The Chicago Marathon was today. Even though I was not racing, I woke up this morning feeling its presence. It's a marathon that sort of has a hold over me. This summer, when I was in Chicago for a wedding, I ran along Lake Michigan on a pathway across the road from Millenium Park and realized that my marathon life's highest and lowest moments had happened in the same spot: at a stoplight along Lake Shore Drive in a rather sketchy spot to flag down a cab. In 2006, I got in the cab there and, having run a PR, was nothing less than elated. Last year, after dropping out, it was the feeling of unadulterated defeat.
I woke up this morning thinking about my teammates and training partners who were racing. Among them, Karl Dusen, who had qualified for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials at Chicago (an even split 2:20) the same year I ran my PR, was poised to once again qualify. In the past several months, Karl had run an array of awesome workouts, one of which I helped pace him through, running six laps of his 8, 4 of his 6, etc. Media outlets reported that the temps today in Chicago, for elite runners, were in the mid 60s with low humidity; mixed in with that, though, was the following: "another unseasonably warm year."
Today, Karl was smart enough to know that the conditions were not going to allow him to qualify. The trials standard for men is sub-2:19, and after going through halfway in 5:21 pace, six seconds slow, Karl opted, wisely, to go into cruise control so he can take another shot at the Philadelphia Marathon in late November.
A training partner, Evan Jurkovich, who ran 2:31 at Twin Cities last year, was very fit going into today's race but struggled in the 20s to come home in 2:36.
In marathoning, training is just a part of it. So much else - especially for non-professionals, I would argue - needs to click.
Last year was hot, too. I am pretty sure, in fact, that the heat did me in more than the hamstring/sciatica issue I picked up 10 days before the race.
2009 was hot. 2008 was cold. 2007 was the disaster year. One thing, meanwhile, that I know about 2006 was that there was something going on that year that forced the marathon to happen two weeks later than it usually does. It wound up being cold and windy that year, but most people would say favorably so. No doubt, it would be a much safer bet - far as avoiding hot temps - to hold the race in the second half of October, but it does not appear that that will happen.
The Chicago Marathon is now a race that offers one of the fastest courses in the United States ... if.
Three in a row.
One runner died today in Chicago. One runner died in 2007, too.
DEALING WITH HEAT
Last month, I was struck by Nike Oregon Project coach Alberto Salazar's comments regarding his athlete Galen Rupp's performances leading up to his breaking the American record for 10,000 meters. Salazar said he knew that Rupp was making progress in his races leading up to the breakthrough because they had been run in warm weather, which he had dealt with, well, relatively well - for a Caucasian, anyway.
Rupp later told LetsRun this:
"I don't think it has anything to do with being white. His point is just that I'm bigger than these guys. My mom always laughs because she says it's easy to see me as I'm 4 or 5 inches taller than everyone else. When you're running in the heat, that can catch up to you. I agree with the sentiment (expressed by Salazar). Bigger people don't do better in running in the heat for longer distances - its' a scientific fact."
It definitely seems that way, anyway.
Interestingly, Russia's Liliya Shobukhova, who dominated today's women's race - winning in 2:18:20, one of the fastest times ever for this course - called the weather "absolutely gorgeous."
Men's winner Moses Mosop, in setting a new course record of 2:05:37, did say the conditions were "humid." But for a guy who came into the race saying he was only 80 to 85 percent, he did not seem to be much affected by it, nor did other Kenyan and Ethiopian athletes.
Look at race results in Chicago from the past half decade or so. You will see how much, during the hot years, that the results thin out after the sub 2:10 crowd.
As the article by the IAAF points out, Sammy Wanjiru, who died in May, really revolutionized marathoning in two ways. One: He encouraged young Kenyan runners to go straight to the marathon, where the money is. Two: He proved that heat was not a factor - at least for him and many other East Africans.
When you are on the starting line and the conditions are bad, you want to tell yourself something like, "Relax; everyone has to deal with it."
Is that true, though, when it comes to heat?
ONE GREAT AMERICAN MARATHONER
Ryan Hall, who finished fifth in 2:08:04, continues to show that he is an incredibly consistent marathoner, not to mention the only American marathoner who can truly tangle with the East Africans. He has an ability to finish strong. What he lacks, however, is the ability to maintain contact with the leaders after the crazy surges happen. Given that fact, it's hard to see how he will ever be able to win a major marathon.
"The pacers would see a slow split on the back of the truck then hit it," Hall told David Monti. "I think our splits were all over the place ... It was kind of taking me out of my rhythm."
Hall, honestly, impresses me a little more every time he races. His approach is to run his own race. Really, there is just no way you can knock it.
Still, what Mosop's coach, the renowned Renato Canova, says in the IAAF piece above is telling:
"If you want to be a top athlete you have to be a little bit wild, not be an accountant."
Let's end with a quote from Hall:
“There are not many American guys out there running 2:08, so I’ll take it."
No comments:
Post a Comment