TicketsJune 16, 2011
By Mario Cannon
GoBEARCATS.com
The University of Cincinnati's own Mary Wineberg has her eyes set on the 2012 Olympics in London, England. She is commonly known for being a 2008 Olympic gold medalist on the United States 4x400 meter relay team. Wineberg is proud of what she has accomplished on the track and now has a new pride off of it, a daughter that goes by the name of Brooklyn Marie Wineberg. Since having her baby on August 3rd, 2009, Wineberg has had to make the adjustment from being just an athlete and a wife, to also being a mother. Physically she has been recovering from the effects of pregnancy and taking off a year because of it.
The journey back to the track was an anticipated one for Wineberg, who stopped working out completely when she was six months pregnant, but not an easy one. "I thought six months after having her I would be back to where I was running at, 50 seconds in the 400 meters," Wineberg said. "That wasn't the case."
The lifestyle change was more than Wineberg expected.
"After having a child and coming back, it is very hard, it is very demanding," Wineberg said.
She learned it would be difficult having little Brooklyn at practice. Many times during breaks her coach had to tend to a crying Brooklyn, while trying to keep track of Mary's allotted amount of time for her break in between workout reps. Wineberg's body was nowhere near what it used to be or the way she expected to be close to.
"Wow," Wineberg said with a distressed sigh when speaking about getting back to training after having Brooklyn. "I wanted to cry, it hurt so bad. It's just the pain you put your body through again."
Wineberg and her coach sat down and discussed the training methods in order for her to be able to complete workouts, while not risking getting injured. Even her past favorite workout of three 300 meter sprints all out has been modified to less than 100 percent effort, but still fast and with less rest.
Wineberg hears the questions of her critics and what they are saying about her. She knows most are questioning if she is going to be able to compete at the elite professional level she once did before she had the baby. No question it has been a hard journey physically and mentally. No longer having a sponsor, she has to pay for track meets that were once free and hopes to be invited to the big meets that she once competed in. This past indoor season she silenced many critics, even if it was only temporarily, by finishing third in the 2011 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Albuquerque, N.M. with a time of 52.56. Only her former Olympic 4x400 meter relay teammate Sanya Richards, who also placed third in the 400 meter dash at that Olympics and Dee Dee Trotter, the 2004 Olympic 4x400 gold medalist beat her, placing first and second. Her fastest time outdoor this year has been a 51.71 when she ran in Genève, Switzerland on May 28th.
Wineberg's focus is now being directed towards the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, June 23-26. Wineberg must place in the top-three in the open 400 meter dash in order to qualify for the IAAF World Championship in Daegu, South Korea, or at least top-eight to be considered for the United States 4x400 relay team. The world championship will be August 27-September 4, 2011. She will compete internationally in meets this summer until September. After those meets, Wineberg will take a month long break until the Olympics and then return to training, fighting for a dream.
Adversity is nothing new to her, only a new challenge. Wineberg is a resilient individual who has come a long way from not being an All-American in college to an Olympian and a professional track runner. She hopes to make it back to a low 50 seconds or even 49 with continuous hard work, which will help her Olympic campaign.
"Next year I have no excuses," Wineberg said. "I can't say only if I could have done this because I'm not going to have time to do that. It's going to have to be done right then and right now."
With exception to her break, she will be pushing herself to familiar limits to achieve the accolades she once had, Olympic gold.