Dathan Ritzenhein's is Sharing His Build-up for Boston at Competitor Running!

It's rare that professional runners share their training, but 3-time Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein is doing just that at Competitor Running.

Interesting to note that 2 of his workouts last week included 5 x 1.5 miles and 4 x 2 miles @ marathon goal pace.

Ritzenhein's Hamstring Problems Can Be Fixed!

Dathan Ritzenhein finished 4th in the Olympic Trials marathon last weekend, but it sounds to me like cramping hamstrings were the only thing that kept him from contending for the win, NOT his fitness. Despite all of the bells and whistles from NIKE, this is a problem that has afflicted Ritz in every single marathon he's attempted, including the 2008 Olympics where he placed 9th. I have no idea what goes on behind the scenes, but I would like to believe, given his history of problems, that Ritz has been religiously working on eccentric hamstring strength. He states in this article that "it's muscular fatigue", and I'd really like to see exactly what they did besides nutrition to correct it. Something tells me not enough eccentric strength work.

Salazar is Good for the Sport

Alberto Salazar, coach of the Nike Oregon Project, has raised a few eyebrows lately with his much publicized tweeking of Dathan Ritzenhein's running form. Now, even National Public Radio is getting into the act- airing this facinating discussion on the subject featuring viewpoints from Jennifer Kahn (who wrote New Yorker piece The Perfect Stride), Scott Douglas, and Bill Rodgers. Hey, the more national exposure for runners, the better. Maybe one day when an American track and field athlete or distance runner sets a record or wins a major race they will make ESPNs Sports Center!

Listen to the discussion: onpointradio.org

How to Run Fast

This article is a MUST READ! The Perfect Stride, published in the New Yorker, has me thinking.

The fastest finishers had a higher thigh drive, for one thing; at its apex, their femur bone was almost parallel to the ground, like the front legs of a bounding deer. They also slapped the ground so quickly with their forefoot that the contact seemed almost incidental

Salazar believes that a runner striking even slightly in front of his body will experience a momentary hesitation while the hamstring labors to pull his torso forward over the grounded foot. “It’s like having a square wheel on your car,” Salazar said. “Each time it comes around, there’s a moment where the car will lurch.”

Running Form

Coach Alberto Salazar has been tinkering with Ritz's running form. It all makes sense, but let's see how he does in New York next week!

Ritz Sounds Ready for New York

“Before I was a 13:16, 27:35, and 1:01:26 guy,” Ritzenhein said. “And I felt like I was a 12:56, 60-minute guy, but until I did them I really wasn’t. Saying it is easy, doing it is another story. My times before probably meant that I should be a 2:09 guy if I could figure it out. But now my times tell me that if I can get it right I can run 2:05. The numbers don’t lie. It is easy to say you can do it, but until I do I am still a 2:10 guy. I hope to change that soon.” - running.competitor.com
MY COMMENT: I love his attitude! He's not going to run a 2:05 at NY, but he's up for the challenge of running against the best and sounds ready for another PR (personal record).

Ritz Changes His Footstrike

"I was definitely more of a heel-striker, so I'm definitely getting on to my midfoot more. I wouldn't say I get all the way up to my toe. I think I'm more efficient for the marathon if I stay in more of a midfoot stance anyway. But definitely, the posture of my body and the range of my stride, that's all stuff that has just kind of come through. Initially, the problem was we tried to focus solely on changing that without being strong enough to do it. We went back to trying to build it up from the strength side so it (the stride change) naturally took over instead of trying to think about it consciously. So that's the point where we'd at now; it's just a subconscious thing and I don't have to consciously think about changing my form anymore." runblogger.com

MY COMMENT: Facinating! Dathan Ritzenhein set the American record for 5,000 meters last year and finished 9th in the Olympic marathon in Beijing. Now he's changing his footstrike? For years running coaches at all levels have not messed with running form, mostly because they didn't know how to go about it. I can't wait to see how this plays out. I like it!

Dathan Ritzenhein has a Blog!

A friend of mine sent me a link to Dathan Ritzenhein' blog (dathanritzenhein.competitor.com). Ritz, who DID run for Colorado and is the American record holder at 5,000 meters, provides some candid insight into some (but not all) of his training "secrets". Looks like a ton of talent and the ability to handle a tremendous workload.

The secret may be in how he recovers and remain relatively injury free! Like Lance Armstrong, it looks like Dathan has some interest in triathlons after his running career (future triathlete).

According to Dathan's new website ritzrunning.com, his next race is the US Cross Country Championships in Spokane Feb 13.

I wish I still lived in Washington!

Dathan Ritzenhein Runs a 60:00 Half Marathon

"He's got the ability in terms of strength," Salazar said. "It's a matter of teaching him to relax physically and mentally so he's running easier."



"He's fighting too hard from the beginning with his upper body. He's got an unbelievable engine, but he's never learned how to relax. Dathan is never just flowing. Dathan is always pressing, pressing, pressing. That's pretty easy to fix." -Alberto Salazar on Dathan Ritzenhein following his 3rd place finish at the World Half Marathon Championships where he ran 60:00 even. -usatoday


MY COMMENT: Great run by Ritz but not unexpected the way he has been running lately. Should put a fire on the other Americans! Note: 60 minutes for 13.1 miles is 4:34.8 minutes per mile.

World Record at Chicago?

The Bank of America Chicago Marathon is up this weekend- a very fast course and site of more than one world record. The field is deep and fast, including Sammy Wanjiru, winner in London and the Bejing Olympic marathon. (Chicago Marathon website)

Watch the race live this Sunday starting at 8 am EST at Universalsports.com.

As a prelude to Chicago, you can also tune in and watch Dathan Ritzenhein run the World Half Marathon Championships at 4am EST.

Should be a great day for running. FYI- the weather forcast for Chicago on Sunday calls for mostly cloudy with a high of 48 degrees F. WNW wind at 8 mph. Other than that wind, perfect!

American Record Broken- In a Workout!

Dathan Ritzenhein exceeded the U.S. record for 10 miles on Monday in a workout.

The U.S. record holder in the 5,000 meters is gearing up for the World Half-Marathon Championships in Birmingham, England on Oct. 11.

Ritzenhein covered the 10 miles in 45 minutes, 3 seconds -- running 4:30.3 per mile. He did half the workout on the track and half of it on the road. Alberto Salazar administered the workout. -oregonlive

MY COMMENT: Oregon is so running crazy now workouts are making headlines! That being said, I guess a 45 minute 10 mile run is deserving. Ritz has to be physically and mentally prepared to run with anybody at the World Half. Watch it live at universalsports.com.

Post Script on Ritz

Looks like Ritz will be running the World Half Marathon Championships in England Oct. 11. Meanwhile, I have a hunch Solinsky and Tegenkamp will be back in Portland still trying to figure out where they went wrong. GET OUT THERE AND RACE!

12:56 for Ritz!

Dathan Ritenhein, fresh off of his big 27:22 PR in the 10,000 meter run at the World Championships, broke the American record in the 5,000 Friday night in Zurich with a stunning 12:56.27. (results)

In case you haven't been following his career, Ritz has been marathon training the last few years under Brad Hudson. He made the US Olympic team and finished a commendable 9th in Beijing. Just a couple of months ago he switched over to Alberto Salazar's group, and has now turned in 2 fabulous races in a row.

Clearly Salazar cannot take all of the credit- Dathan was is great shape prior to the move, and had a huge aerobic base behind him. All he needed was some sharpening, and the timing of his coaching change was perfect (sounds to me a lot like Ritz is following the Lydiard training bible by accident).

My question is this- how fast would Dathan run in a marathon say, October. I have to believe that a 12:56 5K indicates a much higher level of fitness for Ritz at all distances including the marathon. If it were me, I'd be looking for a fast course like Chicago and see what happens. I have a hunch Salazar will be more patient and shut him down for the season. Too bad.

Dathan Ritzenhein- 27:22 for 6th!

MY COMMENT: Good interview- Ritz seems very happy with the changes implemented by Salazar- the lesson here is not to focus solely on "marathon training" at the expense of track speed. I recall Frank Shorter at his marathon peak running extremely well on the track. Ryan Hall needs to watch this interview. My money is on Ritz in their next marathon showdown- unless Hall starts showing something on the track or fall cross country.