Last night, on their E:60 program, ESPN aired a story of Alicia Shay and her challenges of carrying on since her husband Ryan died during the men's Olympic Trials Marathon last November.
It was heart wrenching to see the grief that she still carries with her. In one part of the interview, she talked about how she wished she could say that she always felt Ryan's presence with her. But, to be honest, there's mostly a void that has been left.
She spoke of rushing to the hospital thinking that Ryan had just fallen and hit his head and that everything would be alright. Imagine the shock and horror as she stumbled into a chaotic ER where the doctors and nurses were working on Ryan in full trauma mode.
Then, she sat with her dead husband, his body still warm, waiting for him to open his mouth, take a breath and wake up. But, as we all know, the happy ending never came about.
Alicia carries on with her own training in trying to make the Oly team at 1,500 meters. But what a burden she carries. She carries the weight of her own hopes and expectations of making the trip to Beijing. She carries the weight of all those who want to see her overcome her grief. And she carries the weight of all those, including herself I suspect, who want her to run, in part, to keep Ryan's memory alive.
Such a heavy burden for such small shoulders.
TB
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Chris Kimbrough Follow Up
Some of you may remember that I mentioned Chris Kimbrough in a pre-trials post (titled Da Trials - part 1). She is Billings native and Rocky Mountain College grad who now lives and runs in Austim.
Well, turns out that she has built quite a following in the Lone Star State. Below is a note that I got from one of her training mates. Seems as though they are trying to raise some funds to help offset her costs of traveling to and competing in the trials. Check out the site; and, if you feel inclined, send a donation to help out one of our own.
Note from Catherine in Austin:
Totally agree that Chris Kimbrough is a diamond in the rough. Sometimes I get to run with (rather, behind) her here in Austin. We're trying to generate support and funds for this phenom; please check out the site, join up, spread the word to others, anything you can do....Thanks a ton, Catherine
http://runmommyrun.ning.com
Remember to run often and run happy.
TB
Well, turns out that she has built quite a following in the Lone Star State. Below is a note that I got from one of her training mates. Seems as though they are trying to raise some funds to help offset her costs of traveling to and competing in the trials. Check out the site; and, if you feel inclined, send a donation to help out one of our own.
Note from Catherine in Austin:
Totally agree that Chris Kimbrough is a diamond in the rough. Sometimes I get to run with (rather, behind) her here in Austin. We're trying to generate support and funds for this phenom; please check out the site, join up, spread the word to others, anything you can do....Thanks a ton, Catherine
http://runmommyrun.ning.com
Remember to run often and run happy.
TB
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Big Sky Distance Project
So, some of you have asked - what is the Big Sky Distance Project (BSDP)?
Well, several years ago, a group of Montana runners met on the banks of the Jefferson River to discuss the state of the sport in the big sky country. One of the items that came up was the creation of a USA Track & Field club that would allow us to compete as a team at USATF or other events.
After sitting idle for a while, the club came to being in 2006. The initial impetus was to allow us to take some teams to the USATF Club Marathon Relay Championships in Denver. That first trip proved very successful. We had 2 men's master's teams that both won money (finishing 2nd and 3rd).
Since then, we have raced as teams at the MSU and UM cross country meets in 2006 and 2007; raced with men's and women's teams at the 2007 USAT Club Marathon Relay Championships; and, individuals have worn the BSDP colors at the 2007 USATF Cross Country Champiohips, the Big Sky State Games, the Califronia International Marathon, the Salt Lake City 1/2 Marathon and other races around the country.
The real underlying goals of the BSDP is to 1) provide a sense of "team" and "Montana pride" for Montana athletes and 2) pursue competitive opportunities for Montana runners.
The club has no dues or fees. We don't have any formal home base. There are several of us around the state who get together when we can at races to discuss the sport and to throw around ideas. It includes people like myself, Ray and Nicole Hunt, Zombro, Jeff Thomas, Anders Brooker and Dewey Peacock. We try to look at what events are coming up and what we can do to promote Montana athletes competing at those events.
We aren't trying to be elite per se. We are trying to open up opportunities for any Montana athlete who wants to race competitively and maximize their performances. We also like to have a good time when we get toghther and represent our state. The road trips to Denver and Boulder have been a blast.
We also have the opportunity to represent Montana at two upcoming events that are almost in our backyard. First would be the USATF Masters Track and Field Championhsips in Spokane in early August. Second, and also in Spokane, will be the USATF Club Cross Country Championships. We really think that we have the opportunity to be competitive from a team stanpoint in some of the races. In fact, I think that the master's teams on both the men's and women's sides have the potential to be in the hunt for podium spots.
In the end, it's just another tool to try to generate interest and excitement about the sport from those within the sport. We don't want this to be some mythical club that people think is only for the state's elite. We want it to be something that encourages people to stay in the sport, to do all they can to maximize their potential and to help spread the word of what a great lifetime sport this is.
If you're interested in learning more about the BSDP, leave me your email in a comment to this post; or, log onto www.montanacup.com and check out the BSDP link.
See you on the roads, tracks and trails.
TB
Well, several years ago, a group of Montana runners met on the banks of the Jefferson River to discuss the state of the sport in the big sky country. One of the items that came up was the creation of a USA Track & Field club that would allow us to compete as a team at USATF or other events.
After sitting idle for a while, the club came to being in 2006. The initial impetus was to allow us to take some teams to the USATF Club Marathon Relay Championships in Denver. That first trip proved very successful. We had 2 men's master's teams that both won money (finishing 2nd and 3rd).
Since then, we have raced as teams at the MSU and UM cross country meets in 2006 and 2007; raced with men's and women's teams at the 2007 USAT Club Marathon Relay Championships; and, individuals have worn the BSDP colors at the 2007 USATF Cross Country Champiohips, the Big Sky State Games, the Califronia International Marathon, the Salt Lake City 1/2 Marathon and other races around the country.
The real underlying goals of the BSDP is to 1) provide a sense of "team" and "Montana pride" for Montana athletes and 2) pursue competitive opportunities for Montana runners.
The club has no dues or fees. We don't have any formal home base. There are several of us around the state who get together when we can at races to discuss the sport and to throw around ideas. It includes people like myself, Ray and Nicole Hunt, Zombro, Jeff Thomas, Anders Brooker and Dewey Peacock. We try to look at what events are coming up and what we can do to promote Montana athletes competing at those events.
We aren't trying to be elite per se. We are trying to open up opportunities for any Montana athlete who wants to race competitively and maximize their performances. We also like to have a good time when we get toghther and represent our state. The road trips to Denver and Boulder have been a blast.
We also have the opportunity to represent Montana at two upcoming events that are almost in our backyard. First would be the USATF Masters Track and Field Championhsips in Spokane in early August. Second, and also in Spokane, will be the USATF Club Cross Country Championships. We really think that we have the opportunity to be competitive from a team stanpoint in some of the races. In fact, I think that the master's teams on both the men's and women's sides have the potential to be in the hunt for podium spots.
In the end, it's just another tool to try to generate interest and excitement about the sport from those within the sport. We don't want this to be some mythical club that people think is only for the state's elite. We want it to be something that encourages people to stay in the sport, to do all they can to maximize their potential and to help spread the word of what a great lifetime sport this is.
If you're interested in learning more about the BSDP, leave me your email in a comment to this post; or, log onto www.montanacup.com and check out the BSDP link.
See you on the roads, tracks and trails.
TB
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Lance Is Still The Man
So, watched the Versus coverage of the Boston Marathon yesterday. After the completion of both elite races, they covered about the last 3 or 4 miles of Lance Armstrong's race.
For those of you who don't remember, he did the 2006 New York Marathon and pretty much thought that his years of bike racing would make the run a piece of cake. Well, it was pretty much all he had to squeeze in under 3 hours and afterward he said that it was among the hardest things he had ever done athletically.
He trained better going into the 2007 New York race and ran a respectable 2:46+.
Well, he decided that he ought to give beantown a try and see if he couldn't run Heartbreak Hill into submission. But, he admitted that he hadn't trained like he should have and was dreadfully short of long runs. His weight was up to 175 pounds and he definately looked heavy, especially compared to how he would look during his Tour de France races.
But, the dude put it out there. He ran a solid time of 2:50:58 (6:32 pace) to finish in the top 500 (out of some 25,000 entrants). In fact, he ran a negative split with half splits of 1:26:52 and 1:24:06. And, for anyone that has ever run Boston, running negative splits on that course is a challenge for anyone, let alone someone who is short of training.
Two things really impressed me about watching him over those last few miles. First, he was a hurting unit; but, the dude is tough. He had the chin out, the eyes were set and he was really working it to stay on pace. He clearly loves to compete and is willig to suffer some pain to get the best performance possible.
Second, over those last few miles he had anywhere from 10 to 12 guys hanging around trying to get camera time or looking to be able to say that they ran with Lance. But, at the finish, he took time to shake hands or high 5 virtually everyone of the guys that came up to him in the finish area. It was a classic gesture from someone who I'm sure just wanted to get to the VIP tent and get off his feet.
The final item that caught my interest were a few comments that he made during the post race interview. He indicated that he was goin to do New York again; and, he suggested that he was going to consider putting in the training necessary to run "quite a bit faster" than his race last year. I almost got the sense that he was going to take up the challenge of trying to run a sub 2:30. Maybe I'm reading more into it than it deserves; but, it would be cool to see him give it a try.
In the end, the guy impressed me once again with his raw physical talent, his tolerance for pain and his competitive determination.
I've always been a Lance fan and he did nothing at Boston to change my view.
TB
For those of you who don't remember, he did the 2006 New York Marathon and pretty much thought that his years of bike racing would make the run a piece of cake. Well, it was pretty much all he had to squeeze in under 3 hours and afterward he said that it was among the hardest things he had ever done athletically.
He trained better going into the 2007 New York race and ran a respectable 2:46+.
Well, he decided that he ought to give beantown a try and see if he couldn't run Heartbreak Hill into submission. But, he admitted that he hadn't trained like he should have and was dreadfully short of long runs. His weight was up to 175 pounds and he definately looked heavy, especially compared to how he would look during his Tour de France races.
But, the dude put it out there. He ran a solid time of 2:50:58 (6:32 pace) to finish in the top 500 (out of some 25,000 entrants). In fact, he ran a negative split with half splits of 1:26:52 and 1:24:06. And, for anyone that has ever run Boston, running negative splits on that course is a challenge for anyone, let alone someone who is short of training.
Two things really impressed me about watching him over those last few miles. First, he was a hurting unit; but, the dude is tough. He had the chin out, the eyes were set and he was really working it to stay on pace. He clearly loves to compete and is willig to suffer some pain to get the best performance possible.
Second, over those last few miles he had anywhere from 10 to 12 guys hanging around trying to get camera time or looking to be able to say that they ran with Lance. But, at the finish, he took time to shake hands or high 5 virtually everyone of the guys that came up to him in the finish area. It was a classic gesture from someone who I'm sure just wanted to get to the VIP tent and get off his feet.
The final item that caught my interest were a few comments that he made during the post race interview. He indicated that he was goin to do New York again; and, he suggested that he was going to consider putting in the training necessary to run "quite a bit faster" than his race last year. I almost got the sense that he was going to take up the challenge of trying to run a sub 2:30. Maybe I'm reading more into it than it deserves; but, it would be cool to see him give it a try.
In the end, the guy impressed me once again with his raw physical talent, his tolerance for pain and his competitive determination.
I've always been a Lance fan and he did nothing at Boston to change my view.
TB
Monday, April 21, 2008
A Chance To Give Back
For all those that would like to give back to the sport and become a USATF official - there will be a clinic in Missoula on the afternoon of May 18th.
If you have any questions, you an contact John Herring at 544-1742.
TB
If you have any questions, you an contact John Herring at 544-1742.
TB
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Dewey @ SLC Half
Dewey Peacock ran the Salt Lake City 1/2 Marathon yesterday (4/19).
Running under the dual colors of Team Inov8 and the Big Sky Distance Project, he did us proud.
Running a steady 5:35 to 5:40 pace, he finished in a big PR of 1:14:10 and a 7th place finish.
Unfortunately he got hung out by himself early in the race and it ended up being a mostly solo effort under some breezy conditions.
An early season effort like this bodes well for Dewey's upcoming trail running season.
See you on the roads, tracks, trails and rehab equipment.
TB
Running under the dual colors of Team Inov8 and the Big Sky Distance Project, he did us proud.
Running a steady 5:35 to 5:40 pace, he finished in a big PR of 1:14:10 and a 7th place finish.
Unfortunately he got hung out by himself early in the race and it ended up being a mostly solo effort under some breezy conditions.
An early season effort like this bodes well for Dewey's upcoming trail running season.
See you on the roads, tracks, trails and rehab equipment.
TB
Boston Today & Tomorrow
So, if you want to see in depth results from today's Trials race, go to this link. http://bostontrials2008.com/bostontrials2008/leaderboard.cfm You can click on any of the finisher and see all of their splits. Or, go to this link and you can download the finishers with splits in excel or .pdf format. http://bostontrials2008.com/index.cfm?cdid=10960
Again, it was a great race. Deena proved that she is the class of women's marathoning in the US, Blake Russell found redemption after her 4th place finish in 2004 and Magdalena Boulet realized the American dream by making the team 7 1/2 years after becoming a citizen.
But, the fun in Boston doesn't stop yet. Tomorrow is the 112th running of The Boston Marathon. The performance by Kenyan's could have a big impact on the selction of their Olympic team.
Our own Sarah Graves will be in the elite women's filed (Bib F18).
Watch on Versus network beginning at 7:30 a.m. (Mountain Time) or watch free on line on wcsn.com.
TB
Again, it was a great race. Deena proved that she is the class of women's marathoning in the US, Blake Russell found redemption after her 4th place finish in 2004 and Magdalena Boulet realized the American dream by making the team 7 1/2 years after becoming a citizen.
But, the fun in Boston doesn't stop yet. Tomorrow is the 112th running of The Boston Marathon. The performance by Kenyan's could have a big impact on the selction of their Olympic team.
Our own Sarah Graves will be in the elite women's filed (Bib F18).
Watch on Versus network beginning at 7:30 a.m. (Mountain Time) or watch free on line on wcsn.com.
TB
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