Ritz's 4th place a blessing in disguise?

Ritz needs to stick to the track now for sure, at least for a couple more years. He is so much beter on the oval. I would rest 4 or 5 days this upcoming week and build up for the trials at 5 or 10.

Ritz will definitely had a good chance of making the Olympic 10k team, but I agree that his chance of making it to the podium are negligible unless the race unfolds unlike a championship race (I think he could possibly place top 3 if the olympic 10k turns into a time trial and he starts at the back and works his way up a la his 5k pr performance, and even then it would still be a long shot). Ritz would have to do something unprecedented in his training that he's never done before- develop speed. That's where Rupp has him beat. I would say that this year could be Rupp's best chance of medaling in the 10k. He's going to have to bring it the last 1200m.

When Ritz described his achilles as "visible" I googled that and saw that indeed, if there is not enought skin there, it is just ghastly, Freddy Krueger sh!t . No way is he ever coming to top form again. He was a beast for doing what he did.

Really surprised nobody's mentioned this, but I'm sure that once the disappointment that he didn't make the team wears off, he can then at least take pride in the fact that he is now a sub 2:10 guy. Granted just sub 2:10 isn't going to win any majors these days but now he is at least just one of a select few marathoners in history to have broken that barrier. In retrospect, his performance today was actually very impressive.

edit- select few AMERICAN runners in history

After what Ritz came back from this year, with the achilles and the surgery and the infections, and with no solid race results prior to this race, a pr, after cramping (maybe he should have eaten a banana, which helps a lot with that in a marathon), he should recognize this as a solid performance. He is markedly better on the world stage at 5k to 1/2 marathon and he has now been able to lay down a very solid training block for the first time in years. If he stays healthy, American records are achievable this year for him at those other distances.

The Lone Wolf wrote:

Ritz getting a bronze in the 10k at the Olympics? Are you out of your mind?

Don't under estimate a 12:56 man that just ran a sub 2:10 marathon.

You sound like that idiot British announcer that stated Ritz was in over his head when he ran that 12:56, about the half way point, as I recall he was last, and ended up 3rd.

Ritz can still race 2 marathons a year and make A LOT of $$$. He needs to stop whining like a little bitch.

I think you all are missing the point. The Blessing in disguise is that he and Rupp can train together without having to mesh together disparate programs. Honestly this is definitely the best thing for Rupp. As for Dathan, it is never good to get 4th at the trials (I’m pretty sure he was already “hungry” so I don’t see this adding much there), but Ritz will get over it. He has already proven himself on the track.

Coming off marathon mileage and with Rupp in his group, it is certainly feasible that he has a big spring training block and races very well this summer. Let’s save talk of his (and Bekele’s) chances of medaling until after the fields are set.

BTW: Please stop calling him names and such. Unless you have missed the Olympic team by a few seconds after running a PR in the marathon, you have no idea how that feels.

what a feeling wrote:

My sentiments exactly

Calling it here first: Rupp gets Ritz at US champs, Ritz gets Rupp at Olys. with a bronze.

Seriously,

With Mo Farah from GB, three Ethiopians (including may be Bekele and Jeylan) and three KEnyans (perhaps including Wilson Kiprop and Mathathi/Karoki or whoever), you really believe that Dathan will get a medal?

It's just not going to happen. He can hang on for a top six after these guys destroy each other but a medal is a long shot.

I also think Dathan should concentrate on the 10k. He did well in the marathon trials irrespective of his fourth place finish.

ritz just ran 209x into a breeze, less than a minute back of a 205-6 marathoner.

so yes he can go 207. but that gets you nothing.

203 is the number now you need.

with 12:56 5000 and 207 marathon ability, the 10,000m to the half marathon looks to be his best distance.

moving forward, he should concentrate on what he is very good at, rather than what he might be good at.

Retardalert. wrote:

Actually you did. You said off of 2:35 pace. That means up to that point they were running on average 2:35 or faster. Nobody with half a brain would interpret in any other way. F'tard.

Well, to his defense, i interpreted it in another way. He said nothing about "average". The first thing to come to my mind was the 2008 Olympic 5k. Last five laps were sub 60 I think?

maybe he can even win?

Today was a super impressive run for Ritz. 2:09:55 with nowhere near the training of the other guys. Seriously think about if Riz had trained like Hall or Meb for the past year. He would have mopped the floor with them.

Now, that being said, his body just can\\\\\\\'t handle marathon training. So I\\\\\\\'m happy he\\\\\\\'s going down to the 5k/10k. I think he\\\\\\\'s going to have a MONSTER season. I think he\\\\\\\'ll run 12:52 and 26:39.

Going up to the marathon and coming back down seemed to transform Ritz into a 12:56 guy. I\\\\\\\'m convinced that if some of the top 2:03-2:04 marathoners were to move back down to the 5k/10k, they would run amazingly fast. Geoffrey Mutai ran a 27:17 road 10k a few months ago during marathon training, and with pretty uneven splits! The guy is a monster and if he moved down to 10k I think he could break the world record.

longjack wrote:

ritz just ran 209x into a breeze, less than a minute back of a 205-6 marathoner.

so yes he can go 207. .

THere was a breeze the whole way on a multi-loop course??

Hall did not run like a 2:05/6 marathoner yesterday. He ran like a 2:08/9 marathoner at best. Look at Meb's best marathon times: all in the 2:09 range. Abdi, at the age he is at now, is a 2:09 marathoner at best (even when younger, he was basically a 2:09 marathoner). These are the guys Ritz lost to: 2:08/9 guys (like I said, this was the level Hall ran at yesterday). Ritz is a 2:09 marathoner until proven otherwise.

(at this point it is beyond absurd to keep saying, if this, if that, maybe less of that, maybe more of that, on an ideal day, when no injuries occur, blah, blah, blah, blah, etc, if ALLLLLLL those things comes into play perfectly..... then Ritz can run 2:06/7. Maybe that is true, but the odds seem at this point, with Ritz's ability and luck , that the odds of everything working out perfectly for him at the marathon are just not going to happen. Time to give up on that dream)

rtizksfskl wrote:

Going up to the marathon and coming back down seemed to transform Ritz into a 12:56 guy. I\\\'m convinced that if some of the top 2:03-2:04 marathoners were to move back down to the 5k/10k, they would run amazingly fast. Geoffrey Mutai ran a 27:17 road 10k a few months ago during marathon training, and with pretty uneven splits! The guy is a monster and if he moved down to 10k I think he could break the world record.

You guys need to stop with the worship of marathoners and marathon training. Bekele would clean up the stadium with Mutai. And marathon training ended Geb's run as the top 10000 guy.

It is time for Ritz to finally run a 4 minute mile - 2012 the year for speed. If he can get a pair of Sketchers racers from Meb he will be a step closer to that goal.

Giddyup!

Proud American #1 wrote:

The Lone Wolf wrote:

Ritz getting a bronze in the 10k at the Olympics? Are you out of your mind?

This is what will happen:

Mo Farah - Gold

Rupp - Silver

Ritz - Bronze

Bekele - 4th

And I will hit the jackpot sometime in the near future.

I think Ritz has run his best when he follows his own plans. His 12:56 can when he ran in last for several laps. His sixth at Worlds came after letting the leaders go and coming back on them At the World Half championship, he did chase Tadesse after a slow start but then he let him go and raced for a medal.

In each marathon so far, he has gone out fast. Here, he may have been best served to go for a 2:08:30. Maybe he just needs to run a 2:08 before trying for a 2:07 or better.

The more experienced guys got him this time. No shame in that. Ritz should keep trying and heat win a big one like Ramaala or Meb did.