KIMbia Athletics

• Fasil Bizuneh 9th in Manchester (Conn.) Road Race in 22:20. (The race is 4.748 miles long.) Gobble, gobble! #

• Sean Quigley 5th fastest leg (29:00), Simon Bairu 6th fastest leg (29:07) at Chiba International Ekiden in Japan. #

• Wishing Simon Bairu good travels and racing in Japan for Monday’s Chiba Ekiden. #

• wishing Sean Quigley an enjoyable and speedy run as part of Team USA at Monday’s Chiba Ekiden in Japan. #

While Matt Tegenkamp, Chris Solinsky and Tim Nelson gear up to answer your questions via video, here’s a first round of queries with Matt done old school, pen to paper. (Well, fingers to iPhone.) Keep your questions for the trio coming in the comment section below. For now…

How soon into your first run at 8,000 feet did you get hit with the feeling that something was different?
First off, Flagstaff is at 7,000 feet, and we are to scared to go any higher at this moment. We will be experiencing our first taste of 8,000 on the long run this Sunday on the famed waterline route. Overall, though, we adjusted just fine, which is great since this is our first time at altitude.

Are you training with any of the many other runners there in Flagstaff?
We meet with other Flagstaff locals on the Thursday bagel run, including Martin Fagan and Andrew Lemoncello. It is a good run and nice to visit with others. However, I think we got in trouble last week because we (I) ran too hard. Hopefully they won’t mind next week. I promise to run easier!!

Now that you’ve been there awhile, are you starting to feel different while running?
If you mean, are runs getting any easier, I would say no, we are still breathing heavy and hills suck. I don’t think that will change while we are up here.

Other than the altitude, how, if at all, does that differ from what you were doing at the same time last year?
In the past we did not visit the track during base-building period. That is different this year, and I am very happy about it. The reason that we did not use the track much in the past was due to the Madison winters, which would put us indoors, and the body can only handle so much of that. The reason that I still like using the track during base building is because we spend eight months out of the year trying to sharpen up on the track, and by the end of the season you have taken training to a new level. Then, in the past, we left the track for four months, and it felt like you had to start all over the next season. Now we get to build off of our previous track season.

Which of you, Chris and Tim seem least affected by the altitude?
It’s hard to say because we are all doing different milage. Tim is doing the most by a lot, and I am doing the least, so I would say I feel the least worn down. But I really think we all adjusted to the altitude very well. We are looking forward to seeing the benefits.

Have you run into Jack Daniels yet?
We did run into him one morning, and it was the first time we officially introduced ourselves. He was looking out for us, making sure we had everything we needed and gave us some pointers (as well has a few a few stories). He has a great thing going in Flagstaff and we want to thank him for helping us out during our stay.

With being away from home during base training, what else do you do all day?
Not a lot, we our kind of treating it like training camp. However, Solinsky and I came prepared; he brought his PS3 and I brought the Wii. That helps kill the time. We have had visitors. An old teammate, Tim Keller, came up, and my wife did another weekend. Both will be back for Thanksgiving. We have been downtown a few times and have spent hours in the grocery store. (I take forever but save a lot of money finding deals.) We are planning a trip to the Grand Canyon next weekend, which will be a great experience. I am sure we will get down to Sedona as well. The time is actually going by pretty fast.

Feeling emotionally and physically ready to conquer New York, I set out to tackle the course. The first 8 miles were just about spot on. I was executing exactly how I wanted. I was patient and didn’t surge when the leaders would surge and just kept at a 5:00 pace. Like a yo-yo, the leaders would take off and then come back to me, while I just ran a steady pace.

However, I could tell very early on things weren’t right. My calves felt very tight by 10 miles…not a good sign. I got to halfway in 66:37. I wanted to be about 65:30 at halfway, but considering you give up 45 seconds in the first mile because of the uphill mile, I was only mildly concerned. I concentrated and really put my head down and got my next mile split. It was 5:20 something…now i was worried.

I took another split from 16 to 17, which should be fast coming off the Queensboro Bridge into Manhattan with enormous crowd support. I looked at my watch…5:17. At that point I knew I had overdone it in training and I was going to end up running 2:18 or so, after doing some quick math. I wasn’t really getting much slower, but I just didnt have the pop to run 5:00 anymore.

2:18 is just as bad as a DNF, in my opinion. I would rather cut my losses and, as they say in the business world, “fail hard fast” and live to fight another day. I’ve never been a big proponent of dropping out of races, as mentally it’s a way out and easy to do again, but the marathon might be the exception.

Overall…it was a very disappointing race. However, we trained like men who can run 2:10, and hopefully the accumulated training will take hold in the future. The New York Road Runners once again impressed with rock star treatment. I am grateful to have been part of such a world-class event.

Matt and Chris are in Flagstaff, Arizona for their first bout of altitude training. Kenya veteran Tim Nelson is with them full of helpful hints on adapting to being at 8,000 feet. During their down time, the guys are looking to videotape answers to your questions and post them on this site. So fire away with your inquiries in the comment section below.

• taking breaks, doing base training, gearing up for 2009. #

Boaz gives his take on his marathon debut in New York City, where he placed 19th in 2:21:40:

I am recovering well and just regret not being on top of my game that day.

My plan was to run behind the leaders and stay relaxed. I missed fluid stations at 5K and 15K, which was a mistake. Everything was going well until I fell along with Abel Kurui at the 20K fluid station, but I got up quickly and went back to get my fluid.

At the half marathon, I closed on the leaders and we crossed at 66:06, and I was still very comfortable. Right after this they quickened the pace, and I held back a little bit to run a more conservative pace, thinking I would reel them back. Things were fine until the 14-mile mark when my legs cramped, and they just got heavier for the rest of the race. I kept going because I kept thinking the cramping would dissipate if I worked through it, and I was doing okay until somewhere around 17 or 18 miles. Right around here my toenail fell off as well, which didn’t help anything. The rest of the race was just brutal for me and my legs were totally dead. I decided to finish the race the best I could so that I wouldn’t have dropping out haunting me for future races.

With training going so well, I had envisioned being very competitive, as Brad Hudson and I thought the top five was realistic. I come away from New York disappointed, but I hope the experience of my first marathon will be a building block for future marathons.

We’ll have more details later, but the executive summary is that James and Boaz fell far short of meeting their goals at the New York City Marathon today. In his debut, Boaz was 19th in 2:21:40. James dropped out in the 21st mile after being in the top 20 upon entering Manhattan in the 17th mile.

James was among a group of five Americans who led the first couple of miles. When the rest of the field asserted themselves, James was still well in contention. He was 1:06:37 at halfway, compared to 1:06:06 for the leaders. But he began to slow dramatically after 25K, and dropped out after passing 20 miles in 1:45:24.

Boaz was with the leaders at halfway. Soon after, he and Abel Kirui tripped over each other. Boaz got up quickly, but had lost his rhythm. He continued to run well through 20, reached in 1:42:44, but then started to cramp badly and covered his last 10K in 38:56.