Rochester, MI

Jeff has been with the Hanson-Brooks distance running team for just over a year now. He came to Rochester by way of Brown University where he was a 2 x All-American in cross country. Since joining the team, Jeff has increased his mileage and intensity in attempts to push his limits and find out how far and how fast he can go. Read on to find out about what Jeff has been up to lately and what his plans for the future are.

RM:  Congrats on your recent run at Crim. The conditions were far from ideal but you were still able to run a sub 50 minute race and place as the top american. Were you happy with your time/place/performance?

JG: Hi Nick, thanks for interviewing me for RunMichigan, it is an honor to talk to you guys. The race at Crim was a lot of fun and it being my first time at the Crim it was quite the experience. Overall, I was pleased with the race, I had the plan to go out and run 5 minute pace for the first 5 miles and just feel out the course. Everyone had told me that the course got real hard at the 5 mile mark and I just wanted to be ready for that. When I hit the 5 mile mark I was 25 seconds back of the first Michigan runner, my teammate Marty Rosendahl. While I really didn't think I had a shot at getting back up with him, I remembered how much support the Michigan community gives our program and thought that it would be great for us to finish as the top two Michiganders, so I had to give it my best effort. The race itself was a success in terms of practicing patience and executing a race plan.


RM: How did the race play out? Did you go out with the leaders for a period of time or was the pace just too quick off the bat? When did you overtake every Michigan man in the field?

JG:The race went out very fast this year and I knew that my fitness level wasn't at the point yet to go out hard with the top guys. I knew that if I went out over my head the first few miles it was going to be a tough second half so I just took it easy and laid back. The Kenyans at these types of races can be a bit intimidating at first but I've seen my fellow Hansons-Brooks teammates improve to the point where they are no longer struggling to hold on to the Kenyans, but they are racing them, hunting them down like lions in the Savannah. I hope if I just keep plugging away, I can get there someday too. However, for now, I like to think of myself as a vulture, picking off those runners that go out too fast and run over their heads in the early miles. Patience is a big word in the vocabulary of a runner, and this race in particular tested my limits.

RM:  What are your goals and plans for this fall?

JG: This fall I will be running the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. This year we are sending almost all the Hansons-Brooks men and women to the race. The race director at Chicago, Carrie Pinkowski, has been great to our program and I am really excited to make my Marathon debut at such a prestigious race.

RM:  I just checked out your web site at peakperformance.cc and am impressed. My question for you is why should people go see you rather than someone else for their therapeutic and massage needs?

JG: Peak Performance was designed as a massage therapy clinic for athletes by athletes. There are many different forms of massage; Swedish, deep tissue, energy work, effleurage and all the things you might find at spas. While many of these massages feel good, they do not cater to the needs of athletes. As an elite athlete, I understand the stresses the body experiences while at a high level of training and I have first hand knowledge of the specific injuries that plague endurance athletes and what it takes to fix them. Visit peakperformance.cc to read more about us and how we can help you.




Thanks for the great interview Jeff! (Interview conducted by Nick Cordes)