Traffic lights and friendly chaps

I reckon the 400 hurdles is a fair bit like driving to work in the morning. Each hurdle is like a traffic light, and you have good days and bad days. Getting a good run of greens is like the perfect race of hurdles, and sometimes every red light possible is conspiring against you and you are forced to stop, start, stop, start. Not ideal for hurdles, either.

Today's race I had a red light before I had left the driveway. For some silly reason I took an extra step before the first hurdle, which meant I was on my opposite leg and pretty much had given myself the worst possible start. I was actually fairly happy with what followed as I managed to change the rest of my race as best as I felt I could and finished with a 50.06, a European best this year. I clipped a couple of hurdles and my last hurdle was terrible, but I was happy with what shape it showed I am in.

The other event that left me with a smile was a chat with the guy that beat me, a Belizian hurdler named Kenneth, who is also going to the Olympics. 

"I am just so happy to be going, man! I don't care if I run 56 seconds or 48, it's what I have worked towards and have achieved, so I'm going to enjoy it." 

How refreshing! There is no doubt we will all be giving our everything at the Olympics and our best result possible will follow, but it was so nice to see another athlete really enjoying the fact that he is representing his country at the biggest sporting stage in the world to do what he loves. Bless. 

Next stop, London!