Clan-Members » e definitely has a natural ability to get north and s

For a man who is used to preparing for a new season pounding the tarmac, spending the last few weeks in water hasnt been easy. Swimming has been a major part of Mark Englishs return to fitness since a foot injury (thanks to running over a pothole) forced his withdrawal from the World Indoor Championships in March.The 23-year-old Sky Academy Sports Scholar and 800m runner opens up about his season preparation and love affair with athletics.... .Im optimistic about the summer. The challenge since the injury has been finding ways to keep fit so when I return to training properly I can focus on finding my rhythm again.Im hungrier than ever to put on my spikes and leave the swimming goggles behind. I have a 600m race planned for Birmingham on June 6 but Ill need to see how the injury progresses.I really hope I can race in Amsterdam at the European Championships, but it isnt the priority. The Olympics come first, and I wont do anything that would put my race preparations for Rio in jeopardy.Fighting back to fitness got me thinking about what makes my sport so great. So I wrote a few words..... Sebastian Coe beats fierce rival Steve Ovett in the 1500m final at the 1980 Moscow Olympics 1. RIVALRIESThe IAAF and meet directors are really trying to promote head-to-heads this year and it is needed if they want to return to the Seb Coe vs Steve Ovett and Linford Christie vs Carl Lewis days.Essentially, its about creating the right story around it and allowing people to naturally choose sides.Take the Coe-Ovett rivalry. This was pitted as a good boy vs bad boy rivalry. The public were intrigued because they were a Coe or an Ovett fan. Similarly, you were a Linford Christie or Carl Lewis fan.And its no surprise to watch these showdowns and see packed-out stadiums. Last year, we saw huge interest in Usain Bolt vs Justin Gatlin in Beijing. Everyone loves a good ol showdown.2. DRAMAAnything can and does happen. Even the overwhelming favourites have a capacity to bottle and its an irresistible sight to watch. Take John Treacys victory over Ovett - otherwise known as that arrogance personified video on YouTube.The mud lark Treacy out-leans a celebrating Ovett who clearly thought he had the race sewn up. Youd be hard pressed to pick a better video to teach someone that it aint over till its over.3. THE PAIN IS RELATABLEI have to put my hands up and admit that before I was 10, I wouldnt run more than a mile. I wondered what the point was.Grabbing a football and using jumpers as goalposts seemed more fun than running around in circles. But then I had to run cross-country and experienced a whole new world of pain.Then came the fun run 5k and 10k races at local Turkey Trots. After grinding my way through those races, I could only imagine what marathoners had to put their bodies through on a daily basis.From then on, I went from switching the channel when a marathon came on, to empathising with the pain, focus and the slog. And those who have run any of these races will know what Im on about. Irelands David Gillick overcame the fashion conscious Bastian Swillims to be 2007 European indoor champion 4. NATIONAL GLORYTheres a huge surge of national pride anytime someone does well on the big stage. I know I felt incredibly proud watching David Gillick (400m) and hurdler Derval ORourke winning their indoor titles over the years. The arenas can be viewed as proving grounds, where nations seek to get one up on each other.I remember very well when Gillick beat the German athlete Bastian Swillims (donning a very eccentric one-piece suit) to win the European indoors in 2006.5. SIZES FOR EVERYONE Athletics is a sport that caters for all sizes.Its fascinating to walk around the dining hall at a Diamond League meeting and note the difference between the lean marathoners and the muscled shot-putters. No other sport has such a vast array of sizes.6. SUMMER MEETSA few of my mates came along to the Morton Games two years ago. This is an athletics meeting held in July in Santry, Dublin. They werent regulars at athletics meets but they thoroughly enjoyed it.From the exciting commentary trackside to great weather and track records - its a great place to chill in the summer. You dont even need to fully understand athletics to enjoy watching it.Im sure if I went to watch an NFL game, I wouldnt have a Scooby Doo what was going on, but Id still have a great time munching on some popcorn - its a well-sold package.Athletics could do even more to package itself along these lines, but meets like the Morton Games lead the way when it comes to entertainment and carnival-type atmospheres. Usain Bolt storms to victory for Jamaica at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia 7. RELAYSThe best sporting event I have ever been to without doubt has been the Penn Relays. Its the oldest and largest track meet in the United States. Its a mixture of high school, college, university and elite events, attracting 15,000 competitors over five days.The atmosphere is fascinating. The crowd usually tops 10,000 on the final day, many of them Jamaican. And when the USA vs the World relays begin, theres huge passion. Everyone loves getting behind a team.Invariably, there will be at least one race where the leader is hunted down over the last few strides. Its a refreshing reminder of whats beautiful about relays in general - displays of pure desire, guts and pride.WHATS COMING UP FOR OUR SCHOLARS19 - 27 MAY: Savannah Marshall, World Championships in Kazakhstan22 - 30 MAY: Sam Oldham, Europan Gymnastics Championships in Switzerland Also See: About the Scholarship Meet the athletes Blogs Videos Galleries Cheap Custom Orioles Jersey . -- Aldon Smith believes he is on the path to being sober for good. Brooks Robinson Jersey Large . The 15th-ranked Canadian men lost the opening two games of their European tour: 19-15 to No. 17 Georgia and 21-20 to No. http://www.customoriolesjersey.com/ .Y. - Detroit goaltender Jonas Gustavsson has earned NHL first star of the week honours after winning in his first three appearances of the season. Wholesale Custom Orioles Shirts . Louis Blues teammates who would also be participating in the Olympics, Alex Pietrangelo felt right at home, no different in some ways to the travel experience of any old road trip – save for the length of the journey, that is. Custom Orioles Jerseys .C. -- Al Jefferson joked that he feels he can score from anywhere on the court.GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Eddie Lacy responded to the unflattering photo of him on social media with a picture-perfect performance in practice. One day after the photo from the team website went viral, the Green Bay Packers rookie running back showed just why the team is excited about the big, bruising style he brings to what coach Mike McCarthy hopes is a revitalized running game. During an 11-on-11 red-zone drill, Lacy got four handoffs during 17 plays the Packers offence ran. Each time, Lacy ran through contact and pushed the pile forward. Unofficially, he scored three touchdowns, from the 11-, 5- and 3-yard lines. While it wasnt a live-tackling period so its hard to judge just how productive he was, the plays showcased why the Packers took him in the second round (No. 61 overall) out of Alabama. "Eddie Lacy definitely falls in category of big back, and big backs fall forward," McCarthy said. "You obviously coach all your backs to try to do that, but thats definitely the benefit of big backs." Now about that photo, which prompted speculation that Lacy is overweight. It hit Twitter on Monday night and was quickly a top topic. "I definitely made fun of him last night," wide receiver Randall Cobb said. "I pulled the picture up (on my phone). We know hes in shape. We know hes good. Its just a bad angle. Its definitely a bad angle." Although the Packers roster lists Lacy at 230 pounds, he wouldnt say how much he weighs now. "Im at a weight where Im comfortable at, and the coaching staff feels as though theyre comfortable where Im at," Lacy said. "So as far as thats concerned, were all on the same page. Ive always been big. Im a power back. I pretty much get the tough yards and Im fast enough to get around the outside and make big plays." Lacy said his conditioning was "exactly" where he wanted it to be, while McCarthy said the team had no concerns after Lacy passed the pre-camp run test. "Going through the conditioning test, he was fine," McCarthy said. "If we had any concerns about any of our guys conditioning-wise, they wouldnt be on the field.ddddddddddddquot; Although Lacy will have to compete with fourth-round pick Johnathan Franklin of UCLA and holdovers James Starks, DuJuan Harris and Alex Green for carries, his bruising style is one the Packers havent had in the run game under McCarthy. With the coach promising to run the ball more this season, Lacys style would seem to complement the Aaron Rodgers-led passing game. "Hes a guy that once he hits the hole, he gets moving north and south and hes always moving forward," guard T.J. Lang said. "I mean, you saw some runs today in that red-zone period where he got hit by a couple guys and he continued to run forward and get those extra yards. "Hes a power guy, but I dont want to call him just a power guy, because Ive seen him where hes made some moves and made guys miss. Its been awhile since we had a running back like that -- a heavier guy that can still move like that and just run through guys. I think thats going to help a lot in the red zone, getting those extra 2, 3 yards, pushing guys in the end zone." Packers general manager Ted Thompson had drafted only four running backs in his first eight drafts before taking Lacy and Franklin. He likes what hes seen from the Alabama back. "He definitely has a natural ability to get north and south off cuts and run behind his pads, that sort of thing," he said. "Theres a lot of work to be done yet, but like the rest of our rookie guys, so far so good." To his credit, Lacy responded to the weight brouhaha with what he called "my best day since Ive been out here" and didnt seem to let the unwanted attention get to him. "Thats something I dont too much worry about. Thats an external factor," Lacy said. "I learned in college to pretty much distance yourself from that. I mean, people are going to say what theyre going to say, but at the end of the day, I have to do what I have to do, and thats what Im doing." ' ' '