dan's journal - Dan Browne, the official web site

Well, I've certainly outdone myself in terms of not keeping up to date on my journal here on the site. Sorry for that. I'll do my best to keep posting some good stuff on more of a regular interval as we head into the Olympic Trials in July. I'm on a plane right now heading back home and thinking about all the important things in my life. Family comes to mind and with me being in San Diego a lot I know it's hard on my family. I remember these things as I train and compete and it helps to motivate me. Overall, I'm pleased with my training but my racing has not been what I'm looking for. Keeping a long term perspective is important when you're cranking out 110+ mileage weeks and trying to do speed sessions. I realize the most important events are still to come and to that end I will devote my energy.

Last night I competed in the Mt Sac Relays 5k and finished mid-pack somewhere in the 13:40's range. Not exactly what I was looking for. Track is definitely something unique.... there's always a sense of urgency out there and for lack of a better term a "stampede" effect that takes place. Road Racing by comparison can me more relaxing and yet there is something that always draws me back to the track. I guess it's the purity of it. No regrets, No excuses just 400 meters, a watch and no place to hide! It's the razor's edge and I go there to find out. Well, yesterday I found out that ultimately I need some more work in order to make this Olympic Team. Good information to have early in April when there's still plenty of time to make it happen. Altitude training will also be on the docket as I plan to head up to Mammoth Lakes around the 13th of May and do a good 6 weeks of hard training up there. The other intangible thing that I learned is that there's a fine line in this sport between success and failure and I need to prepare for both and yet pray that whatever comes I will use it for good in my life and those I surround myself with.

So, next up for me is the Cardinal Invite 10k . The BIG 10k! I've got 16 days until it and you can bet you'll see my best effort out there again. I'll update on some specific training stuff later but my plane is landing and I really need to see my family!

Dear Family and Friends,

Well, the track season is fully underway now. I've run a few races already and although they have been a sub par by my standards I am diligently working to get stronger and faster so that things will go much better later on this summer. I've got a hectic schedule leading up to the US Champs on the 21st of June... lot's of fast races to get me ready to handle all the outstanding competition in Indianapolis. This past weekend I raced in a mile at the Oregon Twilight and to be honest... it was sort of an "out of control" fun out there. I felt like I got up to top-speed and just held it as long as I could. More speed work... more speed work. I can hear my coach saying. So, with that we'll be back for another mile this Thursday at the Nike Campus. Please come out if your in town. I want to run even better than I did last weekend!

Overall, life is good. I've got two little doggies now and they are a real joy to me. It's funny how you can love these little creatures so much. I'll try and put a couple pictures up so you can see just how cute they are. With the weather getting better around here everyday I'm inspired to go out there and train longer and harder than before with the knowledge that the Olympic Marathon Trials are just around the corner and that I'm going to need to be stronger than I've ever been in order to handle the distance and course in NYC's Central Park. Please pray for me that I remain focused and concentrated on what I'm trying to accomplish. My best wishes to everyone out there in cyberspace!

Just Do It,

Dan

Hey There! Happy Thanksgiving! Sorry it has been so long since I've written. It's been a long journey for me the past 6 months. I've gotten a lot of things in order with my running and I'm excited to say that I'm 100% healthy. I even raced today and got 5th place in a very competitive 5000 meter race in San Jose running a time of 14:06! Thanks very much for all the support and nice messages I've received recently. I will explain later about all the things I've done to get myself healthy again. I'm excited to be training hard and getting fit again. Please keep up on the website again as I will be updating it much more frequently... at least twice a month. I will also put up an updated schedule of races for 2007! We're less than a year before the Olympic Marathon Trials and I feel like I'm in a really great place. I appreciate all the support and I look forward to getting back on top and being the tip of the spear again!

What a crazy last month it has been! I've been spending some time up in Park City, UT getting ready for the US Track and Field Championships. Training is going excellent and I'm really looking forward to competing soon. God willing, everything will fall into place and I'll be racing over in Europe soon. Honestly, I have so much to be thankful for. My tremendously supportive wife, family and friends have all been there as I've been attempting to get this "train out of the station!" Tonight I will race in Victoria, BC and I'm feeling positive about how my training and workouts have been going so hopefully it will be a good result! Victoria is such a sparkling city! The scenery around here is amazing. Thanks again to all those who send supportive messages. They are heard and appreciated! God Speed!

Dear Family & Friends,

Thanks very much for checking back with my journal. Honestly, I've been pretty bad at keeping up with this journal but that's going to change.
I'm going to post messages before and after races from now on. Last weekend I raced in Louisville, Kentucky at the US 10 mile championships and did my best out there to compete with the top runners. The conditions were definitely warm and humid. I went out hard with Abdi and was very close to him at the halfway mark. However, after that I suffered a bit and this knowledge is helping to spur me on as I continue to prepare for races. Now, it's time to head back to the track. I will be racing on the oval for the next few months. My next road race will be in September hopefully. From now until then I will commit myself to racing hard and competing against the best runners in the world! Thanks again for all the support in the form of messages and well-wishing. I'm going to be racing this weekend in Eugene Oregon in a mile race. God-willing, I will race strongly and bring glory to HIM.

Just Do It,

Dan

July 25, 2005

Dear Family and Friends,

Hey there, sorry it has been so incredibly long since my last journal update on this site. 2005 has been a really crazy rollercoaster year but I'm happy to report that things are really on an upswing. The biggest news by far is that on July 9th I got married in Dallas, TX to the most beautiful person I know both inside and out! I'm so thankful for her that I could write about it for pages. We recently arrived back home in Portland, OR in a U-haul and have begun the process of meshing our lives together. It's been an amazing experience!
This year has also had some bumps in the running department. After winning the US 1/2 marathon title in January I had some severe lateral pain in my left knee and after over a month of therapy decided to get knee surgery to alleviate the stress. A month later after returning to running I was overcome with pain one night in my stomach and ended up in the hospital getting an emergency appendectomy in Dallas, TX at around 4am on the 19th of April. Well, I recovered from surgery #2 just fine and was running within a week but my right knee started to feel neglected and so after a month of pain in that knee I got my 3rd operation of the year done on May 19th.
Within a couple weeks I was beginning to jog and currently I'm training about 10 miles a day hoping to get back to racing by the end of this summer!
I want to thank everyone out there for all the prayers for my health!
Overall, the most important thing in life is to get up one more time than you fall down and it's been a personal motto of mine for the past few months! I wish everyone out there a fantastic summer!

Just Do It,

Dan

February 17, 2005

Well, as I sit here at my place I must say that I'm excited about the upcoming summer season. That being said, I'm currently dealing with a little patella pain that has forced me off the roads. With the help of all the people here in Portland supporting myself and the rest of the Oregon Project guys, we've identified what is going on and how we can get over this bump in the road. I'm assuming that I'll be running within the week. I appreciate all the prayers as injuries are sometimes a tough thing to deal with. From this point on, I won't be taking anything for granted anymore. Each day is a beautiful gift and it should be the passion of man to live each day as if it were his last. I look forward to hearing from family and friends. I send my best wishes to everyone out there.

Thanks very much for all the messages of congratulations about the US 1/2 marathon championships. I just got back to Portland last night and it's been a little crazy with travel over the past couple of weeks with travel and appearances. I am very appreciative of the people in Houston, TX for putting on such a fine event. I'm really looking forward to racing this year on the track. Overall, I am pleased with my race in Houston but I definitely feel like this is the start of the season and I couldn't expect myself to be in tremendous fitness.

Now I've got about 4 weeks until my next race which will be the US X-C championships in Ft Vancouver. It's going to be great to get back into the group and focus on working toward the common goal of making the World X-C team. It's our home turf and I hope that we can be at our best in February.

Dear Family and Friends,

Happy New Year to everyone out there! I hope that 2004 was a successful and productive year for you. This past year was an interesting one to say the least for me... I am looking forward to the

coming year and hope that it can live up to the excitement of 2004! Overall, I finished this year ranked well among the US men at 5k, 10k and the marathon but I am hoping to take my running to the next level in 2005!

I will be most likely starting my season here pretty soon with a US road championship down in Houston, TX. It's a little early to start racing but I am feeling good again and I miss the battlefield so I guess it's time to go back. I'm really excited about the group of guys that I'm going to be working with back in Portland this year. My coach Alberto has put together quite a strong corps of athletes and a support structive that's second to none. Joining us from North Carolina is probably the best coache/therapist/bio-mechanical guy that anyone could hope to work with. His name is Dan Pfaff and although I've been gone this fall a lot I am extremely excited to be working with him to help make some dramatic improvements in my running. Another top coach whom I've had the pleasure of knowing for awhile now is John Cook. He's got a tremendous amount of expertise to share and I hope to be a little faster this year because of him. We've also added some fantastic runners to our group that I am looking forward to working with. Adam Goucher and his wife Kara have moved to Portland and are now working with the Oregon Project and I couldn't think of a better fit for either of them. Dathan Ritzenhein and Abdi might also be showing up later in the year and I think they will be a great addition to the group. It will be fun to train with some of the best distance runners in the country! Overall, I'm excited and prepared to give my best this year with the goal of making up some ground on the Africans out there who are dominating our sport so powerfully!

Blessings,

Dan

October 31, 2004

Dear Family and Friends,

Happy Halloween! Sorry it has been so long since I have written to you all. It's been a crazy time for me the past couple months since coming home from the Olympics. I can't express clearly enough how much God has been blessing me and answering my prayers during this time. I've been racing quite a bit recently and overall feel very positively about how things have been going. After taking about two weeks off I went out to Maui and ran a mile race and sort of surprised myself with how I felt in running 4:02 for 3rd place. I highly recommend checking out Maui if you get an opportunity. It is truly paradise on earth! Then a few weeks later I ran in the Akron road relay championships. I ran the 3rd leg of the race over a distance of 10km. I caught up to my competitors after getting the stick about 50 seconds behind... unfortunately.. it wasn't enough as we lost to the Mexicans by three seconds. Then three weeks later I got an amazing opportunity to go to Washington DC and meet President Bush during a White House visit. I enjoyed the experience immensely and hopefully will be able to do it again four years from now!
Later that week, I competed in the Army 10 miler and ended up winning it in a course record time of 47:29. Right now, I'm feeling confident in my strength and speed and hopefully will be able to show it at the New York City marathon. Thanks again to everyone out there who have been so supportive of what I've been doing this past year. New York City will be my last race of the year and God willing it will also be my best! :)

Just Do It,

Dan

August 30, 2004

Dear Family and Friends,

Hello for Athens one last time. Well, the Olympic Games are officially over and everywhere around me I see people packing their bags and heading off to their respective countries and homes. This experience, although physically taxing, has been one of the best experiences of my life. I will cherish all the people met and friendships made for many years to come. I can't help but feel a sense of sorrow that it is coming to an end but I revel in all the beauty that we accomplished here in Athens to further the Olympic ideal.
First off, I would like to say what a tremendous job that Meb did in the marathon last night. I am amazed beyond belief at how well he ran and it just shows that anything is possible when you believe. Meb is a great friend of many including myself and it couldn't happen to a better guy. Congratulations Meb! I hope you're enjoying Florida right now. I know you are. Rest well.
I can't also count out my other teammate Alan Culpepper who had a fantastic race in finishing 12th last night. He ran with patience and perseverance and I am inspired by that result as well.
My experience in this marathon was a little different than most. I take solace in knowing that I gave everything I had to give out there. The marathon is a lot like life in that there are many ups and downs. The marathon can also knock you on your seat if you're not careful with how you run it. I could go into the gory details but I'd rather just say that I've never had to push myself so hard just to reach the finish line once my hydration was depleted. I came to compete and I did it to the best of my ability. Much thanks goes to the medical staff from the USOC who took such good care of me after the race and especially to Gary Lang. Man, I'd probably still be over there at the track in misery if you hadn't have taken care of me the way you did.
So, to everyone out there who's been watching and cheering on those of us who've been fortunate enough to represent the US and countries abroad. Thank you for all your support through the years. Many of us Olympians wouldn't be where we are if we didn't have a great support network out there to help us reach our dreams.
I'm so excited for US distance running in general right now. With some of the new talented guys coming up through the high school and collegiate level and also with Meb and Deena showing us that it IS possible to take a bite into the medals I encourage all of you who dream to DREAM BIG! But, be willing to work harder than you can possibly imagine if you plan to someday represent the US in the Olympics.

Just Do It,

Dan

August 17, 2004

Hi everybody. Right now I am on the island of Crete awaiting my first chance to represent myself in these Olympic Games. Everyone here in Athens and on Crete has been amazing at taking care of our needs and making sure that our team USA competes to the best of their abilities these next two weeks. Like most of you out there, I am watching the first week of coverage on TV with the excitement of knowing that my time will soon come.

The opening ceremonies were held a few days ago and my mind is still reveling in the experiences that I had there. Walking into the Olympic stadium was breathtaking at first, and then exhilarating as I realized that in a short time I would be giving everything I had for the people who are going to be watching. All the pagentry and elegance of the ceremony was moving. It inspired me once again to believe in myself and what I have done to get here.

The past few days our USA Olympic track and field team has been training on the island of Crete at the Pilot Beach resort. It is quite a fantastic place with everything we need taken care of, and relaxation to spare. The warm and humid weather out here has also been good preparation as our team gets ready to go down to Athens and give our best. Overall, I really believe that the athletes we have here on this island are going to do our nation proud in the coming weeks. I hope that I can have a small part in that.

In the next couple of days I will basically be resting and taking it easy because I know that the fun is yet to come. Thank you again for all the support we have received from parents, coaches, and supporters alike. We will do our best here to bring honor to the USA!

Just Do It,

Dan

August 9, 2004

Hello from Athens, Greece! I just arrived in Athens yesterday and am completely awestruck with how amazing everyone is treating us as we get ready to compete. The Olympic spirit is alive and thriving here in Athens! It is such a blessing to be able to represent the USA and I feel completely honored as I take my first steps here.

My recovery has gone well since the 5000 meter race in Belgium and I feel prepared to give my best in Athens. I even got an opportunity the last couple days I was in Switzerland to go down to Zurich and watch the Weltklasse meeting. The energy and excitement in the stadium was something to behold. The people in Europe truly have a love for Athletics and that was clear as I witnessed this event. Every time someone jumped high or someone threw the javelin, the crowd would start doing a loud and thunderous chant followed by clapping. It was exhilerating to say the least!

Another interesting bit of my last week in Switzerland was this thing they called Street Parade. Basically, it was one of the craziest experiences that I have ever personally witnessed. I guess this is quite a famous event here in Zurich and it is well known as the largest techno party in all of Europe. There were probably about a million people in the streets of Zurich dancing and partying to techno music coming from about ten different stages and venues. The people were also dressed in the most elaborate and crazy outfits that you could imagine. I don't think I have ever seen that many mohawks in my entire life! After my long run I decided to go take in the scene and I quickly realized that it was a little TOO crazy. Heading back to the hotel was a wise choice as I had some travelling to do the next day.

Tonight, we have a flag raising ceremony here in the Olympic Village for the US team so I am about to head out there for that and pay my respects. We also have a reception at the US Ambassador's home tomorrow night so I will go and check that out. Probably the greatest thing that I have seen so far out here is the international zone where all the athletes who are staying at the village come to eat and shop and take care of personal stuff. In front of these buildings are the flags from all the countries represented here. Seeing over 200 of them waiving in the breeze gives me a sense of purpose and honor because these Olympic Games are not just about the competition but also the community that we have with all of our neighbors both far and near.

All my best to everyone back in America!

Dan

August 1, 2004

Just got back into St Moritz tonight at about 10pm. Today is Switzerland`s National Birthday so I was greeted to my return with fireworks and people partying in the street. After a long hard day of travelling back from Heusden, Belgium I am finally getting a chance to read through a few of the many e-mails that were sent in the last 24 hours to say congratulations and job well done. Believe me, those notes are most appreciated as the life of the long distance runner is basically 99% loneliness and 1% rock star!

This has been a very interesting last couple of days. When I arrived into Heusden, Belgium I found out that not only did I not have room and board at the meet hotel but I was also assigned to the "B" section 5000 meter race. This would not do! So with my motivational fires burning I went looking for a place to stay while mentally making my case as to why the meet director must let me in the "A" section. The next morning I went directly over the race hotel and sat myself down in front of one of the race coordinators and proceeded to tell him exactly why I belonged in his "A" section race. Initially, I was flatly denied and told that I was the 20th runner to come into his office this morning to ask for the exact same thing. I, however, did not come halfway around the world to be put off so easily. I remained in the room and after about 10 more minutes of "polite" conversation he finally relented and told me he would make this one exception and that he would be watching how I performed to see if I could come through with my predictions. I quietly walked out of his office with a feeling of triumph and accomplishment... AND I hadn`t even run the race yet.

Later on that day I rested and prepared my mind and body for what was to come. I knew that I would need 100% of my abilities to accomplish the goal that I had set out for myself this evening. I arrived at the track and was struck by what a similiar feeling I had when I first went to the Mt Sac Relays when I was at West Point. Nervous, excited... even a little scared at what was going to happen tonight. I knew I was ready to do something. My warm-up went smoothly and I could feel myself mentally sharpen the sword that I would need out there in competition. The track was amazing... fast with an enthusiastic crowd there to support all of our efforts. Now I understood why some of my running buddies had spoken so highly of this meeting.

After the initial jog to the starting line I realized that I would be placed out in the second waterfall start area with 14 other gus and only 4 lanes of track to share. I looked over at Louis Louchini and sort of shrugged as we both just got behind the two guys who were on the inside part of the second waterfall. Crack! We were off and I realized quickly that when you start behind someone on the track you have no chance of putting yourself into a good position so I maintained a pace that I felt I could carry the entire distance and took my place at the caboose of the train. After about a mile of racing I started to pass some of the runners who had foolishly done the first lap in 60 seconds with the Kenyans. By the second mile, I was leading the group of Americans and trying to get them back into the hunt as we had a little gap to make-up. It was in that second mile when I realized that I was still feeling good and thought to myself... I am GOING to run sub 13:20 tonight! In the third mile, I passed a group of runners with whom I sort of recognized so I knew I was getting into some pretty decent competition and with 400 meters to go I simply put the pedal down and gave it everything I had left in the tank.

The one thing that I want to make perfectly clear to everyone is this simple fact. When you are commited to something...Accept no excuses, only results! Such is the resolve that it takes to compete with the best runners in the world. While I didn`t exactly set the track on fire or even win my 5000 meter race this past weekend I did put it all on the line and walked away from the track knowing that I could not have run a step faster. It is this motivation and desire that I will carry with me to Athens in two weeks and God willing I will do something that hasn`t been done in a long time by an American distance runner!

Just Do It,

Dan

July 26, 2004

Dear Family and Friends,

Hello from Switzerland! I hope everyone out there is enjoying a beautiful summer and making the most of it. I am doing well out here in one of the most beautiful places around. Overall, training has been going excellent! I really believe in my heart that my best racing will come this August which is exciting.

Today, as Lance Armstrong completed his historic victory #6 I am reminded of the power of belief and commitment. When you are committed to something... you don`t accept excuses...only results. To that end I am committed to doing well in both the 10k and the marathon.

My days here in St Moritz are fairly repetitive. I wake up and run in the forest. Then later on after a rest and some food I go out for an evening run or track workout. After that I have a dinner at the hotel and watch a little TV (mostly CNN.. as it is the only English channel) and then get my rest while I dream of Athens. I am training hard here averaging about 17-18 miles a day and St Moritz being at 6000 feet elevation makes it more taxing on my systems so I find that sleep is a welcome thing in the evening. Over the next few days I will begin to take it a little easier on myself as I get ready for my 5000 meter race in Belgium. This race that I will be doing is well known by American athletes as a place to go for fast times. I hope to be able to set a PR and take that speed and confidence into Athens in early August. That`s all for now... I will send another report very soon.

Just Do It,

Dan

July 15, 2004

Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you so much for all the congratulating messages and calls. I truly appreciate them and have worked hard this year to make this Olympic year an exciting and memorable one. Four years ago when I missed out on going to Sydney I vowed that I would be more intelligent and determined in my training methods with a focus on consistant high performance. With Nike's loyal support of my quest and Alberto's unmatched guidance I continue to strive toward the mountain tops. Now that the preshows (Olympic Trials) are over it's time to get ready for the main event. On Tuesday at the New York Road Runner's media conference I will announce what I plan on running in Athens. After that, I will begin my final three week training phase in St Moritz, Switzerland which couldn't be a better place to remain focused and free from distraction. I will then head down to Athens, Greece around the 8th of August in order to get ready for the heat and humidity. I plan on writing in this journal at least once every few days while I'm gone so that you may feel what I'm going through as I prepare for Athens. One last thing... I'm going into these games not with timidness in my heart but with strength and courage for what I hope to accomplish!

Just Do It,

Dan

May 12, 2004

Dear Family and Friends,

This week I'm taking a break from running with my eyes focused on accomplishing my dreams in August in Athens, Greece. Since I last wrote here I've been busy racing the past couple weeks. On April 30th I placed 7th in the 10,000 meter event at the Cardinal Invitational. The
competition there was fantastic and the evening was definitely electric with most people there either elite runners or diehard fans! I highly recommend checking out that race if you get an opportunity. Anyway, I'm happy with my time of 27:42. However, it never feels good to finish behind six other runners so these next couple months of training will be especially focused for me as I have something to prove to myself with these Olympic trials in Sacramento. The following weekend I competed at the US 25km road championships in Grand Rapids, MI and won the US Championships in around 1:16:21. Overall, I finished 2nd to a fine runner from Kenya and while I'm happy about the US championship I feel a sense of disappointment about not being able to repeat as overall champion. One thing that I've learned in running is that things do happen for a reason and I believe that as long you take your failures and use them to motivate you then you'll accomplish even greater things. What I'm trying to say is to never be satisfied with where you're at...that's one of the keys! Thanks to all those people out there who've been supporting me and encouraging me at these races and back in my home. Your love and thanks are much appreciated and help me to continue to strive towards greatness!

Just Do It,

Dan

April 14, 2004

Dear Family and Friends,

Happy Easter to everyone out there in Internet land! I may be a few days late saying it but I guess it's the thought that

counts. This past week I competed in the Papa John's 10 Miler in Louisville, KY. The race went as well as I could have expected. My thoughts going into the race were to be aggressive and go hard from the start which I'm proud to say that I did. I was impressed with the competition and fitness of the field. We dueled for many miles of the race. It is truly my wish that TV would someday have an interest in road running because later in the evening we watched a video of ourselves and it looked pretty exciting to me...lead changes happening every 1/4 mile... lots of surges and attempts to breakaway. All I can do is continue to train and race well and hope that through these efforts I attract the attention of the American TV media and continue to bring distance running in this country into the light. I really feel like once people get more exposed to it they will encourage more of their children to pursue those same dreams and then we'll have a
chance of competing and winning on the world scene.
Tomorrow I head to Boston to check out the course of the marathon for next year. I'm excited because of all the history and charm that the Boston marathon holds. Alberto won there and God willing someday soon I'll do the same! Over the next couple weeks I'll continue my preparations for the Cardinal Invitational 10,000 meters in Palo Alto, CA. I'm extremely excited to run with the best runners in the country at that special race! I highly encourage anyone who's going to be in the Northern California area to come check it out.....I think you'll see some great competition there. God Speed to you all. Be a champion in all you do!

Just Do It,

Dan

Thursday March 25, 2004

Dear Family and Friends,

Thanks again to everyone who's been in touch with me since the Olympic Marathon Trials. I have a renewed sense of purpose with my running as I get ready on this vision quest culminating with the Olympic Marathon in August. God has given each of us special gifts and our goal should be to utilize those gifts to glorify Him. I encourage everyone out there to find their gift and use all their passion to become all they can be.
Training is going excellent right now thanks to my Coach, Body Mechanics and new training partner and roommate Marc Davis. I believe he's going to make a splash this season and prove that he's back and ready to make the US Olympic team. My fitness seems coming along a little ahead of schedule for me right now and I hope to be tough as I enter my first race here in a couple weeks in Louisville, Kentucky. Overall, I'm just excited and ready to compete to the best of my abilities.

Just Do It,

Dan

Thursday February 12, 2004

Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you all so very much for all the notes of congratulations and well-wishing! I truly appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. As I write this I'm doing my best to respond to everyone because I believe that if you take the time to write to me then I also can make the effort
to let you know how much I appreciate it. THE OLYMPICS! I like the way
it sounds although I must admit that it's sinking in slowly. This journey has been a dream of mine for more a dozen years and to finally reach this plateau for me is an incredible feeling. I feel honored to mention those people who've helped me get this far in my career and to show my gratitude for their support and love. First and foremost, to God through whom all things are possible when you believe. Next, to all my teammates throughout the years.... whether they be from West Linn, West Point, The World Class Athlete Program or my fellas here in P-town in the Oregon Project. I appreciate your companionship with all my heart.
Also, to the body-mechanics who've kept me healthy this past few years since moving to Portland... Thank you. Mike, CW and Tye.....man, I wouldn't be standing here (literally) without your hands! To all the coaches who've helped me to reach this level I appreciate your expertise and unselfish dedication with all my heart. You've taught me and molded me more than you know. Norm Oyler, Ron Basil, Jerry Quiller, Rich Castro, Joe Vigil, Arturo Barrios and last but certainly not least Alberto Salazar... Thank you. To my family here in Oregon and Texas.... I Love you all... thank you for continuing to believe in me as I've gone after my dream. Honestly, this is the time to celebrate and enjoy my accomplishment. Very soon, however, my heart and soul will tell me to get ready because directly in front of me lies an even greater opportunity to accomplish something I've only dreamed of quietly within my soul. To go after a Gold Medal at the Olympics in Athens is where my heart lies and I will pursue that dream, with the help of all my support crew, with a passion you've never seen before in me. True opportunities in life come few and far between. To seize the moment and go after that dream for the Glory of God is man's highest calling and I intend to do just that.

My favorite quote from a book called the Power Of One... "The power of one is above all things the power to believe in yourself, often well beyond any latent ability you may have previously demonstrated. The mind is the athlete; the body is simply the means it uses to run faster or longer, jump higher, shoot straighter, kick better, swim harder, hit further or box better. Hoppie's dictum to me: 'First with the head and then with the heart' was more than simply mixing brains with guts. It meant thinking well beyond the powers of normal concentration and then daring your courage to follow your thoughts."

Just Do It,

Dan

Monday January 26, 2004

Happy 2004 to everyone! I hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! As I sit here today typing on my computer I realize that exactly two weeks from right now I will be in the race of my life. It's such an exciting opportunity and I can't wait for it to happen. These past two months have been good ones as far as training goes. I've done two races since I last wrote. The first one was in Barcelona, Spain on New Years and it was quite a race. I ended up running 29:16 for the 10,000 meter distance and overall I felt it was a good stepping stone towards the Olympic marathon trials. I really wish they would have taped that race (actually I really wish they'd tape all my races... for many reasons! :) Anyway, in Barcelona the eventual winner of the race made some unbelievable surges in the race. I felt as if I was almost a bicyclist in a peloton and watched one of the riders try and breakaway from the pack. I think most people would enjoy seeing that kind of action but until the television networks realize that I guess we're still going to be stuck with watching more lumberjack competitions and weekly reruns of the world's strongest man competitions. The other race that I did was the Houston Half-Marathon and that went quite well. It shows to me that my training has been progressing nicely and that after a little taper I'll be ready to tackle the marathon distance much like I did in 2002. I really appreciate all the prayers and support that you all have given me these past months and years. It's almost time for the check and I'm ready to pay up and make everyone I know proud.

This is the time of the year to reflect upon all those things that we normally take for granted and don't think about. As I reflect upon my recent trip to SE Asia and return to the United States I'm struck by how much we as Americans take things for granted and don't show the proper respect for them. Our security and freedom that we enjoy in America is something that most parts of the world simply don't have. I pray for our leadership during these uncertain times will continue to show the wisdom to guide America in doing what needs to be done for the benefit of the world.

On a somewhat less important subject... my running is going well since my two week break. I return to Portland, OR with a renewed sense of purpose and drive that will hopefully guide me in 2004. I realize with absolute assurance that what I'm trying to do is not only for myself but also for my Creator who's given me my talents and also for my family who have been supportive of me these past 12 years that I've been aiming towards an Olympic berth. I will return to racing on New Year's Eve so until then I wish everyone out there a fantastic holiday season. During my trip in SE Asia I was given a book to read that has made an impact in my life... The book is called the Power of One and I encourage those people who want to be inspired to read it.

First with the head, then with the heart! One Power, One Mind, One Determination.

Thank you all very much for your support since my race this weekend in Chicago. In placing 24th with a time of 2:19:37 it obviously didn't go the way I would have liked. I can tell you without hesitation that it was a tough lesson to learn. I will, however, be back stronger than ever for the Olympic Trials in February. That I can promise you. Once again thanks very much for all your prayers and support. Above all, I want to glorify the Lord through my running and to that end I will dedicate myself this coming Olympic cycle.

First of all, I'd like to thank Louis LeBlanc for his help getting this site up and running again. If you're here for the first time I want to welcome you and thank you for visiting. This is the place where I will talk about my races and life in general. Hopefully I'll be able to update it bi-monthly depending upon the racing schedule.

With the Chicago Marathon coming up this Sunday morning I'm excited and hopeful of a good performance. Training has been going excellent since the World Championships in Paris this summer. My teammates have been a great help in getting me back into "Marathon" shape. I will do my best this weekend to bring honor to the program which I'm part of and my family and friends which I'm so blessed to have. I'd rather not talk specifically about what I think I can do at Chicago because ultimately words are cheap and actions speak much louder so please bear with me and check back to the website early next week for the results and interviews. Thanks again for visiting and I wish you all the best!