How was Dathan Ritzenhein able to get in shape so fast coming off an injury in only a few weeks to win NCAAs?

It's not like your lungs, heart, mitochondria, etc. atrophy after a few weeks.

I don't know his training plan, but people coming off of an injury wanting to get into shape quickly would generally go through a training plan leading up to a goal race with less of a base. Sometimes, this means starting with a J. Daniels plan phase II or something similar. For others it's different.

In the words of Seb Coe, pick your grandparents carefully!

Viva la vida loca wrote:

From what I recall, he returned from injury and was able to train for a few weeks and still able to managed to win NCAA Cross-country. What type of training did he do? How long had he been injured? I am coming off 4 months of a sports hernia and able to train well now and would like to run a fast 5K in 5 weeks. What should I be doing?

He was that much better than everyone that he was able to win without optimal build up.

Well he had history and talent wrote:

It's not like your lungs, heart, mitochondria, etc. atrophy after a few weeks.

I don't know his training plan, but people coming off of an injury wanting to get into shape quickly would generally go through a training plan leading up to a goal race with less of a base. Sometimes, this means starting with a J. Daniels plan phase II or something similar. For others it's different.

Hadn't he been out for a few months? Your lungs, heart and mitochrondria may not atrophy but your legs surely do. Taking a decent amount of time off and coming back and not the easiest thing to do.

At that age, Ritz likely could have taken a year off from exercise, done some light running and strides for 2 weeks, and run a sub 15 minute 5K. He was that talented. If I remember correctly he was injured during the summer before his NCAA XC win but then was training from September on. He won Pre Nats that year, it's not like he just started training again in mid October.

Viva la vida loca wrote:

Well he had history and talent wrote:

It's not like your lungs, heart, mitochondria, etc. atrophy after a few weeks.

I don't know his training plan, but people coming off of an injury wanting to get into shape quickly would generally go through a training plan leading up to a goal race with less of a base. Sometimes, this means starting with a J. Daniels plan phase II or something similar. For others it's different.

Hadn't he been out for a few months? Your lungs, heart and mitochrondria may not atrophy but your legs surely do. Taking a decent amount of time off and coming back and not the easiest thing to do.

With a big base like Ritz had, its not as if he had gone back to square one when he started running again. Bill McChesney was able to run some phenomenal times between injuries.

Does he still train with Al Sal?

Viva la vida loca wrote:

From what I recall, he returned from injury and was able to train for a few weeks and still able to managed to win NCAA Cross-country. What type of training did he do? How long had he been injured? I am coming off 4 months of a sports hernia and able to train well now and would like to run a fast 5K in 5 weeks. What should I be doing?

He is just uber talented. No telling what times he would have thrown up had be been able to stay healthy for long periods.

Tristate wrote:

Does he still train with Al Sal?

No. Had been interesting to see coach JS to advice him.