Reebok Boston Indoor Games

Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia shattered the world record in the women's 5,000 meters with a time of 14:27.42. Shalane Flanagan set a new American record in the women's 3,000m while finishing second in 8:33.25 to Ethiopia's Meseret Defar who won with a time of 8:30.31 Saturday at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games. Two Australian national marks and a New Zealand AR also fell on the first stop of USA Track & Field's Indoor Visa Championship Series.

My favorite event, the mile:

Men's Mile Run
1 Alan Webb USA 3:55.18
2 Kevin Sullivan CAN 3:57.33
3 Mark Fountain AUS 3:57.76
4 James Nolan IRL 3:58.85
5 Ivan Heshko UKR 3:59.14
6 Chris Lukezic USA 4:00.50
7 Rob Myers USA 4:00.52
8 Gabe Jennings USA 4:12.13
9 Tim Ramirez USA 4:22.41
- Elkanah Angwenyi KEN DNF
- Moise Joseph HAI DNF

Women's Mile Run
1 Sarah Jamieson AUS 4:28.03
2 Shayne Culpepper USA 4:31.35
3 Christin Wurth-Thomas USA 4:31.84
4 Sarah Hall USA 4:32.24
5 Lindsey Gallo USA 4:33.86
6 Carmen Douma-Hussar CAN 4:33.97
7 Mestawot Tadesse ETH 4:40.26
8 Jenelle Deatherage USA 4:40.43
9 Amy Mortimer USA 4:41.95
10 Natalie Hughes USA 4:44.00
11 Meskerem Legesse ETH 4:46.19
12 Brooke Novak USA 4:54.50

Men's 3000 Meters
1 Craig Mottram AUS 7:39.24
2 Markos Geneti ETH 7:42.72
3 Ali Abdosh ETH 7:45.96
4 Alistair Cragg IRL 7:52.68
5 Josphat Boit KEN 7:54.30
6 Thomas Morgan USA 7:54.45
7 Robert Cheseret KEN 7:56.86
8 Gebre Gebremariam ETH 7:57.27
9 Jorge Torres USA 8:04.84
10 Michael Aish NZL 8:10.04
11 Jason Jabaut USA 8:22.82
- Alexandr Skvortsov RUS DNF

Women's 3000 Meter Run
1 Meseret Defar ETH 8:30.31
2 Shalane Flanagan USA 8:33.25
3 Kim Smith NZL 8:38.14
4 Mary Cullen IRL 8:53.81
5 Malindi Elmore CAN 8:57.59
6 Sentayehu Ejigu ETH 9:09.74
7 Yimenashu Taye ETH 9:09.96
8 Clara Peterson USA 9:10.47
9 Marie Davenport IRL 9:11.75
10 Hilary Stellingwerff CAN 9:16.95
- Roisin McGettigan IRL DNF
- Iryna Vaschuk UKR DNF
- Keira Carlstrom USA DNF

Men's 800 Meter Run
1 Nick Symmonds USA 1:48.15
2 Sam Burley USA 1:48.66
3 David Krummenacker USA 1:49.29
4 Justus Koech KEN 1:50.01
5 Berhanu Alemu ETH 1:50.55
6 Jebreh Harris USA 1:50.78
7 Derrick Peterson USA 1:53.32
- Dirk Homewood USA DNF

American Track & Field Boys’ Invitational Mile
1 Duncan Phillips College Station, TX 4:09.20
2 Matthew Centrowitz Arnold, MD 4:10.85
3 Mark Amirault Walope, MA 4:11.26
4 Girma Mecheso Lawrenceville, GA 4:11.67
5 Evan Jager Algonquin, IL 4:12.59
6 Sintayehu Taye Ashburnham, MA 4:13.77
7 Craig Forys Howell, NJ 4:16.92
8 Michael Chinchar KEN 4:17.68
9 Steve Murdock Clifton Park, NY 4:21.06
10 Brandon Burns North Kingstown, RI 4:21.99
11 Brian Rhodes-Devey Slingerlands, NY 4:29.00

American Track & Field Girls’ Invitational Mile
1 Danielle Taurov Manahawkin, NJ 4:52.20
2 Jillian Smith Manahawkin, NJ 4:53.58
3 Alex Kosinski El Dorado Hills, CA 4:54.05
4 Lindsey Carson Ontario, Canada 4:55.00
5 Catherine White Roanoke, VA 4:55.38
6 Brittany Sheffey Bellport, NY 4:56.30
7 Ashley Higginson Marlboro, NJ 4:57.77
8 Colleen Wetherbee Yarmouth, MA 5:00.14
9 Jillian Rosen Dallas, TX 5:00.50
10 Christine Babcock Irvine, CA 5:01.13
11 Tori Pennings Warwick, NY 5:01.40
12 Keely Maguire Georgetown, MA 5:05.88
13 Siobhan Breagy Exeter, RI 5:16.09
- Caitlin Lane Greenwich, NY DNF



Full results can be found at: RBK Boston Indoor Games

Pre quote

Let me tell you something, all of my life people have said to me, "You're too small, Pre. You're not fast enough, Pre. Give up your foolish dreams, Steve!" But you know what, they forgot something: I HAVE TO WIN! There's no fallback here, no great stride, no long legs--nothing!
-Steve Prefontaine



I can relate, me right leg is slightly shorter then my left!

Gym membership

Yesterday I renewed my gym membership which includes swimming pool access. As a distance runner we have all heard somebody rant about how we shouldn't weight lift because we will become too bulky. Now there is some truth to that, but having little core and upper body strength is a definite weakness to all runners especially middle distance runners who require speed as well as endurance. Personally, I am not built very large and weight lifting will not cause me to gain very much extra weight.

When it comes to weightlifting each individual needs to evaluate their own personal athletic goals. I enjoy being an all around athlete so cross training is very much a part of my weekly workouts.

Steve Prefontaine

"Some people create with words or with music or with a brush and paints. I like to make something beautiful when I run. I like to make people stop and say, 'I've never seen anyone run like that before.' It's more than just a race, it's a style. It's doing something better than anyone else. It's being creative."
-Steve Prefontaine

Percy Cerutty

"Hard things take time to do. Impossible things take a little longer."
-Percy Cerutty







Running Log: 20 min quick pace

Diamond

"A diamond is just a chunk of coal that did well under pressure."

Somewhere in the world...

"Somewhere in the world someone is training when you are not. When you race him, he will win."
-Tom Fleming's Boston Marathon Training Motto

Running in the Rain

Today I felt awesome fighting the wind and rain! Today was on one of my longer runs since I have started training again. Although England does get cold it is a miserable type of coldness, the not cold enough to be snow so instead you are soaking wet in January on your long run! To me it is not winter if there is no snow, not to take away from today's run, which i did throughly enjoy.



Running log:
Time 50min
weather: typical

Inspiration

Inspiration:
Last week Sunday while riding the bus home from work an older gentleman sat down next to me. Now, for my those who don't know the English, in England it is not common to talk with random people you meet on the bus, or even to greet the person next to you (much different then my hometown in WI) but this man seemed different then the multitudes of other Englishmen that I have met while living in the UK, perhaps it was his slight insecurity or shyness that caused me to want to make him feel more comfortable. I greeted him and realized he wasn't English he was Scottish! He asked if I was Irish, so he wouldn't lose face I told him my mother was of Irish descent but I was American. He started to tell me about when he toured the states back in the 70s the conversation then turned to American Football and then distance running. It turns out this gentleman used to run a 4.17 mile when he was much younger and later did marathons annually for years. My inspiration came today when I met the same gentleman on the bus while returning from work. He started by asking me if I have raced yet, last time I told him that I was preparing to race again since I am making a comeback into distance running. He then asked what my mileage was up to, and he told me about how he believes in the importance of speed work... and then are conversation was cut short because it was his stop. At this moment a had an epiphany as well as a feeling of guilt; here was a man who used to be an animal on the track and for years did marathons and now he had to take the bus to go a mere third of a mile (give or take)! A distance that most people would not take a bus for. Yesterday I missed my run because I spent 15hours correcting a fellow student's 107 page 18,000 word dissertation that is part of her master's course. I realized today that this man was able to re-live his youthful days by chating with me about distance running, this made me appreciate my youth which allows me to do the type of training that I am doing. All of us runners have heard this quote many times over, including me, but today I really appreciated the meaning in it

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the Gift." -Steve Prefontaine

Today's run
time: 42 min
weather: typical English weather, 5C and sprinkling (in England the would say, "spitting")

Winter Running Tips

Stay hydrated: Runners tend to be very conscience about being hydrated during the heat of summer, but it is crucial to remain hydrated during winter as well.

Dark sunglasses: Not only will your shades look cool but they will help reduce the snow glare.

Bring a friend: Running with one of your mates is a good idea especially in bad weather conditions. Running be yourself all winter long can become a monotonous chore, but run with a mate or two and it becomes an adventure!

Start your run into the wind: This way you won't become over heated then turn back into the wind with your clothes wet with sweaty. You will finish with the wind to your back and this also helps give you something to look forward to while fighting the blistering wind!

Layer properly: A base layer of snug, wicking material, such as polypropylene, polyester, Thermax, this will help you to stay dry to some extent. Depending on the temperature a middle and outer layer may be necessary. If temperatures are extreme an outlayer to block the wind and allow moisture to escape such as Gore-Tex is advisable.

George Sheehan

"Everyone is an athlete. The only difference is that of us are in training and some are not."
-George Sheehan




30 min run
1 hour kick-boxing

Cross Training (Day 9)

Today I did quite a bit of aerobic cross training. It started with a run to the sports center about 15 minutes then 2 hours of very competitive basketball and then a 15 minute run home. I believe for distance runners the best way to get better at distance running is distance running, but to keep the legs fresh and to keep the fast twitch muscle fibers twitching, cross training in my opinion is very important. Cross Training also helps to develop muscles which are underused while running. For runners swimming, bike riding, soccer/football (sorry my English friends), ice-skating, skiing, roller blading and many other sports can be beneficial (as long as you don't hurt yourself). For a sport nut like myself who enjoys all sports I wouldn't hesitate to do any of these while some purest distance runners might go on and on about the risks of injury. Often injuries in running are chronic injuries which take time to develop and are related to muscle imbalances which can be corrected with cross training. Cross training also helps to develop an all around athlete.

Kenny Moore's thoughts on Racing (Day 8)

“Jogging through the forest is pleasant, as is relaxing by the fire with a glass of gentle Bordeaux and discussing one’s travels. Racing is another matter. The frontrunner’s mind is filled with an anguished fearfulness, a panic, which drives into pain.”

- Kenny Moore

Leader in Picture: Gary Garcia (UWW)

Running Log:

Time: 35 minutes

weather: 6C Windy

Upper body very sore from boxing practice.