Marathon You Can Do It

Meb Keflezighi made the rounds following the New York City Marathon. One of the places he visited was the David Letterman show where he read the Top Ten List on the day after the marathon:

In case you missed it

“The top ten thoughts that go through your mind when you run the New York City Marathon…”

Have a funny day!

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: David Letterman, David Letterman Show, Funny Video, Meb Keflezighi, New York City, New York City Marathon, Top Ten List, York City Marathon

I just came across this interesting fact about New York City Marathon in the NY times.

In 1977, Wesley Paul, a child from Columbia became the youngest person ever to complete the New York City Marathon with an incredible time of 3:00:37. In the early years of the race several children competed.

Paul still ran a 2:38 personal best at 15, in the Houston Marathon. By the age of 16 he had 40 marathon under his belt.

At 16 he fractured his knee when a car backed into him while he was running. He never recovered!

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Columbia, Houston Marathon, Interesting Fact, New York City, New York City Marathon, Ny Times, Nyc Marathon, Wesley Paul, York City Marathon

The following groups are eligible for guaranteed entry to the ING New York City Marathon.

• Members of New York Road Runners, who completed at least nine NYRR-scored, qualifying races, and who have volunteered for one event, during the calendar year.
• Entrants in the ING New York City Marathon the previous year who canceled prior to the race.
• Those who have completed 15 or more New York City Marathons.
• Those who have applied but been denied entry for the last three years in a row
• Runners who meet the following NYC marathon qualifying time standards.
• Charity runners : Runners who commit to raise money for charities listed by organisers.
• Guaranteed entry for overseas runners, (For those who live outside the United States) Guaranteed entry along with the purchase of a marathon package may be available through an Official International Travel Partner [ITP] in your country or territory.

Source ; ING New York Marathon Official Site

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Calendar Year, Charities, Ing New York City Marathon, Ing New York Marathon, International Travel, Itp, marathon runners, New York City Marathon, New York City Marathons, New york marathon, New York Road Runners, Nyc Marathon, Nyrr, Overseas Runners, Previous Year, Qualifying Races, Time Standards, Travel Partner, York City Marathon, York Road Runners

In a New York Times article it was reported that in 2008 NYC marathon 46 runners were disqualified for having taking a short cut to the finish line and an untold number of runners escape detection, marathon officials said.

Mary Wittenberg, the race director, called the number of cheats shocking.

Shortcuts methods at NYC marathon

According to the organisers the two most common form of cheating are

1. Stepping off the course and rejoining it closer to the finish, often sneaking into Central Park once they enter Manhattan near Mile 16.
2. Participants running with someone else bib. According to 2008 records, a 19-year-old in the field gave his bib to someone five years older, and that person posted the best time in the 18-19 division.

The biggest reason or motivation of taking a short cut is to secure a coveted qualification time for the Boston Marathon

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Best Time, Bib, Boston Marathon, Central Park, Finish Line, Manhattan, marathon runners, Motivation, New York City, New York City Marathon, New York Times, Nyc Marathon, Organisers, Participants, Qualification Time, Race Director, Shortcuts, Wittenberg, York City Marathon, York Times Article

Meb Keflezighi won the 2009 New York Marathon. Meb Keflezighi became the first US man to win the New York City Marathon since 1982. Meb has come a long way from being just a good runner to a great runner.

In 2000 summer Olympic games in Sydney he finished a disappointing 12th at 10,000 metres, a race that was won by Haile Gebrselassie.

After Sydney his coach, Bob Larsen realised if Meb is to compete with the East African runners he had to change his training tactics.

The Training Regimen That Boosted Running Speed and Power

According to an old New York times article of Meb Keflezighi, In 2001, Larsen persuaded Keflezighi to begin training at the 7,550-foot altitude of Mammoth Lakes to increase his oxygen-carrying capacity. Shortly after his first training regimen here, he set the American record of 27:13.98 at 10,000 meters.

Training at altitude took Meb from a good athlete to a great athlete

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Altitude Training, Athlete, Bob Larsen, Coach Bob, East Africans, Foot Altitude, Haile Gebrselassie, Mammoth Lakes, Marathon Training, Meb Keflezighi, New York City Marathon, New york marathon, New York Times, Olympic Games, Oxygen Carrying Capacity, Realised, Runners, Summer Olympic Games, Training Regimen, York City Marathon, York Times Article

Actor and longtime conservation activist Edward Norton will run the NY Marathon as part of a team raising awareness and financial support for the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, a Kenya-based conservation organization. Norton and 3 Maasai warriors will be leading 30 people from all walks of life running the ING New York City Marathon on Nov. 1st.

The three Maasais are Parashina, Parashi and Sunte. They usually run in sandals made out of off-road tires. They call them “Michelins” or “Thousand Milers.” While Parashina and Sunte will wear Puma running shoes Parashi intend to stick to his Maasai Running Sandals.

As part of preparation Edward travelled to Kenya where he ran with the Maasais. Most of the running was around Chyulu hills on the Northern slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Norton discribed the experience to runners world magazine: -

“We probably ran about 30 miles a week out there. It’s tough running. A lot of lava rock and rutted roads and thorn bushes. And there’s been a bad drought all this year so it’s very dusty right now, where normally it’s high green grass everywhere. I think it will make New York feel easy for these guys, as long as it’s not cold, which they are not used to.”

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Edward Norton, Green Grass, Ing New York City Marathon, Lava Rock, Maasai Warriors, Marathon Training, Michelins, Mt Kilimanjaro, New York City Marathon, New york marathon, Northern Slopes, Ny Marathon, Off Road Tires, runners world magazine, Running shoes, Rutted Roads, Thorn Bushes, Walks Of Life, Wilderness Conservation, York City Marathon

The dream for every marathon runner is to run a marathon under 3 hours. When Lance Armstrong announced he would be running his first marathon, the 2006  New York Marathon, his target was to run 26 miles under 3 hours.

Lance Armstrong Marathon Training Plan to Run Under 3 hours

You would expect someone who has the best training advisors in the world  to have a strategic plan on how to run. In an interview with runners world he confessed  “There was nothing scientific about his runs.”

He did a daily routine of Kayaking, swimming, riding and hitting the gym. As for running he used to run about 5 to 10 miles in a time of 45-60 minutes. His longest practice run was about 13 miles.

What Lance Learn’t  from Road Learning

He admitted on runners world interview “The hardest part was the pounding of running.” It gave Lance a lot of aches and pains in the Hips and you know where,… ankle joints.

On the day of 2006 ING New York Marathon, Together with Nike, Armstrong assembled a pace team consisting of well known runners Alberto Salazar, Joan Benoit Samuelson, and Hicham El Guerrouj to help him reach his goal time of 3 hours.

He struggled with shin splints but pushed through the last 5 miles (8.0 km) to come through at 2:59:36, finishing at position 856.

Read Lance marathon training plan Interview at runners world

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Lance Armstrong, Marathon, New York City Marathon, Training Plan