Catch the Olympians

Once every 4 years, the Olympics picks out the best from each country to represent and compete against each other to find out who truly is the best.  After watching the 10,000m race featuring Mo and Galen, winning gold and silver, I was encouraged to make my place on the Olympic team.  I have 4 years to get to that speed, which seems like a lot of time, but for someone who doesn't have the same history as the professional runners, it's barely enough time to do so.

In order to be able to compete in the Olympics, the individual has to qualify for an Olympic Trial.  Depending on the sport, there is a certain number that can go per event, and as for me, as I want to run the marathon, I need to be able to be the top three American to run that race.  This past year, the top three times were as follows:

1.  Meb Keflezighi     2:09:08
2.  Ryan Hall              2:09:30
3.  Abdi Abdirahman  2:09:47

Dathan Ritzenhein, who placed 4th was only 8 second behind Abdi, with 5th place far behind, but it didn't matter.  Only the top three can advance from the trials to the Olympics.  In order to get into the trials, you needed to qualify:

The Men's Standards
A-Standard
Marathon - 2:19:00 and under
Half Marathon - 1:05:00 and under
10,000 m - 28:30 and under

All this needs to be done in order to participate in the Trials, which determines your entry to the Olympics.  Looking at my best time and at the times for the Trials, I would have made last place because of how slow my running is, compared to them.  In order to compete and manage to secure a spot on the Olympic team, I need to get below 2:10 and beat the whole field.  Having 4 years is a lot of time to build and develop the right kind of strength and endurance for this race.  Having a goal in mind, it's easier to take those steps towards that goal.  Two specific things I need to take from this.  One is to make sure to train for endurance because stamina is a vital role in the running world.  The second is to make sure that you get the quick speed and able to run fast.  Putting those together would make the perfect marathoner.

Like I said, there's going to be a lot of work needed in order to get there, make sure to give it your all for both endurance and speed.  Use your knowledge and catch the Olympians.