Win a Golden Ticket to the ING New York City Marathon

Want a chance to run the NYC Marathon? Credit: Matthew Myers

We love contests, even when we know our odds of winning aren't good. And we really love contests when they involve giveaways for gear that we want but maybe can't afford (or want to splurge on) or race entries especially when the race is a tough one to gain entry into. So if you're OK with testing your luck, and running a marathon--and one that's on many a runner's bucket list, including mine--in the fall, Nissan's Innovation for Endurance program has a contest you want to enter. More like, you need to enter.

It's a race that's been run--and won--by Meb Keflezighi. It's been the debut marathon for Kara Goucher and Shalane Flanagan. And it's going to be run by Ryan Hall a mere 12 weeks after he tackles the Olympic marathon in London. That's a lot of Olympians who've tackled the five boroughs of New York City to finish running 26.2 miles in Central Park at the ING New York City Marathon.

Elites to watch at the 2011 Chicago Marathon

McGrory, Frei, Mosop, Hall and Shobukova at press conference

When your mainstay marathon is a part of the World Marathon Majors race circuit, best described as a championship-style competition of five of the world's major marathons (Chicago, New York, Boston, Berlin and London, plus the IAAF World Championships and the Olympics), it's expected that you're going to see some fast feet among the elites. I might miss them every year because I'm running, but when you're on the course when Paula Radcliffe sets a world record (or not, thanks to a recent decision, but that's another story), it helps quicken your pace. Add in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon's course, known for being flat and fast and delivering a world record or two over the years, and race director Carey Pinkowski who's been at the helm for more than 20 years, and the talent is practically begging to be invited. At the elite athlete press conference the athletes are beaming when they're introduced to the crowd and those who speak echo how excited they are to be racing in Chicago--it happens every year.

With that said, here's who you want to keep your eye on Sunday, October 9, when the 34th running of the Chicago Marathon kicks off from Grant Park.

Top 10 Boston Marathon Memories from 2011

Even when you spend far more time on the race course than you intend, plan and hope for, the Boston Marathon always seems to go by in a blur. Once your bus pulls into the parking lot at Hopkinton, it's like a ticking bomb counting down ever so quickly until the start gun goes off. While my race may have been a disaster (stay tuned for the race report on this one--hopefully tomorrow), I still managed to enjoy the sights and scenes on my way into Boston and across the finish line. Meanwhile, many others had awesome races, especially from the rumblings I heard about the elites before I had a chance to check the results. During the day I was curious about how the elite race panned out, and now that it's over I'm wishing my hotel room had Universal Sports so I could re-watch the race when it comes back on at midnight. But until I can actually watch that coverage, I'm working off this list of my top 10 memories from the 2011 Boston Marathon:

1. Desiree Davila finishing second by two seconds, PR'ing and becoming ridiculously close to being the first American woman to win Boston since Lisa Rainsberger in 1985 (2:22:38)
2. Kara Goucher's first marathon back after baby and she PR'd, besting her time from the 2008 NYC marathon (2:24:52)
3. Ryan Hall besting his own American record and finishing fourth in 2:04:58.
4. Joan Benoit Samuelson's age group win in 2:51:29. She still has it at 53, even if she doubted her ability to finish under 3 hours this time around.
5. Seeing the Pesky Pole Marathoner on the course--I knew he existed from Flickr pictures, but can't remember if I've actually seen him on the course.
6. The costumed on-course entertainment. A guy ran nearly in the buff, only wearing a tiny loin cloth, some cloth wrapped around his bicep and a long black wig (I wish I had my camera with me for that one). The very convincing guy dressed as a girl cheering the runners from the sidelines--he even caught a photographer's attention as I saw him in this boston.com slideshow. The two guys dressed in suits and running--one only had the tie and jacket, but the other even donned the pants.
7. The number of Nike shoes I kept spotting. There were Lunaracers, original LunarGlides (this woman's looked so clean compared to my first pair, which are too worn out to use for running), LunarGlides 2+, Frees, Pegasus 27+.
8. The number of charity runners. So many singlets and T-shirts for Dana-Farber, Children's Hospital, Griffin's Friends, Bailey's Team for Autism, the Boston College bookstore, and countless others that I read as I ran but can't remember now.
9. The screaming girls of Wellesley. I knew they were loud but they seemed even louder than before--and I couldn't block them out as well as I usually do, I think a result of my iPod dying as I passed the campus.
10. The epic fail of my own race 55 minutes in. More on that in another entry.

Even the Best Runners Get Tired

Hopefully you're still not shell-shocked over Ryan Hall's announcement to drop out of October 10's Bank of American Chicago Marathon. On Tuesday, Hall cited fatigue as his reasoning for pulling out of the race where he hoped to break the American record. But while some sounded angry over Hall's decision, or disappointed that they'd no longer be sharing the course with the fast American and potentially sharing in his record-setting appearance, his justification simply makes sense. And can show us that even the best runners aren't superhuman--all the time.

Take Hall's blog posts at competitor.com. You could read his most recent entry, the one that followed the official announcement that he wouldn't be running, that essentially explains his take on the reasons behind dropping out. More political, more "hey fans, here's why I can't run in two weeks," more detailed. Deeper, if you will, provided I was asked to give a literary analysis on a blog post. Whether it's just good writing or good story-telling, Hall makes a compelling argument for postponing his next marathon until 2011. He didn't want to end up like Greg Meyer who told Hall not to make his mistake where he ran Chicago to defend his title, wasn't ready to run and he marks it as the beginning of the end for his running career. At 28, I'm sure Hall doesn't want to be done with his glory days--he has too many goals to yet accomplish.

And if you take a look at one of his older entries--or had followed all along from the beginning--it's really not surprising that he decided not to run. He's tired. No excuses about it. Just like any average runner hits the fatigue mark--after all, there is that saying that if you can survive marathon training, you can survive the marathon--so did Hall. And rather than push through it, he's a smart enough runner to know that as he ages, it becomes less and less possible to bounce back quickly from those tough sessions. He cited a 12-mile tempo run and a 25-mile long run within the course of three days. I know that's a lot for me to run--I'd be knocked up for at least a week after running 25 miles unless I walked most of it--and I'm sure it's still a lot for Hall, especially at the speeds he'd take those miles at. Or take a gander at Josh Cox's workouts, Hall's training partner up in Mammoth, which he posts regularly via Twitter and Facebook. How these guys don't get tired with double sessions, hours each, is beyond me. Sure, marathon runners can be deemed superhuman, but it's back to reality--and a little refreshing for the rest of us--when they show they need a break too.

Ryan, we'll miss you along the Chicago Marathon course, but will be looking for you supporting your Hall Steps Foundation runners and are happy you're still coming to the Windy City. And rest up so you can continue toward your American record goal. We're sure Hawaii will help with that much needed R&R--Hall and Cox will be there next week to support K-Swiss teammate Chris Lieto in his final preparations for the Ironman World Championships. 

Update: Liz just posted an awesome interview with Ryan Hall at Time Out Chicago. Check it out here.

A Quote to Remember

"Sometimes when you're painting a masterpiece it gets messy. When I show up on the starting line in Chicago I want to make it special." --Ryan Hall, via Twitter

If Runner's World wants to add a quote to its Quote of the Day repertoire, I'm all for adding this one by Ryan Hall. Not because he's explaining his decision to not race the 2010 Chicago Marathon, but more because it's eloquent and one of those sayings that any runner might consider leading into race day. The eloquent aspect is rather obvious but the other bit may be more opinion than actual truth. But I like to think that it makes sense...maybe not for your first marathon if you're gung-ho on crossing the finish line no matter what, but most likely for that race where you wanted to run fast and now see you're going to fall short of your expectations--even those that others set upon you. 

In a somewhat weird way, I feel like I can identify with what Hall's saying. Or at least understand a bit more why he'd throw away--as some commented--the chance of leaping into the record books once again, having a huge payday, and not passing up any appearance fees. Sometimes it's just not your day. A simple phrase but one that not all of us runners always seem to understand.

Case in point: Chicago Marathon 2007. Yes, that one where it was 90-something degrees as the race crept on and was eventually canceled and turned into a fun run to salvage the racers still on course. I had already painted most of my masterpiece in training but the race would add the final touches--not the same as knowing while training that things were drastically wrong, but related enough where you hopefully catch my drift. Long story short, my clothes were soaked by mile 10 and I was really feeling the heat effects somewhere between miles 11 and 12. Before reaching the halfway mark--and the spot where I'd see my family--I already knew my race was over. No personal best, no decent time, no run all the way but slower. It was full-on survival mode--make it to the finish line to collect medal No. 8 and save my marathon legs for the potential of running a cooler race. As I stopped to walk, I'm getting pats on the back and encouraging phrases like "Hang in there!", "You'll be OK!", "You can do it!" Meanwhile, all I could help thinking was that I knew when to throw in the towel and call off the race. Fine I was still out there, unlike Hall who won't be toeing the line, but I'm at the point where my masterpiece got smeared and the only thing special about this race was finishing.

Second case in point: Chicago 2008. Hot again, but not as bad as the year before. Except this time I'm not only contesting the heat--where I know I struggle--but also coming off Ironman recovery. Good idea to run a marathon barely a month after a 140.6-mile race? Probably not. I could have used some of Hall's reasoning then to avoid the marathon altogether. Sure enough, I hit the wall at mile 15 and mustered the energy to walk/run the last 11 miles--I can't give up now--but I know that re-qualifying for Boston is not happening.

The key, or so I think, is that I lowered my expectations. It's what I can easily do as an age-grouper but probably doesn't come as easily for a professional. The only hype I have is my own and maybe my family's--they are nice enough to watch me year in and year out, no matter how slow or fast I go--and my finish time, and place, isn't riding on the hopes of millions. But I'll still have to pocket Hall's words for the times when I'm questioning why I'm showing up to race in the first place. When I don't want to run for fun, when I don't need a Boston-qualifying time, when it's too cold or hot to enjoy myself, or when I'm really too injured to battle through 26.2. In a weird way, I can learn something from Hall, even if others currently think he's a quitter. He's really just teaching us a lesson about when to listen to our bodies and how to make races special.

Photo by By George Roberts (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

The Daily Feed: Sites We're Searching 9/30

I know this is supposed to be more of a daily collection of links, but I have to go with calling this one the week of the run. As if cooler weather (in this neck of the woods anyway) didn't already have me forgoing triathlon thoughts--yes, I know I have to to finish that darn Ironman race report--and focusing more on running, this week has been almost too full of running-related headlines to preoccupy my mind.

Unsure of what news I'm talking about? Here's the running news that dizzied my eyes since Sunday.

• My late-night browsing spotted the release that Kara and Adam Goucher's baby, Colton Mirko, arrived on Saturday. Then Kara posted Colt's baby pictures on her blog. So cute!
• Joan Benoit Samuelson announced that she'll be running the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, October 10. Samuelson won the gold medal in the women's marathon at the 1984 Olympics and has some high goals for herself in a week and a half: to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Trials at age 53, and break her American record for the 50-54 age group. She's also celebrating the 25th anniversary of her 1985 Chicago Marathon victory where she set the course and American records and finished just 13 seconds shy of the world record.
• As if Joanie's news wasn't enough, another runner will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of his 1985 Chicago Marathon win by racing. Steve Jones, who also won in 1984 in world-record fashion, returned to defend his title and reclaim his world record. He missed by one second but had a course record that still stands as the British marathon record.
• Rather than hear about more runners entering the race, we then heard about one major runner dropping out. Ryan Hall had his eyes set on excelling in Chicago with the potential to break the American record and notch a personal best. But between fatigue and a lackluster performance at the Rock 'N' Roll Philadelphia Half, Hall put his Chicago dreams on hold, postponing until he's prepared and ready to race his best.
• With a September 29 due date, congratulatory remarks appeared online for Paula Radcliffe, whose son Raphael arrived right on time. He joins big sister Isla (3) to the Radcliffe clan. With birthdays so close, can we expect Raphael and Colt to be as close of friends as Radcliffe and Goucher?
• I'm hooked on the latest running-related articles at Master the Shift. It's not hard to grab my interest, but there are too many good topics on the site right now. Check out Ryan Hall's September 27 entry about his taper activities. Or read Rita Klabacha's tips to avoid the all-too-common taper weight gain from September 29.
• And for one more bit of news on the Chicago Marathon: Even without Ryan Hall's participation, the race promises one heck of a fast field come race day. Sammy Wanjiru is back to defend his 2009 Chicago Marathon title, but he'll be challenged by Deriba Merga, 2009 Boston Marathon winner; Feyisa Lilesa, whose best is 2:05:23; Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot, Boston Marathon champion; and Tsegaye Kebede, London Marathon champion. For the women, Liliya Shobukhova is back to defend her title. But she's going to be challenged by Irina Mikitenko, London and Berlin Marathon champion, fast American Magdalena Lewy-Boulet, Astede Baysa who's won Paris twice, Askale Tafa Magarsa who finished second at the 2008 Berlin Marathon, and Mamitu Daksa who won the 2010 Dubai Marathon.

I know I have running on the brain between reading these and planning for a marathon-related event tonight. It's just too bad I can't get my feet to pound the pavement as often as my eyes read about running.

Photo grabbed from Bowdoin Athletics.

Oh No, Say It Ain't So

Ryan Hall's not running the Bank of America Chicago Marathon? My first thought: No, it can't be true. But the truth: It is. Hall decided that 10-10-10 was not his day to try to break the American marathon record.

I thought I was seeing things when I was scrolling through my Facebook feed last night. I was tired, it was late, and I was distracted as I tried to eat, read, talk to my husband and listen to the Terry Fox story on ESPN. But my eyes weren't deceiving me on the information shared by Runner's World and local multisport store Running Away. The Chicago Marathon event office released a statement from Ryan Hall, detailing his reasons for dropping Chicago from his schedule, and it hit my inbox this morning.

So why'd he do it? Like any runner training for a marathon, the poor guy is tired. He ran the Philadelphia Half Marathon on September 19, but instead of leading the pack to the finish line as he did last year, he finished 13th (according to results), two minutes off the time that won it for him and nearly four minutes off his record at that distance. After the race, he had a week of what he called sub-par efforts and decided fatigue was the culprit and could keep him from accomplishing his goals in Chicago.

"I have made the very difficult decision to withdraw from the 2010 Bank of America Chicago Marathon," Hall says. "Perhaps I was a bit too eager to capitalize on the lightning fast course, atmosphere and history of the event in my race preparations, causing me to over-train and suffer from perpetual fatigue."

While this is definitely not news I wanted to read, especially because have a fast phenom on the course race-day inspires me just a little more to do my best, it's easy to tell that Hall thought long and hard about his decision. And that he's totally in tune with his body and what it can and can't handle, something I know I've lacked more than once (I'm not even going to begin telling those stories here).

But don't think that Hall won't be coming to Chicago for race weekend. He might not be racing, but he'll still be here to support his Hall Steps Foundation and other charities. Keep your eyes peeled for Hall sights, just not on the race course.

New York 09: Where the Elite Come to Race

You know there's always at least one recognizable name among the elite field at the major marathons--New York, London, Chicago, Boston start the list rolling--but never do you find a race as stacked as the 2009 ING New York City Marathon. Rather than lone rangers to watch for, you have elite armies and it's a question of who has the faster legs on November 1 that's deciding the victor. Celebrating its 40th anniversary, the New York City Marathon is holding nothing back. The loaded elite field has been touted by marathonguide.com as the best elite marathon race in America, and a group of past race champions have been invited back to run a race that put them in the history annals. You can't miss these names running the boroughs of New York--most will be near the front of the pack.

• Paula Radcliffe. Radcliffe has won New York before, most recently last year, and holds the world record for the fastest women's marathon, which she set at Chicago in 2002 and lowered it in London in 2003.
  
• Ryan Hall. Hall-elujah fever hits New York and Central Park will be going crazy when Hall approaches the finish line, gunning for a winning race if all goes well.
• Meb Keflezighi. Known for his bronze medal in the Olympics marathon in Athens, Keflezighi can turn out a good run on this course as he's proven so before.
• Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot. This 2009 Boston Marathon winner has shown he's fast in the past and may have scared some of his competitors by being a late entry to New York.
• Salina Koskei. She surprised everyone by winning this year's Boston Marathon and pulling ahead of Kara Goucher and Dire Tune in the final stretch.
• Brian Sell. At one point it was announced that this 2008 Olympian would be making his NYC Marathon debut. Although most likely bothered by the heat and humidity in Beijing, Sell usually puts up impressive times, but he may have to run a personal-best if everyone runs fast on Sunday.
• Abdi Abdirahman. Abdirahman's name frequently pops up as a fast 10-miler, but he's not snail at the marathon.
  
• Past champions: Rod Dixon, Hendrick Raamala, Steve Jones, Orlando Pizzolato, Marilson Gomes dos Santos, German Silva, Gary Muhrcke. Raamala and Gomes dos Santos stand the best chance of capturing the $70,000 bonus for any returning NYC champion who wins this 40th running. Muhrke won the first running back in 1970 and returns to conquer the course again at age 69.
  
• Lyudmila Petrova. Petrova is no spring chicken, but at 41, she's showing no signs of falling to the back of the pack. Last year she finished second in NYC and broke the world's best time for women over 40 with her 2:25:43.
• Magdalena Lewy-Boulet. This 2008 Olympian ran fast enough in Boston in 2008 to make the Olympic team and stands as the U.S. hope for a top finish.
  
• Joan Benoit Samuelson. "Joanie" as she's affectionately called by friends and admirers has paced for Lance Armstrong at this race while also running it on her own. And with the 40th anniversary of the New York Marathon coinciding withthe 25th anniversary of her gold medal performance in the first women's Olympic Marathon, Los Angeles in 1984, she's back.

And for those running--to say you shared the course with this field will make many a runner jealous. There aren't many races where so many top runners past and present make a presence--maybe Boston with its rich history and qualification standards. But the eye is on New York this time of year. Photo of Paula Radcliffe at NikeTown New York at the pre-race pep rally, courtesy of Nike. Posted by Kate

Ryan Hall Goes the Distance

Ryan Hall brought his speed to Philadelphia and came away with a win in this weekend's ING Philadelphia Distance Run. Just barely. He edged out Samuel Ndereba for the overall win by four seconds, to finish in 1:01:52. For this American record holder at the half-marathon distance, this wasn't his fastest time--his record stands at 59:43--but it is faster than the half marathon he ran at the NYC Half in August where he finished in third place with a time of 1:02:35. And that's just preparation for the ING New York City Marathon on November 1, a course he excelled on in 2007 at the men's Olympic Trials.

Whether you were running the race and missed the head of the pack action or just want to see how fast Hall ran on Sunday, check out the replay here. The only problem is that technical difficulties ensued at the finish and Hall can't be seen crossing the line. But watching the battle for first is just as exciting, not to mention the women's race where Catherine Ndereba edged Irene Limika by three seconds to finish in 1:09:43.

Did you race on Sunday? View your results here, while you're relaxing your feet today. Photo grabbed from Chris Kantos at flickr. Posted by Kate

0 Days to Boston Marathon: Podium Finishes

What a race! At least I can say that about the televised portion that I was watching on Universal Sports this morning. The final stretches down Boylston Street literally had me staring dumbfounded at the screen, watching and wondering who might pull ahead and when and how it would happen. Would it be a year for the Americans? Would Kara Goucher be the first American woman to win since 1985? Would Ryan Hall live up to the hype and beat the favored Robert K. Cheruiyot?

Talk about a lot of surprises among the men and women. Between Colleen De Reuck, 45, leading the women's elite pack early on to Kara Goucher making a break and pulling a four-pack toward the finish, I'm wondering who can take the race. Is Goucher holding out or is a surprise awaiting her on Boylston? Unfortunately it was the latter and I felt so awful when Dire Tune and Salina Kosgei pushed ahead and Goucher couldn't counter--oh how I was hoping she'd coming sprinting by at even more blistering speed--and I felt worse when I saw the disappointment on Goucher's face after she crossed the line and was being consoled by her husband. So close and yet so far in such a closely contested race--the top three were only seconds apart with Kosgei topping Tune by one second and Goucher only eight seconds back.

As for the men, I have to admit I didn't see much aside from Ryan Hall leading near the beginning and then Deriba Merga, the eventual winner, pulling away from the pack and striding into Boston. Hall was only 22 seconds back at one point--and running with Robert Cheruiyot--but from the camera angle it looked like there was no catching Merga. Merga looked so at ease running those sub-five minute miles as he won the race. And try as he might, Hall couldn't catch second-place Daniel Rono, but he did take third. It's amazing how they were able to motor toward the finish line with intense winds blowing right at them, and make those paces look so effortless.

Want to see how the final miles of the marathon unfolded? Check out this youtube video from user71323.


To view results, check out this list of top finishers. And cheers to Goucher and Hall for putting up two great finishes for the home crowd--and Liz too! Photo grabbed from Boston Marathon and Photo Run. Posted by Kate

Ryan Hall-elujah!: Boston Marathon Strategy, Newton Hills, Tapering and...Olive Oil

Everyone's obsessing over taper and race strategy. So how do the best athletes deal? We were lucky enough to get a peek inside Ryan's head as he gets ready to tackle the Beantown course. Check out part of a Q&A I did with him below, or click here for the full interview on TOC's site.

Expo news: Last night ASICS announced that it will be selling Ryan Hall–themed tees at the Boston expo. The dark gray perforamance tee with white writing displays a drawing of Hall and the phase “Hall-elujah,” as a nod to his faith. It'll be available for $32 at the ASICS expo booth in the Haynes Convention Center from April 17-19. Another FYI, ASICS has launched a blog with Ryan, detailing his emotions leading up to race day and how he feels after crossing the tape (editorial note: cuz he's going to win it!!!). Here's the link. Photo courtesy of ASICS. Posted by Liz

How are you feeling during the taper? Is this a challenging time, a fun time or what?
Ryan Hall: Tapering can be both challenging and fun. It is tough to not run as much because I love to train hard, but it is fun to feel all the extra energy. I often think to myself when I am tapering, “So this is what it feels like to be a normal person.” During marathon training I am so tired and drained.

Do you do anything special before a race to get psyched up? Listen to a particular song for instance?
It is different every time; before London and the Olympics I watched Passion of the Christ the night before the race. The way I am feeling right now I am thinking I am going to need something to get me not so psyched since I already feel so pumped for it. I always like to listen to worship music the morning of the race because it gets me in the right mind and heart.

What’s your go-to, night-before-the-race meal?
Pasta, olive oil and Cytomax Muscle Milk Protein Shake.

What’s your strategy for those Boston hills–and downhills?
My strategy for the hills in Boston are to run the same effort level whether I am going up, down or flat, which means I will obviously slow down going up the hills and fly down the back of them. I think that energy management is one of the keys to running a good marathon. The better I can keep it locked in at the right effort level, despite the terrain, the better I will run.

In a Runner’s World article last year, you mentioned a mantra that came from your dad–”Head down, butt up.” Do you use those words to keep motivated and focused during a race? Do you have a new mantra you’ve developed during training that you’ll use on April 20?
I don’t really think of the “Head down, butt up” mantra from my childhood too often. I do think about some of the things my dad ingrained in me growing up on the starting line, like “If it is not fun, then it is not worth doing.” I like this mantra because we all get nervous and intimidated at the start of a marathon but this helps me just relax and enjoy the journey. It is important to enjoy each step in the journey–even the tired ones–because as my dad says, “Happy feet make light feet.”