KIMbia Athletics

After Chris ran 7:47.03 to place 8th in the 3,000m at Rieti, Italy on Sunday, he sent this post-race analysis:

I pretty much changed seasons just by traveling. I went from 50’s in London to 80+degree weather in Italy. This place is beautiful and I would love to actually enjoy it on vacation some time.

So down to the business of the race: I’m disappointed, but encouraged at the same time. I was saying before the race that I was feeling good and just had a good feeling about the meet and this place, and I’ve always heard that you run better when you’re in good temperament. Anyhow, I had no clue on the pace of the race, but I decided that was a good thing, and that I would just get in line and follow, look at the splits early on and then just race thereafter.

This could have been my downfall, though, because I went from being really brave in the race to apprehensive midway through. My first 4 laps went as follows: 58, 1:59, 3:00 and 4:01. When I saw the 4:01 I noticed that the front pack was pulling away, and I had a decision to make. The person who was in front of me was Abraham Chebii, who is a pretty smart racer, and I saw that he was checking off, so I thought that would suit me well. Plus, I thought if I went with the leaders I would not finish. (This was where my apprehensiveness came in.)

Unfortunately, Chebii started running 64-points, and this took us completely out of the race. By the time I figured this out, it was too late for a fast time. I still decided it was important to race, and with 650 to go I took the lead of our group and started chasing down those in front of us who were dying off. Unfortunately, I was gun shy here, too, and didn’t really go for home from 600 out like I normally would. This allowed Chebii and another guy to latch on me and outkick me down the stretch.

I am happy about the fact that these guys put some distance on me and I was able to get it back towards the line. I’m happy that I never blew up in the race, just got stuck in no man’s land. I am, however, unhappy with the fact that I was so gun shy to race as I have in the past.

Oh well, it’s behind me and I need to concentrate on my race tomorrow in Zagreb, Croatia. Once again I have no idea who is in the race (other than Matt) and I have no idea what the pace is.

I am hoping to be admitted to the World Athletics Final. Right now I’m on the bubble, but that one should be a sit-and-kick race, so maybe I’ll actually get a chance to use the kick that I trained for all year. I do have a kick, but I’m just not strong enough to get to use it at the end. If I can take anything away from this year it is that I will be much more focused next year with my training and I will focus a lot more on strength. It doesn’t matter how good one’s foot speed is if you can’t be anywhere close to use it, or go anaerobic too soon and take it away.

Once again thanks for all the support, and I’m definitely looking forward to getting home for some rest on Sunday.

Chris is running the 3,000m on Sunday in Reiti, Italy. We’re hoping the track that was very, very good to Daniel Komen when he set the world record for the event there in 1996 will also shine its countenance upon Chris. You can watch the meet live online for free here between 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. Eastern time.

Lots of KIMbia folks in action over what for non-professional American runners is a holiday weekend.

First up, on Sunday Matt Tegenkamp and Chris Solinsky race 3,000m in Gateshead, England. You can watch the meet live online here, starting at 9:55 a.m. Eastern time.

On Monday, Elva Dryer, James Carney and Fasil Bizuneh will contend for the national 20K title in New Haven, Conn. Elva and James were second in last year’s race. Running Times will have live coverage here.

The same day, (much) further south, Jane Gakunyi, Richard Kiplagat and Luke Kipkosgei will race half as far at the U.S. 10K Classic in Atlanta, Ga. Luke and Richard were second and fourth, respectively, in last year’s race.

Hey everyone, thought I would give an update of the Monaco 3,000m on Tuesday.

I left this race and went home to the States the next day, and on the way back I was trying to figure out just what to take from this first half of the summer season and some of the spring. The only title of my first half of the track season is……..”The Frustratingly Mediocre Season.”

To call what I’ve been through this half a terrible season would be false; to say it was good or great would also be false. I think after last summer, with everything going so well, left me set up to try to do the same this summer, and that is a tough and incorrect way to approach racing. It rarely, if ever, goes as planned, and I was just fortunate to get out of last summer having everything go perfect.

This year I have faced many disappointments. I won’t go into all of them because I have previously discussed them, but Tuesday’s race in Monaco continued that trend. I came into this race once again having no expectations in terms of a time or place, but as always I just wanted to be competitive and have fun. I am happy that I did those, as I wasn’t feeling the greatest going into this race–in the days prior I was just kind of tired and almost zapped, but I was able to enjoy the experience and while still feeling not great stay in the race up until the last lap.

This is where the frustration comes in for me. I was there with a lap to go and got rolled, again! Somewhere just before the bell I got boxed in and missed the initial move and was never able to get back on the main lead pack once they started kicking, and thus kind of lost the real hunger to dig down and really go after the last lap. This is what I’m mad at myself about for–noteven with a gap not really going after it–because who knows if I could have caught some of them, because I just ran in hard versus really digging.

I ran 60 seconds for my last lap and ran 7:41.9 for my second fastest time ever, but I finished 11th…not competitive. The one thing that is positive to take out of this summer is that I’m learning way more from this summer than last, because last summer was so perfect. I’m facing adversity this year and I’m learning a lot, so if anything I will be so much smarter from this year and be that much better from it.

I am now back in the States and going to train for a month before heading back over for the meets that I had mentioned previously. I am no longer doing the Falmouth Mile, mostly because I need to get more training in at this point rather than just racing. I really enjoyed that race last year and am sad I have to miss it, but I feel that this is the best move for me to address a few things before stepping to the line again.

I would also like to say thank you to everyone for their support this entire year. I cannot express enough how appreciative I am of it. It is something that helps me to keep pushing, so again THANKS!!

I am looking forward to watching the Olympic Games in a few days and seeing what our team can do. I think there will be some exciting performances–we are sending quite the team! I am actually even looking forward to watching the 5K. (At first wasn’t planning on watching it, but now I may tape it for motivation.) I am excited to see what my training partner and the rest of the guys can do against the world. Good luck guys!

Well that’s it from me until I head back over in a month, but if anyone has questions I would love to try to answer them, so just leave them in my comments! Thanks again for the support and happy training/racing!!

I thought I would send an update on what’s been going on with me these last few weeks. To say that it’s been a rough few weeks would be an understatement, but if anything it has made me stronger.

A few weeks ago at the Olympic Trials was close to the lowest time during my athletic career, but as I said, I truly feel like it has made me stronger. My parents were able to make it out for the meet and it was nice having them there to help cope with the letdown of not making the team, a dream that I’ve had for my entire career. Now I can joke around about the race that at least I was an Olympian until the last 100 meters. After a few hard and depressing days, I turned around my mentality and was working out great and ready to take on the summer season.

After a solid week of training we ran a 1500 in Madison as a tune-up before Europe that turned out really well in terms of attendance. We put the race together last minute and were able to attract over ,000 people after making it public for only two days. We ran it quite late, too, at 9:20 p.m. on the 15^th of July. I didn’t run very well, however. I took 3^rd behind Matt Tegenkamp and Jonathon Riley; they pretty much kicked my butt in the last 200 meters. I was pretty upset after that race, as I was hoping that it would be the turnaround I needed to completely get over the disappointment of the Trials. However, it only sunk me further. I was frustrated and searching for answers, but still was determined to turn things around.

As anyone who knows me knows, I’m stubborn and I was/am not going to let this get me down and conquer me. I shipped out the next morning for Belgium, where my next race was held. Once I got over here I felt rejuvenated and had a completely new outlook on my running. I wasn’t having any fun the last few months with running, which I’ve never encountered before; it actually felt like a job, and I wasn’t feeling like doing it anymore. So when I got here I decided that I am going into the rest of the summer with no expectations and focus on just enjoying it more like I have in the past.

So bringing you all back up to speed on my race Sunday night. I have very mixed feelings about it. It went really well for 11.5 laps–I was running the race of my life and it was going very well. Prior to the race I had heard that the pace was going to be going through 3K in 7:45, which is 12 seconds faster than I ever gone through 3K. At first I thought I would run from the back and let the lead pack go and run even pace, but after about an hour of thinking that I said screw it, and I didn’t come to Europe and not try to turn around my season to run even pace. I went out the first mile in 4:13 and felt quite comfortable, so I was optimistic about my chances of doing well.

I ended up coming through 3K in 7:53 and two miles in 8:25 and I still felt comfortable, but the pain was starting to creep in. I told myself that I had just over a mile to go and that I was going to get myself in the front pack, so I began to move up gradually and got myself into about 7^th place with two laps to go. I stayed here until the bell lap where I really started to hurt and worried that I would not be able to finish the race, so I checked off, which is what I really regret. Maybe if I would have stayed in the pack I would have gotten the competitive juices and that would have overcome my inevitable dying over the last 200 meters. I crossed with a lap to go in 12:05, so I figured that if I even maintained pace I would run fast and under 13:10.

Unfortunately, my body, though it held up really well the whole race, quickly fell apart the last 300 meters, especially the last 150. I ran 73 seconds for my last lap and ended up hitting 13:18.51. I am very indifferent about the outcome, because I still hit the A standard for next year, but also went 11.5 laps of pain to come one lap short of running a great race. So there is frustration, but I enjoyed being in the race and just competing with no expectations and having fun racing again. I am going to try to get in another 5K in September that should be quite fast, so we’ll see how that works out.

My next race will hopefully be a 3K in either London or Monaco on the 29^th of July. I will be returning to the States on the 31^st of July to train for a month, with a short stop to the Falmouth Mile on the 8th of August, and then coming back over for some more races after the Olympics. Which include most likely right now a 3K at Gateshead on the 31st of August, and then hopefully another 5K attempt at Brussels on the 5th of September. Afterward I hope to have qualified for the World Athletics Final in the 3K in Stuttgart, Germany on the 13th, and return home to run 5th Avenue Mile on the 20th, which will bring my racing season to a close.

Although Chris Solinsky ran his second-fastest 5,000m last night in Heusden, Belgium, until late, late, late in the race he was on the verge of a major personal best.

In the “A” heat, Chris was with the lead group of eight as they passed 4,600m in roughly 12:05. A sub-13:10 clocking seemed inevitable. He lost contact with 300m to go, and soon after disaster struck–his back went into spasm with 200m to go, and that last half lap wound up taking Chris 40 seconds.  His time of 13:18.51 is still his second best after his 13:12.24 from last summer.

Results are here.

The soon-to-be-ex men from Madison start the first part of their European tour, and as you can see from these photos, they are ready to roll, and then some.

Chris Solinsky opens tomorrow with a 5,000m in Heusden, Belgium. Matt Tegenkamp follows that up with a 3,000m in Stockholm, Sweden on Tuesday the 22nd. Tim Nelson and Sean Quigley have a 3,000m of their own on te 26th in Oordegem, Belgium.

As he has during past European outings, Teg will be filing periodic dispatches. Curious about something? Use the e-mail friendly version of askteg [AT] kimbia [DOT] net to send our latest Olympian your questions.

Wow, we knew Matt T. was good, but last night he outdid himself, winning every event at a meet in Madison, Wisconsin. Okay, so the meet had one event, a 1500m, but still.

In a field comprised of Matt, Chris Solinsky, Sean Quigley and Jonathon Riley, Matt held off a last-lap challenge from Jonathon to win in 3:37.94, the fastest 1500m ever run in Wisconsin. Jonathan (3:39.02), Chris (3:40.67) and Sean (3:43.46) followed, with Jonathon and Chris also under the old state record of 3:42.63.

Matt leaves for Europe on Thursday for a few larger meets than last night’s, then will return to Madison before heading off to Beijing.

You can read Madison publications’ reports on last night here and here. Video is available here, for now at least, by choosing the race video from among the options at the top right of the page.

Sure, the Olympics would have been great, but how about this? The honor of not one, but two appearances on 3000 Miles to the Trials.

Hard-hitting questions | Have a beer with Chris

Interviewed by Toni Reavis and Robert Johnson! This video, shot at KIMbia’s undisclosed bunker here in Eugene, covers it all–what happened in the 5,000m final on Monday night, their near-future racing plans, their impending move to Portland, Oregon. Grab a nice Oregon microbrew and settle in for half an hour of intelligent and interesting conversation.