Road to Houston Recap

We are now in the week of the race and this page will serve as a quick recap of the previews and interviews. I'll add everything to this page as we go along as well. Good news on my end as well, as I just booked my flight, hotel and rental car for the weekend. I will be in Houston! I look forward to meeting everyone. If you'll be in attendance, send me an email.

Early Predictions
Published on December 18, 2011

Check out early race previews before declarations:

Click here for Men's Race early preview

Click here for the Women's Race early preview

5 Questions with Joe Moore
Published on December 20, 2011

"There was a tight turn at the finish, and I saw the clock tick over 1:04:50, and I knew I had it. It was more just a huge relief that I had finally gotten it."

Click here to read the Joe Moore interview

5 Questions with Molly Pritz
Published on December 23, 2011

"Both in training and the race I found an inner strength I never knew I had and I'd like to think that my NYC experience has not only made me a stronger runner, but a stronger person in every aspect of life."

Click here to read the Molly Pritz interview

5 Questions with Addie Bracy
Published on  December 27, 2011

"It took me a year or two to adjust to the difference in training, as well as my training environment. It wasn't until the last 8 months that I really felt that I had a breakthrough."

Click here to read the Addie Bracy interview

5 Questions with Danny Mercado
Published on December 28, 2011

"But after tireless nagging from the guys, Greg decided to give me a shot. From there, everything just clicked."

Click here to read the Danny Mercado interview

5 Questions with Tyler McCandless
Published on December 30, 2011

"How big was Kauai for me? It was really a game-changer. Financially, it was important because I was able to use that money for a down-payment on a house."

Click here to read the Tyler McCandless interview

5 Questions with Meagan Nedlo
Published on December 31, 2011

"It was such an incredible, incredulous offer that I had no choice but to say yes! And so that's how I began my first collegiate track season at the ripe old age of 26."

Click here to read the Meagan Nedlo interview

5 Questions with Brent Vaughn
Published on January 1, 2012

"My goal at the trials is to make the team. I think thats the reason I'm running. Training has gone very well and I think strange things sometimes happen over the marathon distance "

Click here to read the Brent Vaughn interview

5 Questions with Drew Polley
Published on January 2, 2012

"The fact that my training partners and I have handled most of the workouts pretty well doesn’t change the goals we set at the beginning of the segment though. The Hanson bosses will tell you that it is important to stick to your plan and run your own race!"

Click here to read the Drew Polley interview

5 Questions with Fernando Cabada
Published on January 3, 2012

"I have what it takes. I've won 3 USA Championships... and am in better shape now. If I was to run a 2:08 on January 14th, that wouldn't surprise me. I've been due for a performance like that. It's on and I'm ready for any kind of race."

Click here to read the Fernando Cabada interview

5 Questions with Jesse Armijo
Published on January 5, 2012

"I'm more of a racer, but in the marathon, all my pervious performances were calculated failures by going out with a watch and clicking off even splits, until I inevitability faded. At CIM, I decided to just race."

Click here to read the Jesse Armijo interview

5 Questions with Ricky Flynn
Published on January 7, 2012

"I ended up going to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half and had a really good race with some good guys to run with and it worked out really well. It was a huge weight off my chest when I hit the time and I surprised myself a little bit by being that far under 65:00. It was a great feeling."

Click here to read the Ricky Flynn interview

Watch out for the Wild Cards
Published on January 11, 2012

Here we take a look at some of the overlooked competitors and wonder who will be this year's Brian Sell. We feature Bak, Cabada, Hartmann, Lehmkuhle and Morgan, Cherobon-Bawcom, Hastings, Kastor, Rhines and the newly-signed (to Asics) Molly Pritz.

Click here to read the full article

5 Questions with Luke Puskedra
Published on January 13, 2012

"I feel that I have underachieved on the track compared to results in Cross Country and the workouts I’ve done. I’d like to run fast in the 5000 and 10,000 and win some team titles... to finish off my college career."

Click here to read the Luke Puskedra interview

First impressions of Houston and Predictions
Published on January 13, 2012

I give my predictions for who I think is going to make the team for the 2012 London Olympic Games and give thanks for the people that showed me around today and recognize my fellow "unofficial track press."

Read the full article with predictions here

Meb and Shalane triumph, while Abdi surprises in Olympic Trials Marathon
Published on January 14, 2012

The results went pretty much to prediction, with the exception of Abdi Abdirahman beating out Ritz for the third and final Olympic spot. Meb and Hall qualified as well, with Shalane, Desi and Kara on the Women's side.

Read the full article on the race here

Final Trials Thoughts and Fantasy Recap
Published January 16, 2012

Houston put on an excellent show this weekend. The trials lived up to the hype and I also made the podium in the highly competitive fantasy draft.

Read my thoughts and get the fantasy scoop here

Bookmark this page for continued coverage of the 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston, TX on January 14, 2012.

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Road to Houston: 5 Questions with Olympic Trials competitor, Ricky Flynn

Today, we were lucky enough to have 5 Questions with a former Division III National Champion on his "Road to Houston." We'll have more interviews and previews next week as we lead up to the big day (one week from today) on January 14, 2012.

Ricky Flynn was a State Champion in high school and a National Champion in college at Division III Lynchburg College. He just finished graduate school there and qualified for the trials as well, running a 1:04:14 at the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon. Follow him on Twitter here.

5 Questions with Ricky Flynn

1. Writing About Running: Running at the Division III Lynchburg College, you were a seven time All-American. Why Lynchburg? and what were some of your PR's coming out?

Ricky Flynn: When I was looking at colleges, I had first thought I wanted to go DI, but after getting into the college search, I realized I would better fit at a DIII school. My brother had gone to Lynchburg, so that's where I looked first, and ended up not having a lot of time to look at other DIII schools, and decided Lynchburg was the place for me.
Coming out of college, I had PR's of 30:03 for 10,000, 14:25 for 5000, 3:51 for 1500, and 8:31 for 3k.

2. Writing About Running: You qualified for the trials at the Woodrow Wilson Half in 1:04:14. How'd it feel to qualify?

Ricky Flynn: It felt amazing to be able to hit the qualifying time. I went into the race knowing it was a possibility, but wasn't sure if I would do it at that race, since I hadn't really peaked my training for that time and I had a tough race at the Virginia 10 miler the week before. Originally, I was shooting for a November half qualifier at Richmond or Philly, but then I saw this race in October and it was a week after a really good race at the 10 miler and I decided I would give it a shot and see what happens. So I ended up going to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half and had a really good race with some good guys to run with and it worked out really well. It was a huge weight off my chest when I hit the time and I surprised myself a little bit by being that far under 65:00. It was a great feeling.

Flynn won the DIII Cross Country
National Championship in 2009

3. Writing About Running: After you lauded college career, aside from Woodrow Wilson, what have been some of your biggest races in the past few years?

Ricky Flynn: I would say that the qualifying time is up there with my DIII XC national championship in 2009. That, along with my 2003 Marylnd Cross Country State Championship, are my three so-called career highlights. Also, it was a big milestone to go under the 14 minute barrier for 5000 at the Raleigh Relays in March of 2011. That was very unexpected and kind of surreal, since I only ran 14:25 the prior year in college.

4. Writing About Running: The trials will be your debut in the marathon. What is your goal for the race and the weekend in general?

Ricky Flynn: Yes, the trials will be my debut at the marathon distance and my first race longer than a half marathon, ever. I am looking forward to seeing how I hold up for the marathon distance. To be honest, my goals are very vague, I just want to go into the race with a positive attitude and see what happens. I would just like to have a solid debut. I can't expect too much, considering it is my first one, but I would just like to enjoy the weekend and if I can come out of it with a decent time, then that is a plus. All in all, I just want to go out there and run hard for 26.2 miles and if I can do that, then hopefully a solid time will come along with that. I also want to make sure I enjoy the experience and the whole weekend in general.

Back to the track

5. Writing About Running: What are your goals beyond the trials?

Ricky Flynn: My goals beyond the trials are more of a take it as it comes approach. I know I would like to take a little down time after the trials and then starting gearing up for the track season and see if I can't lower my 5000 and 10,000 PR's (13:59 and 29:21). Then after that, maybe throw in another marathon training season for a fast fall marathon. I also am currently looking for a more permanent career type job, so that is another goal of mine here in the next year or so.

Stay tuned for more articles this upcoming week and continued coverage leading up to the 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston, TX on January 14, 2012.

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