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Lead Stories: Monday, September 8, 2008

Josh Cox: Ad Finem
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #3)

Posted February 26th, 2008 at 12:15 PM by Josh Cox

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Motivation, Track & Field, Famous Quotes, Elite Athlete Blogs, Josh Cox

Welcome to the official blog of U.S. marathon runner Josh Cox.
Check back every other Wednesday for his latest entry and for more information about Cox, also please visit: www.joshcox.com

In ‘97 Cox ran and won a 50-mile ultra, in ’99 he ran his first marathon making him the youngest Trials qualifier. The following year he clocked 2:13, which opened the door for him to train with the world’s best in Kenya. Cox has tried his hand at Reality TV, been all over magazine covers and is a fixture in the sport.

Ad Finem – The Dream Carcass

Ad Finem – Latin: To the end/towards the end (of a page, a chapter, or a three-part, Latin-laced blog at TheFinalSprint.com)

The heights by great men reached and kept,
Were not attained by sudden flight.
But they, while their companions slept,
Were toiling upward in the night.

— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“Well, I wake in the morning,
Fold my hands and pray for rain.
I got a head full of ideas
That are drivin’ me insane.
It’s a shame the way she makes me scrub the floor.
I ain’t gonna work on Maggie’s farm no more.”

— “Maggie’s Farm” by Bob Dylan

“Don’t you let it all pass you by
Looking through life’s window pane
Don’t you sit around wasting time
That would be a crying shame

There’s a power that’s deep inside
And it burns just like a flame
Just believe and you’ll see that God
Will shower you like pouring rain

If you want it
You can change your world today
If you want it
Just break free and walk away”

— “If You Want It” by Lenny Kravitz

It’s closing time. Clear the dance floor and move toward the exits. Club Latin is shutting down. The night was fun, the music was great but everything with a beginning has an end. Temet Nosce, Carpe Diem . . . Ad Finem. The music has stopped, the lights are on, but as the bouncers usher you out I hand you a promoter’s card—don’t worry, it’s nothing scandalous, I’m like Kix®, kid-tested and mother approved. Well, most mothers . . .
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Jon Rankin:
A Letter to the Goddess of Victory: Falling In-Love
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #3)

Posted January 2nd, 2008 at 4:00 PM 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.com’s
Elite Athlete Blog Series. Make sure to check back every other Wednesday for Jon’s latest entry.

I assume you heard it at least one hundred times already, so bear with me as I say it to you one more time:
‘Happy New Year!’ to all of you.

In this entry I will be sharing a letter from my newly minted journal. It’s a letter that describes how I feel about the sport that I play (I want to achieve all that I’m capable of achieving) and also, a girl that has helped re-ignite my passion for life—a passion that I thought only existed in dreams before she won my heart.

I write this letter and will write any subsequent letters to a Goddess known as Victory. In these letters I personify the word victory because in sports victory and the idea of victory is talked about so much that it sounds like it’s something tangible, something that can be touched; and sometimes, even someone that is real. Victory is unique because the concept behind victory and what it really is goes beyond finishing first. I’ve gained a greater sense for the broadness of the definition and meaning of the word from a mentor of mine, Mebrahtom (”Meb”) Keflezighi who tells all that he meets: “RUN TO WIN.”

The interesting thing about his mantra is that it sounds like he is saying run to get first place, and that’s all. But what he is really saying is that you must run in such a way that you’re always giving your best. If you can do this then you’re truly “running to win.”
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Remembering Ryan Shay

Posted November 11th, 2007 at 9:45 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Columns, SPOTLIGHT

Today in East Jordan, Mich., a funeral was held for Ryan Shay, the 2003 USA marathon champion who collapsed and died at the USA Olympic Team Trials - Men’s Marathon on Nov. 3, in New York City. He was 28 years-old and had been married only for four months to the former Alicia Craig, the Stanford University star who won the NCAA 10,000m title in 2003 and 2004.

The exact cause of Ryan’s death is still unknown, but it is clear that his heart abruptly stopped at about the 9 km mark of the Trials and, despite heroic and immediate medical intervention, he died before reaching Lennox Hill Hospital on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

I knew Ryan both through my role as a journalist and a race organizer. It would be a stretch to say were close, but we were certainly friendly and shared a passion for the sport. I recruited Ryan to run the 2004 ING New York City Marathon where he set his personal best time of 2:14:08, cracking the top-10 in ninth place. It didn’t surprise me that Ryan would run his best marathon in New York, despite the difficulty of the course. He was so strong and so tough, the kind of runner who was well suited to the hills of the Five Borough Classic. Ryan really had heart.
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Quote of the Day: 10/14/07

Posted October 14th, 2007 at 6:00 AM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: Motivation, Famous Quotes

I run because it’s my passion, and not just a sport. Every time I walk out the door, I know why I’m going where I’m going and I’m already focused on that special place where I find my peace and solitude. Running, to me, is more than just a physical exercise…it’s a consistent reward for victory!
- Sasha Azevedo

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Quote of the Day: 9/18/07

Posted September 18th, 2007 at 6:05 AM by Jeanie Rebb

Section: Motivation, Famous Quotes

“Running is a big question mark that’s there each and every day. It asks you, ‘Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?’”

- Peter Maher, Irish-Canadian Olympian and sub-2:12 marathoner

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FINISH STRONG with TFS’s collection of famous quotes!

Posted September 14th, 2007 at 7:06 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: Motivation, Famous Quotes, Special Features, Famous Quotes

From Jesse Owens to Dr. George Sheehan … from Steve Prefontaine to Sir Roger Banister … from ancient philosophers to runners just like you …

The Final Sprint has accumulated the most comprehensive anthology of motivational quotes to help you FINISH STRONG!

Pick out your favorites and read them before a big race or even choose one as your training credo!

Have one you want us to add?

No problem; just send an email to thefinalsprint@gmail.com!

Start Here . . . Finish Strong!
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Quote of the Day: 9/10/07

Posted September 10th, 2007 at 6:00 AM by Allyson Rosen

Section: Motivation, Famous Quotes

“Every passion has it’s destiny.”

- Billy Mills, first American to win a 10,000m Olympic medal

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KEEP ON RUNNING iMix #1 - Country / Rock

Posted January 15th, 2007 at 12:00 PM by Alex Schneider

Section: Motivation, Music, Special Features, Pump-up iMix's

Every week The Final Sprint’s team of music gurus posts a new, downloadable iMix on the site and in iTunes to help you stay motivated throughout all of your weekly runs and workouts.

KEEP ON RUNNING iMix #1, created by Alex Schneider, is a 10-song playlist of passionate country music favorites. It is perfect for your moderate workouts and when you want to enjoy good ol’ American tunes. Below you will find the complete track listings and then a brief synopsis by Alex. To open iTunes and download the iMix, click here or on any of the songs or artists below.

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How Running Saved My Life . . .

Posted November 15th, 2006 at 7:00 AM by Jenna Sumara

Section: Motivation

Some days belong on a post card. The days when the sun shines too brightly and people act too happy. Sounds like a paradise right? Well not for me. For me the sunlight and the skipping children in their Sunday best just seemed to drill into my head the life I felt my life was missing. Sure, college life will do that to you. Sure, living away from your parents and sister and two dogs will do that to you. Sure, moving to a town in a state where you know nobody will make you crawl into your little cave and watch sappy reruns of “Full House”. That’s life baby.

But sometimes you find yourself falling so deep, you don’t know how to get on your feet again. And truth be told, at one point in my life, I didn’t even know where my feet were! I couldn’t find the “I Can Do It” person I had been when I packed my entire life into my best friend’s red Honda Civic and drove half-way up the country. This person was an “I’d rather not, thank you very much, I’d get up but it would require moving” gal now.

But, then I remember the day that all changed. Read the rest of this entry »

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“Why do we run?” - Reflections on running and life

Posted November 6th, 2006 at 12:00 PM by Rob Ulon

Section: Motivation

In speaking to friends of mine who are not runners themselves, I am often told that running is a waste of time. That it is boring, painful, and takes too long are the most cited criticisms during these conversations. And when the critics have uttered their last disparaging remark about running, I am usually asked, “Why do you run?”

It is at this moment that a sincere discussion can begin about a runner’s passion and reasons for running.

The effect of the question is undeniable, much like the effect running has on a runner’s life. In the face of criticism we look to defend our positions, whether they are our position on politics, religion, et cetera, by seeking to prove the naysayers with the reasons why they are wrong.

Conversely, when asked the reasons why we do something we love, the tension dissipates, enabling us to fully express our enthusiasm for whatever the activity is that raises our spirits. Read the rest of this entry »

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