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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.
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Nick Symmonds:
Outdoors is Here!
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #12)
Posted May 6th, 2008 at 11:30 AM by Nick Symmonds
Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Elite Athlete Blogs, Nick Symmonds
Welcome to the official blog of elite American middle-distance runner Nick Symmonds. Be sure to check every other Monday at http://nicksymmonds.thefinalsprint.com/ for Nick’s latest entry! For more information about Nick, also please visit: www.nicksymmonds.com
I freaking love the outdoor season. After a long, cold, and wet winter / early spring comprised of boring days filled almost entirely with training, the track season comes and we get to finally see our hard work pay off. I got to see a bit of this over the last two weeks as I opened up my outdoor season in Philadelphia and Palo Alto.
Going out to the Penn Relays wasn’t originally in the plans but Coach Gags and I thought it would be a good idea to get a nice effort in before my first 1500m. Also, Penn is the most exciting place to race and nothing like it will get you as pumped up for an upcoming season. I ran a 1200m in a U.S. DMR [Distance Medley Relay] and was very pleased with my performance. I basically decided to treat it as a workout and just ran it as hard as i could. In doing this I split 2:51.1 and found out that I am really really strong right now! I was able to give my USA team a good lead but we were unable to finish that way and the Kenyans won (yet again!).
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American Record for Flanagan At Cardinal Invitational
Posted May 5th, 2008 at 12:30 PM by David Monti
Section: News & Results, Track & Field
She’d never run a 10,000m race before, but Shalane Flanagan can safely say that she’s already mastered the distance on only her first try at Sunday’s Peyton Jordan Cardinal Invitational. Helped by excellent pacemaking provided by Kenya’s Rose Kosgei and a spirited battle with New Zealand’s Kim Smith which went right to homestretch, the 26 year-old Olympian toppled Deena Kastor’s American record with a sparkling 30:34.49 clocking.
“Thanks to the New York Road Runners, they set me up with a rabbit and that gave me a cushion,” Flanagan told a clutch of reporters after the race. “It really worked out very well.”
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Star-Studded Meet At Stanford Tomorrow Night
Posted May 4th, 2008 at 11:30 AM by David Monti
Section: News & Results, Track & Field
Just 18 miles north of this San Jose suburb, one of the most important meets for distance runners held in the United States will take place at Stanford University. Packed with talent, the Peyton Jordan Cardinal Invitational turns the running industry on its head: top stars actually pay entry fees to compete and there are no appearance fees or cash prizes.
So what’s the draw? Perfect weather for achieving all-important Olympic Games qualifying times. When the sun sets at this time of year in Palo Alto, the winds calm down and the temperature drops, becoming comfortably cool. There is already very low humidity.
The key races are the top sections of the men’s and women’s 5000m and 10,000m, led by double world champion Bernard Lagat. Although he won the world titles last summer at both the 1500m and the 5000m, he doesn’t have an Olympic Games “A” standard time in the longer distance: 13:21.50. Working with other coaches, managers and the New York Road Runners, the men’s 5-K will be set-up by pacemaker Christian Hesch for a 13:10 to 13:20 finish time.
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In Quest for Double Olympic Gold, Lagat has El Guerrouj on His Side
Posted April 19th, 2008 at 10:30 AM by Bob Ramsak
Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics
As he sets out on his quest for double Olympic gold this summer, Bernard Lagat will have plenty of supporters. Among them is the man whose achievement he’ll be hoping to emulate in Beijing: world record holder and reigning double Olympic champion Hicham El Guerrouj.
“Bernard proved in Osaka, thanks to determination and passion, that he can do it,” El Guerrouj, the finest middle distance runner of his generation, said of his long-time rival, last fall.
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On March 15, 2010
SDrunner said:
Great review, I wrote one on the Ironman Road Trainer HRM, which is similar to this one, without the...