Fourth Place
The 2012 US Olympic Marathon Trials took place in Houston on January 14.
Zoila Gomez, Khalid Khannouchi, Blake Russell, Trent Briney. What do those four runners have in common? They were the fourth place finishers at the 2008 and 2004 US Olympic Marathon Trials. Fourth place. When talking about Olympic spots, fourth place is the most painful place….in essence, the first loser. The top three go on to compete in the Olympics. Fourth place just leads the hundreds of others who must wait four more years for another chance.
For Dathan Ritzenhein (aka “Ritz,” who was a 2008 Olympian) and Amy Hastings (no Olympics yet), they reluctantly add their name to the Gomez, Khannouchi, Russell, and Briney list. If it’s any consolation, four years after her fourth place finish, Russell qualified for the next Olympics in the marathon. In addition, both Ritzenhein and Hastings can still race at the 2012 US Olympic Track & Field Trials in June to try to make the Olympic team on the track. Both of them have pretty solid chances of making the team in either the 10,000 meters or 5,000 meters. Ritzenhein is a former American record holder at 5,000 meters and was sixth at the 2009 World Championships in the 10,000 meters. Hastings is coming off a season in which she made the World Championship final in the 5,000 meters in Daegu.
“Trying out for the olympics (sic) is being willing to serve your heart on a platter along with a knife and carving instructions.” That was US professional runner, Lauren Fleshman’s Facebook status the other day. Fleshman would know. Although she has been the USA Champion for 5,000 meters twice (2006 and 2010) and competed at three IAAF World Championships (2003, 2005, and 2011), she has endured two disappointing “tryouts for the Olympics” (also known as the Olympic Trials). In 2004 she was injured and unable to compete. In 2008, she faded to a non-Olympic team qualifying fifth place.
The US has a very objective system to qualify for the Olympics. Four years of training comes down to one race. It’s all or nothing. It insures that the US Olympic marathon and track & field athletes have earned their spot on the team, having endured the pressure that accompanies the Olympic Trials. Before the 2012 US Olympic Marathon Trials, I read a line that stuck with me, “trying to add the word Olympian to their name.” By placing in the top three, one qualifies for the Olympics and does have the word Olympian associated with their name for the rest of their life. That’s quite the reward, but with such a mighty reward comes pressure and the potential for disappointment – thus “serving your heart on a platter with a knife and carving instructions.”
As it turned out, of the six qualifiers (three men and three women), only one truly added Olympian to their name. That would be Desiree Davilla. For the other five, this is a return trip to the Olympics. This will be Meb Keflezighi’s third Olympics, Ryan Hall’s second, Abdi Abdirahman’s fourth, Shalane Flanagan’s third, and Kara Goucher’s second.
It is no wonder that Ritzenhein and Hastings were so distraught at the finish line of the Olympic Marathon Trials. Both of them shed tears as the reality that they did not miscount, they were fourth, set in.
Ritzenhein, who was only eight seconds behind Abdirahman for the coveted third place spot, was described as disconsolate at the finish by bloggers covering the race. Despite running a PR, in post race interviews he said things like “Obviously being fourth is the worst place to be, and I’m trying not to react in the completely negative, but the marathon has been a continued problem. I’m not saying that I will never run another marathon but I am going to shift my focus back to the track. I am really going to focus on the disciplines and distances that I am good at.”
Hastings, who finished over 70 seconds behind Goucher, said in a Runners World interview that she had known for the last two miles that she was not going to finish in the top three but that she held back tears for miles 25 and 26 because crying then would affect her breathing. But the tears rained down when she finished. Still, she composed herself to attend the post-race press conference as the official USA Olympic Marathon alternate. That takes some class.
There’s something noble about being fourth at the Olympic Trials. I wish I were the fourth best at something out of everyone in the USA. If that something happened to be an Olympic event, all the better, but I’d settle for being fourth American at anything. The sting of fourth place will be there for a while for Ritz and Hastings but hopefully over time they will be proud that they gave it their best and they will rebound to battle for an Olympic spot in the future.
Guest Blog: Fantasy Track Camp
San Luis Potosi - elevation: 6,100 feet.
Since 2008 Andy and I have spent pretty much all vacations, certainly all major vacations, traveling to watch our favorite Olympian compete. We’ve been to Eugene, Oregon countless times, and Des Moines, Iowa to watch the national championships; China (not just Beijing) for the Olympics; and Berlin, Germany, and Daegu, South Korea for the World Championships. We’re planning to be in London for this year’s Olympics. From all this track related travel, and because I live with the Chanman, I’ve learned a thing or two about professional athletes. This holiday season I learned a bit more by spending a week at elevation at “Fantasy Track Camp.” At some point when Shannon was planning her winter elevation training she invited Andy and I to come visit her in San Luis Potosi, we took her up on the offer.
Housemates for a week in San Luis Potosi.
I arrived in Mexico already knowing that professional athletes are focused individuals, that being the best in the world requires a lot more than just running – and that those things are very time consuming. I didn’t feel a need do any serious sight-seeing and expected that wouldn’t be on the agenda. Shannon has traveled the world to compete but her job is a lifestyle, one that doesn’t often include taking in the sights. I’m sure that Andy and I have seen more of every city we’ve traveled to, to watch her compete than she has. I arrived in serious need of some real down time, so it was easy to come without any expectations, with a fat book, and let the week just flow. Even so, I learned a couple of things from our week with the professionals.
Out for a long run.
Part of what I love about running is the adventure. I love exploring new places. I enjoy the beauty and challenge of a trail run. I don’t want to run in the same place too many days in a row. I want to see new things. Even though I understood that structure and routine are important for a professional athlete, I was still startled to discover how important. We ran eight times, in only three places – and one of those places while familiar was obviously not a regular part of the routine. We visited a very large park a number of times. I explored a different route with each visit. The others focused on accomplishing their specific workout goals on the flattest most convenient route. We went to a familiar although out of the way place for a long run. I enjoyed the scenery (as much as I could while searching for foot prints to make sure I didn’t get totally lost – since the backsides of everyone else were a distant memory). The others focused on their pace and how to run a course that minimized running into the wind. The hills I love to challenge myself with at home were something the group drove to avoid. We went to La Loma Altitude Training Center and I mixed in swimming. Bolota Asmerom was perfectly content, and consistently fast, running lap after lap after lap on the one mile trail woven between the pool, track and tennis courts.
This all makes sense. For me a run is a break from work, a physical challenge, a release from sitting in a chair, a reward in itself. When you’re training to win, and training involves: running, generally conditioning, strength, treatment, mental preparation, and recovery your goals and objectives are to get it done, done well, maybe with some free time left.
For the first time in my life, mystical “Double Days” make total sense. Since I first heard the term some fifteen years ago I’ve associated it with really hard core runners working to rack up the miles. But I lined that up with an ultra-marathoner or marathoner type of hard core. Tough. Really long. It turns out a few miles here, a few miles there, a few miles later in the day. All on the same one mile loop can add up to a substantial run. One that was less challenging and exhausting than those miles would have been all strung together. I might try this again.
Making pasta for dinner.
The last thing that startled me was diet. I expected the group to be somewhat uptight about their meals. While I would say that everyone in the house paid attention to their diet, the pros ate more meat and eggs than I do. Not uptight. They’re worried about getting the right amount of protein and other nutrition; I’m worried about keeping my cholesterol low. I felt that we all want to be the appropriate weight. The pros consistently ate small portions slowly and stopped. To win they need to; There is some pressure with this profession. I struggle with that one; I’m working on it again.
I’m so glad that Shannon, Pablo Solares, Bolota, and Nick Alvarado worked us into their routine for a week. Andy enjoyed the San Francisco and track talk. It was a gracious, generous, interesting group. We had fun, really relaxed, and I will take an even deeper perspective with me to my next professional track meet to watch my favorite runners tear it up on the oval.
Guest blog by the Track Widow
Random Thoughts About the Spirit of Competition
Earlier this week was the Bruce Mahoney basketball game and later this week is the US Olympic Marathon Trials. Both of these events encapsulate the spirit of competition.
It’s caring about the outcome that makes sports fun and exciting and that’s what I like to call the spirit of competition. When I race, I care about my time and my place. When I coach, I want my team and athletes to get personal records (PR’s) and win awards. What can I say? I’m a competitive person.
- The Bruce Mahoney Trophy in the SHC Plaza
The Bruce Mahoney basketball game is the second leg of a best two-out-of-three series of games in football, basketball, and baseball between Sacred Heart Cathedral (SHC) and St. Ignatius (SI). The first school to win two games wins the Bruce Mahoney trophy for the school year. By virtue of the football team’s win in October, SHC had a chance to win the trophy with a win in basketball on Tuesday, January 10. It would be only the second time in the last fourteen years that SHC has held the trophy. If that wasn’t enough drama, keep in mind that the SHC-SI rivalry is the oldest high school rivalry west of the Mississippi. The two schools have been playing each other in sports contests since 1893.
I did not attend the game but I’ve seen some video highlights and the tweets and Facebook status updates during the game really capture the energy and passion that surfaces for a great competition. SHC won the game and on Wednesday at school I got to see the coveted Bruce Mahoney trophy before it was paraded out in front of the student body. It’s just a “silly trophy” and yet, there’s something mystical about it. I felt lucky to be one of the first to see it on our campus. The administrators around me were snapping pictures of the trophy as if we were at the Vatican. Even Sister Frances came over to comment on the lack of dusting the trophy has received since it was last in our hands in 2009.
I was really happy for the Sacred Heart Cathedral community and especially the boys on the basketball team for their success. It’s community building to have the winning team. But it’s also life building to have something you truly care about. I love watching the emotional responses during a big competition. All the hard work at practice and all the sacrifices are for opportunity to compete in games like the Bruce Mahoney basketball game.
On Saturday, January 14, three hundred men and women will have the opportunity to race at the US Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston, Texas. There will be nervous energy at the starting line just like there was in the gym for the basketball game on Tuesday night.
A top three finish and a berth on the US Olympic team is only a realistic goal for a small percentage of the runners. For these few, Saturday’s race is make or break. The Olympics only happen every four years. Finish in the top three and it’s as if you won the Bruce Mahoney trophy. Finish fourth or lower, and you are utterly disappointed. The fact that that kind of pressure exists is what makes the race so interesting to follow.
However, for many others, the spirit of competition at the Olympic Trials is not necessarily to make the Olympic team but rather, to run a personal record, or place in the top 20 or top half of the race. Still others are just proud of themselves for having run the qualifying time to be in the race. Not everyone can be an Olympian but that doesn’t mean those people don’t care about their results. All these people, with different goals and different definitions of success, run in the same race together. They will battle each other, the course, the 26.2 miles, and the clock because they care about the outcome.
A high school basketball game in California. A footrace in Texas. What do these two events have in common? The spirit of competition!
The Twelve Days of Christmas
I’ve seen various “12 Days of Christmas” lists so I thought I would put together my own. Re-capping my year in running and coaching, I give you They Chanman’s 12 Days of Christmas:
12 – Twelve dogs (and two Eskimos) in a Bay to Breakers Pamapede Iditarod centipede.
11 – Eleven (and a half) miles, the least number of miles I ran every week this year.
10 – Ten (and a half) miles from Wunderlich to Huddardt and back. I finally made it all the way to both ends. This was one of many long trail runs this summer that got me into great shape.
9 – Ninth row at the finish line, our seats at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu.
8 – Eighth master runner at the Zippy 5K, a race where I achieved a major goal of mine, breaking 17 minutes for a 5K as a master.
Racing at the 2011 Zippy 5K
7 – Seven events at CCS Finals, in which the Irish Track & Field team had an individual qualify. We had someone place in the top five in all seven events.
6 – Six Irish athletes qualified and competed at the State Track & Field meet. First time we’ve had someone qualify since 2003.
5 – Five dollars, the new price for Thursday night track workouts. After seventeen years at the original $4 price, I raised my rates effective July 1, 2011.
4 – Fourth place overall in the Pacific Association Grand Prix (Short) Road Series in the masters division.
3 – Three cherry picker race first place overall finishes: Run For Recess 5K, July Fourth Rocket Run, Miles for Migraine 10K.
2 – Two years in a row the Irish qualified both the boys and girls teams for the State Cross Country Meet.
1 – One hundredth of a second, the amount of time by which Shannon Rowbury beat the fourth place woman in the 1500 meters at the USA Championships to qualify for the World Championships in Daegu.
Shannon Rowbury battles Christin Wurth-Thomas at the finish of the women's 1500 meters at the 2011 USA Championships
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all. And to all, Happy Running!
Thursday Night Track
The 2011 Christmas Relays workout will be the last one on a Thursday. We move to Tuesdays in 2012.
Since 1994, Thursday night has meant track night. Even accounting for vacations, workouts moved to an alternate day, and periods when I was away for podiatry school-related internships, I believe it’s a low estimate to say I’ve coached 600 Thursday night track workouts over the last seventeen plus years. The weather God has been quite kind, stopping all rain at 6:30 P.M. on Thursdays.
Beginning in January 2012, these coached track workouts will move to Tuesday nights. I believe there will be less Kezar Stadium facility-related conflicts and I myself have less work conflicts on Tuesday than Thursday. I also think the track workout on Tuesday fits in better for people racing or running long on the weekend. Rather than risk running too hard at the Thursday track workout and being flat for your race or long run the next weekend, attendees will be able to adjust the intensity they run at the Tuesday track workout based on how they are feeling from the previous weekend’s race or long run.
In 1999, at the 5-year anniversary workout.
But change is hard (heck, I kept the price of the workouts at $4 from April 1994 until July 2011, before raising them one dollar to $5). I will miss measuring the nearness of the weekend by seeing my friends at the track on Thursday. I may have to cook dinner on Thursday nights now unless the Off the Grid trucks decide to make the switcheroo to Tuesday as well.
I first started coaching the Thursday night track workouts in 1994 at the request of the Dolphin South End (DSE) Runners. Members of the DSE, specifically people like Sandra Seiki and Ken Reed were looking for someone to coach track workouts to help them get faster. I agreed and created a training plan that would work for runners of varying abilities and varying race goals. Week one was distance intervals, week two was sprint intervals, week three was power workouts, and week four was a cut-back week. I still incorporate that basic outline today, but I now modify workouts to mesh with the Pamakid racing team schedule. Among the runners who were there at the very beginning are two people who still come to the track workouts today: Patrick Lee and Keith Johnson. We were all two age groups younger back in 1994! You can do the math yourself on Patrick and Keith, but I was twenty-three when I started coaching these workouts.
Eating out after the workout - a Thursday night tradition!
The first workout was April 21, 1994 at San Francisco State’s track at 6:30 P.M. The workout was 2 X 1200, 2 X 800, and 2 X 400. The cost was $4 per workout or $15 for four consecutive workouts. The price did not change for seventeen years, although I did change the credit policy, allowing people to roll their credit forward if they were absent. In October of 1994, when daylight savings time ended, we had to move from SF State (which had no lights) to Kezar Stadium and we’ve stayed there since. When the workouts moved to Kezar, John Spriggs started coming, making John number three in seniority out of the current attendees, behind only Patrick and Keith. In 2001, George Rehmet got the Pamakid Runners to subsidize the cost of track workouts for Pamakid members. In May 2002, Dave Parrish and David Hoatson started the K-Stars. Their Saturday runs and website brought many new runners to Thursday night track. Since 2003 the results of the workouts have been posted online thanks to the work of Dave Parrish, Tomas Palermo, and Heather Johnson. On June 30, 2011, the last day before the price increase, an estimated 655 track workouts were pre-purchased at the old price – runners know a bargain when they see one!
In 2004, at the 10-year anniversary workout.
We have several special track workout traditions such as Christmas Relays and the one mile time trial. There is also a tradition of going out to eat to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, big races, and anything else we can come up with to use as an excuse to go eat together. The all-time record for attendees is 37 for the Christmas Relays workout on December 16, 2010, which was also my fortieth birthday. The record for a “normal” workout is 30, on January 27, 2011. If you know me, you know I am a creature of habit. We had the same stretching routine that ended with four striders until 2008 when I changed with the times and moved from static stretching to dynamic stretching – though it still ends with four striders.
There have been times in the dead and dark of winter that we were the only ones on the track. We’ve seen a lot of other groups come and go. The track has been particularly crowded with the rise in popularity of charity running, especially Team in Training. We’ve shared the track with PacWest and MacCanDo on Thursday nights and now we will share the track with the Impalas, West Valley, and Excelsior on Tuesdays. Melvina Hill policed Kezar Stadium in the evening for the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department for years. With her booming voice Melvina kept order at the track, but her position was eliminated in 2009 and now we’re out there on our own with the Frisbee players, soccer players, and people walking in lane one. We’ve been joined by some top notch runners like Shannon Rowbury (a future Olympian) and Tyler Small (in 2010 before he ran 2:34 and came in fifth at the San Francisco Marathon). On July 6, 2000, a woman named Malinda Walker attended her first track workout. The rest of that story, shall we say, is history! We aren’t the only couple that first laid eyes on each other at one of these track workouts. There are several others, including Nathan Wong and Leah Evans, who now live in Boston, are married and are the proud parents of twins.
It is with a heavy heart that I bid adieu to the Thursday night track workouts. But I excitedly look forward to the new tradition of Tuesday night track workouts. I just hope the weather God gets this memo…you can now rain on Thursdays at 6:30 P.M. but I would greatly appreciate it if you can create a no-rain zone for Kezar Stadium for Tuesdays at 6:30 P.M. moving forward. Amen!
We had record numbers for the 2010 Christmas Relays Workout on December 16, 2010.
Running the race you want to run, when you want to
Go Green!
Running the race you want to run, when you want to. That’s the challenge all of us runners face. It’s what keeps us motivated to train and to sign-up for big races – all in the hope that things will come together perfectly on race day. The 2011 USA Club Cross Country National Championships (aka “Club Nationals”) was my big goal race. I first thought about the Pamakids attending this meet over three years ago. We started talking specifically about the 2011 Club Nationals last year. Trip planning to go to Seattle has been going on for the last nine months. To say I’ve been targeting this race would be an understatement.
Since turning forty last year I have had a great year of training and racing. However, in the fall my focus was on coaching more than my own training. As a result I had some up races and some just okay races. At the Pacific Association Cross Country Championships (PA Champs) on November 20, I went out too hard and lost a lot of places as I fought through the muddy conditions. Coming off that disappointing race I really wanted to run a better race in Seattle. My main goal was to be competitive for the entire 10K, ideally moving up as the race went on rather than being passed.
I bought cross country spikes problems in case the grass was wet and muddy so that I would not have traction problems as at the PA Champs. I studied the course map and on Flotrack video of the course. The course was more or less a 2K loop that would be run five times. I decided I would use the kilometer marks to monitor my pace rather than the usual mile markers. Based on my recent previous times, I figured I could run sub-37 minutes on this 10K course. My goal was to run 3:40 per kilometer and 7:20 per 2K loop in order to run under 37 minutes. With those splits, I calculated I would place around 130th, but my more ambitious goal was to try to break into the top 100, which would likely require a low 36 minute time.
The opportunity to race with these guys is what motivates me to have a good race.
On your marks. Set.
The energy at the starting line was intense. Over 350 of the fastest masters runners were toeing the line and there was an electricity in the air. I was excited to be with my Pamakid teammates at this meet, but I also had my game face on. I noticed Margaret Gallagher taking my picture as I did my drills and stride outs. Five minutes before the race began the officials fired a gun to indicate sweats off and no more run outs. Our Pamakid masters men’s team stripped down, took a team photo, and did our “Go Green!” cheer. As we stood at the starting line anticipating the gun it grew eerily quiet. I looked down the row of runners, all crouched in the set position, toes behind the white line. Then bang, the gun fired and we were off.
There were a lot of elbows being thrown and the footfalls of 350 of us sounded like thunder.
For the first 400 meters the challenge was to get a good start but not get sucked out at too fast a pace. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a field this large and competitive. Over 350 runners from all over the country were jockeying for position along the grass straightaway. I had to use my elbows to protect my space and avoid falling. There were many times that I was surrounded by other runners and had no choice but to go with the crowd. It was so crowded that speeding up and passing was not an option, nor was slowing down unless you wanted to be trampled. When I hit the 1K mark, I clicked my watch and carefully took my eyes off the course to check my watch. It read 3:36. Beautiful! Only four seconds faster than goal pace. I settled into a rhythm and ran with the crowd of runners around me. I had no idea what place I was in but I saw Dan Mancini of the River City Rebels next to me so I figured there was a good chance I was in the right group.
I hit the 2K mark at 7:15 and smiled to myself. I was right on pace and the danger of going out too fast was pretty much over. Now I could concentrate on maintaining the pace and passing people. I was in a real groove and that’s exactly what I did. I passed twelve runners on the second 2K loop, running 7:11 and pulling away from Dan Mancini. I hit 5K in 18:02 so I knew I was not only well on my way to a sub-37, I was flirting with a low 36 minute 10K. The third loop was another 7:11. I was in the zone.
Sometime mid-race I noticed that Nick and Francesca Cannata-Bowman, two kids that I used to coach at Sacred Heart Cathedral (SHC) who now live in Seattle, were cheering for me. Their sister, Sophia, is a current SHC runner. I’ve been to a lot of meets coaching members of the Cannata-Bowman family and it made me feel great to know that this time they had come to see me race.
Mid-race I came upon a familiar rival, Jeff Hongo of the Asics Aggies. I knew I was having a great race if I was near Hongo!
Slightly after 6K, I noticed an Asics Aggie uniform ahead of me. I surged and passed the runner. Seconds later I heard someone cheer for this person. “Go Hongo,” they said. “Hongo? Jeff Hongo? I just passed Jeff Hongo!? I must be having a great day,” I thought to myself. Now I had to work to make sure Hongo didn’t re-pass me, so I tried to speed up just a bit. I next lapped my Pamakid teammate Mark Huffman. Mark encouraged me saying, “Go Andy, you’re having a great race!” I was getting pretty tired and started wishing the race was 8K instead of 10K. I knew I had enough gas in the tank for the fourth loop. It was the fifth loop I wasn’t so sure about.
By this point in the race, although I felt like I was surging, all I was doing was working harder in order to keep from slowing down. The good thing was that I was still passing runners fairly frequently. I tried to never settle into my position but instead constantly target the next person I wanted to pass. It was working, though, as my fourth 2K was 7:18. One lap to go. Pamakid teammates were all over the course cheering. There was no chance to let up or someone would see you and give you an earful. Malinda had told me that my form was tight the last couple races so I made a conscious effort to relax. As I rounded the final turn I knew I had about 400 meters to go. It was a long straightaway but I had plenty of company around me and I knew I needed to kick better than I had at the PA Champs if I wanted to be proud of my race. I got up on my toes and pumped my arms hard. As I approached the finish line I could see the clock, 35:55, 35:56, I was still 50 meters from the finish line so breaking 36 minutes wasn’t going to happen. But it was going to be a great time (and later I would learn that I was 92nd, achieving my top 100 goal!).
National Championship
Looking at the National Championship banner and taking a mental snapshot. Photo by Margaret Gallagher (SportsImageWire.com)..
I looked up and saw the National Championship banner that indicated the finish line. At the team meeting the night before the race, I had reminded all my Pamakid teammates to take a mental snapshot of the scene as they raced towards the finish at the USA National Championships. I took my own personal snapshot so that I will always remember coming down the final straightaway at my first Club Nationals….having run the race I wanted to, on the day I wanted to.
USATF National Club Cross Country Championships
The USATF National Club Cross Country Championships are taking place in Seattle, Washington on Saturday, December 10, 2011. For the first time in recent memory and possibly in club history, the Pamakid Runners have runners traveling to compete at this meet. The last time the club had representation at this national championship meet was in 2006, when the meet took place in San Francisco. At that meet in 2006, newly minted master, George Rehmet placed 120th in the 40-44 age division and Keith Johnson placed ninth in the 65-69 year old age division. Also racing in 2006 representing the Hoy’s Excelsior team was John Spriggs. John will be racing for Pamakids this weekend.
There are two cross country championships a year in the USA. In February what is commonly referred to as the ”Winter Cross Country Championships” takes place. This serves as the qualifying race for runners who want to run at the World Cross Country Championships. This meet tends to be more elite and individual runner oriented. The list of recent champions at this meet include Olympic medalists and American record holders like Dathan Ritzenhein, Meb Keflezighi, and Shalane Flanagan. In 2008, Jocelyn Rodriguez ran in the Junior race at this meet for Pamakids, placing 33rd out of 63 runners.
The second meet is the National Club Cross Country Championships and it takes place in December. This is the meet taking place this weekend and it is often referred to as “Club Nationals.” The meet is more team-oriented with an emphasis on clubs from all over the country coming together to compete against one another. The list of recent champions, while still impressive, includes more the second tier of elite athletes like Aaron Braun, Scott Bauhs, Renee Metvier Baillie, Rebecca Donaghue, and Delilah DiCrescenzo.
I am very excited that the Pamakids are going to Seattle. To say that going to Club Nationals has been on my bucket list is not quite accurate, because I’ve been wanting to go to Club Nationals for longer than saying something is on your bucket list has been in vogue.
The Pamakids will have 21 runners competing this weekend, with two supporters (one fiancé and one six month old baby). Most of us are staying at the Seattle Hostel so that we get a real road trip/team bonding experience.
The races will take place at Jefferson Park Golf Course, which was also the host for the 2010 Pac-10 Conference Cross Country Championships. The course is basically a 2K loop that is run multiple times depending on the race distance. There will be four races (Masters Women, Masters Men, Open Women, and Open Men), with all the women’s races 6K and all the men’s races 10K.
The first race of the day is the Master’s Women at 10:45 A.M. Representing the Pamakids will be Louise Stephens (2011 Pamakid Female Runner of the Year and sixth place in the Pacific Association Cross Country Grand Prix), Malinda Walker, Amy Sonstein, and Cammie Dingwall. Registration shows that we can expect 140 runners in this race with 16 masters teams. The Pamakids look like they have the potential to finish somewhere between 10th and 13th.
At 11:45 A.M., the Masters Men will take the course. Running in Pamakid green will be Anthony McGrath, Adam Lucas, Jerry Flanagan, John Spriggs, Paul Zager, Mark Huffman, and yours truly, Andy Chan. Over 340 runners are expected in this race with 23 masters teams. With a solid day, the Pamakids can shoot for top 20. If everyone has a great day, maybe top 15.
It may not be as muddy at Club Nationals as it was at the PA Champs, but it's going to be colder.
The Open Men will be the final race of the day at 1:45pm. Justin “Beast Mode” Mikecz, Steve Holcombe, Raymond Yu (fresh off a 3:06 marathon at CIM last weekend), John Gieng (the 2011 Pamakid of the Year), Steve Perez, and Thang Ta (2011 Pamakid Most Inspirational Runner) will represent the Pamakids and be amongst the 370 runners with 45 teams.
For many, this will be the largest and most competitive cross country race they’ve ever run. It will be an experience to toe the line with runners from all over the country, many of whom are the best of the best in their respective age divisions. The Pamakids may not be in contention for the win in any of the races but we’ll compete hard like we always do and we plan to paint the Emerald City, Pamakid Green!
Some but not all of these women will be racing at Club Nationals...and the Soonar mascot may or may not make it.
Confidence
The shirt says it all. It's up to the coach to "Believe" and then the team will have Confidence.
In cross country running, as in all sports, confidence is a key factor to success. This has been readily evident this past season coaching the Sacred Heart Cathedral (SHC) cross country team.
In 2010, both the boys and girls teams qualified for the state meet. Leading up to the meet we were quite nervous. It had been nine years since the girls last qualified and five years since the boys last qualified. Never in school history had both teams qualified the same year. After so many near-misses I almost expected something to derail our dream of both teams qualifying. Every time I thought about the meet, my mind would come up with possible obstacles to our goal. When both teams did in fact qualify, it felt like a dream had come true.
This year, the team really believed that both teams would qualify for state. There was a lot less hoping it would happen and a lot more confidence that it would happen. “Calm and confident” was our mantra the week of the qualifying race. The 2010 team’s accomplishment was monumental because it proved to us that it could happen. This year every time I thought about the meet, I came back to the same conclusion, despite the strong competition, we would qualify. Negative thinking did not enter my mind the same way it had last year.
Breaking through the barrier last year made this year a whole lot easier in qualifying for state. Last year there was doubt in our minds whether or not we could qualify (“oh, qualifying both teams for state, that’s something that happens for other schools”). This year there was no doubt in our minds that it could be done and we had confidence in ourselves that we would do it. Success can become habitual and when one does something habitually, they develop confidence it will keep happening.
Confidence is an essential key to success, especially in high school cross country. As the coach, I feel it is my job to instill confidence in the runners. It starts with giving the team good training. Knowing that one has run enough miles, done enough hill workouts, run the proper combination of tempo runs and intervals, and done enough drills, striders, and strength exercises gives the runners confidence that they are physically prepared for the challenges of championship races. It’s the coach’s job to structure the training and to remind the athletes of all the good work they’ve put in.
It’s also important to have the right competition schedule leading up to the championship meets. You want challenging meets that push the runners but also some lower key meets where your athletes do real well to boost everyone’s ego a little bit. Having enough recovery time between meets towards the end of the season is also key because you want the runners to feel sharp and that they are “peaking,” not falling apart as the season comes to an end.
I add to the athletes’ confidence by giving them the sense that they are well prepared mentally. Leading up to championship races, we study the course, simulate race conditions and scenarios at practice, study race splits, and review race plans. I believe that when the SHC runners toe the starting line, they feel an extra boost of confidence because they know I have studied every tactical detail to give us the best possible chance for success during the race.
Being confident does not mean thinking the race will be easy. Confident runners know that the race, just like always, will be challenging and that there will be difficult moments, especially late in the race. The confident runner is confident that when they reach this point of the race, they will summon the courage to run through the discomfort in pursuit of their goal. I think this is what separates the good from the great runners. When I watch the less experienced SHC runners race, I never know what’s going to happen over the last mile. I hope they can push through and keep competing but I’m not sure. When I watch our varsity race, there is no doubt what’s going to happen in the last mile – they’re going to be fearless!
This past season I went to great lengths to point out that our team’s success did not require anyone to run out of the ordinary. If everyone ran like they had before, we would make it to state. All season long we had run hard against tough competition and each time we had done fine. There was no reason to expect anything different at the Central Coast Section (CCS) Championships, as long as everyone approached this race like they had the previous ones.
Standing at the starting line of a championship meet like CCS can be nerve wracking. As a coach, you can’t make that element go away. What I can do is remind the runners to think about things they can control. They can’t control how fast their opponents run. They can’t guarantee a particular time or a particular place. Those elements are what tend to make you nervous at the starting line. Instead, I get the team to focus on things they can control – which primarily is their effort. I told them, “You’ve done this before. It’s no different. The gun goes off, you start running. You start breathing harder. You hear cheering. You start to get tired. You push through. You sprint to the finish line. You know the drill. It’s the same formula you’ve done many times this season already. CCS is no different.”
Confidence. It can make all the difference in a race.
West Coast Conference Championships
Tune in on Saturday, October 29 for an exciting cross country conference championship. The West Coast Conference (WCC) Championships are taking place at Crystal Springs in Belmont, CA. If you can’t make it to Crystal, the meet is to be streamed live at wccsports.com.
The highlighted showdown will take place in the men’s race, which starts at 9:00 A.M. The University of Portland has won the WCC men’s team championship an amazing thirty-two straight years. That’s every conference championship since 1979. Their streak is in jeopardy due to Brigham Young University (BYU) joining the WCC this year.
BYU arrives to run at Crystal Springs and in a WCC Championship for the first time as the third ranked team in the nation. Miles Batty has led BYU to a win at the Notre Dame Invitational and to a second place at the Wisconsin Invitational.
Portland, however, is no slouch. Led by Trevor Dunbar, Portland took second at the Pre-Nationals Meet and is ranked number eight in nation. Portland also has the advantage of experience and knowledge on the challenging Crystal Springs course.
Portland’s streak is one of the longest in NCAA history in all sports. Arkansas won thirty-four consecutive conference championships between 1974 and 2007, the first seventeen while members of the now defunct Southwest Conference (SWC) and the last seventeen as members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Over the thirty-two years of the streak, Portland has also had the individual champion every year except 2007, when University of San Francisco’s (USF) Cheyne Inman edged out Portland’s top runner by five seconds. Current Portland coach, Rob Connor, was the 1984 WCC Champion, which was also the last year the WCC Championships were not held at Crystal Springs. The last team other than Portland to win the conference championship was the University of Nevada Reno, which won four straight titles from 1975-1978.
Some years Portland has been particularly dominant, scoring a perfect fifteen points (sweeping first through fifth place). They have done this nine times, including five years in a row between 1995 and 1999. Of late, however, the rest of the conference has been closing the gap on Portland. In 2010 Portland’s margin of victory was just seven points over USF and in 2008 the margin of victory over Loyola Marymount was just ten points.
Will Portland continue their conference winning streak or will BYU crash the party and win the WCC on their first try?
Marathoning In the News – Fall 2011
There have been several marathon races and news of note over the last couple of weeks. I could blog about the IAAF’s recent decision to count women’s marathon world records in women-only races, or Patrick Makau’s new men’s world record of 2:03:38 set in Berlin, or the impressive times by Chicago Marathon winners Liliya Shobukhova (2:18:20) and Moses Mosop (2:05:37), or the amazing story of Amber Miller, who completed the Chicago marathon in 6:25:50 while 39 weeks pregnant and then gave birth to a baby girl Sunday evening.
Instead, however, the marathon news story that caught my eye came from the Kielder Marathon in Northumberland in the United Kingdom on Sunday, October 9, 2011. This marathon had 1,109 finishers, 1,108 of them legitimate. Rob Sloan started the race but at the 20 mile mark flagged down a bus driving spectators to the finish and caught a ride. He then got off the bus, went back on the course, and re-entered the course. He crossed the finish line in third place in 2:51:01. However, the real third place runner questioned the result and after spectators came forward to say they saw Sloan on the bus, Sloan was disqualified, by event director Steve Cram – yes, the THAT Steve Cram (1983 World Champion and 1984 Olympic silver medalist in the 1500 meters).
My friend Chris Lundstrom was 3rd (farthest to the right in the above photo) at the 2001 NYC Marathon. Martin Franklin didn't "beat" Chris!
This cheater reminded me of another marathon cheater who got caught. This one took place almost ten years ago at the 2001 New York City Marathon. Martin Franklin used times from races that he likely cheated at to earn elite status for the 2001 NYC race. He started the race but then hopped on the subway where he was seen by several marathon fans, who noticed Franklin when he re-entered the race in Central Park and crossed the finish line, appearing to be the in nineteenth place and fifth American. LetsRun.com had expose on Franklin including pictures and called for his arrest for fraud. Steve Holman, an elite American 1500 meter runner in the 1990’s, wrote an open letter to Franklin that appeared in Runner’s World Daily (download it below). I still get a chuckle when I read Holman’s letter. My favorite part is when Holman questions why, if Franklin was going to cheat he, only came in nineteenth, “When you cheat, Martin, you have must have the courage to cheat with gusto. The only thing worse than a cheater is a cheater with low standards.”
Open Letter to Martin Franklin from Steve Holman
There was no cheating by me when I ran the 1997 Boston Marathon.
All this cheating brings to mind
the posterchild for cheating at a marathon – Rosie Ruiz at the 1980 Boston Marathon. Taking an illegal shortcut during a race is now commonly referred to as “pulling a Rosie Ruiz.” The 26-year old Ruiz had only begun running 18 months before the 1980 Boston Marathon.
From a moral point of view, I believe cheating is just plain wrong. But the oft-overlooked backlash from cheating incidents like those described above is the harm it causes the rightful award winner. At the Keidler Marathon it was the real third place winner, Steve Cairns, who informed race officials about the cheater, Sloan. Although race officials disqualified Sloan and properly awarded Cairns third place, Cairns was robbed of intangible things that accompany placing third, such as being interviewed on television. “My prize will get forwarded to me, but he has stolen my glory and my moment on the podium,” said Cairns.
After the 1980 Boston Marathon, it took eight days until Ruiz was disqualified and for Jackie Gareau to be rightfully named the race champion with a time of 2:34:28. BAA officials did everything they could to make it up to Gareau, including staging a ceremonial finish in which she ran the final few yards of the race and broke the finish line tape as the winner. But that still doesn’t compare to the moment of having the winner’s wreath placed on her head on Boylston Street in front of thousands of cheering fans. That irreplaceable moment was stolen from Gareau by Rosie Ruiz. That fact is not lost on the BAA officials who continue to try to honor Gareau for her victory. They brought Gareau back on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the 1980 race to be the grand marshal for the 2005 race. Again in 2005, BAA officials staged a ceremony for Gareau where she got to recreate the end of her race by breaking the finish line tape. Gareau would continue to run marathons at a high level. Her marathon best was 2:31:27, she placed fifth at the 1983 World Championships Marathon, represented Canada at the 1984 Olympics, and was named the Canadian marathoner of the twentieth century. In 2010 Gareau was one of many former champions honored at the Boston Marathon. At the age of fifty-seven she ran the 2010 race in 3:44:17 on the thirtieth anniversary of the famous 1980 race.
Despite the evidence against her, Ruiz maintained her innocence and refused to return her first place medal. At that time, the winner of the women’s Boston Marathon received a medal that was smaller than what the winner of the men’s race got. BAA officials decided to present Gareau with a new medal, one that was the same size as the men’s winner and larger than the one Ruiz refused to return. After that, BAA officials kept the medals for the women’s winner and the men’s winner the same size. If one good thing came of this cheating incident, this would be it.
For those of you preparing for the NYC Marathon, Cal International Marathon, or any other race, get your training in and don’t even think about doing a “Rob Sloan,” “Martin Franklin” or “Rosie Ruiz.”
