What do you know...

Well that didn’t take long. Just a few weeks after I posted about the confusion at the Chicago marathon and wondered what would happen if a non elite start runner won a big race, along comes Arien O'Connell who had the gall to finish the San Francisco marathon with the fastest time but didn’t start with the elites so she was not declared the winner. At least initially. Nike showed some class and presented her with the exact same awards (including a trophy made by Tiffany & Co.) as the elite women’s winner, and was named “a” winner. Not “the” winner, but “a” winner.

Nike also stated that there would no longer be an Elite start in the future in order to avoid another issue. O’Connell finished in 2 hours, 55 minutes and 11 seconds. The fastest woman in the elite group ran it in 3 hours, 6 minutes, so it wasn’t even close.

I now wonder how many others will buck the trend and get rid of elite starts. I know many major and mid-major marathons are already turning away from the USATF ban on headphones and I-Pods at races, so why not get rid of elite starts. I am all for it. In fact I would get rid of the corrals as well and let everyone fend for themselves at the start. Make it a race from the get go. Except the TNT runners, they need to start in the back. Just kidding TNT’ers. Since they are treated like royalty everywhere else at a race, leave the start to the “others”. I had better stop now before this becomes an anti TNT thread.

I don’t know what is up with my training. I feel motivated and am excited to run the PF Changs again, but I am having the hardest time getting my lazy ass out the door in the mornings. Running after work? Forget it. Between the kids, wife, and being tired from the overly stressful job I have (sarcasm) I cant run at night. I thought that having the new treadmill at home would help, and it would if I would use it. When I was using the old treadmill about a year ago I felt no different running on it or outside. But now running on the treadmill is a chore. The last time I was on it, 3 miles felt like it was sucking the life out of me. I just need to get used to millin’ again, that’s all.

Unfortunately for me, time is running out as I am quickly closing in on the 8 weeks of training left before race window where I believe your race training is either made or broken. Yes, everything leading up to this time is important, but I really feel that if you do not nail your training during this window you will not be at your peak whether that be 100% or somewhere lower due to injury, illness, or whatever. Fortunately for me, I still have time to get my act together. If I can get around to making sure that I hit my mid week longer runs I will be fine as I am doing okay with my weekly long run, but it could be better in terms of stamina.

Tonight I have speed work at the Foothills office. Yesterday Brian took me through a core routine that has my mid-section very sore today. It is embarrassing to say how weak my core is, but I am not able to fully complete the exercises Brian has for me…but it is getting better. Hopefully I can redeem myself with some Usain Bolt style speed tonight. Yeah right…

I want to get a chair that has a stability ball for the seat, so you are using your core the entire time you are sitting in the chair. Don’t know if the State will let me use it at work instead of the State approved ADA chairs. But I can try.

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