en-us Copyright 2006-2009 Flocasts Inc Fri, 3 Jul 2009 00:49:09 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/assets/portal/simple30/images/logos/flotrack-logo.gif http://www.flotrack.org/articles/view/1254-brenda-martinez-kwik-e <!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> UC Riverside junior Brenda Martinez recently took ninth place in the 800-meter final of the USA Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Or., where she competed last summer in the Olympic Trials. Martinez has a personal best time of 2 minutes, 2.34 seconds in the half-mile and is heading over to Europe to race this summer. What are your plans for this summer? I'm going to Europe for a couple weeks to race out there. I'm still not done, still training right now. Which races are you doing? I don't know how to pronounce them, but I'll be staying in Belgium and then going back forth between Belgium and Germany. I think I'm doing five races. My coach has my schedule and I haven't really looked at it. What are you looking to accomplish over there? Me and my coach have been talking about that because my fitness is still there. My mileage is there, as is my threshold, so I'm looking to drop a fast race and also get that experience. You're going to be doing half-miles and 15s, or are you going to go up to 5,000? Yeah, I'll be doing 800s and I think I got into one or two 1,500s. Done with the 5k this year? We will leave that for next year. I'm going to try the 5k in the beginning of the season and get one in. I've got to get myself into one that's actually kind of fast, where I have a group I can go with. I've always been in a meet where it's not all that fast and I'm kind of doing it all by myself. I haven't really pulled off a fast time. I'll discuss that with my coach later. It's sort of up in the air. Are you nervous to be going over there and racing? Not so much nervous. I'm excited. I've never been there and I'm going to go at it on my own. I was going to meet up with Sara Hall. I don't know when she's going over. It's sort of up in the air for her. I know she's going, but it might be a little sooner...or even later. I'll have to call her and see what's up. She's going to be my guide because she's had the experience over there and ran fast over there as well. Do you run with her a lot? We used to train together a lot. She was hired as our volunteer coach. We were doing workouts together and doing thresholds together. She was ahead of me, yeah, but having her there with me was good. Can you explain what went wrong for you in the final of the women's 800? I just blew it. It honestly could have been anything. I just don't know. I still question myself. I was putting too much pressure on myself...or I wasn't used to the rounds. I hadn't ran competitively in the 800 since last year in the Trials. I only ran the 800 once before, and that was at our conference meet, where I ran a 2:03 on my own. There was no competition and I had no one to run with. Either I wasn't used to the rounds or I wasn't getting the right recovery. I felt kind of sluggish. It could have been me putting too much pressure on myself. I'm not getting discouraged, I'm like, “it happens.” I've had races go good all year. You're already working past it? Yeah, I'm not going to bring myself down for one race. I know where my fitness is at. I've done workouts at school where I can break two minutes on my own in practice. I've done 700 meters, hitting 1:43-1:44. I can just take it in, but my coach wants me to save it. You know that you can break two minutes? Last year I hit 2:02.3 and I was ready to break two last year. That qualified me for the Olympic Trials and at the Trials, I made it to the second round...but I was really, really sick. My coach was like, “do you want to still run?” I said, “I can't. I need to go home. I'm really, really sick.” I got a really bad cold and kept running. We just went home a week early. What do you do to run with those top 800-meter runners in the country? You feel belong there? I believe so. I need to kind of work at it. I haven't gotten as much experience as I've needed. A lot of these girls have been running a lot rounds, getting used to it. I have the speed. The rounds, I just need to get used to that. With just one race, with no rounds...I know I can do it. It's one of the hardest races with rounds. There's room for error in all that. What did you hit for 400 meters in the US 800 final? I was right behind the pack. Either a 59 or a 60. That's what I saw, but I could be off. When did it all come apart for you? My coach said that I was fine at the 600. Normally I'll pick it up and start picking girls off, but I just could not do it. It could have been a mental lapse for me as well. I was wondering, “how come I'm not in the front?” That was the first time where I was like, “damn, this is really hard.” Maybe it was the pressure that got to my legs as well. I don't want it to happen again. I got over it really quickly. I just did my cool down and thought of it as another race. Yeah, it's a final, but...I don't know (laughs). What are you studying? I'm in the Soc Department, under law and society. How many more years of college running do you have left? Is next year it for you? Yeah. I just have one more outdoor season. After college you're going to pursue running? There's so much more in there for me to improve on. I feel like I haven't reached my fullest potential yet. Maybe next year I can actually prove that. What are your hobbies? I spend a lot of time with my mom. Riverside is only about 20 minutes away from my actual hometown. I drive home a lot and spend time with my mom and family. If I'm not at home, I'm with the girls on the team. We watch a lot of movies. I watch a lot of Adam Sandler. I could watch him all day. Most of the time, I just relax and hang out. If you could have one meal, prepared by anyone, what would you choose and who would make it? (Laughs) I'd probably have my grandmother make it, although she's not here anymore. She passed away my freshman year. She would cook with the best. She was from Mexico, so she knew how to cook from scratch and could make anything. Everything she made was amazing. I really miss her meals. Can you give me a crazy running-related story? I have scary stories where I see bears or step on a snake...but those aren't too crazy. I can tell you how I started running. I was really bad when I was younger. I was a bad child, always in trouble. Where I live, a lot of the kids in the neighborhood are really bad. Like now, it's not so bad because the cops kind of cleaned up the streets, but it was really ghetto back then. It was really gang-affiliated. My mom didn't want me hanging out with those kids. Most of them have moved out of town or—it's kind of sad to say—but they're in prison. I'd hang out with some of those kids behind my mom's back. We'd be doing...like anything. My mom caught me one time and she was going to hit me with the belt. She's not an abusive, bad mother, but of course she's going to discipline her kids. I was trying to act all cool and come back home like nothing happened. She's like, “I saw you!” And my face just dropped. I thought she was going to hit me and sure enough she had the belt in her hand and I saw it. I started sprinting and of course there were a lot of cars in the road. I was weaving through these cars and she was chasing me, like “I'm going to get you!” I was screaming my head off. My grandparent's lived next door and my grandfather had built a gate so we could cross each other's yards. I managed to get in the yard and shut the gate behind my mom. It was pure adrenaline. My mom cooled off. That was your first sprint workout? Yeah. She's a teacher and told her co-workers the gossip and all that, “oh, I can't catch my daughter. I want to catch her (she's in the background laughing at me right now).” Her co-workers said that she should make me run for a team. She got a contact and a they had a daughter who would run with me. The next thing was me joining the track club. It was funny, because all the people that were there—not trying to be racist, but they were all black girls—and I was the only Mexican. Coach was like, “OK, you're not on the team yet, but let's see if you can hang with these girls in the workout.” We were doing a 100 workout and I was beating the girls and even some of the boys. He was like, “OK, you're on the team.” And it started after that. I've been running since then.   Tony Casey http://www.flotrack.org/articles/view/1254-brenda-martinez-kwik-e Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/videos/play/191682 Flotrack http://www.flotrack.org/videos/play/191682 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:29:56 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/videos/speaker/642-nate-brannen Nate Brannen has been plagued by injuries his whole career but that has not stopped him from make the 2008 Olympics and running fast times, but how fast could he be if he could put a sting of training together. Nate is healthy and training for the IAAF World Championships in Berlin in mid August trying to make the final in the 1500 meters. Nate is on the start lists up in Oslo tomorrow. Flotrack http://www.flotrack.org/videos/speaker/642-nate-brannen Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:52:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/videos/play/191569 A girl named Zaira was born from a zebra so she got the talent of her mother of being fast so she joined the track team and ran the 4x100 Flotrack http://www.flotrack.org/videos/play/191569 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:12:18 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/videos/speaker/38-jack-daniels Jack Daniels talk about belief in your running and how important of a factor that can be to your overall success. Flotrack http://www.flotrack.org/videos/speaker/38-jack-daniels Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:00:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/videos/speaker/898-ryan-fenton Here is a look at the view of Oslo from the 34th floor of the hotel and my room on the 16th floor. Pretty cool Flotrack http://www.flotrack.org/videos/speaker/898-ryan-fenton Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:05:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/videos/speaker/898-ryan-fenton The morning started bright and early at 5:45am CST. I had 3 flights, Austin to Houston to Newark to Oslo and 23 hours later I was in the hotel. The trip was smooth and I was able to get a run in when I got back. I am trying to stay awake all day so I can sleep well tonight, but its hard! If anything weird happens in the video that cause I was falling asleep while editing. I'll try to get a blog up with some more details about the trip when I get some rest. Enjoy and can't wait to get more up. Remember the Oslo Golden League Meet is tomorrow and there are some big names! I'll leave some links below so you know where to check it out. Oslo Coverage Page IAAF Super Coverage Page Flotrack http://www.flotrack.org/videos/speaker/898-ryan-fenton Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:50:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/videos/play/191514 Under 20 Womens AAA Champs Saturday 26th, Sunday 27th June 2004 Bedford Stadium Under 20 Womens 800 Metres Heat 1 1 Charlotte Moore Bournemouth AC 2:09.28 2 Rachael Thompson Liverpool Harriers 2:09.93 3 Elizabeth McWilliams Ireland 2:11.96 4 Isabelle Stoate North Devon AC 2:13.29 5 Nicola Maddick Kingston-Upon-Hull 2:13.84 6 Hayley Wills Herts Phoenix 2:16.36 7 Gillian Moss West Norfolk AC 2:18.13 Heat 2 1 Laura Finucane Pendle AC 2:09.99 2 Hayley Beard Stevenage North Herts 2:10.92 3 Laura Kirk Skyrac AC 2:11.51 4 Anna Simmonds Worcester AC 2:11.88 5 Fiona Chalmers Central AC 2:18.35 6 Ella Fisher Blackheath & Bromley 2:19.33 7 Linzi Snow WG & Essex Ladies 2:21.20 Heat 3 1 Charlotte Best Crawley AC 2:12.72 2 Nikki Hamblin Dorchester 2:12.74 3 Carolyn Plateau Radley AC 2:13.48 4 Kirsty Hamilton North Devon AC 2:14.81 5 Sarah Paterson Birchfield Harriers 2:16.25 6 Nikki Silva Herts Phoenix 2:17.47 7 Bethan Strange Cardiff AAC 2:17.96 The Final 1 Laura Finucane Pendle AC 2:03.73 CBP 2 Charlotte Moore Bournemouth AC 2:04.61 3 Charlotte Best Crawley AC 2:05.42 4 Nikki Hamblin Dorchester 2:07.76 5 Hayley Beard Stevenage North Herts 2:08.36 6 Rachael Thompson Liverpool Harriers 2:12.39 7 Anna Simmonds Worcester AC 2:12.41 8 Laura Kirk Skyrac AC 2:19.76 Flotrack http://www.flotrack.org/videos/play/191514 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:19:12 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/videos/play/191513 AAA's Under 20 Championships Bedford Stadium 28th/29th June 2003 Under 20 Women's 1500m Final 1 Dani Barnes Newquay & Par AC 4:23.17 2 Charlotte Browning Aldershot F & D 4:24.36 3 Faye Fullerton Havering Mayesbrook 4:25.26 4 Aine Hoban Wakefield District 4:31.21 5 Susannah Hignett Bournemouth AC 4:31.77 6 Isabelle Stoate North Devon AC 4:33.98 7 Eleanor Stevens Derby Athletics Club 4:34.80 8 Megan Foley Havering Mayesbrook 4:35.03 9 Claire Robson Teesdale AC 4:35.44 10 Victoria Callaway Royal Sutton Coldfield 4:38.38 11 Josephine Rhodes Swindon AC 4:44.71 12 Zoe Jelbert Newquay & Par AC 4:46.66 13 Sarah Holah Pudsey & Bramley AC 4:47.13 14 Carolyn Boosey Vale of Aylesbury AC 4:50.35 Flotrack http://www.flotrack.org/videos/play/191513 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:18:12 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/videos/play/191494 Shuttle hurdel team running in the National Meet last week. We are in the purple and black and I an the last runner... by the way my team came in 4th in the National... Please keep in mind i'm only in 10th grade here? Flotrack http://www.flotrack.org/videos/play/191494 Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:26:55 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/videos/speaker/129-brian-sell The Hansons-Brooks was started in 1999 by Keith and Kevin Hanson in Rochester Hills, MI. Over the last 10 years the team has paved the way for other groups, raised American distance running and joined with Brooks. In 2008 Brian Sell became their first Olympian, when he finished 3rd at the 2007 NYC Olympic Trials Marathon. Flotrack went to Rochester Hills to see the team in action. It was impressive to see mile after mile of dirt road, the team working at the shoe stores and a the team camaraderie. Music: 1. The Breaking "Move On" 2. Honey Claws' Beats Flotrack http://www.flotrack.org/videos/speaker/129-brian-sell Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:19:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Molly Huddle/7730-fearaphobia I’ve been thinking a lot about fear the last few days. Surprisingly, it was sparked by an article I read in one of the pile of mostly trashy magazines I brought on the odyssey of a plane ride home from Eugene last week. As entertaining as they are, normally I don’t come away from reading Us Weekly or Star with a realization any deeper than “man Paula Abdul is ALWAYS on that embarrassing outfits page in the back”- but this was an Oprah approved article so it was pretty insightful. The article was about how sometimes people use a fear of failure as a subconscious motivation to self-sabotage themselves just to end the anxiety of worrying about failing. I know it sounds convoluted and makes no sense, but naturally I tried applying the idea to racing. I was familiar with the Nelson Mandella quote about not fearing greatness, and the idea that fearing the new expectations and the power that come with success may subconsciously hold someone back, but this was an interesting new angle on the idea of fear getting in the way of someone accomplishing her dreams. I’ve lined up at five US championships now. Sometimes the goal is just to gain experience, sometimes to hang in there as long as I can and sometimes it’s to qualify for a team and over the years I have definitely felt the pressure increasing along with the size of the aspirations. Maybe this last goal is a tall order, because there are some truly great women in the U.S. distance arena, but I have not yet made an Olympic or World Championship team. Somewhere between 2004 and 2008 I decided I am not afraid to take on the high expectations and pressures of representing the US at a championship meet, so on a small scale I faced the possibility of ‘fearing greatness’ and I don’t think I have that fear (now I just need to work on the greatness part, ha). I can’t stop thinking about the other kind of fear, though. Although it requires some typically taboo negative thinking, maybe I need to face the fear of NOT making a team and all the results of that. For example: maybe my value as a runner decreases, maybe when all is said and done my career won’t be as bright, maybe I’ll have to watch the stupid thing on TV again, etc. Anyone who has raced before knows that there are times when anxiety can creep into your mind in the few hours before a big race, so I think it is possible that a runner might drop out, or blow up to escape that feeling, as the article implies. It would make sense then that facing the fear by acknowledging the worst of the worst scenarios and how you’d deal with them might make them less of a big deal. Personally, I’m not sure how true the whole phenomenon is because for me most fears and doubts feel like they float away with the gun smoke, but the subconscious is a tricky bastard after all, and at the least it’s an interesting idea. As for this year’s USATF championship, I can’t say fear had anything to do with it. Though I’d say I made a mistake in not being more aggressive, it was mostly the cut and dry excuse of being injured and unfit for too long. Regardless of what the complicated workings of fear are, I’m going to make a conscious effort to have less of it. To be more brave. More courageous. At least when the spikes are on. I’ll still need my nightlight in the bathroom…. Molly Huddle http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Molly Huddle/7730-fearaphobia Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:00:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/photos/album_assoc/216786 Photos from...The Hansons-Brooks Distance Project was started in 1999 by Keith and Kevin Hanson in Rochester Hills, MI. The Hansons have three houses, where most… Flotrack http://www.flotrack.org/photos/album_assoc/216786 Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:25:04 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/videos/coverage/view/235323-hansons-brooks-2009 Flotrack http://www.flotrack.org/videos/coverage/view/235323-hansons-brooks-2009 Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:20:55 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/photos/album_assoc/216753 Photos from...The time is here and Flotrack has taken off.  For the third year, Flotrack has made the trek to Europe and will be there all summer to bring you… Flotrack http://www.flotrack.org/photos/album_assoc/216753 Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:17:41 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/videos/coverage/view/235320-floeuro-trip-season-3 IAAF Meet Coverage Belgium Meet Coverage Ryan's Blog David's Blog Flotrack http://www.flotrack.org/videos/coverage/view/235320-floeuro-trip-season-3 Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:03:57 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/photos/album_assoc/216496 Photos from...  Flotrack http://www.flotrack.org/photos/album_assoc/216496 Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:56:14 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Justin Kopunek/7690-there-is-no-i-in-track "The greatest memory for me of the 1984 Olympics was not the individual honors, but standing on the podium with my teammates to receive our team gold medal." Despite being the number 1 gymnast in the world that year, winning 3 individual Olympic medals and being the first American gymnast to score a perfect 10.0, Mitch Gaylord highlights the Olympic team gold as the pinnacle of his historic 1984 season. Gymnastics is unique to many other sports in that it has a strong emphasis on both individual and team competition. For elite gymnasts in the US, many train together all year just to battle against each other for a coveted spot on team USA. Once the team is formed, it is back to working together to defeat international competition, because team glory is as important as the individual competitions in the sport. In high school and college cross country and track, we see a similar dynamic in which team and individual success seem to have a harmonious balance. Once in the professional ranks, however, this seems to disappear. A few times a year, for international championships, ‘Team USA’ is formed, but it often appears to be a group of individuals running in the same uniform. A successful Olympics for one American runner, for example Dawn Harper, can be a disappointing Olympic experience for a member of the same team, like Lolo Jones. This may be because at meets like the Olympics, team scores are not kept in track and field. Imagine if places 4-8, which do not garner a medal, were still coveted for precious team points? It would give a much different feel to an Olympic final. That however, is a digression perhaps for another time. It seems that the shift from a team and individual sport to the post collegiate solo game is abrupt. Teammates, training partners, allies can be an invaluable resource in practice and competition. What pushes us more than when we have only a few laps to go and, whether it is in practice or competition, you look to your right and see a teammate on your shoulder? Why do I bring this up? Well, the 2009 USA Outdoor Championships were absolutely saturated in a ‘team’ essence. The most overt example were those awesome green (and one pink) Oregon Track Club singlets you saw in every final from the 800 through the 10,000 (except the women’s steeple). During the 10k, the first track final, we saw the definition of teamwork. Both running for the Portland based OTC, but under different coaches, Olympians Amy Yoder Begley and Shalane Flanagan worked together to cover the 6.2 miles with a hard effort and 2 trips to Berlin. The plan was to exchange leading duties every 800 until the final laps of the race at a pace that would set Begley up for a significant personal best and they did exactly that. Flanagan, the Olympic bronze medalist who is coached by Jerry Schumacher, could have tried to blow the race open from the gun, knowing she has run over a minute faster than the rest of the field, but she worked with Begley, who is coached by Alberto Salazar. Doing this she risked losing in a battle of closing speed while dodging lapped runners (which ultimately happened). Salazar and Schumacher became co-workers this year at the Nike Campus and the collaboration was obvious in this well implemented joint effort by the 2008 and 2009 US 10k champions. During the race, if you were watching on Flotrack, you heard Kara Goucher, Begley’s teammate, talk about how beneficial training with each other has been. Goucher won the 5,000 the next night. The opportunity for Goucher, Begley and Flanagan to train together in the future will make any distance fan hopeful of what’s to come. Similarly, the men’s 10k saw Salazar’s prodigy Galen Rupp and coach-less Dathan Ritzenhein pull away from the field in the final stages to put on quite a show for the crowd. The following day Ritz announced he is joining Salazar’s group and will now become training partners with Rupp. Both Salazar and Ritz are optimistic that training with Rupp will be beneficial for the two athletes. As Ritz stated, “There’s only so far you can get on your own.” Third in the 10k was Schumacher coached OTC member Tim Nelson. His teammates swept the podium spots in the men’s 5,000m race the following night. Former Madison based Badger’s and now Portland based OTC members Matt Tegenkamp, Chris Solinsky and Evan Jager executed a very clear race plan that could not have been more successful. The three teammates tucked in single file behind early leader Anthony Famiglietti and mid-race leader Bolota Asmerom and made a hard move at the end. The group had closing laps from 53.4 to 54.8 to lock up the three spots to Berlin. Clearly elated at the accomplishment, the trio celebrated as Solinsky even hoisted Jager over his head. The two had both made their first major US team. Also wearing the green OTC jerseys on the podium were men’s 800m champ Nick Symmonds and women’s 800m runner-up Geena Gall. Both are members of the Eugene based branch of the Oregon Track Club, OTC Elite, which Gall is the newest addition to. The Oregon Track Club members weren’t the only ones exuding the team aura at the championships. Even heading into the meet, Shannon Rowbury and Leonel Manzano were asking Flotrackers to help them derive a name for their team. The duo, temporarily called Team Applebury, is coached by John Cook (who used to work with Salazar at the Nike Campus). At USA’s, Rowbury won the women’s 1,500, while Manzano was a close second in the men’s race. 1st and 3rd in the women’s 800, Hazel Clark and Phoebe Wright are both coached by the former’s brother, JJ Clark. Clark stated after the race that she will help Wright get the A Standard this summer. Wright needs either herself or Gall to get the standard to run in Berlin. It is not just distance runner’s who have teammates helping push themselves. A California based training group of Dawn Harper, Allyson Felix and Shawn Crawford, coached by Bobby Kersee, won 2009 US titles in the 100m hurdles, women’s 200m and men’s 200m, respectively. Stepping off the track after her victory, Felix went directly to congratulate her training partner Harper, who was receiving a $25,000 check for winning the Visa Championship Series. Felix has said in an interview that training with two teammates that have individual Olympic gold medals is extra motivation to upgrade her two silvers. This is despite having World Championship individual golds and Olympic relay gold. Here is where having teammates, even in the professional ranks, can be essential. Not only do you motivate one another in practice, but you are able to work together in races for the betterment of each other, the team, and US track as a whole. When you see athletes generally happy, or disappointed for their teammates, it illuminates unseen elements to the sport. Usually we only get to see a few minutes of racing without witnessing the months of training. Seeing these training partners congratulate and console each other can unveil the complexity and depth of the puzzle to which we only see a small piece of played out in races. After the 800, when champion Nick Symmonds was being interviewed, he interjects to find out how the 1500m final played out. When he hears that Lopez Lomong, Manzano, and Dorian Ulrey were the top 3, you can briefly read disappointment on his face. Later in the tent after just missing out on making the US team in the 1,500 for the second consecutive year, Will Leer was visibly despondent. Symmonds, his teammate, sat down and consoled his friend. Moments like this let you realize what these professional athletes go through together in training and that despite one’s personal achievements, they still want success for those who were there grinding it out with them along the way. For anyone who has read Henry V or more likely, Running with the Buffaloes may be reminded of the Shakespeare quote, "We happy few, we band of brothers; For he today who sheds his blood with me shall be my brother." Ultimately, by working together, each athlete can better fulfill their potential and avoid becoming complacent. In the end, it leads to a better athlete, a better training group, and a better Team USA. Whether you are on the team or not, that is the ultimate goal. A few athletes echoed this sentiment at the meet; that the most important thing for the US in Berlin is to be sending the best team possible. Justin Kopunek http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Justin Kopunek/7690-there-is-no-i-in-track Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:14:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/videos/coverage/view/235309-2009-canadian-track-and-field-championships-and-wc-trials-day-1-and-2   Flotrack http://www.flotrack.org/videos/coverage/view/235309-2009-canadian-track-and-field-championships-and-wc-trials-day-1-and-2 Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:27:09 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/photos/album_assoc/216458 Flotrack http://www.flotrack.org/photos/album_assoc/216458 Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:53:58 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/photos/album_assoc/216372 Flotrack http://www.flotrack.org/photos/album_assoc/216372 Sun, 28 Jun 2009 10:45:10 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/articles/view/1247-gary-reed (C) Copyright - 2009 - Christopher Kelsall Gary Reed is one of the fastest 800m runners in the world. Currently he possesses a personal best of 1:43.68, which happens to be the Canadian record and a time that is considered fast by anyone’s measure. He also owns a 4th place performance he achieved at the 2008 Olympics from Beijing, China and a silver medal from the 2007 IAAF World Track and Field Championships that took place in Osaka, Japan. The world record by his hero Danish (by way of Kenya) runner, Wilson Kipketer still stands at 1:41.11 from August 24th 1997. I remember watching Reed racing in the Worlds; I was emotionally moved to a standing position to the front of the television. I found myself yelling at the TV, cheering for Gary to hang on. It was an exciting moment in Canadian track and field lore. His efforts resulted in a silver medal at an event, which is on par with any other international track and field race, including the Olympics. He was just nipped at the line by Kenyan, Alfred Yego, in what must have been a most Herculean of efforts. Gary Reed’s performance revitalized hope in the waning Canadian track and field scene. Reed continues to carry that torch even though the greater Canadian running landscape has improved since. The next big performance for Mr. Reed is the 2009 IAAF World Track and Field Championships taking place Berlin, Germany; no pressure Gary! The few times I have had the opportunity to speak with Gary he has been nothing short of friendly, unassuming and honest. During my first ever video interview, which I hope never sees the light of day, Gary displayed a high level of diplomacy during my amateur shenanigans, to that: here is my written interview with Canada’s brightest track star, Mr. Gary Reed. CK: Recently when we talked at the Track Classic in Victoria, British Columbia the day before your under-distance 400m race, you said that you are going to “go hard, then crawl off the track”, which is a solid character statement in itself. In 2008 you ran the 800m in Victoria and then 800m at the Harry Jerome Track Classic, the results were both about a half a second faster than this year’s 800m race that you ran at Harry Jerome. How is your fitness compared to last year? GR: My fitness is the best it’s ever been. This year of training has been great. I think sometimes it’s important not to get caught up in any one time. I try and focus on racing and just let the time come… CK: Were you surprised by your 400m last week? Beforehand you said that “I am in over my head” but you finished in a tight cluster for 3rd? GR: Well I mean over my head is not always a bad thing, I mean I honestly thought that race would be a lot faster, but it wasn’t. I haven’t run one in a few years, so it was a nice change and stimulus. Results   1 Barrett, Dewayne           Jamaica                         47.17    2 Byron, Justin                 Virgin Island                   47.45    3 Reed, Gary                   Canada                          47.53    4 Ikwakor, AK                  Nigeria                           48.27    5 Findlay, Adrian              Jamaica                          48.77    6 Barton, Jason               United States                   50.28  CK: You said your winter training adds up to about 70 miles-per-week. Can you describe a typical off-season week? GR: My coach (Wynn Gmitroski) is a master of change, so nothing is really typical; it is always changing. However, long runs are Sundays and that is pretty stapled. We have at least one hard tempo session off track that most of the time in the fall comes on Thursdays. Editor’s note: Although Wynn is a master of change here is a sample week taken from an Athletics Canada interview from 2007: -Running sessions – 2 times a day (hard session in the morning, recovering session at night). -Strength training 2 – 3 times-per-week-Flexibility session (yoga) 1 – 2 times per week -Massage 2 – 3 times-per-week-Physiotherapy 1 – 2 times-per-week CK: You mentioned that you are looking at running in the 1:42 range. Is achieving this 'academic', in that you probably could have already done it if the circumstances presented themselves on the right day.       GR: I think running 1:42 is all about timing. Usually the period in the season, going into a Major is when you will usually see guys running 1:42s, then again that's a special time and it takes a special athlete to run that so all the stars have to be in line for that to happen. CK: Switching gears, what’s on your iPod right now? GR: I have over 70k of songs so literally everything. Now if I am really hurting on a run I look forward to a dance song to come on and pick me up something by Tiesto will usually do it. CK: Do you still have freezing cold showers before your races? And more importantly, why? GR: Yes I do and it’s mainly to wake my body up for what is coming. CK: You said in your epic, Star.com 2008 interview with Randy Starkman, that when you first arrived in Victoria, you had one chair and that was it. “No risks, no rewards, right”? Hopefully, you now have more than one chair, but as for no risks, no rewards go, does that risk-taking attitude come out in your racing? I assume you lean more to the side of tactical when racing. GR: Well I mean risk does not involve making bad decisions in my world. I still try and push out of my comfort zone because that’s where I have had the most success in my career. With racing it’s no different for me, I try and make the smartest possible decisions the difference is I usually only have .1 of a second to make those decisions.  CK: Again from the same interview: "It's like turning a valve on and lighting a fire for a minute and 44-something seconds and then turning the valve off. ... You can't let it all out until you hear the gun.” So are you in a constant state of carrying on about your business in forced control, keeping a handle on that emotion. Does the emotion come out in other ways, outside of running? GR: I don’t think so. Running seems to really bring this out in me like nothing else I think that’s why I love it so much. Away from the track I am not super competitive, but I am focused on goals in my life. CK: Wilson Kipketer said pretty much the same thing, during his post-retirement interview with Chris Turner of the IAAF – Is this what you are referring to: Chris Turner: What will you miss about not being on the circuit? Wilson Kipketer: What I will miss is the way I felt when running 800m, the way I felt when controlling the race, the feeling of leading a race, the atmosphere…this is what I am going to miss. CT: What would you like your legacy to the sport be? WK: I want this inner feeling to be known by the younger athletes, so they understand what that love of running is all about, I want to pass on my love and feeling for running. GR: I would want people to look back on my career and realize no matter where you are born where you live and no matter what your circumstances they can become a world class athlete or anything they want in life.  I want to be an example for all the underdogs in this world and people who are scared to take the road less travelled that if you make good decisions and stay focused good things will happen.   CK: Coe talked of the passion: Sebastion Coe: "You have to have the vision, too. Vision is a romantic thing. We have got into 'talent identification'. I am much more interested in passion - finding people who are really excited about doing something." CK: Training requires long-term vision. On a day to day basis, especially in the off-season, how does passion manifest itself? GR: "Vision..." Vision in a way is more important than anything in sport. You have to be able to lay in bed at night and see it and almost feel it.  You should be able to paint a clear picture in your head about where you are going and what you want to achieve or in my opinion it will be very hard to get there. CK: In your description of winning Silver at the World Track and Field championships, you said it was a feeling you never had before and that you didn’t know whether you should laugh or cry and that you didn’t know how to express whatever the feeling was you were experience in that moment. Is that what drives you now, being in touch with or chasing that feeling? GR: Yes after having a global medal as a goal for my whole life, it was very surreal to have achieved that feeling. That level of satisfaction was life changing for me and only made me want more. Photo: By CK - 2008 Victoria Track Classic - The Staredown. Chris is a member of the Lydiard FoundationContact: chriskelsall@flocasts.org    Christopher Kelsall http://www.flotrack.org/articles/view/1247-gary-reed Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:25:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/articles/view/1244-steve-lisgo-kwik-e Butler junior, Steve Lisgo, a native of Mansfield, U.K., recently took third place in the ultra-competitive NCAA 3,000-meter steeplechase. The Bulldog crossed the line in 8 minutes, 35.49 seconds to set a school record and get the qualifying time for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India. Steve answered questions for Flotrack via email. Check them out! Sum up your NCAA Meet experience? Did you meet your goals? It was exactly what I was in the market for…the race of my life precisely when it mattered! I had goals going into the meet, however, I was reluctant to discuss them with anyone, in case they thought I was crazy! And those thoughts were only about finishing in the top eight. So, third more than met my goals. As regard the experience, it was a very good week: good hotel, numerous visits to Panera Bread, two strong movies (Hangover and Sunshine Cleaning), and the hilarity that was witnessing our assistant coach creeping up to John McDonnell in a similar to what you would expect in witnessing a guy in middle-school, approaching a girl he really likes for the very first time. Brilliant! 8:35, can you go quicker? Initially I would have said, “heaven’s no!” However, following a discussion which took place during a 50-minute delay at Chicago Medway, a slight improvement in time is possible. Coach Roe turned to me and said, “what could you have ran if the pace had not have slowed in the middle?” I couldn’t care less at this point as I was so exhausted but I shrugged my shoulder as to say, “I don’t know.” He then continued, “if it was even 67’s the whole way you would be fine.” I have no reason to doubt this logic, so possibly 8:30. I guess we will see in the future. I have yet to race the steeple out West at either Mt. SAC or Stanford, but for the moment I am extremely happy with 8:35! What are some things that really stand out to you about differences between running in the UK and the US? Firstly, in the UK, we have a huge love affair with the 1,500/mile, which may be a result of our rich history at this distance. However, at present, you are viewed as somewhat of an idiot if you want to be a steeplechaser or 5k guy and are going directly to hell if you like the idea of the 10k! This is just not the case in America as people lap up these events! Although that being said I kind of hope this continues in the UK and as a result I can become a beneficiary of limited opposition. Secondly, athletes in America appear to appreciate that they only have a finite amount of time to be great. Yes, if you’re extremely talented, work extraordinarily hard, and are lucky enough to stay healthy, you may be in the position to continue running professionally once you graduate from college. But, for the vast majority, this is not the case so you must seize the day. I am unsure about other teams but all the guys at Butler have bought into this. Back home we have a thriving running club network and a system which will keep throwing high quality races your way for as long as you want to compete in the sport. So there is always another race or another year, if you know what I mean. This definitely is not the case for everyone but it sure was for me before I came out here, I binned off whole seasons. What are some things about the US that you don't like/aren't used to? I hate trucks! Well I can appreciate that a farmer may need to use a huge truck, but what is the crack with rolling up to Wal-Mart or CVS in an F-150 for instance? Needless. However, that is the only thing I do not like. Other than that I cannot get enough of the place. The people are extremely nice, college basketball is amazing, Dairy Queen is right up my street and I even like my professors! Can you explain a week of training for you? I run 80 miles a week in singles. We go hard on Tuesday and Fridays which is either a tempo on the canal or something on the track. Throughout fall semester these track workouts were replaced by hard efforts on the grass. Monday and Saturdays runs are at a moderate pace. Wednesday we go a bit further than the other days peaking at 90 minutes for me. Sundays we go long which is an 105 minutes for me. During XC season we crush this run, hanging on to the likes of Andy Baker and Joe Macdonald is so painful! Guys like me and Kris Gauson are just suffering the entire time! Throw into the melting pot lots of strides and hurdle work and from there on out we just hope for the best. What's the hardest workout you've ever done? 8 x 1,000m with # 2, 4, 6 and 8 over barriers. Initially, when the workout was prescribed, I interpreted my day's work to be 4 x 1000m over barriers with a generous recovery–I was well-chuffed. However, when I was summoned over to the start line for the first rep, the penny dropped and I knew I was in for one hell of a morning! Running in the group on the flat reps was comfortable but not letting them gain too much on me whilst I was clearly the barriers in lane two was torture. What's your international running experience? Are you looking to represent the UK in the near future? I have never competed for Great Britain although this is something which I would love to do. Running in the 2012 Olympics for the host nation sounds kind of appealing doesn’t it? So, head down everyday in training and it may happen, but I have a hell of a long way to go before I can even begin to rationalize that becoming reality. Despite having not run for Great Britain I have represented Scotland on numerous occasions and this is something I am extremely proud to have done. I qualify to represent Scotland through my late mother, so there is far deeper meaning to donning those colors. My 8:35 eclipsed the qualification standard for the Commonwealth Games which are to be held in New Delhi, India in 2010, so fingers crossed I will be selected for that. If you could have one meal, prepared by anyone, what would you choose to eat and who would make it? I would have fish and chips from Bryan’s Fish and Chip Shop in Leeds, England. So, I guess it would be prepared by the obese, slightly balding and extremely greasy guy (or girl but this is rare) that is operating the fryer. What do you do for fun when you're not running? I watch a lot of soccer on the FOX soccer channel, watch all of the Butler basketball games, get together with people off of the team which usually involves games of pool or ping pong and the ongoing back and forth belittlement of each other. Your soccer team? Well, I am a supporter of Sunderland Football Club. All of my teammates are sick of hearing about this insignificant football club from the northeast of England, but football is so ingrained in me I can't help but talk about it. The motivation for you to compete and excel in athletics? I read lots of running books from British guys back in the day (Bedford, Foster, Cram etc.) and they seem to have had a blast in striving to achieve their athletic goals. Endless amounts of stories! I would love to have a few of these stories too when I am past it. Wouldn’t it be great to laugh and joke about something that happened this time in say Germany or Spain? I have never really thought about what motivates me it is just something I do just like I watch TV. I also race on a weekend. Can you give me some kind of crazy, running-related story? I have loads but here are two which I really enjoy! One from back at my old university in Leeds, England and one from the time I have spent out here. The first goes a little like this…so was that glorious time of the quarter in our house: utilities time. You might be wondering why it is that I looked forward to the time where we have to hand over our hard-earned cash to the gas and water companies. Well, sports fans, that’s because it means that house mates who can't afford their share of these bills either have to sell their possessions or do crazy stunts to get their bills money. And as the only thing that most of us had worth selling were our laptops, which are needed for schoolwork and Flotrack and Letsrun, then it’s usually the latter! So...Our non-running house mate, Rob, was a little bit hard up one particular quarter, so the baton fell upon him to carry out some sort of stupid stunt to pay his share. Let me just give you a little bit of background on Rob… 1.) Regularly drinks 20 vodka Red Bulls on a night out. 2.) Plays semi-pro soccer. No training, just a game on Saturdays. Also plays the high-fitness requiring position of right back. 3.) His staple diet is microwaveable meals—he loves them! 4.) Never ever eats any of that healthy s**t (fruit and vegetables). 5.) At his best, used to join the lads last year for the occasional 30 minute run (once did one in a pair of Mayflies and a full soccer kit). 6.) Has undertaken such challenges as "not leaving the front room for seven full days". 7.) You get the picture. Anyhow back to the challenge... For the sum of 100 English pounds put up by other house mates, Rob attempted and succeeded in running the full marathon distance of 26.2 miles at a days notice. And he even had a few beers the night before. A gang of us followed him in a car measuring the distance. It was hilarious how much pain he was in but with our encouragement and Rory Fraser (Rory Fraser KWIK-E), of New Mexico, pacing him over the last five miles (outside a 10-minute clip by this stage) he finished in 4 hours, 56 minutes—hero! And upon finishing he took a beer in his hand and downed it before passing out on the sofa, where he remained for the next few days! He couldn’t negotiate stairs because his quads were so ruined. He was 100 pounds richer so I guess it was worth it. The second story documents how we brought the self-proclaimed ‘most efficient All-American in the NCAA today’ (28th in 2007 and 40th in 2008) to his knees! Andrew Baker (Andrew Baker KWIK-E), great guy, who loves a joke. Traveling back from conference XC last October, we stopped by one of the girls on the team’s family home in Chicago. This girl has younger brothers who would soon become the facilitators in crushing Andy! We sat down to eat in two large groups and her two youngest brothers attached themselves to our group and wouldn’t stop asking questions about Andy who was sat at the other table. They both run in middle school and follow all of Andy’s results very closely on the internet. We told them we would introduce them to him later and they looked to be over the moon with this. Although, being the asshole that I am though, I couldn’t miss this opportunity, I pleaded with one of them to go up to ask Andy lots of questions and further get his autograph in front of the whole group he was amongst, knowing this would make him feel very uncomfortable. As predicted Andy was horribly uncomfortable in answering the questions and even questioned the kid to figure out, “if he was serious about wanting an autograph?” Anyhow, he reluctantly signed it and the kid had played a blinder, but we were not done there. The kid had then been instructed to take the piece of paper, which Andy had graced with his autograph, and rip it up in his face! And he again delivered like a professional! Everyone went wild for it, and Andy couldn’t believe he had been done by an 11-year old kid. In turn, I lined the kids pocket with $5 and everyone was a winner...except for Andy.     Tony Casey http://www.flotrack.org/articles/view/1244-steve-lisgo-kwik-e Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:00:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/videos/coverage/view/235294-interviews-highlights-from-eugene FLOTRACK Super Coverage USATF Meet Website Qualifying Standards Performance List  Men | Women Meet Schedule/Results 2007 USATF Champs Races | Interviews 2008 Olympic TrialsInterviews | Eugene08 | Olympians | Road to Eugene 2009 USATF JR Champs Race Videos | Interviews 2009 USA Sr. Champs Race Vids | Interviews LIVE FEED With Chat | Without Chat Flotrack http://www.flotrack.org/videos/coverage/view/235294-interviews-highlights-from-eugene Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:45:56 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/videos/coverage/view/235281-2009-japanese-national-track-and-field-championships   Flotrack http://www.flotrack.org/videos/coverage/view/235281-2009-japanese-national-track-and-field-championships Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:55:11 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/articles/view/1240-usatf-and-flotrack-partner-to-provide-live-webcasts-of-2009-usa-outdoors INDIANAPOLIS USA Track & Field announced Tuesday that it will partner with Flotrack.org to provide live webcasts of both open and junior events at the 2009 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore.  The Championships will be held Thursday through Sunday at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field.  This event is the selection event for the 2009 IAAF World Championships which will be contested in August in Berlin, Germany. Flotrack will supplement USATF's official television coverage with live, real-time coverage with race calls of every event at the USA Junior Outdoor Championships while also providing bonus, live, real-time coverage and race calls of select open events during the USA Outdoor Championships. "As USA Track & Field continues to develop our web-based initiatives, Flotrack presents us with a popular platform to access our fanbase," said USA Track & Field CEO Doug Logan. "Partnering with Flotrack will enable us to provide thorough coverage of our Championships and to expand the reach of our sport." In addition to race coverage, Flotrack will provide fans with exclusive interviews with track & field superstars, as well as behind the scenes access to select areas such as at the practice track and trackside press conferences. Coverage begins Thursday with full-day webcasts of all events with a focus on the early rounds of the 400m, 800m, 1,500m and open men's and women's 10,000m finals. News and Video of the 2009 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be available at www.usatf.org and www.visachampionshipseries.com. About Flotrack.org Flotrack.org has been a leader in web video coverage for the sport of track & field and long distance running for the last three years.  Every year, Flotrack travels to hundreds of events in the U.S. and around the world to showcase some of the biggest and most prestigious events in the sport, with unique event coverage and behind the scenes interviews with athletes, coaches, event directors and legends of the sport, giving track fans the coverage our sport deserves.  Track is back. www.Flotrack.org.        About USA Track & Field USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States.  For more information on USATF, visit www.usatf.org USATF Press http://www.flotrack.org/articles/view/1240-usatf-and-flotrack-partner-to-provide-live-webcasts-of-2009-usa-outdoors Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:06:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Mike Morgan/7594-brooks-id-camp This past weekend, I had an excellent opportunity to participate in the inaugural Brooks ID Camp. This camp was unlike any other that I have ever attended. The camp took place at a mountain resort just outside Seattle, next to Mt. Rainier. While there were certainly some elite athletes in attendance, that wasn't the purpose. Instead, Brooks pooled together 65 people in the running community that 'inspire daily”. These people included athletes, coaches, race directors, doctors and physical therapists from all over the US. It was a great mix of ages and personalities. While a wide variety of topics were discussed, the key purpose of the camp was to provide feedback to Brooks regarding future footwear and appearal products. From wear-testing and color schemes, to new materials, and presentations from the actual designers, Brooks took feedback from real runners to make sure that they have great future products. Let me say, the technology that Brooks has looming in the future is awesome and will play a major role in the future of running performance, I can't wait! Here are a couple of highlights from my trip: The collection of stories. With so many different types of people, the stories were amazing. Two that stick out are Bill Hoffman's triumph over cancer, and Dan Shaw being captured in Columbia by some cocaine drug lords. Both are lucky to be alive, and their stories really inspired me. We took a trip up the mountain for a really nice dinner. It was supposedly summer solstice, however, at the top of this freaking mountain, wind chills were below 30 degrees, and I froze my can off. It was definitely the first time that I have ever felt snow and temps. like that in June. We got to tour the Brooks headquarters in Bothell. Believe it or not, they actually do a ton of research on every part of a shoe and every piece of appearal. I didn't think that it existed! Right now I have a little injury, so to get some exercise, I decided to climb the mountain. It was around 50 degrees and pouring rain. After hiking strait up for 40 minutes, I started to get a little freaked out when I ran into snow and could see my breath, I started to think that I might get hypothermia and end up stuck on this mountain. I was picturing CNN covering a rescue effort for this moron runner who decided to defy mother nature and climb this mountain. However, I made it down and everything worked out fine.   I hope that you enjoyed my blog, special thanks to Brooks for having me out, and thanks to the 65 athletes for the inspiration to get back on the horse once I heal up. -Mike     Mike Morgan http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Mike Morgan/7594-brooks-id-camp Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:20:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/articles/view/1237-barringerwillard-and-goucherflanagan-to-do-battle-at-championships INDIANAPOLIS - Rivalries lead the way in the women's distance events as Jenny Barringer will face Anna Willard in the 1,500m and 3,000m steeplechase, and Shalane Flanagan will go toe-to-toe with Kara Goucher in the women's 5,000 and 10,000m at the 2009 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, June 25-28 at historic Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene. The final event of the 2009 USATF Outdoor Visa Championship Series, the USA Championships will be televised on the following dates: June 26: Live on ESPN from 8-10 p.m. June 27: Live/tape on ESPN from 7:30-9:30 p.m. June 28: Live on NBC from 4-6:00 p.m. (All Times Eastern) The USA Championships will feature the nation's finest professional track and field athletes competing for national honors and spots on the Team USA roster for the 2009 IAAF World Outdoor Championships in Berlin, Germany. The World Championships will be held at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Stadium, where National Track & Field Hall of Famer and American icon Jesse Owens won gold medals in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay and long jump. 1,500 and 3,000 steeplechase share leaders American-record holder in the steeplechase and sub-4:00 1,500m runner Jenny Barringer leads the entries in the Nike women's 1,500m and 3,000m steeplechase where she will face heavy competition from former American-record holder Anna Willard. It was Willard who won the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in American-record fashion, while Barringer placed third, but two weeks after the Trials, Barringer broke Willard's record while running in Heusden, Belgium, and then broke the record again when she finished ninth at the 2008 Olympic Games to Willard's tenth.  Barringer showed her dexterity by taking over eight seconds off her personal best in the 1,500m when she finished as the runner-up at the 2009 Nike Prefontaine Classic, stopping the clock in 3:59.90. She is only the fourth American ever to break the four-minute barrier in the 1,500m. Similarly, Willard showed her ability to move down in distance successfully with her 800m win at the Reebok Grand Prix in 1:59.29, a then-world-leader, and her fourth-place finish in the 1,500m at the 2009 Nike Prefontaine Classic, where she shaved almost five seconds off her personal best. Not to be overlooked, 2008 Olympic Team Trials champion Shannon Rowbury is entered in the women's 1,500m. She finished seventh at the Beijing Olympic Games, the highest placing for an American ever in the event. 2008 Olympians Christin Wurth-Thomas, Erin Donohue and three-time USA Outdoor champion Treniere Clement also will be in the mix. 5,000 and 10,000m double double 2008 Olympic Games 10,000m bronze medalist Shalane Flanagan is set to go head-to-head with 2007 World Outdoor 10,000m bronze medalist Kara Goucher in the Nike women's 5,000 and 10,000m next week. Flanagan has made her mark on the record books over the past few years, setting American records outdoors in the 5,000 and 10,000m and indoors in the 3,000 and 5,000m. At the 2008 Olympic Team Trials, she won the 10,000m and placed third in the 5,000m and followed that up in Beijing with a bronze medal and an American record at 10,000m along with a 10th-place finish over 5,000m.  Goucher has gone about things a little differently since winning her bronze medal at the 2007 World Outdoor Championships in Osaka. After winning the 5,000m and finishing as the runner-up over 10,000m, she went on to finish ninth and 10th in Beijing, respectively. Immediately following the Games, Goucher ramped up her mileage and began training for the marathon. Just months after the Games, she turned in a history-making American performance by finishing third in the 2008 NYC Marathon. Crossing the line in 2:25:53, it was the fastest marathon debut ever by an American woman. Six months later, Goucher took third in the Boston Marathon and has since been named to the World Outdoor team in the women's marathon. A three-time Olympian, in three different distance events: 10,000m, marathon and 5,000m, Jen Rhines will stick with the shorter distance this year, as she enters the USA Outdoor Championships in the Nike women's 5,000m. 2008 Olympian Amy Yoder Begley will run the women's 10,000m.  For ticket information to the 2009 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships visit: www.visachampionshipseries.com orwww.tracktown.net. USATF welcomes you to purchase tickets with your Visa Card. Visa, the only credit card accepted by USATF. For more information on the 2009 USA Outdoor Championships and the USATF Visa Championship Series, visit:www.visachampionshipseries.com.   USATF Press http://www.flotrack.org/articles/view/1237-barringerwillard-and-goucherflanagan-to-do-battle-at-championships Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:15:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Justin Kopunek/7452-the-revival-of-us-womens-middle-distance What a difference one year makes. After the 2007 season wrapped up, I had a conversation with a friend about the strengths and weaknesses of the US track and field team. Obviously sprints, hurdles, relays, and field are all strong suits for the red, white and blue. Distance had been coming along as Lagat grabbed 5k gold in Osaka (with Tegenkamp 4th), Kara Goucher nabbed 10k bronze, we had 2 marathon medalists at the previous Olympics in Athens (and a new crop of marathoners were looking promising). Men's middle distance had everyone hopeful for the '08 Olympics with Lagat's 1,500 World Championship title, Nick Symmond's 800 win at the Pre Classic, and Webb's world leading 1,500m, AR mile and 1:43 800. Our consensus was that the weakest sector of the team was the women's middle distances. The top US times in the 1,500 and 800 were way down on the world lists and no American women were making it through the rounds at the World Champs. A high school junior was leading the US Championship 800m final with 200m to go. As good of a race as that was for Chanelle Price, it left much to be desired of the professional women in that race. As 2008 came along, a beacon appeared for US women’s middle distance running. Shannon Rowbury had a breakout season like none other. She ran PR’s of 4:20.34 for the mile, 4:00.33 for the 1,500m and was highly competitive internationally. She won the 5th Avenue Mile, was 2nd in Paris, 7th in the Olympic Final, trounced the field at the US Olympic Trials and finished the year ranked 6th in the world over 1,500m. When all was said and done, Rowbury had knocked a dozen seconds off of her best 1,500 time. It was a huge step forward for women’s mid distance running in America. The previous few years, the top time floated between 4:04 and 4:06. Rowbury had skipped over the 4:01-4:03 range and began flirting with sub-4. After her, however, there was over a 4 second drop off to the 2nd best time by Christin Wurth-Thomas and another 2 seconds to the third best from Goucher (a 10k runner). The super-star was there, but the depth was not. It seemed coming in to 2009 that Rowbury would be the class of the US field and continue her domestic dominance. That however, would not be the case. On June 7th of this year, 3 American women beat Rowbury. Did she have an off day? No. She went out hard and, as it was her outdoor debut at 1,500, she faded a bit over the last quarter. She will undoubtedly sharpen as the season progresses. What did happen is that 3 other American women caught up to Rowbury. Jenny Barringer ran an astounding 3:59.90, Anna Willard ran 4:01.44, and Wurth-Thomas clocked in at 4:01.72. All were significant personal records and Rowbury was still close with a solid 4:03.92. It is surely the deepest 1,500m race by American women in history. There are currently 4 American women who have run 4:01.72 or faster in the past year. The last time any American woman ran within 1.5 seconds of that mark was 2003 when drug cheat Regina Jacobs and Suzy Favor Hamilton ran 4:01.63 and 4:01.69 in separate races. So how have the women’s 1,500m runners come from such a slump to such an apex in one year? There are many factors that brought us to this point. Picking one would be difficult, but if I had to then I would say Shannon Rowbury’s 2008 season is the main cause. She upped the ante and showed that 4:06 was no longer an acceptable US leading time. These other women had two choices; they could fold under the pressure, or crank up the intensity themselves. When one person is so far ahead of the curve, they either scare off competitors, or light a fire under their peers. It appears for women like Wurth-Thomas, Rowbury did the latter. This is not the only explanation, but it’s the short answer. If someone asked me, ‘why are New York State girls xc teams so good every year?’ I’d respond, ‘short answer, Saratoga.’ Their program executed high school cross country so well perennially that it raised the bar for every other girls team in the state. I know this is not the only reason, but it is a major factor. Rowbury made a statement last year which set 4:00 as the new benchmark for this generation of runners. As I have stated, there are other reasons as well. Do I think Jenny Barringer was training up in Boulder thinking ‘I have to beat Shannon Rowbury in the 1,500 this year’? Of course not. But what Barringer has stated is that she wants to legitimize the steeplechase as an event by proving steeplers are just as fast in flat events, but choose the steeple because the event suits them. The best way to do this is to match the top women in the flat events and Rowbury happened to have made low 4 minutes the new mid-4s. One might notice that the 2 atop this year’s US leaderboards for 1,500m, Barringer and Willard, are primarily known for competing in the steeplechase. During training in the off season, the drive to be the best in the 3k Steeple most assuredly also resulted in the two dropping significant time off of their 1,500 times. Going into the US Championships and with the World Championships in Berlin around the corner, the women’s middle distance crew seems to now be one of the stronger areas of the team, and certainly the most improved. Make sure not to miss these women battle in Eugene for the US titles and World team spots, as they will produce some of the meet’s most electrifying moments. Justin Kopunek http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Justin Kopunek/7452-the-revival-of-us-womens-middle-distance Sun, 14 Jun 2009 20:20:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Molly Huddle/7292-immersed-in-runculture Aside from conveniently being the name of the Saucony casual product line, I have been thinking about how running culture is an actual phenomenon. I was thinking about this as I was embarking on my quest for abs in the gym the other day. I noticed a group of dudes who showed up pretty regularly and lifted pretty hard. One of them was there every day, mostly training high school kids, but he must have been a body builder of some kind himself. Between the time he obviously spent lifting and the time he spent training the kids, he must live in the gym. “Lame” I thought, not realizing my hypocrisy. He was meticulous beyond anything I’ve ever witnessed or done in my own workouts, and I do this for a living whereas he is doing it as a hobby… obsession, compulsion….etc. He usually brought a cooler of food and bright pink powdered supplements to the gym. One container actually had brussel sprouts in it, so I’m sure the others were equally appetizing. I heard him talk about how he “hasn’t had junk food in 30 meals”. He counted be the meal! The other guys joked with him and asked if he wanted to go out for beer and ice cream. He simply pulled up his tank top and flexed his stomach, which showed every vein and muscle under his papery, tan skin. “you must not be fun to hang around right now” said another large dude. “That’s why I live alone” he answered matter-of-factly. He boasted about his pants size, said his clothes were feeling tighter, “ just since January” . I rolled my eyes, figuring the others would do the same, but no, they compared trials and tribulations in the weight room and were genuinely in awe of him. “What is the point” I wondered “in just getting as muscular as you can? What is the function of ‘being swoll’? Who cares?” Then it hit me, well what’s the point of being… fast? What’s the point of being the fastest person of ALL, even? Like the lifter, other runners would respect you. Like lifting, it carves out a lifestyle for you. We go to bed early, eat a certain diet, do certain drills and spend money on massages because, well what an obvious question, because we will run FASTER. And everyone who runs thinks it makes sense, it’s just a part of the culture. Race a 5k at 7 am? Sure, part of culture, not weird at all, like eating Haggis to a Scotsman, or wearing Ugg boots to a sorority girl. And it can be a lonely, too, like the body builder. Running culture includes solitary moments, whether you’re actually alone with just the tumbleweeds at mile 15 on a training run, or just alone in your choices like not going out every night of the week, or being too tired to do something fun so you take a nap instead, or not taking that day trip to Santa Fe because then you’d have to move your run to an inopportune time, (grumble). I left the gym thinking I actually wasn’t so different (sans abs) from the lifter dude. I am so far into a culture of running that I didn’t even notice that my life is kind of weird too. Kind of solitary at times, maybe not as meticulous as his, but certainly governed by what makes me faster. But, I guess that’s how a culture works: weird to those on the outside, and a sacred and unquestioned way of life to those on the inside. Heavy. Molly Huddle http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Molly Huddle/7292-immersed-in-runculture Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:33:00 -0500