throwing. The majority of the day was spent in and out of treatment sessions that focused mainly on my low back and hamstrings, which have been giving me issues since I arrived. I also had a short meeting with our resident sports psychologist, just to go over a few mental preparation techniques and tactics. For most people, the idea of “rest” or “off” days means that one can become a tourist or go sightseeing, well for most athletes in the games it serves a different purpose. Imagine if you can a Formula 1 race car…before a major F1 Grand Prix the driver takes the car out for a test drive on the course…after returning to the team garage, the driver just doesn't park it and not touch it until its time to race...the car is virtually dissected, analyzed and tweaked to the finest detail. Not only to ensure proper future performance but to analyze past miscalculations and potential future problems. That is essentially what most of us here do. After we take the machine out, we bring it back in and make sure its ready for the next test run and eventually the competition… which for me happens to be the Olympic Games. Tomorrow is another heavy day, lots of weighted ball throws and a lifting session in which I hope to tie or set a few new personal bests.

Catch up with you tomorrow,
Mike

The Calm Before the Storm

I received the below email from Arena Athlete Mike Hazle this morning. As you can see, he's sending daily posts from the US Track and Fields training camp in Dailan, China. Having experienced the excitement, awe and wonder of the Opening Ceremonies, the US Track and Field athletes (collectively dubbed "The World's Hardest Team to Make," or more simply: "The World's Best Track and Field Team") decamped to a less frenetic locale to put the finishing touches on their Olympic preparation. They will return to Beijing in a few days.

Just pause for a moment and think about the potential energy amassing at that camp: you have a group of superlative athletes in the best shape of their lives; they're all riding the high of making the US Team a mere month ago and the even more precipitous high of making the journey to Beijing to participate in the Opening Ceremonies, unequivocally the most spectacular in Olympic history; the pumps of their competitive fires have been primed and now, they wait: to run, to jump, to throw, to perform, to claim their places on the Olympic stage and the Olympic podia. 

What collective fury of athleticism will be unleashed in the Bird's Nest upon the opening of the Olympic Track and Field program? I, for one, can not wait to find out. In the meantime, follow along with Mike's day-to-day activities as he keeps us abreast of the happenings in China.

From Mike in Beijing: 08.11.08 Back to Work

Today was the first hard training day since I arrived to Beijing. I had a hard throwing session this morning in the pouring down rain (which you may have seen on TV). I followed this morning’s training session with a sprints and jumping session this afternoon. The rest of the hours in between training were spent resting and recovering and then preparing for the next session. It was a pretty quiet day here at the USA Training Camp other than the practice sessions. We have had a streak of bad weather for 24 hours but it should be clearing by tomorrow. No major news from Beijing other than a few updates on the medal counts and the Chinese have put up an impressive showing so far. The American Track & Field Machine is set to roll in just a few more days…should be one heck of a show!

Catch up with you tomorrow,
Mike ++

From Mike in Beijing: 08.09.08 The Day After...

Today I arrived at the USA Track & Field training camp in Dalian. It was a very long day, in which many of the athletes who attended the opening ceremonies were going on 3-4 hours of sleep. Most of us arrived back to the Olympic Village around 2 A.M. and departed for our training camp around 6 A.M. Our flight wasn't until around 11, but due to heightened security measures were had to depart early. Once we arrived in Dalian, we were shown the full force of the awesome Chinese security. Dalian is a city of almost 6 million people and they closed all the roads leading from the airport to our training camp, some 1/2 hour away. That is just an example of the how well they are taking care of us.

The locals have been awesome, and all of us here are extremely grateful and thankful of all the efforts and collaboration of the Chinese officials with the USA security forces. The mood quickly changed and became more serious once we arrived to the hotel where we were notified of the attacks on the American tourists at the Forbidden City as well as the declaration of war between Georgia and Russia. As far away as some of the problems seem to be, it still hits home and reminds all of us here that the real world is still going on without us and it is up to us to show the world an unbiased competition without prejudice. tomorrow I finally have a day off. I plan to sleep, unpack, check some emails and catch up with my family, and sleep some more. Catch up with you tomorrow.

Mike++

Let the Games Begin!

Over the next 17 days, I'll be posting updates from Arena Athlete Mike Hazle (at left, competing in the 2007 USATF Nationals) as he navigates his way through his inaugural Olympic experience in Beijing. Below is Update #1, written after the Opening Ceremonies:

So Much To Do, So Little Time...

Hello, first let me apologize if this first entry is cut short, there doesn't seem to be enough time in the day to get everything done over here that needs to be done. I'm actually catching a plane in 30 minutes for our training camp in Dailan. Its been a whirlwind of a few days and I'm running on about 8 hours of sleep since I arrived. The people of Beijing have been...flawless! They are so excited to be hosting the Olympic Games and their attitudes and personalities certainly reflect that. They have been more than gracious hosts and I have fallen in love with the culture. The village is brand new, as are most of the facilities and there's everything that you would ever need.

Last night I attended the XXIX Olympic Games Opening Ceremonies. I could sit here for hours and not be able to capture the experience in words, so I'll try to wrap it up as...simply amazing, the best day of my life! I had the opportunity not only to meet, but to hang out with George W. Bush and Bush Sr., Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Coach "K" and so many more unbelievable people with awesome stories. After about 9 hours total of standing, sitting and standing some more, I can now say that my Olympic Experience is officially underway. I promise to make the future blogs longer and hopefully with a bit more detail.

I have a plane to catch, gotta run!
Mike++