USA House and the Men's Marathon

One of our last days in Rio we used the guest passes Jason had for us to enjoy the hospitality at the USA House.  The kids loved the VIP treatment.  Jared made a killing on pins that day.  It seemed like everyone there wanted to trade with him or better yet just give him pins.  There was plenty of food, drinks, treats and TVs to watch everything that was going on around Rio.  We watched Brazil beat Germany in the men's gold medal soccer match.  Everyone in the USA House was definitely cheering on Brazil for redemption from the embarrassment Germany handed Brazil two years ago in the World Cup.  We also had fun cheering on Team USA to another successful night at Track and Field.  The best part of the day though was mingling with the athletes who were there.  We met several athletes with such inspiring stories.  These aren't the ones you hear about on TV and they might not have won any medals but their dedication and hard work to make it to the Olympics were inspiring to hear about.  When we had all grab a plate of dinner we were trying to find a place to all sit together to eat.  I went to a table with some extra chairs and asked to borrow some chairs without really looking at who I was talking to.  Then I looked up and realized it was Desi Linden.  I was a bit tongue tied at first not knowing what to say.  I congratulated her on a great marathon.  Later I got up the courage to go back and chat with her a bit more about my experience at the Olympic Trials, running for Brooks, and ask for a picture.  She was very kind and I loved the good fortune of being there at the same time she was!

We also had the privilege of watching Ryan Crouser who won the gold medal in shot put give an award to his mentor.  We had a few minutes afterward to meet him.  He tried to convince Jared to throw the shot put since we told him he isn't fond of running but we'd love to keep him in the track and field family!  Then he posed for a picture and even let Kaitlyn hold his gold medal!

 It was a lot of fun seeing the amazing atmosphere that Jason had been working in for the last few weeks!  The games were winding up but we were able to catch a few more events.  We watched the bike and run for the men's and women's triathalon on the road.  We also went to the lagoon to watch the canoe sprint finals.  There weren't any US teams in the finals but we enjoyed celebrating with the home crowd when some Brazilian's medaled. The last event was the men's marathon.  Again we went to Botafoga and watched the race come past three times.  Some of the highlights were watching local runner Jared Ward run an outstanding race finishing 6th, Galen Rupp winning the bronze medal and Meb Keflezgi in his last Olympics.

  Later that day a storm was blowing in.  The wind was howling and the beach front was deserted and downright eerie.  The wind was painfully blowing the sand in our faces as we rushed back to our hotel.  We sat safely in the hotel watching the closing ceremony while the storm raged outside, wind howling and rain pelting the windows.  The show was a typical Brazilian party and I found a wave of emotions coming over me as I watched.  Memories from the week flooded my mind, a love for the Brazilian culture and the city of Rio, and sadness that it was all over.  What an incredible experience it was and one that we will never forget!

Sightseeing in Rio

Rio is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to!  Last time Jason and I visited we only had a day and a half to visit but I fell in love with Rio.  I was so excited to show the kids some of the amazing sights as well as having over a week there to explore some areas we didn't get to last time.  With a busy work schedule for Jason and a lot of events we had tickets to attend we had to fit the sight seeing in between other things.  Lines were long as expected but we were able to get to most of the sights we wanted to see.

When we arrived at Sugar Loaf we were greeted by a long line but it moved quickly and within an hour we were riding the tram the first peak.  An hour didn't seem like too long and since we were squeezing it in between track in the morning and beach volleyball in the evening I was glad it wasn't too long.  The tram takes you up to the first peak then another tram takes you up to the second peak.  The weather was beautiful when we arrived but by the time we had made it up to the first peak a strong wind had picked up.  A storm was blowing in.  I was a little hesitant about the tram ride to the taller peak with the high winds but we had already bought our tickets and I wasn't sure we'd get another chance to come back.  As we went to get in line for the second tram we found a long winding line that took another hour.  Suddenly the waiting was starting to get long.  Luckily there was a monkey in one of the trees that entertained the kids for a while.  We also ran into one of the women's steeplechasers from Team USA and enjoyed meeting her and her family.  We finally made it to the top.  We took pictures, walked the trails through the forest and enjoyed the views of the bay and the beaches below.  Unfortunately the bottleneck of the line for the tram wasn't any better on the way down.  With about an hour wait in each line that meant we spent a total of four hours in line that afternoon and it was starting to get tiring.  The bright side to this was that we got to experience the breathtaking view in the daylight, at sunset and after dark!

The next day we had a guide take us to Tijuca Forest.  It is in the mountains above Rio and is home to one of the most diverse forests in the world.  We loved walking through the lush vegetation and the beautiful waterfalls.  The guide was mentioning all the animals that lived there and the kids were dying to see a monkey but she said you had to get lucky to spot them.  No sooner had she said that then Jared spied a capuchin monkey eating fruit in a near by tree.  The kids were delighted to watch him for a while.  We ended the day with a scenic drive down the mountainside with some amazing views of the city and the coast.

On Wednesday we had tickets to the morning and evening sessions of track and field so in between we checked out the city center.  It was the first place in Rio that had some areas that were a little more sketchy but during the daylight we felt fairly safe.  We saw several cathedrals and the aqueduct.  We ran out of time to ride the trolley that runs along the top of the aqueduct and figured we would come back another day but when we went back on our final day in Rio we found out it was closed for a holiday. We also missed the colored tile steps but we were able to hit that again on our last day.  It was packed with tourists but a fun place in the city center.

A trip to Rio just wouldn't be complete without a trip to the top of Corcovado with the Christ the Redeemer statue.  We thought we would have just enough time the morning before we went to the men's basketball game.  The problem was that we woke up to partly cloudy skies.  We weren't sure we would have another time to go though so we bought tickets and hoped the clouds would clear enough to get a  bit of a view.  Of course everyone else thought the trip to Corcovado was a must as well so it was as packed as the other tourist sights.  The bus was running on Brazilian time: very late.  We didn't have a lot of time to spend on top once we got there but it was so packed with people I'm not sure we would have wanted to.  It was still quite cloudy but you could occasionally get glimpses of the beach and city below.

The kids and I spent a couple afternoons at the beach while Jason was working.  The kids enjoyed a warm afternoon playing in the water while I sat on the packed beach where you were lucky to find a spot to set down a towel.  The vendors were constantly pestering me with items they were selling to tourists.  We also enjoyed a lot of walks on the boardwalk along Ipanema by the hotel and USA house as well as the rocky point out bay Fort Copacabana.

It made me sad to hear all the negative media our country was spreading about Rio because we all loved it so much and were sad when it was time to leave.  We love the Brazilian culture and the beautiful city and hope to make it back some day!

Copacabana at Midnight and a Win for Team USA Basketball in the Semifinals

We loved the breathtaking views of the ocean from our hotel and the USA House but one thing we learned quickly in Rio is not to stay on the beach after dark.  With the short daylight hours in the middle of winter and our packed schedule there wasn't as much time to enjoy the beach as we wanted.  The beach was quite the happening place though.  Crowds of people sunbathing, vendors selling to tourists, people trading pins.  The mild winter weather made the beach still quite comfortable most days.  One of the events we really wanted to go to was beach volleyball.  The arena had been built right on the famous Copacabana Beach.  Tickets were hard to come by and expensive when you could find them and many of the games were being played before we arrived in Rio.  I was finally able to find some tickets for the men's semifinals.  I had to pick between two evening sessions and since I bought the tickets before the tournament started I had no idea who would be playing in which session.  In the end I picked the 11:00 pm start.  It was late but I wasn't sure how transportation would be and if we would make it back from track and field in time for the earlier game.  It ended up being the wrong choice.  We missed watching the USA and Brazil in the earlier matches.  The matches we saw were Italy vs Russia and Cuba vs Russia. Going to the beach that time of night wasn't a problem with so many people and security around.  Jason had a closer seat than us due to the limited number of tickets and I couldn't buy more than four together.  He had a great place to watch in the bottom section.  The kids and I sat up near the top.  It still wasn't a bad view of the game due to the size of the outdoor arena that had been built.  What I loved about our seats is that we could look over the top of the bleachers and see the waves crashing on the beach.  What an incredible view to experience the beach like this at midnight!  The games were a lot of fun, even if they weren't teams we really cared about.  The Brazilians really know how to have fun at beach volleyball!  The music, the dancing and the atmosphere was unmatched in any of the other events.  Both matches went to all three sets and it was past 1:00 a.m. before it was over.  Kaitlyn finally gave into the fatigue and fell asleep on my lap sometime during the second match.

The USOC gave us some basketball tickets and Jason a few hours off to see Team USA play in the men's semifinals.  So we made the long trip out to Olympic Park again and this time Jason got to come with us.  The US played Spain and handled them easily.  The crowd seemed to be cheering for Spain (maybe going for the underdog?) but we had fun cheering them on to a win to set up the final game where they would win the gold medal.

Track and Field: It Doesn't Get Better Than This!

Jason finally got a few days off from work and we headed to the track stadium.  Track and field doesn't get any better than the Olympic Games!  I was surprised to find a lot of empty seats in the track stadium (and most of the events we attended.)  I'm not sure how much of that was the bad media Rio got leading up to the Olympics that kept foreigners away or if the locals just couldn't afford to buy tickets.  I did feel bad for the athletes because it was probably a bit disappointing to make it to the Olympics and then have such sparse crowds there to watch.  We had a fantastic time attending four sessions of track and field.  Here are just a few of the highlights.  We saw Emma Coburn win the bronze in the women's steeplechase and Evan Jager win the silver in the men's steeplechase, the first two steeplechase medals for the United States!  We had some great seats on the bottom level near the water jump for the men's steeplechase.  We saw a world record broken in the women's hammer throw.  We saw Usain Bolt run the 200 meter prelims and semis.  He was a great entertainer and the crowd loved him!  It was the only time the crowd was as loud as when the Brazilians were competing.  We were able to mingle with several athletes that we met as we were leaving the stadium including Bernard Legat.  Our last session was an evening session and we had great tickets right in the middle of the home stretch in the lower section.  We were right in front of the action for several finals.  The highlight of the night was the US women sweeping the medals in the 100 meter hurdles!  We had so much fun cheering on the world's best athletes and Team USA!

Celebrating 19 years in Rio!

Last year Jason and I missed celebrating our anniversary because he was doing a volunteer rotation at the USOC training center in Colorado Springs hoping for an invitation to the Olympics someday.  The rotation was a great experience and he left feeling like he would be invited to help with future events but he thought and invitation to Rio in 2016 was a long shot for someone as new to the program as he was.  What a thrill it was when he received the invitation in January!  He felt a little bad about missing our anniversary last year but so much of our marriage has been about supporting each other in achieving our goals that I didn't mind too much.  He is my constant support in my success as an athlete and I have definitely put in years and years supporting him in his career.  We commemorated 19 years on August 14th and we celebrated together in Rio!  What a great way to celebrate 19 years of working together to accomplish something amazing!

In reality though we didn't get a ton of time to spend together that day.  It was the day of the women's marathon, the event I had planned the whole trip around to be there.  In February it was such an amazing experience to race with the best marathoners in the country but I was so preoccupied with my own race and how I wanted to perform that I couldn't fully enjoy it.  This time I just got to sit watch and cheer on the women that I had been privileged to compete with just a few months earlier and it was incredible.  Jason needed to work that day but with the marathon being first thing in the morning and at the Botofogo beach area just a few metro stops away he decided to go catch a bit of the race with us.  Unfortunately the metro ride wasn't quite as smooth as we anticipated.  The kids and I bought an Olympic pass that gave us access to the public transit we would need later in the day but Jason just bought a single ride pass since he was returning to work.  What we didn't realize is that the line we were trying to get on required the Olympic pass so the machine wouldn't give Jason his ticket.  Even with Jason's Portuguese we were having a difficult time explaining to the people working what we needed.  They were in the typical Brazilian way of not in any hurry to get anything done and I was starting to panic as it was getting closer and closer to the time we needed to be to the race course.  I had come all this way and this was the event I really wanted to see and I was afraid we were going to miss it!  In the end, we had to run several blocks down the street to catch a different line.  Luckily we made it to Botofogo with about 5 or 10 minutes to spare before the runners reached that part of the course.  We were at a turn around point where the runners would pass three times, 10k, 20k and 30k.  It was a beautiful setting with the beach, the bay and Sugar Loaf Mountain in the background.  The leaders came by with all three Americans, Shalane Flanagan, Desi Linden, and Amy Cragg in the lead pack.  I was surprised to see how strung out a lot of the runners were already getting.  It was a hot, humid day, definitely not ideal marathon conditions.  The kids asked how I would be doing in the race and although the lead pack would have left me in the dust I could have run with the slower runners.  I was intrigued about each of their stories and how they got there.  Even though I have run the Olympic Qualifying mark I realized looking at each of these runners that some of them come from a life with so many more disadvantages than I do.  I'm sure given many of their situations it is much more impressive for them to be there than many of the athletes that medal. I admired each of them for the strength to get there.  We enjoyed watching life on the beach between laps.  There were teenagers playing soccer on the beach, a lady out walking her chicken, parrots in the trees and Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking the beautiful morning in Rio.  Soon the runners were passing again, almost half way and the Americans were all still in the lead pack while more and more runners started to drop back.  It now took almost 20 minutes for all the runners to pass.  Due to the conditions many obviously weren't even going to run the qualifying mark they ran to get there.  Finally the last lap was passing, the heat and humidity was getting more intense and the lead pack was breaking up.  The Americans had started to drop just slightly off the few who were making a move in the lead.  It was looking like it wasn't going to be an American's day to medal but a strong showing by USA with all three still in the top 10.  In the end we later found out Shalane was 6th, Desi 7th and Amy 9th.  If that event had been team scored the US would have taken the gold.

As soon as the runners had passed for the last time Jason rushed back to work and we got back on the metro to navigate our way across the city to Olympic Park where we had tickets to gymnastics.  I was nervous about trying to find my way around on public transit without Jason but had been assured it would be the quickest and easiest way to get to events.  I was pleased with how organized the transit system was.  The line we were on had been shut down to the public and they were only letting people on with tickets to events.  When we got to the end of the subway line we followed the crowds to the buses which took us to Olympic Park.  Once we got off the bus it was a long walk to the village but they were handling the crowds well and the lines moved quickly.  It took a full two hours and we made it just in time for the event finals.  Kaitlyn had been saying ever since she found out we were going to the Olympics that she wanted to see gymnastics.  The tickets were expensive and difficult to find but she was so excited to go.  The first event was the men's floor exercise.  Two Brazilians were among the first contenders and did well.  They were sitting in 2nd and 3rd place.  The crowd was really into it and every time another athlete would make a mistake (including two Americans) they would cheer knowing that kept the Brazilians in medal contention.  The Brazilians won the silver and bronze and you would have thought it was the gold as excited as the crowd got!  It was fun to watch.  The next event was the women's vault where we got to see American Simone Biles, the star of gymnastics at the Olympics this year, win the gold medal.  The American crowd was fairly small there so we had a great time waving our flags and cheering her on.  We also watched the men's pommel horse and the women's uneven bars where we saw two more medals for the Americans.

We made it back to Ipanema late in the evening and met Jason at the USA House.  We had a one day pass for all of us to go into the house but wanted to save it for a day we had more time to spend there.  So we browsed the store and waited in the lobby for Jason.  He ran into a two of the 10,000 meter runners and brought them up front to meet us.  Here we are with Shadrack Kipchirchir and Leonard Korir.  These guys were tiny and obviously super fast runners but very friendly and down to earth.  They weren't the big names that were winning medals and getting the media attention but they were loving their first Olympic experience!

After dinner we were back to the hotel and crashed in bed.  It had been a full day and the next day we were starting early (a pattern that didn't end until we left Rio!)

Rio Here We Come!

After months of preparation, we finally had all the passports, immunizations, credentialing (for Jason), tickets to events, Team USA gear, plane tickets and hotels booked and were thrilled for the Olympic Games to begin.  Two days before the opening ceremonies and here's Jason at the Salt Lake airport ready to join Team USA!

Jason kept getting stopped in the airport and asked what event he was competing in.  I guess he looks more like an athlete than a team physician!  He had a layover in Houston before the overnight flight to Rio. He found the terminal in Houston to be a big party sending off the athletes to Rio, many of which were on the same flight as him.  He ran into several Olympians he had worked with last year at the USOC training center and Jared Ward (marathon runner from Utah) as well as meeting several other athletes on the team.  He hadn't even left US soil yet and he was having the time of his life being part of the excitement heading to Rio.

Jason arrived in Rio and went to work right away.  He was stationed at the USA House in Ipanema.  The USA House was the hospitality house for athletes, VIPs and corporate sponsors of the USOC  His hotel as well as the USA House were both beach front property.  The building was a school that the USOC had rented out and remodeled for the month.  The nuns who worked at the school were still staying there and enjoying the US Olympic spirit.  Jason was thrilled to be back in Brazil.  He used his Portuguese frequently.  He often got strange looks from Brazilians who weren't used to Americans that could speak their language.  He even had several ask why he was wearing USA gear if he was Brazilian!  At the USA House he was mainly taking care of the USOC staff and corporate sponsors.  The athletes were in and out of the house constantly though and he had a lot of opportunities to interact with the athletes as well.  He was working long hours from first thing in the morning until 11 pm when the House would close but loving every minute of it.  This experience was a life long dream for him and one he has spent countless hours, really years, working for.  Occasionally he'd get out for a run on the beach in the morning or get away to grab some Brazilian food.  Although he had access to great food at the USA House, it was American food and so he got away for some authentic Brazilian food when he could.  Here he is in front of his home base for the month.

We were anxious to get to Rio and meet him.  I had decided to wait a week to join him since we were leaving Skyler at home with grandparents and I didn't want to leave him too long.  We waiting for the second week of the Olympics so we could be there during track and field and the marathons.  It was so exciting to watch the opening ceremony with the anticipation of being there in a short time.  We watched as much as we could on tv although the week was so busy with preparations to leave that we didn't see as much as we would have liked.  Finally the day came, Friday August, 12.  We said goodbye to Skyler and  the four of us boarded a flight to Houston.  I wondered if I was slightly crazy taking three children on an international flight alone.  We had a short layover in Houston and just had enough time to catch the red eye flight to Rio.  Here are three of the most excited kids you have ever seen!

The night went about as well as you could expect sitting in coach.  I didn't sleep too much but that wasn't a surprise.  At one point I woke up and wondered where Andrew had disappeared to.  I finally realized he was sleeping on the floor at Kaitlyn and Jared's feet. At least he found somewhere he could get some sleep.  I tend to get motion sick and by the time we arrived in Rio I was feeling quite ill.  I'm not sure how much was motion sickness or if it was something I had been coming down with for a couple days.  I'm sure a night with no sleep didn't help the situation.  Jason had been hoping to arrange a ride for us but all the USOC drivers were busy so we were on our own to find our way from the airport to the hotel.  Luckily it wasn't too hard to find a taxi and communicate where we needed to go.  The driver tried to point out points of interest along the way although his English was worse than my Portuguese!  The kids were quickly introduced to the crazy driving habits of Brazilian taxi drivers!  We made it to the hotel without any incident and were thrilled to be greeted by Jason in the lobby.

It had been a long 20+ hours since we had left home. I felt terrible and just wanted to crash in bed but decided it would be better to try to stay awake for the day.  We had to go pick up some of our event tickets at will call, so the next adventure was trying to take an Uber across town to the ticket collection site.  We were on our own again since Jason had to get to work.  The Uber ride was a bit of an adventure again.  My phone had put the address in behind the hotel and we were waiting in the front.  The driver called me when he couldn't find us but of course didn't speak any English.  Once he did find us he couldn't find the building we were supposed to be going to.  We could actually see it but kept driving in circles around it but his GPS wouldn't tell him how to get there.  I was no help without speaking the language and the crazy Brazilian roads and drivers.  He finally got us there and I was ushered into a courtyard where we would wait for our tickets.  Other people were waiting as well and I was told some had been waiting for hours!  By this time I was really ill.  This wasn't just motion sickness and jet lag.  I had a fever and was shivering in spite of the fact it was a beautiful sunny 70 degree day and everyone else was comfortable in shorts and t shirts. I must have looked as bad as a felt because a couple men that were there also waiting for tickets asked if I was ok.  They found a sunny spot for me to sit and had the boys wait with them for my tickets.  Luckily ours came more quickly then some of the others and the Uber ride back to the hotel went much smoother. I finally gave in and crashed at the hotel.  I felt bad because the kids were looking longingly at the beach across the street but I just couldn't fight it anymore.  I was worried about what I had and hoping I wouldn't be sick the whole trip.  It had come too soon to be something I picked up in Brazil but I didn't want the trip ruined by all of us getting sick.  After some Tylenol (luckily I had brought a bag full of medication) and a nap I started to feel alive again and we wandered over to the beach for the little bit of time before the sun set.  Since it was winter in Rio the hours of daylight were short.  Jason got away from work long enough to take us to dinner.  It was some amazing meat that we grilled on a skillet in front of us.  Jason had brought pins for the kids and they got started on the fun of trading pins with people.  Soon Brazilian dancers were outside the window of the restaurant doing flips, dancing, singing and entertaining the tourists.  It was a great introduction for the kids to the Brazilian culture and the Olympic spirit and Jason was thrilled to have his family around after a week and a half alone.  The next morning I woke up feeling like a new person. The fever was gone and I was so excited for the adventure to come!