Mike Morgan had an exceptional Marathon Trials. He ran 2:16.28 to finish 12th place overall. All this was done in spite of the fact he had ran as a member of Team USA in the World Championships Marathon just a few months prior.
RM: What are your thoughts on your performance at the marathon trials looking back? After running the race were you surprised by your performance, even though it wasn't a pr time?MM: I am satisfied with my trials experience. I knew that I had a good chance of running into some trouble after 20 miles because of left over fatigue from the Wold Championships. Fortunately it didn't hit me too hard at all and the race went well. I got lucky this time.
RM: What information/knowledge do you feel like you gained from the marathon trials?MM: I try to learn something from every race, especially marathons. With Ryan Shay dying, I think that the trials were a reaffirmation to never take anything for granted. With all of the constant training and focusing on races and such, sometimes we get wrapped up in a bubble and fail to recognize how fortunate we are to participate in prestigious events such as the trials.
RM: How did you like the Central Park course setup and the rest of the organization of the NYRR?
MM: The NYRR did a great job. The course was challenging like we expected, the windy weather made it even more of a challenge. However, with all of the excitement in the Park, the hills almost disappeared at times. I can't say enough about the support from Brooks, everyone who was there know what I am talking about. You definitely didn't see any other shoe companies putting forth such an effort for their runners. I think it was a great setting for the US Olympic Trials.
RM: When will you next run another marathon and what would you like to accomplish in that?MM: If I can stay healthy, my next marathon will be fall of 2008. My goal for the next marathon is to be a little more aggressive in the race. In my first three marathons, the training has been aggressive, but the racing has been on the conservative side due to debut, heat, and fatigue. The conservative race style has led to some decent races, but I want to see if I can push harder during the race, not worry about hitting the tank, and lower my PR a bit.
RM: What was your recovery from the trials like? How much time off and did you do any cross training?MM: I take a little different approach to recovery than most distance runners. Some of the guys freak out that they are going to pack on the lbs. I take an opposite approach as I pound the calories and restore everything that I depleted during the marathon cycle. It's a great reward. I always set out to make the most of downtime with biking, sit-ups....whatever. But what really happens is that I get lazy, then bored, then bored enough to start running. This process usually takes 1-2 weeks, this time it took 10 days and then Sell dragged me out of the house for a run.
