Aug. 24, 2007
Former TCU sprinter Lewis Banda and current Flyin' Frog Virgil Hodge continued preparation for the IAAF World Championships in Osaka, Japan, on Monday.
Both sprinters will give GoFrogs.com readers an inside look at what each of their days are like in Japan through a daily journal. Below is the fourth installment of the journal.
At TCU, Banda earned three All-America honors at the 2006 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. He placed fourth in the men's 400 meters and anchored both the 4x100 and 4x400 relay squads. Banda holds the school record in the indoor 400 meters.
Hodge, the only female in school history with at least five All-America certificates, won the Female High-Point Award after winning both the 60 and 200 meters at the Mountain West Conference Indoor Championships last winter. She closed out 2007 earning two All-America honors in the 200 meters and as a member of the 4x100 relay team at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
The IAAF World Championships will run from Aug. 25 through Sept. 2.
Lewis Banda
My first day at the village was okay. I checked in at around 11 a.m. After getting settled in, I went to eat and met Virgil in the dining hall. It was great seeing a fellow teammate here. I do however wish there were more of my former teammates here. It was too early for me to train, so I took a nap because I was still suffering from a little jet lag and the Tylenol PM wasn't helping at all. I went to the track at around 4 p.m. and did a couple of hundreds with my former teammate Seth Amoo. After getting worked on by the training staff, I had a great night sleep. I was woken up this morning to get a blood test. I'm about to go eat breakfast and will be back on later today.
Second Journal
Today was a good day even though I got up at 3 a.m. I went to eat at 8 a.m. because it is very hot out here. The best time to train is in the morning because there are a lot of people at the track. I was thinking I was being smart, but I guess there are a lot of smart athletes because almost everybody was at the track in the morning. I am happy that I could still run my workout without being disturbed. I did four 200's today and they were all very easy and comfortable. My day ended with a massage and an ice bath. I also watched my old races just to get my mind right and learn from my mistakes.
Third Journal
Today was a bad day for me. I woke up with a bad headache and was not feeling well. The medication I'm taking must have not set well with my stomach, so I couldn't do anything all day. I called coach Anderson and told him about my illness and he gave me a few tips on how I could get better. I cannot afford to be sick at a big competition like this. Really, my day was not that good because I just spent half the day in my room sleeping. I woke up later on to get something to eat and felt better. Tomorrow I am going to do the workout that I was supposed to do today. I will let you all know how it went.
Fourth Journal
I just went to the track and had a shake out today. I did a couple of starts and strides on the turn and then came back to the hotel to rest because I start competition tomorrow. I am running in the second heat and I drew lane four. My body feels good and I am excited and ready to run tomorrow. I will write back after I get back from the track at about 9 p.m.
Virgil Hodge
Today I ran two 80 meters. It was very hot as usual, but I managed through my workout. The past couple of days have not been too bad here. I've had to make sure I am taking longer breaks though because of the heat. As the days have gone by I am looking forward to next Wednesday when I start competing in the 200 meters. I am starting to mentally prepare myself.
Second Journal
Yesterday, I did my last workout before competition begins on Wednesday. On Monday, I just warmed up and relaxed a little bit. I am getting ready to run on Wednesday morning in the the 200 meters. That's all for now.
