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Lead Stories: Saturday, July 19, 2008

Dathan Ritzenehin: Fueling the Olympic Family and More
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #6)

Posted May 20th, 2008 at 4:00 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!

Well, these past two weeks had a few highs and lows. On a high note, we went back to Michigan and saw our folks, Kalin ran the 25k, and we had Addy baptized. On the low note, my training was not progressing like we had hoped, so we decided to withdraw from the Healthy Kidney 10k. I was quite upset, given where I was in my fitness last year, but I have to remember the Olympics are my main focus.

Going back to the Michigan is always nice because it brings me back to my roots. Little things such as grocery shopping, food, meals, and driving all seem so different when I come back. I was reminded of this when I went home to my dad’s house, and noticed how I never thought twice about what I ate until I entered college, and started paying attention about what I put into my body. In his refrigerator I noticed foods that resembled a typical Midwest palate, such as white bread, chicken, canned green beans and so on. If anyone is from the Midwest I’m not trying to offend anyone, I’m simply trying to point out the differences between then and now. I guess we have become somewhat of food snobs, but we try to eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains, I need to work on my Dad to get some more wholesome foods in there.
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Jon Rankin:
Somewhere Only We Know
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #11)

Posted May 1st, 2008 at 10:30 AM by Jon Rankin

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics, 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/

It’s the end of April and the weather here in San Diego is getting hotter and hotter. I’m grateful for the warm weather, but boy, anything over 90 degrees makes things a little tough for training. However, as hot as it has been I do believe that it must be a blessing in disguise because I’ve been told that the weather in Beijing, China is particularly warm . . . Well, all of the athletes living here at the ARCO Olympic Training Center here in Chula Vista, California are adjusting and making the most of everyday no matter the weather conditions.

I’ve actually been on the opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to weather conditions. For nearly eight days a small group of track and field athletes from the Chula Vista ARCO Olympic Training Center travelled to Eugene, Oregon for a sneak peek at the Olympic Trials venue at Hayward field on the University of Oregon campus.
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