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!
I want to begin by thanking everyone that has been reading my blogs and send you off a thank you for all the support and encouragement you have offered. I looked back and realized I had yet to respond to several of your questions. And I wanted to touch on those first.
Zach Oliver and Bobby Martinez, my advice for improving your time in the one mile and two mile would be to add more mileage to your week. Don’t be afraid, but add it slowly. More mileage will help you gain more strength. I began running higher mileage in high school starting out at 45 miles per week as a freshman and working my way up to 90 miles per week my senior year and my times improved significantly.
Bryan, you put a hurting on my bubble breaker score. Sadly, I don’t think I have ever broken 1,000.
Keith Sinclair, having an injury this year has actually not changed my plans for representing the US in the marathon this Olympics. I still plan on running the trials; however, my focus will be on the marathon.
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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.
CARPE DIEM
“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven played music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Baptist minister and civil rights leader“It is a sad fate for a man to die too well known to everybody else, and still unknown to himself.”
- Francis Bacon, English philosopher and statesman“Never, never, never quit.”
- Winston Churchill, Author, soldier and Prime Minister
October 1980, Paul David Hewson and his band - formally known as “Feedback” and “The Hype” - had just released their first full-length album, Boy. Their single “I Will Follow” climbed the UK charts and their star was born. Around that time, the band joined a religious group in Dublin, the Shalom Fellowship. Time passed and some of Shalom’s leaders began criticizing the bands “involvement in the world.” The leaders told the band that in order to please God they would have to give up rock ‘n’ roll.
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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.
TEMET NOSCE
“If you wish it, wish it now
If you wish it, wish it loud
If you want it, say it now
If you want it, say it loud.”
- “Lifeline” by Angels & Airwaves“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that.”
- Dr. Howard Thurman, Author, philosopher, preacher and civil rights leader
We’ve all seen the movie, The Matrix. Thomas “Neo” Anderson enters the Matrix to meet the Oracle, find his destiny, and figure out who he is in an attempt to touch the future. He meets a kid. The kid bends the spoon with his mind only to explain that there really is no spoon. Neo walks into the kitchen and is greeted by the Oracle:
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Episode 99 of The Final Sprint Podcast, the most listened to running podcast in North America, features my interview with American marathoner and Olympic hopeful JOSH COX.
In the interview Cox offers intimate details about his absence from racing and the emotionally and mentally trying journey that began in late 2005 when his father was diagnosed with cancer. Cox went to care for his father, ceased most of his training, and was by his side until he passed away in July 2006. Although a painful journey, it also led to a once unthinkable metamorphosis; enabling the father and son to repair what had been a tumultuous relationship and find forgiveness, as Cox says, “On this side of eternity”.
His personal and athletic life now back on track, Cox is ready to “let it rip” at Sunday’s U.S. Olympic Men’s Marathon Trials; a race he says he’ll been running for both his Heavenly and earthly fathers.
Download the podcast to hear Cox discuss these experiences, the Trials, as well as, having his “butt handed to him daily” when he arrived in Mammoth, the “adventure” of earning his qualifier at the Air Force Marathon, what he believes is the “true gold” in athletics, his new video about Ryan Hall on GodTube, and Team Running USA: their strong group dynamic despite stark contrasts in personalities and how a common faith binds them together.
Listen In
[PLAY] (To Download: Right click and select “save as”)[RSS] Add The Final Sprint Podcast RSS feed to your RSS reader to have the show delivered to you
Host: Adam Jacobs | Guest: Josh Cox
Producers: Greg Cherniet, Adam Jacobs
Musicians: Ryan Ahlwardt, Darnell Perkins
File Size: 25.0 MB | Length: 36:26 MIN
Episode sponsored by:
Camelbak - the originator and leader in hands-free hydration.To learn more Camelbak Elixir, their effective, easy-to-use and portable electrolyte beverage, as well as Camelbak’s running specific hydration systems, please visit www.camelbak.com.
Interested in featuring The Final Sprint Podcast on your site, blog or My Space page? Click here to learn how!
Asafa Powell:
“I Can Do 9.68 Seconds”
Asafa Powell, after running a new world record of 9.74 seconds at a minor meet in Italy on Sunday, said, “This means that I can do even 9.68 secs, I’m worth that time, I know it.” Read more at: [SportingLife.com]
Get Sponsored! Join PowerBar Team Elite
PowerBar Team Elite 2008-2009 is looking for applicants to join their team! You can apply online to join the same team as Allyson Felix, Dan Browne and Josh Cox. Whether you’re an athlete, coach, or fitness educator, PowerBar Team Elite just might be looking to sponsor you. Read more at: [PowerBar.com]
New World Record in Women’s 100K
Norimi Sakurai of Japan set a new women’s 100K world record Saturday at the Stichting Ultraloop Winschoten in Holland. Her time of 7:00:27 broke the previous record set by American Ann Trason at the same race in 1995. Read more at: [Runnersweb.com]
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As Meb Keflezighi gets ready to make his first appearance at the Flora London Marathon on April 22 he’ll, have plenty of energy bars to fuel his muscles, thanks to a two-year deal he has signed with PowerBar.
The contract names PowerBar as the exclusive energy bar sponsor to Meb, one of the company’s more than 30 sponsored athletes.
“I feel honored to have the support of PowerBar in my pursuit of another Olympic medal,” said Keflezighi in a media release.
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The Final Sprint, through an exhaustive process of product reviews and a comparison of empirical data, has determined the best nutritional products to help fuel and replenish your bodies.
These TFS Top Picks of 2006 are the best of their kind and will help you to finish strong in your next race.
Stay tuned because later today TFS will publish our list of the year’s best gear and accessories!
Endurance Beverages (use during activity)
Recovery Beverage (use after activity)
Energy Bars
Energy Gels
Meal Replacement Shakes
Since the advent of Gatorade, manufacturers have been in fierce competition to one-up each other with new and better ways to fuel athletes. This has created a very saturated market; one that features a plethora of choices for competitive athletes. As a result, athletes vary greatly, especially in the world of endurance sports, about which option they believe is the most effective.
One alternative that has begun to slowly, pick-up steam in the market is the electrolyte tablet. There has been a lot of buzz surrounding these portable tablets, such as Nuun and Zym, because they are quick and convenient mechanisms for obtaining vital replenishment of electrolytes and other vitamins.
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Trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle while simultaneously managing all of the stresses in your life can seem like a daunting task. This is the main reason why many people don’t even try, or quickly give up on, eating frequently throughout the day. They believe they just don’t have enough time to prepare, or even think about, five or six moderate meals. However, as an increasing number of studies point out, this type of nutritional lifestyle can significantly benefit your health, your waistline and even your mood.
Everyone is short on time, but as I mentioned in my Healthy Eating Guide (Parts One and Two), there is a solution: SUPPLEMENTS. Supplements provide you with an already made, no cooking required mechanism for eating small, nutritious meals throughout the day. The most popular and effective means of supplementation for people on the go are nutritional bars.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that “Not all bars are created equal” . There are a plethora of nutritional bars; each claiming to help with a variety of nutritional goals: adding muscle, losing weight, staying fit, gaining energy, etc. It can be quite arduous trying to figure out what’s best for you and/or what nutritional ratios fit your personal needs. That’s why I’ve put together this brief guide about what to look for and some of the best bars for your particular goals: Read the rest of this entry »
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