Bishop sets new Canadian 800m record

From Edmonton Journal
With the rush of a successful Olympic Trials still ringing in her ears and The Games in Rio still a month away, the Track Town Classic wouldn’t seem like an easy meet for Melissa Bishop, or anyone in her spikes, to get up for.
It’s like an exhibition game between clinching a playoff spot and the start of the Stanley Cup final.
Fortunately for the crowd at Foote Field Friday night, Bishop is a pretty good self-motivator.
On a night when everyone in the place showed up hoping to see something special from someone, she delivered, posting a new Canadian record in the women’s 800 metres.
“I really had to work hard to turn my mental game around because Trials was so exciting, it was such a huge goal on my sheet to make the Olympic team,” said Bishop, whose time of 1:57.43 beat her own record of a year ago 1:57.52.
“So it was the mental prep that we did, and the conditions were perfect tonight.”
The 800 is an easy event to bail out of, especially when there really isn’t a whole lot on the line. Just shift it into neutral and coast down the stretch instead of battling through the burning legs and lungs. But as far as Bishop is concerned, cruise control is not an option in anything that includes a starting gun and a finish line.
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