2016 U.S. Olympic Team Marathon TrialsFeb 1, 2016 by Lincoln Shryack
Ryan Vail: Two Stress Fractures Hamper Trials Build-Up
Ryan Vail: Two Stress Fractures Hamper Trials Build-Up
Leading up to the February 13th U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, FloTrack will highlight the storylines of the contenders on both the men's and women's side. R
Leading up to the February 13th U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, FloTrack will highlight the storylines of the contenders on both the men's and women's side.
Name: Ryan Vail
Age: 29
Hometown: Portland, OR
Marathon PR: 2:10:57 (London 2014)
Best Trials Qualifier: 2:10:57 (London 2014)
Previous Trials Results: 11th, 2:12:43 (2012)
Our Take: Back-to-back stress fractures hit Ryan Vail at a crucial point of his build-up to Los Angeles during the summer and fall, leaving him just three months to prepare for the Trials. Having such an abbreviated training block definitely makes the 29-year-old a long shot to finish top-three on February 13th, especially since he hasn’t run a single tune-up race.
That said, Vail owns the fifth fastest marathon PR in the field and has said that his workouts have been going well of late, including a solid 16-mile tempo at 4:58 pace just this past week. If Vail can hold on to that pace for 10 more miles, he’ll come away with a 2:10:13 PR in Los Angeles, which would put him in the mix to make the team. Of course, easier said than done.
With the limited training, I would say top-10 is a more realistic goal for Vail.
Below, Vail answered three questions leading up to the big race.
Give us the details of your best workout
3 mile warmup, 4 mile tempo @ 4:47 pace, 10 mile run @ 5:45 pace, 4 mile tempo @ 4:46 pace, 2 mile cool down
This is mentally one of the most challenging workouts I do. Coming back for that second 4 mile tempo with 17 miles under the belt is daunting when you're trying to run up to 12 seconds per mile faster than marathon pace.
What do you need to do on race day to make the team?
I need to be confident in my training even though I've had a shorter build-up than usual, and I need to be confident in my decision making during the race when someone makes a move. I'm fine letting guys go if it seems logical that they will come back, but I can't let them go simply because I'm hurting.
What’s been your biggest obstacle to overcome in your Trials prep?
I had back to back stress fractures from the summer and fall, and both were in places that take longer than usual to heal (navicular and sacrum). After being healthy for the last decade, this was a huge blow as I haven't been able to race since July, and I took my first running steps at full body weight only 3 months out from the trials. This meant a much shorter build-up than I'm used to and starting from very minimal fitness after so much time off. But my fitness has returned quicker than I thought it would, and now I feel like I am back in the mix.
Ryan Vail: Two Stress Fractures Hamper Trials Buildup
Name: Ryan Vail
Age: 29
Hometown: Portland, OR
Marathon PR: 2:10:57 (London 2014)
Best Trials Qualifier: 2:10:57 (London 2014)
Previous Trials Results: 11th, 2:12:43 (2012)
Our Take: Back-to-back stress fractures hit Ryan Vail at a crucial point of his build-up to Los Angeles during the summer and fall, leaving him just three months to prepare for the Trials. Having such an abbreviated training block definitely makes the 29-year-old a long shot to finish top-three on February 13th, especially since he hasn’t run a single tune-up race.
That said, Vail owns the fifth fastest marathon PR in the field and has said that his workouts have been going well of late, including a solid 16-mile tempo at 4:58 pace just this past week. If Vail can hold on to that pace for 10 more miles, he’ll come away with a 2:10:13 PR in Los Angeles, which would put him in the mix to make the team. Of course, easier said than done.
With the limited training, I would say top-10 is a more realistic goal for Vail.
Below, Vail answered three questions leading up to the big race.
Give us the details of your best workout
3 mile warmup, 4 mile tempo @ 4:47 pace, 10 mile run @ 5:45 pace, 4 mile tempo @ 4:46 pace, 2 mile cool down
This is mentally one of the most challenging workouts I do. Coming back for that second 4 mile tempo with 17 miles under the belt is daunting when you're trying to run up to 12 seconds per mile faster than marathon pace.
What do you need to do on race day to make the team?
I need to be confident in my training even though I've had a shorter build-up than usual, and I need to be confident in my decision making during the race when someone makes a move. I'm fine letting guys go if it seems logical that they will come back, but I can't let them go simply because I'm hurting.
What’s been your biggest obstacle to overcome in your Trials prep?
I had back to back stress fractures from the summer and fall, and both were in places that take longer than usual to heal (navicular and sacrum). After being healthy for the last decade, this was a huge blow as I haven't been able to race since July, and I took my first running steps at full body weight only 3 months out from the trials. This meant a much shorter build-up than I'm used to and starting from very minimal fitness after so much time off. But my fitness has returned quicker than I thought it would, and now I feel like I am back in the mix.