Meet Ryan Meissen: one of Wisconsin's top marathon runners over the past 10 years

Photo by Bill Flaws – Running in the USA

Check out ThunderDome Running's interview with 2x United States Olympic Trials Marathon qualifier and 2:18 marathoner Ryan Meissen from Mukwonago, WI. Ryan has been running for 22 years and has a half marathon personal best of 1:04:19!  Ryan just raced to the Lakefront Marathon title for the 2nd time racing to a 2:28:23.

We caught up with Ryan to see how he trains for his key marathons and how he fits everything in with family, work, and training.

How was your training similar or different from prior marathon training cycles leading up to the 2013 Lakefront Marathon win this year? 
I ran about 50-60 percent of the volume I ran 5 years ago. I still run 20 mile or longer long runs but not as many. I also mixed in a little speed before my marathon segment this time.

When you qualified for the USA Olympic Marathon Trials (2x qualifier) what was a typical training week for you like during a heavy volume of training period? 
I ran between 120 and 150 miles per week with 2 workouts and a 20 mile or longer long run on Sun.

How do you fit marathon training & running into your busy life/family schedule? 
I have reduced the marathon training to about 80 miles per week. I run many runs before work starting around 4:30 am. I try and get one quality workout a week and a long run near 20 miles ever other week. I also push my son Croix in the BOB jogger for easy runs. Planning a run is much more important than it used to be.

What is your favorite half marathon/marathon training workout? 
I enjoy the steady long run with a few marathon pace miles at the end.

Any pre-race superstitions?  
I always wake up 3 hours before any race. The rest of my ritual is top secret. Setting a plan and replicating it before all races is a great approach.

ThunderDome is hiring a Marketing/Promotions Intern

Are you a runner preparing for a career in sports &/or marketing? If you are we'd love to have you as our Marketing/Promotions Intern! Read below and if interested please email your resume to info@thunderdomerunning.com.

JOB DESCRIPTION:  Assist ThunderDome Running with marketing & promotional projects.  Duties will include, but are not limited to:

Marketing
- Marketing the business through direct mail, email, social media, participating in events, etc.
- Write blog entries
- Blog content ideas
- Update Facebook & Twitter
- Research advertising opportunities
- Promotion ideas
- E-newsletters – create & write content
- Seek out marketing opportunities & cross promotion opportunities

Promotion
- Distribute promotional materials at events such as road races, fitness expos, etc.
- Represent ThunderDome Running in a professional manner
- Research potential promotional events

Qualifications
- Candidate should have completed at least 1 year of college; preferably working towards a sports and/or marketing related degree
- Self motivated
- Timely follow up & follow through
- Excellent oral & written communication skills
- Outstanding customer service skills
- Experience with Facebook & Twitter
- Computer/PC skills
- Friendly, upbeat & outgoing personality
- Able to work with little supervision; will be working from home the majority of the time
- Knowledge of running/track
- Experience in cross country and/or track & field at the high school or college level is ideal

COMPENSATION:  This internship is unpaid and on a voluntary basis. Intern will receive ThunderDome apparel & entry fees to participate in select road races.

COMMITMENT:  16 weeks with an average of 8 or more hours/week.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: 
(1) Understand the responsibilities involved in marketing/promoting a small business.
(2) Represent the business and feel confident in promoting our services
(3) Understand the branding of ThunderDome Running
(4) Improve communication skills – networking, conversing, advertising, social media, writing, etc.
(5) Network with other businesses and athletes to further expand ThunderDome Running
(6) Be responsible for daily marketing activities for the business.
(7) Expand your knowledge of the sport of running.

ThunderDome Running featured on Tips 4 Running

ThunderDome Running was recently interviewed on a great running website Tips4Running. Check it out. We were honored to be interviewed, it is a great resource for runners.

Team up with Saucony & ThunderDome Running to FIND YOUR STRONG

The Saucony Find Your Strong Project

Last year Saucony kicked off our FIND YOUR STRONG campaign by asking the running community "What is Strong?". This year, Saucony is helping runners answer this question with the #FindYourStrong project on Saucony.com. Each week for 12 weeks, we'll be issuing challenges to the community, and along the way showing them inspirational stories of Strong.  ThunderDome Running has teamed up with Saucony to help get runners out the door each day and to the starting line.  Check out this inspiring and challenging program each week, and get yourselves motivated & fit!!

Get out and run. 

Good luck to all ThunderDome Runners & running community racing the Boston Marathon.

 

Ditch the GPS/watch

Runners have to know pace by feeling eventually if you want to be successful. Knowing if the pace is too fast or slow without the aid of a watch or GPS is as important as getting into the habit of negative splitting races.  This runner trait is feeling pace is needed early on in a race--say that first 1/2 mile....when possibly your GPS is messing up or you are not quite yet to a race mile marker or where a race course has mile markers that are off and not accurate.  There comes a point where you can be a better runner without the outside aid of some kind of watch, and a good way to practice this habit is to run at least one easy day run a week without a watch/GPS and every other week one road tempo/pace type workout without a watch. Just go by feeling.

For your no watch/GPS days you will most likely be running one of your own courses that you have already measured so even if it is a workout just get your finish time back at the start with a watch you started as you began your run.  I have done this several times on say a 10 mile negative split workout day run. Go by feel the entire way, dropping pace, controlling effort, and just listening to the legs on how hard to push.  Try this no watch test you will be a better runner for it.  Plus on the easy days you will not be tempted to run too fast if your legs feel like garbage because you are used to sticking to a certain pace.

Running 101

Every runner should keep a daily training log!  A training journal from 5 or 10 years ago is not only fun to look back at but the past training X's & O's can be a training tool to help with your current training. Just keep in mind that there is no single "exact same training block" compared to a past training block or race build up. This comparison is true when everything is going right or not so hot.  No single training block/period leading up to a race can be compared exactly to a previous block of training, because there are so many other variables that come into play like age, current fitness, or just outside of running stresses. Learn from the training log of the past but do not let it rule you.

ThunderDome Athletes Roll at the Chicago Shamrock 8k

Over the weekend ThunderDome runners raced in the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle in Chicago the world's largest 8k.  The 2012 edition of the Shamrock Shuffle was a deep year in terms of competition & fast race times so it was a great March test of fitness for everyone.  In the 34,000+ race field ThunderDome runner's Keith Mullholon (Lake Geneva, WI) & Marek Kotrly (Brookfield, WI) placed 2nd & 3rd respectively in the master's race field with times of 25:31 & 26:43.  Those times were good for 64th and 98th overall. Marek's time was a massive PR and both took advantage of the competition and awesome race weather. 

This was the fourth year the Shamrock Shuffle 8k had an Elite club team competition. The Elite club competition features teams from all over the United States made up of 4-5 runners with the top 4 runners finish times added up for overall placing.  For the first time ThunderDome Running sent a team to the competition and placed 11th overall.  It was a deep race field with the Hanson's Olympic Development team winning the overall team competition.  Thunderdome was led by Matt Thull racing to a time of 24:17 & placing 22nd overall.

Continue to follow what ThunderDome Runners are up to this spring as ThunderDome has runnners racing in Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, Alabama, & in the Boston marathon over the next 2 months.