Runnerville

In a series of photos showcasing “Olympic Training Towns,” Sports Illustrated gives us a few of pretty spectacular, running-related images:  The Churchville, NY facility used by Jen Stuczynski…

…a pair of Olympic hopefuls, and one guy with a punched ticket…

…and, the money shot: Mammoth Lakes, California.

Apologies for following one link-heavy post with another, but whoo-wee Mammoth Lakes looks nice.  Note the ability to pass on the tights and just go with shorts.

Toni and Matt can say what they wish about Indoor Nationals and the ESPN coverage of the meet. But I have to admit: I came away nothing short of inspired. Sunday evening, I retired to my meditation room, turned on my little self-contained, gurgling rock fountain (just 39.99 from Ikea(TM) for a limited time) and put brush to rice paper (just 12.99 per roll at your local Target(TM) store).

Today, I finally emerged. The results? Strong to quite strong. If you didn’t have the chance to attend or tune in, put aside the naysayers, and read on.

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The AP recently reported that it is unlikely the newly independent nation of Kosovo will be able to send a team of athletes to the Beijing Olympics. Read more…

Ritz + cross country = sunshine and daisies. This past weekend, Dathan Ritzenhein’s strong victory over Ryan Hall et. al. at the USATF Cross Country Championships only fortified my belief that cross country is a distinctly different sport than track (obvious) and road racing (less obvious). While Ritz has turned in solid performances in those other arenas (8:11 2M, 2nd in Olympic Marathon Trials), his star has always shined brightest traversing hill and dale, where he was once 3rd in the World (for his age), and 24th among Senior Men as a 19 year old. I think it’s pretty clear that there are specific skills that lend themselves to cross country and specific people who perform best in that discipline.

I’m not advocating that Ritz abandon the asphalt and Mondo. But, with the Olympics being so regularly on my mind these past months, Dathan’s performance in San Diego prompts me to advocate the following… Read more…

I guess some people are just plain opposed to progress. First there was skepticism over Beijing organizers promising perfect weather for the duration of the Games. Now, it seems the USOC will be sending sponsor-supplied foods to China so that US Olympians aren’t forced to consume Chinese chicken breasts that are 30% chicken breast, 70% steroid:

When a caterer working for the United States Olympic Committee went to a supermarket in China last year, he encountered a piece of chicken - half of a breast - that measured 14 inches. “Enough to feed a family of eight,” said Frank Puleo, a caterer from Staten Island who has traveled to China to handle food-related issues.

“We had it tested and it was so full of steroids that we never could have given it to athletes. They all would have tested positive.”

There’s always that one stick in the mud, isn’t there? The pessimist says Oh, eating that chicken will make you test positive. But an optimist would point out that when you buy a chicken of that size, it will carry your groceries out to your car, and may even offer to drive home once it sees how exhausted you are from yet another hectic day at the office. (But it may also turn on you and kill you when you try to cook him.)

Wary US Olympians Will Bring Food to China [NY Times]

Cross Nationals are easily my favorite National Championship each year (NCAA Cross Country, notwithstanding). In the past few years we’ve had Messrs. McDougal and Withrow make auspicious in-roads toward elite senior status as college kids. Max King had everyone asking “Who’s Max King?” in New York. A photo finish on frozen tundra in Indianapolis, and a local guy making good in the long-course race. (I forget his name; I just remember the gist of the story.) Ryan Hall claiming the mantle of Best American Distance Runner in 2006 (though we didn’t know, at the time, that this one dominating race was only the beginning). Last year, Boulder’s best defending their home turf — er, home mud. Read more…

Corollary Finding: Horses Also Disinclined to Seek Out Brackish, Boring Water With Lots of Unnecessary High School Events, On Their Own.

Fellow inhabitants of Runnerville gave New York Track Fans the ole’ thumbs down on not turning out for Millrose. Reasoning being, in short, that it is partly the fans’ responsibility to support the sport. My purpose is not to get into a chicken-v-egg debate (does a lousy product need to improve to attract support, or does support need to be given to fund improvement of said lousy product), nor to go into as much depth as I could, but I would like to offer an alternative viewpoint, in defense of the non-spectator… Read more…

When I think about the Millrose Games, I think of Madison Square Garden. And when I think of Madison Square Garden, I think of backseat sex. [don’t worry… news article: totally SFW] And when I think of backseat sex, I think of crippling humiliation, an accidental elbow to the face, your nose gurgling blood like one of those chocolate fountains all over the interior of your dad’s car, and the sudden shame of a policeman’s flashlight. No sir, it’s just cold in here and you suddenly made me very nervous.
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Millrose is nigh upon us: Friday. Madison Square Garden. Can you feel the tingles?

Up here in New York, they would have you believe that The Garden is a special place, unlike any other. Well, those people are right. So, as Friday draws ever nigher, I’ve put together a little crib sheet for those attending and for the non-NYers trying to get their heads around that famed mystique (with help from Deadspin.com).

1. For all you reporters out there… …you better behave yourselves.
2. Bring your crazy pills because I think there is something in the air.
3. Re: If you enjoy the ambience of The Garden so much you don’t want to leave.
4. Think twice before you unleash on Lagat if he doesn’t deliver.
5. The Garden is a magical place where fan participation is the only thing that affects outcomes in competition. So if you don’t cheer, expect a coach or two to yell at you.
6. Blackmail = encouraged. Please feel free to bring along those racy pictures your cousin took of Galen Rupp at that party he went to in Eugene last spring.
7. See Entry #3.
8. See Entry #7. (2nd from bottom on linked page)
9. On second thought, skip the PR opening and just apply for “Bossman” because clearly there are few requirements in terms of humility, common sense, and class.

See you Friday!