With just a little under two weeks left before the first day of Olympic trials I'm surprised at how relaxed I have been feeling. Often times before these big meets tensions run high and there's a bit of anxiety to deal with. It's been really nice having a calm center this year.

One of my good friends Bolota Asmerom who will be competing in the 5000m at the trials has come out to Arizona to train with me for awhile. It's really nice to have him around. We're both mellow guys so it's good to have someone to run with and share ideas with as we lead up to the big event.

I had thought about racing a few more times before the U.S. championships begin but I decided it'd be best to stay here (sometimes all the travel is a bit tiring) and run some really good time trials instead. I have some friends here that were former collegiate standouts in the sprints so they're able to pace me perfectly over 500m and 600m distances. I'm really grateful to have them around.

The Arizona summer heat used to really beat me up (which made training difficult) but I guess my body finally decided it would acclimate. Workouts have been coming great so the main things for me to focus on over the next two weeks are eating well, getting good sleep, and staying healthy.

June 1

I raced my second 800 of the year yesterday at the Reebok Grand Prix in New York. It was quite eventful. A runner was tripped as we were heading into the final 100m of the race and I had to hurdle over him. I landed off balance (I'm not much of a hurdler) and ended up on the infield running in the grass for four or five steps. I made it back onto the track and finished but I was too far back to catch the leaders after the surprise detour.

Fortunately nobody in the race was hurt so we can all recover from a crash and the subsequent slower times but it adds another element when one of us gets injured in the process.

I enjoyed New York. I ran in central park for the first time. I'd never seen so many runners assembled like that just for training and exercise. I got lost trying to find a dirt trail Id heard about and contrary to popular belief, New Yorkers are actually really nice. One guy even ran with me to make sure I found the correct loop.

I'm back in Arizona training and gearing up for these last few weeks before our trials. I may race once more before then so I can get a competition in where I'm not hurdling over someone or showing up for a meet on the wrong day.