TheFinalSprint.com - Track & Field, Marathons, Racing News, Training Advice, Elite Athlete Blogs, Interviews, Podcasts, Videos and More! - TheFinalSprint.com is the Premier Destination for Track & Field, Marathon, Cross Country, Olympic and Road Racing Enthusiasts.

Lead Stories: Friday, August 29, 2008

Russell Hopes for Elusive Olympic Team Berth

Posted April 18th, 2008 at 5:00 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

Some four years ago on a warmish day in St. Louis, Blake Russell was competing in the biggest race of her life, the 2004 USA Olympic Team Trials - Women’s Marathon. Right from the gun, she stepped on the gas, motoring through the first 10 km in a snappy 33:33. She quickly built a one minute lead on the field, including pre-race favorite Deena Kastor and eventual winner Colleen De Reuck.

“It was one of those things when I felt I was ready to really run fast,” Russell recalled today ahead of Sunday’s Marathon Trials where she is amongst the favorites for a podium finish and a spot on the U.S. Olympic marathon team in Beijing.
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

Podcast 106: CHRIS LEAR, Author of Running with the Buffaloes [Part 1 of 2]

Posted December 1st, 2007 at 1:45 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Motivation, Books, Track & Field, Olympics, Special Features, Interviews, Podcasts, Drugs In Sports, College

Episode 106 of The Final Sprint Podcast, the most listened to running podcast in North America, features the first installment in a two-part series of interviews with CHRIS LEAR, author of the cult-favorite running books Running With the Buffaloes and Sub 4:00: Alan Webb and the Quest for the Fastest Mile. TheFinalSprint.com Assistant Editor Jimmie R. Markham joins us for the interview.

Lear, a 4:09 high-school miler and an All-American at Princeton, talks about his early running career, his post-collegiate career, his inspiration for writing his running books and his business career.

Now pursuing his MBA at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Lear also discusses how he has been approached about selling the movie rights to Running With the Buffaloes and how the book lends itself to the big screen.

Download the podcast to hear Lear discuss these topics, as well, as doping, American distance runners and their place in the world running scene, the grassroots level resurgence of American distance running, and his advice for young runners on how to succeed in both endeavors.

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

Hosts: Adam Jacobs, Jimmie Markham | Guest:Chris Lear
Producers: Greg Cherniet, Adam Jacobs
Musicians: Ryan Ahlwardt, Darnell Perkins
File Size: 18.1 MB | Length: 26:25 MIN

Episode Sponsored By: Nike +

Long Live Running!
Nike Plus will improve the way you run. Get feedback from your iPod on pace, time, distance and calories burned.

Log into Nikeplus.com to track your progress, set goals and challenge friends.

Read the rest of this entry »

5 comments, add yours | Permalink

Q & A: Does it matter when I drink during a long race?

Posted June 8th, 2007 at 7:15 AM by Jeanie Rebb

Section: Nutrition, Hydration, Health & Fitness, Exercise

A study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shows that drinking fluids earlier can improve performance more than taking them later (International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, December 2006).

Seven highly-trained male triathletes, aged 18 to 35 years, were tested during two simulated Olympic-distance triathlons. They took a full glass of water at 8, 16, 24, and 32 kilometers, and this was compared to taking the same drink 2, 4, 6 and 8 kilometers later in the event (at 10, 20, 30, and 40 kilometers).

As you would expect, opening swim times for 1500 meters were similar between trials; as were the second event (40-km cycling) times, but the third event (10-km run) times were faster when the athletes took food and drink earlier. Dehydration does not harm an athlete’s performance until he lacks a large amount of water and his blood volume is depleted significantly. That explains why the athletes’ performance was not harmed until the third event of the three-event competition.
Read the rest of this entry »

2 comments, add yours | Permalink