Ryan Hall made waves when he announced this week that he'd run the Chicago Marathon on October 9 to prepare for the US Olympic Trials in January.

And why the Windy City?

Well, it's simple. "To be fast," Ryan revealed in a media conference call.

Like the track teams who flock to Stanford every spring to drop fast 5ks and 10ks, he's heading to a race where the odds are good. Chicago attracts a talented field and boasts a flat, fast course (2:05:41 record). Ryan said he's primarily focused on racing the other runners and improving his tactics for the Olympics, but  admitted "It'd be icing on the cake to get an official American record." Doubtless, he's salivating at this opportunity after the 2:04:58 he ran at the hilly Boston Marathon in April. His time would've beaten the old record by 40 seconds, but the course's net downhill gains made it uncertified for records.

Though some doubted that Ryan could recover properly in the three months between the races, he assured us it's actually "the perfect scenario."

"I don't usually begin marathon-specific stuff until 10-12 weeks out," he said, so the time in between races will work nicely with the training schedule. He plans to take the week after Chicago completely off, ease back in with light running the next week and resume training after that.

He won't have to lead like he did in Boston, either. Rabbits will help out until 10k to go. Ryan said "The nice thing is I won't have to think the first 20 miles. Not having to be mentally engaged will help a lot."

And in true Ryan Hall fashion, he's also excited about running Chicago because of its emphasis on raising money for charities. Ryan will join members from his Steps Foundation team in the race, and will donate any prize money he wins to the nonprofit.

Finally, Ryan hopes to honor the late Sammy Wanjiru by running Chicago. The two were friends from seeing each other at competitions. Wanjiru won Chicago the last two years and holds the course record.

Hall's next (and only) race before Chicago will be the Virginia Beach Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon in September.

Ryan completed a mini-media tour in Chicago following his announcement, hitting events like a run with local elementary school students who've benefited from the funds raised from previous Chicago Marathons, a local running store's group run, and his first-ever TV talk show appearance.

Alex caught up with Ryan in Europe a few days ago (before his departure for Chicago) and asked him about his training since the Boston Marathon.