Olympic spot in hand, Dathan Ritzenhein can enjoy the experience at the Trials

By George Schroeder

The Register-Guard

Monday was an easy day for Dathan Ritzenhein.

In the morning, he ran for an hour on Pre’s Trail. A relaxed pace, 61/2-minute miles. After a stretch, a strength workout, a massage and an ice bath, he took a short nap.

Monday evening, Ritzenhein headed to the garage, zipped himself into an anti-gravity treadmill and ran another 40 minutes — seven more miles, give or take.

Light duty. A day off, almost. The slacker.

“For me, 17 miles is an easy day,” Ritzenhein protests.

He laughs, sure. But when you consider the hard days — long runs of 20-plus miles, running at something near race pace — you understand these things are relative.