Back in Boston

So I'm back home finally. the olympics were great but after a month in China I am happy to be back home.

Im taking about a month and a half off from training and ill resume in mid October.

I plan on competing in a full indoor season in 09' it'll be my first one since 2005. I was never a great 60 hurdle guy but I think thats about to change.

I've set a couple goals for myself and here they are.

1. gain 15 pounds. I'd like to be 195 going into my indoor season and I think its possible seeing as ill be hitting the weight room harder than ever this fall.

2. power clean 300 pounds. my current best is 264 but that was while power cleaning on and off during college. this goal isn't the most important thing, but I'd just like to be able to say I can clean 300

3. Bench 315 pounds. this is another goal that isn't the most important thing but ice always wanted to be able to put 3 plates on each side. my current best is 305 so I'm sure getting to 315 shouldn't be a problem.

4. Vetical jump 40" - this isn't very important either, its just something I'd like to say I can do. my current best is 36-36.5.

track goals.

Indoor- run 7.65 or better
Outdoor- Make World Championship Final

My 4 year goal is to win Gold at the 2012 games in London, and the work starts now.

ill update things as fall training gets started.

End of my Olympics

So i just ran in round 2. It was worse than the first and i have no excuse. I just did not have it in me.

I had been feeling GREAT in the practices leading up to my rounds, but during warm up today and yesterday i just didn't feel as good. I wasnt as sharp, i wasnt as smooth and it showed.......

So my Olympics are over and im pissed. im sure everyone will congratulate me on making it this far but it seriously is not much of an accomplishment.

I have way higher standards than this, and running 13.72 and 13.73 at the biggest meet of my life, is nothing to be proud about. To those who dont train day in and day out to be here, it might seem like i accomplished something great, but i didnt.

This is my LIFE. I wake up, eat, shit, train, and sleep. every-single-day. I live like a straight up bum in order to continue training. And all for nothing. I made it to the olympics and got my ass handed to me by a bunch of guys whom i know arent better than me. I am proud to have made it here, but i honestly expected better. I am extremely disappointed.

so thanks in advance for trying to cheer me up, but just know that it wont do good. I put in so much hard work, and i know i should have done better.

So now what?

Now i take some time off.

regroup, and decide what the hell i want to do with my life. Continue living off $800 a month for the next 4 years? or find real work and live like a regular?

id like to make it to world championships next year. my goal would be to make the final but at this point im not sure.

I am greatful for having made it here, and i will cherish this experience for the rest of my life. But i honestly expected more.


thanks for all the support! im sorry i didnt run as well as i should have, and im sorry you had to read my bitter rant, but i promise that if i decide to run at London 2012 i will bring home a medal.

Round 1

So i ran like straight up sh$% in the opening round!

I got a decent reaction in .14 and a pretty good start but faded as the race progressed.

I seriously just went through the motions. I did nothing good. My trail leg was just coming through on its own, lazy, slow, wide. I looked like straight sh&#.

But i made it to the next round. Lucky me! I ran 13.72 and finished horribly in my heat!

I am in a horrible mood but i am going to put it past me and look toward tomorrow.

i know i am in MUCH better shape than i showed today.

Round two is August 19th at 8:30pm. I plan on making up for what i did today..

we'll see what happens.

And happy birthday to my brother who turned 25 today! We are the same age every year for 10 days, but he is now once again older. haha

Happy Birthday Alex!

24th Birthday

So yesterday was my 24Th Birthday and it was the best one yet.

As those who follow track and field know, the Olympics started on August 8th 2008, so i had the biggest birthday party ever! Not really but we did march in the opening ceremonies so ill consider that my party.

it was a pretty good time. that march really hurts your body though. i now understand why the "big timers" choose not to participate. it isn't because they are too good for it, its simply that it takes a serious toll on your body.

anyways it was a good time, i recorded an hours worth of it but my battery died just before they lit the torch. i took tons of pictures as well.

my birthday seemed like 36hrs because we are 12hrs ahead in Beijing, but i was getting birthday wishes on the 9th due to the delay back home.

this morning we (the 5 track athletes) woke up and headed to the Nike hospitality center to get some more stuff. we got a couple pair of shoes, some nice spikes, and some shirts and hats. it was a pretty good time, i got to play some xbox 360 and do some damage on the ping-pong table while we waited around.

i run in 8 days and now its crunch time. tomorrow is the most important workout of my entire stay in China so ill be going hard. i am feeling very confident about my running right now, and am expecting big things in the rounds.

thanks to everyone who's been sending me emails and messages online it really means alot to have some support.

ill update the blog as i get closer to my rounds!

here are a couple pics!