Interview with Apolo Ohno & $25 Subway Giveaway

SUAR “does” Apolo, soul patch and all

He’s been famous for many things – 8 Olympic medals in speed skating, his sexy (or sordid) soul patch, those hunky thighs, and winning the 4th Season of Dancing with the Stars. One thing is for sure, Apolo Ohno is always up to something.

On DWTS in 2007

Apolo’s most recent athletic pursuit has been marathon training. Rumor has it that Jared from Subway, who ran his first marathon in New York last year in 5:13, challenged Apolo to run the New York City Marathon this year.

On the Olympic medal podium in 2004 – he was just a baby, only 22 years old

Apolo’s been running for years as part of his speed skating training, but did not actually train for a race until this year. He ran the Chicago Half marathon in September in a time of 1:40. His coach said that Apolo could have run faster (yeah, sure), but that this was a “training” run for New York and not meant to be a true race for time.

Apolo training at the track with Michael Phelps. “Hahahah! We both shave our legs!”

I was invited to interview Apolo via conference call yesterday about his upcoming race. This is not the order in which questions were asked and some of it is not verbatim (I can only write so fast), but you get the idea:

Everyone wants to know what your time goal is. What are you aiming for?

I want to beat Jared and Mario Lopez (laughs). Really, I’m hoping to do the race in  3 1/2 hours. I am sponsored by Subway and they have promised to donate $26,200 to the Special Olympics if I’m able to run under 4 hours. I’m ready to rock and roll!

Do you have a mantra you use when the going gets tough?

Yes, when I’m in pain and having doubts, I have to dig deeper. My mantra is “zero regrets,” something my dad taught me.  I want to know that I gave all to my performance.

How has running changed your body?

I have actually lost weight while marathon training. My legs are ridiculous things, but they have gotten smaller with marathon training. They are 50% smaller than they used to be! I don’t have to have my jeans custom made anymore.

How is marathon training different than speed skating training?

They are nothing alike. With speed skating it is all sprinting and explosive. My coach really needed to work with me to slow down.

What do you eat before and during a race?

A good blend of carbs and proteins the night before (he finds brown rice pasta to be a good choice). The morning of the race I eat some oatmeal. During the race, I do liquid gels and try to stay hydrated.

How do you recover after a long run or race?

I love to drink low-fat chocolate milk. It’s the perfect blend of carbs and protein. A lot of times I’m not hungry after a long workout so it works for me.

What is your advice for first time marathoners?

Make sure you are consistent and plan ahead. If you can, get a good trainer/coach. Without my coach (Todd Rushworth) I would just run hard everyday. But it’s really important to know when to take it easy on the long runs. I also learned the value of rest.

How do you stay motivated when you don’t feel like running? (my favorite question)

This happens all the time. I give myself no choice. It’s not an option. I just get out there and do it.

You are working closely with Subway to run this marathon. What’s your favorite sub?

I’m a double meat guy. I go for a foot long double meat (turkey) on honey oat with all the veggies, banana peppers too and oil/vinegar. Sometimes I add in avocado.

 

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Do you want to be like Apolo and run to your nearest Subway for double meat on honey oat? Subway is giving away a $25 gift card to one reader.

To enter, just tell me how you fuel up before and after a tough workout. That’s it. A random winner will be chosen on Tuesday, November 8.

SUAR

Fine print: The Zocalo Group, on behalf of Subway provided me with a $25 Subway gift card as well as the gift card for the giveaway in exchange for my interview with Apolo Ohno. I paid nothing for the items.

No More Custom Jeans

Just got back from my Cortisone injection. By the way, “high hamstring” means lower ass. I always think it’s funny when you go the doctor. You get very intimate very fast. In my case, I had never met the guy and five minutes after getting there I was bare ass up on the table and he was pushing and prodding my butt, trying to find the sore spot. I asked for a cigarette.

Here is the pre shot set up, very simple indeed:

He poked in and out (TWSS) looking for where to do the injection, but  never hit a spot that was especially sore. WTF? I mean I’ve been dealing with this pain for awhile now and why when someone pushes the hell out of it, do I not feel anything? Am I lying? Making this up? Maybe I have some sort of disorder where I just want attention from doctors. Lord knows I’ve seen enough of them this year.

The shot itself was not too painful except when he hit the bone (sorry, I know that made you cringe). However, at this moment in time I am very sore. Time will tell if it works or not. I am not expecting a miracle, but I am hoping for enough relief that I can start working on getting the area stronger again.

Your insights about strength training on my last post were very helpful. I am resigned to the fact that building strength will become a part of my repertoire from here on out. It just has to be.

In other news, my phone interview with this dude went well today:

There were about four bloggers on the line, and we each got about ten minutes to ask Apolo and his coach about his training and upcoming marathon on Sunday in NYC.

I’ll post the full interview tomorrow, but a couple of teasers:

• His goal is to finish in around 3:30
• He has run 700 miles since he started training for the marathon
• His quads have gotten smaller since he started running and he now does not have to buy custom made jeans (I mean, seriously, look at those bitches):

• He loves me and asked if we could hold hands and speed skate together, but I told him I just had a Cortisone shot and am a bit sore.

Who is your fitness idol? I am on the fence. But I like the legs above. A lot. I also like Dolvett.

On a closing note, my impression of this week’s Biggest Loser (spoiler alert):

1. Ramon likes Jess more than she likes him
2. I don’t know why Dolvett’s team isn’t losing more weight
3. Bonnie cries too much and I wish she would have gone home before Jess
4. Anna’s team got results this week but I’m still not a huge fan
5. Bob’s hair is not growing on me
6. I about died when Vinny did that move where he flopped on his stomach. I’m sure he broke five ribs if that is possible to do through all of that extra fat
7. Chocolate gravy is the most disgusting food I’ve ever heard of. Isn’t it just Hershey’s syrup?

Sorry for any typos. In a hurry to get to a meeting. More tomorrow.

SUAR

Self-Indulgent Thugs

Did anyone see the article in today’s Wall Street Journal entitled “Who Quits Before Race Day?”  In my humblest of opinions, it actually doesn’t say a whole lot. Basically, lots of people over-train for marathons, get injured and never make it to the start line – “Of the 60,000 runners who registered for the New York marathon several months ago, about 45,000 will show up for the start.”

Apparently, for some runners, fear of under-training actually leads to over-training. One more example of how we runners can be quite the bunch of overachievers. Several injured people were quoted in the article, most of them voicing disappointment at training for so many months and not being able to run the race.

I’ve been there. You’ve probably been there too. It sucks the big one. One more race shirt you can’t  wear, one more day of the year when you wake up and cry in your Starbucks because you are supposed to be racing and are instead watching re-runs of America’s Funniest Home Videos (which is always on, by the way. No one ever gets tired of swift blow to the crotch) .

Just for the record, I’m sure it breaks some law in some country (Sri Lanka?) to wear a shirt for race you never ran. I give them to my kids.

What struck me the most about this article was not the content, but the comments that followed, like this one:

“I have zero sympathy for the "sense of loss". Life is full of *real* stuff to mourn: people losing jobs, spouses, children, and the actual ability to walk or run. Training and then not being able to run is a bummer but it falls into the category of not being able to indulge in that weekend away. Anything longer than a few days of self-pity indicates a serious lack of perspective. Learning to count your blessings in a far less than tragedy situation like this is how resilience is built for when life *really* slaps you upside the head.”

Are we runners really such a group of whiney, self indulgent thugs who have completely lost perspective?

Yes, I have been guilty of getting caught up in running and having a one-track mind. Yet, just because I love to run and grieve the loss of not being able to a race or train does not mean I don’t “get” that there are worse tragedies in life. Give me a break. At the end of the day I know that running is not everything. But, it does make me happy so I miss it when I can’t do it. Like anything, when you want it and can’t have it, it hurts.

SUAR

PS: Stayed tuned later this week as I talk to would-be marathoner and gold medalist, Apolo Anton Ohno, who will be running New York on Sunday. I bet he is not whiney.