Dathan Ritzenehin: XC Champs, Alter-G & Olympic Training
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #1)
Posted March 12th, 2008 at 10:30 AM by Dathan Ritzenhein
Section: News & Results, Marathons, Cross Country, Track & Field, Olympics, Elite Athlete Blogs, Dathan Ritzenhein
Welcome to the official blog of top U.S. distance runner Dathan Ritzenhein! Check back every other Tuesday for Ritz’s latest entry at http://dathanritzenhein.thefinalsprint.com/ as he prepares to represent the United States at the 2008 Beijing Olympics!
This past month has reinforced in me that hard work, dedication, and focus can really pay off. I wouldn’t say that leading up to the US Cross Country Championships I was 100% confident going into the race. My ultimate goal was to just make the team. For the past four weeks my training log resembled something of a rollercoaster. The highs and lows were dictated by the training my leg would allow.
After returning from a cross country race in Edinburgh, Scotland a few weeks ago, I noticed a slight pain in my IT band and lateral quad. At first it was minimal, and I was able to train through it with not problems, but after a grueling week of traveling it began to hinder my training. Fortunately, I had the Alter-G anti-gravity treadmill on which to supplement most of my training.
This is where the hard work and dedication came into play. I knew that in order to maintain my fitness I needed to work just as hard, and some days harder than I would if I were running on land, if I wanted to make the team. I learned how to simulate most of my long runs, training runs and workouts on the treadmill. I did quarters, thousands, mile repeats and tempo runs all on the machine, all the while keeping the notion of winning the US Championships in the back of my mind.
It’s not as easy jumping on a treadmill versus heading outdoors for a run. Most people know how it feels to run a couple of runs on the treadmill because the weather is bad. Just imagine 135 a week for a couple weeks. Being inside you don’t get the fresh air, a slight breeze or the camaraderie you would get if you were outside. But I had to focus on my ultimate goal of winning the US Championships and making the team. Hoping the two would go hand in hand.
Luckily, the race went well, and my leg felt great. The first couple of laps went as planned—I stayed in the pack and went with the flow, covering surges and staying relaxed. But in the middle laps I found myself in the lead with an opportunity to surge; surprisingly, no one covered it so I continued to push the pace, trying to put as much distance between myself and the rest of the guys as I could. I was surprised as much as anyone that I was able to break away by that margin as I was quite uncertain how my body and fitness would hold up. It was a great trip. I surprised myself while still accomplishing my goals. That is why I love this sport, every time you toe the line it’s anyone’s race, nothing is a guarantee, but by working hard and minimizing mistakes, it is amazing what you can accomplish. Sometimes things go as planned, and sometimes you can do everything right, but still not have things go as you had hoped for.
I have learned many things in the past few years being an athlete. A key thing I have taken away is this: you can wish to have your training plan written in permanent ink, leaving no room for bumps to occur, but the reality is, you have to always write your plan in pencil and be prepared for anything to happen. In college I had the belief that I was invincible. I was able to log miles upon miles and could not get injured. But I learned this the hard way. After a couple of injuries and red-shirt seasons later, I learned that no one is invincible and if I wanted to make a career out of this sport, injuries were part of the territory. The unknown, that’s the beauty of this sport.
The Alter-G Treadmill has been a savior for my running. It has really saved me a couple times in the past year and I know that it will make my career longer and make me a better athlete. I have been able to get in a lot more training than my body would normally allow which has been great for aerobic development, but it also has allowed me to train at a faster pace while still keeping my heart rate in a recovery zone. I think it will be a very valuable tool for me especially in marathon training. It will allow me to put in the mileage of guys like Brian Sell and Ryan Hall, and still allow me to be healthy.
Even with how great the Alter-G is, I believe you can’t receive all the benefits from running on a treadmill that you receive from running outside. Things such as horizontal movement, downhill running, and turning cannot be simulated on it. I can tell you that the first week or so after doing 135+ miles on a treadmill at 85% body weight, you feel very weird. You feel like you are hitting the ground very hard, almost like you have a weighted vest on. After the first few runs that goes away though.
That’s all for now.
– Dathan
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PHOTO: Courtesy of the New York Road Runners
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Tags: alter g, alter g treadmill, Beijing, beijing olympic games, beijing olympics, brad hudson, Dathan Ritzenhein, Edinburgh, elite athlete blog, elite athlete blog series, injury prevention, IT Band, lateral quad, marathon, mileage, olympic games, olympics, ritz, scotland, summer olympics, the final sprint elite athlete blog series, thefinalsprint.com elite athlete blog series, track and field, training, traveling, treadmill, us cross country championships
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March 11th, 2008 at 5:22 pm[…] Original post by TheFinalSprint.com | Premier Running Destination for Marathons, Track and Field, Race News, Podcasts, Training Advice and More! […]
March 11th, 2008 at 7:59 pmWow! Hear Ritz talk about wanting to do the kind of mileage that Sell and Hall do! That’s fantastic! I mean here we have this fantastic runner that looks at these other fantastic runners and sees himself as the underdog. If that’s where he is mentally that’s a great attitude! I can’t wait to see what he and the rest of US distance runners do the next 10, 15 however many years.
March 21st, 2008 at 9:05 am