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Lead Stories: Friday, January 9, 2009

Nick Symmonds:
Race Preparation
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 26)

Posted January 5th, 2009 at 2:11 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Elite Athlete Blogs, Nick Symmonds

Welcome to the official blog of middle-distance track star and 2008 U.S. Olympian 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: nicksymmonds.com

I’ll start out by thanking Dylan and John who read last weeks blog and left comments. Im glad to know that fellow 800m runners out there are reading and enjoying what I have to say! I think I can address both of your questions by talking about how I prepare for a race. This is actually a very suiting time to be writing such a blog as I am currently preparing for my first indoor competition which will take place in Boston on February 7th.

As I look to ready my mind and body for a race I start thinking about tweaking a few small things in my training a week out. If it is a race that I am planning on training through, my total mileage for that week will probably only drop about 5 to 10 percent. I typically run 70 miles a week when I’m training at capacity and thus for the week of a race I might only get 60 to 65 miles in. If I am preparing for a big race, such as the trials, the tapering process will be closer to two weeks (i.e. I would go from 70 down to 60 down to 50).
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Sara & Ryan Hall:
Our Fall Adventures - Part 3
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 20)

Posted December 29th, 2008 at 9:35 AM by Sara Hall

Section: News & Results, Marathons, SPOTLIGHT, Elite Athlete Blogs, Ryan Hall, 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/

The first few miles of the course (of the Run for Clean Water) followed the rutty red dirt “road” through the forest and out onto the main road. I though that surely by the time we hit the road, most of the under-trained and eager young runners would have come back to me. But I once again underestimated the talent of these young Zambians, and though I passed some in the first few miles, I turned onto the road and saw some young men charging down the road in the distance about 400 meters away. The black “tarmac” as they called it was scorching in the heat as we ran straight up a relentless hill. I settled in running next to a guy wearing a sweatshirt and sandals three sizes too big for him. They flapped loudly with each step, and I told myself, Sara, you are a professional athlete, you will not get beat by a guy wearing sandals. We kept a good pace together as we continued to climb, the sun beating stronger with each mile, and I wondered how some of the runners around me were able to run barefoot on the scorching pavement!
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Jon Rankin:
Facing the Next Step [Part 1]
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 22)

Posted December 24th, 2008 at 10:13 AM by Jon Rankin

Section: Elite Athlete Blogs, Jon Rankin

Welcome to the official blog of rising U.S. track & field star Jon Rankin, the inaugural member of TheFinalSprint’s Elite Athlete Blog Series. Check back every other Wednesday for his latest entry at http://jonrankin.thefinalsprint.com

The year 2005 marked the moment in my life when I would enter what’s known to all soon-to-be graduating college seniors as “the real world.” No, I’m not talking about the MTV show The Real World. Even though that would have been a lot more fun post-graduation, it’s as far as you can get from anything like the real world I’m talking about (sorry real world fans). I’m talking about the world where financial aid is no longer student loans (that’s what I had), college scholarships (that’s what I didn’t have) or grants (didn’t have any of these either), but a job that you have to find. Where your living situation is no longer a dorm room, but most likely a small, dirty, really old apartment in a location furthest from where your job is located. Going into my 5th and final year of college I was faced with the inevitability of the bubble that college creates for all 18-22 year olds bursting and having to create a similar situation all on my own once that diploma touched my hands. To say the least, I was staring in the face of the real world and I was uncertain about my future with less than twelve months of school left.
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Nick Symmonds: A Typical Day in the Life of a Pro Runner (Elite Athlete Blog Entry 25)

Posted December 15th, 2008 at 9:30 AM by Nick Symmonds

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Elite Athlete Blogs, Nick Symmonds

This blog is for Micah who requested an entry detailing a typical day in the life of a professional runner. I’m sure the average schedule varies quite a big based on geographical location and event, but I can tell you that the day I’m describing is very typical for me and is similar to that of many of my teammates.

When we are on the road for a race our days are very unscheduled and you have to learn to adapt to changes. That can be difficult sometime because when we are home our lives are pretty simple and very plain.

A day at home in Eugene typically begins at 8 am. If I have been smart I will have gone to bed the night before around 11 PM and wake up on my own (without an alarm clock) after 9 hours of sleep. I usually try to have a cup of coffee and a banana before I head out the door for practice. Some mornings I will go straight to the gym to lift but most mornings I leave to meet the team for my first workout of the day.
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Jon Rankin:
We Can All Be Heroes
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 21)

Posted December 11th, 2008 at 11:00 AM by Jon Rankin

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

Welcome to the official blog of rising U.S. track & field star Jon Rankin, the inaugural member of TheFinalSprint’s Elite Athlete Blog Series. Check back every other Wednesday for his latest entry at http://jonrankin.thefinalsprint.com

Last night, December 5th, 2008, I attended the Nike high school cross country event called the Nike XC Cool Down in Hollywood, California. I had the best time hanging out with all who attended, from the Nike LA Reps, the local high school cross country runners, their coaches and their parents. Along with my training partner, Alysia Johnson I had the joy of being a “celebrity” guest for the event. The event had a little bit of everything: good food and music, running videos, even a dance contest. Unfortunately, I couldn’t compete in the dance competition, but if I did I think I could have given the high school kids a run for the win and bragging rights!

The night provided a rapidly aging runner like me—I know I’m not old but it feels that way sometimes–an opportunity to reminisce with the young audience about my high school experience and what it meant to me looking back now. I have to admit that as I described my high school running experience I felt nostalgic. I hadn’t realized in quite sometime how much I missed the pasta parties. One of my fondest memories from high school cross country was the nicknames that we had for each other, many we still shamelessly use to this day. My nickname was “Rankdog.” I know, I know, “Rankdog?” I’m not even going to try and explain it. All I can say for the name was that I, I mean we thought it was cool at the time…..
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Sara & Ryan Hall:
Our Fall Adventures - Part 2
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 19)

Posted December 5th, 2008 at 2:16 PM by Sara Hall

Section: News & Results, Marathons, SPOTLIGHT, Elite Athlete Blogs, Ryan Hall, 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/

As much as we enjoyed the run with the Zambian people, running wasn’t our intention for going to Zambia. We were there with some of the leaders and supporters of Team World Vision to see some of World Vision’s projects throughout different communities in Zambia. World Vision is a humanitarian organization that works with children, families, and their communities worldwide to tackle the causes of poverty and injustice. Team World Vision is a program that enables runners to raise awareness and funds for these communities. This year, Ryan and I joined Team World Vision to join other athletes in helping provide clean water for communities in Zambia.

The need for clean water impacts much of Africa for many reasons. Not only does unclean water cause and exacerbate disease, but it also keeps children from attending school. Often times, children, particularly girls, are required to walk long distances for clean water, keeping them out of school or causing them to arrive late and tired to the point of not being able to concentrate. It’s amazing that something so basic to human survival that we in the US take for granted could be denied to so many people in other areas. Ryan and I couldn’t wait to see with our own eyes the projects we had been thinking about and talking about throughout the last year, and meet the people who would benefit from the wells we were helping provide.
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Nick Symmonds:
Post-Collegiate Running
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 24)

Posted November 18th, 2008 at 9:24 AM by Nick Symmonds

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Elite Athlete Blogs, Nick Symmonds

I am often asked what a post collegiate running career consists of. Sometimes I am asked by a friend or a fan who doesn’t entirely understand how someone can make a living running. Other times I am asked this question by collegians who are interested in continuing their own track careers. Unfortunately, there simply are not a lot of resources out there to help these people understand the options available to athletes interested in running at an elite level after college. While there are many different options out there, I feel I must admit that I know very little about many of them and therefore only have the expertise to explain how my own professional running career came about. Ill start at the beginning.

After a fairly successful college career I had several sponsors expressing slight interest in representing me. Generally speaking, it is through these sponsors that one is able to make a living. I knew that in order to secure a good deal with these sponsors I would need two things: better marks, and an agent. As it would turn out I was able to tackle both of these challenges in the same weekend.
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Sara & Ryan Hall:
Our Fall Adventures - Part 1
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 18)

Posted November 14th, 2008 at 12:00 PM by Sara Hall

Section: News & Results, Marathons, SPOTLIGHT, Elite Athlete Blogs, Ryan Hall, 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/

I don’t even know where to start! Since I last wrote, we have experienced so much that it’s overwhelming to try to sum it up succinctly in a blog. So this will have to be Part 1 of the Hall’s Fall Adventures!

Last I wrote we were about to head off to the Chicago Marathon to cheer on Team World Vision. It was incredible to actually be with the team in person, meet them at the pre-race pasta dinner, and rally the masses in orange ready to run Sunday morning! Team World Vision had around 800 runners in the marathon, making them close to if not the largest charity in the race! It’s been exciting to see the word getting out and the momentum that the team is generating. During the marathon, I ran around the course cheering on my teammate Kate O’Neill and the hundreds of orange TWV runners that were so easy to spot! Afterwards, we had a barbeque in a park adjacent to the finish, and we got to hear the stories of the 26.2 miles and what had motivated them to join Team World Vision. Some of the runners even ran with buttons displaying a picture of their sponsored child, of whom they were running in honor.

NOTE: Check out the following video of Sara and Ryan addressing Team World Vision runners before the 2008 Chicago Marathon. Then make sure to click “Read the rest of this entry” to continue viewing Part 1 of Sara’s blog entry about their Fall Adventures!

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Jon Rankin: Being Human
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 20)

Posted November 7th, 2008 at 10:06 AM by Jon Rankin

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

Welcome to the official blog of rising U.S. track & field star Jon Rankin; the inaugural member of The Final Sprint’s Elite Athlete Blog Series. Be sure to check back every other Wednesday for Jon’s latest entry at http://jonrankin.thefinalsprint.com/

The summer is now far behind us and as the fall quickly fades away I find joy in the coming and going of the seasons. I know I haven’t communicated much with the great Final Sprint audience but all of you haven’t been too far from my mind or heart. In fact, I’ve spent a great part of my summer reflecting upon the journey we went through together this past Olympic year and I realize we’ve had “conversations” of great depth: conversations about my fears and dreams, my triumphs and my failures. And as I now reflect upon those conversations I sit here feeling a profound sense of gratefulness for your ears and your kind words. As we move towards a new season of training and racing I look forward to picking up where we left off, only this time our journey will be bound for a destination in Europe–Berlin, Germany for the 2009 World Championships.
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Nick Symmonds:
Building the Base
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 23)

Posted November 3rd, 2008 at 4:29 PM by Nick Symmonds

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Elite Athlete Blogs, Nick Symmonds

I have returned to Eugene, Oregon and am in the process of building my base. As always, I felt terrible when I started to come back from my time off. Its amazing how out of shape one can get after simply not running for two weeks. I was ten pounds heavier and every step I took those first few days felt like an action that was totally foreign to my legs. I kept complaining about how incredibly out of shape I was to my parents and they just laughed and asked, “Wait, how many miles did you run today?”

That first week back the answer was usually five or six. I know to most runners that isn’t much, but to the average person 5 to 6 miles a day is a lot. I think that just goes to show you how strict our standards are for ourselves as runners. Even now, as I sit on my couch recovering from a 10 mile run I ran this morning I cannot help but cringe at how unfit I am. On the outside I probably look exactly the same as I did the day I won the trials this past July, but on the inside I feel so radically different.
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