After finishing, I think I’ve mentioned this before, each athlete has to wind through the media gauntlet, a channel that goes down and back and down again where the reporters lurk in order to get interviews and photos. Of course, to me it’s merely a hassle and the last thing I want to do after me race is wind through a maze. Especially right after a race when I feel more like curling up in a corner and puking. But then I made it past the media and looked up with dismay to realize that I still had to walk the entire length of the stadium. But then, as I started walking, some of the crowd reached out to give me high fives and to say good job. I was like, wow, these people are all totally psyched to be here and excited to watch us race and to have us walk by after our race. And then I started smiling and it wasn’t such a long walk.