2008 New York City Marathon - A Conversation With Kara Goucher

2008 ING New York City Marathon - A Conversation With Kara Goucher

Kara Goucher's debut marathon is one of the most anticipated races by an American in years - or possibly ever? We place Kara as the favorite to win the 2008 ING New York City Marathon - a tall order for a woman who hadn't run a race longer than 10K until September 2007. With just ten weeks separating the date of the ING New York City Maraton from her 10000m and then 5000m runs at the Beijing Olympics, Kara had to do the shortened marathon training program. Kara told us that her coach, Alberto Salazar, had her doing a lot of hill work with five and then ten pound vests among other workouts during her 110+ mile weeks. In her first, and only, Half Marathon in September Goucher surprised the world by beating Paula Radcliffe - her hero - and running the fastest Half Marathon ever clocked by an American woman. We have high hopes for Goucher's debut marathon and hope that she'll follow in the steps of Grete Waitz who won New York in her first attempt at the distance (and then 8 more times!). With Salazar as her coach, we know that she'll have the right training, no matter how short that was...

Competitive Image / Kevin Coloton / Jacob Gibb

Q. Just wondering when you would have started thinking about the marathon originally. Alberto said the last couple years, but were your thoughts in the marathon even further back than that?
KARA GOUCHER: Well, you know, I grew up in Duluth so I watched Grandma's Marathon. I always knew I was going to run a marathon someday, but I also said I didn't want to just run one just to run one; I wanted to run it when it was right and when I was ready. I didn't necessarily believe that that was my destiny until Alberto [Salazar] convinced me that it was. Really the last couple years I've thought about it, and then last year I thought about it a lot, and I got to come to New York. Mary [Wittenberg] had me out here with the New York Road Runners and I got to ride on the lead car, and I thought about it every day since I saw Paula win last year. I thought about it every single day.

Q. Do you mean specifically Radcliffe or the race?
KARA GOUCHER: I mean specifically Paula Radcliffe and the way she ran that race. I mean, I've never seen anything like it, and in a year I haven't seen anything like it. It was honestly, I'm not exaggerating, it was the most inspirational athletic performance I've ever seen, and I thought about it every day. She was amazing, and it just -- it blew me away.

Q. So you were a Paula fan even before that?
KARA GOUCHER: Oh, I'm a huge Paula fan, yeah (laughing). When I ran the Great North Run, she came to dinner and sat at the same table my husband and I sat at, and I was like poking him under the table. She's just inspired me for so long and she's given me so much hope of what's possible. Yeah, I mean, my favorite picture ever taken of me is of her and ME side by side at Great North. I can't believe I got to run with her. She ran so great, she ran so tough, that I was just very inspired by it.

Q. But even beating her, which you did in the Great North Run, did that sort of not lower the myth a little bit?
KARA GOUCHER: No, not really at all, because first of all, it was her first race in I think 15 months. She was coming back from having a child, and that first -- I guarantee if we had run that race one week later, it probably would have been a little different. That first race back is always tough. Obviously being able to run with her made me realize that hopefully I am as good as I hope that I am. But no, I'm still completely in awe of her, absolutely.

Q. That was it. Here you're running against Paula, a hero of yours. Did she drop off at the Great North Run or did you make a conscious decision to shift gears a little bit?
KARA GOUCHER: I did not make a conscious decision to shift gears. She says -- after the race she said I picked it up, but really I don't remember picking it up. I think I was just running, and honestly, the last two miles I was just waiting for her to blow by me. I was dying so bad. I was like, well, at least everyone will think I was brave for going at it. What does she care? Oh, fitness. I'm so much more prepared this time around. We looked at my training leading into Great North Run last year just to see and it had been a steady taper because five weeks out from Great North was the world championships. So I taper for the world championships, and then I continued my taper because I went to Europe to try to PR, and then there was two weeks between when I ran my PR in the 5K and Great North. I was home sick that week, I did one 70-mile week and then I went to England and did a 30-mile week. That's why those last two miles were completely hard.

Q. Now as you look ahead to Sunday, Paula's in the field again, one of many, of course, that could potentially win the race. Do you see her as the favorite?
KARA GOUCHER: I think that there's a lot of really great women. When I look over the field at everyone's stats and everything they've done in the marathon, it's a little bit overwhelming because there are so many great women. Even people who are debuting, Kimberley Smith I'm sure is going to put together a fantastic marathon. I wouldn't say it's just Paula, but she certainly would be the favorite. She has a great track record. She's the world record holder, she's won here twice, so she knows what she's doing. So I think all eyes will be on her, but I think it would be a mistake to overlook anyone else. It's a great field.

Q. Alberto apparently has said that you're in shape to run 5:20 miles, and that equates to sub-2:20.
KARA GOUCHER: I love him and I hate him (laughter).

Q. So what's your version of events? How good a shape are you in?
KARA GOUCHER: You know, I don't know. I've never run the marathon. The farthest I've run is 13 miles, 13.1, and it was...without a doubt -- that race is still the hardest race I've ever run physically. I don't know for sure. Alberto prepared me as best he could to be ready to handle 5:20 miles. I think when he said that, he was talking about more of a flat course. New York is a little bit more challenging, so I think that that would have to be factored in. I've put total faith in him. He's given me the workouts that he thinks I need to run that type of an effort, and I've just followed it. I've done everything he's asked me to do, and things have gone well. But as far as actually putting together a good time, I would not do that personally.

Q. Can you quantify, A, what your move has meant and what he has meant?
KARA GOUCHER: Yeah, I moved four years ago tomorrow, actually, to Portland, and it's completely changed my career. You know, it really has all been Alberto. He's made me find my love for running. I loved running growing up and I kind of had lost that love and I had lost a lot of faith in myself. He's just nurtured me and helped me come back. I'm not lying when I say that the last five weeks has been the most I've ever enjoyed my running. I've never enjoyed it more. I've spent so much time with Alberto. He's ridden on the bike next to me and he's been there for all my workouts, all my hard workouts, all my long runs. He's such an incredible force in my life. If I decided to never run another step I would still probably talk to him almost daily.

Q. 1,500 meters to the marathon in four years, right?
KARA GOUCHER: He's turned me around, huh? I mean, ever since I got to Portland, Alberto was kind of pushing me towards the longer distances, and I just mentally had to get there myself. I've talked to Mark about this. I was still convinced that I could run four minutes and I could be a great 1,500-meter runner. As it turns out, I can be a good 1,500-meter runner, but I think that I can be great at the marathon.

Q. Was that the hardest part of the transition, starting to think of yourself as a marathon runner?
KARA GOUCHER: Yeah, I mean, for a lot of people they run a great 10K and immediately you start talking about the marathon, but I still feel like it's two totally different sports, and I feel like it's a big jump to go from a six-mile race to a 26-mile race. For me it was hard to wrap my head around it, and it still has been a struggle at times. But I think the training has helped me to realize that I can do it and that I can make it that far. I mean, it's still a little bit like, wow, I can't believe I agreed to do 26 miles on Sunday. Hard.

Q. So what's the difference between like buildup as in nerves and excitement for the marathon, 26 miles, and let's say a U.S. trials or a world championships?
KARA GOUCHER: Well, U.S. trials and world championships I'm more concerned of just wanting to be able to really compete. I want to be able to keep up with everybody and being in the race with 200 to go, making sure I can flip the switch. It's about being able to flip the switch and things like that. Here I'm just nervous about holding that kind of a pace for two and a half hours. That's a long time. So the nerves for me now aren't so much I hope I'm there, I hope I can flip the switch, I hope I can fight through the pain; it's more like please let me be able to keep going for two and a half hours.

Q. You said that you were up to about 110 miles a week. Can you give us a week when you were at that peak, how that kind of balanced out between sessions?
KARA GOUCHER: Yeah, I would do a long run between 20 and 23 miles, and then I had usually one workout day where I did maybe 800s and hills, so we did a lot of hills to get ready for New York, and then another day where it would just be a longer workout, maybe 8 x mile or a 12-mile tempo switching pace, something like that. So one longer workout, one strength workout, and then one long run.

Q. How is that different in terms of training for a 10K in terms of miles?
KARA GOUCHER: The mileage, you know, you've run 100 miles before, but I did a lot of cross training to pad that, and this time there was no cross training. It was strictly mileage, and a lot of it was done on the roads, which I haven't done in the past. I pamper my legs; I run a lot of my miles on a grass field actually, and I didn't do any of that. Everything was on the track and the roads. So it was really getting my legs tougher. I mean, they're strong, but they weren't tough. They are now (laughing).

Q. And how many weeks does it take to get to 110 after the Olympics?
KARA GOUCHER: I took the week off after the Olympics, didn't run a step. And then the next week I ran probably 70 miles, the next week I ran 90, and then, boom, which is probably I'm sure a little part of the soreness issue that I had for a couple weeks. But I finally adjusted. I mean, I've been amazed at what I've been able to get my body to do. The work has been done. Of course, it would have been nice to have more time, but there's not a workout that I feel like I was lacking or anything like that. Now it's just time to see what I can do.

Q. You said Alberto generally doesn't talk about himself, but he's been comparing his experiences here recently?
KARA GOUCHER: Just in the last couple weeks as workouts have really come together and I've started to believe that I can do this. Yeah, he's just given -- told me little things about when he was training, certain workouts he did, how it correlated, and basically he's having me do what he did, crazy stuff. I've been strapping on a weight vest and running up hills and doing all sorts of old school stuff that he did. It's really inspiring for me to hear him talk because I know he was a pretty confident guy when he was younger, but now he doesn't talk about himself at all. He's really all about his athletes and helping people. So for him to tell me about what he did and compare it to me is a huge compliment and really motivates me a lot.

Q. Talk about the difference between -- can you just tell he's more excited for this marathon as opposed to like a world championship or something like that?
KARA GOUCHER: Yeah, I mean, this is the closest I've ever felt to Alberto. This is the most excited he's ever been about anything I personally have done. He's so excited to be sharing this with me, especially that it is New York, not only just the marathon, but that is it is New York. It's been so fun. I've gotten to see a different side of him, and like I said, he bikes with me on my long runs. He bikes around on my really long tempos. He's been there a lot. We've spent more time together than we ever have before, and it's been awesome. It's been really fun. And he is so excited. I'm like, calm down.

Q. What are your strongest memories of the Olympic experience? What did you take away from that?
KARA GOUCHER: Well, it's weird. As an athlete you judge things based completely on how you ran. So if you look back, it was a great experience. I loved doing the opening ceremonies. That was probably actually my favorite part. But I was disappointed mentally with how I ran in the 10K. I actually don't think I would have placed much higher. I was not ready to run much faster than I actually ran, but I did shut it off for a few laps, so that's disappointing. That bothers me a little bit. The 5K I felt like I ran as well as I could. I quite frankly am not good enough. But I learned a lot. I learned that I still wanted a lot more out of the sport, and I wasn't intent to be ninth or tenth. It doesn't make me happy.

Q. So did you leave with a good taste in your mouth because of the whole experience or kind of that unsatisfactory feeling?
KARA GOUCHER: I would have to say that I was a little unsatisfied, yeah. When I put it in perspective, it was an awesome experience and it was great, but as just a competitor, anytime anyone asks me about the Olympics, my initial reaction is, ugh, so a little unsatisfying.

Q. What's your motivation?
KARA GOUCHER: My motivation here in New York is just I want to see what I can do. There's great places to pull from, that Alberto won three times here, that I was born here. There's so many things to pull from, but at the end of the day I want to know what I can do. I want to see what I can do.

Q. To what degree -- how do you attack this? A lot of how you race is how you prepare to race and how you see yourself racing last year. Can you assess how strategically you want to try to attack this or not attack this, be passive or aggressive?
KARA GOUCHER: Well, I don't want to attack it. It's 26 miles, so I want to make sure I have plenty left when I come into Central Park for the second time. But I am not going to just let the race run away from me. In my head I'm just going to run as competitively as I can. I'm going to run with the leaders as long as I can. I'm going to try to stay calm in every other area that I can, whether it's mentally, in my stride, where my arms are, just try to conserve energy. But I will try to run up front as long as possible.

Q. We were talking earlier, Katie doesn't see herself as a marathon runner yet. Some people really take to the marathon distance, if you're good at the distance workouts. How about yourself?
KARA GOUCHER: This is the most I've ever enjoyed my running my whole life. The first two weeks were really rough, but once my body adjusted I have never loved my running as much as I have. I like being out there, I like being so committed to it, and I really hope this race goes well because I've loved the training for it, I really have.

Q. That's a great sign.
KARA GOUCHER: Yeah, I've loved it. I'll be pretty disappointed for a lot of runs, but because I have enjoyed the training, have to go back and sprint all the time, I would be kind of sad.

Q. You said for so many reasons you're so emotionally vested in this race and you said want to see how you do. If the race doesn't go exactly as you planned, whatever that is, would you be able to step back from that and say, I still plan on doing this; this is still where I think my future lies?
KARA GOUCHER: No matter what happens on Sunday, this will not be my last marathon. As much as I would love to come in and win and compete and get on the podium, it's my first marathon, so it's the beginning of a journey for me. So I want to be as competitive as possible. My goal is to become one of the best marathoners in the world, and that takes consistently good marathoning. But the reality is it is my first time. I don't know how I'm going to react. I'm going to learn so much on Sunday. No matter how it goes, there will be more, absolutely.

Q. We talked to Alberto before the 1980 and then in 1981. You know him as well as anyone, but the thing about it, he said, my goal is to win 2:09 to win. He was a real simple guy. That was part of the passion that he brought to the table. His first marathon he won here, Olga won her first time, Grete won here, so the debutantes have done well, so you haven't closed the door, have you?
KARA GOUCHER: I certainly haven't closed the door, but I think it would be foolish to say my training has gone well and I'm going to come and win in New York. That would be crazy.

Q. But it's another thing to take that first step out and there's no one in front of you but open road.
KARA GOUCHER: We'll see on Sunday and I'll have to make that discussion. Hopefully I'll be blessed enough to make that decision. I'm a dreamer, so of course I believe that it's possible that I could win. But I'm also realistic enough to say, I'm running against women who are pretty accomplished. They know what they're doing; I don't really yet. I'm a dreamer, so I'm leaving that door open. But it won't take a win for me to feel satisfied.