The Calm

By Dennis Barker

Running along the Baltic Sea in Sopot has the feel of running along a resort lake in northern Minnesota.  There are a lot of older, small cabins and wooden concession stands mixed in with "rustic" resorts and an influx of new condos.  There is a lot of cleaning, raking, pruning going on in anticipation of the coming vacation season.

It's probably a good thing this meet happens before the start of the season because it looks like this place will be packed with vacationers in a couple of months.  The beach is long and beautiful, but the water is cold and the air has a Pacific Northwest feel to it. The running path goes on much farther than I run these days and there are occasional soft trails on the non-beach side of the path that lead off into a pine forest.  There aren't as many runners on the path as the Twin Cities but you're never alone.

We went to the track today.  The mayor of Sopot said it was his dream to host the World Indoor Championships and now his dream has come true.  I hope Chris Coleman in St. Paul has this dream some night. The track is brand new - never been run on.  The turns are broader, the straights shorter, the banks higher than the track in Albuquerque.

The track fits tightly into the stadium with the stands right up to the track.  Ticket prices for the finals are $150 so hopefully that means they are in demand and it will be full.

The athletes all appear rested, antsy and ready to go.