Illinois track and field standouts Abe Jones and Adrian Walker are beginning to view running as therapy.

For the last 11 months, their days have been punctuated with footwork drills, circuit training and hurdling drills. The routine has been calming for the athletes, who “always feel like (they’ve) accomplished something” when they leave the track.

But for the men, who finished first and second at the Big Ten Championships, that therapy helped them earn All-American accolades in the 400-meter hurdles in June.

This weekend they will compete against the top U.S. athletes at the U.S.Olympic Trials in Sacramento, Calif.

“Just to be able to continue to run and represent the school and the U.S. is great,” Walker said.

It has been less than a month since the NCAA Championship, but the men said they feel well prepared for their next competition.

The field is slightly smaller at the Olympic Trials. The athletes’ times are slightly faster – the fastest competitor is seeded with a time of 48.1, but the men feel the format of the competition will help them.

The Olympic Trials will feature three rounds of competition for the 400 hurdles: quarterfinal heats, semifinal heats and a final heat. There will be no qualifying round.

“We’re just going to go there and see if we can make it through the rounds,” Walker said.

During the NCAA Championships, the men were confined to the outside lanes of the track. At the Olympic Trials the lanes are assigned randomly. This may benefit the athletes, since they will be able to gauge the competitive field better from the middle lanes.

“If we can be in the middle lanes we will have a better chance of running a smarter race and setting up our opponents at the end,” Walker said.

One opponent the men are anticipating competing against is former Illini Sherman Armstrong, who holds the school record in the 400 hurdles and is scheduled to compete in the event. Walker said he is looking forward to “giving (Armstrong) a run for his money.”

The legendary Illinois record holder and the other elite athletes do not intimidate Jones or Walker.

“If we go out there and run a PR (personal record), like we know we’re capable of running, anything can happen,” Walker said.

The men are excited about the recognition the Illinois track and field program will receive with three athletes competing in the same event.

“The more Illinois jerseys that we can get on the track, the more exposure the program can get,” Jones said.

The men expect the experience at the Olympic Trials to have a long-lasting effect by setting a new standard of excellence for future Illinois athletes.

“A lot is going to be asked of us in the next couple years,” Jones said, “and we’re going to be there – ready to deliver.”