The 28 year old from Highlands Ranch discusses running the Olympic marathon trials in January and her plans for 2011.
You competed collegiately at UNC-Charlotte, where you met now-husband Russ. Having grown up in Colorado, how'd you end up in North Carolina? And after competing with the adidas Raleigh Track Club post-collegiately, what brought you back to Colorado?
The coach called me and asked if I would come on a recruiting visit. I’d never been to the south and was excited for a new adventure. When I went to Charlotte on my recruiting trip I fell in love with the campus and the track and met some great people. It was definitely a big change for me and there were some tough times due to being so far from my home and family. I came back to Colorado because I missed the mountains, fresh air, and blue sky. I was ready to leave the humidity, allergies, spiders, and snakes of the south. I loved my time in Charlotte, but Russ and I are in love with Colorado!
You ran 16:00 for 5000m on the track at Mt. SAC. You regularly run mid-17s on the roads around Denver. Is racing on the track at sea-level really that much faster?
YES!!! The altitude has a huge impact on the paces and recovery of training and racing. Training at high altitude greatly benefits the way my body reacts when racing at sea level.
Your time at nationals qualified you for the Olympic marathon trials. Do you plan to run it?
Yes. It’s not really my distance at this time and I’m not sure if I ready to race that far, but it is an opportunity of a lifetime that I cannot pass up. It’s always been my dream to make it to the Olympic Trials and I will fulfill that dream in January (and hopefully again at the track Olympic Trials next June).
Have you run any half marathons or marathons?
I have never run a marathon and only ran one half marathon for fun a few years ago. I have raced the USA 20k Championships for the past two years which is just shy of a half marathon. I might be racing that again this year and possibly a half marathon to get ready for the marathon.
You majored in civil engineering and now work as a transportation engineer, what exactly does that entail?
Transportation Engineering includes designing, analyzing, and evaluating the infrastructure of the transportation network. Currently, I work on traffic impact studies (a study to analyze the impacts to the transportation network when a development is proposed or being changed), intersection improvement prioritization, signal timing, developing traffic models, and traffic signal design. I have also worked on incident management planning, designing roadways, intersections, and trails, and pavement conditioning. There is a wide variety of topics, which is one of the main reasons why I love it so much, every project is very different and challenges my brain.
Do you have any training partners and are you being coached by anyone?
My main training partners are my husband, Russ (granted he only sticks with my on easy days for the first few miles and then has to pick up his pace), and my dog, Chubbs. Every so often I train with my teammate Ashley in Denver or go to Colorado Springs to train with my coach and other teammates. Mostly I train alone, but love running with others. My coach is David Harmer who also coaches at UCCS and other elite athletes. Him and Russ grew up together in England and happened to end up in Colorado together.
He is an amazing coach with so much passion, knowledge, and dedication. I wouldn’t be running like I am without David, Russ, Chubbs, and my teammates.
The Colorado USATF 5K state championships was a few weekends ago at the Stadium Stampede. Guessing you did not run since it was only a few days after the US Track and Field Championships?
I would have loved to race the Stadium Stampede but I was exhausted from the USA 10k and traveling back the night before.
Since you just got back from Eugene; cooler college town - Boulder or Eugene?
That’s tough. They are both pretty awesome college and running towns. Very pretty locations, nice buildings, lots to do, and great restaurants (I found some good places in Eugene). They both also have an amazing fan base for running and fun trails. Those are the two places I have been where people who know nothing about running will show up to cheer you on. It’s amazing to be in that atmosphere. I’m not sure I can really pick one over the other. I’ll let you know if my mind changes.
I’ve noticed at road races that you and your husband Russ never race at the same time, is this his way of making sure he doesn’t get chicked by his wife?
Haha! That is hilarious. I never thought about it that way, maybe so ? We are very different runners; I race the long distances (5k and up) and he races the fast short races (mile and 800m). We have somewhat different training schedules throughout the year due to the racing schedule and also the English track season (it extends into late July, Americas ends in June). We both know he could beat me at any distance and won’t let me chick him. Maybe we will have to test that theory one day.
What’s on the racing schedule for the rest of 2011?
It’s a bit in the air at the moment. Possibilities are the Evergreen Town Race (one of my favorites), USA 20k, USA 5k, USA 10k, Mile High Turkey Trot, and USA Club Cross Country. There will be some other local races in there, just not sure which ones yet. Since I placed 8th in the 10k at USA’s I am eligible to be selected to run for the USA in the 2011 Pan Am Games in Mexico in October. That is why my schedule is not set as we are waiting to see what the season’s focus will be.
Without Limits
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