Oct 21, 2008
Mike Morgan -Hansons- US Marathon Champs- 4th place Views- 555

Mike Morgan ran 2:17:58 to finish 4th in the US Marathon Championships that were held in the Twin Cities on Oct. 5th. After a very successful past few years of marathoning that included stints on the World Championship team and the last Olympic Trials, Mike was ready to bang heads with the best in the US. Read on to find out about his race and future plans.


RM: How was your training going into the US Marathon Champs? Was the type of training you did to prepare for the marathon the same type of training as past marathons, or did you try something new? Why or Why not?


MM: My training was great. I was a lot more aggressive for this marathon, my weakly volume got as high as 150 miles, my workout pace was the fastest that I have had, and my daily runs had some pretty good quality to them. I am still learning the marathon, so I enjoyed trying a couple of different things to test my limits.



RM: What was your goal going into the championships, with regard to place and time? Was there any other motivation for you outside those two factors and if so, what and why?


MM: Heading into the Championships, I felt that my training was geared for the mid 2:13 range. I felt that I would have an opportunity to run near the front and possibly come away with the win. Obviously putting myself in position to make the 2009 World Championships was at the top of my list for motivation.



RM: On race morning, what was your thought process like with regard to the bad weather report and how you would attempt to run the race? How did you feel you did with regard to implementing your strategy for the race?


MM: The Hanson's and I had developed a great race plan about a week out from the race. When the weather report deteriorated, my plan didn't change, just the times associated with the plan had to go. Like an amateur, I abandoned my race plan a little too early and ended up paying for it towards the end of the race.



RM: Describe the race a bit, with regard to how you felt at different times throughout the race. Were you able to keep your cool throughout the race or did you lose it a few times?


MM: The race was very sloppy. The water stops were the worst that I have ever seen. Our first stop wasn't until mile five, then the bottles were jammed together causing them to go flying when everyone went for them. I stopped to pick my bottle up from under the table because I flt it was that important. I think that because of the slow pace, more people were in the lead pack longer, so there was a lot going on. I think that for the most part, I kept my cool, which is unusual for me. See, I have small guy syndrome so I get angry fast and easy when running around others.



RM: How does it feel to have a qualifier for the next Olympic marathon trials? How will having that effect your training and racing plans for the upcoming years?

MM: In this sport you never know what can happen, so It's great to have that qualifier taken care of. The only thing that it might change is my approach to my next marathon, I won't have to play it conservatively to hit a time.


RM: What is up next in your racing plans and how much time off do you plan on giving yourself?

MM: I just wrapped up my downtime with 10 days completely off. Over the next year or so, I plan on working on my foot speed a bit. This could really get ugly because under a half marathon, I am not fast at all. Hopefully it will contribute to improvement in my future marathons.