"The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare." Juma Ikangaa, Tanzania

I am not superstitious. But, being the Year of the Ox as of yesterday, my year according to the Chinese New Year, I could not resist the temptation to write on this topic.

It is said: “people born in the Year of the Ox are patient, speak little, and inspire confidence in others. They tend, however, to be eccentric, and bigoted, and they anger easily. They have fierce tempers and although they speak little, when they do they are quite eloquent. Ox people are mentally and physically alert. Genera… Continue

It’s not that I haven’t been serious all along, but rather that it is now time to “get down to business,” to use a hackneyed phase. With twelve weeks to go, starting this weekend, until the SunTrust National Marathon in Washington, DC, I know that I must steadily increase my weekly mileage while adding intensity to specific workouts. The proper balance of these two elements, “distance” and “degree of difficulty” will most certainly help lead to success on race day, March 21, 2009.

I have, in fa… Continue

This Sunday, it’s going to be “reality check” time. I’ll be competing in a 15K race, the first road race I’ll be running competitively since the summer. Actually, my plan is to use the race this weekend as a “tempo run.” I have no idea what I am capable of right now, but I will aim to run 6:45 per mile average over the 9.3 miles.

So far, my training has been progressing nicely. I’m still only running four days per week, but my weekly mileage is gradually increasing as a result of longer runs ea… Continue

Watching Haile Gebrselassie – “The Greatest” -- navigate the streets of Berlin this September in route to a 2:03:59 world record was simply astonishing. He was exceptionally fluid and relaxed. Throughout the race he appeared to be in a trance, focused on the task and clearly tuned into his “inner voice.” He reminded me of another remarkable Ethiopian runner, the gifted and two-time Olympic Champion, Abbi Bikila.

I have seen film of Bikila running the marathon at the Tokyo games – so smooth and… Continue

I should have been in Chicago running the marathon today. Instead, I was in Delaware with my children, watching my oldest daughter, Sarah, play in a soccer tournament. That’s a trade-off I would readily accept anytime.

My failure to appear at the starting line was due to a running injury, my second set back within the past ten months. In my mind, early this morning, I imagined going out easy and picking up the pace gradually over the first few miles. I saw myself hitting the half-way point at 1… Continue