​122nd BOSTON: BEST OF U.S. SINCE 1986!

Photo by Andreas Praefcke –public domain, created 1 April, 2007. Golden Laurel Wreath probably originating from Cyprus 4th -3rd century BC Reiss-Engelhorn Museen, Mannheim Germany https://houseappeal.wordpress.com/2012/07/30/an-olympic-emblem-the-glory-of-the-laurel-leaf/

THIS WAS THE HEADLINE on the Boston Athletic Association's news release page of its  website December 11, 2017. “John Hancock today announced its strongest U.S. Elite Team since its principal sponsorship began in 1986.” The 15-member SUPER TEAM was recruited by the sponsor to challenge an “accomplished international field” of top runners on the third Monday in April 2018.
 
The U.S. WOMEN’S side will include:

• SHALANE FLANAGAN, winner of TCS-NYC Marathon, November 2017 
• Desiree Linden
• Deena Castor
• Molly Huddle
• Jordan Hasay
• Serena Burla
• Sara Hall 
• Kellyn Taylor

 
U.S. MEN runners will feature:

• GALEN RUPP*, champion of the October 2017 Bank of America Chicago Marathon
• Dathan Ritzenheim
• Abdi Abdirahaman
• Shadrack Biwott
• Ryan Vail
• Scott Smith
• Andrew Bumbalough

 
The BAA.org article lists each runner and provides information and credentials that explain each person’s inclusion as an elite.  The international runners are impressive as well and will be featured in an upcoming post.
 
On the topic of elite U.S. marathoners, Shalane Flanagan deserves further mention.  She has words of advice for all who will be watching her that day who also seek to achieve top performance, in “Eight Life Lessons from One of America’s Best Marathoners”, written by Brad Stulberg for Medium.com. 
 
While I am not in the position to critique the wisdom of her words with regard  to top performance, I can tell you what thoughts crept into my non-elite mind while reading the lessons laid down by Flanagan as important.

Trust Your Training: 

• I must stick to my training plan to find confidence in it; cheating on workouts translates to cheating myself of trust at crunch time.

Motivation is Contagious:

• I may not be able to surround myself with like-minded persons who train beside me. However, I can catch determination from others at the gym and motivation from other runners on the track, road, or trail. It might take a bit of effort to locate the places and the times these people are out an about. 

Age is only a Number:

• But it is a consideration. I must train wisely and safely. Taking multiple days off for injury won’t lead to top performance.

Drive from Within:

• No one else benefits mentally and emotionally from my hard work. Whatever effort I am making, it is for me, because I love competing against myself.

Skip the Diet:

• Is a tough lesson unless ‘diet’ means the act of purposely manipulating meals/intake to achieve specific proportions of various nutrients and calories. Skipping this ‘diet’ activity takes away a lot of mental stress, if it’s understood that regularly overdoing treats (snacks, desserts, alcohol, candy, etc) is not ever going to be helpful to performance. 

Don’t Overcomplicate Recovery:

• Means not repeating tough workouts day after day, in addition to eating well and sleeping enough. This lesson is closely related to the “age” lesson.  I must respect my age and trust that my body will benefit from a hard day if it is followed by an easier one.

Go All In:

• Translates to not being reluctant to stick closely to a reasonable training program (as above in trusting training) for only part of the year. I’m not sure I can easily separate training time from social time for more than 6-7 months, so scheduling longer, harder training in the worse weather months is best for me. Reserving the fun times for the summer months saves me from working hard in harsh, hot weather and allows trying new and mixing in other outdoor activities with everyone else.

Have an Outlet:

• This one doesn’t need a non-elite’s viewpoint.  

If you've never been caught up in the excitement of this race, as perhaps in the Olympics, maybe this year is the best one to try.  Plan ahead to view on TV or by live streaming.  

After all the winter storms, the people of New England should be in the mood for non-snowy excitement. The crowd is sure to be eager to cheer for and witness a spectacular performance .  There will be many strong competitors from the USA and other countries trusting in their training and going all out for a victory.

Just as in the Ancient Olympics, winners are tradionally crowned with a wreath of laurel branches.

Follow the Earned Runs blog for more Boston Marathon-related posts leading up to April 16.

RUN & MOVE HAPPY!
 
http://www.baa.org/news-and-press/news-listing/2017/december/john-hancock-announces-2018-boston-marathon-us-elite-field.aspx
 
https://medium.com/personal-growth/eight-life-lessons-from-one-of-americas-best-marathoners-ed286f87633b
 
 https://houseappeal.wordpress.com/2012/07/30/an-olympic-emblem-the-glory-of-the-laurel-leaf/