RM: What type of training did you do to prepare yourself for the Bayshore Marathon?NA: I kept my mileage a little lower to start the segment versus my training for Chicago in the fall. Things started well and I was in the upper 80's to lower 90's with an 18-20 miler every week until mid April. It seemed the wheels fell off for me and my weekly mileage ranged from 28-76 over the last six weeks. My fitness going in to Bayshore was not as solid as it was for Chicago so I really didn't know what to expect.
RM: What were your goals for the race and why?NA: Initially the goal was to qualify for the Olympic Trials. After a pretty bumpy segment I went into the race with little confidence in achieving that task. The day of I thought top three would be nice but I didn't really have a time in mind. The plan was to go out in the high 5:20's to low 5:30's for the first 8-12 and see what happens. I thought that was the best plan for me to run well. If I couldn't get faster off of that or even maintain, I wouldn't have been able to run 5:24's anyway.
RM: When did you feel like you had the race won and how did that feel?NA: I was pretty sure I had the race when I took over the lead at 15 miles. Nobody went with me and I was feeling real strong at that point. I held strong as the miles went by and I felt less worried about not winning the race, and started to realize that I might have a shot at 2:22. I really wasn't that concerned with winning, but it was nice to run that kind of race pretty much solo coming from the type of segment I know I had.
RM: When you crossed the finish line first but were just over the Olympic Trials time standard, what emotion won out? NA: I didn't think I was as close as it was until almost 2 hours later. The clock at the finish was off and I didn't check my watch right away after crossing the line. I thought I was closer to 45 seconds to a minute, but when I heard 16 at the awards it was bittersweet. Initially I was happy with the run but as time passed on I started to think about how close I was more and more.
RM: Will you attempt another marathon so that you can get your qualifier for the Olympic Trials? Why or why not?NA: I would like to run the trials, but the timing for me at this point isn't great. I can't turn around too soon but if I wait too long then the trials will be soon to follow. I am anticipating running another, it's just something I need to figure out over the next week or so while I'm still on downtime.
RM: Why should people run the Bayshore Marathon?NA: The course is beautiful and fairly fast and the race is run at a nice time of year for good weather. One of the coolest things I experienced was running against the half marathoners on the way out and hearing their encouragement. I would guess 3 of 4 half marathoners were shouting encouraging words, so for whatever reason the race attracts some good people. It's nice to be in that type of environment.
