Five weeks ago I finished 8th at the USA Championships in 15:31, and it was HARD! I’ve spent the last four weeks at 6000 feet in the Pyrennes trying to get myself in better form, and finally…FINALLY I get to put it out there on the track tonight in the 5k at Stockholm’s DN Galan, and then eight days later, again at the Crystal Palace Diamond League in London.
Last year, I was here as a rabbit for a 5k world record attempt, got to hang out with Sweden’s most famous athlete Carolina Kluft, and was more of a tourist by nature of the fact that I didn’t have my own race to think about. Sounds great right? Well, I much prefer being here on real business of my own.
The last two days I’ve been enjoying meals in the dining hall with all the other elite athletes. I’ve seen a lot of familiar faces, but its been particularly nice catching up with my hometown girl Alysia Montano (AJaM as I like to call her) and her new husband Louis, Alice Schmidt (who I think the world of) and her hubby James, Sally Kipyego (SKip) and OTC high jumper extraordinaire (and surprisingly humble dude for someone so easy on the eyes) Jesse Williams.
I could go on for pages and pages about how awesome AJaM is, but suffice it to say she is so much more than an amazing runner. Having someone from my home town here, someone that really knows me, makes all the difference in the world. Plus, watching her try to trade her sunglasses with our awesome volunteer shuttle driver (thanks Vincent) will be a lasting memory (she failed).
I cruised around Old Town Stockholm just to pass some time yesterday, but a part of me has remained disconnected from my environment this trip. After salvaging an altogether lost season before USA’s, and a month of total focused training, all I really want to do is go race. When jogging the bike path yesterday, the riverfront was alive with Stockholm residents going about their life, enjoying summer. I passed people barbecuing, sunbathing, laughing, cycling, and yet I felt somehow removed from it all, like I was running in a video game world. I would pass local joggers going the other direction, and if we hadn’t brushed shoulders, I would have a hard time believing the other person was real. At one point, I was approaching a young woman with her dog, sitting on the waters edge staring at the sunset. I was overwhelmed with the desire to run up to her and touch her on the shoulder. Introduce myself, to hear her voice and see her see me…to know I was really in this place, and that I existed in the same world that she did.
Perhaps I feel this way because I really could be anywhere in the world right now and be focused on the exact same task, so my environment really doesn’t matter. All I want is to run 12.5 laps in a stadium, any stadium, and get into the rhythm I’ve practiced so diligently and see what happens. The result doesn’t even matter. Any goal I have is completely visceral.
For those of you who want to follow the races, check out this pre-race recap by letsrun. You can find results here, and if you are smarter than I am, you can find a live stream online. You should know that there is a world record attempt scheduled, and it is one of the best 5k fields I’ve ever seen assembled. I could have a very good personal result even if I’m near the back, so please no condolences on my facebook page if I run a season best but get last! The field is so stacked that I will truly need to be focused on my own race, and my own personal progression.
Now I just have to kill 10 hours until my race goes off at 9:25pm! That’s enough time for the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Not a bad idea, actually…
For those of you who are self-professed track geeks, see if you can pick out some big names on our massage sign up sheets. Nobody can pass up a Swedish massage in Sweden!
Photos…
Feel free to share this post with lovers of running, travel, and black licorice that tastes like death, and comment away! Closest guess to my 5k time tonight (comments posted before the race of course) gets a postcard from Stockholm!
To all that want to see Lauren run but aren’t in Stockholm, this webpage should do a livestream: http://www.diamondleague-stockholm.com/WEB-TV/
I hope it works for you!
1. My guess = 15:04, but clearly I have no clue what I’m talking about. It just sounds nice.
2. GOOD LUCK!
3. I need that tank top.
4. Do they have real swedish fish in the RED version in Sweden? If so, that’s amazing.
5. GOOD LUCK!
15:07.77 (with very little knowledge of your current fitness. I HOPE you run 14:30.)
And you are way hotter than the “hot Swedish girl.” I think that tourist is really reacting to you, or he just doesn’t have the best taste.
15:02
15:10! Good luck!
15:09 for a nice progression forward from 15:31. Anything better = pure awesomeness!
Good luck!
15:18.5 my guess, I hope you do much better than this Lauren!!!
The best of luck! 😉
I think your guess was the best guess. She ran 15:27.30
Awww, man! No spoilers before it airs on TV…
Indeed Armando! You win the Stockholm Time Guessing Challenge Thingee! Sending you an email for your mailing address now…
Rip it up! 15:12.
15:00.
have a great race!
Did my 15:00 Stockholm guess also count for London? Hope so. *fingers crossed*.
Watched it on Universal, congrats on an excellent race. Hope it’s a springboard for a great 2012.
14:58
15:13.84
15:13 best of luck!
You’ll do great! Just stick to your own race and don’t try to hang on to WR pace.
Think you can do 15.08
Good luck!
Good luck!
I’ll guess 15:16.
Have some fun out there!
15:08.5….good luck and get after it! I’ll be checking the results!
Since you been training hard I am going to guess 14:58. Good luck!!
14:54 and BEST WISHES!
Whatever the result, Lauren, you are clearly fit, focused, and ready to rip it up!
15:11
Live stream here, but maybe only in Canada: http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/Sports/Live_Streaming/1248955900/ID=2031739077
14:57
Enjoy the race!
Good luck Lauren!!!! You will totally rip it up.
Finishing time: I’ll go with a completely random 15:12:xx.
good Luck! Turn left and run fast!! 14:45.71
15m15s…. enjoy it!!!
15:17, good luck Lauren you’re gonna rock it! Balls!
15:01
15:03 Good luck.
15:01:02
Run fast, have fun.
15:05.10
Good luck Lauren! Try the SALT licorice instead (saltlakrits) it’ll take 20 seconds off your time!
Watched your race online. Was the wind a problem? It looked nice and cool there—noticed all the people in the stands in their Swedish summer jackets (my husband is Swedish). My Picky Bars arrived today. I got them out of the mailbox in time to keep them from melting :-). They are fabulous!
Thanks Monica! So glad you love the Pickies. It was definitely breezy, but I have no room to complain considering Vivian ran 14:20 by herself it those conditions! 🙂 I was leading the “chase” pack that wasn’t really chasing anyone, trying to focus on my own rhythm, and I noticed the wind but it wasn’t too bad.
Congrats on your win in London, Lauren!!! I watched the post-race interview on Flotrack and was really hoping for you to mention balls again, but vacing the track with your butt is a close second! I’ll be cheering for you in 2012.
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