(Clear Throat)( Cue X-mas Music)
There is a new addition to the family! His name is Jack! And I’m officially an Uncle!
Congratulations to my sister, her husband, and their new family!
As for the rest of you guys…I’d like to wish everybody Happy Holidays! This is my favorite part of the year. Not because it’s the offseason (well, that too), but because I’m able to relax and spend time with my friends and family.
Just to follow up on Europe and this past season, I have to say everything went smoothly…
Aside from: The language barriers, the missed buses, the missed trains, barely making a flight to Italy that would of cost me 300 Euro to reschedule, the ATM transaction fees of $7-11. The lack of deordorant of some... what else? Oh yeah the worse, the race cars beds-- (think Grandma’s Boy – video game tester who lived with his mom) led one to fall asleep and wake up right next to your roommates too close, too often (or think leo and I in Stepbrothers).
Other than all of that Europe was incredible! Prior to this season, the furthest I’d ever traveled from the U.S. was Mexico. You can imagine my excitement and fascination when I traveled to an entirely new continent!
Meeting other elite track & field athletes on a daily basis was awesome! I always thought that meeting other people at a competition venue would be like seeing Team Iceland in the Mighty Ducks: cold stares and attitude, but it wasn’t that at all. Everybody understands and gets along with each other because we’ve all experienced the same pressures and challenges. In the evenings leading up to the race we would eat together, see movies, or just go out on the town together.
Probably the most important lesson I learned (or, am beginning to learn) this season is that, despite the pressure and challenges, this sport is about having fun and being grateful for the opportunity to run Track professionally. In that spirit, I plan on making bigger meets this year! I know Monaco was in sight this past season and not making it was a bit of a disappointment, but next year you can count on me toeing the line!
In terms of the actual running, getting used to taking care of myself while constantly being on the move was challenging. Most of the time, I didn’t have the chiropractors, underwater treadmills, weight rooms, or cold tubs to get the job done. I had to improvise! Looking at other elite athletes, taking care of the little things was extremely helpful to me. At the end of the day, the lesson here was: Just get it done!
The most memorable place that we visited was Amsterdam. First off, it IS like everything you see in the movies. It can be described as an adult playground. For one thing, the coffeeshops, which are a staple of mine in Austin, sold several other substances besides caffeine. Aside, from these small encounters with the unusual/unknown, Amsterdam struck me as one of the most beautiful cities that I’ve ever been too. The colors, canals, and the architecture…the whole flow of the city is put together perfectly. I could definitely see myself spending a couple of year of my life there . Also, my best friend Jules got to come spend 2 weeks with me overseas. So it was cool to have him come spend sometime with the group.
Finally, I’d like to give a shout-out to some of the people helping us do what we do everyday.
I would like thank Pure Austin for taking an interest in our group. Pure Austin’s facilities are of the highest quality! Also, the Yoga is great! ( I didn’t want to do it, Cook made me). Follow them @PureAustin.
Jack & Adams! Thank you for being supportive of our group as well! Knowing that there are other people that appreciate the sport and share the same ambition is huge! Follow them @jackandadams.
ANNNDD, if you want to get a serious DeepTissue massage, checkout AustinDEEP! They’re serious and good at what they do!
I almost forgot…We started the Austin Track Club! So, be on the look out!
We will be based out of Portugal this summer! So, it should be interesting!
Here is our site: http://www.completedistance.com/
Merry Christmas!
Jacob K. Hernandez
Ps. Check out the pictures! http://www.jhern.com/photoalbum/290383-First-European-Summer
P.ss. For real this time, sorry for the time in between the blogs.... I just didnt have anything to say!
Psss. Be on the look out for another video- HD
Pssss. Give my roommate Jake Morse an add on facebook and saw " aye, we wanna see you back on that team" @_austin_jake
