Nathan Usher is a member of the Front Line Racing Team. He qualified for the Olympic Marathon Trials with a time of 2:21.21. This is his first marathon trials but Nathan is no stranger to the marathon. Read on to find out about the ups and downs of his training and to see his outlook on the race.
RM: How excited are you for the Olympic Marathon Trials and why? Do you look at the Trials as just another marathon? What do they mean to you? NU: I'm pretty excited about the Olympic Trials, because it's the only marathon where you can expect to compete against all of the top runners in the country. Also, since everyone is training specifically for this race, you can really find out where you stack up among the top runners in the country.
RM: What were you training for at the time of the last marathon trials(Feb 04') and did you see yourself toeing the line of the marathon trials 4 years down the road?NU: At the time, I was still in college, focusing on my track season, so I hadn't even thought about the marathon trials. I always knew I would end up moving up to longer distances after college, but I didn't start thinking about qualifying for the Olympic Trials until the next year, after I ran 2:23 at the Bayshore Marathon.
RM: What is your biggest advantage to doing well going into the Trials and why?NU: My biggest advantage is that there is really no pressure on me this race, since I'm seeded fairly low on the qualifier list and I've missed a lot of training in the last few weeks due to some recent injuries. In a few of my past races, when I put too much pressure on myself to run fast or finish high, I ended up making some stupid moves early in the early and ruining my race.
RM: What would it take to make you walk away from the Trials disappointed and why? What would it take to allow you to walk away content from the Trials and why? NU: I'm already a little disappointed, because I've missed a lot of training in the last couple of weeks. I stepped on part of glass bottle during a training run last Tuesday (10/16), and cut my foot pretty badly. The stitches will get taken out the weekend before the Trials, so it should be all healed before the race, but the injury really ruined my training for the week. On the other hand, given the injury, I will be happy if I'm able to run within a couple minutes of my qualifying time, or if I'm able to finish in the top half of finishers.
RM: What are your thoughts on the level of competition that is going to be toeing the line for the Trials? NU: This is definitely one of the best Trials fields ever assembled and more competitive than any other race I have ever run.
RM: How many more Olympic Marathon Trials do you see yourself competing in down the road and why? NU: I can definitely see myself competing again in the 2012 Trials, but I haven't really thought about anything beyond that.
