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McIntyre Sets the Masters Standard
Disappointed in your running? Injured?
Don’t give up. That’s the lesson 41-year old Scott McIntyre has learned
over the past five years.
McIntyre, a bond portfolio manager for
First Southwest Asset Management, showed early promise as a freshman at
Anderson High School back in the late 70s, clocking a 4:43 mile.
But like many young runners, he didn’t
pursue the sport in college, and caught up in the fast track of career
and family, didn’t run at all in his 20s.
“I basically took a 20-year hiatus from
running,” he said.
In 1997, a
few years before turning 40, McIntyre joined Austin Fit, a
marathon-training group for beginners. “I had a tough time even running
the two-mile time trial they did to decide what group you run with,” he
said.
Apparently, some of the old speed remained
though, because in 1998, McIntyre ran a 3:12 at the Motorola Marathon.
However, he was sorely disappointed when he ran Boston later in 99,
barely making it to the finish in 3:36. “It was excruciating,” he said.
“ I figured I’d quit after that.”
But
something nagged at him— the feeling that he still had a lot of
improvement left. A week after the Boston debacle, he figured he’d give
running another shot.
“That was turning point for me,” he said.
“I started training seriously. What really made a difference was adding
interval workouts to my training.”
In 2000
McIntyre broke the magic three-hour barrier for the marathon, dipping
under with a 2:59:12 at Motorola.”
“I was elated,” he said. “I ran with a
Runner’s World Pace Group on target for three hours. I stuck with the
group the whole way.”
In 2001, McIntyre again improved in the
marathon, posting a 2:49 at Motorola. But then in 2002, his dedication
to running was tested. Back injuries, Achilles tendon problems, and
bouts of the dreaded plantar faciitis (pain in the heel) all but brought
his running to a stop.
“There is
nothing like being deprived of running to get you motivated to come
back, though,” he said. “I’ve learned that I have my limits. I
understand that I have to cut back after marathon season to avoid
injury. At that point, I spend a lot of time on the stationary bike. I
probably don’t top 40 miles a week unless I’m doing a marathon buildup.”
In late 2202 and early 2003 McIntyre was
able to start training seriously again. Working with training buddy
Floyd Watson, he built up to weekly speed sessions like 25 x 400 meters
at 78 seconds each, and 10 x 800 at 2:40 each.
The workouts lifted McIntyre to a new
level. He set a personal best of 1:16:30 at the 3M Half Marathon and
2:44:45 at Motorola in 2003, a time which earned him the number one spot
for Central Texas masters.
He beat
rival Richard Mendez for the top masters spot at the brutally
challenging Bison Stampede Half-Marathon finishing1:22:45 to 123:39.
“That surprised me,” said McIntyre. “I hate humidity and I don’t care
for hills, and Richard is a faster runner. It was probably a result of
being rested and fresh.”
And at the
Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot in downtown Austin last Thursday McIntyre
again won masters, running 5:52 per mile and clocking 29:17 to beat
Mendez by four seconds.
“I don’t really feel like there’s any trick to running well
but working hard,” said McIntyre. “And I’ve learned that I can’t train
year-round. You spend two to three months injured, and you learn. It’s
about realizing what your limits are. I’m always surprised how fast I
can get after coming back from a break.”
Noonan Raises the Bar
for 45-49 Division
Dan Noonan moved to Austin
from St. Louis five years to work for Dell Computers as an attorney, and
immediately began to shake up the masters (over 40) age group at local
races, winning more often than not.
A former hockey player in
high school and at the University of St. Thomas, Minnesota, Noonan used
to run pre-season to stay in shape. He liked it so much that after
college, and during law school University of the Pacific, Sacramento,
running became his sport of choice.
Noonan grew up in Natick,
Massachusetts, near mile 14 of the Boston Marathon. He used to watch it
as a kid, so maybe something rubbed off. Now 45, he has run 11 marathons
over the past 20 years, and races every opportunity he gets, boasting
personal bests of 16:35 for the 5K, and 35:10 for the 10K.
“The first race I actually
ever ran was the Sacramento Marathon in 1983,” he said. “I ran a 3:06.
It was great for 20-21 miles, but then I fell apart. But it got me
hooked.”
Noonan ran the San
Francisco Marathon the next year, and then broke through in 1989 at the
Twin Cities Marathon (Minnesota) with a 2:51.
To stay in race-shape,
Noonan works in about 50 miles a week to his busy schedule, getting in
regular lunchtime runs in Round Rock near the Dell campus. “There’s an
eight mile run I do on roads around there– if I can do that in 50-51
minutes, I know I’m in good shape. Over the past five years at Dell,
I’ve used that as an indicator,” he said.
Currently Noonan is
building up for the Motorola Marathon, and is getting in a weekly long
run, ranging up to 20 miles. He’s done every Motorola since he moved to
Austin, posting a best of 2:53 in 2002.
“I’ll try to do most of
the Distance Challenge- especially the 30K in January,” he said. “I like
running in the 10-mile to half-marathon range and up.”
In October, Noonan joined
over 1,100 other runners who tackled the Pervasive Power Charge 10-
Miler, race number two of the Distance Challenge.
“That may have been the
most difficult race I’ve ever run in the 10-13 mile distance range,”
said Noonan. “I got to five miles in 31:40, and it felt like I was
working a lot harder than that. That one hill at mile five (Scotland
Well Drive) was like climbing stairs- I felt like I could lean forward
and touch the road in front of me. If I skied down it, it would be a
black diamond. I never really caught my breath…it was relentless.”
The Right Shoes for You
 The
search for the perfect running shoe goes on. Not that there is one
“right” shoe. What’s right for one runner may be misery for another. And
to complicate matters, often runners find the perfect running shoe, and
when the time comes to get a new pair, discover that the manufacturer
has discontinued their chosen model or radically changed it.
The
better educated you are before your trip to the running shoe store, the
greater your chance of finding the perfect pair. The September issue of
Runner’s World magazine features a quarterly shoe review, showcasing the
latest and best models based on feedback from the national weartesting
center located at RunTex in Austin. For a quick course in running shoe
terminology and selection, pick up a copy.
There are four basic types of
shoes: stability; motion control; cushioned; and performance training.
The kind of running you do, your weekly mileage, your weight, and your
foot type play a big role in determining your shoe type. As a general
rule, stability shoes are for runners who need decent arch support, and
who have moderate pronation (rolling inward at the ankle). Cushioned
shoes are for runners who need little arch support, and are
biomechanically efficient, with little or no pronation. The Performance
Training category is best suited for lighter, faster efficient runners
who may need some pronation protection. Bigger, heavier runners will
want Motion Control shoes to help with rearfoot control, over-pronation
and extra support.
“When purchasing new running
shoes, be prepared to try on a variety of different makes and models,”
says RunTex shoe expert Donnie O’Neal, a former Longhorn
trackman.
“Ask a lot of questions,”
says O Neal. “There are some basic things to be aware of. You don’t want
any slippage, or pressure points. You want enough arch support, but not
so much that you can feel it pushing into you foot.”
Prospective buyers should
wear shorts to the store, and bring the type of socks they plan on using
for running. “Shoe size is a very important aspect of buying the right
shoe,” said Runner’s World Footwear editor and RunTex owner Paul
Carrozza. “Too small or tow big affects more than just foot comfort.
Improper size will compromise the functionality of the shoe, affecting
it’s cushioning and support. We’ve noticed that people are needing one
half to one size larger running shoes than their dress shoes. Also, if
you ear orthotics for correction, make sure to bring those,” Carrozza
said. “They’ll affect the type and size of the shoe you buy.”
A good running store
salesperson will watch you run and help steer you towards the right pair
of shoes, based in part on observations of your running form. But
according to O’Neal, there’s more to the story than just biomechanics.
“Fitting and finding the
right shoes is in some ways an art,” he said. “Of course if you have a
shoe that works well, by all means, stick with that one, or try to find
something as close as possible.”
“Ask yourself which shoe
works best for you when you run around the store,” says running expert
Jeff Galloway. “The shoe should fit your foot naturally, and function as
an extension of your foot.”
One question that often arises is “when to replace running
shoes.” The old rule of replacing shoes every 400-600 miles may not
apply to you. For starters, you may not keep track of your running
miles, and may even wear the shoes for activities other than running
(not recommended). Better to learn to watch for feedback signs from your
running.
“The outersole will well outlive the midsole,” says O’Neal.
“Take off the shoe and place it on a table. If it tilts inward or
outward, it’s time for new shoes. Or the shoe may wear evenly, but you
may notice other things. Do you feel every pebble and granule of gravel
when you run? Is it taking you longer than usual to recover from
training runs? More minor aches and pains? These can all be signs that
it’s simply time to replace your shoes.”
“Keep an eye on the forefoot of the outersole,” adds
Runner’s World Footwear editor and RunTex owner Paul Carrozza. “You’ll
lose traction if that’s worn. Also, people may not realize that when the
shoe’s upper wears out, that’s going to affect how well the shoe
functions, because the upper is what holds the foot to the midsole.”
Once you find
the right shoe, the art of buying new ones get easier. The bottom line
is, running in the right shoes can help you enjoy the sport more,
prevent injuries, and improve performance.
Galloway’s Low Key
Approach a Success with Local Runners
 Jeff Galloway,
a 1972 10,000 meter Olympian and best selling running book author was in
town this past weekend to kick off his annual Austin-based marathon
training program, geared to get runners across the finish line of
Motorola Marathon.
Speaking to a small crowd of
both experienced and novice marathoners at RunTex (left)on Riverside Drive,
Galloway outlined the training program, emphasizing his motto: “Getting
you to the finish line injury-free.”
For Galloway, that’s a
passion. He travels almost non-stop throughout the year, hitting a
different city each weekend, shepherding his marathon training groups
towards their respective marathons. In addition, he holds running
“retreats” in Lake Tahoe, Destin, Florida, and even Athens Greece.
“I’ve worked with around
150,000 people of all abilities, training them to run marathons,” he
said. Galloway’s primary message is one of moderation. He advocates at
least several recovery days a week, built-in walking breaks every mile
during training and racing, and relatively low-mileage. And it works.
“I never thought I could run
a marathon, but I did,” Constance Linder told Galloway. “I followed your
program using the run/walk method. There was never a question whether I
was going to finish.”
Part of Galloway’s success
lies in the fact that his training program allows people to still have a
life. “I’m getting really interested in the area of energy, and how
exercise and diet can favorably affect that,” said Galloway. “I think a
lot of people don’t understand that you can train for a marathon
‘gently’ and actually add energy to your life, rather than deplete it.”
Galloway sets a great
example, sticking to his philosophy of less is more. At age 58, the
former 130-mile-a-week 2:16 marathon runner, now averages 60 miles a
week at a relaxed pace, and follows a healthy, but not overly strict
diet of 20-30 % protein, 15-25% fat, and 55-65% complex carbohydrates.
“I’ve run 122 marathons so
far,” he said. “And I’ve run for the past 23 years without getting an
injury. I used to get injured on average every three weeks, when I was
younger and training without enough rest and recovery.”
“I think it’s possible to
avoid all overuse injuries,” said Galloway, who maintains a Web site
called www.runinjuryfree.com.
The key to developing as a
runner, Galloway says, is to allow the body time to build back after
training bouts. “The human organism is a marvelous mechanism. It’s
designed to get stronger and adapt to training, provided it has the
opportunity to rebuild from the stresses of exercise.”
Along those lines, Galloway
recommends doing the long runs that are the core of his training program
every other week, rather than weekly. And he strongly urges his runners
to do the long runs at a pace a full two-minutes-per-mile slower than
their projected marathon pace.
For Austin runners battling
the heat, he advises slowing it down even more, and starting earlier.
“Our Houston group gets up at 3:00 a.m. to get in their long runs during
the summer months to avoid getting cooked. Running in the heat adds a
lot stress to the system.”
While this may sound like a
low-key approach, Galloway also knows what it takes to run fast. For
the in between weekends, when no long run is scheduled, Galloway
suggests that more experienced marathoners shooting for a specific time
goal begin a program of repeat miles at 20-30 seconds faster than goal
pace, building up to 12 repeats; a formidable workout.
“I have
found that you get the greatest benefit from the last one or two
repeats,” Galloway said. “That’s where you find the capacity to handle
the hard part of a marathon. Of course you have to do the first 9-10
repeats to get there.”
Patriots: Running July
4th in Kuwait
Many of us take for granted the job our soldiers do
abroad. Sometimes we may not even think about them. So it's nice to hear
from a compatriot, and a a runner at that. Here, Adam Butler, one
of our soldiers in the Mid-East, describes putting
on a 5K at his base in Kuwait:
"Well that morning we got lucky, the weather turned out
well I was just hoping
that it would hold. it gets about 120-135 degrees here in the day
and the wind blows strong and hard almost like clock work from about 9
in
the morning to about 8 at night. it is a hot dry with with lots of sand.
but
again we lucked out with a beautiful morning Kuwait style. putting this
race together was a lot harder than in the states it is not like you can
just make a phone call and make it happen, the phones
are always busy so you have to battle that
 system then you have to get
everything approved then from there you have different liaisons you have
to deal with. but everything eventually got pushed off on me. RunTex and
road id helped out a lot. we had 550 people show up for the race we were
expecting over 100 but there was a change of command
that
 morning so so people got pulled away. the race was a simple 5K
around Camp Arifjan and once you hit the north side of the fence it was
nothing but sand blowing straight in your face and you can see about 5
feet in front of you. But everything was fun and the soldiers really
enjoyed it. We were able to buy 300 t-shirts on the local economy. and
they love the T-shirts overall it was a great race I tried to pull
everything together as much as i could to make it a great race. -Adam
Butler
Elementary
Teacher Pizzochero Takes Aim at Olympic Trials
Under Watchful Eye of Coach Tuhabonye, Runner Progresses
Gilbert
Tuhabonye is making his mark on Austin in more than one way. Besides
being just about the best runner around, he's gaining a reputation as a
top-notch coach. Sara Pizzochero, a third grade teacher at Zilker
Elementary School in south Austin is a role model for her kids. She’s
taught them commitment, dedication and the rewards of hard work—all
though her example as one of Austin’s top women marathoners and
ultra-marathoners.
Pizzochero,
30, has only been running about five years, but has made great progress
in a short time. Originally, as a cardio kick-box teacher, Pizzochero
sought a complementary exercise to boost her endurance. Running was a
natural choice, and she found she excelled at it.
She began running in 1998,
and only a year later she won the Rocky Raccoon 50K at Inks Lake-not
just the women’s division, but the whole race.
“That
was quite a thrill,” she said. “Actually I was racing against Amanda
McIntosh, a top ultra runner. We were neck and neck the whole way, but I
out- sprinted her by seven seconds.”
As an ultra runner,
Pizzochero has gone as far as 50 miles, taking a first place in her age
group at the prestigious SunMart Ultra run in Huntsville Texas, but
these days, she’s concentrating more on the traditional marathon
distance. Recently, Pizzochero ran the Boston Marathon, and was the
first Austin woman in 3:12:49.
So far she’s run seven
marathons in all, lopping chunks off of her time with a steady
progression. She ran the
Motorola in ’99 in 3:48, Houston in ’00 in 3:27, Motorola in 2000 in
3:17, Boston in ‘01 in 3:19, Motorola in ’02 in 3:08, and at
Motorola 2003, just missed breaking the three-hour barrier with a
3:00:07 effort.
“Right now I’m not
running any ultra runs so I can develop more speed for the marathon,”
she said. “I’m hoping to qualify for the Olympic Trials by lowering
my time to 2:48.”
Coached by 2002 Austin
American Statesman Capitol 10,000 champion Gilbert Tuhabonye, Pizzochero
just might do it.
“They say it takes at least
210 years to mature as a runner, so I have a lot of room for
improvement,” says Pizzochero.
And, spoken like a teacher:
“I’m still in the learning stage.”
RunTex
Training Programs Help Newcomer Texera to New Level
 Danielle
Texera, a newcomer to Austin, is already making a name for
herself as a top age-group runner at area races. Texera, who had been
teaching high school history and coaching cross-country in Riverside,
California, moved to Austin last August when her husband decided to
attend graduate school at the University of Texas.
Texera with students.
Moving
to Austin turned out to be a real blessing for her: The former high
school and collegiate cross-country runner has battled asthma since age
10, and although Austin’s air quality may not be tops in the nation,
it agrees with her much better than Riverside, which is just 45 minutes
outside of LA.
“I
haven’t had an asthma attack since California,” she said. “I
don’t know whether it’s the humidity here or that the air is
cleaner, but it’s just much better. Plus, I didn’t realize how much of a running community
there was here. I love it, and plan to stay.”
Texera’s
positive attitude has been a big plus in helping her overcome a
potentially terrifying condition. Early on her doctor told her that with
the right medication, there was no reason not to run and engage in any
sport she wanted. But as Texera explained, it took some learning.
She
recalls one time when she had to be rushed from the class she was
teaching to the emergency room after developing a severe asthmatic
reaction to a borrowed sweater she was wearing. But she’s learned that
aside from finding the right medications to control asthma, staying calm
helps a lot. “There’s definitely a big psychological component to
asthma,” she said. “You have to not panic, and stay calm.”
And
she’s learned how running can actually help asthma.
“At
first, when I did run, it was unpredictable. I didn’t know how I was
going to breathe on any given day. But I learned to become aware of it
and to listen to my body. My doctor tells me I have a much greater lung
capacity than most women my age, due to running,” she said.
This
past spring, Texera had to overcome a different obstacle. While training
for the Motorola Marathon, she developed a micro-tear in her right
Achilles tendon, just was few weeks before the marathon. “It was so
frustrating,” she said. “I had put in so much work, but I had to
make the decision to pull out.”
Ice,
Ibuprofen and six weeks of rest did the job, and Texera, who has a 17:51
5K best and a 38:07 10K best, began racing again at the Bun Run 5K in
April. But her long-term goal remains Motorola.
Running
With the RunTex training groups has propelled her to a new level.
"After I moved here and found out about RunTex, I joined in with
one of the training groups. It's really made a difference."
“I
definitely want to begin building back up for Motorola 2004 starting
next fall,” she said. “And I’d like to start teaching and coaching
in Austin.”
RunTex
Gazelles
Hill, Rojas Meet the Boston Challenge
Marathons
come and go, but Boston is forever. The granddaddy of all marathons
always attracts runners from around the globe, and this year over 80
Austinites made the pilgrimage to Beantown for the 107th
running of the historic race on April 21.
Kenny Hill, owner of Kenny
Hill Autowerks, and Lucy Rojas, a sports massage therapist, were two of
the top Austin finishers, running times of 3:07:47, and 3:30:48
respectively.
For Hill, 53, running his
fifth marathon, it was a personal record. “I really attribute my race
to the training I’ve been doing with Gilbert Tuhabonye as my
coach. He’s got a group out of RunTex called Gilbert’s
Gazelles. We meet three times a week, and although I haven’t
really added any more miles to my training—I only do around 45 a
week— I’m doing a lot more quality. Gilbert just really knows how to
push people. He’s relentless. He’s taught me to push myself beyond
what I thought I could do.”
And that’s exactly what
happened at Boston. Hill drove the course a few days before the race,
noting landmarks, turns, ad especially the non-stop rolling hills.
“People talk a lot about “Heartbreak Hill” in Boston, but really,
the whole race is full of rolling hills,” he said.
Hill, who had never run under
3:10 before, was toying with the idea of breaking three hours, but knew
when he saw the course that wasn’t going to happen. Add temperatures
of around 70 degrees at the start, along with steady headwinds, and it
could have been a disaster. But Hill ran a smart race, adjusting his
goal to a sub- 3:10 and settling in to just over a seven minute-per-mile
pace.
“The crowd really carries
you at Boston,” he said. “I had on a RunTex singlet, and people were
chanting ‘Go RunTex, Go RunTex,’ especially when I was really
charging up the hills.”
Tuhabonye’s training helped
Hill conquer the final miles.
“It
hurt. I mean my legs were hurting so bad the last couple of miles, they
were numb,” he said. “But I kept fighting off the urge to stop. I
just kept going.”
Rojas, 27, who also has been
running with the Gazelles, found Boston to her liking as well. “It’s
a very challenging course,” she said. “But that’s why I liked it.
It made me break through a mental barrier.”
Like
Hill, Rojas was running her fifth marathon, and benefited from the
specific training she did in preparation.
“I’ve
gotten faster since I moved to Austin last June,” she said. “I ran a
3:23 in Chicago this year, my best so far. It’s all of those hill
workouts and fast pace runs Gilbert has us do.”
After Heartbreak Hill— the
four-mile series of hills from 16-20 miles, Rojas found herself slowed
to a crawl. ”I couldn’t even get under nine-minute miles,” she
said. “But I made up my mind not to stop.”
The
Classic Taper
Ok, it’s the
final week before the your biggest race- a 10K. The week calls for a
special plan. How many times have you heard people say- “Oh, I was
just training through the race.” Nine times out of ten, it’s an
excuse. The truth is, they didn’t plan a taper to maximize their
performance.
So what’s the best strategy
for reaching the starting line relaxed, rested and ready to go? Believe
it or not, taking the week off of running is not the recommended advice.
Even a week of slow, relaxed running is not what coaches say to do.
Rather, most running experts
base their 10K taper on sound exercise physiology, which has long held
that short bouts of reasonably high intensity running make the ultimate
10K taper.
There are a number of
different last-week countdowns that accomplish the same task. The idea
is to maintain and even augment your fitness level by keeping leg speed
maximum oxygen uptake, and running economy high, while simultaneously
recovering from the wear and tear of your normal mileage.
One sample workout calls for:
-
Monday- 3 x 1.5
miles at 10K pace with a four-minute recovery after each mile
-
Tuesday- 5 x 1,200
meters at 15 seconds faster than 10K pace
-
Wednesday- 4 x
1,200 meters at 15 seconds faster than 10K pace
-
Thursday-3 x 1,200
meters at 15 seconds faster than 10K pace
-
Friday- 2 x 1,200
meters at 15 seconds faster than 10K pace
-
Saturday- rest
-
Sunday- Race
At first glance, this
taper- week may seem a little tough, but look again—the total mileage
before the race is only 14 miles.
Former
Olympic marathoner Pete Pfitzinger was a model of consistency during his
racing career. “The scientific evidence clearly indicates that the key
to effective tapering is to substantially cut back your mileage, but to
maintain training intensity. Reducing overall mileage has the greatest
impact on lessening accumulated fatigue,” writes Pfitzenger. Now an
exercise physiologist, and monthly contributor to Running Times
magazine, Pfitzinger has a slightly different 10K taper for race week:
-
Monday- 30 minutes
easy
-
Tuesday- 6 miles
with 6 x 200 meters at one-mile race pace
-
Wednesday- 30
minutes easy
-
Thursday- 5 miles
with eight 100-meter strides
-
Friday- rest
-
Saturday- 20
minutes easy
-
Sunday- Race
Pfitzinger’s
taper calls for a total of about 23 miles pre-race, but has a little
more recovery built in. Any runner can create a sample 10K countdown
relative to their own training levels based on these workouts. Any taper
will result in a better race and should eliminate the need to say, “I
was just training through this one.”
Wimberley’s
Mendoza Takes LA Marathon
If
you wet to the RunTex Marathon Kids final mile, you saw him
 there.
He’s a New York City Marathon winner and course record holder
(1:39:25), a six-time Los Angeles Marathon champion (1997-2001), and an
Olympic gold medallist in the 1,500 meters. He’s won the Bloomsday
12K— one of the biggest 12Ks in the country— seven times. In fact,
with course records at Old Kent, 25K, Disney World Marathon, Bolder
Boulder 10K, he’s been burning up the roads all over the country.
Left: Two champions-
Francie Larrieu Smith and Saul Mendoza were celebrity stars at the
RunTex Marathon Kids Final Mile.
But
unlike most competitors, Saul Mendoza does it all with his arms. Struck
with childhood polio while growing up in Mexico City, Mendoza is one of
the top wheelchair athletes in the world. Arguably, only three other
wheelchair athletes can compete with him: Ernst VanDyk of South Africa,
and Swiss racers Franz Nietlispach and Heinz Frei.
Mendoza
is known for his unbelievable hill-climbing prowess, a skill that has
earned him admiration from his peer competitors. ''To me,
Saul
Mendoza is the best climber. I studied him, and copied his technique.''
said 2001 Boston Marathon wheelchair champion Ernst VanDyk.
“Actually,
I’m built for climbing,” said Mendoza. I’m light- only about 130
pounds, and I grew up training in the mountains outside of Mexico
City.”
Mendoza
has been competing in races since the age of 15, but was active in
sports long before that. Mendoza credits the intensive rehab he
practiced since the age of six for getting him involved in sports. “I
was fortunate in that my parents found a really great program for kids
with disabilities,” he said. “I played basketball, swam, and then
discovered track.”
Long
before he ever dreamed of the marathon, Mendoza was a sprinter. In 1986,
at the age of 19, he won a gold medal at the Pan Am Games at 800 and
1,500 meters. Those victories motivated him to greater heights, and in
1990 he began competing fulltime in the United States and
internationally. He earned two more gold medals at the World
Championship Games.
Later,
after moving to Atlanta, he became a road warrior, and expanded his
racing repertoire form the 1,500 all the way to the marathon. He
currently holds the second fastest time ever recorded for wheelchair
racing in the marathon- a 1:21:37, set in Oita Japan.
Mendoza
now resides in Wimberley, but still spends a good part of the year
training at 7,000 altitude in the mountains around Toluca, Mexico.
“I’ll
put in 120-130 mile a week around Wimberley,” he said. My girlfriend
Wendy Gumbert usually keeps me company, riding her bike during my
workouts. I usually do about 12 miles in the morning, and 12-13 in the
afternoon. To prepare for a marathon, I’ll do a 20 miler every other
week for a few months. I think that wheelchair racing is different from
running in that I can get ready for a marathon in a shorter time.”
In
February Mendoza easily won the Motorola Marathon, using it more as a
training run that anything else. “It’s right here in my back yard,
and it’s important for me to promote the sport of wheelchair racing.
That’s one of my main pursuits besides racing.”
And
in March, he regained his Los Angeles title, his 6th, in 1:27:07, a course record by two seconds, beating beating
VanDyk
in the process.
Armstrong
On Running
Lance Armstrong, the four-time
Tour-De France champion,
was on hand at the Fertile Hope 5K outside Palmer Auditorium Saturday
morning to help champion his wife Kristin’s event to promote fertility
options awareness. Fertile
Hope, a nonprofit organization is partnered with the Lance Armstrong
Foundation to provide reproductive information, support, and hope to
cancer patients whose medical treatments present the risk of
infertility.
 Governor
Rick Perry, Lance Armstrong, and RunTex's Paul Carrozza at the start of
the Fertile Hope 5K.
“I don’t
think a champion is necessarily the one who finishes first, or
consistently at the top,” said Armstrong. “There are probably a lot
of people that win all of the time that surely are not champions.
To me, it’s someone who does their best. It’s the everyday
person who is passionate about what they do, whether it’s sport, or
work or the community. If they live for that and work for that, then
they are champions in that right.”
Growing
up in Plano, Texas, young Armstrong wanted to be a cross-country runner.
He showed promise, but by age 13, he was already branching out to
cycling and swimming. That year, he won the Iron Kids Triathlon, and by
age 16 was a professional triathlete, competing against the likes of
Ironman Champion Mark Allen.
“I
ran a lot when I was a kid,” he said. “In fact I started running
before I rode a bike or swam. I still run a little bit in the
off-season. Mostly trail running and hiking.”
Apparently,
Armstrong still remembers how to run just fine, because he had little
problem winning the Dirty Duathlon last month, a thee-mile run, thirteen
mile mountain bike and final three mile run race at Rocky Hill Ranch.
“I hadn’t run for weeks before that,” he said. I‘ve probably
only run 10 times this year, mostly when we were on vacation in Mexico.
I really see very little carry over to running from cycling, although
mountain biking is actually similar to running.”
“Oh,
he can run,” said 1992 Austin American Statesman Capitol 10K champ
Steve Sisson who raced in the Dirty Duathlon. “What’s amazing to me
is that on the second three mile run, he had the ability to just run
away from the competition,“ said Sisson. “He was able to just keep
pushing himself. I’m sure it’s a result of his overall fitness
level. If he chose to just run, he’d be able to accomplish anything he
wanted.”
“At
the Dirty Du, I was actually more concerned about running the downhills
than the uphills,” said Armstrong. “That’s what hardest on the
muscles and makes you sore. In the Tour De France we excel on the uphill
climbs, so I look forward to those.”
“I’ll
probably run a lot when I’m done cycling,” he said. “Running is a
more time-effective way to exercise. To get a good ride in, you’ve got
to ride at least an hour, whereas with running you can get in a
half-hour or 45 minutes. For someone like me, who rides efficiently,
cycling effort is about a three to one ratio to running. For someone who
is a novice cyclist, it’s probably more like a two to one ratio for
cycling,” said Armstrong. “
RunTex
Success Story: Coached By Gilbert Tuhabonye,
Mendez Rises to Top of Masters
Richard Mendez (far right) with
coach
Gilbert Tuhabonye (second from right) and the Gazelles
Regular runners involved
in the Austin racing scene tend to know their age-group competition. At
any given race, it’s possible to size up the field, even in events of
1,000 or more, and to know whom you’re up against. But every so often,
a new runner comes along and starts shaking things up.
New masters sensation
Richard Mendez has served notice to the 40 and over sector that they
can’t take any race for granted. Mendez, who moved to Austin from
Laredo in the spring of 2001, has been tearing up the roads since
overcoming a hamstring injury last September.
At the Motive Bison
Half-Marathon in November, Mendez ran a 1:19:18, taking second in the
masters division to training partner Robin Gatling. But at the Decker
Challenge, he got the better of Gatling, averaging a 5:57 per mile pace
and taking the top masters spot in 1:11:24, leaving Gatling for second
in 1:12:10.
Mendez, who is the port
director for customs at Austin Bergstrom International Airport, was a
strong runner in high school, running a mile best of 4:43, but did not
compete as a business student at the University of Texas in San Antonio.
But he never stopped running.
“I’ve pretty much kept
running ever since I was 15,” he said. “I’ve been racing all
along.”
So where did the big
breakthrough come from? Mendez attributes his newfound speed and
endurance to the great coaching he receives from top Austin runner
Gilbert Tuhabonye, and from a strict overall conditioning regimen.
He trains Mondays and
Wednesdays with a group at RunTex, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays he
trains with Tuhabonye with a group known as “Gilberts Gazelles.” The
other members of the group include Gatling, Lisa Spenner, ad Rolando
Roman. The Gazelles put in some serious workouts, like 25 X one 400
meters, starting at 1:20 per lap, and ending up at 1:12, with only one
minute intervals. Another favorite is 5 X 1,000 meters. They also spend
a lot of time doing hill work.
“Gilbert is just
amazing,” said Mendez. “He has helped me so much with my form. He
notices everything when we run, and is always working to help us improve
our running form.”
Not only does Mendez put
in about 65-70 miles a week of running, but he has a weight training
program, spins on a stationary bike, jumps rope and practices Pilates, a
unique stretching and strengthening program.
“When I first came to
Gilbert and still had hamstring problems, he immediately recognized that
I needed to improve my balance. Now I do all of leg exercises that help
with that, and I’m fine. I’m probably the fittest I’ve ever
been.”
Mendez plans to test that
fitness at Motorola. He ran a strong 2:40:18 there last year, placing
eight in the 35-39 division.
This year, as a master, he hopes to do even
better. “I think I can run 2:35 at Motorola,” he said.
Ferguson
Finishes Marathon Journey
in All 50 States
As
a math teacher at Hays High School in Buda, TX, John Ferguson has an
ongoing relationship with numbers. And as a consistent age-group
 winner
at area races, he’s an accomplished distance runner. So when he
decided to take the challenge of running a marathon in every state, he
was well aware of the enormity of the 1,310-mile journey. Not only would
he be tackling 50 marathons, but he would need to train around 200 miles
a month just to run them.
“When I got the
idea in 1995, I was 40, and I thought I’d finish at 50,” he said.
But Ferguson, who frequently works with RunTex
certifying courses, outdid himself, completing the tour on Sunday in style,
with the biggest marathon of them all- New York. “It was absolutely
exhilarating,” he said. “I was so pumped I ran the last two miles in
Central Park faster than the preceding 24.” His finishing time was
3:24.
Ferguson,
who certifies most of the racecourses in Central Texas, actually began
the marathon journey in 1986. It was then that he ran his first
marathon- Grandmas’ Marathon in Minnesota. By 1995, he had run 15 of
them—including
12 in states
other than Texas. “Around that time I ran into a guy who was doing all
50 states,” he said. “It sounded like something I could do. He kind
of planted the seed in my head.”
Ferguson began by
running three or four of them a year, but picked up momentum over time,
running up to eight a year in the late 90s. “It did seem overwhelming
sometimes,” he said. “I felt like I’d never get there.”
Along the way,
Ferguson wracked up some pretty impressive numbers. He ran 22 of the
marathons in under three hours. And he placed in 28 of them. He even won
two- the Bulldog Marathon in Oklahoma, and the Hodges Garden Marathon in
Louisiana. His fastest time was in Houston- a fine 2:39:34, while his
slowest was on Catalina Island in California- a 4:35. “I stood on the
starting line at Catalina ankle deep in mud,” he said. “It had been
raining for days and the mountain trails that made up the course were
all mud. The first mile was straight up a mountain. It took me 12
minutes, and I knew it was going to be a long day.”
Ferguson was
no stranger to difficult courses. He sought out the most scenic and
often the most challenging marathon each state had to offer. In Hawaii,
he passed up the relatively easy Honolulu Marathon, instead choosing the
radical Kilauea
Volcano Marathon, run over mountains of lava. “That was the second
toughest, behind Catalina,” he said. “You run over lava sharp as
glass. The course really wasn’t well marked, and I went off course way
up in the lava fields. Fortunately a local runner happened by and guided
me out.”
Running a marathon
every state, Ferguson encountered a variety of different weather
conditions. “I ran Wyoming in May, and it was a near blizzard. It was
in the 20s with driving snow— a near whiteout situation. I had to
basically just follow the footprints in the snow ahead of me.” By
contrast, he ran South Dakota in April, and encountered unusually hot
weather. “It hit 92 degrees before the end of that one,” he said.
“That was the hottest of them all.”
The logistics of
traveling and working in the different marathons around job and family
were easily as challenging as running the races. “At one point I ran
four marathons in six weeks,” he said. The last of those was a monster
course in West Virginia, and it was only six days after the Vermont City
Marathon.”
Amazingly, Ferguson
never had any serious injuries that threatened the adventure. A pulled
hamstring here and there, sore quadriceps muscles after each race, but
nothing that caused him to miss a marathon. “Basically all I’ve done
for the past seven years is run marathons and recover from them,” he
said.
Ferguson got to know
a number of “50-staters”— other runners on the same quest— along
the way. He reckons there’s about four to five hundred out there, with
about 150 or so having actually completed the tour. Some have done it
more than once. “I know of at least several that are on their fourth
time around,” said Ferguson.
But that’s not for
him. Now that the journey’s over, he plans to get back to basics. “I
want to start faster running again—training for local 5Ks and 10Ks. Of
course you never know— I may still run some adventure marathons. I was
thinking of the Great Wall of China.”
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