Ritz has a blog on thefinalsprint.com. This comes from the latest one.
Looking back, this competitive drive has always been there; just as it is in most athletes at this level. That’s how I got into running. I think I was 11 years old. Once I was able to run a few decent miles, I discovered a four mile course by my house that I began to run daily. Each day I would run the same course and try to improve my time. When I began middle school I was a middle of the pack kind of guy. I found that the harder I worked the more it paid off, so when I entered freshmen year of high school, I was still not the best on my team. Our team was very successful, and produced several division one college runners. That summer I chased Jason Hartmann around, pushing myself to the brink just to see how far my body could go. And by the end of my sophomore year I was able to reap the benefits of all my work, winning my first Prep National Title in the two mile.
The clock became my friend and foe through high school. I even kept a stop watch on my steering wheel in order to time myself to school, hoping for a new PR each morning, however, I don’t recommend that now. I even timed myself mowing the lawn. My dad had a tractor and I would put it in high gear and race around the yard, searching for the very last patch I missed. My dad always said he knew that I was mowing the lawn because he could see the cloud of dust behind me when he pulled into the driveway.
This is why I love this sport; competition. It doesn’t get any more pure than a one-on-one foot race against another person. Pure guts, hard work, and endurance. That is what kept me working hard on this break as well. I spent a lot of time on the Alter-G treadmill and I knew from all the lessons learned going back to my childhood that if I keep that competitive flame stoked at all times it is very easy to get a fire going again. That is why I have always come back from injuries and disappointment better than before. I keep that competitive edge by pushing myself when I don’t want to. Most people will take a vacation when they get hurt, but I push myself so that I can come back better than before. That has paid off for me again because I am now back training and my mind and body are both ready for the long road ahead to Beijing!