Olympic Week in Review

70 miles
1 Day Off
3 Doubles
3 Days in London
3 Olympic Events Witnessed

The highlight of this week was obviously the Olympics...in London.  The icing on the cake was sitting in the Olympic Stadium on Friday, August 3rd under the lights.  I've never experienced anything quite like the atmosphere at the Olympic Stadium.  I don't think there was one empty seat in the house after 7PM.   The crowd roared when Jessica Ennis walked onto the track for the shot put and the 200m.  The crowd clapped in unison to the rhythm of the feet of long jumpers as they sprinted to the sand pit.  The crowd performed the wave at least five times in a row--that was possibly a world record for most waves performed consecutively at a track meet.  The crowd cheered for each and every athlete, no matter which country they hailed from.

On Saturday, I saw the women's triathlon and on Sunday I saw the women's marathon.  While these events were amazing to witness, the atmosphere was still different than the magic that I felt under the lights at the Olympic Stadium.  I was grateful to be able to cheer my heart out for Shalane Flanagan, Kara Goucher, and Kim Smith, even if it meant standing in the pouring rain for three hours.

What I loved most about my Olympic experience was that success isn't defined by the color of your skin, your socio-economic background, or your gender.  If you train hard, eat right, and dedicate yourself to the sport, you can excel at the Games.

London 2012 was a world class trip and a potential once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Women's marathon leaders