Pirate Galaxy » year-old Smith, a fourth-round pick of Kansas

Distance running was revered because it was indispensable. It was the way we survived and thrived and spread across the planet. You ran to eat and to avoid being eaten; you ran to find a mate and impress her, and with her you ran off to start a new life together. You had to love running, or you wouldnt live to love anything else. - Christopher McDougall in Born To RunBy the time the mens marathon was staged in Rio, on the last day of the Olympics as per tradition, the average Indian fan had switched off. It was the first time since Rome 1960 that India had three in the field, though, for Thonakal Gopi - one among Indias three male marathoners in Rio, it didnt matter that his event wasnt among the most closely followed in the country. He was living a dream.Being at the Olympics was an incredible experience, he says, The target I had set myself was to breach the 2:12 national record. The record was set by Shivnath Singh in Jalandhar way back in 1978.Clocking his personal best, Gopi finished a second shy of compatriot Kheta Ram, at 2:15:26 in 26th position in a field of 155 marathoners in Rio. Nitendra Rawat, the more accomplished marathon runner of the three, finished 84th. Gopi, though isnt new to pulling off surprises. His Olympic qualification itself was a huge surprise considering the marathon was never an event he trained for or competed in.At the Mumbai marathon earlier this year, Gopi, who had never before participated in a full marathon, was brought in as a pace-setter for Rawat. He was supposed to drop out after 30 kms. He didnt. And it paid off.Finishing 37 seconds behind Rawat at 2:16:15, Gopi, primarily a 10000m athlete, wore a look of disbelief when he learnt that he had qualified for the marathon event in Rio. I never imagined that I would compete in a full marathon and qualify for the Olympics, says Gopi, who names Mo Farah among his idols, I hadnt even trained for it. Maybe the intensity and continuity I put in my training for 10000m helped.42.1 kms or 26.2 miles, the distance covered at a marathon, is probably one that most of us take 21 days to complete given we walk/jog at least 2kms daily. The ability to judge pace-setting is one of the most crucial tactics in a marathon. Running too slow at the start to save up on energy may result in not being able to inject a quick burst of speed so as to take the lead. While a thrust on speed early on could mean losing advantage and steam towards the finish.Right through the run I was thinking of the 2:12 record and how I would have to cover a km in 3.8s to touch that mark, he says, Its obviously not feasible to maintain that timing in every km. After a certain point in the marathon your mind begins feeling unsettled, your body fatigued and your muscles begin to get tight. I felt I was losing control over my arms and feet and moved my arms back and forth swiftly to try to regain command.Gopi was clearly in the lead among the Indians for the larger part of the race. Completing the 30km mark in 1:34:59, the Kerala runner moved into 39th position. Kheta and Rawat were at 52nd and 93rd respectively. In the next five km stretch, Kheta jumped a few places to be placed at 37th, with Gopi three places ahead of him. Soon enough the pair in the identical blue jerseys were racing alongside each other. Only after I crossed 33 kms did I notice that Kheta was right behind me, says Gopi, His presence worked as a support for me. I told myself OK, now for the rest of the race I can go alongside him.The 28 year-old admits though that he wasnt too happy with the scheduling of the event in Rio. A 9:30 am start meant that you finish around afternoon when the heat is at its worst. Luckily during our event there were light showers but during the womens marathon, it was scorching. He, was, however, prompt to suggest that he did not face any problem with regard to the facilitation of drinks during the race, unlike female marathoner OP Jaisha. I had trained with personalized drinks and used them during the race as well. My coach was there at the station to ensure everything was in place.?Ahead of the Olympics, a ten-month training stint at a high-altitude Ooty facility was coach Surendra Singh Bhandaris way of preparing his wards, Gopi, Kheta and Rawat, for the rigours of a road race. Training at a high altitude helps increase your heart and lung capacity, says Bhandari, who serves as an athletics coach at the Army Institute of Sports in Pune.The main focus has been on endurance and we divide our sessions into basic, preparatory and specific, bringing in speed training four weeks before the competition. Our usual sessions are of three hours in the morning and two in the evening and touch 300km a week during endurance training. Gopi is still new to marathon and his threshold for holding his body together during a race will only get better with increased endurance training.In speed training, Bhandari goes on to fill us in, the idea is to lessen the number of kilometres covered in the weeks preceding the event. Starting with 120-130 kms four weeks before the event, its tapered down to 40-50 km and lesser progressively with the sole thrust on speed.?After 30 kms, my hamstring and calves were hurting. Thats how I slowed down towards the end, says Gopi, Also in the final 3kms the road had a tiled feel to it and since there was a light drizzle it was slippery.Fatigue, cramps and hamstring pulls can be delayed with increased training, says Bhandari, even if not entirely averted. As opposed to a 100m sprint which lasts no more than 10 seconds, its essence lying in speed and its nature being almost entirely anaerobic, in a marathon, which typically spans over two hours, the body uses up its last reserves of energy. An extreme and lonely sport, marathon pushes your mind and body to the edge.The carbohydrate and fat reserves are used up 90 minutes into the race, he says, That explains why cramps set in post the 30 km mark. The body then begins to convert protein into energy. With more endurance training the onset of fatigue can be delayed, bit by bit. We have to push it to 42 km.Hailing from the town of Suthan Bathery, in Wayanad, Kerala, situated at an altitude of 1000m above sea level, Gopi, whose farmer parents alternately grew rice and ginger on their patch of land to bring food on the table, always had an innate love for running. I was into running right from my school years, he says.While I was in college I tried my hand at half marathon too. As the sport grew more integral to his life, he knew he had to find a way to support both his needs and that of the family. A steady, sustained income was crucial, thats how I took up a job in the Indian Army through the sports quota, says the Havaldar in the Artillery regiment.Gopi doesnt recall when he fell in love with running. It was, he feels, always encoded in his system. There is no money in running. But I cant think of another sport I would want to pursue for life, he says, Nothing equals the feeling of running.Or as McDougall put it succinctly: We were born to run; we were born because we run.Orioles Jerseys China .ca! Hi Kerry, Heres an interesting one. I know its common knowledge that all players are responsible for their sticks. We witnessed that when Zack Kassian hit Edmontons Sam Gagner in the face after a missed check. Baltimore Orioles Shirts . They had already blown a double-digit lead, fans were hitting the exits, and a long seven-game road trip waited at the end. https://www.cheaporioles.com/ . Once again, DeLaet finished tied for second at a PGA Tour stop on the weekend, this time at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The pride of Weyburn, Sask. Orioles Jerseys 2020 . -- There were so many positives from the Orlando Magics first victory of the season that it was hard for coach Jacque Vaughn to stop praising his players. Wholesale Orioles Jerseys . Haas said he "felt a lot of pain" in his right shoulder when he slammed his racket to the ground in frustration after losing his serve at 3-3 in the first set.KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Just about the only thing that Justin Maxwell knew about the Kansas City Royals when he showed up to the ballpark Wednesday was that they were in the playoff hunt. Turns out thats precisely why the Royals wanted him. With an eye on the post-season for the first time in a decade, the Royals traded minor league pitcher Kyle Smith to the Houston Astros to acquire the speedy Maxwell, giving them a right-handed bat to help balance out the lineup for the stretch run. "It was definitely a surprise. I was on my way to the ballpark and (Astros GM) Jeff (Luhnow) gave me a call with the news," Maxwell said. "I dont really know much about Kansas City, but Im excited. Its a team in the wild-card hunt, or at least thats what Ive been told." Maxwell was expected to join the Royals in time for the series finale Thursday in Minnesota. Kansas City will have to make a corresponding roster move then. Kansas City had won seven straight entering Wednesday nights game at Minnesota, climbing above .500 and positioning itself to play meaningful baseball in August for the first time since 2003, when the club finished 83-79 for its only winning season since 1993. Still, the Royals were 7 1/2 games out of first place, so there was just as much speculation that theyd be sellers at the trade deadline as chatter about picking up some help. "I just think everybodys excited with the way theyre playing. I think everybody to a man has confidence in everybody on this team, and a little bit of help helps," Yost said after the deadline passed. "I think they feel as a group what weve got here is enough to compete with." Right-hander Ervin Santana was the name brought up most often in trade rumours. Hes in the final year of his contract and could be too costly for the Royals in free agency, especially after a resurgent season. Santana is 7-6 with a career-best 3.03 ERA. Santana had made it clear that he wanted to remain with the Royals, though, and even counted down the minutes on Twitter until the 4 p.m. EDT trade deadline had passed. "Yessssssss!!!!!!," Santana tweeted afterward.dddddddddddd"Lets go get em!!!!!" Well, the Royals will go get em with a new outfielder to help out. They were seeking a right-handed outfielder prior to the non-waiver trade deadline, and at least on paper achieved their goal. Maxwell is hitting just .214 with two homers and eight RBIs in 40 games this season, but hes hitting .302 against left-handed pitchers. Yost said hed play him at any of the outfield spots but mostly off the bench as a pinch hitter or defensive replacement. Maxwell fits the bill for relatively cheap, too: Hes making $492,500 if he spends the entire season in the majors, and the Royals will have him under control through 2016. "I definitely enjoyed my experience here in Houston. It was my first extended time in the big leagues," Maxwell said. "I had a lot of fun this year and last year, met a lot of great guys on this team. I just wish them all the best." In return for Maxwell, the Astros picked up 20-year-old Smith, a fourth-round pick of Kansas City in the 2011 amateur draft. Hes 5-4 with a 2.85 ERA at Class-A Wilmington this season. Maxwells career has so far been filled with more downs than ups. He broke into the big leagues as a 23-year-old with the Nationals in 2007, but only played in 108 games over the next three seasons. He was traded to the Yankees in 2011 and then claimed off waivers by Houston, where hes spent the past two seasons. Maxwell hit 18 homers and 53 RBIS last season, and the Astros were hopeful of a late-career breakout this season. But he broke his hand while getting hit by a pitch in late April, and then sustained a concussion in late June while trying to make a diving catch. "The season didnt go the way I wanted it to," Maxwell said, "but I still have a chance to finish it out strong and thats what Im looking to do now." While hes expected to share time with David Lough in right field, Maxwell could become even more valuable if the Royals are without centre fielder Lorenzo Cain for an extended period of time. Cain hurt his left groin on Saturday. ' ' '