Apolo Ohno, Me, and a $25 Subway Giveaway!
4 mins read

Apolo Ohno, Me, and a $25 Subway Giveaway!

Lisa Martin107
If you purchase something after clicking on the links in this post, I’ll probably earn a few bucks from it. We aren’t talking enough for a mansion or yacht but more like chocolate and wine. And if I mention a product, I probably got a sample and possibly a cash payment. Remember that all Thoughts, Ideas, and Ramblings are 100% my own and may not represent your experience.

I just realized that I never posted about this! I got to meet Apolo Ohno! I also got to ask him a few questions too. I asked on Twitter and Facebook what people wanted to know, so here are his thoughts, ideas, and ramblings (and some of mine).

First, yes, he is just as cute in person as he is on TV. He is one of the most real and one of the nicest celebrities I have met.

Food
Apolo's favorite Subway sandwich (for those of you who don't know, he is a celebrity spokesperson for them) is Honey Nut Bread with Double turkey, chedder cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pepper, spinach, oil, and vinegar. He also is trying to get Subway to add some gluten free menu items. His favorite splurge item is ethnic foods.

Life Lessons
He believes in balance — everything has to be in balance.

His one piece of advice: There are many life lessons to be learned through sports.

In 1998 he didn't make the US team. However, that gave him the drive he has today. Everything happens for a reason. We don't control if we win or lose, but it is how you handle that.

Running/Athletes/Sports
His favorite running weather? Crazy weather! He likes to run when it is crazy hot or crazy cold.

His opinion on why athletes seem to do so well on DWTS (Dancing With The Stars)? Athletes are very use to being coached. They are use to schedules and training. Hollywood celebrities — not as much.

He runs 40 miles a week.

His nutrition changes depending on what sport he is doing. While training for the marathon (he just ran in Chicago's), he gets to eat more carbohydrates. When skating, he has no to low carbohydrates. His normal weight is 160 lbs. However, his race weight is 141-142 lbs.

He only started training for marathon running in June. His goal time is 1 hr 45 minutes for the half marathon.

In speedskating, his longest race is only 2 (aff).5 minutes. So yes, marathon running is completely different. His training had to be customized to him. His trainer had to retrain him. He had to learn that “it's okay that people pass you”.

What surprised me the most is how Apolo told us how sports saved his life. As a child, he did swimming, basketball, football, and boxing. In 1992, he saw speedskating in the Olympics. He tried it and thought it was fun, and he happened to be really good at it. At 14, he was recruited for a program. At that point in his life, he said he was a “bad” kid. He hung out with bad kids and did bad things. (And if you don't believe people can change, I hope his story changes his tune). Now, this program he got in, they had made a special exemption to let him in. His dad dropped him off at the airport. Instead of getting on the plane, he called one of his friends and lived on his friends' couches for around 2 (aff) weeks. The program then called his dad and were like “where is he?” Needless to say, his dad tracked him down and was not a happy camper. He then drove him to airport again, walked him to the gate, walked him to his seat, and flew with him. He made it to the program that truly saved him. He said it wasn't easy. However, speedskating completely turned his life around. At 14 years old, he was #1 in US. 15 years later (at the 2010 Olympics), 70%-80% of the judges were people he has skated against over the years. (Now, how weird would that be?)

I had such a great conversation with him, so I have teamed with Subway to give one of my lucky readers a $25 Subway gift card. Here's what you need to do:



107 thoughts on “Apolo Ohno, Me, and a $25 Subway Giveaway!”

  3. I learned his favorite subway sandwich is Honey Nut Bread with Double turkey, chedder cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pepper, spinach, oil, and vinegar

    Reply

  8. I was surprised to learn that he started speed skating at such a young age- 14 yrs old and he likes to run in extreme weather.

    Reply

  30. I learned that he likes to run in crazy weather – and I have to agree, I performed best when I was in track and field practice I performed best in scorching heat

    Thank you for hosting this giveaway

    Louis

    pumuckler {at} gmail {dot} com

    Reply

  31. I learned that while he is an incredible athlete, he's crazy enough to want to run in extremely hot weather! Makes me hot and irritable just to think of it!

    Reply

  35. What surprised me from the interview is that he was #1 at age 14!

    Katharina angelsandmusic[at]gmail[dot]com

    Reply

  39. I had no idea he was training for marathons…. but I've always been a big fan of his speedskating since I saw him compete in the 2002 olympics and loved it! It's really an exciting sport!

    Reply

  40. I'm surprised that he was a bad kid.. He seems so disciplined that it's hard to imagine!

    Fs4Sarah at gmail dot com

    Reply

  44. He runs 40 miles a week! That sounds crazy! I also love that he didn't make the team at one point, but he kept going! Always great to see people rewarded like that 🙂

    Reply

  47. It was the running in crazy weather thing that caught my attention. I live in Texas and I don't know how anyone runs when it is crazy hot!

    Reply

  48. What a interesting interview, I didn't know he was going down the wrong track before he got into speedskating.

    Reply

  52. I'm surprised that he likes running in crazy weather. I'm not an athlete, but I wouldn't run outside when it's blazing hot or freezing cold.

    Thanks for the giveaway!

    Reply

  54. I learned that sports turned his life around. Love stories like this as it makes you realize that you should never give up on any child as there is something that may turn there life around.

    Reply

  56. I learned the Apolo’s favorite Subway sandwich is Honey Nut Bread with Double turkey, chedder cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pepper, spinach, oil, and vinegar. Now that is one I never tried but sounds good!

    Reply

  71. That his longest speedskating race is 2.5 minutes shocked me! I would've thought at least 10 minutes! You learn something new every day!

    Reply

  80. Never heard of him but he sounds like a nice guy. I'm not suprised that sports saved his life when he was young. It has saved lots and lots of kids

    Reply

  93. I learned he is a very interesting person and a new sandwich idea, his fav sounds yummy! Thanks! 🙂

    Reply

  96. I was surprised that he was in trouble as a kid. I'm glad he's sharing his story, it easily could help an impressionable teen today.

    Reply

  101. In 1998 he didn’t make the US team. However, that gave him the drive he has today. Everything happens for a reason. We don’t control if we win or lose, but it is how you handle that.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

In April 2006, Lisa began blogging to stay connected with distant relatives and friends. As she delved into blogging, she discovered the potential to assist others by sharing her experiences. Lisa has actively engaged in numerous exclusive media ventures. Notable among these are her participation in events such as the Sony Mommy Bloggers Event, the Pampers Mommy Bloggers Event, the Epson Event in Chicago, the Stouffers Event, a memorable yacht excursion with Lands End, collaborations with 1-800-Baskets, an exclusive tour for bloggers by Mrs. Prindable’s, partnerships with Hallmark, PopCap games, Chicago Cubs Mastercard Priceless Events, and Rug Doctor. In addition, she has collaborated with Nutrisystem on a weight loss initiative, teamed up with Buick and Chevy, and served as a brand ambassador for Sprint. Lisa's collaboration portfolio also extends to Disney, where she has participated in press trips for significant movies such as Frozen, Guardians of the Galaxy, McFarland USA, The Good Dinosaur, The BFG, and Cars 3. Notably, for projects like Frozen, The BFG, and Cars 3, she was granted the privilege of walking the red carpet and conducting interviews with celebrities. The impact of Lisa's blog has gained recognition, with The New York Times referencing her content. Moreover, she has been featured in interviews by respected publications such as the Southtown Star, The Chicago Sun Times, and inside.