Why Chris Solinsky is my hero

On May 1st, in his first attempt at the distance, 25 year old Chris Solinsky broke the American record in the 10,000 meter, running a whopping 26:59. In doing so, he became the first non-African to break the 27 minute barrier and is only 1 of 31 men to ever accomplish this feat. While all of this is undoubtably impressive, I am most in awe of how fast he is in spite of his size.

At 185 cm and 73 kilos, Chris is substantially larger than the other members of the sub-27 club, who average 169 cm and 55.6 kilos. To watch him run, however, you realize that he manages, through perfect mechanics and a massive engine, Chris is able to run as fast as he does. His large frame is durable, allowing him to pursue years of hard running without breaking down with injury, and he trains with relentless tenacity.

So why is Chris Solinksky my hero? This phenomenal runner is an inspiration to me because he proves how someone without a conventional runner’s build can still run quickly. Naysayers may say that a taller, stronger athlete (like me!) can never run as quickly as the little runner-types, but Chris proves that with hard work, a perfect run form and tenacity, anything can be possible.

Davos-Dorf= Perfekt (minus the Schnee!)

On Monday, I took three flights and three different trains to arrive in the middle of the Swiss Alps. Amazingly, my bike and bag managed to make the entire trip with me, despite some tight connections! My final stop was Davos-Dorf, my training base with the D-Squad for the next few months. Despite overcast skies and incessant rain (and snow this morning!), I’ve been blown away by how lovely the area is. Imagine alpine meadows filled with wildflowers and bell-toting Swiss cows and you might get an idea...

While I would love to spend time lolling about in fields with the aforementioned cows and eating fondue, my reason for being here is simple: I need to get in serious race shape. I quite a bit of work to do, as the first half of my season, both in terms of training and racing, was profoundly impacted by my injury. This season is a building year and the work that we put in this year will pay off at some point. Maybe towards the end of this year, maybe next year... All I know is that I’m surrounded by the right training partners, I’m under the guidance of the right coach and I’m in the right training location to put in the hard work that I need in order to improve. Davos was not the easiest training grounds to get to, but I’m finding out that sometimes the hardest and most time-consuming destinations to reach are the most worthwhile ones.

Goodness gracious, great balls of... tar?!

When you start a triathlon, you expect to encounter certain obstacles over the course of the race. The challenges could be personal, as you come face to face with the discomfort of physical strain or with your doubts and uncertainty. Depending on the terrain or weather conditions, the difficulties can be forced upon you.

What you don’t expect, however, is the risk of swimming into balls of tar. At this weekend’s Grandman Triathlon in Alabama, a fundraiser for a local environmental group, triathletes racers dove into the waters of Mobile Bay, uncertain of whether their race would be affected by the oil spill following the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion. Despite the strong petroleum smell and dead fish in the bay, the triathletes hazarded a swim around the 1/3 mile course. Fortunately, no tar balls were encountered in the race.

While the 2010 Grandman Triathlon was able to be run, other triathlons will probably be cancelled due to adverse environmental conditions following the oil spill. I’m not an expert in marine ecosystems or in economics. I can’t speak to the potential economic impact of the rig explosion on the fishing and tourism trades in the Gulf or the deleterious effect of the oil on wildlife. What I do know, however, is that when the water is too unsafe to be able to run a triathlon, something is seriously wrong.