Ryan Hall: The Team
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 11)
Posted June 7th, 2008 at 11:30 AM by Ryan Hall
Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics, Elite Athlete Blogs, Ryan Hall
Welcome to the official blog of top U.S. distance runner Ryan Hall as he begins his quest for Olympic gold! Check back every other Friday for Ryan’s latest entry at http://ryanhall.thefinalsprint.com/
Eleven weeks to go. I go back and forth between thinking I have too much time before the games, and then feeling like there is not enough time. Eleven weeks sometimes feels like a long time to train at the intensity that I am now daily putting forth, but then when I think to myself that in two months I will be heading out to Beijing, I wish I could sneak in a few more weeks at altitude before then. I have found that it is usually a good sign to feel like I wish I had one or two more weeks of training. It is a sign that I am still fresh, still hungry, and still moving forward. Contrast this with my first marathon run at the 2007 London Marathon when I had been hanging on for a month after training for what seemed like an eternity.
Today I will be repeating the same workout I ran two weeks ago before I left for Bolder Boulder—a ten mile tempo run. Last time out it didn’t go so well. Waking up to snow was my second sign that I was going to have a tough day, with the first sign being my cranky ankle that had been bothering me after doing an hour and a half run on a rocky—yet beautiful—single track trail in Big Bear. So between my cranky ankle, snow falling, and being out there all by myself without my shuffle (which I forgot at home) I set myself up for a long day. Let’s not get too much into the specifics; we can just leave it at that I went out slow and came back even slower. Not to mention picking up my bottles off the ground didn’t seem to speed things up any. I left for Boulder concerned.
I had never been to Boulder before and I must say that I was wishing I went to CU after doing a run, going out to the Torres’ favorite pasta place, and feeling the summer night energy on Pearl St. The race was one of my favorite road races I have done. Despite the fact that my teammates and I went down in a blaze of glory it was an experience that I am glad to have done. It wasn’t that we ran that poorly; it was just impressive how well everyone else ran. I think if we would have run in a different year we would have faired better, but I guess you never know.
So with the terrible tempo run behind me and a solid race under my belt—considering my fitness—I came home excited to set my sights on Beijing. I always say that my best seasons all start with a humbling experience. Before the Houston Half Marathon it was finishing third or forth (I have conveniently forgotten the specifics of the race) at a local turkey trot. Before London ‘07 it was the Jacksonville 15k; before London ‘08 it was US XC Nationals. Now it is the Bolder Boulder 10k. I heard an interesting statistic that puts me ease when I think of how Bolder Boulder could play into my chances in Beijing. Rich (one of the meet organizers) told me that both Baldini and Abera competed in the Bolder Boulder in the spring before they were crowned the Olympic marathon champions. I hoping that I have a similar fate.
So I had to take a break from my blog to head out on my 10 mile tempo run. Now, I am back writing as I soak my legs in an ice bath. The tempo run was pretty much the polar opposite of two weeks ago. I had both my brother and Peter (a reporter for the New Yorker) accompany on my run. It was a beautiful, windless perfect day for a tempo. I even found my shuffle as I was putting on my flats to top everything off. The first mile I felt about a hundred times better. Two weeks ago I felt like I was flying in the first mile only to look at my watch to see the discouraging 5:15 flash on my watch. This time I felt effortless through the mile at 4:43. I think I got a little overly ambitious but I still averaged nearly 20 seconds per mile faster this time around. Things are definitely heading around, and more importantly everything is set up for me to be successful.
Training in my hometown with the support of my community has been very exciting. I can feel the energy in town pushing me forward. It is so beautiful up here in the spring that it makes the runs fly by compared to the winter road runs that can seem tedious at times. I also have my brother helping me on the bike now. It has been a huge blessing to have his help. I am no longer training up here alone now. I have a training partner giving me the daily camaraderie, fluids, and encouragement that I am in need of. It has been a week that we have been working together and I already feel the benefits of his help.
Then there is my massage therapist. Who would have thought that such skilled therapist would be in such a small resort community? I am blessed to have a lady working on me that also prepared Lenox Lewis for his bouts. She gives me two massages twice a week for two hours. I go to her with my body beaten up from the rigorous training, yet I always walk out of there feeling a lightness and freshness in my legs that rejuvenates me for the weeks ahead. She is my healer. God has certainly given her a gift. Then there is a chiropractor that I have recently been seeing that trained under the same chiropractor that prepared Lance Armstrong for some of his competitions. He keeps me structurally in line and makes sure that my legs are firing on all cylinders. With this team around me I cannot but help but to be successful.
Then, of course I have the constant encouragement of my wife, which even though we may be apart, still lifts my spirits everyday and makes me believe that all things are possible. My coach also comes up periodically to watch my workouts, which has been really beneficial for us to assess where we are at and what we need to do to get where we are going. I consider myself blessed to be surrounded by such a team. They will all be running with me out there on August 24th.
- Ryan
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Tags: 2008 Beijing Olympics, big bear lake, Boulder, boulder boulder, charity, chiropractor, coach, CU, dream, elite athlete, elite athlete blog series, elite runner, friendship, give back, harmony, Kip Keino, lance armstrong, lenox lewis, Lornah Kiplagat, massage therapist, motivation, Move a Million Miles for Ryan Hall, one world one dream, participation, paul tergat, progress, Ryan Hall, sara hall, support group, team running usa, team world vision, temp run, Terrence Mahon, tfs elite athlete blog series, the final sprint elite athlete blog series, thefinalsprint.com elite athlete blog series, therapy, track and field, travel, Unity, wife, workouts, world vision
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The Final Sprint
When I spend time with groups of students, I make sure to emphasize that the best way to reach your goals is to surround yourself with like-minded people who have the talents and skills that compliment and strengthen yours. I’m an author, so I use the example of how I needed an illustrator, translator (my book is bilingual), editors, a graphic designer and a publisher to make my words come to life. I could never have make my book happen if even one of those people was missing! It is SO great to see how your team of professionals is supporting you as you make your dream a reality.
Glad to hear that you felt great on your 10 miler. May you enjoy the remaining months of your training. I can’t even imagine how hard the work must be to bring your body and mind to their peak performance, but I do know how satisfying and rewarding it is to reach long-term goals! Best wishes!
June 6th, 2008 at 11:20 pmPraying for you and Sara-
June 7th, 2008 at 11:31 amRyan,
I am a coach at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, MO. I wanted to say thank you for being such a great role-model for my runners. Several of them keep track of your success and how you apply your faith with running. That is awesome and God has seriously blessed you.
We are all praying for you.
God bless-
June 9th, 2008 at 11:35 amHi Ryan,
First off, I’m a big fan of your running and enjoy reading your blog as well.
I’m not sure if you read these replies or not, but I’m interested in knowing who your massage therapist and chiropractor are. I’ve been battling a very debilitating condition that prevents me from running to my potential (and for that matter, any outdoor activity I do). Anyways, I’m just looking for some very skilled doctors who may be able to help me out. It’s very similar to the same thing Josh McDougal is dealing with right now. I live in Orange County, so Big Bear isn’t too far of a drive for me.
Good luck with your training and God bless!
-Jason
June 11th, 2008 at 3:36 amHi Ryan,
Big Bear is getting fired up! Thanks to you and Sara. Both of you have inspired me to challenge myself so I will be running/walking my first marathon at the tender age of 49 this September in Big Bear. I have discovered a new beauty to Big Bear that I would never of had the opportunity to experience if it weren’t for running. I ran a 12 miler from N.S. through Fawnskin to Grey’s Landing and back. Wow, what a beautiful place that I have passed many times in 20 years but never truly experienced. I just kept thanking God for the gifts that I have been given. Thank you for inspiring a community to move!
June 11th, 2008 at 11:51 amPatrice Carlisle
Good Morning Ryan and hello to you from Birmingham UK.
Today, a few of us on the Neil Diamond World Concert tour have our red “run ryan run” caps on as we travel to Dublin Ireland. My partner, Thomas Bicanic (thanks Thomas for delivering the ryan hats) and I own the Knickerbocker Mansion in Big Bear Lake… and the Lighthouse meetings are held at the Knickerbocker. Thomas has been adding to your million miles when he is able to bike around Big Bear. At the moment he is in Germany visiting his family and will return to the bike next week in continued support. I am on concert tour for the next couple of years, home in Big Bear now and then. We, on tour with Neil, continue our quest to put happy smiles on our audiences faces around the world…. and we support you in your quest for the “gold”. One of your fellow class mates, Jonathan Melton, from Big Bear High School is on of my sound crew on our tour. We are proud of his hard work, positive attitude and good impressions that he leaves with the locals as we forge ahead on the tour. This is his 1st tour and my 41st year with Neil. Today we are moving our show to Dublin and in a couple of days, we plan to sing smiles on the faces of 50,000 Irish at a single concert. I am sorry that we cannot log the miles of travel by air, train and bus on this tour in your support, but please know that we are with you in spirit, as we take one more “bite of the apple”. We will be following your progress.
STAN
June 12th, 2008 at 6:00 amStanley R. Miller
Thomas F. Bicanic, Innkeepers
Knickerbocker Mansion Country Inn
869 Knickerbocker Rd
PO Box 1907
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315
Phone: 909-878-9190
FAX: 909-878-4248
e-mail: knickmail@knickerbockermansion.com
Toll Free 800-388-4179
http://www.knickerbockermansion.com/
Hey Ryan,
Congrats on having a good tempo run. Running an effortless 4:45 is amazing. All the best to you and Sara!
-Austin
June 16th, 2008 at 11:17 pmRyan - Keep nailing those tempos. Everyone who follows running in America is rooting for you. You’re our big chance for the marathon in Beijing and I hope you bring back gold. I wish you the best of luck and focus in your training. Tom
June 17th, 2008 at 8:56 amRyan,
June 18th, 2008 at 3:54 pmThanks for sharing your thoughts, training, and faith with us. These blogs have a lot of wisdom and have helped me in my spiritual walk as well as mental approach to running. I have run many marathons, trail ultras, and even a 100-miler - all by the grace of God. Running has brought me closer to Him, and to see you giving Jesus the glory for your life and running makes me smile… Can’t wait to watch you in the Olympics! I Peter 1:6-8, Brent
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June 23rd, 2008 at 8:31 pm[…] World class runner Ryan Hall runs for World Vision and trains for the Olympics. […]
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