Ritz' 24 mile workout at 5:09 pace

Gerry Lindgren warning!

Why is that BS? It is what it is.

Cookie Monster Warning!!!!!!!!!

I thought that he was born to run 4:50 pace - what's wrong with Ritz?

These longer workouts are simply an attempt to bolster his confidence. If this workout is actually true, I'm going to say that he will have left his best "races" on the roads of Eugene - and ... when the racing really starts he isn't going to have any wheels.

If he falters, someone is getting tossed out of the Day's Inn in Eugene.

WTF? Why would you call bs on that?

Doubting Tomas wrote:

...If this workout is actually true, I'm going to say that he will have left his best "races" on the roads of Eugene - and ... when the racing really starts he isn't going to have any wheels.

I agree. We're talking almost a 26.2 distance on hilly terrain, at the same pace as his NY race.... for a workout. Plus, it was supposedly recent, which recovery won't be a problem.

YEA, RIGHT!!!!

This has got to be one of the dumbest discussions I have ever read.

The most shocking part of that article to me was this little quote:

"It’s been great,” Ritzenhein said, of being a proud father. “Kalin has to wake up in the middle of the night for feedings, but I have my ear plugs in and my eye mask on, so I really don’t hear anything.”

Can't you just picture Ritz wearing an eye mask?

Ritz could have run a 2:08 during practice and it means shit if it doesn't translate to a 2:08 in an actual race.

I think Ritz does not know how to back off during training and it usually ends up showing in his races.

Often wondering if training with Ritz actually burned Jorge out a little but.

nope.......... wrote:

http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/dt.cms.support.viewStory.cls?cid=15028&sid=1&layout=Default

"...rolling through a 24-mile run at a 5:09 mile pace on the hilly terrain of Lorane Highway, which roughly translates to a 2:15 marathon.."

I've run that loop a hundred times. It is NOT hilly. Not even by Mary Wittenbergs assesment. It is flat with one small, short hill.

Don't believe everything you read, especially from the Register Guard.

Lorraine Highway area has some nice hills and plenty of flat. Not a killer course though, just a challenging one, actually a very good simulation. Terrain changes can help energy as much as hurt.

Ritz at 5:10 pace is conversational -- this is a kid who could train most everyday < 5:10 if he chose to. This training pace for someone with 2:07 talent is not extreme at all. 24 is a bit over the top, and of course the workout is for his confidence, but most of the adjustments have been good. The only real problem race day is taking in too much gel, too much caffeine. I will be surprised if the pace is slower than 5 tomorrow.

the top 3 will be 212 - 214

dsrunner wrote:

I will be surprised if the pace is slower than 5 tomorrow.

Brad Hudson is Renato Canova inspired. A couple of Canova's staple workouts during a peak marathon build up include a 22-24M run at 95% Goal Marathon Effort and/or a 26-28M at 85% Marathon Effort, as Bordin did in 1988 before his Gold in the Marathon.

So, would you have called BS on Bordin when he covered a Marathon in 2:29, then tacked on 2K in 6:06?

I'm guessing that you don't know much about training for a fast marathon. A number of the world's best marathoners do long, hard runs (20 miles or more, at close to race pace) up to about a week before the target race. They don't sit around eating cookie dough to "carbo-load" for three weeks.

I remember talking to Joe Vigil about this many years ago. He gave, as an example, Gelindo Bordin's long, hard run in Alamosa about a week before winning Boston. Bordin's workout (I hesitate to state it with any suggestion of precision, although it was something in the neighborhood of 22 miles at 5-minute pace at 7,000 ft. altitude) seemed as impressive as his victory at Boston a week later.

Bill Rodgers used to increase mileage and intensity right up into the last week before a marathon. His "taper" consisted of about three easy days before the race.

I know that there's considerable variation among good runners in the last few weeks before a marathon. But I don't see any good reason to disbelieve the statement about Ritz's workout, or even to question its wisdom at this point.

dsrunner wrote:

Ritz at 5:10 pace is conversational -- this is a kid who could train most everyday < 5:10 if he chose to.

Not true. His 5:07/mile paced NY RACE is proof.

dsrunner wrote:

Lorraine Highway area has some nice hills

Not.

The course is marked in red, although I believe they started at the "14 mile mark" on the megamagneto loop.

would you have called BS on Bordin when he covered a Marathon in 2:29, then tacked on 2K in 6:06?

ttc - wrong! It was the 4:4? surge late in the race that got him. If you saw the 14 mile MP Flocast video with Ritz, you would see that 5:00 pace was in fact coversation pace for him.

would you also call him finishing 3rd at jr world cross behind bekele BS? and running 27:38 his 2nd year in college BS? i dont doubt the validity of his workout, just like i dont doubt the Ritz.