All posts for the month January, 2012

Enjoy The Journey

Greetings from Los Angeles, Ca. It seems this week I have a lot of friends racing in all parts of the world. My dear friends Naki and Seville out in France. Chelsea running over at the Mardi Gras Marathon in New Orleans and a huge number of friends all running on Superbowl Sunday (GO Giants) at the Surf City Half Marathon and Marathon here in California.

A lot of you are gunning for your PR’s and I am eagerly anticipating what happens out there with those going for it. While some of you are getting some great runs in preparation for your long-term goals such as a full marathon or ultra marathon. Races are a great platform to test yourself and get familiar with how you race.

BUT whatever happens out there, keep your head up and enjoy the journey. A lot of runners put a lot of pressure on themselves and when they come up short they really have a hard time and get down. And that’s ok, I get it. But the reality is you did something amazing, you ran 13.1 miles or 26.2. It’s a huge accomplishment each time you run and each time you run will always have a different journey. The finish line is the true PR because each race will always present itself with a new set of challenges and overcoming those challenges helps you to grow and learn something new about yourself that you didn’t previously know. The finish line is where dreams come true. Whatever happens out there keep your head up.

Some Journeys are made from the clouds and the heavens. You get out to the start and right from the beginning you feel great and just have this great race where everything comes together. It’s almost as if the planets and stars were arranged perfectly. You get your PR, your medal and its one of the greatest days. Been there, they are the best.

And then those are those journeys where everything went right into the race but something just didn’t click and you have the race where you crumble. Been there as well. Its ok and that is racing. Just some things you can’t explain. The faster you put it behind you the faster you can start getting back on the right track to another race.

But for those of you racing this week, remember if you are in striking distance of that goal or PR, it’s about if you are willing to hurt and struggle to get that goal? Are you willing to hurt the most? Thats what racing is. It is about HOW MUCH YOU CAN TAKE AND KEEP MOVING FORWARD. That moment will come in your race and present itself and you will have the choice. What do you have to lose?

And such is life isn’t it? Life is about how much you can take and keep moving forward. Some people fall but it is the ones who get up and keep going no matter how much things hurt or how hard things are that will be successful.

Each day when you live and go about your day, each day when you lace up for a race, what matters most is that moment when you get home and sit down and kick off your shoes. Those shoes whether they are work shoes or running shoes, you want to know at that moment when you kick them off that you gave everything you could in that day or that race. When you can kick off those shoes you never want to have feelings like, “I should have done that or done this” You want to know you gave it all with zero regrets. That is running and that is life.

To all my friends running this weekend, enjoy the journey in running and life. You are all winners when you line up at the start line. Push your limits!

1 Comment

by ryanmichaelruiz on January 31, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Marathon Running, motivation

Tagged fitness, half marathons, Inspiration, journey, life, limits, marathons, regrest, running

Posted by ryanmichaelruiz on January 31, 2012

http://ryanmruiz.com/2012/01/31/enjoy-the-journey/

Running NYC Marathon Part 2, QUEENS

Welcome to part 2 of my NYC Marathon strategy series. If you havent read my first part on Brooklyn you can read it here. Now just to refresh you a little on Brooklyn, you spend the first 13 miles in the crazy chaotic crowds of Brooklyn and cross the Pulaski Bridge into Queens and its……….crickets. Anyone here? I read recently someone who wrote its like being in a concert in Brooklyn and then as you get into Queens its like someone pulled the cord on the speakers. Now only runners from Queens will tell you its great to run in Queens and fun and I really do like Queens but it’s really just 2 miles. I will admit over the years it is starting to get better but it’s still pretty quiet here. Queens does try with a band and a DJ along the route but the crowds are just not there until you hit Queensboro Plaza at the entrance to the 59th St Bridge. But you leave Queens and that’s it.

PUT A LITTLE STING ON IT

So as you leave Brooklyn and cross over the Pulaski Bridge, your mantra from mile 10-13 in Brooklyn should have been hold it, hold it, hold it. Coming down the grade from the bridge this is where I invite you to finally put a little sting in it and let out just a little bit if you have been holding. Remember running a marathon is all about patience and if you don’t execute patience in any marathon BUT especially NYC, it will bite you in the ass and you may be here in Queens with your new reality of “What am I going to do?” The elevation once you leave the Pulaski Bridge is pretty flat on Vernon Blvd. and 44th st. leading up to the 59th St Bridge.

WELCOME TO GOLIATH, THE 59TH ST BRIDGE, QUEENSBORO BRIDGE.

Now this is where races are won in NYC by the Elites and this is where time goals are thrown out the window or remain intact. This is one of the most critical parts of the race, you turn the corner onto the bridge at approximately 15 miles and it is a reality check. The crowds are gone, its quiet, you are alone with your thoughts and all you hear is feet stomping and breathing. your new reality kicks in and if you are starting to feel pain you really start to pay attention to it. It’s almost as if the bridge is torturing you challenging you to dare to make your mark. NOW, you MUST pull back a little and slow your pace. The effort up the uphill grade should be the same but your pace has to pull back. You don’t want to exert all your energy going up this hill. As you can see at the picture to the left as Paula Radcliffe goes up, the grade of the bridge. It is a climb, I will tell you that much. And it plays tricks on you because as you can see from the picture it appears you can see the crest of the bridge from there but as you approach that “crest” you thought was the crest it just continues up. I have always preached that if you can reach the crest of the bridge feeling energetic and a feeling like you have a lot of run left in you, you ran Brooklyn smart and held back and going into Manhattan, 1st ave will feel like you are running downhill. Now if you didn’t hold yourself in Brooklyn, this bridge will break you and you will go down 1st in Manhattan feeling like you are going uphill. So hold back your pace, keep those arms swinging and grind away. If you are feeling a little fatigue, a quick one minute walk will help.

So how do you train for this section? Hill work will help. The problem is how many people actually train with a grade almost a mile long? But the hill work will help you recruit those muscle fibers needed for this section. Another suggestion is running a long run and then designing your run so the latter part of your last 2 miles is at a significant upgrade to try to mock the feeling of running 15 miles and then having to climb.

This bridge will break you if you don’t run smart in Brooklyn. Often times runners who had a goal time for the race and let it out too soon in Brooklyn find themselves struggling up this bridge and the race turns from a goal time race to just a matter of survival. Run smart and have respect for this part of the race. The best part of this bridge is the short downgrade. As you start coming to the bottom of the bridge and wind around into Manhattan it is just electric. Pretty much nothing like you have ever experienced. That will be in my part 3, Manhattan. Keep running strong and have a great day.

3 Comments

by ryanmichaelruiz on January 26, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Brooklyn, Marathon Running, NYC Marathon race strategy, Running

Tagged 59th st bridge, Brooklyn, manhattan, nyc marathon, nyc marathon strategy, queens, queensboro bridge, running

Posted by ryanmichaelruiz on January 26, 2012

http://ryanmruiz.com/2012/01/26/running-nyc-marathon-part-2-queens/

Running the NYC Marathon for Charity, The CMOM

This past November I had the opportunity to run the 2011 New York City Marathon. It had guaranteed entry and chose to run for a charity. It was the first time I have run for one and the experience was amazing. I highly recommend thinking about doing this and running for a charity you find dear to you. For me kids are important and doing what I can for children is a passion I have so it seemed fair for me to get behind the CMOM, The Childrens Museum Of Manhattan.

After submitting my application they were pretty quick to get back to me and welcome me to the team. They set up a page on their website almost right away so I can begin fundraising and the process began. I was committed to $2500 before the race and my journey began. Asking everyone for money is not easy but you kind of get use to it after a while. The CMOM was in constant contact with me on a weekly basis and was pretty helpful in whatever I needed to reach my goal.

I arrived in NY almost a month out from the race and visited the museum to meet the staff . The fundraising manager Annabel Barnes was so gracious and gave me a tour of the museum which was incredible. I was also able to attend a VIP party for the grand opening of their new exhibit EAT, SLEEP, PLAY which was set to open that weekend and brought my family and friends. It was truly a great night and a different experience knowing I was running and raising money for the kids.

JUST A LITTLE INFORMATION ON CMOM

Each year, CMOM serves more than 350,000 people, including 65,000 children who visited the Museum as part of a school group or through one of the Museum’s community partners. CMOM is committed to making its exhibits and programs available to all, and with outreach programs at nearly 50 sites around New York City, they continually reach thousands of families who might not otherwise be able to benefit from our services.

CMOM focuses on four priority areas to impact children in ways that will last a lifetime:

Early childhood education prepares children for success in school.
Creativity in the arts and sciences inspires creative and analytical thinking skills for lifelong learning.
Healthy lifestyles programs provide a blueprint for a family’s physical, emotional and environmental well-being.
Exploration of world cultures gives children awareness, understanding and context for the diverse society in which we all live.

As you can see it is an amazing cause. When I ran the race the best part is they were on the course screaming and yelling as I passed by. I of course had to stop and thank them and blow them a kiss for their support. As I left them here and headed into the final stretch in Central Park I allowed the kids to inspire me and push me and it was a feeling I had never felt before running in a race. I will have to say it was one of the best days of my life because NYC Marathon will do that to you but also because I knew in my heart I had done something special and I can’t put into words what it was like when I crossed the finish line. Now just so you know this was my 24th full marathon but it was almost like my first because of this journey and the purpose I had trained for and running this race. It all came together and it was a special day.

After the race I showered up at my Mom’s place and we grabbed a quick bite because you know after running a marathon you can eat everything in sight. Some of the staff was getting together in midtown to honor the runners for running the race on the museums behalf. So We took a train down and darn, aren’t those stairs something else? Especially after a hilly course like NY? Every step seems like eternity and misery and joy all wrapped into one, lol. It was a wonderful get together and we shared stories from their view and my view of the day. We all laughed and had a great time. The picture below is some of the staff with the medal and my Mom all the way to the far right. A truly great experience. The next day after the race my Mom and I headed back up to the museum to give them a gift, the NYC Marathon medal. I wanted them to have the medal to showcase it so that maybe a kid or two or three could walk by and see the medal and perhaps inspire them to try to achieve something great like the NYC Marathon. As I write this I still have the chills because it was an amazing experience and I highly challenge you to try to make a difference in others lives with your courage and generosity through your running. From what I understand The CMOM will we part of this years NYC Marathon for 2012 so if this charity does interest you I am sure CMOM would be honored to have you. Shoot Annabel an email and I am sure she will guide you in the right direction. Have a great day!

You must let go of the past before you can move on….running and life lessons

Lets face it, in life and in running we really are only as good as our last day or workout. Frank Shorter said it best when he said “You have to forget your last marathon before you try another. Your mind can’t know what happened.” What does this really mean? Think about it, lets analyze why this is important.

The similarities in life and running both can pertain to this idea and I will try to mix it up here.

When you run a marathon or race or have a great workout you have to bask in your glory that day, wake up the next day and go forth and put it behind you and move forward confidently. But you still have to apply the same principles of greatness in that new day and direction and not get complacent or ease off because you had a great day yesterday.

Such is life isn’t it? You go out and have great days at work producing great results or in your personal life. You wake up the next day and you have to put that day behind you, move forward with confidence but continue to show great work ethic. If you become complacent you know how it goes.

What about the flip side? Back to running, you have a really bad run, a bad workout or perhaps you had such a horrible day on race day at your marathon you have trained so hard for. Now what? Shorter says “You must forget your last marathon before you try another, your mind can’t know what happened” Chances are you bonked really hard and went through some serious struggle and pain just to finish. I have been there. But I have seen over the years many runners let that scare them off from doing what they can to push themselves and put it on the line in the future. It in a sense, it traumatized them and in many ways kills their confidence levels and hopes and dreams for their goals. But these experiences will only make you stronger and help you grow if you let it. You must look at it that way. Move forth in a new direction, put your last race behind you and approach this new race with a positive and ambitious manner. There is no other way.

What about the flip side in life? Probably the biggest lesson in forgetting before going forward would be LOVE, you must forget the past and let go before you can move forward. If you hold on to the past it truly never frees you from moving forward. I know it is hard to do. Most people will put up walls from the past into their relationships in the future and well we know how that goes. It never works out. The best idea or advice I have is you have to take responsibility for your own shortcomings in your relationships and then apply your shortcomings and learn from them. You grow from these experiences and you become clearer what it is you need or want. Visualize your soul instead of visualizing your past.

Back to running, elite athletes are very good at putting their bad workouts behind them. I would say that may be one of the biggest factors in their success and what separates them from the rest of the pack such as ourselves. They know there are going to bad days and they accept that. I think we need to learn from them and know that it is part of running, you have your good days and you have your bad days. It is how you move forward that will define you.

In life there will always be something we have to let go to continue moving forward in the future. The loss of a loved one, an argument with somebody, the loss of a job, a home, it is life. Life will throw all kinds of things at you during the course of your time here but what counts is how much you keep moving forward. The past is only there to help us learn to be better and to teach us there is always a tomorrow and at any given moment, it is a chance to turn it all around in your life, the choice is yours.

I hope your running helps you to have a better life and I hope your life can help to make you a better runner. Get out there and ENGAGE and try to be great all day, everyday. Have a great day.

1 Comment

by ryanmichaelruiz on January 24, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in motivation, Running

Tagged Inspiration, life, life lesson, love, Marathon, motivation, running, soul, the past, training

Posted by ryanmichaelruiz on January 24, 2012

http://ryanmruiz.com/2012/01/24/you-must-let-go-of-the-past-before-you-can-move-on-running-and-life-lessons/

What is your Pain Threshold? The least path of resistance will lead to the least path of reward.

So what is your pain tolerance? Chances are if you are a Brooklynite you are tougher than hell and your pain tolerance is high. That was a joke of course….. but not really. Haha. All kidding aside how you deal with pain and your pain threshold will have a huge impact on the results of your race or your running in general. Bearrunner brought this up to me recently in a comment. If you get a chance check out his blog, he has great stuff and a fantastic site with a lot of great insight.

THE PAIN REMINDS YOU THAT YOU ARE STILL ALIVE

There are always two ways to deal with the pain. Ease off or push the envelope. Obviously easing off is the easiest of the two. The pushing takes courage. So how can you improve this? How can you learn to deal with pain? There are a few options. Experience will help with this. The more races you run the higher your tolerance will start to rise, specifically 5k’s where it feels like your whole world is melting when you push hard. Another option is to train specifically to this point of pain and learn to push past the pain and to test yourself in these moments. Shalane Flanagan the winner of the US Womens Marathon Trials practiced this method by taking her workouts to this pain level and then pushing the ante to teach her body to embrace more pain. Track workouts and speed sessions are easy to reach to this level. The body is amazing and usually will always respond when you push. In this process your tolerance will rise. The key here is to find your edge and continue to play with it. Your body will adapt and you will keep reaching higher levels and adapting.

BUT HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH?

There is a difference between pushing through the pain and risk injury. Keep these in mind. If you have a sharp pain in your foot, shin or hip and the pain continues to worsen you should stop. These could at the very most be signs of a fracture. If you are limping, yes please stop. You could have a tear. Chest pain with excessive sweating and breathlessness could be signs of a heart attack so be very careful. High body temperature, dry skin and vomiting are signs to stop and seek medical attention.

IMPROVING YOUR PAIN THRESHOLD

Besides taking your body to pain and pushing your threshold in workouts it can come down to your mind. I wrote about this in my LIMITS story regarding the Central Governor in your mind and how you can push through pain, check it out. But to touch on other theories if you look at elite athletes and their approach they often examine the course to become familiar with it. This tricks the brain so on race day you feel familiar on the course and it will appear easier when the pain sets in. New York City race week for the marathon is always great as you can watch the elites runners always running the last 6 miles of the course into the finish line in Central Park. They will do this over and over because in the critical part of the race, if they are in the position to win it will come down to the last 6 miles and the familiarity will help offset that pain. A perfect example of this is Lance Armstrong. While winning the Tour De France over and over, year after year most of the world never thought about his work ethic. Every year when the race ended and the Tour was out of everyone’s mind he was in France on the l’Alpe d’ Huez which is the most insane uphill part of the course doing repeats over and over. He would go up, come down and then go up again. Chances are the second time was harder but he was playing with his edge and pushing the pain threshold. Come the following year his familiarity with the course enabled him to push past the competition and win year after year. Although I know my friends in France don’t necessarily appreciate Lance I only hope they appreciate his work ethic.

I HATE THIS F%&*IN WORKOUT!!!

While I am not endorsing you to start cursing I read this incredible article how cursing can help take the pain away. Can this aid in helping you push past your threshold?

Richard Stephens and his colleagues over at Keele University School of Psychology tested this hypothesis and came up with the following study.

They recruited 67 undergraduates, and asked to make two short lists of words – five words they might use after hitting themselves on the thumb with a hammer, the other containing five words they might use to describe a table. The participants submerged one of their hands into room temperature water for three minutes, to provide a standardized starting point, then transferred it to a container of cold water and instructed to keep it submerged for as long as they could. In one condition, they were told to repeat the first swear word they had included in their list; in another, they repeated one of the words describing a table.

Contrary to their hypothesis, they found that swearing actually reduced the amount of pain felt. The participants kept their hands submerged in the cold water longer, and also reported experiencing less pain, when they repeated a swear word than when they repeated a word describing a table. Swearing was also associated with increased heart rate.

Swearing therefore enabled the participants to tolerate to the cold temperature for longer, and also caused a reduction in their perception of the pain felt. A difference between males and females was observed. Swearing led to a greater reduction in pain perception and a bigger increase in heart rate in females.

Does it work? Give a shot and let me know.

So as you can see pain threshold will come down to physical and mental. The key is finding what works best for you. That is why we train. Trial and error. The greatest thing about a marathon or race is toward the end when you absolutely are in the worst pain and you are crushing it, take a look around you and everyone is right there with you feeling the same way you feel. And to think, we signed up for this????

If you search for the least path of resistance, you will walk down the least path of reward. Stay tough out there! Have a great day and keep pushing.

2012 Remember Who You Are

I was in Santa Monica Beach in CA and found this mural on the wall of a market and I found it appropriate to remind everyone at this point of the month to refresh your goals you were so enthusiastic about just 3 weeks ago when the apple fell in Times Square. Remember who you are.

So what are your goals? What are your running goals? Are you committed to a certain amount of workouts a week? Have you started to exercise and make this the year you get back in shape? Are you trying to stop smoking? Better nutrition for the year? A marathon? Half Marathon? A mile? These are just some of the goals some people have shared with me this week.

Most of the friends who shared their goals with me have fallen off a little bit and some have fallen off a lot. And that’s OK, it is still early and I invite you to take my

10 DAY CHALLENGE

It’s quite simple. Start today, tomorrow but sooner than later and everyday make great choices all day in regards to your goal. I always say everyday when the sun rises it is a beautiful thing because the past is behind you and when you see that sun it should remind you today is a new start. You have choices everyday to be great and do your best to create the life you want and reach the goals you need to reach. So for 10 days practice this, take one day at a time and do your best everyday to make the best decisions for the goal. I am not asking you to be perfect but to do your best. Dedicate yourself for 10 days and you will find yourself back on track. If this still feels hard to you, take the ten-day challenge and dedicate each day to someone in your life and think about them all day and let them inspire you to be great and make your day of great choices in their honor and do everything you can to NOT let them down. These little mind tricks can help you. Essentially in the big picture it is YOU who you are not letting down. Give it a shot and watch your mind, goals and life get refreshed.

Do you want more than you have now, PROVE IT. You want to be the very best at what you do? GET GOING AND EARN IT. Try and go about your days with positive ideas and thoughts. This is good energy and will manifest great things in your life.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us. Playing small does not serve the world, there is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people around you don’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It’s not just in some of us, its in every one of us. As we let our own light shine we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. And as we are liberated from our own fears, so are they. Our deepest fear is we are powerful beyond measure.”

Life is too short.

Believe in yourself and Remember who you are.

Hold your breath, make a wish and count to three.

1 Comment

by ryanmichaelruiz on January 21, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in motivation, Running

Tagged 2012, believe, choices, fear, fitness, goals, Inspiration, life, motivation, new year resolutions, positive thoughts, running

Posted by ryanmichaelruiz on January 21, 2012

http://ryanmruiz.com/2012/01/21/2012-remember-who-you-are/

Anything is possible under the sun

This was my run today from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Ca. It reminds me very much of running in Central Park. Not quite as big but there is a three-mile loop around the bowl and off to the sides are amazing trails with creeks and great terrain. The correlation to Central Park are all the runners out there hitting the pavement. It is quite a view if you just sit and watch.

I was watching the movie Arthur last night in bed and Arthur’s nanny leaves him a note just before she passes and he finds it later and the note tells him it’s never too late to do anything and that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE UNDER THE SUN. It set a chord with me when those words came out because that is what I am always in many ways trying to tell runners and just people in general. Most of all it is always what I pretty much tell myself everyday when I get up. You see, when you get up you have that choice to see all the good in the day, all the opportunity that comes your way and it is up to each of us to capitalize on these moments. For us runners, that comes with nutrition choices throughout the day as you know how it will affect your goals day-to-day. Are you drinking enough water? Simple choices will have huge effects on your results. Maybe you are going to put in a tough speed workout and there is that goal you have been striving for. It is possible but you have to put the work in and make it quality work. Make each workout count because when it is time to cash in you will certainly reap the benefits. Another important moment of decision is Taking the proper rest days and really making them rest days. The body needs rest to get strong. Without it you never allow the body to make the proper adaptations to continue to get strong. I know how over ambitious we can be and how it feels you can’t let up but this little moment of deciding you need to do this, it will pay off huge in your training. Sleep? Are you getting enough sleep to recharge your body to show up the next day with great workouts? Simple moments and opportunities throughout the day will come to us runners and it is up to you to create a great balance in your complete training to make it all come together.

Dont Underestimate your decisions on a daily basis, they will make your goal on race day or your running goals on a daily basis. Decisions! With that I leave you with a story about a decision. A long while ago, a great warrior faced a situation which made it necessary for him to make a DECISION which insured his success on the battlefield. He was about to send his armies against a great and powerful foe, whose men greatly outnumbered his own men. He loaded his soldiers into boats, sailed to the enemy’s country, unloaded soldiers and equipment, then gave order to burn the ships that had carried them. Addressing his men before the first battle, he said, “You see the boats going up in smoke? That means we cannot leave these shores alive unless we win! We now have no choice, we win or we perish!”

They won.

Every great moment in the history of the world came down to great decisions. Continue to make great decisions on a daily basis and training season and don’t forget, anything is possible under the sun.

2 Comments

by ryanmichaelruiz on January 19, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Running

Tagged balance, choices, decisions, life, pasadena, possibilities, rose bowl, running, training

Posted by ryanmichaelruiz on January 19, 2012

http://ryanmruiz.com/2012/01/19/anything-is-possible-under-the-sun/

Does this look familiar on race day?

Doesnt this remind you a little of race day waiting for a chance to use the facilities? I thought it was kind of funny. Is it just me or is this the worse part of racing besides the pain? I had a friend from New Zealand who told me he would go the night before a race and put his own padlock on the porta potty door and then in the morning take his time there and the rest of the runners assumed it was out-of-order and when he was ready he would unlock it and get first dibs at it. He made me laugh so hard. Lets face it, on race day the last thing organizers are worried about are the porta potty. Just a funny story, do not attempt at home! Or dont tell anyone I told you.

Experience or Guts?

Good Morning from Pasadena, Ca. This morning I went on a run and found this amazing tree on my route and took a picture with my Itouch camera. I took my run into the Cal Tech Campus here down the street to have a drink of water and ran into some runners and the debate started over the Olympic Trials. A few of the runners were debating how the experience of Deena Kastor and Dathan Ritzenheim had failed them in yesterdays trials in Houston. A few of their arguments in favor of experience was they didn’t execute their game plan correctly and that is why their attempts failed. It is a respectful argument but I think yesterdays race came down to one thing, the one thing that can out do experience, GUTS.

My argument with them, I do mean in a friendly way, was to think about all the great running moments in history and how it never came down to experience, it always came down to guts. Think about Prefonataine from Oregon who set national records and to this day continues to be a running legend. I have had the chance of working with running legends like Rod Dixon and after spending many hours with him he would tell me stories about Pre because Rod trained with him for years and they had just rented a cabin up in Boulder, Co to start training for the Olympics when Pre suddenly died. Rod told me Pre would get on the line and talk Sh*t before the gun ever went off how nobody had the guts to hang with him. usually the elites will stand at the start and make a deal to take turns in the lead to work with each other. Pre always went along but strayed from the plan most times and just went balls out. He will forever be known for always saying he runs a race to see who has the most guts and well he proved that on a daily basis. Another great story Rod told me was they would stay up all night at the pub pounding beers to the bar closed and then get up at 5am and hammer out 15-18 mile runs at 5 minute pace per mile and it was as if Pre was in bed at 8pm the previous night with no beer in him. Rod said Pre was a Beast.

Speaking of Rod Dixon, probably one of the greatest Races in NYC Marathon history. In 1983 Rod Dixon Ran down Geoff Smith who had a huge lead in the race and was slowly fading mile by mile. When you run in the front of marathons they will usually give you the splits of the runners behind you or ahead of you. Rod hearing Smith’s splits knew he was fading. Rod couldn’t even see Smith because he was so far up ahead but kept on pushing. Rod told me and you can see the video that he was starting to cramp in his thigh and was literally pushing the cramp out with his hand. Finally when they got into Central Park Rod could start to catch little glimpses of Smith and Rod started to run the tangents of the winding course while Smith kept following the curve of the course. When they got to Central Park South which is mile 25.5 Rod was really creeping. As you get back into Central Park there is just about 800 meters to go and Rod passed Smith with just 400 meters to go, it was a sprint to the end and Rod crossed the line and Smith collapsed at the finish line. As you can see in this picture, Smith is on the floor and Rod raised his hands in the air and this iconic picture will always be the symbol of guts in New York City Marathon history and marathon running in general. Pure guts. You can see the end of that race here

If you want to know how pure guts will defy expectations, have you ever heard about the 2008 Big 10 Indoor Championships? The 600 meter dash where Minnesota runner Heather Dorniden fell and then got up and completely ran in full swing to try to catch the field and displayed pure guts and won the race. It is just one of the most incredible things I have ever seen. In the video it is about never-never giving up and the importance of Rising even when you fall. Never giving up, not only in running but in life. You can be inspired here, you have to see it.

My final argument was the Sydney Olympics. The finals in the 10k for the gold medal. Gebrselassie and Tergat ran head to head in the final 150 meters and Gebrselassie edged him out in the final stride. It was a race and a moment of pure guts. You can watch it here, the video I linked is a series of great running moments and this story I tell here about Gebrselassie is in the final clip, truly an inspirational video.

After grabbing their attention with the same stories I have told you here, they kind of had nothing to say. Yes experience will give you an edge in your running, don’t ever deny that but when you run or race or have a tempo run don’t be afraid to show some guts out there.

If you are a beginner runner deciding whether to try running it takes guts and know that seasoned runners like myself, somedays it takes guts to put one foot in front of the other. We are always growing and reaching for new peaks and those big goals take courage. Such is life! This post is not about Rod Dixon or Pre or a runner from Minnesota, its a post about taking risks and small stories that have happened everyday and will happen tomorrow that teach us to have guts, and when you have them and apply them, greatness is yours no matter how big or small it is. Have a great day, all day, everyday!

2 Comments

by ryanmichaelruiz on January 15, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Running

Tagged ca, experience, guts, Inspiration, life, marathons, motivation, nyc marathon, pasadena, pre, rod dixon, running, sydney olympics

Posted by ryanmichaelruiz on January 15, 2012

http://ryanmruiz.com/2012/01/15/experience-or-guts/

London Calling, Olympic Trials in Houston delivers a great day.

What an amazing day in Houston today. Just electric in the streets and you can feel the spirit of the Olympic Games. Today was a great day for American running. Whenever you line up on the start line of a marathon with three spots open for an olympic seat, the intensity will always be heightened and it sure was the case today on both the Men’s and Women’s side. The Men started at 8am and the Women started 15 minutes later.

LONDON CALLING for the Men. When the gun went off Ryan Hall took the pack out in a blistering pace and pretty much left the pretenders in the dust. The only runners who were able to sustain the pace were Meb, Abdi, and Ritzenheim. That pretty much was the race for the 3 loops of 8 miles. Around mile 18 Ritz appeared to be running out of gas and fell back about 30 seconds and Hall, Meb and Abdi went back and forth taking the lead. At one point Abdi was in the lead and was giving high fives to the fans and throwing his arms up to get the crowd louder. He obviously was feeling great and pumped but that surely did make him pay as he seriously started to drop off the lead pack at mile 22 and was crumbling at the seams. So much it appeared Ritz had a chance of catching him. It was close, Ritz ran out of ground and Abdi crossed the line and Ritz knelt to his knees and bursted out in tears. It was a heartbreaking scene. Rewinding back to mile 24 Meb and Hall were head to head but Hall ran out gas and looked heavy and Meb took him hard and finished to a first place victory. Meb was amazing today. Having come off the NYC Marathon just 2 months ago and then battled the foot infection and came out here today like he was rested for months is insane. It was great to see Meb representing The New York Athletic Club. Now the question remains whether Ryan Hall will return to altitude training. He recently left his training in Mammoth Lakes, Ca to train in Redding, Ca at only an altitude of 480 feet compared to his old training site in Mammoth at 10,000 feet. I expect Hall to come strong in London and beat out both Meb and Abdi. Another note, good to see the Pac 10 represented in the top three. Meb-UCLA, Hall-Stanford and Abdi-Arizona. Also, it was the first time the top three finishers came in under 2:10. A great day for American marathon running. Off to London they go.

The Women had a great day as well. For a good majority of the race through mile 20 it was a race between Desiree Davila, Shalane Flanagan, Kara Goucher and Amy Hastings. But at Mile 20 Amy Hastings fell back and couldn’t hold on and it became a battle of first place between Desi and Shalane with Goucher trailing them. But Shalane was too strong and her track skills helped her put the final push and pace hard to the end and edged out Davila for the win. Shalane was amazing today. Only her second marathon after a great debut in New York in 2010. After she ran New York she said it was a piece of cake. Usually the next marathon can give you a reality check but she is clearly made of stone. London will be great to see what she can deliver. Expect great things from Shalane after London in her young career. Davila put in a great effort and did a great job at pushing the pace early in the race and setting the tone for the day. It was pretty great when they crossed the line with all of them in tears. A truly great day for the Women in Houston. On another note, Deena Kastor came in 6th place and at 38 appears to be done. She had a great run and I am proud she represented the United States well in her career.