Dathan Ritzenhein didn't waste time when he returned home from London. Dissatisfied with his Olympic performance, the distance runner took a trip to the Gatorade Sports Science Institute to take several tests and learn more about his body.
The GSSI, located in Illinois, is a research and education facility that teaches athletes of all sports about sports nutrition and exercise science. Ritzenhein met with experts and tested everything from his metabolic rate to his body composition. Making himself somewhat of a lab rat proved to be worthwhile: he discovered that his body went through heavy salt loss as he worked out, which is the likely cause of the cramping problems he has experienced in prior marathons.
"I think it's been really beneficial for me because I was able to find my weaknesses that I had and change my training so that I was able to train for all different types of workouts," he said.
The tests and training that he and many other athletes have undergone at GSSI are crucial for professionals of their caliber. As their knowledge of their bodies' needs grow, they are able to tailor their training and nutrition accordingly. This was not Ritzenhein's first trip to GSSI; he went before going to London as well and wanted to retest some of his strategies.
At the Olympic trials he barely missed qualifying for the marathon, but he was able to make it in the 10,000-meter race. He came in 13th place in the final. Though he enjoyed his time in London, he was somewhat disappointed by his performance.
"It was a little tough watching the marathons on the last day because I was so close to that team, but I still had a great experience with the 10,000. Now I've really turned my attention to the Chicago marathon," he said.
Ritzenhein has a lot to look forward to. In addition to the Chicago marathon being the next big event on his calendar, he is also hoping to have a chance for redemption at the next summer Olympics. Even though London is probably still cleaning up after hosting the games, for Ritzenhein it's not too soon to be dreaming of going to Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
"I think I'm still pretty young, so I hopefully have one or two Olympic cycles left in me still," he said. "As soon as the race is over you know, you turn your attention to four years later. It was on my mind pretty much right away after the race."
His preparation for Chicago and Rio de Janeiro includes staying healthy and implementing all the new strategies he has developed during his visits to GSSI. The next four years could be just what he needs to improve his marathon. Though he is conscious of his body's needs today, it wasn't always that way.
"When I was a kid I never really paid attention to what I ate or drank. Being able to adjust that and still have fun is important, but if you're training really hard you've got to be able to put good things in your body, too," he said.
"Most kids never pay attention to that. That's one thing I think they could definitely focus on."
For high school-age kids with dreams of running marathons, Ritzenhein recommends starting early and strength training, which tends to be neglected by young runners.
"Your body has to be strong enough to handle the training, and if you start that at a young age you can avoid a lot of the injuries that make it harder later," he said.
Even though young runners don't have access to the high-tech facilities and professional scientists of GSSI, there are still strategies that can help them prepare for future marathons. For Ritzenhein, that high-tech help could be just what he needs to make a major comeback in 2016.
Video Interview with Dathan after 2012 Marathon OTs in Houston
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