Today was my fourth day at the USA Track & Field Training Camp here in Dalian, China - another rest day.

When I say rest day, it just means that there wasn’t any sprinting, lifting or throwing. The majority of the day was spent in and out of treatment sessions that focused mainly on my lower back and hamstrings, which have been giving me issues since I arrived. I also had a short meeting with our resident sports physiologist, just to go over a few mental preparation techniques and tactics.

For most people, the idea of “rest” or “off” days means that one can become a tourist or go sightseeing. Well, for most athletes in the games, it serves a different purpose.

Imagine if you can drive a Formula 1 race car. Before a major F1 Grand Prix, the driver takes the car out for a test drive on the course. After returning to the team garage, the driver just doesn’t park it and not touch it until it’s time to race. The car is virtually dissected, analyzed and tweaked to the finest detail not only to ensure proper future performance but to analyze past miscalculations and potential future problems.

That is essentially what most of us here do. After we take the machine out, we bring it back in and make sure it’s ready for the next test run and eventually the competition, which for me happens to be the Olympic Games.

Tomorrow is another heavy day, lots of weighted ball throws and a lifting session in which I hope to tie or set a few new personal bests.

Catch up with you tomorrow,

Mike