God Be with You, Mark
Sunday 17 August 2008
This is my
last post until after my race. I’ll have a lot to
write about on the 22nd and I’m looking forward to
sharing my experience over the next couple of days with
all of you.
The race is at 9 am local time on the 21st. I’ve told most people that this means 6 pm Pacific on the 20th, but there’s no telling when NBC is going to air the race. There’s a guarantee that NBC will not show the entire race and it’s likely that you’ll get to see 5 minutes here or there throughout the night (it may also be on MSNBC or USA or another channel so check the local listings). If you want to ensure that you are watching the race LIVE then you’ll have to go to nbcolympics.com and watch it on the internet.
The posts over the past month have covered a number of topics but I left out matter that is important for me to share and may be interesting for you to read. It’s a testament of faith in relation to anxiety before big swimming races.
One of the great dangers of a successful athlete sharing his faith is the backlash reaction of an occasionally hostile audience who may think that I believe that God took my side in the competition. I don’t believe that, but I do believe that God gave me peace when I asked for it. Here’s the story:
Back when I was a pool swimmer I would get very anxious before big races. Behind the blocks I told myself that I had spent so much time swimming and I had made so many sacrifices that if I didn’t do well in the race those sacrifices would have been wasted. I would stand up on the blocks and my heart would be beating out of my chest. My muscles would tighten and my confidence would sink. I was paralyzed by anxiety in the moment, so much so that I couldn’t perform when the gun went off.
About a year ago, before the USA Olympic Trials in Fort Myers, I realized that I needed to confront my anxiety instead of hoping that it wouldn’t surface at the last moment. I offered up a simple prayer of thanksgiving, and asked the Lord to give me peace of mind in those horrible moments before the race. And, that’s exactly what happened - I wasn’t anxious at any point before or during the race.
That moment in Fort Myers stuck with me when I went back into training for the World Championships, but I didn’t really put all of the pieces together. I knew that I had taken a major step in my faith, but the larger picture of what it all meant was still a bit hazy. Then, as the race in Seville approached, I came across a song that I really enjoyed - Mat Kearney’s “Undeniable.”
On the day of the 10K, the race that would determine the Olympics, I looked at the race course and said to myself “by lunchtime….you’ll know.” I put on my Ipod and found “Undeniable” on the list. I stood there listening to the song and the words of the chorus jumped out at me:
(chorus)
It’s undeniable how brilliant You are
In an unreliable world You shine like a star
It’s unforgettable now that we’ve come this far
It’s unmistakable that You’re undeniable.
The line that got me most was “It’s unforgettable now that we’ve come this far.” I stood there just a few feet from the water and it dawned on me that my long journey was a deliberate path to realize something that day: The highs of my career (1999 World University Games) had been necessary to make the lows (everything from 2000 to 2006) even greater. The lows were necessary to make me realize that the highs were fleeting and that joy in life doesn’t come from winning or losing. The joy of winning is temporal, the joy of the Lord is everlasting. Not only did I have peace in the moment in Seville, but I experienced an incredible amount of joy before and during the race. (At least until the pain got to me).
In the year leading up to the race I did make the request to God to give me the strength to do my best performance, but the realization of peace and joy before the race is the testimony. I had always been such a nervous wreck in my career, but at the most nerve-packed moments I’ve ever been apart of, I had complete peace.
I believe that God is looking over all of us right now. I don’t know why one person makes the Olympics and another doesn’t but I do know that whatever happens in the 10K here in Beijing I’ll be at peace. If I am successful or not I will leave the race knowing that God was with me on the journey that got me here and he’ll continue to be with me long after Beijing.
My testimony is my own, so it’s probably not going to help you a lot if you’ve got anxiety issues. Aside from reading the Bible, which from my own experience can be incredibly difficult to follow at times, a good resource is ITunes sermons. (You get the benefit of the information without all the heavy lifting). The sermon that really helped clear up a lot of my issues was “The Umpire of Peace” from 10-22-06 at Reality Carpentaria.
mdv
The race is at 9 am local time on the 21st. I’ve told most people that this means 6 pm Pacific on the 20th, but there’s no telling when NBC is going to air the race. There’s a guarantee that NBC will not show the entire race and it’s likely that you’ll get to see 5 minutes here or there throughout the night (it may also be on MSNBC or USA or another channel so check the local listings). If you want to ensure that you are watching the race LIVE then you’ll have to go to nbcolympics.com and watch it on the internet.
The posts over the past month have covered a number of topics but I left out matter that is important for me to share and may be interesting for you to read. It’s a testament of faith in relation to anxiety before big swimming races.
One of the great dangers of a successful athlete sharing his faith is the backlash reaction of an occasionally hostile audience who may think that I believe that God took my side in the competition. I don’t believe that, but I do believe that God gave me peace when I asked for it. Here’s the story:
Back when I was a pool swimmer I would get very anxious before big races. Behind the blocks I told myself that I had spent so much time swimming and I had made so many sacrifices that if I didn’t do well in the race those sacrifices would have been wasted. I would stand up on the blocks and my heart would be beating out of my chest. My muscles would tighten and my confidence would sink. I was paralyzed by anxiety in the moment, so much so that I couldn’t perform when the gun went off.
About a year ago, before the USA Olympic Trials in Fort Myers, I realized that I needed to confront my anxiety instead of hoping that it wouldn’t surface at the last moment. I offered up a simple prayer of thanksgiving, and asked the Lord to give me peace of mind in those horrible moments before the race. And, that’s exactly what happened - I wasn’t anxious at any point before or during the race.
That moment in Fort Myers stuck with me when I went back into training for the World Championships, but I didn’t really put all of the pieces together. I knew that I had taken a major step in my faith, but the larger picture of what it all meant was still a bit hazy. Then, as the race in Seville approached, I came across a song that I really enjoyed - Mat Kearney’s “Undeniable.”
On the day of the 10K, the race that would determine the Olympics, I looked at the race course and said to myself “by lunchtime….you’ll know.” I put on my Ipod and found “Undeniable” on the list. I stood there listening to the song and the words of the chorus jumped out at me:
(chorus)
It’s undeniable how brilliant You are
In an unreliable world You shine like a star
It’s unforgettable now that we’ve come this far
It’s unmistakable that You’re undeniable.
The line that got me most was “It’s unforgettable now that we’ve come this far.” I stood there just a few feet from the water and it dawned on me that my long journey was a deliberate path to realize something that day: The highs of my career (1999 World University Games) had been necessary to make the lows (everything from 2000 to 2006) even greater. The lows were necessary to make me realize that the highs were fleeting and that joy in life doesn’t come from winning or losing. The joy of winning is temporal, the joy of the Lord is everlasting. Not only did I have peace in the moment in Seville, but I experienced an incredible amount of joy before and during the race. (At least until the pain got to me).
In the year leading up to the race I did make the request to God to give me the strength to do my best performance, but the realization of peace and joy before the race is the testimony. I had always been such a nervous wreck in my career, but at the most nerve-packed moments I’ve ever been apart of, I had complete peace.
I believe that God is looking over all of us right now. I don’t know why one person makes the Olympics and another doesn’t but I do know that whatever happens in the 10K here in Beijing I’ll be at peace. If I am successful or not I will leave the race knowing that God was with me on the journey that got me here and he’ll continue to be with me long after Beijing.
My testimony is my own, so it’s probably not going to help you a lot if you’ve got anxiety issues. Aside from reading the Bible, which from my own experience can be incredibly difficult to follow at times, a good resource is ITunes sermons. (You get the benefit of the information without all the heavy lifting). The sermon that really helped clear up a lot of my issues was “The Umpire of Peace” from 10-22-06 at Reality Carpentaria.
mdv
|
Amazing Prediction Three Years Ago from Talking Baby Cousin! "7th in the World but About To Change."
Friday 15 August 2008
It’s Friday
night in Beijing and we’re less than a week away from
race day (Thursday morning the 21st). My wife
Diana, accompanied by my brother Paul and sister-in-law
Anna, will be departing LAX on a red eye very early
Saturday. My parents, with my sister Kara,
lifelong family friend Dave Thoreson and my coach Gregg
Wilson will be leaving out of SFO later in the same
day.
There’ve been quite a few significant moments in my Olympic experience thus far, but they’ve been enjoyed without those that I hold most dear. I’m ready to share the remainder of the experience with the people that have made tons of sacrifices in their personal lives to make this Olympic dream possible.
Significant
among those making sacrifices is my wife Diana who,
amongst other things, orchestrates the daily happenings
of our lives with sensitive care to my swimming
schedule. If you don’t know a dedicated swimmer
I’ll inform you of a little insider information right
now - living with one can be very demanding. An
unassuming bride 5 years ago, Diana married me and got
my lifestyle, and she’s done it all with a beautiful
smile.
Also, my parents, who have been tremendously supportive over the years. My mom was so nervous in both Fort Myers and Seville that she couldn’t watch either race. That may sound silly at first, but it’s completely understandable when you remember that between my dad’s decathlon career and my swimming career she had to endure 6 Olympic Trials of heartbreak before experiencing the other side.
Now, before I get all weepy, lets move on to the main event.
10K pre-race analysis. I’m currently ranked 7th in the world.
First, the good news.
My learning curve over the past year has been enormous, and in terms of tactics and strategy I don’t think anyone has an advantage over me.
The water is going to be a very hot 84 degrees, which plays to my advantage. I’ve never worn a full body suit, but many of the swimmers in the race have grown accustomed to the full body suit and those swimmers will have to make the choice: go with the full body suit they usually race in, or go with a smaller suit that won’t make them overheat. Body temperature is going to play a huge part in the race.
Now, the bad news. Everyone else is really fast and it’s going to take the swim of my life to win a medal. Here are the significant contenders that I’m going to have to take down.
1. Vladimir Dyachin is brilliant and fast. He’s the Russian World Champion and he will swim a nearly perfect race.
2. David Davies, from Great Britain, got second at the World Championships, he’s very fast and his learning curve is about a great as mine.
3. Thomas Lurz, from Germany, is also highly intelligent and also very fast. The guy is legitimate.
Now for the news that is neither good nor bad.
Everyone in the top 10 is pretty much equally fit, so that’s a draw. The variables of the Olympics could determine everything: who ate what in the week before the race, who stayed focused in training, and who will get nervous before the race. And, significantly, who will make a mistake in the race. There’s always mistakes made in a race, it could be any of us, and there’s no way to tell who is going to be kicking themselves afterwards.
This is the second to last post until after the race.
mdv
There’ve been quite a few significant moments in my Olympic experience thus far, but they’ve been enjoyed without those that I hold most dear. I’m ready to share the remainder of the experience with the people that have made tons of sacrifices in their personal lives to make this Olympic dream possible.
Also, my parents, who have been tremendously supportive over the years. My mom was so nervous in both Fort Myers and Seville that she couldn’t watch either race. That may sound silly at first, but it’s completely understandable when you remember that between my dad’s decathlon career and my swimming career she had to endure 6 Olympic Trials of heartbreak before experiencing the other side.
Now, before I get all weepy, lets move on to the main event.
10K pre-race analysis. I’m currently ranked 7th in the world.
First, the good news.
My learning curve over the past year has been enormous, and in terms of tactics and strategy I don’t think anyone has an advantage over me.
The water is going to be a very hot 84 degrees, which plays to my advantage. I’ve never worn a full body suit, but many of the swimmers in the race have grown accustomed to the full body suit and those swimmers will have to make the choice: go with the full body suit they usually race in, or go with a smaller suit that won’t make them overheat. Body temperature is going to play a huge part in the race.
Now, the bad news. Everyone else is really fast and it’s going to take the swim of my life to win a medal. Here are the significant contenders that I’m going to have to take down.
1. Vladimir Dyachin is brilliant and fast. He’s the Russian World Champion and he will swim a nearly perfect race.
2. David Davies, from Great Britain, got second at the World Championships, he’s very fast and his learning curve is about a great as mine.
3. Thomas Lurz, from Germany, is also highly intelligent and also very fast. The guy is legitimate.
Now for the news that is neither good nor bad.
Everyone in the top 10 is pretty much equally fit, so that’s a draw. The variables of the Olympics could determine everything: who ate what in the week before the race, who stayed focused in training, and who will get nervous before the race. And, significantly, who will make a mistake in the race. There’s always mistakes made in a race, it could be any of us, and there’s no way to tell who is going to be kicking themselves afterwards.
This is the second to last post until after the race.
mdv
Celebrity Says Go to Site with Fewer Pictures
Thursday 14 August 2008
Today, political
commentator Hugh Hewitt turned sporty by
recommending Mark's blog at usopenwaterswimming.org. Click
the link below to open the audio
excerpt.
Hewitt Recommends Warkentin
Hewitt Recommends Warkentin
"Mawine, tonight you die! Tonight you die!"
Wednesday 13 August 2008
The prep for my race is going well. I did a pulling set yesterday:
1000 went 10:49
10 seconds rest
2000 went 21:15
20 seconds rest
3000 went 31:14 (last 1500 was a 15:32)
Other than that there isn’t much to report. I’ll give you a pre-10k race analysis in a few days, but at this point it’s simply maintenance work until the 21st.
If you’ve been watching swimming on NBC here’s my take from the venue itself. The saddest part so far is that we’ve been so spoiled by Michael Phelps breaking World Records that we have become desensitized to a certain extent. Don’t get me wrong, we all cheer like crazy in the stands, but there’s always a feeling that the World Record time make sense, when in reality it makes no sense at all. It’s stupid how fast that guy swims. Today I saw him race the 200 Freestyle, a race that I used to consider my best event, in a time that is totally obnoxious, and the reaction in the team section was “That’s a fast swim.” We’ve grown so accustomed to watching it that we start to take it for granted.
And here’s the part that proves the point - Phelps’ individual performances aren’t even the highlight of the meet. The swim of the Olympics thus far was obviously the 4x100 Free Relay. Jason Lezak just put himself in a very special place historically. It’s a race that will go down in swimming lore as one of, if not THE greatest race of all-time. The USA National Team, watching from the stands, reacted the way that Oprah Winfrey audience typically act when Oprah starts giving things away. It was, by far, the most excited I’ve ever been as a spectator of anything.
Changing gears now, I want to give you the background story to the NBC piece that you’ll see sometime in the next week.
The day after the Opening Ceremonies I was contacted by the same NBC producer that organized the “Mark Warkentin: Avocado Farmer” story. He wanted to film another story, this time with me doing something that is native to China. The original idea was to take me to get a Chinese massage. I liked this idea, but for some reason Mark Schubert (National Team Coach) did not share my enthusiasm, so NBC came up with a different idea – teach me how to do Tai Chi. And that’s what happened.
The next day I met the NBC television crew who were accompanied by a Tai Chi master, and we went of in search of a suitable place to do Tai Chi. We eventually came upon a grassy field with bamboo in the background and the Tai Chi master started demonstrating the moves of skill. He demonstrated the skill in slow-motion, all very elegantly, and it only took a few minutes to realize my preconceived fear that I was going to look very stupid when I tried the same moves.
Here’s where things got crazy. After about 10 minutes the guy was done showing me the general idea of Tai Chi, and I took my position about 4 feet behind him with the plan of shadowing his moves. The Tai Chi master had a different plan. He wanted to demonstrate the moves ON ME. He came up close to me, grabbed me by the arm, did something fast and crazy and I was on the ground. The scene was straight out of a movie: a Neanderthal bad guy (in this case me) gets dropped by the older, shorter Asian guy that is faster and smarter than anyone else alive.
I got up, brushed off the grass from my shirt, and prepared for whatever was going to happen next, which turned out to be him taking me down again. This time he wanted to SHOW me how he was going to take me down. There was a lot of Chinese grunting that I think I was supposed to understand, which I didn’t, and then a few seconds later I was on the ground again. This scenario repeated itself about 10 times before the NBC people decided that it was time to stop the contest. I think the NBC producer was anticipating non-combat Tai Chi lessons rather than full contact Tai Chi so he told the guy to stop the beating and to teach me something that didn’t involve me ending up on the ground.
So, I took a shadow position behind the Tai Chi master and started to mimic his moves for the NBC camera. Unfortunately, we didn’t get very far into the lesson. The guy was a perfectionist and he kept stopping the demonstration to scold me for incorrect technique. He would scold me every 5 to 7 seconds for incorrect form such as not having my fingers relaxed enough. At one point the guy stopped trying to teach me proper form and went to have a word with the interpreter. I didn’t know what was happening, but a few moments later the interpreter came over to me and told me that the Tai Chi master was upset that I wasn’t learning Tai Chi fast enough. He told me, and I am not making this up, that I should “try harder.”
I realized that I had offended the guy so I told the interpreter to relay the message that I was an idiot and that my inability to learn Tai Chi was no reflection on his teaching. He liked hearing this and we were much better friends for the rest of the day.
The attached picture tells the story.
I don’t know when the piece is going to air on NBC, but I was told that it would probably be shown nationally.
I'll be on the Hugh Hewitt show on Tuesday at 3:20 pacific.
mdw