There IS Life after World Championships...
It’s on to the circuit now. And, it is a little awkward.
Competing after World Championships is sort of like starting football season after the Super Bowl.
When the circuit begins, you leave behind the comforts of the Championships for reality. No more free wireless Internet. No more card games in the hotel lobby. No more catered breakfast, lunch and dinner. No more hospitality suites and snacks. I know. I know. Woe is me.
There’s really nothing else like the European track circuit. It’s European country-hopping at its best – and you learn SO much. The need for a converter, toilet tokens, and a second (or third) language to name a few…
It’s funny because every year there is a group of new athletes who turn pro and cross the pond for their first tour of the European track circuit. I laugh when I see them...all red-eyed and sluggish... because I remember MY first year on the circuit... Man that was a LONG two months
I basically jumped off the plane and into the bed. My eyes burned so badly it felt like I had sand in them. I was so happy when my head hit the pillow! I slept for 5 hours....and it was that good sleep. That kind of sleep that you get after a really good butt whooping - that mouth open, drool on the pillow, wake up with a headache wondering where you are sleep...And, when I did wake up it was 2 am and I was WIDE awake.
I thought I'd watch TV and fall right back asleep. Naw. Not even a little bit.
That night I re-discovered the BBC and learned more about the United States than I could’ve ever wanted to know. You THINK you know what's going on in the world…but you have no idea until you sit down and really listen to another perspective.
Anyway, that morning, I decided to shave and line myself up. You know, look decent for my track meet – it was going to be televised. Well, that was the beginning of a bad day. I blew up my edges – they started smoking and the cord melted – and I shorted out my Playstation. (Yeah, nobody told me about the whole voltage conversion thing). Frustrated, I showered in a shower stall made for a skinny troll and went downstairs for breakfast. This was not the bacon, scrambled eggs and biscuit breakfast you’re picturing. Nothing like IHOP. Breakfast consisted of salmon, watery eggs and stone-hard super dry bread – and orange juice with all the pulp in it. Yeah, tasty, I know.
Lunch wasn’t much better. I asked for a hamburger and that’s exactly what I got – a piece of ham wedged between two slices of bread. The same thing happened when I asked for a cheeseburger – bread and cheese – no meat. Needless to say, at the end of the day, I was sick as a dog and in desperate need of Pepto-Bismol. Yeah, well…it sucks when you’re sick and can’t read the labels at the pharmacy. So yes, I advocate bilingual – even trilingual education. Everyone else speaks two or three languages, why shouldn’t we?
Like I said…that was a LONG two months, and I’m so happy I made it through. Now I pack two converters, and bring my portable DVD player and two week’s worth of movies for down time and airport layovers. I put my bodysuit, spikes, and an extra pair of underwear in my backpack along with my laptop and extra batteries because your trip to Europe isn’t complete until you lose your luggage. I save my Euros for my next trip over because the Euro always seems to trump the dollar (why lose money if you don’t have to?). I keep a calling card, Skype account and a friend with an international phone just in case there is an emergency. And, I make sure I have headphones and blanket and earplugs for the plane ride home. You taking notes?
You learn best when you learn the hard way. Here’s to the first timer’s on the circuit!
Check me out today – I’m competing in the 100M at the Weltklasse Zurich meeting. It will air in the states on NBC this Sunday, August 30 at 12PM. I’m sure it will find its way to YouTube before then though. If I find it, I’ll post it.
Until next time…
I miss you...I am stuck on the chitlin circuit. :(