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Lead Stories: Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Sara Hall: Getting Back Up
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry 10)

Posted May 30th, 2008 at 1:00 PM by Sara Hall

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Elite Athlete Blogs, Sara Hall

Welcome to the official blog of U.S. middle-distance runner Sara Hall. Sara’s list of running accolades include being a former NCAA All- American at Stanford, the 2006 USA 5K road champion, and the 2006 champion at the Continental Fifth Avenue Mile. Check back every other Friday for her latest entry at http://sarahall.thefinalsprint.com/

Part I: Last Week

During a recent visit to my hometown,Santa Rosa, CA, when Ryan and I were speaking at a local running shoe store, Ryan said to the crowd of young runners, “Someone once asked me ‘What describes an Olympian?’ and I said, ‘It’s the person who just keeps getting back up.’” I had heard him say this before, but this day it stuck with me. I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs in my professional career. This outdoor season has been no exception.
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Sara Hall: In Definition
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #8)

Posted May 2nd, 2008 at 12:58 PM by Sara Hall

Section: News & Results, Olympics, Elite Athlete Blogs, Sara Hall

Recently I came across some comments on a video of Ryan where people seemed confused as to what he means by “glorifying God”. I don’t normally look at people’s comments because I don’t really like criticism, but for whatever reason I started to read some this day.

Some people were vehemently anti-religion, some people held a strong in-your-face religious stance, and everything in between, debating what Ryan was talking about. It made me realize the ambiguity of this term, “glorifying God”, and so this blog is an attempt to extrapolate on what we mean when we say
we strive to glorify God when we run.
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Sara Hall: Success in London for Ryan, Now On To Mt. Sac (Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #7)

Posted April 18th, 2008 at 4:00 PM by Sara Hall

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Track & Field, Olympics, Elite Athlete Blogs, Sara Hall

It’s over. I am definitely running a little lighter these days now that London is behind us, successfully completed! There is so much buildup going into marathons, especially for Ryan since he usually doesn’t race too much leading up to it. Just one shot, make or break, all that training and dreaming coming down to one day.

This year, Ryan seemed a lot less nervous than last year and at the Trials, which helped me stay relaxed too. I take Ryan’s races very personally, because we are a team- whether playing Poker with our teammates (much to the frustration of Ian [Dobson] frustration) or cheering each other on in workouts, we are “Team Hall” and try to do it together and support each other to the point where his races seem like my races, his victories my victories, and his failures mine as well. The Bible puts it well when it says, “a man shall leave his father and mother, be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh”. Since we’ve been married, I definitely feel like we are “one”, so it was great to be able to be there the whole trip to London and experience it all together!
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TFS Running Podcast 135:
Kate O’Neill on this Sunday’s USA Olympic Women’s Marathon Trials

Posted April 15th, 2008 at 6:30 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics, Special Features, Interviews, Podcasts

Kate O'Neill On Episode 135 of TheFinalSprint.com Podcast, the most listened to running podcast in North America, I had the pleasure of speaking with 2004 Olympian Kate O’Neill who will be running in her first US Olympic Marathon Trials this weekend in Boston. Kate is the 2008 US Half-Marathon champ and goes into the trials with an impressive debut marathon time of 2 hours 36 minutes and 15 seconds (Chicago, 2007).

In the interview, we talk about her goals and thoughts on the Trials and her preparation at altitude in Mammoth Lakes, CA alongside her Team Running USA teammates Deena Kastor and Ryan Hall. We also talk about fellow Yale Alumnus Frank Shorter and about her blogging for The Final Sprint’s Elite Athlete blog series.

Download the podcast to hear Kate talk about getting used to training at altitude, the similarities of her training to Deena Kastor’s, the possibility of running the 10k in Eugene at the USA Olympic Track & Field Trials and much more!

TO DOWNLOAD: Right click here and select “Save As”

Host:Jimmie Markham | Guest: Kate O’Neill
Producers: Greg Cherniet, Adam Jacobs
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 19.3 MB | Length: 00:28:11

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Sara Hall: My Future In the Marathon!
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #5)

Posted March 21st, 2008 at 10:00 AM by Sara Hall

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Elite Athlete Blogs, Sara Hall

As I sat down to write my blog, I realized I rarely write about my training (I guess it kind of seems egotistical to me), but for those who are interested, here you go!

Since Indoor Nationals, my training has definitely ramped up (As Steve Slattery would say, taking it up a notch!)! Living in Big Bear Lake, I have gotten to experience what it’s like to “live high, train low” in the full sense of the term. One of the reasons why Ryan and I bought a home in Big Bear is the benefit of living at 7,000 ft elevation, yet being able to drive down to a nice track at sea level in an hour (or less, depending on how fast you tear down the mountain!) It has been a good compromise for Ryan and I, as he imagines himself going into oxygen shock when at sea level (I always joke I’m going to buy him a pressurized space suit he can wear around), whereas I crave the rhythm of the track with my lungs full of air. So this month I have experimented with training in Big Bear, driving down twice a week to do intense track work and on the weekends doing a mini “marathon simulation” as our team calls it (a medium effort run, followed by a long tempo run) up at altitude.
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Sara Hall: Back to the Mountains
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #4)

Posted March 7th, 2008 at 6:45 PM by Sara Hall

Section: Elite Athlete Blogs, Sara Hall

This week I returned to our home in Big Bear Lake after a stint in San Diego, which is always bittersweet. After being down at sea level and getting a taste of racing, I just want to stay down and race every weekend! But as I made my way up the mountain, the sun was glowing on the snow-capped pine trees and I remembered why I love living up here. They day got even better when I was greeted warmly by our puppy Kai, a miniature Siberian Husky. Ryan was out getting a massage, so she was the only one around to greet me. We headed out for a run together before it got too dark and cold. Kai always makes runs go by fast, running gleefully ahead of me, chasing squirrels up into the trees and carrying a 5 lb. hunk of bone she found somewhere. I never thought I would be one of those people that became so attached to their pets (I mean, they’re animals, right?) but in the 5 months we have owned Kai she has brought such a joy to my life that I never would have expected. It’s neat how God can use even the littlest things sometimes to liven our spirits!
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Jon Rankin: To the Goddess of Victory (Letter #2)
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #7)

Posted February 27th, 2008 at 6:15 PM by Jon Rankin

Section: Motivation, Famous Quotes, Elite Athlete Blogs, Jon Rankin

Welcome to the official blog of rising U.S. track & field star
Jon Rankin; the inaugural member of TheFinalSprint.com’s
Elite Athlete Blog Series. Make sure to check back every other Wednesday for Jon’s latest entry.

Jon Rankin at the 2007 Continental Airlines Fifth avenue Mile Today I sit here in awe at how much life’s journey can be compared to that of a roller coaster ride. These last two weeks have been really down weeks for me. It’s not that my training is going poorly because I’m training very well; and it’s not because I had a ‘bad day’ at the USATF Cross Country National Championships a few weeks ago because I met my goal of finishing in the top-20 (I finished 20th place). Sometimes I just find my self a little lost or down emotionally for no reason at all. And it’s kind of weird because just a few weeks prior to last week and this week I was really happy and positive. I honestly can’t remember the last time I’ve felt this way.
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Sara Hall: Patience
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #3)

Posted February 22nd, 2008 at 2:12 PM by Sara Hall

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Elite Athlete Blogs, Sara Hall

Welcome to the official blog of U.S. middle-distance runner Sara Hall. Sara’s list of running accolades include being a former NCAA All- American at Stanford, the 2006 USA 5K road champion, 5th place finisher in the 1500m at the 2007 USA Track & Field Championships and the 2006 champion at the Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile. Check back every other Friday for her latest entry!

Sara Hall When Ryan and I were first dating during our Freshman year at Stanford, he used to jokingly call me “Sara Patience Bei”. Patience is far from my middle name. It first became apparent in the speed at which we both walked. Freshmen weren’t allowed to have cars at Stanford, so we walked everywhere. Ryan would always whine that I was walking too fast. But the way, he dragged his feet even if we were late. That would make me wonder how somehow who is so fast can walk so slow! The difference in how Ryan and I handle traffic, lines, to-do lists, and overall pace of life is incredible!
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Jon Rankin: Growing Up
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #6)

Posted February 14th, 2008 at 2:30 PM by Jon Rankin

Section: News & Results, Motivation, Cross Country, Track & Field, Elite Athlete Blogs, Jon Rankin

Jon Rankin at the 2007 Continental Airlines Fifth avenue Mile I turned 26 last Saturday, February 9th. And as I grow older I assume I gain wisdom from the time I get to spend here on earth. As far as my running age is concerned, I’ve been a runner for a little over 10 years, but I’ve only really been able to train like one (meaning actually spending time on my feet running) for about half of that time. (The early part of my career had been riddled with stress reactions and fractures in both my left and right tibia and left foot). As a person I definitely grow older in age with every passing day, but I’m still a little kid when it comes to the game of middle and long distance running. The great thing is that with every race and every training session I complete I gain a little more insight about the type of athlete I am, what I’m good at and what I’m not so good at. This weekend’s USA Cross Country Championships here in San Diego (my hometown), the 12km race in which I’ll be competing will be no exception to my education and continued growth as a runner.
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Sara Hall: Legacy …
… Team World Vision!
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #2)

Posted February 8th, 2008 at 7:00 PM by Sara Hall

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Elite Athlete Blogs, Sara Hall

Welcome to the official blog of U.S. middle-distance runner Sara Hall. Sara’s list of running accolades include being a former NCAA All- American at Stanford, the 2006 USA 5K road champion, 5th place finisher in the 1500m at the 2007 USA Track & Field Championships and the 2006 champion at the Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile. Check back every other Friday for her latest entry!

Sara Hall What kind of legacy are you leaving behind? It’s a question I often think about, especially recently when I was asked by a reporter from ESPN, “What will Ryan Shay’s legacy be?”

I’m sure that Ryan’s death jolted all of us out of our daily routine into thinking about our own lives and what we are living for and to what end.

I don’t want to look back on my life and say, “Well, I won some races, set some records, traveled around the world… but didn’t really do anything to change the world around me”. Not to say that everyone needs to go live among lepers in Calcutta like Mother Teresa, but I believe we are all called to make an impact.
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