Dathan Ritzenehin: Keeping That Competitive Edge
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #3)
Posted April 8th, 2008 at 11:45 AM by Dathan Ritzenhein
Section: 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!
Well, my break is officially over, and I’m back in the swing of things. Being an athlete I find myself extremely competitive. I’m especially competitive when I’m not running, but not by choice, it’s just who I am. I think it’s because I’m not outside seeing people, running my old routes, and challenging against myself and the clock in workouts.
During this break I found myself competing against my wife in many things. Luckily she didn’t want to divorce me after this latest break. We have this little game on my phone, bubble breaker that we compete against each other to see who can get the best score.
There were other instances when I noticed that I was not channeling my competitive energy into running. While stopped at a traffic light, I find myself trying to beat the person next to me when the light turns green. I’m also involved in an American Idol competition, in which my wife, Coach Brad Hudson, his girlfriend Toby and friend Jason Hartmann all picked people in various categories to win. There is an entire point system intact that keeps it interesting. Each week we also pick who we think will be going home, and points are allocated based on the bottom three. Of course, I’m in first and I think I will be able to hold it till the end. The prize is dinner to a restaurant, very prestige.
Even back in college I remember having some epic Monopoly games with Jorge and Ed. In college we would have intense games where sometimes we wouldn’t even talk to each other afterwards because we got too competitive. Jorge and Ed were my friends, but not when it came time for monopoly.
Another time in college I recall doing landscaping at Coach Wetmore’s and I would try as hard as I could to move rocks and dirt, just to see if I could beat the time goal I set for myself.
Looking back, this competitive drive has always been there; just as it is in most athletes at this level. That’s how I got into running. I think I was 11 years old. Once I was able to run a few decent miles, I discovered a four mile course by my house that I began to run daily. Each day I would run the same course and try to improve my time. When I began middle school I was a middle of the pack kind of guy. I found that the harder I worked the more it paid off, so when I entered freshmen year of high school, I was still not the best on my team. Our team was very successful, and produced several division one college runners. That summer I chased Jason Hartmann around, pushing myself to the brink just to see how far my body could go. And by the end of my sophomore year I was able to reap the benefits of all my work, winning my first Prep National Title in the two mile.
The clock became my friend and foe through high school. I even kept a stop watch on my steering wheel in order to time myself to school, hoping for a new PR each morning, however, I don’t recommend that now. I even timed myself mowing the lawn. My dad had a tractor and I would put it in high gear and race around the yard, searching for the very last patch I missed. My dad always said he knew that I was mowing the lawn because he could see the cloud of dust behind me when he pulled into the driveway.
This is why I love this sport; competition. It doesn’t get any more pure than a one-on-one foot race against another person. Pure guts, hard work, and endurance. That is what kept me working hard on this break as well. I spent a lot of time on the Alter-G treadmill and I knew from all the lessons learned going back to my childhood that if I keep that competitive flame stoked at all times it is very easy to get a fire going again. That is why I have always come back from injuries and disappointment better than before. I keep that competitive edge by pushing myself when I don’t want to. Most people will take a vacation when they get hurt, but I push myself so that I can come back better than before. That has paid off for me again because I am now back training and my mind and body are both ready for the long road ahead to Beijing! Until next time…
– Dathan
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The Final Sprint
Hey Dathan-
April 8th, 2008 at 10:41 amAwesome post….very motivating. I grew up in Michigan and was not that big into cross country or distance, but have become much more into it now! Even though I wasent much into distance, I can still remember talking about the “Rockford Rocket”! I wish you the best of luck in Beijing, you are amazing!!
Dathan,
April 8th, 2008 at 12:32 pmNate Jenkins just posted a similar article on his trackshark blog. Albeit your theme is more on competitiveness with an underlying aspect of mental toughness and workethic, his blog is pure mental toughness.
This was a good blog and I love reading about the drive we distance runners have.
Dathan, I have a quick question. I’m sure we all agree that losing is the worst, but do you sometimes feel like the best part of competition is the actual heat of battle, so to speak, be it in a race or a game of cards? What I mean is, that point in competition where you have no idea who is going to win, but that you actually have a chance, and it will be your own actions and decisions as much as anything else which determines the outcome?
April 8th, 2008 at 4:48 pmhi all, thanks for all the support. if you leave your email address, i will be better able to reply. thanks again, dathan ritzenhein
April 9th, 2008 at 5:59 pmDathan, I love bubble breaker. My best score on bubble breaker is 1,438 and my high burst is 1,190. What’s your best?!
April 11th, 2008 at 11:11 pmI just have to say that my first cross country state meet in high school was 2000 and it was great to see you run! I was only a freshman in high school (Seaholm in Birmingham, MI) at the time and knew you were going to be an amazing athlete for years to come! It was quite the experience to finish along that car race track. I wish you the best of luck in Beijing!
April 12th, 2008 at 3:04 amMr. Ritzenhein,
You are truly an inspiration to many runners both young and old. It is a very exciting time again in American distance running and you are a big part of it. I coach a cross country team and they all pick you as their favorite. Some actually met you on a run on Townlake in Austin after your NCAA 10,000. They spoke very highly of you and how friendly you were. If you are ever in Austin, TX again our team would love to meet you. I hope you have time to speak with HS runners because you are a great role model.
Well best of luck and I will have my team read your blog, it was great.
We will be in Eugene with some of the team and maybe this time we will run into you on your trail!
Keep up the great work!
Coach Sheard
April 18th, 2008 at 8:54 pmKaisertimo@aol.com