Time off :)))

No running since Brussels…….it feels really great. I have had a long, hard season. My first race was in late May (2000 m. record) and my last in late August (3000 m. record).

Updates from now on until I start my next season (about three…

weeks) will be on and off. I am taking an almost total mental and physical break from running, and I hope you understand this 🙂 I also have a ton of emails that I really want to answer, but I (like I said before) cannot guarantee that I will have time to email back all of you. But thank you for all the questions (some really good ones actually) and encouraging words.

I am also back studying at the University of Oslo. It feels nice to do something else.

Thank you all for supporting me through this running year. I have enjoyed receiving your encouraging emails, your messageboard discussions and your general interest in my running. I will continue to share my running career with you.

Very briefly from me,

Marius

New Norwegian/Nordic record in Brussels :)

I set a new personal record this evening in the 3000 meters here in Brussels. The time was 7.40.77. I was quite surprised, because I have been extremely tired after the World Champs in Edmunton. The stress there, travelling for over a month and the…

time zone change.

I was feeling fine during the race. I passed the 1000 meters in 2.34, 3 secs off the leaders. Then a 2.36 before a 2.30 last km. I picked up the record (old one 7.42) on the final 200 meters. The first 1000 meters I got easy because I had people to run right after. Then the last 1000 meters was just to push hard. I got 13th overall, behind a bunch of Africans. 10 seconds to the winner, so I am getting closer for every try. That is extremely insipring for me. I am 23 years old and got plenty of years in front of me.

The atmosphere was great on the stadium. 50 000 people…..it was LOUD. No wonder people produce good times here !

So now my season is over. And I am really satisfied. I got a 9th place in the World Champs, personal records in the 1500, 2000, 3000 and the 5000 meters, the last three Norwegian records, and the last two also Nordic records.

Time to rest…..take a nice break from running and just do nothing. Wish me good luck with it :)))

Marius, from Brussels Belgium

Leaving for Brussels tomorrow.

I am just about to leave for Brussels. I did a track session yesterday, and based on what I did, my expectations are not very high :))) I like to be positive before a race, but I also have to be realistic. So we will see. I do feel tired, and not as…

ready as usual, due to all the stress abound the World Champs (my whole body is still tired). But on the other hand, it will be great to run a 3000 meters and run in such a meeting in front of the crowd. So I will do my best.

I will evaluate the rest of the season after the Brussels meeting. The 5000 meters in Berlin was changed to 3000 meters. The 3000 meter in Brussels will be a good indications on what I want to do. I could do another 3000 meter if I feel fine, or just leave it with the Brussels 3000. I really do not plan much right now -as my seasons goal and peak is over.

Just briefly from me.

Marius 🙂

Participation list ready for Brussels

I have now received the list of runners entered in the Brussels Golden League 3000 meters. It is a very strong field :

El Guerrouj (7.23)
Mouhrit (7.26)
El Wardi (7.34)
Baba (pace ?)
Bakken (7.42)
Goucher (7.34)
Abate…

(7.41/13.00)
Limo (7.33)
Mekkonen (7.33)
Wolde (7.32)
Kipketer (7.34)
Kipkosgei (7.27)
Bitok (7.32)
B.Limo (7.28)
Kibowen (7.29)
Compernolle

With this kind of a field, there will be fast times. I am hoping they will throw some 7.37-42 guys in there also (usually that happens close to the race), but either way it will be ok. I have to get used to running in fields like this. As it looks now there are only three non-Africans in there, one ex-Marroccon and twelve Maroccons/Kenyans and Ethiopians :))

I am feeling fine in practice. No more really hard sessions this season. The races at the World Champs were plenty to boost the endurance. Now it is just to try and keep that feeling throughout the season. I did some easy strides on the track today, just to keep my legs going.

Marius

ps : For those of you that send me emails through this page, please be patient. I will try and answer most of them, but with so many mails coming in, it is really hard (especially when I am trying to update mb.com as well). But I do read them and appreciate receiving them 🙂

Back in Norway again

After some days with very little sleep (a little the night before the final, a couple of hours the day after, and none on the flight back), I have been dead tired, but am back in Norway again. It is great to be in my homecountry again. I have been…

travelling for a month now, and it is time to get into some regular routines again.

My next race of the season will be the 3000 meters at the Brussels Golden League the 24th of August, exactly two weeks after the Final at the World Champs. It will hopefully be plenty of time to get my legs fresh again and heal (an aggrevated) groin muscle injury. I am looking forward to running a 3000 meter now – I have not run one since my (first) Norwegian record last year of 7.42.05. It will also be interesting to see how my shape is after such a hard Championship.

Just a short update from me. Finally time for some good rest and sleep:)

Marius

Sgyhr reinstated – 10th place for me :)

I just got the message that Ismael Sghyr who was disqualified yesterday is reinstated again after an appeal. I watched the race on TV last night, and I could not see what he was doing that was enough to DQ him. He runs a little with his arms…

outwards, but still. So I think it was fair to let the appeal go through. He did beat me for 6th, so it is prefectly ok and right of course.

Today has been busy but nice. Lots of interviews and pictures. And I am really tired after a night with little sleep. It is hard to make your body rest after such an intense effort. And tomorrow I will leave early, so I have to go to bed early…..I have a looong flight ahead of me. But it is much nicer to travel when you feel you have done your best.

I had a short run this morning, and was sore in the groin injury but I could jog still. It will take a little bit of time until it is ready to race again. I just have to take it step by step.

Well, great day today, the day after my World Champs ended 🙂

Marius

9th at the World Champs :)

I finished ninth at todays 5000 meter at the World Champs here in Edmonton. Originally I was tenth, but Sghyr from France was disqualified right after the race.

I am extremely satisfied with the results. The pace was hard from the start, and…

I had decided together with Frank and Staale Jan that I would stay right at the tail of the field if the pace was fast. In that way, I could start catching people at the end. That exact thing happened. I was last for the first 3800 meters but took five guys on the last 3 laps. The whole first part of the race, I was just saying to myself : “Relax, relax, not all of those guys in front will keep that pace” In that way I motivated myself to push on. And at the end, I pushed in fron of Visciosa of Spain first, then El Wardi and Amyn of Marrocco, then El Himer of France. On the 300 meter mark to go I could see the back of Adam Goucher getting closer. At the 200 meter mark I kicked hard, and I think he was surprised and could not respond. Final 400 was around 56.8/9.

This whole championships has been great. I was calm before the race and just excited. All the final was, was a bonus for me, and I did not expect to do as well as ninth. Great for motivation :))!!

Tomorrow I will just relax and take it easy. The race today will guide me through the rest of the season. I really had to focus in the middle of the race, and it was hard both mentally and physically. But I got through it, and am really glad I took those decisions to push on.

More tomorrow, here from Edmonton :))

Marius

Official Results – 400 METRES HURDLES – Women – Final

Wednesday, August 08, 2001 – 19:45

Pos Lane Bib Athlete Country Mark React
1 4 537 Bidouane Nezha MAR 53.34 (WL) 0.153
2 5 693 Nosova Yuliya RUS 54.27 0.123
3 3 177 Pernía Daimí CUB 54.51 0.160…

4 6 809 Buford-Bailey Tonja USA 54.55 0.146
5 1 456 Parris Debbie-Ann JAM 54.68 0.151
6 7 656 Tirlea Ionela ROM 55.36 0.164
7 8 446 Hemmings Deon JAM 55.83 0.179
8 2 823 Glover Sandra USA 57.42 0.174

Ready for the Final on Friday :)

I have now tuned mentally and physically in on the Final of the World Champs on Friday. It will be a HARD race with all good runners. The slowest personal record in the race is 13.11 (Goucher). I cannot remember seeing such a field ever essembled in…

a Championships. You have had a better field in terms of a few really fast runners, but never the whole field better then 13.11. That will make the race extremely tough.

My expectations are is terms of what I am good for at the moment. Close to (or more then) 10 of the athletes in that field (3 Etiopians, 3 Kenyans, Said Sief, Garcia, Sghyr and Amyn) are just one step better then me at the moment – at any given race and speed. But then you have the other guys that I can fight with – plus that some of the 10 (that actually all have a chance of winning !) could have a difficult race for some reason. There are always possibilities out there, and I will take them if they appear.

I am feeling fine. The qualifying race seems to be out of my legs. Some work tomorrow and I will be ready to race at 22.35 Edmonton time Friday. I am really looking forward to it. It has been a dream to be in a Final like this and I have tried twice before (99 Worlds, 00 Olympics) I will use it as an experience and do my best. How well that will do, I have no idea. Either way it will be extremely tough. Wish me good luck !

Marius – last update before the race .

Jones Beaten on 100m

Results – 100 METRES – Women – Final

Monday, August 06, 2001 – 17:35 Wind: -0,3m/s

Pos Lane Bib Athlete Country Mark React
1 4 799 Pintusevich-Block Zhanna UKR 10.82 (WL) 0.123
2 3 830 Jones Marion USA…

10.85 0.146
3 5 361 Thánou Ekateríni GRE 10.91 (SB) 0.145
4 6 42 Sturrup Chandra BAH 11.02 0.154
5 1 821 Gaines Chryste USA 11.06 0.141
6 8 41 Ferguson Debbie BAH 11.13 0.189
7 7 855 White Kelli USA 11.15 0.151
8 2 578 Nku Mercy NGR 11.17 0.142