en-us Copyright 2006-2009 Flocasts Inc Sat, 7 Nov 2009 10:17:08 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/assets/portal/simple30/images/logos/flotrack-logo.gif http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Chadj1111/9112-duel-in-detroit My race with Nick Stanko in the Detroit marathon will obviously never be famous like Alberto Salazar and Dick Beardsley in Boston, but on a smaller scale it gave me a little taste of what it would be like. Even though I didn't win and it wasn't one the of major marathons I had a great experience. I still had pace vehicals leading the way through the city, good size crowds coming out the the tunnel from Windsor to Detroit, and all my Hanson teammates cheering me on on the bridge to Bell Isle. The day started off with a rookie mistake, my teammate Nick Arciniaga who was going to pace and I sat in Kevin Hanson's car as long as possible to stay warm. Well, I made it to the start with about 2 minutes to spare, and my teammate didn't make it. The adrenaline rush of almost missing the start carried me though a 5:05 first mile. About a mile later he caught up to us after having to weave his way though half the field. We set out over the Ambassador bridge just as the sun was rising and started clicking off 5:20 per mile pace in Canada. Nick paced Stanko and I though 15 miles at which point Stanko asked me if I wanted to switch leads every mile. This worked well to keep the pace going but at some point we knew we would have to start racing. I felt like maybe he started doing the same thing, but eventually when I took over the lead each mile I would try to push a little and hope he would let me go. I gave one last all out effort on Belle Isle and back up the bridge into Detroit but couldn't shake him. Ever so slowly he started to inch away at 23.5 on the board walk. With a mile to go he still only had 10 seconds on me but I could only manage a 7:00 last 1.2 and he went on the win by 31 seconds (2:20:22 to 2:20:53). I knew I had given everything as my body shut down on me on the home stretch. At the beginning of every race I tell myself as long as I can honestly say I gave it everything I can't be disappointed with myself, and I knew that was the case that day. Chadj1111 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Chadj1111/9112-duel-in-detroit Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:36:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/MrPants/9111-october-track-racin The segment wrap up! Well my 2009 racing season came to a close this past Saturday on the track on the campus of IUPUI. Many of my friends have asked to tell them about the race. What better place to do that than with a blog. The race was part of the Indiana Invaders track series. For the past few years, they have put on a 10,000 meters in the fall. To me it seems like a pretty good idea. You can get a qualifier early and then focus on training for Nationals, rather than chasing times all spring and being burnt out by the time June rolls around. Anyway, the point is that it’s not a big meet. In fact, there were six people in the race, three of which were rabbits. It was a nice night, pretty cool and by the time we started there wasn’t much wind at all. The track is really nice. A layer of mondo over cement, so it’s a hard track; great for racing! The straightaways are shorter, which allows for big wide turns that won’t slow you down as much as tighter turns. The stands were full. All of Christian’s family was there. If you add the watch keepers and Coach Pete Rea, there were roughly 20 people even at this thing! Needless to say, everyone was calm. it felt like we are lining up for a time trial, not a race. The three rabbits did a great job. A couple guys were mid-distance guys were just going as long as they could at 68-69 second laps. The main rabbit was going to take us through 6k. The plan was to hit the 5k in 14:16. My open 5k pr is 14:15, just for record. So, with that said, I wasn’t sure what to do. Since there was no real pressure on this race, I decided to just go after it and see what happened. I fully planned on going through 5k and be holding on for dear life. Greg said “ready, set, GO!” as we didn’t even have a working starting pistol! We were off. The three pacers, Dave, Christian, and me all single file. I could tell we were fast, but was hoping we were. If it felt hard and we were slow then it was going to be a looonngg night! We hit the 400 in 66 something. Pete Rea yells across the track, “Slow Down!” The next lap was 71. But, from that point on we were right on, anything from 68 to 69 seconds. I didn’t look at my watch, but we rolled through 1600 meters in 4:35 and if felt comfortable. The 3k split was 8:35 and 3200 was 9:10. Still felt comfortable. I tried to zone out and just stayed in my position as the caboose. The next thing I know, we come through 5k and Pete just says, “14:17- great job guys!” We were down to the one rabbit at this point and he just kept cruising. I thought, “Holy Crap! I’m gonna run 28:40 today!” I tried not to think about just running my fastest 5k in 4.5 years, or the fact that I haven’t run a 10k on the track since June, 2005. I felt tired, but ok. 6k came and went. We were still in a single file line. Our rabbit hit 6k and kept on going. He went all the way to 6600 meters. At that point were still all together in a line. We made it another lap. I was the first to go. The pace caught up to me. Then Christian fell off. Dave kept on rolling. My 68-69 quickly turned into 74’s. I managed to man up for a 70 last lap, but still crossed the line in 29:20. The fastest 10k I’ve run since March of 2005 at Stanford. I was far from disappointed. I haven’t run an interval workout faster than 4:40 pace in years. That’s something that will change now. I haven’t really raced on the track in forever. I nearly ran a 5k pr with another 5k to go. I was 3k away from blasting a good one. Overall, I am excited. You go to Stanford in March, turn that 14:17 into a 14:25-30, good things will happen. I can come back in 14:20-25, have people to pass and a really good atmosphere to run in. This is all very, very close to all coming together! Plus, I’ll be wearing the new Brooks Wire- Whooh Baby!!! MrPants http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/MrPants/9111-october-track-racin Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:54:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Pjrizzo/9102-the-true-measure-of-a-truly-great-man I must have mistaken another sign for the last mile marker. No way, that was a 5:05 on the fifth mile. Wait! Was that last mile a 4:59!?! We STILL are only six miles into a recovery twelve miler. Is this how the group got so good? Can I hack it here on a daily basis if this is a “recovery” day pace? I have to surge right now or I am going to get dropped pretty decisively. Surge? On an easy day? Listen to me! I have been here for three days and I have yet to speak a single word on a run. Fear and shyness? No. Pace? Yes. I am pushing with everything I have just to maintain contact with this group right now. I have no clue where I am and certainly I could never find the house from where we are right now. “Come on, Toby! You made this pace!” Who is Toby? What’s Brian saying? Does he not know my name or is the pace hard enough that he is delirious as well? My first two months in Michigan that was a typical run. I now confess that I am a one-stepper but in my infancy here I was unaware of my affliction. This made me inadvertently stir the pot on more than one occasion. Due to our predisposition to being alpha males here, nobody will back down unless he is physically incapable of hanging. Though we recognize that this is often not “smart” it is how we function and that causes most of our one-hour conflicts. (*One hour conflicts refer to the fact that any event taking place on a run and causing tension among ourselves immediately has a reset button hit as we finish running.) In my three and a half years since then, I have shed my title of “Toby.” (For those who do not know, Toby is Brian’s golden retriever.) The guy who once hated me is now not just a teammate but also a mentor…even friend. All of us who are around Brian Sell daily know that he is a very loyal friend. His loyalty and respect are earned through hard work and the return of sacrifice and dedication in an unending reciprocal exchange. Brian claims that New York was his last competitive race before he will contently retire, leaving running for a more stable job that he has long dreamt of pursuing. Since I know that I can never sit and have this conversation with Brian face to face because his humility would force him to change the topic to something more jovial and simple, I have chosen to write my public thank you to a great teammate who has taught many of us the values of being a hard-nosed bastard. Brian, I do not mean for this to come off as a sort of eulogy, but rather as a thank you. Thank you for the lessons that you have given me through your own experiences, running and in life. Thank you for the countless motorcycle rides (this includes any combination of the whole gang of Eberly, Big Ern, you, and me) that acted as a balance to and escape from the otherwise demanding lifestyle we choose to live. Thank you for the days in your garage working on said motorcycles and/or cars. Thank you for occasionally picking up dead animals on runs and hurling them at people. Thank you for hosting the cookouts that became increasingly frequent when poker nights waned in frequency, going on to become remnants of the not-so-truly-distant past. Most importantly thanks for always being yourself in any audience and every instance. That is a lesson more people can learn from. I think I speak for the whole group when I say that I hope you at least drag your sorry, old butt out the door and keep meeting us for morning runs, if only on Clint-frequent intervals. It has certainly been a hell of a trip and we all still have a lot more we can learn from you. Thank you for getting us this far.   Pjrizzo http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Pjrizzo/9102-the-true-measure-of-a-truly-great-man Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:20:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Bx_Runner/9074-finding-the-way-to-terre-haute-part-iii Conference Weekend had the entire NCAA running, scattered all over the country. Some races ran to form, while others had some major upsets. A few teams like the Princeton women and Butler men scored a perfect 15, while a number of conferences have NCAA Top 30 teams fighting just to make the top 3-5 at their meet. I’ll get right in to it while you can also check out Part I and Part II for some background on the goal of this series; Finding the Way to Terre Haute. Teams Louisville Cardinals: 4th/14 in the Big East Championships This team has a big gun up front in RS Senior Cory Thorne. Thorne became Louisville’s first Big East Individual Cross Country Champion in history this weekend. The sub-14 minute 5ker from New Hampshire is best known as a steepler. He was 7th in the NCAA 3,000m Steeplechase last spring and set a school record of 8:36. Those were not his first All American Honors; he earned the distinction in 2007 during cross country. The Cardinals have a very strong second man in RS junior Michael Eaton. Eaton is the school record holder at 10,000m with a 28:41. He was also an All American last spring in that event. In XC, Eaton placed 71st at NCAAs as a sophomore and represented the US at World Junior Championships as a senior in high school. The Kentucky native was a two-time Foot Locker Finalist, as was teammate Thorne. The third man for the Cardinals is junior Matt Bruce. A transfer from Clemson, he set personal bests last spring of 14:19 and 30:52. Hailing from Ontario, Bruce competed many times internationally on the track and in cross country on the Canadian Junior team. Rounding out the team scoring at Big East were senior Scott McClain and sophomore Luke Lovelace. McClain, who is from Kentucky, set a PR of 9:05 in the steeplechase last spring. Lovelace had a solid freshman campaign last year running 14:44 for the 5,000m and is yet another Cardinal who qualified twice for the Foot Locker Finals, he did so while at his South Carolina high school. RS sophomore Matt Hughes, like teammate Matt Bruce, transferred to Louisville from Clemson and comes from Oshawa, Ontario. He also has represented Canada on its Junior National teams and he boasts a steeple best of 8:47. Finishing off the top-7 for the Cardinals was sophomore Chase Violet from Ohio who has been progressing since last year to get onto the varsity roster of a Top-30 Ranked team in the NCAA. Despite being ranked in the top 30, Louisville will have to be on the top of its game at regionals to make it to Terre Haute this year. They will have to face William & Mary, NC State, Virginia, and Duke at the Southeast Regional. Luckily they beat Providence at Big East this weekend which could earn them an at-large point if Providence gets an auto spot again this year. The Cardinal men were a strong 9th at NCAAs in 2007, but failed to qualify last year as they red-shirted many of their studs. Duke Blue Devils: 2nd/12 in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championships This young Duke team is lead by sophomore Carly Seymour, who fell into that role as a talented freshman last year. She has a solid freshman campaign, but is best known for her high school accomplishments. As a senior from Pennsylvania, she broke Nicole Blood’s Van Cortlandt Park 4,000m record at the Manhattan Invite and placed in the top 10 at Foot Locker Finals in 2006 and 2007. Garnering the ACC Freshman Runner of the Year Award by virtue of her 10th place finish this weekend, Juliet Bottorff is having a stellar first season with the Blue Devils. The 2009 Gatorade Delaware Runner of the Year as a senior, she lead a strong Tatnall team to NTN/NXN 3 times, placing as high as 12th. On the track she was a Millrose Mile qualifier and ran 4:51 for 1,600m outdoors. Just 1 second back at ACCs was senior Katie van Buskirk. The most experienced member of this Duke squad, she placed 67th at the NCAA XC Champs in 2007 and has run 4:20 in the 1,500m. Van Buskirk has competed internationally for the Canadian Junior National team in track and cross country. In the fourth and fifth spots for Duke are sophomore Mary Carleton Johnston and freshman Sophia Ziemian. Both were Gatorade Runner of the Year selections for their respective states; Carleton Johnston for Alabama track in 2007 and Ziemian for Pennsylvania cross country in 2008. The latter was 4th in the NON 5,000m as a high school junior. Close behind was #6 runner Kayla Hale, a freshman from Florida. While a prep, Hale qualified for Foot Locker Finals 3 times and set a PR of 10:31 for 2-miles. She earned All American honors for that event twice. The Blue Devils’ 7th and 8th runners at ACCs are better than that race showed. Consistently in the top 5 on the team this season, junior Emily Schwitzer and sophomore Suejin Ahn can be major contributors for Duke. Schwitzer, from Minnesota, ran for Team USA freshman year at the World Junior Cross Country Championships and she was in Duke’s top 2 throughout last fall. Ahn was an All American in the mile at her New York high school and she cemented herself as a scorer for the Blue Devil’s as a freshman last year. The teams second place finish to FSU this past weekend leapfrogged them over Virginia to put them ranked #1 in the Southeast Region heading into the regional meet. This team is very young and many are looking to make their first trip to Terre Haute. Watch out for them in future years as they lose very little and have freshman Madeline Morgan, who won the 2007 NTN race, but did not race at ACCs after some good early season races. Washington Huskies: 4th/8 in the Pac-10 Championships Not as well known as their female counterparts, the Washington Men continued their strong season where they are looking to make a name for themselves. The 17th ranked Huskies competing in the toughest men’s xc conference in the NCAA were led by RS senior Kelly Spady. Having a breakthrough senior season, this Washington native was the first Husky across the line in their team wins at the Sundodger Invite (1st) and Notre Dame (9th), as well as this weekend where he was 10th. Last season he was 2nd man for the team earning All-West Region honors and placing 86th at NCAAs. Moving up to consistent top 3 finisher from being 5th man last year is senior Colton Tully-Doyle. The Californian, who set a 3k PR last winter of 8:08, is easily having his best season to date. He was 13th at Notre Dame this fall and 23rd at Pac-10s. After leading the team last year, senior Jake Schmitt provides experience to the team. A transfer from Cal in his home state, Schmitt earned All American honors last winter in the 5,000m and has qualified for NCAAs in the 10,000m twice. He is also a Junior Worlds qualifier in the 10k and holds fast PRs of 8:03, 13:54, and 28:53. Schmitt knows how to run well at Terre Haute, he was the team’s top finisher at Pre-Nats in October and NCAAs last fall in 58th. As the 4th man this weekend, junior Jordan Swarthout had his best race of the season, as he had been outside the top 5 most of the fall. He was a consistent scorer for the Huskies last fall, however, finishing 36th at regionals and 108th at NCAAs. RS freshman Joey Bywater was right behind at Pac-10s and is having a great rookie season. In track last year he set PRs of 3:44 (1,500m) and 8:16 (3,000m). Both Swarthout and Bywater are from Washington. Coming in the 6, 7, and 8 spots for the Huskies, Cameron Quakenbush, James Cameron, and Rob Webster Jr were only separated by 3 seconds. All three are underclassmen and will be hoping to make their first trips to the Big Dance this year. Quakenbush and Webster are Washington natives, while Cameron is from California (you may know him from his work directing Terminator 2 and Titanic). A team that returns 6 of 7 from its 18th place team from NCAAs last fall and adds valuable freshman, the Huskies look to show the women are not the only cross country squad of note on campus. They will compete in the extremely competitive West Region and likely be looking for one of the 13 at-large spots. A big team win at Notre Dame earlier in the season will be key, as will placing well in the tough regional, for this team getting a spot on the line in Terre Haute. Individuals Elliot Krause of Wisconsin: With such big names and All Americans occupying Wisconsin’s roster, it speaks volumes for true sophomore Elliot Krause to be leading them at the Big Ten Championships. Krause had a quiet freshman year for the Badgers, placing 25th at the conference meet last fall. Jumping 23 places this year to take the runner-up spot shows Krause is one to keep an eye on. Last spring he placed 4th in the USA Junior National 10,000m and was a Wisconsin state champ in high school for track and cross country. His performance this weekend, however, is by far his best running we have seen from him yet. Megan Hogan of George Washington: This RS junior was a basketball player, but has recently shown that running is what she was made for. Last year she had a break through season by qualifying individually for the NCAA Championships in cross country. She placed 96th overall in her first trip to Terre Haute and will certainly look to improve on that this year. After placing 5th at Paul Short earlier this season, Hogan demolished the competition at the Atlantic 10 Championships, winning by almost a minute on the muddy course. She is the first runner to qualify for the NCAA Championship individually and win the A-10 title in the history of GW, a school that has no track program, but does have cross country. Erik van Ingen of Binghamton: After transferring to Binghamton from Canisius College before sophomore year, van Ingen saw incredible improvements. A solid middle distance runner in high school (4:19/1:52), he ran a phenomenal 4:01 NCAA provisional qualifier last winter in the mile. Taking that improvement into cross country, van Ingen led the Bearcats to their first America East team title, as he claimed the individual honors. Although he is certainly a stronger middle distance runner, look for this junior to keep improving out on the cross country course as well over the next 2 years. Bx_Runner http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Bx_Runner/9074-finding-the-way-to-terre-haute-part-iii Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:14:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Leo/9060-home-at-last http://www.leomanzano.com/blog/post Hey Everyone, So I'm finally back from Europe and Mexico. It has been a lot of fun and a lot of work, but I have enjoyed it every step of the way. All in all it was a great season. Thesolaniki is where I left off the last time I blogged. I did really well. It was a very competitive race but i beat out the world champ and the world leader in time, which was really exciting and finished in second. After the competition we headed back to England and got ready to go home to the US. I was thrilled. It had been a long season of traveling and finally i would come home. But now before one last go around at the 5th Ave. mile in New York. I again ended up in second. But i was happy to of competed and to of been done. I was home for about a week to see my family. It had been about 3 months since the last time i saw them and about 6 months since i had spent some quality time with them. RIght after that I left for Mexico for my first real vacation with Abi and Shannon. We ended up on a deserted beach somewhere in Mexico.. just kidding. I went to Playa del Carmen, on the Yucatan Peninsula. It was beautiful. While I was there we visited 3 really cool places Tulum, Akumal and this place called Xplore. I had a lot of fun in all the places, but the one that stood out the most was Xplore. Xplore is a theme park which included: 2miles of zip lines, underground rafting in a cave, and a 400yd swim also in an underground cave. I had never been on a zip-line, so I was really nervous when Abi and I started climbing what seemed to be a 7 story tower . When we got to the top I could see clearly far into the distance, and feel the cool breeze coming in from the sea. I looked down-it was a long way down!! Good thing we had harnesses. Abi went first, an employee secured her harness to the zip-line, uttered some words Abi picked her feet up and off she went. I didn't know what to think as i saw her flying to the next tower. As soon as she was gone it was my turn. I stepped up, they started securing my harness, I looked back and saw a couple right behind me and as soon as they saw me getting harnessed the women started saying, "I cant do it, its too high, its too high" then the women started panting and looked like she was going to pass out. I was harnessed, jumped off and as I took off I turned around and yelled to them "animo!!!" which is the english equivalent of "have faith" or "have courage". I waited for the couple on the other end. They never arrived... After my two weeks in Mexico, I came back to the US. I was excited to come home to my home town in Marble Falls/Granite shoals located an hour West of Austin. I had missed my family and friends. I was also home for two special occasions. My home town had a track named after me, and I was baptizing my high-school best friends' child. On friday the 29th I was honored on behalf the Marble Falls community. I was really grateful and extremely excited that my hometown thought that highly of me. During half time of a Marble Falls high school football game the community commemorated me. I had an opportunity to meet some of the people who made it all possible, members in the Marble Falls Lions Club, and the great people of the Marble Falls School Board. I am still very grateful that all these people came together on my behalf to make this possible. My mother and father and two sisters were present. Jesus (aka chuy) was a bit under the weather so he was unable to attend. This meant a lot, not only for me but to my family and friends. Thanks to everyone who took part. Im happy and thrilled to be part of a community and feel that I am very blessed.. And Congratulations to the Marble Falls high-school football players on their awesome win and performances, it was definitely icing on the cake. Thanks to all.. The next thing on my plate will be the USATF Junior Cross Country meet at Camp Champions in Marble Falls Tx on Nov. the 7th. This will be the first time Marble Falls has hosted a USATF meet. I hope it will be a success. Stay tuned in to see how it turns out.. Leo Leo http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Leo/9060-home-at-last Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:28:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Anthonyfamiglietti/8974-contentment "Run and Destroy" Contentment is the enemy of every competitive runner. You may not know this yet, but if you're serious about your running you will come to understand this. The moment you let satisfaction creep in, even in the slightest, is the very moment your performance level will begin to slip. The question you may ask then, 'How to fight it?' A good question, but an even better one is, 'how do you fight happiness and why?' I can almost see the puzzled look on your faces. What the hell am I talking about? I'm talking about gratification, complacency or any feeling or emotion that might stifle drive. You may think you're a fast runner because you have talent or you have great coaching, but the reality is you are excelling because of that fire in your gut. It is desire, It is will and It is passion. These are qualities that come from within. They cannot be generated for you and digested. They can't be absorbed through text, a lecture or video. It is born into you and me and It's what makes us jump out of planes and build sky scrapers. The people among us who excel in life are those who are consumed by a deep rooted desire to succeed in what they do. They can visualize it daily and live it day in and out pushing in the direction of success until they reach what they're after. They are the "elite" of the world and the best at what they do. You may be striving to become "elite" and working towards goals of your own. You may also be talented, but even the most talented do not always succeed. People who have real fire will quickly create their own talent where none existed before. That is when they begin to overtake fear, doubt, the "talented" competition and any other obstacles in the way. When I first started racing I had small goals in mind. Once achieved they quickly grew into much more. I'd be lying if I said I expected to achieve the things I have in running. From the beginning I was cast aside as a fluke with each good performance. Very few people could truly see the real potential I saw in myself. If the people who got me started in running could see what I have achieved I have no doubt they would feel a sense of repletion. To be frank I've also found myself fighting that feeling of contentment back many times this year. It would manifest on long easy runs during the spring when the first warm air blew in. I would float through the run everything with the world seeming right. I had found the place that people spend lifetimes struggling to discover. I felt done, in a good way. It was such a good feeling it was so hard not to dwell in it and absorb it. When the run would end I would have to fight it and shake it off. I had workouts ahead of me, intense training. I'd shake it off, stoke the fire and tear out one great workout after another. I was getting in the best shape of my life, but another problem evolved as the year went on. This feeling started to creep in during racing and that was a BIG problem. Every normal person structures their life around the pursuit of happiness. The life of an elite runner is supposed to be the exact opposite. Track stars are supposed to be tired all of the time. We even push ourselves to hurt in ways other people spend their entire lives avoiding. When we reach a point in training where that threshold of hurt wains we kick up the intensity more to make it hurt again even worse. That is how we get faster. We are searching for that hurt in every race. If you've ever run an all out mile you know that hurt I'm talking about. That dry heaving, fire lunged, jello legged, personal assault that climaxes to a final, depleted quiver where you succumb to life. We can never be satisfied. The last effort is never sufficient and enough is never enough. Looking back on this year now that I've taken the time again to reflect I've purposefully restructured my thinking. I have decided to fully embrace my new philosophy of Run and Destroy. I will continue to run with pure reckless abandon and I will destroy all of the transient things that get in the way of my ultimate goal of becoming the best runner I can ever be. I will destroy fear, destroy doubt, and destroy limitations. I will destroy my strength to build it up stronger. I will destroy my endurance to enhance it. Most importantly I will continue to foster an irrepressible, raging, blaze of torrential desire upon which I will melt away and destroy all semblance of happiness and contentment. I've felt contentment and I've achieved big goals, but now I just want to see what I'm made of. Anthonyfamiglietti http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Anthonyfamiglietti/8974-contentment Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:49:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Mklewy/8937-if-i-can-make-it-there <!--StartFragment--> 7 days to go. I leave for NY City in a couple of days to race the ING NYC Marathon on November 1st. The excitement and challenge I will face in one week is gradually sneaking up. I will be racing through he streets of New York's five boroughs: Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Manhattan. I am looking forward to testing myself up and down the 5 bridges, and ultimately finishing at Tavern on the Green in Central Park. How can you not get excited? My mileage has been lessening each day, my workouts are shorter and my legs are starting to feel lively once again. Most of all, I am having more energy throughout the day and that’s where I find myself reflecting on all the training I have put in to prepare myself for this one race. It is the two summer altitude trips, the long runs, and the hard workouts that give me the confidence that I have a very good chance to run what I am capable of running. On top of it all it looks like the weather will cooperate for all racing the marathon. Last week I went to speak at the Mariner Cross Country High School Invitational where I shared my journey as a professional runner. I was thrilled to answer the fun question they had for me, but a couple stuck in my mind for days now – how and when did I know that training for the marathon was the right thing to do for me? Or – how do I balance training, family and having fun? Those where some great questions and have been on my mind lately reminding me that living the life of a professional runner is a piece of a good fortune for me. I train hard every morning and night because I love the feeling of accomplishing something great. Training for the marathon requires patience and persistence. I found running late into my life and did not have the much-needed infrastructure immediately after college to pursue professional running so I came very close to moving on. I am so glad that I didn’t quit when times were rough because I would have never tasted the sweet reward of accomplishing something great. I since have been given a fantastic opportunity to work with 3 really cool companies - Saucony, GU Sports and Nathan Sports - who share my vision and support my efforts to be the best athlete I can be. I am very grateful for discovering the running community - running taught me to be tough in life. If I can make it there I can make it anywhere. Off to NYC! <!--[if supportFields]> CONTACT _Con-3C5988BD1 c s l Magda<!--[if supportFields]> <!--EndFragment--> Mklewy http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Mklewy/8937-if-i-can-make-it-there Sun, 25 Oct 2009 23:26:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Melissaxc10/8924-if-at-first-you-dont-succeed Since I began running in college I have always been intrigued by the marathon. I quickly gravitated to the longer events because I enjoyed the tempo runs, long runs, and longer repeats. Since I had never run before college I tried a few different events during the indoor track season. Believe me, my 400 and 800 are pathetic. I love watching the sprinters but I knew a long time ago that those weren’t the events I would be running. When I came out to Hansons I wanted to focus on getting my 10k and 5k times a bit faster before I moved to the marathon. However, when you are surrounded by marathoners it’s hard not to catch the marathon bug. So, in 2006 I decided to run my first marathon. Training went great. I loved the workouts and the mileage and I was excited to run in Chicago. But, as every runner knows, things don’t always go as planned. The day before Chicago I woke up with a horrible headache and my whole body ached. A teammate and I had gotten a case of food poisoning. I tried to shake the negative feelings out of my mind and just rest as much as I could. I actually didn’t feel too bad on race morning and I hoped the adrenaline and excitement would carry me through to the finish. Well it got me to about 18 miles and then everything fell apart. The marathon is a tricky event. I don’t know if you ever stop learning things in the marathon. I spent the rest of the race in a fog and literally wanted to lie on the ground and disappear. I don’t even know how I continued to run, if you can call it that, the rest of the way. I then spent the next 2 hours in the medical tent. You would think that this would be enough to discourage me to do another marathon so quickly, but I was hoping this was a fluke. So I trained for Boston in the spring. There were a lot of good things that came out of this training. It was basically a practice round for the trials, which would be held in Boston the following year. The end result however was once again not what I was hoping for. I finished the final miles in a fog and faded to a time much slower then I had trained for. We focused on some shorter events the next fall and then got ready to go again for the trials. My training was so-so at best. I wasn’t recovering as well as I hoped from workouts and I couldn’t seem to get in a groove during workouts. Everything seemed too forced, but things started to come around the last month and I went into the trials with an all or nothing race plan. I was either going to be in the top 3 or I wasn’t. My feelings were you either make the top 3 and go to the Olympics, or you get a nice seat on your couch to watch in on TV with everyone else. So I went out over my head and tried to run faster then I was ready for, but I definitely would not give up the experience I had that day. It was awesome to be up there with the front pack, and I think for the first time I realized that we deserved to be up there. Maybe it wouldn’t be this race, but with enough time and practice we could achieve the same things. This brings me to Chicago 2009. I can finally say I accomplished my goal for the first time in the Marathon. Finally, on the fourth try I made it. I ran an even split race, didn’t fade, and I was racing at the finish. I didn’t spend the next 2 hours in the medical tent; in fact I put my clothes and shoes on and walked back to the hotel. I never would have been able to do this in my last three marathons. I don’t think you ever figure the marathon out 100%. It’s such a long race and there are so many things that can go wrong or right. I always wanted to run the marathon but it took me four times before I can honestly say I enjoyed running it. I think that this race was a stepping stone for me and now I can push ahead with bigger goals the next time out. I guess the lesson I learned from my marathon experience is: if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Melissaxc10 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Melissaxc10/8924-if-at-first-you-dont-succeed Sat, 24 Oct 2009 12:30:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Bx_Runner/8882-finding-the-way-to-terre-haute-part-ii With Pre-Nationals behind us, fans got their first real look at how the many of the top teams in each region measure up to each other. Perennial powerhouses and last year's top dogs were all back at it, while many other teams and individuals showed they are ready to make some waves this year, either on the regional or national scene. For this second installment, we are going to look at the those who took one step closer to NCAA's this year by picking up some experience, confidence, head-to-head wins and possible at-large points as we head into the championship portion of the season. You can check out Part I here. Teams Arizona State Sun Devils: 6th/35 in the Brooks ISU Pre-National Men’s White Race Leading the ASU team this year is a man that needs little background information, Brandon Bethke. A well known name since winning California State titles and placing 11th at the Foot Locker Championships as a high school senior, Bethke is running his first cross country season as a Sun Devil. He transferred from Wisconsin after Coach Jerry Schumacher’s departure and placed 4th in the NCAA Outdoor 5,000m in his first season as a Sun Devil (he was also an All American on the track at Wisconsin). After Bethke’s strong 6th place finish at Pre-Nats, RS Junior Ben Engelhardt was the next across the line in 26th. Engelhardt, who was also ASU’s second man last year, has show great improvement already this season by placing 55 places higher at Pre-Nationals. The Ohio native who set a steeplechase PR of 9:03 last spring is showing major improvements in fitness. He placed 15th at the Notre Dame Invitational 2 weeks ago. The Sun Devil’s third man was another RS Junior, Jeff Helmer. The 9:02 8-lapper and Foot Locker Finalist out of Washington has been a varsity contributor on the XC team since his freshman season and he touts a 14:01 PR for 5,000m indoors. The 4th man for ASU was the 3rd RS Junior and 2nd Californian finishing for the team. Patrick Milloy was last year's #1 Sun Devil in XC and he got his 5k time down to 14:05 this past winter and 10k time down to 30:25 in the spring. Rounding out the scoring this season as 5th man has been true freshman Nick Happe. Missouri State 1,600m and 3,200m Champion with PRs of 4:13 and 8:58 as a high school senior, Happe will be integral to the team in his rookie season. The final runners for ASU were RS Sophomore Dylan Hatcher and freshman Doug Smith. Hatcher ran for the decorated Mead, Washington High School program where he finished in the top 20 at Nike Team Nationals. In college he placed 11th in the 2008 USA Cross Country Championships Junior Race and lowered his 3,000m best to 8:20. Smith is coming off a successful high school career in New Jersey where he placed 2nd in the NON 5,000m as a sophomore and qualified for the Milrose Mile twice. Junior Zeke Van Patten was in the top 7 for Arizona State at the Notre Dame Invite, but did not compete at Pre-Nats. Van Patten is a DII All American at 800m from his tenure at Western Oregon University and is a recent transfer to ASU. Looking to get back to Terre Haute after a brief hiatus in 2008, the Sun Devils will be ready to do what is necessary to secure a spot at NCAAs. Coming out of a deep conference and region, this team will have to be on the top of its game to pick up at-large points. There performance at Pre-Nationals may have got them a few by defeating teams like Florida State and New Mexico. Princeton Tigers: 3rd/37 in the Brooks ISU Pre-National Women’s White Race Again leading the Princeton women this year is senior Liz Costello, who placed 6th at Pre-Nationals this past Saturday. Since being a top recruit out of Pennsylvania, Costello has been a mainstay a top the strong Tiger’s squad. She has been an All American indoors in the DMR and last fall in cross country when she placed 15th at NCAAs. It was her third consecutive appearance at the NCAA XC meet. Two juniors also placed in the top 25 at Pre-Nats for Princeton, Sarah Cummings and Ashley Higginson. Cummings, who had success at Corona del Mar High School, CA running at NTN and Foot Locker Finals, was an All American last spring at 10,000m and ran for Princeton at the last two NCAA Cross Country Championships. Higginson was also a Foot Locker Finalist and was the NTN, NSIC 2-mile, Penn Relays 3k, and NON 2-mile champion while at Colts Neck HS in New Jersey. As a college freshman, she was 69th at NCAAs in Cross Country and qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championship at 5,000m (16:22). Last spring as a sophomore, she qualified for the NCAA Championships with a school record in the steeplechase of 10:12. The 4th finisher at Pre-Nats for the Lady Tiger’s was Reilly Kiernan of Pelham, New York. Last fall at her first NCAA meet, Kiernan was Princeton’s 5th finisher in 77th place. She followed that up indoors by running a PR of 16:22 in the 5,000m. Wrapping up the scoring this weekend for Princeton was sophomore Alex Banfich. Last year while a freshman coming out of Indiana as a 4:52 miler who placed 21st at Foot Locker, Banfich was 3rd for the Tigers in Terre Haute placing 62nd in her first collegiate season. In track she lowered her bests to 4:29 for 1,500m and 16:23 for 5,000m. At Pre-Nationals, a bit behind a solid top-5, were Princeton’s 6 and 7 runners Mel Newbery and Liz Dier. A freshman, Newbery is a 4:35 1,500m runner from England. Junior Dier was a New York State Steeplechase Champion and Foot Locker Finalist in High School. Although she did not run at Pre-Nats, Alexa Glencer is likely to be in the top 7 if she is healthy. The Michigan native was sixth Princeton women at Notre Dame earlier this season and has 2 years experience at the NCAA Cross Country Championships (2006, 2008). Princeton runs in the very competitive Mid-Atlantic region which had 3 of the top 5 and 5 of the top 16 ranked teams in the NCAA going into Pre-Nationals. Currently ranked 3rd regionally, the Tigers will have to be ready come Regionals in order to ensure another trip to Terre Haute. Beating teams like Syracuse, Illinois, and Minnesota this past weekend will be important if they finish outside the top 2 in their region. William & Mary Tribe: 4th/34 in the Brooks ISU Pre-National Men’s Blue Race Tribe is the perfect mascot for this team. While many teams rely heavily on low-scoring front-runners, William & Mary’s strength comes from its tight-knit and deep pack. That is not to say these guys are incapable of running up front at big meets. The Tribe leader so far this year, Jon Grey, placed a stellar 5th at Pre-Nationals. Grey is a senior from Pennsylvania in his second cross country season for W&M after running for Oklahoma freshman year. Last fall, Grey was the Tribe’s second finisher at NCAAs placing 78th. In track he continued progressing, qualifying for the NCAA 10,000m by running 28:55 and he set a new 5,000m PR of 14:03. Close behind at Terre Haute this past weekend was Patterson Wilhelm who placed 12th. The junior led the Tribe last year with a 69th place finish at NCAAs. Indoors the native Virginian ran times of 14:05 and 8:08 for 5k and 3k, respectively and again ran 14:05 outdoors while competing unattached. Third man for the team this year and last is senior Colin Leak, who was 94th in Terre Haute last November. Originally from Pennsylvania, last year Leak had a breakthrough on the track by running PRs of 8:15 indoors and 14:06 and 29:43 outdoors. Finishing out the Pre-Nationals scoring for W&M were Zack Gates and Charlie Swartz. Gates, a RS freshman from Fishers, Indiana, has been a useful addition to the Tribe in his first XC season in the W&M uniform. Competing for them on the track last spring, he ran 30:29 in the 10,000m and 14:32 in the 5,000m. Swartz, a senior from Virginia, will also be looking to make his first trip with the Tribe to the Big Dance this year. He has a 5k PR of 14:21. Senior Ben Massam and junior Lewis Woodard were fourth and fifth, respectively, for W&M at NCAAs last fall and the OSU Cowboy Jamboree earlier this season. Massam had an off day at Pre-Nats and Woodard did not run, but expect these two to be key components to the Tribe’s success later in the season. With these two solidifying the scoring at OSU two weeks ago, they managed to keep the 5-man spread to a mere 22 seconds. Massam, the 2006 Nike Outdoor National 5,000m Champ as a New Jersey high school senior, lowered his 5,000m best down to 14:05 last spring and ran a 29:28 in the 10,000m to boot. Hailing from North Carolina, Woodard is the miler on the Tribe’s XC team running 4:08 last winter, but he also boasts a 14:17 5k PR. The 7th man at Pre-Nats for W&M was Brian Sklodowski of Tatnall in Delaware. He may be the quickest of the bunch running 2:26 (1,000m) and 1:53 (800m) indoors and 3:46 (1,500m) and 14:16 (5,000m) outdoors. After returning everyone from team that placed 16th at NCAAs last year, you know the Green and Gold will be looking to make a run for the top 10. So far, the Tribe has qualified for nationals every year this decade except one, but only placied in the top 10 in 2006 (8th). Come November, this solid pack of runners will certainly be looking to top that performance. Individuals Dan Chenoweth of Harvard: Coming out of Geneseo, Illinois where he was 24th at Foot Locker Nationals as a senior, Chenoweth made an instant impact on the Crimson as a freshman. He ran impressive first year times of 8:04 (3,000m) and 14:07 (5,000m) and earned All-East honors by placing 2nd in the 3k at the IC4A Indoor Championships. His sophomore year he made his debut on the national scene, qualifying for the NCAA Cross Country Championships as an individual. He missed All-American by 2 spots by placing 42nd in that race. Indoors he won his first Ivy League Championship in the 3,000m. Now in his junior season, Chenoweth is showing he is ready to become competitive nationally. In the Blue Race at this past weekend’s Pre-National meet, he placed an impressive 8th, running 24:01 for the 8k course. Kristin Sutherland of Illinois: An in-state girl, Sutherland was an Illinois State Champion in cross country and track who quickly jumped into an important role as a freshman last year. Finishing between the 2 and 4 spots for the Fighting Illini, she placed 19th at Big 10s and 17th at the Midwest Regional meet. Sutherland finished the season as the team’s 3rd finisher at the NCAA Championships. On the track in the 5,000m, Sutherland provisionally qualified for NCAAs indoors running 16:42 and qualified for NCAA Regionals outdoors running 16:43. Now in her sophomore season, Sutherland has stepped up into the consistent 2 spot and has closed the gap considerably between herself and the team’s #1, NCAA 5,000m Champion Angela Bizzarri. At Pre-Nationals this weekend, Sutherland placed a much improved 7th (she was 29th in 2008), only 22 seconds behind her teammate and race winner, Bizzarri. Christian Thompson of Colorado: Not as well known as his All-American teammates, Thompson showed he will be one of the top runners for a strong Colorado team this season. Coming out of a small school in upstate New York, Thompson won multiple state titles in cross country and the 3,000m Steeplechase. As a senior, he finished just outside of qualifying for Foot Locker Finals by placing 11th at the Northeast Regional. He was also 3rd in the steeplechase at the USA Junior National Championships that year. As a RS freshman for the Buffaloes last fall, Thompson was in the top-7 at Big 12s, Regionals, and NCAAs. He was 208th in the latter most, their 6th man. In the spring, he took a leap forward when he clocked 8:49 for the 3,000m Steeplechase and qualified for the Outdoor NCAA Championships. Continuing to progress, Thompson was the top finisher for the Buffaloes as the team placed 2nd in the Pre-National White Race. His 14th place finish, an improvement of 65 places from last fall, helped buoy the team as All-Americans Jordan Kyle and Kenyon Neuman had off races. Improved performances from this pair added to the leap made by Thompson makes for a very formidable Colorado team. Bx_Runner http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Bx_Runner/8882-finding-the-way-to-terre-haute-part-ii Tue, 20 Oct 2009 01:01:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Bx_Runner/8838-defining-success-success-suh-k-ses-noun-definition For the past week or so during my daily commute on the D-Train, swaying back-and-forth in a crowd of 9-to-5ers and fans lucky enough to have Yankee’s playoff tickets, I had my head buried in a new book. When I got home, I often had to resist the urge to finish it. The subway ride can be boring and it is nice when I have something to read. It is even nicer when that something is about running. I picked up the book, An Honorable Run, after a few recommendations. From what I had heard about it, I was intrigued. The author, Matt McCue, was a University of Colorado walk-on who was writing about his high school and college experiences, with his coaches as focal points of the story. I was hoping to get a few insider tidbits about Mark Wetmore, the Torres brothers, and Dathan Ritzenhein, but the story gave me more than that; a visceral response to the journey of a young runner. Unlike the protagonists in the running literature that fills my bookshelf, the author is wholly relatable to the average runner. He is not Adam Goucher, Alan Webb, or a fictional 4:00 miler who runs 60x400 workouts. Those books are some of my favorites. When you put them down you want to grab your trainers and go hit a long run. When I put this one down, all I could do was think. There are two topics that the book touches on deeply that I really reflected on while reading. One is the profound relationship between coaches and athletes. The other, what I am going to talk about here, is defining success. I began to ponder what I considered to be my greatest successes in running, and in life. Would an outside observer consider those instances to be my greatest successes? Would they consider anything I had ever done a success at all? In our sport, and in this era, it has become very easy to doubt oneself. Track is unique to almost every other sport (with swimming being an obvious exception) in which you can know how you measure up to someone with out ever competing against them. With results posted online minutes after a race is run, today you can know who is faster than you in your county, state, country, and even around the world. In other sports, stats are relative to the level you are playing at and who your competition is. You can not compare an ERA from a Little League southpaw to that of a Major League pitcher, because there is no correlation. A runner, however, can come back from a race with a new personal best in the mile, sit down at the computer and see results of all the people that ran faster at all the other meets that took place. If you had scored a goal in soccer, nobody can say, “Well, this guy in California scored a goal better than you last weekend.” If you are not at the top of the running heap it can be disheartening at times, to say the least. The anonymity of the internet has also increased the amount of criticism that goes on between runners. It is all too easy to come across denigration of someone’s worth because somebody else is faster. Even elite runners are not immune to this type of evaluation. There will almost always be someone faster than you out there and there are plenty of people and outlets that are all too happy to remind you of that. What it all comes down to is that in our sport, results (times, leader boards, rankings) are universal and finite. Success, however, is not. This is a truth that every runner must arrive at. At some point, as you move up through the levels, you will find yourself in the middle of the pack. Of course, that is unless you are the best in the world. For the rest of us, success is not winning Olympic gold, or setting a world record. Each runner must define success under their own terms and not let other people determine their triumphs and failures for them. It is important that we distinguish between goals and success, as well. Almost all competitive runners create goals on their own, or with their coaches. Goals are constantly evolving and being reset higher. Just as in high jump and pole vault, once you have cleared a height successfully, the bar gets raised. Goals are about the future and success is about the past and present. Many of our lofty goals will not be achieved for some time and some will never be achieved. Does this mean everything along the way was for nothing and your effort was a failure? That is something the individual must contemplate. Success is relative to circumstances and takes into account all variables. Perhaps one season you came back from a stress fracture to score at your conference meet. It may not be what you had set out in your mind at the season’s start as where you wanted to end up, but perhaps you still feel you triumphed in the face of unforeseen adversity. This is just an example, but hopefully everyone has a catalogue of minor and major successes from their running career. They may not always be your fastest time, but it elicits an emotional response from you. It's best we keep these accomplishments in the backs of our minds. If you always have them in the forefront you can become complacent, or egotistical. Keep your goals in the front of your mind. For the times when you doubt your worth or think, ‘why do I bother?’ you can retrieve these successes from the back, relive them and feel the proud of what you have achieved. It is a reminder that we were good enough once and we can be good enough again. It is an idea that McCue grapples with in his An Honorable Run and I know many runners, including myself, can relate to. No matter how far your name may be on that leader board, or if it made it on there at all, if you felt a sense of pride after the race, then that is reason to keep your chin up and nose to the grindstone. Do not let anyone dissuade you, because personal success is defined by the individual and by no one else. Bx_Runner http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Bx_Runner/8838-defining-success-success-suh-k-ses-noun-definition Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:14:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Nickwillis/8778-a-patient-learning-patience "Why blog after a two-year hiatus?" you may ask. Several reasons come to mind, but the primary purpose is to plug my brother's new running tourism venture - www.kiwrun.com (more on that later). I've been out of action for the whole of the 2009 outdoor season, rehabiltating from hip surgery (April 10th). Recovery took a while, but by June I was allowed to start jogging, albeit four minutes a day. Adding a mile each week to my daily runs, I was running ten miles a day by August. The freedom you experience running ten miles on trails pain-free is incredible when you havn't been running for five months. For those of you who are currently going through injury problems, and dread the daily rehab requirements, I feel for you. The way I coped however, was to create goals and a support team to help me reach those goals, similar to what I do when I am focussed on my running. Local physical therapist, Pete Kitto (Michigan Sports and Orthopedic Center), and Earl Wenk (Arbor Wellness Massage Therapy) became my coaches for this five month period. Three to six hours a day they would have me stretching, strengthening, and massaging my body back to health. They put up with all my complaints, groans and screams and somehow we are all still friends! On my own I would have skipped steps, taken shortcuts, and had permanent imbalances left behind from the surgery. Despite my not being able to run, the summer track circuit was surprisingly enjoyable for me. Universal Sports' coverage of the IAAF meets was fantastic, and it was fun being a fan of Track and Field again. When you're competing, it's hard to really cheer for the other competitors and watch all the races. Being able to step back and watch from behind my computer gave me a great appreciation for how exciting our sport can be. Seeing so many of my peers step up their games this summer was really neat - Anna Willard, Leo Manzano, Jeff Reisley, Colis Birmingham, Christin Wurth-Thomas, Dathan Ritzenhein, Matt Tegenkamp....the list goes on and on. It seems that everyone seems to feed off of everyone else's success and confidence. "Hey if she can run up the front, then so can I". Without stepping foot in Europe this year, my self-belief has continued to grow thanks to all the success of my peers. When Rob Myers returned back to Ann Arbor from Europe in August, I was pumped and ready to give some track workouts a go to see if some September races were a viable option. We ran a two mile tempo in 9:50, then a couple of days later ran 3x1000m in 3:00. Neither workout would normally give me anything to write home about, but coming back from injury, they were really encouraging. I told my coach, Ron Warhurst, that I wanted to train for the Fifth Ave Mile at the end of September, and he was quick to stamp that thought in the dirt. "You are going to run sixty to eighty miles a week until Christmas, and then we'll think about racing". I am now running six days a week averaging around seventy miles in singles. My one harder effort each week is a twelve miler @ 5:40/mile and I have been doing a half-workout every other week to stop me from getting stale (eg instead of doing 6x1mile, i'll do 3x1mile). So what is this www.kiwirun.com thing? Well my brother has put together this new venture to encourage people to come and train/race/sightsee in New Zealand. The website as all the neccesary information, but I'd like to add that this is a once-in-a-life-time experience for those who come along. In my seven years living in the U.S, so many people have said to me "New Zealand, I've always wanted to visit. I hear it is so beautiful". Well Kiwirun tours will give you an opportunity to go to New Zealand while you are still healthy and strong, to fully embrace the awesome landscapes and scenery by training there. The support team will make sure that all of your needs are taken care of, and I'll be there for a portion of the tour to show you around my local hood. My brother, Steve, was part of my coaching team for my Beijing campaign, and I have no doubt his coaching knowledge will be of great service to you during this 'vacation'. The first tour is December 28-Jan 11 aimed at college runners in their winter break (although open to a wide racnge of ages and abilities). So come on down, enjoy some sun, and use this training camp as a launchpad for your 2010 indoor season. Out. www.Kiwirun.com Nickwillis http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Nickwillis/8778-a-patient-learning-patience Fri, 09 Oct 2009 09:09:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Xcrun04/8777-world-half While Cooling down my last workout I passed a UPS truck. Normally this would be a pretty ordinary occurrence but today I started sprinting after the truck. Luckily the truck stopped pretty quickly at a house and I was able to ask the driver if he had a package for me. That package contained my Passport that my wife over-nighted to me from Chico. Now I am ready to go to Birmingham. I know a lot of people are excited to see what Dathan Ritzenhein can do. How could you not be? This is his first race since he broke the American record in the 5k and he is reportedly breaking other US records in practice. I'm hoping people can get excited about the rest of the American team aswell. Joining Ritz and me are Brett Gotcher, Andrew Carlson, and James Carney and we have a very good chance at being the best team that the US has ever sent to the World Half Marathon Championships. I have the slowest PR of the team at 1:03:04, a time that in some teams in the past would put me as the leader of the team. While I don't have insight on the exact fitness of the rest of the team I am confident that everyone will be showing their A game in Birmingham. Each of us have been fairly consistent over the past year or two and have been on at least a couple USA teams. We have raced recently but aren't over-raced and we are all focused on this race rather than as a tune-up for a marathon. I know the race is going to be tough. The Kenyan team is unreal, Tadesse is going to be back and so is the rest of the world. The race is at 9:30 UK time so unless you wake up at some obsurd time you should be able to check the results first thing when you get up. Don't forget about the women either, Amy Yoder is debuting and my teammate Amy Hastings is ready to roll as well. Xcrun04 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Xcrun04/8777-world-half Fri, 09 Oct 2009 07:13:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Bx_Runner/8750-finding-the-way-to-terre-haute-part-i At the risk of sounding like a complete bro by quoting O.A.R., this weekend's NCAA cross country action was a crazy game of poker. Now that teams can start earning points for possible at-large bids to nationals, fans begin to get their first real look at the majority of teams eyeing Terre Haute come late November. Many top-ranked teams, however, held their cards close to their chest. They sat key team members, or trained through these meets. Quite a few runners placed worse this weekend than they did at the national championship last fall, giving us no real indication of where their fitness is at and how good many of these teams really are. Some teams, however, played some big hands and came out on top this weekend by taking down highly ranked teams and setting themselves up nicely in the at-large process. As we get closer to the NCAA Championship, I would like to take a look at some of the county's top teams and individuals. Of course, many of us already know the credentials of runners like Sam Chelanga and Jenny Barringer and teams like Oregon and Washington. This fall I would also like to highlight the runners and teams from that are up-and-coming, as well as those that have already arrived. After some great upsets this weekend, I decided to start with a few of the teams that really shook things up and individuals who ran out of their shoes for this first installment of "Finding the Way to Terre Haute." Teams Indiana Hoosiers: 1st/42 at the Paul Short Invitational Gold Race Getting things started on Friday at the Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh was Indiana University. A team that missed qualifying for the NCAA Championships last fall took down the reigning NCAA runner-up Iona and 19th ranked N.C. State. The unranked Hoosiers won with a tight pack up front made up entirely of Indiana natives. They had a 25 second 1-5 spread, but more impressively their top 4, who all finished in the top 10, were only separated by 8 seconds. Leading the charge was RS freshman Andy Bayer in third. Close behind were RS sophomore Andrew Poore, RS freshman Zach Mayhew and junior Cole Hardacre in 7th, 8th, and 9th. Rounding out the scoring with 20 points was RS sophomore Andy Weatherford. Their 6th man was their top returner from regionals last year, De’Sean Turner. The RS sophomore finished in the top 30 and is certainly capable of being higher up on the team. These 6 Hoosiers runners are no strangers to finishing this close to each other as they battled one another at their Indiana State Meets throughout high school. Turner had arguably the most accomplished high school career winning the 1,600 (4:08.34) and cross country state championships his senior year, as well as qualifying for Foot Locker Finals multiple times. Right behind Turner at the 2006 State XC Meet was Hardacre in 3rd with Poore, Weatherford, and Hardacre all finishing in the top 20. Weatherford, Poore and Mayhew all finished within 10 seconds of each other the previous year in 2005 as juniors. In 2007, Bayer and Mayhew finished 6th and 7th, respectively, in a race won by the eventual Foot Locker Champion, Mike Fout. This Indiana team has flown under the radar until this Paul Short Invite, because many of these young runners have had low-key college careers so far. Looking at their high school credentials, you can see that Indiana has been building quite a stable of great in-state runners. All of the runners listed above, with Mayhew as the only exception, ran under 9:10 for 3,200m in high school. Their biggest pick-up in recent years, however, is one of only two runners on the roster not from Indiana. That would be Ben Hubers, who went sub-9, sub-4:05, placed 11th at Foot Locker Finals and 2nd in the NON Mile while a Georgia prep. Hubers has not raced yet this season, but will be a major asset to the squad if he is healthy and running in the red and white at the end of the season. In an interview after Paul Short, Bayer mentioned they were running without one runner and he would be returning soon. I would like to think he was referring to Hubers. Villanova Wildcats: 1st/10 at the Bill Dillinger Invitational Across the country that same day, the Villanova women traveled to the West Coast to handily up-end the #2 ranked Oregon Ducks at home. Leading the charge by taking the individual title over Oregon’s Alex Kosinski (8th place at NCAAs last fall) was RS sophomore Sheila Reid. Hailing from Ontario, Reid twice represented Canada at the World Junior Cross Country Championships. While a true freshman at Villanova, Reid was the top freshman at the Big East Championships by placing 7th and she qualified for the NCAA Championships as an individual when she placed 12th at the Mid-Atlantic Regional. She red-shirted the 2008 cross country season, but qualified for NCAAs in Indoor Track in the mile (4:37) and Outdoor Track in the 1,500m (4:20). The next Wildcats across the line at Dillinger were junior Amanda Marino and senior Nicole Schappart in 4th and 5th. Marino was a high school star out of New Jersey, running one of the top ten fastest times ever at Holmdel Park (17:59). Last year Marino earned All American honors placing 35th at the NCAA Cross Country Championship. In track she was 10th in the Indoor NCAA 5,000m (16:04) and qualified for the Outdoor Championships in the same event. Schappart is an All-American high school miler from Florida who transferred to Villanova from Wake Forrest. In the spring last year she ran a big PR of 4:17 in the 1,500m. Nova’s fourth runner this weekend was sophomore Bogdana Mimic of Croatia. Mimic was the top freshman at the Mid-Atlantic Regional last fall placing 5th. She followed that up with a strong 67th place finish at the NCAA meet. Rounding out the scoring for the Wildcats in Oregon was Kaitlyn Tallman. Another Ontario native, Tallman is a returning scorer for the team after placing 7th at the Big East Champs, 13th at Regionals and 92nd at Nationals. Two other runners who have not competed yet for Villanova, but were key members on last year’s varsity squad are juniors Callie Hogan and Sarah Morrison. Hogan, a multiple High School All-American, NSIC mile champ, and NY State 3,000m champion will provide valuable experience if she competes this year. She placed 11th at Regionals and 101st at NCAAs last fall. Morrison, a PA State 1,600m champ in High School, broke the Villanova school record in the 3,000m Steeplechase last spring running 10:12. She won the Big East Title and qualified for the NCAA Championships in that event. If she runs for the Wildcats this fall, she will certainly be an asset. Last year the Nova women took a team that did not qualify for NCAAs the prior year to a top 10 team and they look like a good pick to repeat this season. Syracuse Orange: 1st/13 at the Wisconsin adidas Invitational On Saturday, the unranked men of Syracuse put together a great team performance to upset #10 Georgetown and the #4 host team at the Wisconsin adidas Invitational. The Orange’s team at the meet, made up entirely of sophomores and seniors, was lead by Tito Medrano (who is the former). Medrano, an Indiana native, mixed it up frequently in high school with the Indiana roster mentioned above. He was the state runner-up at 3,200m and a Foot Locker Finalist as a senior. His best race as a freshman for the Orange came at the US Cross Country Championships where he placed 6th to grab the final spot on a highly competitive Junior Men’s team that represented the US in Amman. Also qualifying for the team in that race was teammate Pat Dupont, who finished 5th. Dupont was a state champion in cross country, at 3,200m, and in the 3,000m Steeplechase while a high school senior in New York. He also placed 17th at the Foot Locker National Championship. Dupont, who lowered his steeple PR to 9:03 last spring as a freshman, finished as Syracuse’s sixth man this past weekend in Wisconsin. Also a sophomore, Griff Graves was the third man across the line for the Orange. Graves also competed in the US Junior Cross Country Championships last fall, placing an impressive 10th overall. He was also 4th in the 5,000m at the US Junior Outdoor Track and Field Champs this spring and boasted a PR of 14:20 in his freshman year. While in high school in Virginia, Graves was twice a Foot Locker Finalist. The top senior for the team was Brad Miller who finished 5th overall (second on the team). Brad is half of the well known Miller twins out of PA. In Wisconsin, the Syracuse mile school record holder (4:00.19) outran his Badger brother by a considerable margin. Miller also qualified individually for the NCAA Champs last fall. Joining him in Terre Haute was Dan Busby, who placed 83rd at the meet last November. Busby, a New York native, has been the Orange’s most consistent performer at the regional meet, earning All North-East honors the past three years. Also bringing NCAA meet experience is Graduate Student Jeff Scull who ran there as a freshman for Colorado State, also qualified as an individual for Syracuse in 2007. From Ontario originally, Scull competed for the Canadian Senior National Team in 2006 at the World XC Championships. Rounding out the top 7 this weekend was senior Jay Koloseus. An All-American and Foot Locker Finalist as a Connecticut high school student, Koloseus was All North-East in his first season as a member of the Orange and ran a personal best 5,000m last winter at 14:15. Beyond these seven, the roster has a lot of young talent to pull from. The biggest potential may be from 2006 NTN Champ and Foot Locker third place finisher Steve Murdock of New York. Constantly hampered by injury, I know many are waiting to see if he can get healthy enough to help the Syracuse men earn their first trip to Terre Haute since Coach Fox took the reins 5 years ago. Individuals Jeff Thode of Iowa: Not as big a name as 2008 NXN Champ Reed Connor (now at Wisconsin) or 2008 Foot Locker Champ Solomon Haile (now at Arkansas), Thode was the top true freshman at the Wisconsin adidas Invitational, beating both names listed above by 30 seconds. The 8:57 2-miler from NON last spring had an amazing race for the Hawkeyes by placing second by less than a second to NCAA XC Top 15 performer Andrew Bumbalough of Georgetown. Cecily Lemmon of BYU: If one looked up only results from last cross country season, Lemmon’s defeat of Illinois’ Angela Bizzarri at the Wisconsin adidas Invitational would have been a huge surprise. Bizzarri was sixth last fall at NCAAs and followed that up by winning the Outdoor NCAA 5,000m title and placing 3rd in that event at the US Championships. Lemmon, on the other hand, was only 26th at the Mountain Regional meet last fall and did not compete at the NCAA Championships. She made huge improvements in track, however, and placed a surprise second in the 10,000m at NCAAs. Clearly she has continued to progress over the summer and is primed for a strong fall. Ryan Hill of N.C. State: As a member of Team USA for this year’s World Cross Country Championships last Winter and the Wolfpack’s third runner at NCAAs last November, Hill made a name for himself as a promising young runner. This past weekend he made a huge jump in winning the Paul Short Invitational. As a sophomore, along with senior John Martinez, Hill now looks ready to lead N.C. State on their road to Terre Haute. Bx_Runner http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Bx_Runner/8750-finding-the-way-to-terre-haute-part-i Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:13:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Elitestatus/8719-one-month-til-new-york <!--StartFragment--> Only one month to go til the big day. My emotions are spinning around crazily, one moment I’m excited, then nervous, then eager, then exhausted, then about 10 other random feelings. I can’t wait until race day, I want to get it over with, I have been putting a lot of pressure on myself which is making this a Do or Die type race. The good news is that my training has been going great, I have had consistent high mileage for the past 6 weeks, with 2 more until I finally cut back. Needless to say I am going to be ready for the race, my only worry now is if I have over trained. That’s always a big question mark as a Hanson’s athlete. Being a high mileage program, and focusing on the marathon, it can be pretty easy to get carried away on the day-to-day training and intensity of the runs. Almost everyone on the team has a Type A personality when it comes to training. We all want to be the best, be the top dog. Right now Brian still has those honors, but the rest of us know what it takes to become as good and maybe one day better that him. The answer for us is to work harder. But this hard work that we puts ourselves through multiple times a day everyday of the year can be dangerous, can lean to small subtle injuries, burnout, stress fractures, or numerous other circumstances that all athletes are wary of, but are sometimes random and unpredictable. The best we can do is hope that our training over the past however many years we have been running has prepared us for the work that we are putting in right now. It would seem that right now I have prepared for the race perfectly, but the next couple weeks are going to be the most crucial part of my training. I’ve been walking a fine line between perfect training and overtraining. And one thing that I have to continue to do is run smart, listen to my body, and take care of every nutritional need that I require. As we all know the training is not everything in preparation; sleep, diet, stretching, and just nice relaxation are unbelievable helpful and probably what I look forward to the most. Now, its time to get back to training. In particular, its time for a nap! <!--EndFragment--> Elitestatus http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Elitestatus/8719-one-month-til-new-york Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:40:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Pjrizzo/8665-ready-means-ready Momentum is great to have on your side going into a marathon. Here we stand two weeks out from Chicago and not a hitch has come in our way of training. The segment started out after our 4th of July downtime ended and has just clicked for all three of us. Melissa is on fire right now; Carol is looking incredibly strong. As for me, I have been in this perfect bubble where my pacing has been dead on for everything we have done. Pace and rhythm dictate success in a marathon and sometimes it takes a little time to get into the marathon flow. Not this time. We were all chomping at the bit from the get-go. For me specifically, I have had some wicked plantar fasciitis flare-ups this whole training segment that have me sleeping in a Strassburg Sock every night (thanks Naperville Running Company for getting that to me in a hurry!). Still, workouts have not been altered in any way and pace work seems to be the one time that I never notice my foot pain at all. I have also been relegated to running in only the Brooks Trances to alleviate the pain. Don’t ask why they work, they just do and I am content knowing that much. At the start of downtime, Todd Snyder was supposed to be running Chicago with me. We were both pumped because we fit well together as training partners and compliment one another’s strengths and weaknesses well. Then a week before we started training, Todd got a stress fracture on his hip and was out. In came the great Chad “Nails” Johnson, who will be doing Detroit Free Press marathon a week after Chicago. Chad and I have not previously worked much together, but for no reason other than lack of any overlap in segmentation (barring club XC last winter). Chad has proven to be an excellent training partner for me. His attitude is more passive than some others and he is very worry-free. Chad’s approach and attitude fit well with my generally laid back and joking approach to running. Some people accuse me of not taking it seriously enough, but I would argue that I take my running seriously when I run (which is what counts) and otherwise will never alter my sarcastic and immature humor. That is who I am and as a former coach once taught me, “the hardest thing is to be yourself in a world that’s trying to make you into something that you’re not.” I have no apologies for being more lighthearted in my approach as I have found through the years that it is what works best for me. I also know that not everyone is comfortable around it. Chad handles my asinine bathroom humor, tasteless jokes, and jovial approach well. So now we have started to pull back from our peak 140 mile weeks of the last month and focus shifts to feeling more “race ready.” Chad and I had our last workout together this morning before we split toward our respective marathons.That means that it is time to pull in the reins and really fine tune the last couple of weeks. All that lies between us and the race now are a single, easy 20 miler and a 3x2-mile at race pace. Now the nerves and the excitement hit high gear as the greatest city’s (okay, I’m bias) 26.2 miler looms before us. I look forward to coming in for a hometown marathon in front of all of my friends and family again. This is where I made my debut and this is the town that got me hooked. Let the addiction continue.   Pjrizzo http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Pjrizzo/8665-ready-means-ready Sat, 26 Sep 2009 17:17:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Sage/8611-brooks-and-their-commitment-to-sustainability <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> </xml><![endif]--> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> As an athletic footwear company Brooks has made many notable commitments to sustainability. Brooks has shown that developing high performance products can coincide with helping ensure that the Earth’s quality environment remains for our great-grand children and their descendants. From the materials used in the design of their running shoes, to packaging box material and inks used in product catalogues, Brooks has taken proactive measures to reduce their carbon footprint. This movement has emerged with developing technologies and a sense of urgency to reduce waste, improve air quality, and detoxify the world we live in. However, it is a choice that Brooks chooses to follow, and it has shown their value of improving the environment. It is my goal in this entry to point out several of the many ways that Brooks has committed to developing more sustainable products and business practices. The first major breakthrough in the development of green (and no, I’m not talking about the color) running shoes is the Brooks developed “BioMoGo” midsoles. The BioMoGo is the world’s first biodegradable running shoe midsole (Brooks website source). Unlike various shoes from other brands that use the more common EVA (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate) midsoles, shoes with BioMoGo midsoles will significantly reduce waste. For example, when typical EVA running shoes end up in a landfill it may take them 1000 years to breakdown. BioMoGo shoes, under the low oxygen, high moisture, and high microbial populations (found only in closed landfill conditions), will breakdown in about 20 years. This significantly reduced duration of decomposition in the landfill will save tons of waste in the long run, and help reduce the amount of space that our already over-crowded landfills are consuming. Brooks intends to incorporate its BioMoGo technology in all of its major running shoes by the end of the year. The majority of their most popular training shoes already have the BioMoGo midsole, which is signified by the following symbol in the picture below. <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id=ieooui> </object> <style> st1:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> Sage http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Sage/8611-brooks-and-their-commitment-to-sustainability Mon, 21 Sep 2009 22:22:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Mklewy/8607-got-to-have-vision But can’t do it without the passion and hard work. I have been enjoying the full time training so much lately and am starting to see the benefits of proper recovery. I have some solid races behind me, but most of all the training has been going very well for so many weeks now. It is important for me to be frequently reminded to not lose sight of the big goals at the end of the season. For me this year, the big goal is to have a race of my life at the ING NY Marathon. I have done NY a few times and never performed as well as I had hoped there, but recently much has changed in my life and the way I train. I train as hard as I always have before, but I take more time in the day for the little things like napping, stretching, strengthening and eating the right foods at the right time. I love what I do more than ever before. I thrive on running lots of miles or doing the long enduring workouts and the short intense reps. I love working hard period. I have always believed that one cannot discover their full potential without the passion to work hard. I believe I have what it takes to work very hard and now more than anything I have restructured my life to support the dreams I chase. I am now 6 weeks out from the New York Marathon and the last 2 weeks training went really well. I raced the New Haven 20k, where I ran a very poor race strategically. My goal was to run 5:20’s and my first mile was 5:06. I slowed down immediately, but still came through my second mile in 5:17. I paid for it a few miles after that and struggled all the way home with heavy legs and feeling crappy about my move. I managed to finish third and after asking myself why I did what I did, I found something positive about the race. I told myself that I ran 2 fast miles followed by a 10-mile Marathon Pace run and when you look it that way that’s a great workout after all. I took 3 easy days to recover from the trip and later that week ran the most exciting workout so far. I did another big TLT workout where I started with threshold miles, followed with 60 min of easy running and more threshold afterward. Warm up and cool down included that was 22 miles again. Last week was a high volume week for me. I ran 145 miles. My long run consisted of 22 miles in the morning followed with an 8 mile run in the evening. While I don’t run 30 mile days all that often, I like to have a couple of them under my belt when I’m preparing for a big marathon. This week will be another high mileage week. I am gearing up for the Rock and Roll Half Marathon in San Jose on October 4th and the Tufts 10k in Boston on October 12th. Both races should be good fitness indicators for me, but I’m really focusing on actually racing well, too. The Half Marathon will be a good chance for me to lower my PR again, and that’s something I’m really excited about. The Tufts 10k is another USARC Series race, so I know the competition will be good there as well. As an added bonus I will visit Saucony HQ while I am there. Bottom line is: Dream big, work hard and keep the passion alive! Until Next Time! Magda   Mklewy http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Mklewy/8607-got-to-have-vision Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:15:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Bx_Runner/8577-what-ranks-higher-in-ranking-time-or-place As the 2009 track season comes to a close and the World/US rankings for each event will be emerging soon, it makes one wonder what criteria takes precedent when ranking. For many events, who ranks #1 is clear as day. They dominate regular season meets, win the championship meets, and have the best performances of the year. Think LeShawn Merritt, Sanya Richards, Usain Bolt, Blanka Vlasic, Kenenisa Bekele, or Valerie Vili. There are others, however, who may come up big at the World Champs and be sub-par the rest of the year. One can also do the opposite and have a fantastic year with the only misstep being at the World Championships. For some, championship races are the be-all-end-all of who is the best, but can one meet really reflect an entire season properly? In longer races, a slow, tactical race can allow people with a good kick or positioning ahead of runners who would be well ahead of them in a fast race. When it comes to field events, a slightly off day at a championship meet can be disastrous. Take Elena Isinbaeva, for example. She no heighted at the World Championships this year, but I do not think anyone would argue that she is not the best pole vaulter in the world right now. She even went on to set a new World Record after her disappointing performance in Berlin. On the other hand, being able to perform well at the season’s championship meets is a paramount trait. There are a few events that will be quite tricky to rank this year. For US rankings, the men’s 5,000m and women’s 1,500m are two examples of this. For these two events, Americans are having the best year ever at these distances. In the 5k, two men broke 13 minutes, a feat that only a total of 2 Americans had ever accomplished before this year. On top of that, an American took silver in this event at the World Championships and he is not one of the two men under 13 this year. Dathan Ritzenhein ran an American record of 12:56.27 in his only competitive 5,000 of the season. Matt Tegenkamp became the third fastest American ever in running 12:58.56 a week later and he was the US Champion. Bernard Lagat was the top US finisher at the World Championships, placing 2nd. This makes doing the US rankings for the event a sticky situation. Ritzenhein is the fastest American ever to run the distance and that is hard to deny, but he did not run the 5,000m at any other major meets. Lagat is only the third fastest American this year, but his performance at Worlds certainly outshines his 13:03.06 season best time. Determining who fits where is not easy in this situation, On a side not, this was an absolutely phenomenal year for American men at 5,000m. In addition to the World silver, American Record and 2 men under 13 minutes, 3 Americans (Lagat, Tegenkamp, Chris Solinsky) made the finals of the event in Berlin. Only Kenya matched that number and the Americans out performed them in the finals. Two American Juniors (Chris Derrick and German Fernandez) broke the American Junior Record and Evan Jager ran 13:22.18 as only a 20 year old. Also, Galen Rupp broke the Indoor American Record for 5,000m and two high school athletes (Lukas Verzbicas and Solomon Haile) broke the National High School indoor record and the former is amazingly only a freshman. In total, an outstanding 19 American men ran under 13:30 this year, a number only outdone by Kenya. The women’s 1,500m in the United States had a similar year. Three women broke a significant time barrier that only two American women had previously and a fourth woman medaled at the World Champs at 1,500m. Jenny Barringer (3:59.90), Christin Wurth-Thomas (3:59.98) and Anna Willard (3:59.38) became the third, fourth and fifth American women to break 4 minutes in the 1,500m. Shannon Rowbury, with a season best of 4:00.81, was the US Champ and the top finisher in Berlin with a third place performance. Barringer did not run the 15 at any major meets after Prefontaine. That will keep her low in the rankings for this event, despite the fact that she beat all the other Americans listed above at that meet. Of the three who competed at Worlds in the event, Willard has the fastest time of the year, followed by Wurth-Thomas and Rowbury, but the positions are reversed in how they placed at USAs and Worlds. This makes for a precarious ranking situation. Willard also finds herself in an interesting position for rankings in the 800m. Although she did not run the event at any championship meets, she picked up some key wins in Europe (including the World Athletics Final), is undefeated at the distance this year, and has run under 2 minutes more than any other American woman this year. Challenging her would be Hazel Clark, who is the US Champ and was the top American at Worlds, as well as, Maggie Vessey. Vessey has the fastest time of the year by an American at 1:57.84 (second fastest in the World this year behind the controversial Caster Semenya) and she had a few nice wins in Europe, but her inconsistency will bring her down a bit. So what reigns supreme in rankings; time or place? Is Carmelita Jeter’s amazing #3 All Time 10.67 worth a #1 World Ranking over Shelly-Ann Fraser’s World Championship? Does Ritz’ American Record trump Lagat’s silver medal in the 5,000m? It is a debate that comes up every year and there is no concrete answer. With each event each year, variables come in to play that allow one to make an argument one way or another. For example, what if one does not compete in a specific event at a major championship? For example, Tyson Gay in the 200m and Willard in the 800m this year. There is no doubt their performances this year merit favorable rankings in those events, but they did not run these events at USAs or Worlds. Is running sub-par at World’s worse than not running at all in an event? This is why rankings can be tricky. I remember back in high school they had a formula set in stone for determining all county. Points were awarded for winning the county championship, having the fastest time, head-to-head victories and couple other factors. That worked decently on a small scale, but on a national and international scale do you need to use a more discerning eye? All in all, I am glad I do not have the task of doing the year end rankings for these event, as I myself still do not know how heavily I weigh time and place. Obviously a major goal is always to beat people. Placing well at a championship means you have beat the majority of the world’s best. But with championship races, there is always the chance people could say, “It was a fluke.” Sometimes because the race went out slow, or somebody fell, somebody got DQed, or maybe certain studs were not in the race. Time is finite and you can not argue it, except perhaps commenting on the weather. When an athlete runs in a fast race it is not always about beating the people in that particular race, as much as beating ghosts of the past. Perhaps this is an unanswerable question. Would one rather a World Record, or a World/Olympic Gold Medal? The former means you are the fastest to have ever competed in that event in history. The latter means you were the best competitor in that event that year. Put like that, the record sounds more enticing, but the medal can never be taken away. Records, however, can be broken. On the other hand, even as the former World Record Holder, you are automatically considered one of the greatest of all time. What is your opinion, which do you hold more important, time or place? Bx_Runner http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Bx_Runner/8577-what-ranks-higher-in-ranking-time-or-place Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:05:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Kd/8562-doing-your-best-look-yourself-in-the-eye I have my TCU Hall Of Fame Induction and Speech tomorrow. I ran upon this poem. Thought about saying it, but I will just share it will my flotrack family. Enjoy! The Guy in the Glass by Dale Wimbrow, (c) 1934 When you get what you want in your struggle for pelf, And the world makes you King for a day, Then go to the mirror and look at yourself, And see what that guy has to say. For it isn't your Father, or Mother, or Wife, Who judgement upon you must pass. The feller whose verdict counts most in your life Is the guy staring back from the glass. He's the feller to please, never mind all the rest, For he's with you clear up to the end, And you've passed your most dangerous, difficult test If the guy in the glass is your friend. You may be like Jack Horner and "chisel" a plum, And think you're a wonderful guy, But the man in the glass says you're only a bum If you can't look him straight in the eye. You can fool the whole world down the pathway of years, And get pats on the back as you pass, But your final reward will be heartaches and tears If you've cheated the guy in the glass. Kd http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Kd/8562-doing-your-best-look-yourself-in-the-eye Wed, 16 Sep 2009 20:24:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Kd/8524-inspire-motivate-and-help-others A boy comes to me with a spark of interest, I feed that spark of interest and it becomes a flame, I feed that flame and it becomes a fire, I feed that fire and it becomes a roaring blaze. CUS Kd http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Kd/8524-inspire-motivate-and-help-others Sun, 13 Sep 2009 20:54:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Ddavila/8502-sweet-illusions It was an Etrvsco Unico soccer ball, the official ball from the 1990 World Cup in Italy. I opened up the blue cardboard box and there it laid deflated and dead, waiting for life to be breathed into it. For an 8 year old soccer fan, it was perfect, so perfect you wanted to fill it up and put it in a glass case so it would never be touched by human feet. Little did I know, in a few months time I would beat it to a pulp. It would become my feets' new best friend, it would be kicked everywhere. “This is for you, I want you to take this home and kick it every day as hard as you can for as long as you can. When it’s destroyed I’ll get you a new one and you’ll do the same thing all over.” What Janet Mika said, you did. I had seen her lift a 17 year old boy off the ground by the neck of his shirt. She’d once thrown a water bottle, maybe not at but VERY near, a player who was blowing the game by not listening to her directions. What Janet Mika said, you did, and you did it right! It was U-10 soccer and although I was quick and could zip my way down the field past the best of ‘em, my leg strength left something to be desired. Next, I took a walk over to the fence with Susan Filippone, the other half of the power coaches. Susan was the laid back balance you needed, a little more ‘have some fun and give high fives’ to Janets ‘rip some heads off make the other team want to cry’. “Walk up to the fence and put a mark at how tall you think you are.” I took a good look, reached out and put my mark up. For an under-10 team I was very small, I’m talking ‘ankle biter, had to be number 2, because it was the smallest uniform, so I only kind of swam in it’, small. I was quick on the field and could work my way past a good number of defenders, but truth be told my ‘speed’ was a survival technique. I had to be quick, there was no choice, for both my life's and legs' safety it was be fast or join the bowling league. Now it was time to be measured. Susan put the mark for my actual height up and I turned around to check it out, I had over estimated my height by a good 5 inches. “That’s good, in your mind you are thinking bigger than you really are. Why stop there? Raise the bar even more, think even bigger, like 6 feet big and you’ll play that way.” That summer while 8 - 10 year olds everywhere were watching reruns of Saved by the Bell and MTV music videos, I was slamming my 1990 Etrvsco Unico against the side of the house busting up some stucco. I had a mantra, Play BIG, that instantly transformed me into a 6 foot monster that would destroy little kids. That summer I learned a lot from Janet and Susan; don’t sit on your legs, cover your mouth when you yawn because if you don’t your tonsils show and it’s rude and upsets Janet, chew with your mouth closed, and oversized black jerseys truly do have magic in them. It’s funny, I could write a books worth of material on stories from coaches and how these part-time parents have molded and shaped my life. I’m sure neither Janet nor Susan, would have thought about the impact those moments would have on someone and the lessons they would learn. In that summer of 8 year old awkwardness I put 100% trust in my coaches and I was rewarded greatly. I learned the importance of hard work, power of the mind, and how to dream big. 18 years later it’s the same story, different sport. I certainly didn’t have the greatest credentials coming out of college. My mileage was an inconsistent 65-74 miles a week and my once, survival quick lightning speed, now is the element that leaves something to be desired. In post-collegiate running there is no more hand holding; I already know the routine. I carefully follow the plan mapped out by Kevin and Keith, the new coaches I put my trust in. I have new mantras, ‘run smart’, ‘be patient’ and ‘relax’. I never grew into that 6 foot tall monster, but my dreams and goals grew much larger than that. The Etrvsco Unico? replaced by my Ravenna’s. Just the other day I opened up a brand new pair feeling a little ‘tier two’, I have no desire to put them in a display case, I want to beat them to a pulp so I can promptly replace them and repeat. Ddavila http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Ddavila/8502-sweet-illusions Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:17:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Mklewy/8422-on-the-roads-again I just returned form a week at Sea Ranch, California. It is a family tradition to go to Sea Ranch each year now with my family, my best friends to escape the city life, run the beautiful coastal trails, play with our dogs on the sandy beaches, cook delicious food and take good naps. This place is very peaceful, inspiring and very unique. It makes you want to run forever! I began each morning with a 12-mile run and wanted to run more. Perhaps it is the coastal air or the fog sitting over the ocean or the views that makes you want to keep going. A huge reason why I train and race is because I can go to beautiful places to run. I am 9 weeks out form the ING NY Marathon and training has been going really well. I would like to share weekly updates on my final preparations for the ING NY marathon. Since June I have raced the Mini 10k in NY, the Belin 10k in Green Bay, the USATF 10k, Bix 7mile, Crim 10 mile and I am off to race the 20k in New Haven on Labor day. This has been a lot of traveling to the east coast and mid west, so the trip to Sea Ranch brought some peace and solitude. Last week I ran 130 miles and that included 2 quality workouts and the rest was easy mileage. The first workout consisted of 5k effort intervals and the second workout consisted of mile repeats at threshold followed by an hour run, followed by a couple more threshold repeats. This is one of my favorite workouts as you get so much out of this type of a workload. You spend 8-10 miles at a pace that is faster than marathon pace, you get the fatigue factor by doing long cool down after you have already run 8-10 miles at good pace then you get back to threshold pace for a couple more miles and before you know it you have done a 20mile workout, which also counts as your long run for the week. Pretty sweet! But most of all, this type of a workout prepares you well for a marathon. You learn to fight the fatigue and not quit as soon as the pain kicks in. You get a chance to practice fueling and I have been fueling on a combination of the vanilla-orange Roctane GU energy gel and the lemon lime GU Brew Electrolyte drink. This week I am going into the race with good amount of mileage behind me, but am backing off on the volume slightly. It is always difficult to back off in the middle of marathon training, but at the same time I love to race and want to feel good in those races. So I strive for that balance where I can accomplish my goals by using the races as indicators of how my training is going and keeping the excitement and reward of racing alive with out cutting out too much volume and intensity in the early stages of my preparation. I know that I have written before about treadmill training and I am excited to say that I got a new treadmill in my new to be gym/garage. I now own a used Woodway treadmill without the handrail….still working on assembling this great machine, but for now it gets the job done. Every other week I do an interval session on the treadmill. It is amazing how much of a difference a good treadmill makes in terms of quality of the workout and on leg muscle recovery. I like doing faster stuff on a treadmill because I workout on my own and it is not that much fun going to the track by myself to run 16x400 at 5k pace or 8x1k. So the treadmill keeps me honest, becomes my training partner and when I am done I can make my recovery drink immediately after the workout and not miss out on the recovery window. I have been really enjoying the GU Brew recovery drink, it is tasty and it helps me recover well especially from high intensity workouts. I am off to CT tomorrow and really looking forward to racing the 20k in New Haven this weekend. Hopefully we get good weather. Stay tuned for more next week. - Magdalena   Mklewy http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Mklewy/8422-on-the-roads-again Fri, 04 Sep 2009 01:01:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/MrPants/8406-big-props-for-time-magazine-and-cnn-for-their-responsible-journalism As many of you are aware, recently there has been a great buzz about this new research saying that "Exercise is useless," at least according to Time magazine. Then, I'm at work the next day and all hell breaks loose. Most of you know, I work in cardiac rehabilitation at a local hospital. The reason that most of these people are there because they spent the last 40 years of their life being sedentary, eating whatever they desired, or just did whatever they wanted. The last thing these patients need to hear is that they won't lose weight by exercising. Exercise is exactly what they need. Now don't come screaming about genetics and all of that. Yes, I realize that some people got the short end of the stick when it comes to genetics. However, that doesn't give you the excuse to say, "Well, I am screwed no matter what I do." That's complete BS. We all still have to make the right choices. However, my main reason for being completely pissed off is that when I looked at this research, the first thing I see is that it included six (6) people! Are you freaking kidding me? What the heck is that going to tell you? And of course, there are studies like the DASH study that went on for something like 25 years with thousands of people, proving the effects of proper diet. There is classic study that used the autopsies of thousands of Korean War GI's that showed that heart disease is a lifelong process. Hell, I had over 300 subjects involved in my research for my Master's Thesis. Six people involved and it's in Time magazine and all over the News media. I tell you, I feel like I'm in the novel "1984" I am being spoon fed whatever it is that someone else thinks I should believe! Alright, here's a couple links that maybe should be looked at: http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE57K3U920090821 http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/exercise-and-weight-loss-five-truths Remember: The average age of a heart attack is 40 years old now. I don't know about you, but that seems very, very young. MrPants http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/MrPants/8406-big-props-for-time-magazine-and-cnn-for-their-responsible-journalism Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:23:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Clintverran/8382-excited-about-2-mile-run-tomorrow 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 goal is to be running 3-4 miles outside by next weekend. Dr. Farjo seemed to think that 3-weeks was the magical healing point where things really start feeling good. I would be happy if my hip just continues to feel as good as it did today. I've had some postive comments as well as some negative ones in response to my recent blog posts. I gotta say thank you for the positive ones...but an even BIGGER THANK YOU for the negative ones! I've never really been motivated by pats on the back. What motivates me the best is side-of-the-mouth negative remarks. The more sarcastic the better! I challenge anyone who might read this to come up with the best underhanded "you should just quit" comment. No kidding...these really do help when the going gets tough. --clint Clintverran http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Clintverran/8382-excited-about-2-mile-run-tomorrow Sun, 30 Aug 2009 18:39:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Anthonyfamiglietti/8379-perspective 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 interesting how my concept of things can change when I look at the world from a new perspective. If you've travelled on an airline and looked out the window you may have noticed the many rivers cutting through the rugged terrain below. You'll notice the river bending left and right sometimes with long sweeping curves as it travels the country side. It's an image I've seen many times when flying, but this particular trip it struck me in a unique way. I asked myself, "Does the lay of the land direct the flow of the river and determine it's direction or does the force of the river push through the landscape and ultimately determine its own direction?" After a moment I realized both are true. The lay of the land initially pushes the river in a particular direction twisting and turning it as it passes high and low points mountains and plains. But over time the force of the water will carve through the mountains and valleys and determine its own direction to a great degree. The same is true for life. The landscape of your life is the environment you were born into and the immediate circumstances of your situation. You may be rich or poor, physically or intellectually talented or challenged in some way. You may have people supporting and encouraging you or you may be on your own. You may have doors opened for you and opportunities in front of you or you may have to create your own opportunities and open your own doors through hard work. Whatever the situation or landscape the important thing to know is that your drive, passion, will, discipline and focus can push you through any situation and help you carve your own way. The people who are successful in life realize this early. The earlier you embrace this the more time you have to work towards your biggest goals and dreams. Time and patience are important factors in pushing to your goals. The Grand Canyon, one of the worlds greatest wonders, was carved by a river, but you should keep in mind it took millions of years to happen. There is good news though. Whatever your goals in life and whatever landscape you may find yourself in, there is nothing you can't carve your way out of in just a few years. If you have dreams of finishing a marathon, setting a big PR, becoming the best runner on your team, or winning a championship race and the terrain looks daunting, just remember the river. Step back for a moment, take a deep breath and change your perspective. Look at the bigger picture, see things for what they truly are and realize you can push through anything. Anthonyfamiglietti http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Anthonyfamiglietti/8379-perspective Sun, 30 Aug 2009 16:46:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Mark/8365-a-lil-bet-at-the-meet-in-zurich 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 that every race has odds and you can bet inside the stadium. Check out he odds here www.sporttip.ch. Betting and beer could make a huge difference in our sport and I hope more meets will start doing this and maybe some day we can see something like this in the US. Mark http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Mark/8365-a-lil-bet-at-the-meet-in-zurich Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:58:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Bx_Runner/8348-blinded-by-the-lightfrom-the-glare-of-medals 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 States is no longer dominant. First, I would like to address this idea that American dominance in the sport is waning. Did the United States win every medal in sight? No. But this is not the USA v. the World like at Penn Relays. The US was 1 of 37 countries that medaled (how many did not even score a medal?). Team USA did win a total of 22 medals which is 15% of the possible medals and 10 gold medals which is an amazing 21% of possible gold medals. Winning over one fifth of the events is pretty dominant. So where is the criticism that the US is a weakening empire coming from? Obviously the United States has a history in which they had higher medal totals, but this was before many countries had developed track programs. Because I am trying to dispel the medal-centrism which has been prevalent, I would like to prove America’s dominance this past week without focusing on medal counts. The fact of the matter is that Team USA is the most balanced and deep team. They had at least one athlete in the finals of every single event with one exception, triple jump. No other country can make a similar claim. Dominance in one category, like sprinting or throwing, does not make a team dominant in the sport as a whole. What does Kenya’s best 200m guy run? Does Jamaica have anyone who can break 14 minutes for 5k? Where were Ethiopia’s shot putters in Berlin? Russia is the next closest in terms of overall quality, variety, and depth, but their women’s half is much stronger than that of the men. This year the US had a solid team from top to bottom, left to right; men, women, sprinting, mid-distance, distance, hurdling, throwing, jumping, relays, you name it. Think about if countries faced each other in dual meets. The US would have been easily undefeated this year and the fact of the matter is they could win against entire continents. If you score out Worlds like a dual meet using just the athletes from the United States and Africa, giving points out to the top three places 5-3-1, the US wins 252 to 140. This all gets lost, however, in much of the coverage of track and field because the medal count and who is on the podium seem to be the only things deemed worthy of reporting. This mindset has begun to rub off on the fans and athletes, as well. You can witness athletes who feel like they have let down their country for not winning a medal even though they had their best performance ever at a Global Championship. Likewise, fans will be quick to dismiss an athlete’s performance because they were however many seconds behind the leader or places out of a medal spot. It is as if placing 5th, 6th, or even 10th in the world (population 6.7 billion) is bad. Is winning a medal at the Olympics or Worlds important and the ultimate goal for these athletes? Yes, but there has to be some progression in between a heroic, medal winning effort and a total disappointment. Some attention needs to be paid to a major improvement, or a gutsy performance. Someone could set an American Record and there is a good chance you would not hear it mentioned in the broadcast if they did not place top 3. A lot of the coverage has a Ricky Bobby “If you ain’t first, you’re last” mentality. In the movie, however, even his deadbeat father was able to recognize “That doesn't make any sense at all, you can be second, third, fourth...hell you can even be fifth.” In order to alter this way of thinking about international track and field, I thought that maybe they could take a hint from every level of the sport below it; Team scoring beyond the medal table. One of the most exciting aspects of the NCAA meet is how each individual in a final can affect team scoring. It has found a harmonious balance between the importance of team and individual success at the championships and makes every person in an event scrapping for points important. Sometimes at a meet like NCAAs, a surprise seventh, or eight place finisher can be just as notable as someone who was in the top three. If the team scores for each country replaced, or worked concurrently with the medal count, perhaps some attention would be given to a greater variety of commendable athletes doing their best for their country. Imagine hearing an announcer say something like, “And kicking hard to finish fifth and grab 4 key team points is…” during a broadcast. In fact, the IAAF already scores out the meet in this way, but as a barely noticeable feature on the website. What if it became more prominent? Perhaps, if like in gymnastics, team awards were given out as well as individual awards. In the IAAF team scoring at Worlds this year, the USA romped the competition with 231 points. Russia was second with 154 and Jamaica and Kenya were third and fourth with 136 and 120 respective points. So I would like to congratulate Team USA on their victory at the World Championships in Berlin and give some attention below to each athlete who helped make it happen by placing in the top 8. The IAAF uses 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 scoring and those points are seen in the parenthesis. 100m – 2. Tyson Gay (7), 8. Darvis Patton (1) 3. Carmelita Jeter (6) Lauryn Williams (4) 200m – 3. Wallace Spearmon (6) 4. Shawn Crawford (5) 6. Charles Clark (3) 1. Allyson Felix (8) 4. Muna Lee (5) 400m – 1. LeShawn Merritt (8) 2. Jeremy Wariner (7) 1. Sanya Richards (8) 6. Debbie Dunn (3) 800m – 6. Nick Symmonds (3) 1,500m – 3. Bernard Lagat (6) 8. Lopez Lomong (1) 3. Shannon Rowbury (6) 5. Christin Wurth-Thomas (4) 6. Anna Willard (3) 5,000m – 2. Bernard Lagat (7) 8. Matt Tegenkamp (1) 10,000m – 6. Dathan Ritzenhein (3) 8. Galen Rupp (1) 6. Amy Yoder-Begley (3) 110/100 Hurdles – 2. Terrance Trammell (7) 3. David Payne (6) 6. Dawn Harper (3) 7. Virginia Powell (2) 400 Hurdles – 1. Kerron Clement (8) 3. Bershawm Jackson (6) 2. Lashinda Demus (7) 5. Tiffany Ross-Williams (4) 3,000m Steeplechase – 5. Jenny Barringer (4) 4x400m Relay – 1. Angelo Taylor, Wariner, Clement, Merritt (8) 1. Dunn, Felix, Demus, Richards (8) High Jump – 7. Chaunte Howard (2) Pole Vault – 2. Chelsea Johnson (7) Long Jump – 1. Dwight Phillips (8) 1. Brittney Reese (8) Shot Put – 1. Christian Cantwell (8) 4. Reese Hoffa (5) 5. Adam Nelson (4) 6. Michelle Carter (3) Discus Throw – 5. Casey Malone (4) Hammer Throw – 7. Jessica Cosby (2) Decathlon/Heptathlon – 1. Trey Hardee (8) You can see a lot of great performances there in addition to the 22 medalists. Yoder-Begley and Ritzenhein set big PRs in the 10,000m, with Ritz turning in the best time by an American ever at a Global Championship meet. Debbie Dunn ran under 50 seconds for the first time in the 400m and Jenny Barringer set an American Record in the steeplechase by 10 seconds. There are hoards of great performances that, when fittingly interwoven for a broadcast or print article, create more diversified and entertaining coverage. This team scoring and awards scenario is all just theory and conjecture, but it is an interesting premise to contemplate. I know this would likely never happen, but have always been interested in the idea of bringing out the team aspect of professional track and field more, as it is done at the high school and college levels. For now, I have conceded to the fact that the coverage will remain one dimensional for track and field. If it will not change any time soon, perhaps the sport will have to evolve and alternative forms of coverage will have to come to the forefront in order to change the way people receive and perceive the sport. Bx_Runner http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Bx_Runner/8348-blinded-by-the-lightfrom-the-glare-of-medals Wed, 26 Aug 2009 08:08:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Ryanf/8341-im-coming-home 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 I am sad to see my stay has ended. There is more season left and I apologize that we will not be there to finish off what weve started. Mark will be at Zurich this weekend to cover our last Golden League meet and last track meet of the year!! Dont stop following our athletes, theyve worked had and World Champs is a big deal, but as we said to many of them, its not the end all be all. Well keep you updated as best we can over the next month (track ends with the 5th ave mile on Sept 26). I will write more when I get back to the states, but for now, off to the airport with the hopes of not missing any flights this year. Thanks for all your support during the trip.....Im coming home! Ryanf http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Ryanf/8341-im-coming-home Tue, 25 Aug 2009 01:00:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Bx_Runner/8304-day-9-preview-12th-iaaf-world-championships 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 then with three men in the final of the 5,000m (Bernard Lagat, Matt Tegenkamp and Chris Solinsky) and three women in the 1,500m final (Christin Wurth-Thomas, Shannon Rowbury and Anna Willard), at least one medal is looking good. Add Nick Symmonds in the 800 final and Brittney Reese going for Long Jump gold and it is the most exciting day for the American team of the entire 9 days in Berlin. You do not want to miss this one. Event: Women’s Marathon 5:15 AM EST Defending World Champion: Cathrine Ndereba (Kenya) 2008 Olympic Champion: Constantina Dita (Romania) 2009 World Leader: Irena Mikitenko (Germany) 2:22:11 American Contingent: Kara Goucher, Desiree Davila, Paige Higgins, Zoila Gomez, Tera Moody Top International Contenders: Bezunesh Bekele (Ethipoia), Yoko Shibui (Japan), Dire Tune (Ethiopia), Yoshimi Ozaki (Japan), Astede Baysa (Ethipoia), Yuri Kano (Japan), Martha Komu (Kenya), Svetlana Zakharova (Russia), Teyba Erkesso (Ethiopia), Lydia Simon (Romania), Xue Bai (China), Chunxiu Zhou (China) Outlook: Without Paula Radcliffe, Yoko Shibui of Japan enters the race as the only women to have run under 2:20. That was, however, 5 years ago. Shibui has run 2:23 this year, though. She leads a strong Japanese team which includes sub-2:25 marathoners Yoshimi Ozaki and Yuri Kano. Ethiopia also sends a formidable team to Berlin. They are headed by this year’s Dubai Marathon champ Bezunesh Bekele, Boston Runner-up Dire Tune, Houston champ Teyiba Erkesso and Paris champ Astede Bayisa. American hopes lie in the hands of Kara Goucher, who was third in New York and Boston, defeating Bekele in the latter. This is only her third marathon and in an event with a huge learning curve, we could see a performance that matches her 10,000m surprise bronze from Osaka. Chunxiu Zhou of China is the bonze medalist from Beijing, but she was far from her best in London this year and will hopefully return to form for this race if the Chinese want to pick a medal here. The big names from eastern Europe are Svetlana Zakharova (Russia) and Lydia Simon (Romania). They have both scored medals in a World Championship Marathon, but those were almost a decade ago. Likely Medalists: An unpredictable event, the top contenders seem to be Tune, Komu, Bekele, Shibui and Goucher. 1. Shibui 2. Bekele 3. Goucher Event: Women’s Long Jump 10:15 AM EST Defending World Champion: Tatyana Lebedeva (Russia) 2008 Olympic Champion: Maurren Maggi (Brazil) 2009 World Leader: Brittney Reese (USA) 7.06m American Contingent: Brittney Reese, Brianna Glenn, Funmi Jimoh Top International Contenders: Naide Gomes (Portugal), Tatyana Lebedeva, Maurren Maggi, Olga Kucherenko (Russia), Karin Mey Melis (Turkey), Ksenija Balta (Estonia) Outlook: The World Champ Tatyana Lebdeva of Russia, Olympic Champ Maurren Maggi of Brazil and World Leader Brittney Reese are all capable of taking this crown. Both Lebedeva and Maggi are veterans in this event and have the best PRs of the field at 7.33m and 7.26m, respectively. They are not in that form anymore, but they are still great championship performers. On the other hand, Reese of the United States is jumping her best, setting a best of 7.06m this year. She has a history of not jumping her best in big finals. Reese is the only woman over 7 meters this year, but Naide Gomes of Portugal is right on the cusp at 6.99m. Gomes has been on a winning streak this season and has only lost once, to Reese. She had the best jump in the qualifying round and if she can put it together in the final, she is a gold medal contender. Olga Kucherenko gives Russia two shots at a medal and has been having her best season yet. Turk Karin Mey Melis and Estonian Ksenija Balta both have season bests of 6.87m will be factors on the runway if they can duplicate those performances. Likely Medalists: There seem to be 4 people that should be up at the top and there are only 3 medals. As we have seen in the Men’s Long Jump, however, even an Olympic Champ can register no mark in this event. 1. Reese 2. Gomes 3. Lebedeva Event: Men’s Javelin Throw 10:20 AM EST Defending World Champion: Tero Pitkamaki (Finland) 2008 Olympic Champion: Andreas Thorkildsen (Norway) 2009 World Leader: Vadims Vasilevskis (Latvia) 90.71m American Contingent: Chris Hill, Mike Hazle, Sean Furey Top International Contenders: Andreas Thorkildsen, Vadims Vasilevskis, Tero Pitkamaki, Teemu Wirkkala (Finland), Antti Ruuskanen (Finland), Ainars Kovals (Latvia), Mark Frank (Germany), Guillermo Martinez (Cuba) Outlook: This event is dominated by the Scandinavian region of the world and this year will be no exception. Finland has an outstanding contingent in this event. They boast the defending World Champ Tero Pitkamaki, as well as Teemu Wirkkala and Antti Ruuskanen. All three have season bests over 85 meters ranking them #3, #4 and #5 of those in the final. Keeping all three off the podium are Norwegian Andreas Thorkildsen and Latvian Vadims Vasilevskis. Thorkildsen won this event in the past two Olympics, but only managed silver at the last two World Championships. Certainly here he will be looking to change that as one of the favorites. Vasilevskis is the world leader as the only man over 90 meters this season. He looked great in the prelims and will certainly want to upgrade his hardware, as his highest place at a global championship is second from back in Athens. His compatriot, Ainars Kovals will have two up at the top for Latvia. Kovals is the 2008 Olympic silver medalist, but is not yet back at that level this season. Mark Frank (Germany) and Guillermo Martinez (Cuba) looked good in the prelims and both athletes home nation’s athletes have been surpassing expectations at this meet. Likely Medalists: Will Thorkildsen finally get that illusive World Championship gold? 1. Thorkildsen 2. Vasilevskis 3. Pitkamaki Event: Men’s 5,000m Run 10:25 AM EST Defending World Champion: Bernard Lagat (USA) 2008 Olympic Champion: Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia) 2009 World Leader: Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia) 12:56.23 American Contingent: Bernard Lagat, Matt Tegenkamp, Chris Solinsky, Evan Jager Top International Contenders: Kenenisa Bekele, Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya), Moses Kipsiro (Uganda), Ali Abdosh (Ethiopia), Vincent Chepkok (Kenya), James C’Kurui (Qatar), Mo Farah (Great Britain) Outlook: Kenenisa Bekele is looking to repeat his double from Beijing and he is half way there. Beyond tripping, it seems the only way Bekele will finish out of the medals is if the race is so slow that 3 men simply out kick him. Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya is the only man with a lifetime best within 10 seconds of Bekele. Kipchoge was 2nd in Beijing and Osaka and has finished at least 4th in every global championship 5,000m since 2003 in Paris where he won. The man who defeated Kipchoge in Osaka is defending champ Bernard Lagat, who is fresh off a bronze in the 1,500m. At 34 years old, Lagat lacked the finishing speed of some of his younger peers. In the 5K, however, he is still one of the quicker runners and will do well in a kicker’s race. Beyond those three, Ali Abdosh (Ethiopia), Joseph Ebuya (Ethiopia), James C’Kurui (Qatar) and Moses Kipsiro (Uganda) each have run under 13 minutes in their lifetimes and can not be counted out. Kipsiro, who was 4th in Beijing and 3rd in Osaka, placed second at this year’s World Cross Country Championships in Amman. You may remember Abdosh from the first heat of the prelims as the crowd favorite who worked hard to catch the pack after falling and losing a shoe. As has been the theme of the meet where anyone who falls is granted a spot in the next round, Abdosh was allowed into the finals. Looking to break up the African dominance, American Matt Tegenkamp and Briton Mo Farah will be mixing it up in the front pack. Tegenkamp was 4th at the last World Championsips, while Farah was 6th. Looking extremely smooth on the last lap of the prelims, Tegenkamp appears to be in the best shape of his life. Likely Medalists: Both on their second races of the meet, Lagat and Bekele, as well as Kipchoge and Kipsiro, have a wealth of championship experience. 1. Bekele 2. Kipchoge 3. Kipsiro Event: Women’s 1,500m Run 11:00 AM EST Defending World Champion: Maryam Jamal (Bahrain) 2008 Olympic Champion: Nancy Jebet Lagat (Kenya) 2009 World Leader: Maryam Jamal (Bahrain) 3:56.55 American Contingent: Shannon Rowbury, Christin Wurth-Thomas, Anna Willard Top International Contenders: Maryam Jamal, Gelete Burka (Ethiopia), Natalya Evdokimova (Russia), Mariem Alaoui Selsouli (Morocco), Natalia Rodriguez (Spain), Lisa Dobrinskey (Great Britain), Lidia Chojecka (Poland) Outlook: In this race, most of the favorites safely qualified to the finals. The only bug casualty was Olympic Champ Nancy Jebet Lagat. Both Maryam Jamal of Bahrain and Gelete Burka of Ethiopia have had sensational years over this distance and come in as the medal favorites. They have the fastest times in the final and have only lost to each other this year. Also, after both had disappointments in Beijing, they will cetainly be looking to redeem themselves. Russia entered with a strong team in the 1,500m, but only one made it to the finals. Sub-4 this season, Natalya Evdokimova will be there only chance at a medal as she has the second best PR in the field and has the third fastest season best. Right behind her on the world list is American Christin Wurth-Thomas who also dipped under 4 minutes. She is have a breakthrough season and will likely push the pace on the third lap if the pace is lagging. Two other talented American women made the final; Shannon Rowbury and Anna Willard. Rowbury was 7th last year and closed her 1,500 at USAs in 60 seconds. Willard also has a great kick and is the fastest over 800 meters this year at 1:58.80. Like the American men, with three in a final of 12, there are good odds that at least one will grab a medal. Mariem Alaoui Selsouli of Morocco is having a breakout year in the 1,500m running 4:00.95. She previously focused on the 5,000m, holding a PR of 14:36. Briton Lisa Dobrinskey will be looking to add to the great season the UK women’s middle distance is having. They already grabbed bronze in the 800m. Natalia Rodriguez of Spain looked great in the semi-finals and has gone 3:59.51 back in 2005. The one with the most championship experience in the final is Poland’s Lidia Chojecka, but her career arch is on the decline. Likely Medalists: With such a close field, anyone could grab a medal here, but Jamal and Burka are the ones who will certainly be in that top 5 or so coming down the home straight away. With three in the final, there is a great chance it will be an American getting up for a podium spot and it could really be any of them and any given day. 1. Jamal 2. Burka 3. Willard Event: Men’s 800m Run 11:25 AM EST Defending World Champion: Alfred Kirwa Yego (Kenya) 2008 Olympic Champion: Wilfred Bungei (Kenya) 2009 World Leader: Abubaker Kaki (Sudan) 1:43.09 American Contingent: Nick Symmonds, Khadevis Robinson, Ryan Brown Top International Contenders: Yusuf Kamel (Bahrain), Amine Laalou (Morocco), Yuriy Borzakovskiy (Russia), Alfred Kirwa Yego, Marcin Lewandowiski (Poland), Jackson Kivuva (Kenya), Yeimer Lopez (Cuba), Bram Som (Netherlands), Mbulaeni Mulaudzi (South Africa) Outlook: It has been happening a lot this meet, people getting tripped getting automatically advanced to the next round. Normally I am for this, but you have to draw the line before you are stuck cramming 10 people into lanes for an 8 person 800m. It is not fair to those who stay on their feet, stay out of trouble and actually qualify for the final by running and not protesting. Abubaker Kaki, the favorite and Bram Som tripped each other up, with Som behind Kaki. For anyone who saw this fall, Som was not guilt free in this fall and they both both hit the track. On their way down they took Marcin Lewandowiski of Poland with them. I agree with allowing Lewandowiski into the final. He had nothing to do with the fall, finished the race and boasts a 1:43.84 season best. Kaki was not admitted to the final, but Som was. Som did not finish and is clearly at fault partially (he was behing Kaki and clearly their feet hit each other). So now Som is now sharing a lane with American Nick Symmonds in the final after only have to run 250 meters in the semi-final. On the bright side, Symmonds has finally made that final he has been hoping for and will be leaving everything out on the track in order to get on the podium. With the pre-race favorites of Kaki and Asbel Kiprop not in the final, the new favorites seem to be two 800m runners who tried their hands in the 1,500m already this championship; Yusuf Kamel (Bahrain) and Amine Laalou (Morocco). Kamel was more successful in that 1,500m, becoming the surprise winner. It is scary to think the 800m is his better event (He has a PR of 1:42.79), but the 1,500/800 double is difficult with 6 races in 9 days. Laalou has the fastest season best in the field with a 1:43.36, but is also attempting the difficult double. Yuriy Borzakovskiy of Russia is a proven champion. He won gold in Athens and was third in Osaka. He is one of only three men in the field who has been under 1:43 seconds. The others are Kamel and Mbulaeni Mulaudzi of South Africa. Mulaudzi did that way back in 2003 and he was the silver medalist to Borzakovskiy in Athens, but he has yet to break 1:44.8 this season. The worst season best belongs to Kenyan Alfred Kirwa Yego, but do not let that fool you. He is a great championship runner. In Beijing he took bronze and in Osaka he won the gold. Cuba has been having a great meet so far and add a finalist in the men’s 800m with Yeimer Lopez. Lopez was 6th at the 2008 Olympics and can definitely improve on that in Berlin. Likely Medalists: This race is pretty wide open as most are in 1:43 second shape, but they will not all run that on Sunday. I would love for Symmonds to grab a medal, but I have to go with experience and this is his first final. Many people medal in their first final, however. Just look at the Women’s 800m. 1. Kamel 2. Laalou 3. Yego Event: Women’s 4x400m Relay 11:50 AM EST Defending World Champion: United States 2008 Olympic Champion: United States 2009 World Leader: United States (Hargrove, Hastings, Felix, Richards) 3:23.08 American Contingent: Sanya Richards, Debbie Dunn, Jessica Beard, Natasha Hastings, Lashinda Demus, Allyson Felix Top International Contenders: Russia, Jamaica, Great Britain, Germany, Nigeria, France, Cuba Outlook: The three medalists from Beijing look like they will retain their places on the podium, but will they be in the same spots? The US Women’s team won in a thrilling victory over Russia last summer. The Russian individuals have each improved this year and looking at the world list appear to be the stronger team. Here in Berlin, however, the two women in the open 400 final, Sanya Richards and Debbie Dunn, out performed the two Russian women in the race. Add to the American team the 200m Champion, Allyson Felix, who is the fastest 400 meter runner in the world who does not run the race at championships. The US could also use 400m Hurdler Lashinda Demus who has run 52 seconds twice this season for the hurdle race. Jamaica also has a strong team which has the 400m silver medalist Shericka Williams, the second fastest 400m Hurdler in history, Melaine Walker, 400m 4th place finisher Novlene Williams-Mills. Great Britain will also have a team that could sneak in for a medal if these three are off their games. They will likely be anchored by Olympic Champion Christine Ohuruogu. Likely Medalists: The US team was able to cruise in the prelims and will be the freshest for this final. Sanya Richards had such a lead in the final leg that she was able to run a 55 second split and still win the heat. 1. USA 2. Russia 3. Jamaica Event: Men’s 4x400m Relay 12:15 PM EST Defending World Champion: United States 2008 Olympic Champion: United States 2009 World Leader: Florida State University (Williams, K. Borlee, Clark, J. Borlee) 2:59.99 American Contingent: Jeremy Wariner, LaShawn Merritt, Gil Robert, Lionel Larry, David Neville, Kerron Clement, Bershawn Jackson, Angelo Taylor Top International Contenders: Great Britain, Australia, Belgium, France, Dominican Republic, Poland Outlook: Disaster would have to strike for this American team to lose. With the 1-2 finishers in the 400m and 1-3 finishers in the 400m Hurdles, the hardest thing about this relay is deciding who to put on it besides LaShawn Merritt and Jeremy Wariner. With the Bahamas getting DQed in the prelims for an exchange zone violation, the door has been opened for the silver medal as they have been consistent runner-up finishers in this relay. Besides the USA, Great Britain and France are the only teams in this final that had an athlete in the 400m final. The British have 7th place finisher Michael Bingham and the French have 8th place finisher Leslie Djhone. Great Britain also has 400m Hurdle finalist David Greene. Likely Medalists: How many teams will run slower that Florida State University did at NCAAs this year? It is a shame for the Belgian team that Jonathan Borlee is injured, but his brother Kevin ran a great anchor leg in the prelims. 1. USA 2. Great Britain 3. France Bx_Runner http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Bx_Runner/8304-day-9-preview-12th-iaaf-world-championships Sat, 22 Aug 2009 14:14:00 -0500 http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Clintverran/8303-one-week-deep 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 in the pool very soon as I think my incisons are stable now. My recovery so far has exceeded my wildest expectaions. I keep waiting for "setbacks" and just haven't seen it. I honestly feel better every day. My bike workouts have gotten more intense and I'm feeling as though my fitness is coming along nicely. My motivation level is at an all-time high. I cannot wait wait to return to training with our Hanson-Brooks group and getting myself back in the game. I would like to PR one more time in the marathon and make another world team. Is that unrealistic? Clintverran http://www.flotrack.org/blogs/blogger/Clintverran/8303-one-week-deep Sat, 22 Aug 2009 13:13:00 -0500