Interview for RP

I was asked some questions for the Run Portland website and I though you guys might have similar questions. Here is my responce-

What is your goal for this championship race?

To enjoy the experience. I want to take it all in. It's a special experience to get to race at the Olympic Trials and I want to savor it. I think that the race will happen if I just enjoy and let it flow. I do better when I don't think and just run with a smile : )

What has your training been like leading up to the event?
I have had a very short training cycle since I ran the CIM marathon 6 weeks ago. I have been around 85 miles and focused on a solid tempo workout and long run. I have tried to do strides every day to keep my running efficiency. My workout leading up the the trials have not been the best but I am trusting that the training that I did for my marathon in October and December will carry over and help me to have a great race at the OT.

Where did you obtain your OT qualifying time? How did that race unfold for you?
I ran my OTQ at California International Marathon this past December. I felt amazing and sped up the last few miles. I got in with a great group of women and we all qualified- it was an amazing race. I had tried to Qualify in May at Eugene (2:49) and again in October in Chicago (2:47) so was thrilled to finally get sub 2:46 (2:44) in December. I have learned alot in the past years about the Marathon. Houston will be my fifth marathon. I have learned the importance of fueling during the race, running with a pack instead of alone, and running a conservative race. I hope that I continue to improve and learn and that I can PR again at Houston.

Many of us struggle to balance training with our other obligations in life. Can you tell us a bit about what responsibilities you have to juggle to get your training in and how you set yourself up for success?

This last year has been a year of changes. I went from working as a full time engineer, to starting grad school in Prosthetics and Orthotics at Northwestern University, to getting married, to moving from Chicago to Portland. Right now I have an internship at Shriner's Children's Hospital and am a full time student. During all these crazy changes running has been my one consistent thing. I really enjoy running and having that time to clear my head or socialize with friends. No matter how busy I am, running is "me" time that I just won't give up. I think that one way I set myself up for success is that I break my training into cycles. This way there are times of the year when I can enjoy other sports and activities and bend to accommodate friends and family and then there are times when running is very high priority. This keeps me energized and focused when I need to be.


Will this be your first OT appearance?
Yes first time! I am really truly thrilled. A lot of things have to go right in a marathon to get a qualifying time (wind, temp, competition, fueling..). I really feel blessed to have had a day in which everything went in my favor. I don't take that for granted.

Anything else you want to add before we watch you run next Saturday?
I am thankful for the RunPortland girls being so welcoming to me. I met a few of the RP girls when I came down to do the Eugene marathon and they cheered for me. That meant alot to me. I was leaving behind a great group of running friends in Chicago and didn't know anyone in Portland. To enter into a great welcoming community of friends and runners was amazing. Another thing I would like to say to all you runners out there is to have a goal and just keep chipping away at it. Running takes time to improve but if you keep at something- it will happen. And when it happens, it's really fun.

Also, if anyone is interested, I am part of a documentary called "Miles and Trials, Running towards 2012". Here is the link:
http://milesandtrialsfilm.blogspot.com/