Ritz's tune up is the Denver Half

Not the best choice

Seeco wrote:

Not the best choice

Disagree. If he can go MP or a little faster at 5300 feet (so around 64 minutes), it's a great way to get the same benefit as a brisk 61 minute HM with a little less wear on the legs.

Outside of a handful of former teammates that might want to reconnect with him, nobody here cares if Ritz runs this race. Ritz has raced in CO only twice in his life, it's not like he's built up legions of fans who tailgate while following him from race to race in Colo. When he turned tail and fled to Oregon he cut all ties to the area. He's just the token elite they'll chip off a little dough for. Notice that blog on Competitor? He's contracted with the company, it's not like he was all over his agent to get him in the race.

"home"??????? wrote:

Outside of a handful of former teammates that might want to reconnect with him, nobody here cares if Ritz runs this race. Ritz has raced in CO only twice in his life, it's not like he's built up legions of fans who tailgate while following him from race to race in Colo. When he turned tail and fled to Oregon he cut all ties to the area. He's just the token elite they'll chip off a little dough for. Notice that blog on Competitor? He's contracted with the company, it's not like he was all over his agent to get him in the race.

I disagree. the board goes nuts when Hall quits chicago. I think this will be a good tune-up for NYC. The course is flat and fast (although at altitude)

I think any tune up race for one of the elite U.S. athletes is newsworthy.

Maybe you should see Showdown. Did you forget that RITZ went to CU. He's got more ties to Colorado that Christian Smith does to Oregon, but that didn't stop everyone from jizzing about the "Oregon sweep"

Denver Runner wrote:

Disagree. If he can go MP or a little faster at 5300 feet (so around 64 minutes), it's a great way to get the same benefit as a brisk 61 minute HM with a little less wear on the legs.

Isn't the objective to get used to the marathon?

Isn't the objective to get used to the marathon?

People don't run HM tune-ups to put wear on their legs. They do it to simulate a race environment, presumably while in the middle of training. Any wear on the legs due to the race itself just detracts from training over the next few weeks.

Denver Runner wrote:

Isn't the objective to get used to the marathon?

People don't run HM tune-ups to put wear on their legs. They do it to simulate a race environment, presumably while in the middle of training. Any wear on the legs due to the race itself just detracts from training over the next few weeks.

not splitten the atom

Coming home would be good ol' Rockford, Michigan. Not CO.

OK, so he's training in New Mexico but the altitude is too high to do his long tempos properly so he's flying to Portland to do a long hard tempo and then he's going back up to altitude to do the half as a tune up?

Grower wrote:

Coming home would be good ol' Rockford, Michigan. Not CO.

His parents live in Colorado Springs. So he'll get to see them.

Doing a prediction contest, with a nice award to the winner.

most people in CO Springs know who Matt Carpenter is,but (even though Ritz has been there a lot) if you ask them who Ritz, Ryan Hall, Alan Webb are, they have not a clue

Matt Carpenter is on Manitou Springs city council. Ritz has never been on city council.