My Brush With Running Greatness
Artie Ojeda with top U.S. marathon runner Ryan Hall. Ojeda will run in Sunday's Rock 'N Roll marathon in San Diego.
Ryan Hall weighs a whopping 130 pounds. And even though you may have never heard of him, he is a heavyweight in the world of marathon running. Hall is currently the best marathoner in the U.S., most recently finishing in the top 10 at the Beijing Olympics, and finishing third in April's Boston Marathon. He was the first American to cross the finish line.
And there I was, on an uncommonly cool, drizzly Saturday morning in San Diego, going toe-to-toe with running greatness!
I'll be running in Sunday's San Diego Rock 'N Roll marathon hoping to break 3 hours. "That's awesome," Hall said while wishing me luck. How cool is that! Ryan Hall wishing me good luck!
To put my time 3 hour goal in perspective, Hall's best marathon time is 2 hours and 6 minutes! I'm truly a slow poke. But hey, it's all relative.
If you've ever wondered how those elite runners train, it's truly an exhausting schedule. And I wanted to learn more about Hall's training regiment.
He said he usually runs twice a day, six days a week - 120 miles per week! He'll run from 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Then he'll self-massage his legs, stretch. Then he'll take an ice bath or Epsom salt bath, depending on the type of running he's done - fast or slow. He'll eat lunch, take a nap and then jog for about 30-40 minutes. Then after that, he'll hit the weight room. And he does it all training at 7,000 feet altitude!
Hall says his fastest long runs include an 18-miler at at 5 minute pace! Amazing.
I met Hall at the Solamar Hotel in San Diego, and he greeted me and a few of my running buddies alongside his wife Sara, who is an accomplished runner herself.
"It's awesome, we get to travel together everywhere. I feel like we're retired," said Hall. You can read about them and their incredible charity work on a pretty spiffy website.
Hall said one of the highlights of his trip to Boston was getting the chance to throw out the first pitch at a Red Sox game.
"I wanted to bring the heater", he said.
Hall also is working hard to stay in touch with all runners, both the novice and the speedsters. He's working on a series of training vignettes that will soon be posted on line.
"I share all my training secrets. I don't hold back," he promises.
And you can keep up with him on his Twitter page.
"I love social media because it makes it so easy to connect with everyday runner, and people need to feel a connection," he said.
And so with that, this everyday runner feels connected! I'm looking forward to a great marathon!
