RM: Congrats on your win at the San Francisco Marathon. What factors lead you to run the San Francisco Marathon? YF: Thank you. I ran the San Francisco Marathon for a couple of reasons, but the reason I did a summer marathon traces back to the spring. I was planning on running the Boston Marathon with my teammates, but I hurt my back during the process. I was out of commission for a while, so I didn't race. I really wanted to do another one before the Olympic Trials, because I thought the experience would be valuable. Keith and Kevin said if I did one, it had to be before August 15, so I could do a more speed-oriented segment before the trials training. San Francisco worked out well for timing, weather, and a nice bonus was that Saturn sponsored the race so it was great to also tie that in.
RM: How was your training leading up to the San Francisco Marathon? Were you hitting some of your best training ever before the marathon? If you could do things differently with your training for the race, what would you change? YF: Training leading up to the race was really good. I was hitting my best workouts and feeling good while doing it. I'm not saying they were all easy, but I definitely was pleased with how they went. I don't think I would change too much of the training for that marathon, the training plan worked well for me. I think sometime in the future, I'd like to play with increasing the mileage, but this wasn't the segment to do it and that's probably a little down the road.
RM: What, if any, information have you been able to gather with this marathon that you will be able to apply to your next outing? YF: That was the main reason for doing the marathon--to get more experience and apply it to my next marathon, which will be the Olympic Trials in the spring. I learned a handful of things during the training, as well as the race, that I'll apply in the future. This marathon was different from my first (Chicago), in that it was a lot less crowded. There were stretches when I was by myself, which may be a realistic setting for the Olympic Trials and other future races, so it was good to prepare with that in mind. I think I experienced more mental fatigue in this race compared to my first marathon; I think I fought through it well, but will take that more into consideration the next time around. There are a few more things, some of which are less tangible, but these are a few good lessons I picked up.
RM: Running 2:43 on what appears to be a hilly course has to give you some serious confidence? What types of goals do you have now for the Olympic Trials? Have they changed at all from what they were before going into the San Francisco Marathon? YF: I don't think my goals changed too much based on the finish time. I ran about what I thought I would be able to do based on how the training went, but having done it-along with how I felt during the segment-adds some more confidence into the mix. The SF Marathon also added some more fuel to the fire because there are a few things I'd like to prove to myself that I can do better (I'm a little disappointed with the time difference between my first and second half of the race), so I'm fired up to give it another go. I'll establish a more specific time and place goal for myself after this next training segment (although I have a preliminary idea), but right now my goal is get as much out of the training segment as I did this time around and to PR.
RM: What type of training and racing distances will you be doing in the upcoming training segment and why will you be taking that approach? YF: This training segment will be more of speed focused segment. I'll race primarily in the 5-10K range, but probably wrap it up with a half-marathon. Working on my speed with hopefully compliment the strength I just spent the last few months working on and I'll enter the following segment a more well-rounded athlete. And, for me, doing a speed segment helps me to stay fresh mentally--doing some different workouts and focusing on different types of races helps keep my mind fresh, which is how I'll want to enter the Trials segment.
RM: What has your downtime been like? What do you do when you are not out training? Did you have any days that you were chomping at the bit to get out the door and run? If so, what did you do to refrain yourself from doing the run? YF: Downtime is strange--it's a period of time that simultaneously drags on and slips quickly through your fingers. I've felt different each downtime since I've been here, too. There's been times I wanted nothing more than to be training and others when I was very happy to be taking a break. As for this downtime, I enjoyed the first few days of not running, especially because I was still struggling to walk properly, but by the middle of the first week off I was itching to get back out there. But, in the back of my head, I knew that the best thing I could do was just take it easy. So, that makes it a simple choice. During the meantime, I just live vicariously through my teammates and their daily runs.
