Tag Archives: Chicago Marathon

Chicago Finish Thoughts

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What a gutsy finish by Sammy Wanjiru. It took him several tries before he was finally able to break Tsegay Kebede, but once Kebede broke, it was over.

This flotrack video is about 6 minutes long and worth every second of it.

Track and Field Videos on Flotrack

There were obviously, lots of tactical moments in that 6 minutes that are important for trying to win a race. I’ll only comment on one. Wanjiru used a small hill (the slight incline as you cross the bridge with less than 1/2 mile to go) to put the hurt on. Using natural parts of the course to spur yourself on is a great strategy for any race, especially if you are trying to pass someone.

Being strong over a small hill, using a turn to pick up the pace. These little details can help break your opponent. Even if it is a mental victory in the middle of the pack. Use the course for your advantage.

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Guest Post: Team One Verse

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Today I’m turning over the writing duties to Allison Martin.  We heard from her back in December of 2007 in a Guest Review of the St Jude Marathon. Allison started running in 2005 and slowly added on the miles, completing her third marathon in October 2008. She lives and runs in Indianapolis, works at a running store, and is going back to school to teach high school English.

In the past year, I began to learn about the need for Bible translation. While I own five Bibles, there are over 2,000 language groups around the world who don’t have the Bible in their own language. These groups represent approximately 196 million people. I’m also a runner, though not a fast one, and have completed three marathons now. (Each one a little faster thankfully!) When I learned about the great need for translation, I wanted to find a way to spread the gospel and do it by running 26.2 miles!

I learned about One Verse, an affiliate of Wycliffe Bible Translators, through a friend and reached out to them to see if there was an opportunity to start a running team to raise money for Bible translation. Amazingly, the people I spoke with caught the vision and have allowed me to work with them to start Team OneVerse!

One Verse works specifically with national speakers who begin or complete the translation process for their own people group. Guided by a team of translators around the world, the Bible is steadily being translated into every language. Team OneVerse takes the preparation, determination, and energy to run a marathon and infuses it with the ability to raise funds and awareness for this translation process.

How does it work? We’re starting with a focus on the Chicago Marathon, but any race is great. Runners around the country will train together on their own or in local groups. During their training, every person will set the goal to raise $1500, which is over 55 verses translated into a previously unreached language for $26 each (the average cost of translation as calculated by One Verse).

I want to invite you to join Team OneVerse and be part of the translation process through running. This is a chance for you to use the sport you love to build God’s kingdom and hopefully set a new PR in the process! If you’re not able to be part of the team physically, but feel a call to give and support the team as a necessary encourager, your prayers and involvement is needed. Please share with your friends about the team. Or maybe God has a place for you in the translation process. Please pray about where you can join Team OneVerse. You can learn more about the team at www.teamoneverse.org.

Happy Running!
~Allison

[tags] Team One Verse, Bible Translation, Chicago Marathon [/tags]

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October Highlights

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This really should be titled “Marathon Highlights” since most of the month this year and last was talking about marathons!  Did I talk too much about it this year? Well it was a major highlight of the year and I spent plenty of weeks training, thinking, and focusing on it (read: obsessing), so you shouldn’t be too surprised.

Last Year though I didn’t talk too much about marathons, but I did share my experiences volunteering at the Chicago Marathon. Here are pictures I took after I was done passing out water.  I wrote about some Last Minute Marathon Tips.  Maybe I should have read these before my race! Following Chicago there was a lot of talk about Race Directors and marathon planning, so I highlighted a blog directed at Race Directors from the Association of Running Event Directors.

Continuing with the marathon theme I gave a preview of the Men’s Marathon Olympic Trials at New York and wrote about the Marathon Challenge, a PBS special.

I ran the Turn Up the Volume 4Mi race in Indianapolis and felt really good! I began tapering for my Indianapolis Half Marathon, which didn’t go very well for me.

I shared some highlights from a very funny post about t-shirt etiquette.  Bad Ben posted it at his site: Bad Ben’s Ramblings which I highlighted.  I ended the month on a somber note talking about Indiana’s high obesity rate.

This year my marathon was October 5, so I laid out my race plan and graded it afterwards. I did write a more traditional race review for you before bombarding you with a lot of random charts and graphs.  In the following weeks I shared some of my thoughts on post-marathon life, a little like depression and generally lacking motivation.  In a final hat tip to the marathon I did some linking to other people’s thoughts and impressions.

I wrapped up my Team World Vision fundraising by talking about my experience in South Africa and finally wrapping it all up. It is so exciting to have surpassed the fundraising goal of $2,000.  THANK YOU again to everyone who donated and supported me!

Ok, so there aren’t many non-marathon posts, but here they are: A look at eco-friendly gyms.  Protecting our ears from hearing loss by taking care of our buds. I submitted that post to the Running Carnival.  I thought these were 5 good tips for fall running.

Monthly Mileage –(as of 10/29)

Running – 75 miles

Biking – 90 miles

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Spirit of the Marathon at Twin Cities Marathon

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If you are traveling to the Twin Cities for this fall’s Twin Cities Marathon you must go see Spirit of the Marathon while you are here.

“But I’ve already seen it?” you say.  Did you see it at a 1950’s style movie theater?

I didn’t think so.  Spirit of the Marathon is being played at the Riverview Theater in South Minneapolis.

Riverview Theater

Riverview Theater

We saw the movie when it first came out this winter and I enjoyed it.  My wife liked it too, but not as much as me!

To refresh your memory a bit, here is an excerpt from the website about the movie

[A] first ever non-fiction feature film to capture the drama and essence of the famed 26.2 mile running event. Filmed on four continents, the production brings together a diverse cast of amateur athletes and marathon luminaries. As six unique stories unfold, each runner prepares for and ultimately faces the challenge of the Chicago Marathon. More than a sports program, Spirit of the Marathon is an inspirational journey of perseverance and personal triumph; a spectacle that will be embraced by runners and non-runners alike.

Along with citizen athletes, the movie features Deanna Kastor and Daniel Njenga.

DVD Release

A DVD with the movie and other goodies will be available after October 7.  If you order now you can get an autographed copy of the DVD.  Visit the store to find out more information.  While there you can also purchase a variety of other paraphenila.

[tags] Spirit of the Marathon, Marathon, Twin Cities Marathon [/tags]

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Coming Soon to a Theater Near You!

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The movie Spirit of the Marathon will be coming to Theaters around the country, but for one night only.  So mark you calendars for January 24, 2008. Fathom Events and Active.com are partnering together to bring the film to local theaters.

Don’t miss your chance to see the Chicago International Film Festival Audience Choice Award winner!

Spirit of the Marathon is the first ever non-fiction feature film to capture the drama and essence of the famed 26.2 mile running event. Filmed on four continents, the production brings together a diverse cast of amateur athletes and marathon luminaries. As six unique stories unfold, each runner prepares for and ultimately faces the challenge of the Chicago Marathon. More than a sports program, Spirit of the Marathon is an inspirational journey of perseverance and personal triumph; a spectacle that will be embraced by runners and non-runners alike.

Two of the celebrities filmed for this movie are Deena Kastor and Daniel Njenga:

The recognized stars are Deena Kastor of California, Olympic bronze medalist and American record holder, and Daniel Njenga of Nyahururu, Kenya, winner of several major marathons and ranked in the world’s top 10.

HT: Run to Win

Yesterday’s Workout

I ventured out into the cold, and I mean cold yesterday for an easy 5 mile run at Mounds State Park in Anderson, IN.  The temps were around 22 with wind chills in the single digits.  I wore lots of clothes, which made some segments pretty warm but was perfect for segments when the wind was blowing straight at you.  It felt good to be out on the snow covered trails, welcoming in the new year with a friend and an entry in the running log.  We ran it in 47:05 not too bad for the conditions and a lot faster than our last 5 miler out there!

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