Count Canova 18" x 28"

Running Distance Coach Renato Canova 

 record time in the dollar challenge

This Painting is an  intersection of my running, coaching, and art. Combining an image of Kenyans running and a photo of Renato Canova (from photonet). I wanted to depict runners flowing from his thoughts. I used many light blues in the background. I kept the Kenyan singlets red added a lemon yellow to Canova's Adidas jacket. The color composition helps add intensity to the piece. Renato Canova is one of the greatest distance running coaches. He works with some of the fastest runners in the history of track and field, cross country, and road racing. 2011 was one of the most phenomenal years in Men's Marathon racing with the world record approaching 2:02 (4:41 per mile for 26.2 miles). One of Canova's athletes, Moses Mosop, ran his first  marathon in 2:03:06 (and came in second).

running in high-school

The first time I read anything about Renato was when I was training in Flagstaff, Arizona in 2003. I was fortunate enough to live with co-founder of Letsrun.com. I got hooked on the message boards when I found Renato Canova having in depth conversations on the message boards. He was sharing the workouts of Olympic Gold medalists and world record holders. At that time I had been running for over 12 years and was looking for new knowledge of how to get faster and push my limits in distance running. It was pretty amazing, he was sharing his philosophy, methodology, and technique. I started incorporating what he was sharing into my training. I started with plyometrics and circuit training soon I started long interval work and ran a 1:06 half marathon with no specific training.

400 at the NAU track

My training changed when I meet the first person to break 2:06 in the marathon, Khalid Khanouchi. I had been training with Patrick Kiptum, a 1:01 half marathoner who introduced me to Kenyan training and running with Khalid. I learned many things by running with Khalid; he trains hard all the time and is very focused. Also, his training was above my fitness level.  After training with Khalid I struggled to get back into hard training. Soon Weldon left, and I moved back to Maui with Cristina in 2005. However, I kept up with the sport of running through letsrun.com. I also payed attention to the evolving training methodology of Renato Canova.

Cristina running Front St Mile 2011

Back on Maui, I have been doing more and more running. In addition, Cristina and I have been getting involved in the running community by coaching, and participating in running events on the island. To learn more take a look at our running webiste: mauirunner.com.