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/
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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Now several months removed from his victory at the USA Olympic Marathon Trials last November, Ryan Hall joins us for Episode 132 of The Final Sprint Running Podcast to share this thoughts on turning the page, the Olympic year, and beginning the next big chapter in his young, but already exhilarating career.
In the interview he talks about his preparations for his next race, this Sunday’s Flora London Marathon, his tapering strategy, expectations, not having a specific time goal, and many other details regarding his second trip across the pond.
Download the podcast to hear Ryan talk about how his younger brother Chad is adjusting to college life as he runs track and cross country for the University of Oregon. He also replies to some of the critical comments that readers have made on some of the other running websites about his faith. In addition, he explains why he enjoys blogging and he answers some of the questions that some of you have asked on his TFS Elite Athlete Blog (http://ryanhall.thefinalsprint.com), including questions about weight training for marathoners, why he’s running London instead of Boston, how he motivated himself back to the top of his game when he was struggling at Stanford and much, much more!
TO DOWNLOAD: Right click here and select “Save As”
Host: Jimmie Markham | Guest: Ryan Hall
Producers: Greg Cherniet, Adam Jacobs
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 17.7 MB | Length: 00:25:50
Episode Sponsored By: U.S. Army Special Forces
If your measure of success goes way beyond the mainstream, if you think limits are something to be pushed, if your greatest motivation is doing the impossible, we may have a career for you.
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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 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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Running gracefully up and down the hills of Central Park at last November’s USA Olympic Team Trials - Men’s Marathon, Ryan Hall’s run to victory looked effortless. Although his 2:09:02 clocking was a Trials record, he surely would have run faster had he not spent most of the final mile celebrating. Nonetheless, he still won by more than two minutes, breezing through the final half of the race in 62:45, the fastest half-marathon ever run in Central Park.
But the Trials was only the first of three major marathons Hall will run over a period of less than ten months. Instead of sitting out the spring marathon season to rest his legs for the Olympic Marathon in Beijing on August 24, Hall has instead decided to contest the Flora London Marathon. In the April 13 race, the most competitive spring marathon in the world, Hall will be up against marathoning heavyweights like Martin Lel, Abderrahim Goumri, Felix Limo, Jaouad Gharib, and Stefano Baldini. He finished seventh there last year in 2:08:24, a USA debut record.
When asked in an extensive interview conducted by e-mail if he was concerned about packing three marathons into a relatively short period of time, Hall quipped: “Practice makes perfect.”
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Meet Amy Hinrichs - part student, part writer, part comedienne - and part marathon runner. This April, Amy will embark on her first ever Boston Marathon. Whether you run ‘em, or only dream about it, join Amy on her training adventure as she prepares to join the thousands of intrepid runners in treading those incomparable 26.2 miles.
The joy of training for a marathon. (Yes, I promise you that the words” joy” and “marathon” may be found in the same sentence. You might have to dig beyond those extra glucose stores to find it, but it’s there. It’s possible.) Now I know what you’re all thinking. “This woman has got to be crazier than Britney Spears shaving her head if she thinks there is anything joyful about running 26.2 miles in the same day, let alone training for it.” – Well, I am here to inform you that running 26.2 miles in the same day is possible, and what better way to do that than to include you in my training plan?
Readt the rest of this entry at our partner site: HerActiveLife.com
Completing a marathon puts ordinary runners in the company of elite athletes—finishing a 26.2-mile run is an impressive accomplishment.
But you don’t have to be an elite athlete to join the ranks of marathoners around the world. With dedication and training, most runners can complete a marathon—and then have the satisfaction of being able to say, “A marathon” Yeah, I’ve done that.”
So don’t shy away from a marathon because it seems too hard, too long, too painful. With the right attitude and a good training regimen, it’s just 26.2 miles away.
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Can sedentary people be transformed into marathon runners?
That’s the question the USA public television show “Nova” set out to answer in a recently-aired documentary in which a group of sedentary non-athletes embarked on a nine-month training program for the Boston Marathon.
You can watch this fascinating program on-line for no charge at the following link:
[Nova]
By all reports, the show is very inspiring. Watch it if you can.
(c) 2007 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Used with permission.
Michael Johnson: Will Asafa Ever Be Champ? “Doubtful!”
Legendary sprinter Michael Johnson has written an article today in telegraph.co.uk that severely criticizes 100m world-record holder Asafa Powell. Among other things, MJ writes that what he saw in Powell at Osaka, “was an athlete who not only had his advantage taken away by the level of talent he faced, but an athlete who was not prepared to run his best race even before he stepped on the track.” Read more at: [Telegraph.co.uk]
Mario and Sonic Go To Beijing
A new video game called “
” (NDS/Wii) finds our favorite video game characters (Mario, Sonic, Luigi, Knuckles, Yoshi, Tails, more) in Beijing competing in, among other Olympic Sports, track and field events 110m and 400m Hurdles, 4×100m Relay, 100m, 400m, High Jump, Pole Vault, Long Jump, Triple Jump, Javelin Throw and Hammer Throw. The events are held in stylized versions of the official Beijing Olympic Games venues. Read more at: [WorthPlaying.com]
Isinbayeva: New World Record Will Come
An article in South Africa’s The Times reveals that Pole vault superstar Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia has said that she is confident she will break her own world record in 2008. She also stated that she plans on emulating Sergei Bubka and following him into the IOC after she retires. Read more at: [The Times, South Africa]
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The following post was submitted by Emily Fischer. Emily is blogging about her quest to finish her first marathon (Chicago), and her determination to raise money for the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation (her pledge page can be found by clicking here.)
Emily’s race for research, and, ultimately a cure, was propelled by the death of her young cousin, Sam, from mitochondrial disease; Sammy’s older brother, Zach, continues to fight it everyday of his life. For the next few months, we will follow along with Emily as she discovers both the energetic highs and the crushing lows of running. Emily is a gifted writer and thinker from Wisconsin – this is her story.
My birthday was last week. I am now the seasoned and very well-adjusted age of twenty-eight. Training has rewarded me with body aches I feel I have yet to earn as I’ve only just entered the second quarter of the game. I guess there is no going back to the starting buzzer, and twenty-eight years isn’t exactly a minor amount of time. Maybe I need to stop being so hyperaware and pessimistic. Maybe I need to focus on the gift that is the ability to feel the life in my body. Maybe all of it…while remembering to breathe.
Read the rest of this entry at our partner site: HerActiveLife.com
One goal that many women set for themselves at some point in their lives is to complete a half or full marathon. It is definitely a challenging endeavour, and can offer a lot of personal satisfaction once accomplished.
More than a race along, a marathon has a whole spirit to itself, from a pre-marathon meet and greet, to the pre-race carb-up meal, followed by the massages offered to participants after the race and the post-run celebration feast. It’s easy to make a complete weekend out of a marathon event and really enjoy yourself in the process.
One issue that many women face when starting to train for a marathon is a noticeable weight gain. You would think that with the ever increasing amount of running, they would be dropping pounds without any real effort, but often it’s the exact opposite. What gives?
The main factor that contributes to weight gain is that with all this extra running comes an extreme appetite that often cannot seem to be satisfied.
Read the rest of this entry at our partner site: HerActiveLife.com
From time to time TFS will try and highlight other stories that you might find of interest:
Out of Lance’s Slipstream, a Trainer Reinvents Himself — NY Times
10 training rules for running/walking a marathon — Gary Moller Online
Sell still chasing Olympic dream — Washington Post
Quick, Do You Know Your B.M.I.? – NY Times
El Guerrouj to support […]
Jim Fortner is a weekly, guest contributor to TFS. Also check out his own personal running and advice site: “Jim2’s Running Page”.
There are two distinct camps among runners on the length of the maximum long run during marathon training. There are those who believe that it’s best to run 26 miles (and even longer) in […]
Jim Fortner is a weekly, guest contributor to TFS. Make sure to also check out his own personal running and advice site: “Jim2’s Running Page”.
It’s perfectly natural for a runner to have a lot of uncertainty while training for his or her first marathon. There are so many things to question yourself about …
Am I […]
Brendan Brazier is a professional Ironman triathlete, the 2003 and 2006 Canadian 50km Ultra Marathon Champion, a bestselling author on performance nutrition and the creator of an award-winning meal replacement and energy bar formula called Vega.
I had the luck of meeting Brendan at the ING New York City Marathon Health & Wellness expo this past […]
Many runners avoid hills like the plague. When mapping out routes for training runs or even races to run in, runners will stay as far away as possible from anything that even remotely resembles an incline. Often, if faced with no choice but to run the hill, runners will choose to walk it […]
Jim Fortner is a weekly, guest contributor to TFS. Make sure to also check out his own personal running and advice site: “Jim2’s Running Page”.
I don’t like to apply precise, limiting criteria, whether percentage or time based, to the relationship of the long run to total mileage on a week by week basis. For instance, […]
Jim Fortner is a weekly, guest contributor to TFS. Make sure to also check out his own personal running and advice site: “Jim2’s Running Page”.
I think the consensus of most experienced marathoners is that a balanced training program that includes a mix of lactate threshold (LT), hill training, VO2max, anaerobic, and marathon pace (MP) sessions […]
Many runners have the mistaken impression that they have to run a lot of miles every week to be able to run fast in a marathon. Most will find that running too many miles slows them down.
To run fast in races, you have to run very fast in practice. However, on the day after […]
Jim Fortner is a weekly, guest contributor to TFS. Make sure to also check out his own personal running and advice site: “Jim2’s Running Page”.
A couple of weeks ago, I was going through a cabinet where I store books that I have owned for as long as 35 years. I have the complete works of […]
Jim Fortner is a weekly, guest contributor to TFS. Make sure to also check out his own personal running and advice site: “Jim2’s Running Page”.
I think that too many marathoners taper too far. If anything, I have always done the opposite and not tapered enough. However, I think that is the better approach….it’s also counter […]
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