RM: How has your training been leading up to the 25k championships? Is this the BIG race that all of your training has been geared towards or just a stop on the way? Why is that? NA: My Training has been amazing for the past 3 months leading up to this race. Since joining the Hansons-Brooks team I have consistently run much more mileage than I have ever done before over a 3 month period. Plus the addition of workouts mixed in with all the mileage has made me feel much stronger and much more confident. This race is a pretty big race for me, but I really am using it as preparation for the Olympic Trials in November.
RM: When training for the 25k, do you train more like a marathoner, more like a 10k runner with some long runs or something totally different all togther? Why is that? NA: I would say in between. I'm doing the mileage required for a 25k race, but half of the workouts I have done have been 10k workouts in order to build my speed a little bit. The other half of the workouts have been at pace for the 25k.
RM: What would have to happen for you to walk away from the 25k championships with a sense of satisfaction or contentment? NA: Winning/American record would of course be the best thing I can think of. I would be Satisfied with a top 10 finish and running under 5:00 pace.
RM: Why did you choose to come race the 25k championships? NA: I don't quite know. This is actually the first year I have heard of it and it seemed like an obscure distance, which kind of intrigued me. I also felt that I need more preparation in longer championship road races.
RM: What will be the winning time this year and will an american win the overall race once again, like what happened last year? NA: The winning time will be in the 1:15s. It will be either Myself or Brian Sell, so yes, an American will win. I think I have better closing speed than Brian. I just need to be close to him with 1k to go.
Thanks for the great interview Nick! (Interview conducted by Nick Cordes)
