Going the Distance

Jodie Conway at Olympic Trials

Seven weeks after running 2:44:09 in Philadelphia to qualify for the Olympic Marathon Trials, Jodie ran another marathon -- the Women's Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston on January 14th.

"Houston was a good experience. I learned A LOT!! I learned that if I want to qualify again for the trials I should do it a lot earlier. Training for 2 marathons that were 7 weeks apart was not hard for me mentally, it was hard physically.

"While I never had any injuries leading up to Philly, once I started training for the trials, I had arch pain, hamstring pain and eventually severe tendonitis in my left leg that forced me to stop running completely 2.5 weeks before the trials.

"I really wanted to be in the top 1/3 at the trials, but with Philly only 7 weeks prior combined with missing my last 2.5 weeks of training it wasn't going to happen.

"I felt really strong mentally in the race, but my legs just didn't have the spring they had in Philly and I had to slow down a bit over the last half. It was tough running a race where a 2:48 puts you in the back of the pack . . . When I crossed the line initially I felt so defeated until I talked to Fernando and he told me that I had to look at the big picture.

"It's been quite a year, so I can't be disappointed. If anything, I realize how strong I was to run a 2:48 on tired and injured legs.

"I am currently taking some much needed down time. The next 3 weeks will just be rest and recovery!! I plan on doing a couple of shorter races in the spring. NYC 1/2 (March) and another 1/2 in Indianapolos (May). After that, I want to focus on a Fall marathon and try to get closer to 2:40. I am thinking about Chicago. I have convinced Lory Cavanagh to do it with me :)

"The coolest thing about the trials was that I got to meet some pretty amazing athletes. I had dinner with Magda at the Saucony dinner. I also had lunch with Katie McGregor and before the race Kara and Shalane were sitting right next to me while they stretched and discussed when they should warm up.

"Meb and Ryan Hall passed me right as they were finishing. It was a loop course and they started earlier, so that was awesome to see them running to the finish. Meb was so pumped!!"

Jodie was 104th out of 152 finishers. Not exactly "back of the pack."
The top three women, who qualified for the U.S. Olympic team, were Shalane Flanagan (2:25:38), Desiree Davila (2:25:55), and Kara Goucher (2:26:06). Magdalena Lewy Boulet finished 10th in 2:33:42 and Katie McGregor 11th in 2:34:01.
The top three men were Meb Keflezighi (2:09:08), Ryan Hall (2:09:30), and Abdi Abdirahman (2:09:47). Dathan Ritzenhein was only 8 seconds behind Abdi. Ouch.

Kara Haas Sets U.S. Record

On December 31 at the Boston University Mini-Meet #3, Kara set a new U.S. record in the 3000 for women over the age of 40. Kara's time was 9:49.

Next day, January 1, Kara was top woman in 4:41 at the Millenium Mile in Londonderry (NH).

Congratulations to Kara for ending 2011 and starting 2012 in spectacular fashion.
Look for Kara at the Tuesday workouts, starting January 3. Yes, she is still improving.

The Little Things -- 2nd issue

We sent the 2nd issue of GTD newsletter, The Little Things, on December 28.

If you did not receive the second issue of this emailed newsletter, send an email to Dave Smith to be added to the list. Note that you also may want to check the "spam" folder on your email provider's server to see if the The Little Things ended up there.

Jodie Conway in New England Runner

After running 2:44:09 at the Philadelphia Marathon on November 20 to qualify for the Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston on January 14, Jodie was interviewed by New England Runner. Here are some excerpts from the interview, published in the January-February issue:

"I was a miler in college and I kept telling everyone that I just wasn't built for marathons.

"I ran into Lory Cavanaugh, who trains under Fernando, at the gym in December 2010 and I decided if I was going to do another marathon I was going to train right. So . . . I signed on with Fernando and my goal was to break 3:10 in Boston. . . .

"I ended up doing Vermont City instead. When I ran a 2:52 on that really hot and humid day I realized that I might have a shot at the Olympic Trials standard. So, I kept training with Fernando and signed up for Philly. Training was harder than it was for VCM. It involved more miles and faster tempo workouts and a ton of hill workouts.

"It obviously worked because I felt unbelievable in the Philly race. I never thought I would run a 2:44. I thought it was going to be a long shot to be under 2:46.

"Fernando has me take the training week by week. I truly trust in his judgment. . . .

"Fernando is the best coach I have ever worked with. In a year I have taken over 30 minutes off my previous marathon PR!"

To read the entire interview and much more about New England runners and running, pick up a copy of New England Runner. You can find them on the web here

The Little Things

On Thursday evening, December 1, we emailed the first issue of the GTD newsletter, The Little Things. Fernando's featured "little things" tip in this issue is an Ice Bath Guide.

If you did not receive the first issue, send an email to Dave Smith to be added to the list. Note that you also may want to check the "spam" folder on your email provider's server to see if the The Little Things ended up there. In the meantime, you can read the 1st issue here -- The Little Things.

GTD Gymsacks (backpacks)

These handy gymsacks have two compartments plus a zipper pocket.
Side-mesh panels on outer pocket provides venting.
$20
Available from Marshall. Go to GTD Gear.

GTD Caps

Available in black or white.
$12
Available from Marshall. Go to GTD Gear.