Terry Shea ran for Bucknell where he was a competitive runner.He made his way to Michigan a few years later to train with the Hanson/Brooks team. Since that time Terry has headed out to Boston to focus on his professional career and continues to train competitively. Terry qualified for the 04' Olympic Marathon Trials as well as this years Trials. He qualified with a 2:20.52 for the 08'Trials.
RM: How excited are you for the Olympic Marathon Trials and why?TS: Naturally I am excited: It will be the most intense competitive race I have ever participated in. I will be surrounded by more good friends - both in the race and on the sidelines - than ever in my life, all together in one place for one incredible weekend. It is going to be awesome. Do you look at the Trials as just another marathon? What do they mean to you? All that said regarding my excitement, I do try to remind myself that this is "just another marathon". I have to train at an optimal level, but not go overboard just because it is the Trials and I expect magic on that day. I will focus to contain that excitement and emotion - particularly on such a challenging course that we will face - and to try to not draw upon that external energy until late in the race. I feel that I learned from the 2004 Trials how important it is to manage expectations and emotions appropriately as the race nears and subsequently unfolds. The Trials for me provides a sense of satisfaction in having hit a time standard that at one point in my life seemed nearly unattainable, having started as a 2:35 marathoner and with college PRs of just 15:01 5k and 31:25 10k. So now as a returning participant I seek to improve upon the 2004 race.
RM: What has changed with your running since the last Trials? What changes have made the biggest difference in your fitness? TS: Since Birmingham I have moved back to Boston where I work full time once again. Rather than my primary focus in life, training and competing must now fit into a larger balance. I am fortunate to be in a situation where I can work full time but still have the time to train well.
No major changes have been made to my training since leaving the Hansons-Brooks program - I carried over much of Keith and Kevin's schedules as I believe strongly in their marathon work emphasis. If I have enhanced fitness it would simply be from the cumulative strength from 3 years of mostly injury-free running.
RM: What is your biggest advantage to doing well going into the Trials and why? TS: Besides having one Trials under me (and knowing the reality of how such a race might unfold) I have six additional marathon races since then, run under variable conditions and terrain. With this growing experience comes confidence and self-knowledge. I know very well the importance of patience and sensing effort output, and hopefully that will be put to use with a strong last few laps on that very challenging Central Park course.
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? TS: Having seen the course a few times I honestly cannot say what a "good" or "bad" finish time for me would be. In terms of place-goal - I would like to improve upon my finish in the previous Trials, which would require a MUCH better race than in 2004 given the considerable improvement in the field from top to bottom. But if in the end I finish 50th (which would be way higher than my seed), but feel that with all honesty I gave everything my body had on the day and competed until the end, I have to feel good about that and move on.
RM: What are your thoughts on the level of competition that is going to be toeing the line for the Trials?TS: Fierce. Perhaps I should check the history before I say this, but yeah I think it will be the toughest field in which to make the team. And the same goes all the way down to the level at which I will be racing. As mentioned earlier, I need to run a much better race than in 2004 to match or improve upon my 41st place. Besides just the athletes qualifying times, this time around I feel there is more exposure to various individuals training. With various on-line training logs, personalized blogs, and the increased internet media coverage, we have more direct knowledge of just HOW good our competition is at this moment. While at times intimidating, overall it is exciting to see just how far the country has come in less than just 4 years.
RM: How many more Olympic Marathon Trials do you see yourself competing in down the road and why?TS: I do not see an immediate end to my motivation to train hard. I really enjoy both the social and competitive aspects of the sport. While I do look forward to improving in other areas outside the 26.2m distance, I would like to believe that in a few yearsI will still have several fast marathons in me. If that qualifies me for one more Trials, fantastic, but hitting that standard again will not be the sole focus at the expense of other racing goals. I want to keep having fun with all of this and get as much as I can out of this sport.
