The decathlon is exclusive company.
During the decathlon, I always think only of the next event and my personal record.
Speed is more important than endurance in the decathlon.
The heptathlon is made up of seven events, and people have strengths and weaknesses.
The decathlon includes ten separate events and they all matter. You can't work on just one of them.
Decathletes have to train for every event: sprints one day, field events the next. You pump up to make yourself strong enough to throw? Try pole vaulting at 250 pounds. There are 32 guys in most decathlons, and they're in 32 little track meets.
In the heptathlon, you can be any shape. Some of the girls are more built than others, and their strong events are the shot put and javelin.
I think everyone in the heptathlon is improving together, so it is a very hard event to compete in.
And there is such a thing as a decathlon high. It's like a rock rolling down hill, picking up momentum. You get better and better.
To me, the decathlon is its own little society and I am part of that culture.
The heptathlon world record is nice, but the decathlon is the event. I think the heptathlon is more like a practice. There is something completely different about the decathlon.
It's impossible in heptathlon to have a proper rivalry - you're spending two days together and seven events and dedicate your life to it. It's like a marathon: two days of mental and physical exhaustion.
The most challenging aspect of the decathlon is not the events themselves, but how you train to become the best 100-meter runner you are on the same day that you're the best 1,500-meter runner.
