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When Jared Ward was about halfway through the Olympic marathon in Rio, doubts started to creep into his head. He didnt feel good. Part of the pack he was in started to break away. Could he actually finish? Ward, a member of the U.S. Olympic team, was running only his fifth marathon ever and needed to find some way to get through the rest of the race.Not only did the 28-year-old Ward find a way to get through the mental challenges and finish, but he finished sixth overall -- in the Olympics -- in his fifth race.There were two keys for Ward to break through the doubt that could have cost him Olympic glory.The first was to think about the race in chunks -- getting through the next mile instead of trying to get through the entire race.The second was analytics.The chunking of a task is a well-known management strategy -- breaking huge projects down into small tasks that will be mentally less taxing and therefore more manageable. The use of analytics, though, particularly in the context of the Olympic marathon, is more novel.Given Wards rise, clearly he is not your typical runner. Dually inspired by his high school coaches and math teachers, Ward attended Brigham Young University to run cross country and study statistics. What Ward soon found out is that the BYU statistics department -- led by Dr. Gilbert Fellingham and Dr. Shane Reese -- has one of the top sports statistics groups in the country. BYU statistics alumni have worked for teams in the NFL and NBA as well as the U.S. Olympic Committee, and ESPNs sports analytics team.Fellingham took interest in Ward as both a student and an athlete, and began to encourage Ward to take a more analytical approach to his running. Wards BYU cross country coach, Ed Eyestone, also embraced this approach -- particularly when Ward used up his eligibility in cross country and turned his attention to marathons. Eyestone, as it happened, was a two-time U.S. Olympic marathoner who competed in 1988 (Seoul) and 1992 (Barcelona).At the urging of these mentors, Ward (who would become a BYU statistics professor himself) took both a macro and micro approach to the analytics of marathons.On the macro level, he looked at the research on marathon performance, and that data provided two important insights: (1) elite marathoners run at a fairly constant pace -- they dont speed up or slow down throughout the race; and (2) they use the terrain to their advantage -- speeding up on a downhill and slowing down on an uphill. These concepts formed the basis of a strategy to estimate a constant pace that Ward would try to match throughout the race, diverging only when the terrain dictated it.If you can get to mile 20 feeling like you are [at] 15, you have an easier time getting to the end, Ward said.On the micro level, Ward looked at data on his own performance to estimate what that pace should be. He used every one of his own workouts and races as a data point, and then used that data to look at the factors that positively and negatively impacted his performance. Finally, using several drills and workouts designed by Eyestone, as well as the terrain and weather conditions in Rio, he estimated the proper pace for his race that would get him a top-10 finish.This empirical work gave him confidence when he put his toe on the line in Rio, he could not only finish but also finish strong. ?The data says Im ready to run 2:10, said Ward. I believe that and can step on the line at the Olympic Games confident that I can hit the top 10.He also leaned on the analysis at that midway point of the race, when the aforementioned self-doubt crept in. He knew the research and analysis, trusting that if he kept to the plan -- even though some runners were breaking away from him -- he would have a top-10 finish. Armed with solid analytics and mental strength to push through his aching body, Ward crossed the finish line in sixth place with a personal-best time of 2:11:30.Wards story is about far more than analytics, but in a very real way, the analytics powered his Olympic performance. You can expect to hear from Ward -- and teammate Galen Rupp, who won the bronze medal in Rio, participating in just his second career marathon -- in the runup to the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo.Ward has certainly leaped into full world-class status, Eyestone told the Salt Lake Tribune. Youre top-six in the Olympic Games.Mark Grace Jersey .5 seconds to play in the game, Kevin Love never stopped believing that they would come out of there with a win. Jose Quintana Jersey . James, who turned 29 on Monday, injured his groin Friday during the Heats overtime loss at Sacramento. He sat out the following game, a 108-107 win Saturday in Portland, before coming back to help send the Nuggets to their seventh consecutive loss. http://www.thecubsteamshop.com/Cubs-Cole-Hamels-Kids-Jersey/ .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. Sammy Sosa Jersey . -- Running backs Darren McFadden and Rashad Jennings were back at practice for the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday despite being hampered by hamstring injuries. Willson Contreras Cubs Jersey . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race.Dak Prescott should keep Tony Romo on the bench.The rookie quarterback had another impressive game, leading the Cowboys to a 27-23 win at Washington. Prescott completed 22 of 30 passes for 292 yards, ran for a TD and drove Dallas 80 yards for the winning score late in the fourth quarter.Prescott has yet to have a turnover in two games. The Cowboys were 1-11 without Romo last season. Theyre already 1-1 without him this year. If Prescott continues to play well, many will question whether Romo deserves to start when he returns.Romo is in the third season of a six-year, $108 million contract. Hes been to four Pro Bowls and had a career year in 2014, his last injury-free season. When hes healthy, hell start.Here are other overreactions following Week 2:OVERREACTION: The Browns are going 0-16. They couldnt even win after taking a 20-0 lead at home against Baltimore.REALISTIC REACTION: This will lead the list until Cleveland wins a game -- in 2016 or 2017.---OVERREACTION: Kirk Cousins and the Redskins (0-2) were a fluke in 2015. Cousins threw a critical end-zone interception that led to Dallas scoring the winning TD.REALISTIC REACTION: Washington was 4-6 last season before Cousins led them to six straight wins and a division title. Way too early to count them out in the NFC East.---OVERREACTION: Steve Spagnuolos defense will lead the Giants (2-0) to the playoffs. After allowing Drew Brees to throw for 511 yards and an NFL-tying seven touchdowns last year, New York limited the Saints to 288 yards in a 16-13 win.REALISTIC REACTION: The Giants have improved on D, but this teams success falls on Eli Manning and Ben McAdoos high-powered offense.---OVERREACTION: Super Cam is back. Newton threw for 353 yards and four touchdowns , in Carolinas 46-27 win over San Francisco after taking a beating in a season-opening loss to Denver.REALISTIC REACTION: Theres a reason why Newton is reigning NFL MVP, but the 49ers are no BBroncos.dddddddddddd---OVERREACTION: Rex Ryan will be the first coach fired. The Bills are 0-2 and Ryan already dismissed offensive coordinator Greg Roman.REALISTIC REACTION: Ryan has three seasons and more than $15 million remaining on his contract. The Bills have to implode for him to lose his job.---OVERREACTION: The Patriots can win with receiver Julian Edelman at quarterback. After Jimmy Garoppolo got hurt , rookie Jacoby Brissett came in and New England (2-0) still beat Miami.REALISTIC REACTION: They need Tom Brady back ASAP.---OVERREACTION: Brock Osweiler was worth the big contract. He has the Texans off to a 2-0 start.REALISTIC REACTION: Osweiler threw two picks against the Chiefs and only led the offense to just one TD. Houstons defense deserves credit for the win.---OVERREACTION: The real Jameis Winston showed up against the Cardinals. After a four-touchdown performance in a win at Atlanta, Winston turned the ball over five times with four interceptions and one fumble in a loss at Arizona.REALISTIC REACTION: Arizonas defense has made some of the best quarterbacks look ordinary in recent seasons.---OVERREACTION: The Jags are still the Jags. This was supposed be a breakout year for the Jaguars, but theyre 0-2 for the fourth time in five seasons.REALISTIC REACTION: So 8-8 isnt looking good, but theyre not going 0-16.---OVERREACTION: Carson Wentz is the next Peyton Manning. Wentz has the Eagles off to a 2-0 start and hes the first rookie QB in NFL history to start his career with two wins and zero turnovers. Hes already one win shy of tying Mannings rookie season.REALISTIC REACTION: Wentz has been impressive , but he beat the Browns and Bears.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Rob Maaddi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP-RobMaaddi ' ' '