Author Archive
“I want my own shoe. I want my own trainer. I’m dead serious. I want a sneaker, ain’t no money in spikes. There’s money in sneakers. Even Michael Johnson didn’t have his own sneaker. I feel like for how many medals we bring back, for the notoriety we get, the fact that that hasn’t happened…
“I’m always on a self-discovery to better myself and that’s how I view getting beat. If somebody beats me, it’s like, ‘Alright — here’s another opportunity to better myself.’” – Noah Lyles, after finishing second in the semis. Repechage keeps repeating on me. Just when I think I might have it figured out, I get…
Through last week’s 100 miles in blizzard conditions, to this week’s 120 miles through the slush and mud of the Winter Thaw, Cecil never seriously entertained the notion of a day off. Chapter Nineteen HOGS IN BRAZIL “Hello, sports fans, and welcome to Cable Sports Network. This is H.R. Javitts. “Well, my boss…
In our sport, the Olympics is the biggest thing you can train for. To get it done today, with my friends and family here, it feels so good, so good. It’s validating. – Grant Fisher. USA Bronze Medal 10K Run. Missed my nap two days in a row now. I may not have trained properly…
“I am heartbroken,” said Italian boxer Angela Carini. “I went to the ring to honour my father. I was told a lot of times that I was a warrior but I preferred to stop for my health. I have never felt a punch like this.” While leaving the ring, Angela whispered to her coach ‘it’s…
Sure, I watched basketball, boys and girls. Five on five. I watched triathlon, men and women. Slippery when wet. Even watched dressage, the Summer Games version of curling. Not allowed to watch beach volleyball, especially the Scandinavian nations. Bike racing awaits. Without Tadej Pogacar. WADA that all about, I wonder. “But…but…but… Ohhhh, baby, you know…
So, anyway, this being the last one hundred days of the campaign to end all campaigns. I will be reprising the occasional seasonal essay. Think of it as my Retribution Tour. Because, as the good Dr. Thompson said, “Revenge is one of the few things in politics that never gets lost in the mail or…
Mind is everything. Muscle, pieces of rubber. All that I am, I am because of my mind. – Paavo Nurmi Chapter Eighteen TRAINING DAY Sarah Herrington flew around the Nurmi Loop at the Arboretum, tearing small holes in the woodchip trail. By training mid-morning, she had the course to herself. The birdwatchers were gone…
Come alone. Do not wear your watch. Do not count your reps – it doesn’t matter. Chapter 17 OLD JOE “This is where you will work on speed,” Coach Benlehr told them. Diana, Chuck, and Chris looked out upon the gently sloping lane. Blanca Peak stood high to their right, the…
You can easily imagine Barker Ajax as a ranch hand, but a farmer? Well, it’s possible. Might’ve been in the early 1990s, the old west of the past century. Turns out he was hired primarily to keep felonious pests and inquisitive varmints away from the cash crop. Wrangle dogs and corral various critters. This he…