BlogBloghttp://www.martindugard.com/blog/2010-07-28T20:02:15ZSquarespaceBest Brithttp://www.martindugard.com/blog/2010/7/28/best-brit.htmlMartin Dugard2010-07-28T19:29:22Z2010-07-28T19:29:22ZReading Chris Thompson's comments after Mo Farah won the 10,000 last night at the European track championships in Barcelona. First, let me say that the Spaniards are having a banner year in sport, what with the World Cup victory and the Tour. Now that they're hosting Europe's biggest track meet, it's just icing on the cake if they take home a few big victories. 

Now on to Thompson's calling Farah the best distance runner in British history. Hmmmm. I guess that Steve Ovett, Sebastian Coe and Steve Cram don't count. I guess that technically one could call them "middle distance" runners (Cram's 800 of 1:42 was a marvel of precise speed; two back-to-back 51-second 400's), but I still think of them as distance runners. Anyway, Thompson can be forgiven the hyperbole, as he got second in that same race. 

Which got me thinking about who America's top distance runner might be. I'm a big fan of Jim Ryun's and Steve Prefontaine's, but neither fulfilled their potential. Ryan Hall is great, but he has yet to dominate at the international level. Word is that he's headed back to the track to work on his speed. So if not these guys, who's the best? 

Something to think about as we count down the days to XC season. In the meantime, check out this final at the World Junior Championships. 

Keep Pushing... Always

]]>Week Fourhttp://www.martindugard.com/blog/2010/7/27/week-four.htmlMartin Dugard2010-07-27T18:59:12Z2010-07-27T18:59:12ZBase miles for cross-country season entered week four yesterday. The best part of all this is the constant daily improvement. The hard part is holding everyone back, knowing that introducing speed too early will shorten the season. So it is that the miles are tempo pace or LSD or recovery or steady-state or strength-oriented. Like this morning, with a two mile flat section before heading into six miles of steep hills. My job was just to offer encouragement and show the way, as it was a new route. We did a similar run the very first week of practice, and the solidarity wasn't there yet. But today it was a strong and powerful group that ran those hills together. There was banter in all that dust and incline, and I felt blessed to have that time of focus to start my day. 

The season is still too many weeks away to count -- OK, six -- but instead of being antsy, I'm glad for all that training time. Once the season starts it's almost impossible to get these kind of long quality weeks. The wider the base, the higher the peak, goes the saying. I may just let this base phase continue all the way up to that first race. 

Or not. 

Keep Pushing... Always

]]>39 Secondshttp://www.martindugard.com/blog/2010/7/25/39-seconds.htmlMartin Dugard2010-07-25T18:56:48Z2010-07-25T18:56:48ZI am not entirely satisfied with the outcome of this year's Tour, as it feels like a virtual tie. The bottom line is that Alberto Contador has his third title. 

But the bigger picture is how to spend the rest of the summer TV-wise? World Cup's over. Tour's over. With the exception of So You Think You Can Dance and Mad Men, things could get a little hum-drum in my viewing world. No more reason to get up at 5 a.m. and listen to Phil and Paul over a cup of coffee and the LA Times. No more reason to invest myself in soccer for the next four years. And with the Angels doing a slow fade in the AL West, unwilling or unable to find the pitching and big bat that will get them past Texas, it seems that the only thing to get fired up about is the upcoming Federal investigation into the Posties. And that's just depressing, so I may only peek in on that one from time to time. Heroes will be hung out to dry, and the finger pointing between former friends (or not -- Greg LeMond shocked exactly no one by saying he wants to help any way he can) will only drag things further into the dumpster. 

But that's for another day. For now, let's just revel in the memory of one of the best Tours ever. It made me miss the bike race part of the Tour in a big way -- and made me realize that Americans are capable of staying riveted even when LA is not in the hunt. 

Keep Pushing... Always

]]>Duel In The Misthttp://www.martindugard.com/blog/2010/7/22/duel-in-the-mist.htmlMartin Dugard2010-07-22T20:58:18Z2010-07-22T20:58:18ZContador gets a little -- very little, as I'm still a little miffed about Chaingate -- respect for not contesting the finish. Schleck did everything on that climb today. Perhaps one of the most exciting stages I've ever seen.

It also dawns on me that there was a whole lot of alcohol on that mountain today. 

]]>Imminent Attackhttp://www.martindugard.com/blog/2010/7/21/imminent-attack.htmlMartin Dugard2010-07-21T19:00:09Z2010-07-21T19:00:09ZI can't remember the last time that an attack was so imminent, so guaranteed, and so pivotal as what will happen tomorrow. And it can't be a small thrust, but a seismic backbreaking heartstopping in-your-face assault that not only earns back those lost seconds, but establishes a cushion for Saturday. 

And I wonder, just playing the devil's advocate -- let's say there's only a two-second gap going into Paris. Does Schleck attack yellow on the final day of the Tour? I say yes.

Listen to what I had to say on Seattle's KPUG yesterday. 

]]>Chain Reactionhttp://www.martindugard.com/blog/2010/7/19/chain-reaction.htmlMartin Dugard2010-07-19T19:07:39Z2010-07-19T19:07:39ZWas Contador right to attack? 

]]>Forewordhttp://www.martindugard.com/blog/2010/7/16/foreword.htmlMartin Dugard2010-07-16T23:11:04Z2010-07-16T23:11:04ZSo I got to thinking that it might be nice to have a foreword to the running book. Something sensible, written by someone who gets what I'm trying to say. My ideas were all over the map, everyone from Oprah (hmmmm, probably not going to happen) to Bill Bryson. But then I thought that you guys might like to weigh in. So in between one of the Vs commercial breaks, drop me a line, either in the Comments or in an email. Would love to hear what you have to say.

Thanks. 

Keep Pushing... Always

]]>Bunker Busterhttp://www.martindugard.com/blog/2010/7/13/bunker-buster.htmlMartin Dugard2010-07-13T20:34:43Z2010-07-13T20:34:43ZDeep in the bunker, peeking my head out for glimpses of the Tour and morning XC practice. My team has been inspired by the presence of three of America's great up-and-coming runners. James Cameron, Lauren Sailor, and J.T. Sullivan are also California high school distance legends, so to have them run with my guys and girls over the last week, talking to them about the nuts and bolts of what it takes to be great, has been a true blessing. Their humility and work ethic are inspiring. 

As for the Tour, didn't we all see this coming? It was only a matter of time before the Schleck/Contador beatdown got going. If I had to pick someone to root for, it would be Schleck, if only because his tiime-trialing makes him the underdog. 

It dawns on me how weird it is that Lance Armstrong is now so far back as not to be a threat. So far back that if he breaks away, the peloton just might let him go. What I'd like to see is a stage victory very much like Hincapie on Pla-d'Adet in 2005.

Keep Pushing... Always

 

 

]]>Bad Luck Times Threehttp://www.martindugard.com/blog/2010/7/11/bad-luck-times-three.htmlMartin Dugard2010-07-11T17:59:34Z2010-07-11T17:59:34ZI don't see Lance going home, but it will be weird seeing him ride for Levi. 

]]>Punctureshttp://www.martindugard.com/blog/2010/7/7/punctures.htmlMartin Dugard2010-07-08T03:30:12Z2010-07-08T03:30:12ZI just don't think anyone can beat Contador. He's riding the sort of savvy race Lance used to ride, always anticipating instead of reacting. The cobbles were a great example -- the hungry versus the expectant. 

Nice to hear Liggett and Sherwen. Still trying to figure out why we should care in the least about the p.m. broadcast. 

 

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