As is common for top athletes, I was in the best shape of my life when I made the U.S. Olympic team. I believe this was because I didn't get injured during the six-month period leading up to the Olympic Trials.
When I arrived in Olympic Village, I took every possible opportunity to ask people who were faster than me how they trained. After 10 interviews, I had 10 different programs. I concluded that while there are many training schedules that will produce the same level of fitness. Some result in more injuries than others. Some athletes succeed in spite of their training--they did a great job of choosing their parents.
The Olympian's dilemma is to maintain peak performance without getting injured: a very tricky mission. Most stay with the program they've been using. Even without increasing intensity, many athletes will improve performance because of extra rest and the excitement of competition. It is unlikely that a distance athlete can improve conditioning between the trials and the Olympics. There is a high injury risk when increasing training intensity right before a big competition.
The higher the level of performance, the greater the pressure. Most Olympians I spoke with had a projected performance level. Some expected a specific time goal. Others mentally projected themselves competing with certain athletes in the race and beating them. I imagined myself moving up through the race, as I had done in the Olympic trials. I staged my workouts so that the pace would increase throughout the session, but I always quit before I was totally exhausted.
Even if I didn't feel good at the start of a workout, I stuck it out. Some days I had to lower the intensity, because I didn't have it. Since it's common to not feel great at the beginning of a workout, I felt it was important to work through this on the "down" days--to prepare for "down" feelings on race day. In most cases, I ran just as well even if I didn't feel good at the beginning.
Most athletes also try to follow the eating plans they've used before. In another country this may be difficult. Many meals in Olympic Village had foods I was used to eating. On other occasions, I tried new foods. This did not bother me, but several of my friends, including Steve Prefontaine, complained constantly about the food. Having seen many athletes break records on diets that would make dieticians cringe, I don't believe that diet makes much of a difference during the month before and during the Games.
For my diet, I would have a breakfast of granola, yogurt, fruit, whole grain bread, and sometimes eggs. Lunch would usually include a sandwich with vegetables. And for dinner, I chose chicken or fish with vegetables and whole grain bread. I usually had snacks at mid-morning and mid-afternoon consisting of fruit, energy bars or whole grain bread.
For my training plan leading up to the Olympics, I ran five miles every morning. I would alternate running hard one day and taking it easy by jogging on the next day. The harder workout afternoons would be spent at the track with the first few repetitions at race pace. Inspired by the other athletes, I often found myself running too fast at the end. On the easier jogging days, I would run about five to seven miles through a park during my afternoon workout. My total mileage was down about 50 percent from pre-trials training levels.
Olympian or not, every athlete needs a solid training program for success. Find the right plan for you, stay disciplined and achieve your personal goals. Good luck!
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