Sunday, March 7, 2010

Hassan Haydar

 

CONGRATULATIONS!

This is how it's going to feel in few short weeks, and after adding 4.2 miles the feeling will be even greater.

Thank you L Street for such a treat. Buses to get us there, monitors to insure the safety of all, water stops volunteers, and the countless of other good stuff. We are blessed!

 

Is This The Year?

New England Runner.

The odds that an American might actually win (2010) Boston doubled with the announcement that Meb Keflezghi and Ryan Hall would be toeing the line this Patriots' Day.

 

Because of the uniqueness and difficulty of Boston's course, what is requires is a combination of speed, strength and racing savvy.
 

"Other courses are set up for world record attempts and that's the pace from the start.  Boston, with strategy, you can actually win," asserts Greg Meyer, the last American male to win Boston back in 1983.

 

So a sub 2:07:00, while very impressive usually doesn't translate to 'dans le total' to the Boston course. What is a decided advantage is experience. There is a world of difference between running sections of the Boston course and actually racing its entirely in competition. In this respect, Mammoth Track Club teammates Keflizghi and Hall have a lot in common. They both train at 8,000 feet in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Both have debuted at Boston with a third place finish, in times 10 seconds apart.

 

In 2006, American arrived on the map after a long drought at Boston, Meb ran 2:09:50 for third. Hanson's runner Brian Sell was fourth in 2:10:55 and Colorado's Allan Culpeper was fifth in 2:11:02. American runners also went 7-10-11 in the best US finish since 1985, the year Boston introduced prize money.

 

The Olympic marathon silver medalist Meb has been to war at Boston and is carrying the momentum of his enormous New York City Marathon victory, a PR 2:09:15 on a course where you don't set PRs.

 

"There's nothing like success to make one a better, stronger competitor mentally," states four-time Boston Marathon champion Bill Rodgers. "Your look at returnees doing well is accurate and I think Meb's [NYC] success may play strongly in his favor. Yes, Hall knows the course now; He's faster than Meb on a flat marathon course, but Boston is a Great Equalizer Marathon with its treacherous downhill start and deceptive first half of the race. Meb knows this now as well; provided they are in the shape they were in last year, either could win. On the other hand, winning Boston is like being given an addictive drug - one wants more. (Still watch for the African previous winners at Boston)

 

One more tactical insight from Boston Billy:  "the most critical part of the course is early on when you should lie low and let other take the stress of leading, but moving out of Wellesley is a beautiful spot to start moving harder to the front."

 

So will it be Meb or Hall to make a move approaching the hill...Or to cover Cheruiyot's and others' move....Or will an X factor in an unheralded African runner upset the apple-cart? Win, Show or Draw, it'll be an uber-exciting race.

 

    "Good, Better, Best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best"