Chris's View of China and His Experience....

Hello,

I wanted to include some of Chris's journal that he kept while in China. I have atached some of his writings, hope you enjoy it.

August 6th 2008
Mary caught the shuttle over from the Olympic Village and we met on the track at BNU at 9:30am. It was great to finally see each other on the opposite side of the world. The workout was 4 x 150’s (yesterday she ran 5 x 100 on 1 min rest as a workout just to get her going). The first one she obviously, but smartly held back clocking an 17.9 with an 11.6 flying 100. She warmed up more on the 2nd, 17.3 (11.0) and was rolling on the next 2, both in 17.0 (10.9 flying 100). They were done on about 10 min rest and were very good, in fact she has never run faster. Her right knee and quad were bothering her a little so she got a rub down and iced afterward. The smog and air quality don’t appear to affect her running. You can’t feel it at all during the run, but afterward it is tougher to catch your breath. We then had lunch in the BNU cafeteria (the food is really pretty good and fellow Bearcat alumn David Payne joined us) and then played Mario on the Nintendo DS that Mary bought at a vending machine in San Francisco and then we took a nap. When we woke up we decided to head over to the practice gym to see what was going on. The only thing interesting that we could find was the boxing team practicing. They were working out in sweats with plastic shirts on underneath trying to cut weight. These guys were quick, and little. Rau’shee Warren, also from Cincinnati was training and will box in the 130 pound weight class, so Mary outweighs him by 8 pounds. We even saw a guy training who will box in the 106 pound and under weight class (I still wouldn’t want to box him). I think they told us the heaviest weight class at the Olympics is 201 pounds and under. We took a walk over to the track and saw Tyson Gay working out. We saw him do his last 120m and he ran it in 11.69. Not too bad, so it looks like his hammy that he pulled in the 200 at the Oly Trials is doing okay. We headed back to the dorms for dinner and then Mary caught her shuttle back to the Olympic Village.

August 7th 2008
Mary had a day off (she just did a little jog and stretch out) so I caught the shuttle over to the Olympic Village to check things out. Michael Phelps actually got on and sat across from me. I am guessing whoever is reading this will know who he is considering he won 5 swimming medals in 04 in Greece and is going after 8 golds this year. I got a picture to prove it also. It was pretty amazing that this area, which was probably about the size of UC’s campus, was created just to house the athlete’s for this one sporting event. It was said that the Chinese government had to displace 3 million people out of their homes for the Olympic facilities. So I checked out her dorm room and we ate in the cafeteria which sat well over a couple thousand people from all countries. We actually ran into Dayron Robles from Cuba, the 110 meter hurdles world record holder (12.88 I think) and Mary got a picture with him. They actually know each other from the European meets. After lunch, we caught a taxi over to the “Silk Market”. It was a bunch of congested shops, selling imitation goods for pretty cheap. I didn’t find anything that struck my fancy and neither did Mary. We then caught a taxi back to the Oly village and Mary was dropped off. I went walking up the street just to see what I could see. By the way, the sun isn’t something that I’ve seen yet. There is a fairly dense haze restricting the view, but I think that it has more to do with the weather conditions than the pollution which has been the talk of the media. It is so incredibly humid it almost feels like it is a rain forest type haze rather than smog. Anyway I then caught a taxi back to BNU for the night. Taxis are incredibly cheap. When we went to the silk market it was about a 30-45 minute drive and it cost about 8 bucks. Considering gas is $4/gallon right now in the U.S. how the heck are they making any money. When I got the taxi back to BNU (10-15min) it was less than $3.00. Maybe taxis are a public service, because I can’t figure out how it could be worth anyones time. The exchange rate by the way is $1.00 = 6.7 Yuan. Also the most popular powerade flavor is lemon grapefruit.

August 21st
Mary just wanted to hang out in the Village today and I had already used up my guest passes so I went to meet up with Uncle Scott. We took the Subway to a shopping center and Olympic Store. I have forgotten to mention how helpful the volunteers have been. Everywhere, there are volunteers dressed in blue in white shirts, and they speak decent English. They are on the streets, in the malls, at the sporting venues, in the hotel lobbies. I was so impressed with how helpful and how many of them there are. I figured they had to have an amazing number of volunteers so I asked one the other day. I first asked how much do you get paid to help out? And he said, “ no, no, I am a volunteer.” I then asked, do you know how many of you there are? The answer, one hundred thousand, yes 100,000. To think that we have a hard time getting our alumni to work our track meets and they have 100,000 volunteers for the Olympics, and remember they speak a decent amount of English. To me it spoke to the tremendous amount of pride they have for their country and their desire to help China run a great Olympic Games that the world will be impressed by. It seems so contrary to the things we hear about the suppressive communist government, the censorship, and unfair justice system. We have a hard time just getting people to vote. The people here seem very happy and things are not what I expected. From what I have seen people have freedom in religion, and where they live, and the jobs they work. The skies have been clear for the last week and I feel very safe walking around. They do drive crazy here though! It makes New York look calm compared to this chaos. Anyway, I finally got the word from Mary that she would be leading off the relay on both days for the prelim tomorrow and the final the next day. I made it back to BNU to watch the meet. It was such an up and down day. First the USA swept the men’s 400m dash with Merritt, Wariner, and Neville, but then both the men’s and the women’s 4x100 relay teams dropped the baton in the prelims failing to advance to the final. Next, David Payne, friend and former teammate at UC came up big in the 110m hurdle final. He captured the silver medal winning UC’s first ever Olympic Medal in track and field. Hopefully Mary will be the 2nd.

Beijing, China.....It's really over

It's that time,

I hate to have to say bye to China and all the volunteers who helped out and made the Olympics a success. It was great, the weather stayed nice and the pollution was not at all a problem. Beijing was a very beautiful city to visit and I will admit I enjoyed taking photos with the locals. They enjoyed encountering the Americans and when they took a photo I noticed they would always put up the peace sign. That was something I had not seen in a while. But I wish you all were able to be there.

After the relay we had so many reporters to talk with. It was amazing how we all still held up after just running. Ha so many reporters complemented us on the fact that we didn't even look like we had run because our hair was in place and we had on make up. Our little secret...prior to the awards cermony we are able to change our clothes to the medal stand gear and fix ourselves up. We ended the night going to talk with NBC and we did our interview rooftop with the Bird's Nest behind us. It was definitely a pretty sight.

The next day I went to visit Chris at BNU where he was staying. He had this weird look and I asked him what was wrong. His response was that he was sad.....sad because the Olympics were over. I was shocked at first but then it hit me too, everyone in the building was packing up. The dining hall was serving the last meal of the day and had a lot of things packed and ready to go. Track and Field was the event to end out the Olympics and now what we worked hard for was OVER. Only the memories shall live on! What would we do now? What would we work toward. Our biggest event of the year and what everyone talked about...was done. Chris and I walked to his room and I helped him pack his bag. We looked at each other and both said, "Job well done", and walked into the elevator.

The Olympics come once every four years, but will be present in my life everyday because of my medal. Please pass along my story to anyone who doubts that they can make it in life, get to their dream or look toward the future. Because remember if I had given up....this would not have happened for me. Strive for your dreams and you will reach your goal.

4x400 METER RELAY GOLD.....WE DID IT!!!

Hello everyone,

Yes it happened Team USA took home first a gold medal in the women's 4x4 and then also gold in the men's 4x4 relay. It was a pleasure to see the USA Team end on such a good note. After some earlier disappointments on the track, we had been put down by the media stating that we weren't having a good Olympics. But in reality we were having an awesome Olympic Games with the women's side taking home the most medals since 1996. Who would have thought that was the case!

My experience here has definitely been the highlight of my life. I accomplished my dream of prticipating in the Olympics and bringing home a medal. I totally enjoyed the nervous feelings and runner's high that one would get and I know that I will continue to train for the next 4 years for 2012. I guess once your in one olympics it gets addicting and pushes you to want to do more.

That night as we all prepared to walk out to the track we knew that we had a game plan, we weren't going home empty handed. We were on the same team, and we would come together to make the USA proud. The previous night for the 4x400 relay prelim we were going to run myself to Natasha to Monique to DeeDee, but 10 minutes before we realized that DeeDee couldn't go. That is why you always want to have your whole team including alternates warm up and be ready to go. The coaches let us know the new order Mary, Monique, Natasha and Sanya. We were all sad that former Olympian DeeDee was unable to run due to her existing knee problem, but we still had her support and prayed as the team headed out. We ran the prelim and set up the team for the final...which I will now get too!!!!

The stadium was so packed and which had our adrenaline running...we were ready. I had the job again of leading Team USA with first leg. I patiently waited as the starter announced for us to get in the blocks...it was Time, Time to dream, Time to start...uhhh does that line sound familiar. Your right the opening line to the Home Depot Commercial. Interesting how things work out...I didn't know that I would be first leg when I shot the commercial. Our competitiors included the teams from Russia, Jamaica and Great Britain. I heard the gun and knew that I had to keep my team in position. I held my leg down and stayed in good position....I was able to hand off before some of the other girls who had made it to the 400 meter final. I was able to hand the baton to Allyson. She ran a great leg passing the Jamaican and handed off to Monique. Monique held the lead but was passed by the Russian in the last 70 meters and she still stayed strong and handed off to Sanya. There was no giving up between Sanya and the Russian. We crossed the line first in the fastest time in 15 years. We did it.

It was a wonderful feeling and we immediately embraced and thanked the Lord. I could not have asked for better teammates. They are all great and talented girls. I am happy to have made history wih them and look forward to more relays together.

513 Gets a Medal......Beijing Baby

Well everyone,

It was yet another weird night in track and field. We didn't get the sticks around the track in the USA 4x1's but we did get some medals in other events. The most important medal of the night was from our hometown boy DAVID PAYNE!!!! I saw him earlier in the day and told him to stay focus and be calm. I knew his day would come and things worked out for the best. I am so proud of him and happy that this 2008 Olympics was a success.

Let's give it up for none other than D Payne or better yet straight off the plane Dave! HAHA. Thanks to both the Cincinnati and UC community.....for all your support.

In terms of the relay, I will be stepping on the track and running first leg! Wish us luck.

See you all,
MW

The Olympics- You Never Know What Will Happen

Hey everyone,

I am still here in Beijing gearing up for the 4x400 meter relay. The races so far on the sprint side have been amazing and unpredictable. You think you already have an idea of who will win, but things end up working out totally different. I have seen World Records, amazing finishes and some disappointments! This 2008 Olympic Games has allowed me to further open my eyes to how hard it takes for one to excel. We athletes sacrifice a lot, put in hard training and our experiences can range from ups/downs. I am thankful for my gift that I have of running and will always cherish it and the memories. Well back to the fact that my Games experience isn't over. 4x400 relay is what ends it all for track and field.

As of today I do not know the order or details about who will run, but I will post once I know more information. The weather has been nice here with sunny skies and warm temperatures. Today is one of the weird days in which it is RAINING, and no not just a little but a lot. I woke up this morning and knew hat I had to head to breakfast in the rain. I put on my layers of rain gear and made the trip over to our dining hall. I made it and didn't get that wet. So let me tell you all more about the dining hall. It is a large building that can hold about 1000 individuals. At certain times during the day it is so crowded, I have definitely had the chance to encounter so many different countries that I didn't realize existed. I have also been doing a good job of "pin trading" and what that includes is taking your countries Olympic designed pins and trading with other countries. I have had so much fun doing this and the Chinese love to try and trade something else for a pin. It could be a small stuff animal, small key chain or even a panda pin. I traded with countries such as Germany, Jamaica, India, and China.

We now have one more addition to this trip, Uncle Scott arrived a couple of days before my first round of the 400 meters. I am so happy that he was able to make the long trip and hope he is enjoying himself. We have done a couple of interesting things such as, visiting the Great Wall and taking him to the Silk Market. The Great Wall was an amazing experience, it is so long. You could not walk the entire thing in one day it would take one walking 20-30 miles a day for maybe 4 months. Whew myself, Chris and Uncle Scott (Chris's uncle) walked a little portion of the wall. Some spots were very steep and you had to hold onto the railing or you would fall. At one point we had to let Chris do the hard work and climb to get us some good pictures. Well I guess I can't leave out what happened prior to actually giving our ticket to the attendent. I am not a big fan of heights, I usually do fine on roller coasters because I know what to expect. This was a shocker for me, I didn't know that we had to ride cable cars to get to the other side of the wall. I got inside the cable car and we headed up into the sky! I immediately broke into a huge sweat and sort of had a panic attack. The cable car was just a little round thing attached to a cable that went over the mountains. It went high into the sky with nothing below us and I immedialtely thought "Oh no we are going to tumble to the rocks" Chris came to my rescue, I closed my eyes and started to fan myself.
When we made it to the other side I was so relieved. I told myself that I wouldn't be riding it back.....but I guess I changed my mind once I found out that it took an hour to walk back.


Talk to you all soon

I gave it my all......the 2nd Round (Women's 400)

Ni hao (Hello in Chinese)

I know so many of you have emailed me over the past days and stated how happy you are that track and field has started! Thanks again for all your emails and by the way I hope that you were able to catch a glimpse of Mike Phelps take home so many gold medals. Man, I don’t even know the guy but I am now his number one fan. How does he do it? He is an amazing little fish or big fish I should say! Even though I have not gone to any of the other venues I have enjoyed reading our little SPOTLIGHT NEWSLETTER that comes out each day. It alerts all the athletes to how everyone is doing. Great huh, the USOC (United States Olympic Committee) continues to do a great job taking care of the athletes.

The second round was scheduled to go off at 9:00pm so I decided to take a small nap earlier in the day. I would stick with the same routine and warm-up and get to the track ready to go. I felt really good and happy that I had got some of the track jitters out the way in the earlier round. All 3 Americans had advanced to the next round and I was thankful for that. We all were in different heats so now the goal was to place top two and make it to the final. This round would be a harsh round in which everyone would push their body to the limit. I was in lane 7 and needed to have a race like at the Trials, of course not with the weird finish, but a strong race. In these big meets you never know what to expect with lane draws except maybe in the final. So prior to going out to the stadium, Chris and I had to converse through a fence. Yes, long story but here it goes. Prior to the Olympic Games there is a coaching staff that is chosen for both the men and the women teams. As a sprinter I have a coach who represents the 400 meter group and we report to them at all times. Since all the athletes come from different places and backgrounds, we have our own personal coaches also. So imagine if every athletes coach could be on the warm up field during the Games, it could be a mad house..haha. Well anyway Chris did not have a credential to be on the warm-up track but we found a nice little spot by this fence that was slightly bent outside the warm-up track. This is how he watched me warm-up and how he gave me a good luck kiss and hug. Yes it was weird but we made it work.

I really wanted to do well this round, as the gun went off I pushed out of my blocks and ran the first curve. I headed into the 250 mark and felt as if I didn’t have the turnover that I usually would have at these point. What could be happening, I stayed calm and gave my all and still covered no ground. I saw my Olympic dream slipping away but nothing was coming from these legs. I crossed the line in 5th and was disappointed but decided to support my teammates and watched the other heats. Only one of the three fellow Americans made it into the final. I was happy for her that we had an American representation in the final and as I stepped off the track I thanked God for my blessings and held my head high.

Yes I didn’t make the final, but it wasn’t quite the end for me, because I still had a chance in the RELAY!! How many people have that opportunity? I was still an Olympian and nothing could change that. I am staying focused and getting myself ready for he 22nd and 23rd. Wish me luck.

My 1st Round in the Olympic Games (Women’s 400, lane 7)

Hey everyone,

I am so happy that I have been able to share my experiences with you all from the 2008 Olympic Games. You all are definitely great supporters and I appreciate all your prayers and best wishes. You all have helped tremendously in allowing me to stay focused and calm. Let’s start out with the first round of the women’s 400 meters which was in the morning session on the 16th at 12:30pm. I was so anxious to run and ready to get into the track stadium known as the Bird’s Nest, I didn’t know what to expect! I had already watched some events on T.V. and knew that the crowd would be there, I just didn’t realize how MANY PEOPLE WERE ACTUALLY IN THE STANDS!!! China was present in strong numbers and it was a sight to see when an American Flag flowed in a fans hand.

I had been working out a small kink in my right upper hip and quad, but was confident that I would be alright. Nothing big just a little sore spot. You know your body is never perfect, but we learn to deal with it and keep pushing forth. All of my practices had been going good and both Chris and I were confident with how the whole year had gone. The goal in the first round was to place top two in my heat so as to advance to the 2nd round. I talked with Jim the day before and he just assured me of what I needed to do. Wow my first Olympics…how would I do? I continued to say my prayers each night by asking the Lord to stay by my side, protect me, strengthen me and to allow me to do his will.

I was nervous I will admit, not doubting myself though but butterfly nervous like this is the OLYMPICS, Mary!!! I had come such a long way and I knew that my competitors were all thinking the same thing..going after a win. We would all want it, but whose day would it be? I finished 2nd in the heat and advance to the next day! I was relived but felt a little sluggish on the track. I quickly got a rub down from our trainers and took my 10 minute ice bath. One out of the way……more to come

BEIJING .....the next level .......where the real athletes compete!!!!

Hey everyone,

FYI- My Home Depot Commercial aired on Aug 8th and has been on several times. Check out NBC throughout the day and you will see it or here is a link from my buddy Chris Smith who put it on youtube. He taped it with his cell phone. But hopefully you can see the real thing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5Wupk7bB2g

Well sorry it took so long to write an update email to you all, but things here are great! I made it to China safe and sound with no problems. I have so many stories to tell that I don't know where to begin. Let's start with after the Olympic Trials....... I was so excited and proud of myself that I had one of the biggest smiles on my face for the remaining time that I was in Cincy before heading to Europe/China. Everyone in Cincy has been great supporters and fans. The coverage has been great for both myself and fellow Bearcat David Payne. I have enjoyed talking with all the reporters and being on all the news shows. I am happy for the exposure because it helps a lot of people understand more about my event, running and of course the Olympics.

Now I guess we can move on to the Big Trip.....My Road to Beijing. I left Cincinnati on August 2nd, 2008 and headed to San Jose, California to do processing. It was an amazing time in which I was able to go though different stages of processing, such as ring sizing, uniform collection, collection of sponsor gifts, shoes, clothing, getting Olympic information, and of course getting fitted for my opening/closing ceremony outfits. The whole process was overwhelming....I had a cart full of great things, and everyone from the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) was so helpful and nice. They definitely made my day. For this year Olympic Games the sponsor was NIKE and Ralph Lauren POLO. I got so much stuff that I was able to send a suitcase of stuff back home. While processing I found out that we get Olympic rings!!!! Wow my own ring. I was able to pick what I wanted it to say on the side (MARY 400M) and it will be white gold and have Olympic Rings on it. I can't wait to get it. After we went through processing a group of us (other track athletes) were able to eat dinner. We were expected to then after dinner get all our belongings together to get packed up for the airport. We would take off bright and early the next day to a long flight which would last 12 hours.

I can recall not being able to sleep that night, anticipating the next day. I felt like it was Christmas Eve and the next morning would be filled wth fun surprises. I headed to the airport the next morning and as Olympic athletes we went and checked into a special section. Check-in went smooth and the plane was a big one. I was happy with my seat choice which was a window seat with no one in the middle but another track athlete in the aisle seat. I was able to stretch out a little and get some sleep during the flight. At last after several hours and meals I landed in Beijing, China. As the plane landed I looked out to see gray skies and as I headed off the plane it was so very hot and humid. I couldn't believe....I'm Here, I'm here in China.

The transition to the Olympic Village was great, the Chinese volunteers for the games are very nice, full of smiles and very welcoming. After checking into the village the place was AMAZING. The village consisted of many dorm like buildings called suites and the athletes stay six to a room. The rooms are very cozy and I was able to recieve a gift from the Chinese children on my bed to welcome me. They painted pictures for each of the athletes. The days go by fast here espicially if you keep busy. I usually attend practice in the mornings, get treatment such as ice and stretch. then I go for lunch and then check email or go into our international zone on site, then it's time for dinner and we may have a team meeting here or there and it's bed time. Wow sounds like the life right...haha. But I am enjoying myself, and staying calm as I prepare for my first day on Saturday.

Opening ceremonies was such a great thing to be able to participate in. I was able to see so many athletes from other countries, and even from the U.S. Kobe, Carmello, Lisa Leslie, LaBron, Jenny Finch (baseball pitcher), the Venus sisters, volleyball and women's basketball, the Lopez family in Judo and even Dara Torres and Michael Phelps. I also meet President Bush, his father and Laura Bush. They all were very nice and greatful to have so many athletes to represent the USA. Walking in the cermony was long and hard because with what we had on and the weather, it was a sweaty four hours! But it was worth it and I would do it again. I was able to get some TV time by staying near Men's basketball, since I knew the TV would catch them and give them a lot of attention. If you were watching opening cermonies Men's basketball was the last team to walk into the stadium and I was talking with one of the players when the tv showed me. I was able to state to him that this crowd would be the same once track and field started. We were both amazed and he said that it was much more fans than they would have in their basketball arena. So I had a great time and was proud of Team USA for looking good and being the biggest team present. GO USA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chris was able to arrive a day after me and we were able to celebrate our 2nd anniversary in China. Well not really because he was actually on a plane on our date. But it is nice to have him here for support. He is also amazed with the whole experience. He is having a great time and for him the opening ceremonies was BRILLIANT. Chris wasn't able to be at the stadium but he did watch it on a big screen tv where he is staying. And boy let me tell you the coverage was great. He saw many things that you all in the US did not get a chance to see. His greatest event was the lighting of the torch and seeing the man run around the entire stadium. Chris has also been able to visit in the Olympic Village and eat a couple of meals with me. We have not been to any of the other athletic venues, but we have seen a lot on TV. We went to the Silk Market on my day off and let me just tell you there are some aggressive sellers!!!! Imagine yourself in a crowded shop with tons of people, and tons of little booths in which you go down an aisle and each floor is specific. You hear COME COME buy from me pretty girl or you handsome guy, ohhhh don't you want a tie, a purse, a shirt or some jeans. They grab your hand and usher you into their little booth and don't think you can escape. You have to bargain talk their prices!!!!! They will try to get more money from you at first then you hear the constant...ohhhh I don't make any money, youuuuu sooooo tough, or give me 300rmb and you immediately say no and only offer to give 100rmb which is like $20 USD. So that was our highlight of this trip so far. We also went to Nike hospitality in which I got some good stuff and we were able to eat and enjoy mingling. Now I am not going anywhere else until competition is over.......I am resting these legs and by he way it is raining today......

If you haven't check out the website feel free to...I actually can't put any pictures up from opening ceremony until 3 days after the Olympics so sorry you will have to wait until then. But I do know my friend Amy is a wiz on the computer and she was able to find some shots of me. We should have a listing up and schedule of when I run on the website. I will be also blogging but will try to keep it short on there. I hope everyone is well and please continue to keep me in your prayers. Talk to you all soon!!





Mary Wineberg