Track and Field Blogs - Flotrack Blogs

My left hip continues to progress ahead of schedule. It started with 1x800m on the treadmill on Thursday. This morning I got up to 2x1200m. Tomorrow's plan is 2x1mile. All this is at 8:30/mile pace on a treadmill. I've been riding my bike like a crazy man and went swimming the other day for the first time since my surgery. Today, my hip felt so good that at times I forgot that I'd had surgery. I'm forcing myself to progress the running very slowly. The last thing I need is setback or another injury to get in my way. My… more »

The life of a runner requires traveling to many races nationally and internationally throughout the year. We spend a lot of time flying around the country and it can get to be tiresome. I've learned to take the extra time when flying to reflect. I reflect on past races and examine races that I'm traveling to or the training I've done. Sometimes I look at my life and the bigger picture focusing on where I've been and where I'm really going. I was admiring the landscape below as I flew home from a race recently and had a realization. It's… more »

I am at the Zurich Meeting right now, but I am not allowed to post any videos from the meet. I will try and get some interviews after at the meet hotel. We will see how that goes. The Zurich Meeting is the biggest of the European circuit. The Stadium is packed and has been sold out for months. Every race is basically the final from World Champs,, just a week ago, but there are some interesting twists, like A. Felix running the 400 against Sanya Richards and a USA vs Jamaica 4x100. THe best part of the meet is… more »

Coverage of Track and Field, particularly in mainstream media is often a major topic of debate among fans. From the quality, to the quantity, to the focus, there is always something to critique after a big meet. During coverage of the World Championships this year I began to remember the feelings I had during the Olympics last year. There is such a stress on winning a medal that it has become the only way to measure success. It has gotten I can not even count how many times I heard about East African dominance, Jamaican dominance, and how the United… more »

I am sitting here at a Hostel in Oslo and about to catch a bus to the airport. Its funny to think Im back where it all started 56 days ago. The longest trip Ive ever had, the longest time away from the good ole US of A. Its been a long exciting road over the past 8 weeks and Ive gotten to see so much. A few days back I was "hitting the wall" and spoke with Mark about it because hes gone through it before, but after rallying and finishing off a great week at the World Championships… more »

12th IAAF World Championship in Athletics – Berlin, Germany 2009 Preview of Day 9 – 23 August 2009 This is a day of all finals as it is the final day of this great championship. The 4x400 relays will look to redeem the disappointments of the 4x100 Relays for the United States. On top of that, this is the last chance for the US to get a medal in an event over 1,500m for the men and over 400m for the women at this meet. There are many chances, however. Kara Goucher takes on the marathon in the morning, and… more »

I am now one week post-op and things continue to progress well ahead of schedule. I am completely off crutches now and walking without a limp. I didn't have any bruising until yesterday. It seems that bleeding from my femoral head had finally sifted it's way thru the muscles and skin so that now I have a yellowish hue to some skin just adjacent to my portals. I've been commuting back and forth from home to my office on my cyclocross bike. I am anticipating returning to easy jogging in 2 weeks; 3 weeks post-op. I would like to get… more »

12th IAAF World Championship in Athletics – Berlin, Germany 2009 Preview of Day 8 – 22 August 2009 Day 8 gives us our first bit of relay action as the Men’s and Women’s 4x100s will highlight the night on the track. The Women’s 5,000m run is the only other event final on the track. The field will have some great showdowns. The Men’s Long Jump will see two greats butt heads for the first time that they are both on the top of their games. In the Men’s Pole Vault an injured Olympic Champion will try to muster up something… more »

12th IAAF World Championship in Athletics – Berlin, Germany 2009 Preview of Day 7 – 21 August 2009 Day 7 has 4 finals and the US has the World Leader in each of those 4 events; Stephanie Brown Trafton in the Discus, Allyson Felix in the 200m, Andra Manson in the High Jump and LeShawn Merritt in the 400m. This does not mean 4 gold medals are coming stateside. The running events are more likely than the field events. Manson is tied at the top with a few other men and Brown Trafton struggled in the qualification round. More than… more »

I took Elizabeth out for her first baby jogger run yesterday! She didn't seem to mind the ride. However, it took me awhile to find a comfortable push position. I think I have a decent method down now. I'm glad it's not my only option but it will do for some second runs. more »

12th IAAF World Championship in Athletics – Berlin, Germany 2009 Preview of Day 6 – 20 August 2009 On Day 6, some of the most anticipated hurdle finals with the Women’s 400H and Men’s 110H. Can the defending Olympic Champs hold off the fast charging Americans? The day’s biggest story will probably be Usain Bolt’s likely win and possible new world record in the 200m dash. One of the top American headlines may be made by decathlete Trey Hardee who will look to get redemption from his DNF at the Olympics last year. With 2 American women in the High… more »

12th IAAF World Championship in Athletics – Berlin, Germany 2009 Preview of Day 5 – 19 August 2009 Can Bernard Lagat protect his title? How high up can the young American’s place in their first World 1,500m final? Will Dawn Harper come through big in the final for the second year in a row? Can one of the 2 Americans in the Men’s Discus final grab a surprise medal? With so many question marks in the air, it could be anywhere from a banner day for the American team to a disappointing one. The track finals begin with the Men’s… more »

So far so good. I've been pleasantly suprised at my lack of pain after my surgery on Friday. I keep waiting for the bomb to drop, but it seems like each day my hip feels stronger with less pain and better motion. Most rehab protocols call for 2-3 weeks of crutch use, but I feel like I'm going to be pushing it to get to 1 week. I'm very optimistic regarding my return to running at a high level. My plan is to hold-off on running until my hip feels super strong and I don't have any pain with walking,… more »

Have you ever played a musical instrument? Take the piano for example. You sit down at a bench and press the keys. Really, how hard could it be? First, there's the craft. When you plop down on the bench and raise one finger to strike your first key, lying before you are eighty eight keys to choose from. Each of those eighty eight keys is attached to a hammer that then strikes not one, not two, but three finely tuned strings. That's 264 strings. Then, there are three pedals on the floor that can be skillfully timed and negotiated to… more »

12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics – Berlin, Germany 2009 Preview of Day 4 – 18 August 2009 Day 4 has quite a few medal possibilities for the US over one lap. The Women’s 400 will give perennial world leader another chance to win the gold that she has been yet to get a hold of. In the Men’s 400m Hurdles, the American’s hope to continue the country’s dominance in the event with two former world champions in the final. Event Finals Event: Men’s Triple Jump 12:05 PM EST Defending World Champion: Nelson Evora (Portugal) 2008 Olympic Champion: Nelson Evora… more »

Well it has been a while since I regailed uniterested people about the story of my adventures. Anyhoo I ran Boston got sick doing a glycogen depletion phase that I always do before the marathon but still was forced to finish cuz my darling Sarah was waiting on the other end and I had a ring in my glove to deliver to her. Plus my mom and my grandparents from Oregon and Sarah's parents were there as well. So my beautiful and extremely patient love and I are going to get married March 6th in Kona Town Hawaii. All nice… more »

12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics – Berlin, Germany 2009 Preview of Day 3 – 17 August 2009 Now that the meet is well underway and many preliminary rounds hove been completed, we have our first day whose program is packed with finals. Throwing, jumping, steepling, sprinting, distance; whatever your interest may be, there is something for you on Day 3 (please excuse the rhyme). It could be anywhere from a banner day, to a medal drought for the Americans as many question marks will be answered today. The top two will be regarding the top distance runners from this… more »

My hip has been hurting since the 2008 Detroit Free Press Marathon. I didn't feel anything there, but once I resumed training after the race, I felt a deep pain coming from my left hip joint. I wrote it off as just a consequence of getting older and all the running miles building up. It has turned out to be something much bigger than I ever anticipated. I am restarting this blog here at flotrack to help get the word out about a relatively new body of knowledge regarding hip injury in relatively young, active people. Femoral Acetabular Impingement (FAI)… more »

12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics – Berlin, Germany 2009 Preview of Day 2 – 16 August 2009 Day 2 features, among other events, finals in the Men’s 100m and Women’s Shot Put. The action starts at 4:05 AM Eastern Standard Time, but not finals take place until the afternoon. The women’s heptathlon also wraps up on Day 2 with the Long Jump, Javelin, and 800m portions of the event being completed. The first two days mostly consist of rounds at championship meets, but Day 2 has been one of the most anticipated days of competition this summer as Tyson… more »

12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics – Berlin, Germany 2009 Preview of Day 1 – 15 August 2009 Day 1 features, among other events, finals in the Women’s 10,000m and Men’s Shot Put. The action starts at 4:05 AM Eastern Standard Time, so many will be hours from waking up, or just getting to bed, but luckily the afternoon session, with many of the marquee events, does not start until 12:15 PM EST. Below is a summary of what to look out for on the first day of this 9 day World Championship. Event Finals Event: Women’s 10,000m 1:25 PM… more »

My current attitude is when in doubt, the roads will always be there. The local turkey trot leads into the Emerald Nuts run on New Years Eve which is a fond memory during the spring marathon in Boston followed by the familiar summer mirage of hot waves of asphalt rippling in the distance at Falmouth because there is always a time for the roads. I like to run a few races in late summer and early fall, that’s my ‘season’, but whenever the track is not treating me right I like to know I can escape to the pavement to… more »

August 8th, 2008 I stepped into my very first Olympic stadium. I marched into the “bird’s nest” accompanied by hundreds of other USA athletes and following the Stars and Stripes, carried by our own Lopez Lomong. It was such an incredible experience of pride and opportunity. I could hear the booming fireworks, see the crowd of thousands, feel the expectation, and smell the competition ahead. The noise was deafening as the Chinese and Olympic crowd welcomed us into the stadium. We walked a lap of the track and circled the very place where champions would be made in the coming… more »

If you saw the video from the other day then you know I've made it to Berlin and yes I'm counting down the days until Saturday! From the time I was in Monaco until now there's been some downtime in terms of track and field. There's about a two week break from racing as the athletes get to train a bit more and travel to Germany. I imagine the down time in competition is needed at this point in the season and it gives the athletes a nice chance to refresh a bit but the big show. I know for… more »

So, I heard the word is out. I ran 2:02.56 tonight in Cottbus and got third in the race. I'll give you the play-by-play but with the understanding that when you're IN the race it's sometimes difficult to know exactly how the race is unfolding. So, I'll give you my account conceding that it's my own perspective and not objective: The gun went off just in time to prevent the ulcer that was beginning to develop in my stomach while I was waiting for the race to begin. I was as nervous as ever. Everyone took off, a lot faster… more »

I moved into the athlete hotel yesterday evening. It's fun to watch the athletes and staff all begin to gather in one place. The atmosphere of the World Championships really begins here in the hotels with the athletes in lounges, playing the wii, typing away on the internet, and physio in the next room. There's nothing like being with the whole team preparing for our events, watching each other race, and just experiencing the whole trip together. I went out to the track for an easy shake-out today. I'm excited to race tomorrow but I know it's far from my… more »

To my family: Sorry it has taken me so long to get to a computer. Ihave had very limited internet access up to this point. But, here I am:) and I'll take a minute to catch everyone up.Heather and I left Boulder on the 26th of July and flew intoStockholm, Sweden. We traveled and settled in with ease. My first racewas the D.N. Galan Super Grand Prix meet on the 31st where I competedin the 5k. I experienced a really fun success being able to pull out awin despite getting caugh by a pack, ending my early lead, in the… more »

The European season that provides the summer track excitement each year has just wrapped up the pre-Worlds portion. As always, droves of American professionals went over to get some quality competition, hunt down standards, and adjust to the lifestyle before worlds. This European adventure can be bittersweet for some and magical for others. With so many meets in so many different countries, it is hard to keep track of everything that happened. Below I took a look at the top 25 most successful European vacations leading up to the world championships based on if they ran personal bests (and how… more »

I have been quite busy lately so I apologize for the delay posting the new blog. I decided to try something new for the blog this week. I was cleaning house going through some old paperwork I have here and came across this letter I wrote to a close friend in 2003. It is a personal letter I thought I might share as a past experience some of you dedicated runners may relate to. So enjoy. Also, since the release of Run Reckless a lot of you have been emailing asking where to get a copy of the films theme… more »

  Today, I start my training for the New York Marathon. Rather I should say continue my training since I’ve been aiming to run this race for about a year now. But today I end my weeklong break, a much-needed break, from running myself into the ground. And now I get to start it all over again. Yippy! My training over the past few months has been something that I have needed for years, a little bit of short interval training and a lot of track workouts in order to get my legs moving fast again while still hitting pretty… more »

This year has certainly not been my best year for running, in fact it is likely the worst I have had in many. Although I have been very frustrated, I am not giving up. Tom Carter, a great runner and friend of mine once told me, if it's not working, change it. That is exactly what I am doing. I have taken a good look at my training and environment and have planned this summer/fall to get back to some of the things that have worked for me in the past. One big change is the move back to NY.… more »