Dathan Ritzenhein:
Homeward Bound: New Beginnings and Role Reversals
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #5)
Posted May 6th, 2008 at 4:30 PM by Dathan Ritzenhein
Section: News & Results, Track & Field, 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!
Sunday night, a night of great races [at the Peyton Jordan Cardinal Invitational], made me want to be out there racing. Even though I was at home, already in my pajamas, I wanted to be there racing. Watching Brent Vaughn grit his teeth down the homestretch, and Shalane [Flanagan]’s American Record was also exciting. I would check the computer intermittently to catch an update of the races. Stanford is such a great place to go if you want great weather and fast times. No other place or meet has the predictability and guarantee that Stanford can offer.
It is always one of the hardest things to do; watching races when you are sitting at home, but I just have to keep my head down and work hard know that I will be ready for August 24th.
This week we are heading back to Michigan. It’s only a short trip, but pack filled with lots to do. My wife and I are fortunate in the fact that we are both from the same town, Rockford. We grew up together, and went to school together, and luckily our families still live only ten minutes apart, which makes things much easier when visiting everyone. However, being so close to everyone we always try to squeeze in more than we handle and end up exhausted by the weeks end. We will just have to do what we can and try not to feel bad if we don’t see everyone.
The main purpose of this trip is to watch my wife run the Fifth Third River Bank Run. We are also getting our daughter baptized. We are having her baptized at the same church we were married in, which also happens to be my parent’s church. It is a cool old Irish American church out in country. We wanted to have her Baptized there because it is the church we will attend when we end up moving back to Michigan and it will be great for her to have her start her religious life there. We were going to have her baptized in Oregon, but it is important to us to have our families there to take part in this important event in Addy’s life. It also happens to be mother’s day and my Grandma’s 94th birthday, so we will be on the go all day. As for Addy and all the running around, our family motto is “Don’t think, just do it!” That’s our mantra for days that are really busy and filled with chaos. It has gotten us through many rough times. Being all the way on the other side of the country is difficult but it really makes you cherish your family when you can’t see them anytime you want.
The second reason for this trip is the race. After the birth of Addison, Kalin really was itching to get back in shape, and we figured that the River Bank Run would be a nice goal to aim for. She has only been training for four months, but I think she will do well. She is very excited to get her feet wet again. It is the National 25k Championships so it will be great competition for her. After her win at the Pear Blossom 10 miler a couple weeks ago, I think she is in great shape.
As for me, I am also excited for the event, but this entails various things other than running. On Thursday, I get to go back to my roots and am the guest speaker at my elementary school, Parkside Elementary. It will be weird to go back there and see where everything began. Seeing all my old teachers and walking the halls will be strange. I don’t think I have been inside the building for at least 15 years. The following day I will be speaking along with Brian Sell in a Panel with Amby Burfoot at the expo. We also have some media obligations and most of all I want my wife to be able to relax and have a good race. She is always there for me on race day and I want to be able to return the favor for once. It will be strange to be in her shoes and see how she feels when I race. It has been a few years since she ran a big race so I am really looking forward to watching her. She has worked very hard getting back into shape so I hope she does great.
- Dathan
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PHOTO: Courtesy of the New York Road Runners
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Tags: addison riztenhein, Amby Burfoot, baptism, birthday, Brent Vaughn, cardinal invitational, church, Dathan Ritzenhein, elite athlete blog, elite athlete blog series, Eugene, expo, family motto, Fifth Third River Bank Run, grandma, grandmother, irish american, irish american church, kalin, kalin ritzenhein, media, Michigan, oregon, Peyton Jordan Cardinal Invitational, professional runner, ritz, rockford, Shalane Flanagan, stanford, stanford university, the final sprint elite athlete blog series, thefinalsprint.com elite athlete blog series, track and field, U.S. 25k Championships, USA 25k Championships
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The Final Sprint
“Moved by the Spirit, (Simeon) went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for Him what the custom of the law required, Simeon took Him in his arms and praised God…” LUKE 2:27,28
Dathan,
Congratulations to you, Kalin, and Addy!
It sounds like a great Mother’s Day for your entire family.
Go Kalin!
May 6th, 2008 at 9:41 pmDathan,
We’ll be cheering you on from Annapolis, MD. You are in our prayers for successful balanced training in preparation for Bejing. You’re a fine respresentative for America, not just in speed, but in character.
Peace!
May 10th, 2008 at 10:30 pmThanks Dathan for sharing what you have been doing in your running career. I am one of many who have followed you since your High School days at Rockford, It is good to hear you and your family are doing well. Dave J. Miller Lumen Christi High School Jackson Michigan
October 6th, 2009 at 1:54 pm