Run: The Boston Workout, by Ryan Hall

Ryan Hall is a man. 

Though that may be enough of a blog entry, I'll continue. 

Here's a video starring American runner Ryan Hall, entitled: 

Olé | The Ryan Hall Boston Marathon Workout

If Ryan's narration regarding his faith doesn't inspire you, plenty of inspiration will be found in his fluid running style (along with the insane times it results in) and the incredible scenery. 

In high school, my cross country coach would have us watch the form of top runners in slow motion, noting the high kickback of the heel, the forward drive of the knee, and the way the foot seems to just glance across the ground. This video lends itself perfectly to that kind of analysis.

Following this video, Ryan placed 3rd at the 2009 Boston Marathon in a time of 2:09:40

 

Ryan leads the men at Boston for the first 8 miles

 

 According to runwashington.com, Ryan was pleased with his 3rd place finish:

"I definitely felt like a rookie out there," he said. "I was learning as I went. I've been on the course before and got to jog the last 20 miles, but jogging it and racing it are two different things. I was in a lot of pain the last 10K. I've got some work to do but I'm young and I'll be back. I learned a lot."

"My plan was to run my own race from the get-go. I like to run fast, and I was like, I'm going to use these downhills and I'm going to find my right effort level. It was a tough day out there for everyone."

The full article can be found here.