All posts for the month March, 2012

Reach your goals and become what you have always been.

The road to the start line of a marathon or any endeavor in life does require vision and commitment. The greatest part of this is getting into the mix of things and actually starting to make your move towards that goal. When you are in the middle of it you are alive and its exciting and you get up everyday and you thrive on the anticipation. There is nothing that can stop you, you feel invincible. The day comes when you toe up to the start line or you come to that big day in your life and everything comes together and you crush it. Is there any better feeling in the world?

But what about that day when nothing comes together? You toe up to the start line of the marathon or race or you show up to the big day or event in your life and it doesn’t go as planned and you crash hard. Its devastating and you feel like the world around you is crumbling.

There are two types of runners with two types of personalities that will respond to this.

The first runner will get down on himself or herself for a good week, and then slowly start to come back to life. They will start to look for answers and then will start to train with immense vigor and let their emotion take over and chances are without knowing it will start to get back in the same training pattern and will start to train the same way with just more intensity only to set themselves up with the same results in a few months or so at the next race.

Then there is the runner who gets down, as we are all untitled to do, and then the next day shakes it off and realizes in order for me to reach my goals I have to make a DECISION to do something different and DO things differently. It is only when you change your habits that you will produce different results. This runner will train differently and will work just as hard and with the same intensity as the other runner we mentioned above and on race day will produce a different result. The greatest part is during the process of training differently and changing things, it is only then that you realize everything you were doing wrong. Such is life isn’t it?

The real work is now that you have made the decision to change things who do you go to for change? Lets face it, there are always people around you that know everything and have their own ideas about how to train and run, We are surrounded by these people everywhere, especially if you are in a big running club or track club. But the reality is we are all MADE differently and what works for smart guy over here or smart girl over here does not mean it will work for you. As we speak no matter what part of the world you are in there is someone you know or someone you can be in contact with that has a proven track record,, someone who is qualified or certified with real running credentials and understands the specifics of training and tailoring a training schedule to specifically reach YOUR goals. It’s not the fast girl or guy who just started running 5 years ago and qualified for Boston 3 times. Running Boston is no qualification to help you or anyone.

Here are some questions you need to think about.

Are you mixing your running up with various hard and easy workouts? Are you recruiting fast and slow twitch muscle fibers to carry you to the next level?

Are you getting the proper rest between workouts?

Do you realize how your blood PH Level will affect your workouts from day-to-day and ways to keep it balanced? ( if ph blood level is unbalanced you really never get full optimal performance in training and instead can break down the body to the point of fatigue or injury)

Do you know where your lactate threshold is and are you trying to raise it? Do you know how?

How is your leg turnover? Are you improving this? Are you over striding? A shorter stride, quicker leg turnover is pure running efficiency.

Do you know what it will take to run a specific goal pace? How specific workouts with specific times will match your goals?

Many runners have goals but no tools to help them achieve their goals. Getting the right tools is not hard. Other runners have goals and also have the tools but have inner conflict. Is this you? Do you believe in yourself? Do you feel you deserve the goal? Maybe it is an inner conflict that is not allowing you to achieve. Listen to your body.

I often hear many runners say they want to become a great runner or they want to become a great triathlete or become a great ultramarathoner and until they achieve this goal or that goal then they will be that. I say find a plan that works for you, tailored for you and your goal, execute with massive action and belief and you will find yourself achieving your goal and BECOMING WHAT YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN

You are on the cusp of reaching your goals, get the right tools and dig deep inside of yourself, the answers are always in your heart.

Become what you have always been

Your friend, Ryan

1 Comment

by ryanmichaelruiz on March 26, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Marathon Running, motivation, Running

Tagged believe, faith, goals, heart, hope, Inspiration, inspire, life, mmarathon, motivation, news, passion, running

Posted by ryanmichaelruiz on March 26, 2012

http://ryanmruiz.com/2012/03/26/reach-your-goals-and-become-what-you-have-always-been/

Running NYC Marathon. Part 3, MANHATTAN-1st Ave.

Welcome back to the NYC Marathon course strategy. Part 3 of my 7 part series, Manhattan 1st Ave. In part one we covered the start into Brooklyn. In Part two we moved into Queens. In these parts I talked about how you must hold it in Brooklyn and try to contain your emotion from letting it out too quickly. This smart move should lead you up to the crest of the Queensboro Bridge at mile 16 feeling good and ready for the immense chaos that waits for you when you finally step foot in Manhattan onto 1st st.

As you finally start making your descent from the Queensboro Bridge into Manhattan you start to hear this roar and crazy noise. As you get closer and closer it becomes louder and louder. Just before exiting the bridge on to street level there is a 16 mile marker and the signs say something great like “you only have 10 miles to go“. I have mentioned this course will seduce you much the same way New York does but this is a real good taste of the seduction. Imagine running 16 miles on any other day or training run and then putting it into gear at mile 16. Most times that is unheard of but here in this race, reaching this magnitude of support and craziness, this is what will happen to you with all the excitement and adrenaline. It’s almost as if this is why you sign up, train and run, to run into Manhattan on 1st Ave to experience this. Imagine your biggest race you have run in any marathon at the finish line. Now this is 1st Ave, times 10 from mile 16 all the way leading up to the Bronx which is mile 20.

I think the biggest thing to remember here is to just really enjoy it. When you come off that bridge and make a sharp turn into Manhattan it is just amazing and you really get a real good taste how special and big this race is. There are flags of all the countries hanging on the spectator fences, you are in Manhattan and you are running the greatest race in the world and its so loud you can barely hear yourself think. It seems the hair on your neck rises and you are in pure amazement and full of adrenaline and excitement. Enjoy it, nothing like it.

Now back to strategy. The important thing to remember in this 4 mile stretch on 1st Ave is that it is NOT flat. It actually seems like a rolling series of ups and downs. Some of the ups last for 10 blocks and the downs for just two or three blocks followed by another 10 to 15 blocks of ups. As you can see from the picture to the left, this is far from flat. The interesting thing is when there are a flood of runners in front of you, you can’t see this. It appears flat. I always tell runners when you run this race you are so wrapped up with everything around you such as the crowds and the buildings and the craziness that you fail to realize the course is playing with you with its rolling ups and downs and then you find yourself wondering in the 20′s, “What the heck is wrong with me, why am I done?” 1st Ave is the perfect example of this. Its so adrenaline filled you will naturally run faster. Couple this with the rolling ups and downs and you will feel the effort in the Bronx. So the key is to have the time of your life but be aware at the same time to keep the effort consistent. Let the boost from the drunken college kids that have been there drinking along all the bars since the morning propel you, but in a smart way. Think of it more as an energy boost both physically and emotionally for what lies ahead into the Bronx and into your final dash into Central Park.

Some important factors to consider for the stretch down 1st is to pull back the effort on the ups and then attack the downs, pull back the effort on the ups and attack on the downs, This should be your mantra for 1st Ave. 60th St to 70th St is up. 70th to 74th is down. 74th to 86th is up. 87th to 90th is down. 90th to 96th is flat and then you climb from 96th to about 125th and all the way to the Willis Ave Bridge which guides you out of Manhattan and into the Bronx. So as you can see it has a good series of moderate ups and downs and if you can use this method of pulling back and attacking, you can get into the Bronx still feeling on fire and in good standing for your goal time.

You should be aware that as you get into the 100′s the crowds really start to thin out a bit leading to The Willis Ave Bridge. If you went out too hard at the beginning of 1st ave, the effort from that will start to surface here. And if that is the case, no worries, shake it off and reset your running form and get ready for your new adventure in the Bronx. I will cover this more extensively when I cover the next series on the Bronx but the climb from 96th st to 125th St will also continue to climb up the Willis Ave Bridge as well. And it feels pretty steep especially as you are on the cusp of reaching the 20 mile mark, so be patient out there.

They say running a marathon is actually like running two races. The first race is the first 20 miles and the second race is the last 6.2 miles. It’s almost as if the first 20 miles are just what we do so that we can get to that last 6.2, as if everything we have done has been to just get there in those last miles and execute the greatest race and put it all on the line. Because ultimately how you run and execute in the first 20 will certainly dictate how well or how poorly you do in those last 6.2. Trying to contain yourself and execute massive patience in any marathon is difficult and takes a lot of discipline but running NYC is that much more elevated and you have to show impressive patience on this course so that you can go when its time to go in the 20′s.

If by chance you executed wrong and you find yourself here entering the Bronx feeling defeated its OK. Dont be too hard on yourself. If you listen to your breath let it be a nice reminder you are alive and know your heart still beats. You are in one of the greatest races in the world testing your heart and soul and living the dream. Usually when you start to struggle in the marathon it becomes a magical moment for many. It becomes magical in the sense that you are forced to call on a voice within you that you didn’t know existed, that teaches you to fight and fight and never give up on a completely different level than you knew before. You will learn so much about yourself in these moments and the best part is applying these lessons you learned about yourself in the race and applying them to your everyday life to be that much greater than you already are.

Stay strong out there and I will update Part 4, The Bronx soon.

Keep Running and keep dreaming.

Your Friend, Ryan

3 Comments

by ryanmichaelruiz on March 23, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in NYC Marathon race strategy, Running

Posted by ryanmichaelruiz on March 23, 2012

http://ryanmruiz.com/2012/03/23/running-nyc-marathon-part-3-manhattan-1st-ave/

Make a CHOICE and BE LEGENDARY

It’s not everyday you have the opportunity to stand in front of a pioneer of a sport, someone who changed the world through their particular craft, a marathon runner who redefined the sport of marathon running all around the world. As I stood in the city of New York on a cold day in front of the great Grete Waitz and had a small conversation with her, we talked the usual small talk and talked about running and New York. The hardest part for me was realizing this was perhaps the last conversation I would ever have with her because she was sick and dying. We didn’t talk about it, but when I said bye and gave her a hug, the only honorable thing I could think of to say was THANK YOU. Thank you because this was the legend who transformed the world of running with her nine NYC Marathon victories, her five gold medals in the World Cross Country Championships and her silver medal at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. She won the London marathon twice and was the first female to run under 2:25 for a marathon. Besides her accolades, what Grete will be forever remembered for is her contribution to marathon running but most importantly her contribution to Womens marathon running. She is a pioneer of a sport where female runners most times out populate men in a marathon, including the majors. She set the path and her legend lives each day Women achieve 26.2 This is how I will always remember Grete, A LEGEND.

Greatness and the opportunity to be a legend is not reserved for the chosen few, it’s not a god given gift that is predetermined by some innate quality to achieve legendary status, we all have the ability to be legends. Everyday we all wake up under the same sun and fall asleep under the same moon. We all have the ability to make choices and each day you are all presented with a myriad of opportunities to go out and do what you are passionate about and what you believe in. Think of all the great people you look up to in this world or people you think are great, they worked their ass off to get where they are. But most of all they are passionate about what they do and not only believe in what they do but most importantly believe in themselves. All these people during the road to their greatness were all willing to do whatever it took to get there. They were successful because they were willing to risk everything to get there. Chances are along the way they failed over and over again but nothing was going to stop them from achieving their dreams. They believed in themselves, do you believe in yourself?

IF YOU KNEW YOU COULDNT FAIL, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

What are you passionate about and absolutely love to do? What is holding you back? Risk? We have heard over and over how the most successful people risked everything to follow their dream. The people who are the best at what they do all took a risk for something that they were passionate about and never let anyone or anything get in the way from achieving their goals. Beethoven was told by his teachers he was a hopeless composer. John Grisham wrote his first novel and it was rejected by 16 agents and 12 publishing houses. Albert Einstein was a mediocre elementary school student and failed his first college entrance exam. Tommy Hilfiger sold jeans from the trunk of his car when no stores were interested in carrying his jeans. All the successful people in this world risked everything to do something they believed in and were passionate about. Would Michael Jordan make a great doctor? We will never know, but what we do know is his passion for basketball drove him to be the greatest basketball player in the history of the NBA. What is your passion that can help drive you to be the greatest?

Inside your heart there is a passion and the meaning of life is to find that passion and live it everyday and share your passion with everyone and the world. Your passion will drive you to be great, to create a legacy when you are long gone, to become legendary. I know for a fact that when Grete Waitz lined up on the start line of a marathon she was not afraid to fail. She believed in her talents and she believed in herself. The greatest part of Grete’s story is when she retired she dedicated her life to giving back to the community with her gifts and passion. You see, running is just a metaphor for life and Grete spoke constantly to school children all over New York encouraging them to push themselves and to never limit themselves. She also taught them the importance of nutrition and the benefits of running and health for children. Her legacy lives on today in the many children and adults who now run and enjoy the benefits of running because a legend helped them see how special they were.

You have a choice everyday to be great. You will have opportunities everyday given to you to follow your dream. You have a choice to be legendary, how does it get any better than that?

The question is how bad do you want it? Are you willing to risk everything you have to do something you believe in?

Believe in yourself. It’s all up to you.

MAKE A CHOICE AND BE LEGENDARY,

YOUR FRIEND, Ryan

Faith removes limitations so put all your faith in your goals and see your limits rise

Running has never been viewed as a fun sport, often times I am reminded over and over by non runners how they dislike running because it reminds them of adolescence when they were punished and were forced to run laps. This is how running creates such a bad rap with people – early experiences associated with punishment. If you are a runner you know how much running is so great and how amazing it can be. If you are not a runner I am here to tell you how great running can be and ultimately how a little faith, not in your physical abilities, but in yourself will help break down limitations and help you rise to all occasions in life and running. Have I got your attention yet? Good, because I have two stories that will help you believe anything is possible.

I have mentioned prior in my other posts I was honored for many years to be the coach for the Los Angeles Roadrunner program. During these years I was coaching the program I was honored to coach a variety of athletes in all shapes and sizes and all speeds both fast and slow runners and everything in between. The greatest thing is when they can all finish what they started, like the finish line of the LA Marathon which was the goal year in and year out. With a 99.9% finishing rate, I think we did pretty good and always took pride in that. The biggest and first thing on the first day of training was never to talk about running shoes or clothes or the race, it was to talk about the greatest gift you can give yourself, FAITH. Faith in yourself that you can accomplish anything. This is the road to success in any endeavor not only in running but in life. So imagine when a runner showed up with his doctor and wanted to talk to me to explain he had Cerebral Palsy and wanted to know if I was willing to work with his doctor to help him achieve the monumental marathon. The answer from me was without a question yes. The runner had Spastic-Diplegic Cerebral Palsy which affected his legs only. Cerebral Palsy in general, just to refresh your memory, is a condition that will affect body movement and muscle coordination. The challenges to help him were immediate but his attitude was unlike any other runner I have ever coached. The runner explained to me in our first meeting how his whole life he has defied what others have told him he can’t achieve. It was pretty apparent that he had all the tools necessary in his mind to achieve such a great feat. The training started and we got off to a great start, I thought hey this is going to be easier than I thought but things quickly turned around somewhere in the two month mark where reality does tend to set in and the body’s adaptations to running take a turn for the good or worse at times. He started to struggle on training days and some Saturdays when the long run took place he wasnt showing up because he just couldn’t get out of bed. The Cerebral Palsy was definitely fighting his determination and he was fighting the cerebral Palsy. I assured him at one point this wouldn’t be a failed attempted if he chose to step away and his perseverance was just too strong. Little by little his body was adapting and it seemed apparent he was going to make it, but at what condition would he show up on race day was the question. How well would he perform? On a few occasions when he couldn’t get out of bed on Saturdays I met him on Sundays or Mondays when he could. I realized I was fighting his fight as well. Race day quickly approached as it always does when you train for a marathon and on race day he was there with a big smile, the dream was apparent and I realized this was someone who his whole life was told he couldn’t do this or that and he always found a way to prove otherwise. Not so much for others but for himself. He was a good man and I was honored to toe the start line of the LA Marathon that year with him. Just prior to the start of the race he put his hand out, looked me straight in my eyes and with the biggest smile said “Thank you” It was by far one of the greatest moments I have had coaching runners. He ran the race and finished. He got his medal and every once and awhile he still will drop me an email as he continues to run marathons and now is competing in small triathlons. So when runners ask me if I think they can run a marathon, I always think of him and say YES, anything is possible if you have faith and believe. Anything is possible under the sun.

My second story is about a runner I trained with Autism. This was a great challenge and one I wasnt sure how it would go. His mother came to me and explained how he loved to run and wanted to run a marathon. To refresh you again Autism is a disorder of neural developement and impairs interaction and communication and seems to be a repetitive behavior of this. The beginning stages of our training were difficult, while I talked to him it appeared he wasnt even paying attention to me just biting his hand excessively and not even looking my way. His mother assured me he was and YES, he was. The biggest challenge wasnt so much the communication but his misunderstanding of pacing. He just couldn’t understand he needed to pace himself and right out of the gun he was gone and leaving me in the dust from the start. Eventually after experiencing oxygen debt and my heart finally catching up with the oxygen it was trying to catch up with, we would get into a rhythm and he was amazing, just an amazing runner with clear focus. Besides being amazing, he was so strong and it was very clear to me in those first moments autism is just a condition he has but he is clearly so much more than this, he is so much stronger and Autism will not limit what he can do. He clearly will not let this define him as we are pushing 7 minute pace and he seems to be getting stronger and stronger as we keep on. Like I said, he doesn’t know how to pace himself but his will to gut it out was huge. He did this every time. Needless to say he was killing me out there! lol. The end result was great, he was a man of few words and I as we were together just prior to the race his mother asked him “how do you think you will do?” and he said “Stay on the white line” we would run and I would tell him to stay on the white line which was the marked line on our path. He was brilliant and he finished strong at a nice 3:35 finish. His mom was waiting for him at the finish and said when he finished he cried. Truly deep down he believed he could do it. Nothing was going to stop him and nothing did.

Faith in yourself will remove all limitations you hold on to. You just have to believe you can do it and then put in the work and hold on to that belief even when things don’t seem to go your way. The belief will far out way your doubt and you will start to see your goals and dreams materialize. The moment you begin to think you are beaten, you are beat. Life’s battles don’t always go to the strongest or fastest person, they are won by the person WHO THINKS HE CAN.

When you and I were kids we believed we could do and be anything we wanted. We ran and played all day under the sun and we didn’t require much except a smile. There is still that kid inside of you who believes anything is possible and you can do anything. If you can’t find it, look in your heart and remember ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE UNDER THE SUN