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