"I thought it was a great day to run," said Hall, 24, who resides in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., and runs for Team Running USA. "The strategy was to run hard at a 4:30 pace. I had that for the first mile, but I didn't feel comfortable. I just didn't have it. Once we were off pace, I really wasn't excited out there. No one runs well when you're not excited." Ryan Hall from the Jacksonville paper.
I'd like to commment on this quote. I have to admit, though when I first read "I'm wasn't excited" by Ryan, I was appalled. How could he not be excited? Racing like he did in Houston. C'mon! He had the whole world in his palm for 59 minutes and change...WOW! "Oh, what a feeling".
To dare to face the eye of the tiger...again!! GGRRRR! All the while preparing for the London Marathon. WOW! Life is great! Let me at it. "I dare anybody to cross the line" mantra. What a beautiful place to reside. Of course, he'd run well. He's RYAN HALL.
What happened? Where did it go? He wasn't "excited" He wasn't "up for it"? Say what?
Training must have been going well, he entered the Gate River Run. He knew it was on his schedule. GGRRR! He was ready...and so was everybody else. Speculation had him dead on for another sterling American Record run. Can the competition keep up? How much will he break Todd's record by? WOW! "He's the best" "He's the man." Some of the quotes I had read about him. Yes, he is fast. Yes, he has talent. Yes, he works hard, trains hard, dreams the dreams...GGRR!
So, what happened?
I may have an inkling. He may be just tired...his adrenal glands are probably over taxed right now. Winning is a true tonic to the spirit, the soul. Winning in grand style is a moment of truth "HAH!" "YES! I CAN DO IT!" SSEEEEEEE! "TOLD YA!" YEAHHHHH! The "Bring it on." mentality is very real.
The other side of winning in grand style, is the recovery. I do remember winning some of my races and hitting more than my goals and not being able to sleep properly for days, which of course, led to feeling run-down. All the while keeping up the momentum of preparation for THE BIG ONE (marathon). The feelings of invincibility GONE! POOF! GOODBYE!
Where did it go? (home)
REST MODE! It takes time to process.
It takes the same respect to recover from a great performance as it does from a bad one. I found that after a supreme effort race the body goes into overdrive. The adrenalin flows...seems like forever, after a stupendous run. The following workout after a grand performance can be mind boggling, even with little sleep and lack of food. They can also be misleading. I thought for sure, if I ran great on one race, why not the next? Right? Seemed right to me.Until I wnet through the process of processing all that happened.
The feelings that flood the body makes you feel like you can do anything at anytime. The adrendalin still fows. It's hard to shut off, until you know. It's a powerful feeling. "OHYEAH!" But the reality of it, it takes time to grow into the "grand performance".
It is almost like taking on a "what the heck attitude". Take everything is stride. "It wasn't so grand or great". "It was just another run", "No big deal." I'd tell myself.
I'd keep my eye on the the third, fourth race up. Never the next one at hand or immdeiately afterwards. Too close to think about. I learned to think way ahead, so as to not eat up my energy, so I could sleep. Overcoming the burdens of having a really TERRIFIC run takes time. It's a learned thing and it's a physical thing.
I remember feeling exhausted from lack of proper rest. Oh, I slept, but I woke up feeling tired. And then to have to go train..ohmygoodness...it was tough to drag myself through the day at times. There were times when I couldn't get going in the morning and be full of energy at night, hence, lack of a restful night sleep. It was confusing to me.
Ryan may also need how to learn how to handle the "wins". It's can be overwhelming at times. Big wins! New stresses. Never ends. He needs time to adjust to the "new Ryan", the "new dreams" the "new reality".
Feeling overwhelmed and tired can lead to low energy, slow recovery from runs. I found things I had enjoyed..long runs..GRR! Repeat miles...! GGRR! Running with the guys..GGRR! Would end up being a chore, something I had to push through. I had to deal with my lack of concentration which led to no fun. I had to push through alot before I learned to take things in stride.
It takes time to learn. Meb I'm sure has learned it, same with Deena and the lovely Culpepper's. Along with some of the other top athletes.
Ryan is what 24? He has time to fulfill his dreams. But running great times takes time to adjust to and recover from BIG WINS. He's getting to know himself on a whole new level. Even if he wants to be the "next big thing" and believes he can be, it still takes time to adjust, no matter how much he may want it.
Ryan great effort, even if you weren't "excited". I'm "excited" for you. You hold a tremendous amount of promise for yourself and American road racing.
It's all a journey..enjoy it!
In Joy!