Back to reality this week after a fantastic trip to the London Olympics. Here's a trip report and I will give my weekly running report in a separate post.
Bedlam, not the Queen, reigned in the Olympic Stadium as Mo Farah took the lead with 400 meters to go in the 10K. The predominantly British crowd, already whipped into a frenzy from their earlier gold medals in the heptathlon and long jump, emitted a roar to bring their man home that would have knocked down the granite blocks of Stonehenge. My voice was part of that roar as Galen Rupp, instead of being chewed up and spit out the back of the pack, steadily passed one competitor after another to get his silver medal. As Mo and Galen crossed the finish line, everyone in the stadium was either screaming, laughing, crying, or hugging someone. I found myself somehow doing all four simultaneously (hugging my wife, in case you were wondering). Could this trip get any better? It could and it did.
Our trip of a lifetime began innocuously enough three years ago with a $100 deposit to secure two spots on the Track and Field News 2012 Olympic tour. After adding a considerable sum to that initial $100, we were guaranteed a hotel room and tickets to every evening session of Track and Field. Determined to immerse ourselves as much in British history as Olympic events, this trip did not include periods of time to catch up on our summer reading. Instead, fortified by a substantial (i.e. free) breakfast, we departed the hotel each morning to visit a cathedral, museum, or gallery. Then, when our feet were sore and our brains full, we had an early dinner and a pint at whatever nearby pub looked most inviting. From there it was on to Olympic Park for that evening’s track and field session. Finally, we would return to our hotel with our sore feet matched by sore hands and throats from all the clapping and cheering in response to the athletic achievements we had witnessed. This daily routine necessitated cramming many and varied types of clothing into our backpack to accommodate the changeable British weather, not to mention the essential items for spectating, such as our tickets, snacks, and binoculars.
By the numbers, this trip was a spectacular success as we saw three world records, 29 U.S. medals, and 2000 years of British history in 12 days! However, it was the range of emotions we experienced from actually being there that made this the trip of a lifetime: disbelief and dismay as Morgan Uceny fell in the 1500, disbelief and joy as Galen Rupp medaled in the 10K, and awe at the power of Shakespeare’s words delivered by accomplished British actors in the Globe Theater. I still get chills down my spine when I recall the emotional moments of our trip, and I expect that I always will.