Ritz Running London

and another disgrace:

I already see headlines: London Marathon didn´t go to my expectations...

Hev won´t learn how to run the 26.2

Only 14 weeks away...again making the same mistake, trying to train for a marathon in too short of a time period. Al admitted 12 weeks wasn't enough to get ready for NY so I'm not sure why 14 will be any different. Also coming off of another injury, just doesn't make sense. I see another 2:11 coming, if he hits 2:10 again that would be a great accomplishment. Hell, staying healthy for 14 weeks will be a great accomplishment.

Isn't he hurt? If he was so hurt and had to pull out of a race that let down all his fans, maybe he should do something in the fall.

Westeuropean Hope wrote:

and another disgrace:

I already see headlines: London Marathon didn´t go to my expectations...

Hev won´t learn how to run the 26.2

I agree with your headlines. I think that Ritz is simply better at 5000 through 1/2 marathon. I don't think that there is something that he must learn about running the marathon. I just don't think that he is that talented at that distance (relative to his talent at the shorter distances).

The article said Ritz only runs 110miles/week. This is enough to run a good 5000-1/2 Marathon, but it is not enough to run a fast full.

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yep, what ben franklin said. gotta feed the family

This will be the breakthrough marathon Ritz has been looking for the last 5 years. 14 weeks from today, yes, but don't forget that he was gearing up for today's Edinburgh XC race, and must have been training very hard, and probably was in very good shape.

He is not injured! pulling out of XC today was simply a cautious move to ensure he doesn't ruin his chances at bigger and better things the rest of the year. Did you see what the course looked like? i'd say it was a smart move. no sense in risking injury with an injury prone guy. his ailment is simply the result of too many laps on an indoor 200m track back home in MI.

2:12 in NY is not that bad people. Perhaps if there wasn't such obnoxious hype leading into it, you'd be able to see that. He's basically been training since NY (of course the few weeks after would've been taken very, very easy, etc., etc.), which i'd think is plenty of time to get the adequate training in that's needed for a top performance. Ritz gets unlucky with injury, and i'd venture to say he can get a little overzealous when he's working out, but he's one of the US's best of all time, don't forget that.

On a fast, pancake flat course like London, it's the perfect place for everything to come together, finally, in his what, 7th Marathon attempt? Especially if he's smart about it and takes the first half out cautiously despite what his competitors may do. (Hey, considering he runs, i'd love to see Sammy W. take it out in 61:30 and punish anyone who goes with him, but that's not Ritz's race).

It would be nice if he and Alberto went into this one more humble and modest, but you never know. They seem to have figured out that 110 mpw is what his body can handle and they will just work with it - which is the right move.

If he can stay injury free and healthy from now until London goes off, I don't see any reason he can't go out in 62:45 and bring it back in 63:15, (or whatever!) and breakout with a 2:06 low. You heard it here first!

this is going to be a much hyped race and he will be disappointed when he doesn't run an AR as that will for some bizarre reason be expected of him by the time the race is here.

johnson wrote:

this is going to be a much hyped race and he will be disappointed when he doesn't run an AR as that will for some bizarre reason be expected of him by the time the race is here.

An American Record? From what I've been hearing, I should be disappointed if he doesn't break 2 hours.

at least this puts him at the same point as in 2009, when he recovered from a disappointing London marathon to qualify for the U.S. World's team, run 27:22 at World's, 12:56 and 60:00. So, my two cents: he did great off of the marathon base when he shifted to track training, and he should do the same thing this time. No fall marathon or at least, put off that decision completely and just focus on track after London. If he happens to be healthy in October, he can try the fall marathon. But I really hope that he (and Hall, but he won't do it) goes hard for the track season after April.

I'm sure everyone here agrees that the marathon shouldn't be his event for 2012. Maybe he is the best US marathoner, maybe he'll win the trials etc but he shouldn't do the marathon at the Olympics.

However, I think that if he is sure that he wants to he should do the marathon at world's instead. It would give him a tactical racing chance for the marathon, he might win a medal, and we are not without depth in other events so if Ritz doesn't do the 10000m in Daegu there would be other people who are just as good to take his place. This is not the case for the marathon so I think he should do it at worlds or he shouldn't do a marathon this year at all and instead should run world cross country and a couple fast track races.

Let's actually send a good team for the marathon to Daegu.

I'm wondering when Paddy Power is going to put a line on the 2 hour marathon? I'll be there are so many fools who hang onto their reactionary beliefs that I could get huge odds in my favor.

I'll be laughing all the way to the bank.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Vafareunculo#p/u/12/pNkv9Ibnvho

Daegu is too close to the Trials...not to mention that it will be hot and humid.

timing, weather wrote:

Daegu is too close to the Trials...not to mention that it will be hot and humid.

How come the hot and humid argument can work for everyone except Geb? If Ritz or anyone avoids an event at the World Championships it's because it's hot and humid but if Geb does that for the Olympics it's because he ducks competition and only time trials etc but not because it's hot and humid?

I wasn't suggesting that the weather in and of itself was a valid reason for skipping Worlds (hence the mention of the timing issue first). The thought of three marathons within 9 months--with a race in tough conditions thrown in the middle--just doesn't seem like the best idea.

Olympics > Worlds. Not even close.

I think you are right but why, after all of his average marathons, is London giving him more than air fare and a hotel room? It's one thing for Mary Wit to over pay for him to run NYC because he is an American. But why would London pay him an appearance fee at all? He needs a change, he should run Rotterdam.

Graeme McDowell wrote:

I think you are right but why, after all of his average marathons, is London giving him more than air fare and a hotel room? It's one thing for Mary Wit to over pay for him to run NYC because he is an American. But why would London pay him an appearance fee at all? He needs a change, he should run Rotterdam.

how much of an appearance fee is ritz getting?

1. i doubt wanjiru will run, the courts go slowly and they wont let him leave the country until after his court case is finished.

2. ritz can get top 5 in london, with the elite field as it is, 3 kenyans of which 1 abel kirui has not been running well, only 2 ethiopians, although 2 that have been running great and the very reliable gharib.

other than that kifle who has not been running good for 2-3 years, 2:13 new american michael ash, trafah in his debut, 3 canadians who should be over a mile behind even if they set personal best's, 2 australian a 2:13 runner and colis birmingham who is a good runner 27:29 for 10k in his debut, all the runners in this paragraph and kirui ritz can beat more times than not.

so 2 kenyans, 2 ethiopians and gharib are currently running outstanding, but of these 6, 1,2, or 3 will probably get broke and ritz can get a top 5 finish.