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Lead Stories: Friday, August 29, 2008

Ryan Hall: Keeping Perspective
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #4)

Posted March 4th, 2008 at 4:56 PM by Ryan Hall

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Cross Country, 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/

To be completely honest, I was bummed after XC Nationals. I was in good shape and ready to go, or so I thought. My expectations were high and I was hoping to kick off 2008 with a bang, so I was naturally a little bent when things didn’t turn out how I had hoped. Finishing fifth wasn’t a terrible performance and my hat goes off to Dathan and the rest of the guys on the team (I am sure we will all be proud of how they represent the US at Worlds), but it just wasn’t building the momentum I was looking for heading into London. Afterwards, there were lots of reasons, of which I constantly kept reminding myself, for why I didn’t perform well, but that didn’t keep me from getting a little bummed. Even so, I welcome these humbling experiences because they get me fired up. I had humbling experiences that preceded all of my best races.
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Ryan Hall: Confidence
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #3)

Posted February 16th, 2008 at 1:15 PM by Ryan Hall

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Track & Field, 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.

Something that has been on my mind a lot lately is the importance of confidence. When I am in Mammoth training I sometimes like to shoot hoops after our evening weight lifting is complete. When I am shooting around I like to work on my visualization skills. Just moments before releasing the ball I see the ball going in.

In my mind I become border-line cocky with each passing shot. If I miss I instantly shake it off and visualize the next shot going in, swish. I tell myself there is no way I will miss, swish. I see the ball crisply cutting through the net, swish. It amazing how much better I shoot when I am overly confident. I know this is kind of a ghetto experiment but it has definitely shown me that I am a lot more likely to perform better when I am confident than when I am unsure.
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Interview Excerpts: Gilmore, Rohatinsky and Shay on being Marathon Trial “Underdogs”

Posted October 26th, 2007 at 9:50 AM by Adam Jacobs

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

Earlier this week, the New York Road Runners hosted the final installment in a three part series of teleconferences related to the about the November 2 U.S. Olympic Men’s Marathon trials in New York City.

This third teleconference provided the media with an opportunity to speak with NYRR CEO/President Mary Wittenberg and the following professional athletes: Peter Gilmore, Josh Rohatinsky, Ryan Shay

On being referred to as dark horses and training for the Trials:

Ryan: Since winning the USA Marathon title in 2003, my training has had a long period of ups and downs, some changes in coaching and changes in training environment . . .
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NYRR, Wittenberg Continue to Lead the Way

Posted September 14th, 2007 at 9:03 AM by Scott Bush

Section: Marathons, Columns, SPOTLIGHT

For the past few years, every major marathon seems to include a handful of pacemakers to take out the race and push the fields to fast times. While fast times look impressive on paper, they don’t always make for the best races and the public is generally unaware of the records and impressive times for elite marathoners. With that in mind, Mary Wittenberg, the race director for the New York City Marathon, announced Friday that there will be no pacemakers at this year’s race.

“Our sport is full of great stars who thrive on competition and the purity of head-to-head racing,” Wittenberg said. “In the end, it is all about the thrill of racing and the pursuit of victory. Who cares what the clock says? We owe it to our best to put them front and center and let them race.”

This is great news for a variety of reasons. While hundreds of thousands run a marathon or two each year, few of those runners know more than a couple of the world’s best marathoners. Taking away pacemakers in the front of the pack allows TV commentators to focus on identifying athletes and build stories around them, creating more space for athletes to be showcased. No pacemaking also signifies a larger, more competitive field at the end of the race, instead of a strung out group, with no more than a handful of athletes in the lead pack.

The New York Road Runners build running environments in their city that are both creative and diverse, and with Wittenberg at the helm, NYRR consistently shows why New York City is the center of the second running boom. Dropping pacemakers from the elite race is a bold move. It suggests more head-to-head racing, but slower finish times. NYRR often gambles with ideas like this and continues to exude the creativity, confidence and ability to elevate their events and athletes that this sport so desperately needs.

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Bored with your trail running route? The solution may be simpler than you think …

Posted June 4th, 2007 at 2:37 PM by Bart Moylan

Section: Running & Training, Motivation, Cross Training, Health & Fitness, Exercise

So you’ve just blown through one of your regular trail routes and you are feeling like it’s become too routine, as if you’ve just done your regular 3-mile loop in your neighborhood. As you think to yourself how mundane that loop was the thought hits you in the side of head like a wild right hook from Chuck Liddell, the trails I’m running have become just like the pavement, uninspiring and ridiculously repetitive!

One of the reasons you left the pavement for the woods was the different surroundings but somehow that does not seem to be the case. Lost is that sense of adventure, excitement or what lurks up ahead. Logic would dictate that you should change trails, routes, hills or mountains. However, what if that’s not possible, or you have already tried that, but can’t shake the monotony?

Well, you should start by considering your attitude towards your training runs and workouts, as well as how your routine generally unfolds…

Read the rest at our partner site: TrailFit.com

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Podcast 28: Interview with Brent Ion of HomeTeam; a training group that’s changing the lives of those in need

Posted March 16th, 2007 at 4:54 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: Motivation, Success Stories, Columns, Special Features, Interviews, Podcasts, SPOTLIGHT

Episode 28 of The Final Sprint Podcast features my interview with Brent Ion; an incredible person whose love for running and desire to help others amalgamated into an inspirational and impressive program called HomeTeam.

Brent is a 46 year old financial consultant for Smith Barney and is on the Board of Director’s of The Lord’s Place; a non-profit organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of homelessness. Brent formulated HomeTeam, a unique marathon training program for homeless individuals in an around Palm Beach Country, Florida, because of his desire to do more to improve the quality of life of others.

With the help of Brent, The Lord’s Place and the community, HomeTeam has been successful in helping homeless runners to change their lives, beat addictions, improve their health, boost their confidence and so much more.

Download the podcast to learn more about the program, where the idea came from, how it works, HomeTeam’s participation in the Marathon of the Palm Beaches, how it’s homeless members are getting their lives back on track, community involvement, plans to raise $1 million, and more!

Listen In
[PLAY] (To Download: Right click and select “save as”)

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Host: Adam Jacobs
Guest: Brent Ion
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 11.4MB
Length: 00:16:37

Interested in featuring The Final Sprint Podcast on your site, blog or My Space page? Click here to learn how!

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