The first athlete I reached out to was Matt Pelletier, who I had the pleasure of racing against and meeting in Vermont this spring. Matt is a two time Trials qualifier, but he wasn't always an elite runner. Matt attended the University of Rhode Island, where he had very modest success as a runner. In his own words, he ran times, "that an average high school kid would laugh at," but he stuck with it and kept grinding away. Now, the runner who graduated college having broken 29 a few times for the 8k, has run 2:17:17 for the marathon and posted a top 20 finish at the 2008 US Olympic Trials. Matt lives and trains in West Greenwich, RI. He works as a teacher at Pilgrim High School in nearby Warwick, RI and lives with his fiancee Jill. Thanks again Matt, and hope our paths cross out racing the roads sometime soon!
 |
| 2008 Trials qualifier Matt Pelletier breaks the tape at the Vermont City Marathon. |
Q: Not everyone who has success running 5k and 10k on the track is able to translate that ability to the marathon distance. When did you realize you had the ability to become an elite marathoner?
A:
I was never very successful at the shorter distances. I always new I would run my best at the marathon. All of my PR's at the other distances have come during marathon training. (Matt has lowered his 5k PR to 14:36 and has also run 49:05 for 10 miles and 1:05:42 for the half, so the wheels have certainly come around) I just don't have the form or leg turnover (or talent) to compete at the shorter faster distances. I like the marathon where you just grind along for two plus hours and try to maintain a consistent faster pace.
Q: How many tries did it take you at running the marathon before you feel you really had a feel for the distance?
A:
My first marathon was 2:32:52 in Boston in 2003. I ran it for a friend of mine who was killed while out on a training run for Boston. I approached his wife after the funeral and told her I wanted to run Boston with his bib number on so we could say he completed what he was training for. That was only 2 weeks before the race so I really didn't have any marathon training at that point. I ran 13 miles the day before Boston helping a friend out with a tempo run. Six months after Boston I ran my "first" marathon with training involved and ran 2:24:18. My coach at the time and I decided to shoot for the trials standard of 2:22 and see what happened, so it was an all or nothing shot. Our main focus was qualifying for the 2008 trials, but decided to give one attempt at qualifying for 2004. I fell a little short, but knew it was possible.
Q: Where did you run your first Olympic Trials qualifying time and how did you feel crossing the line knowing what you had accomplished?
A:
I first qualified for the trials in Chicago 2006. We had a huge pack on a perfect (but windy) day, all shooting for 2:20. We stayed together for the most part until the later miles. I really started to fall off around 23 but held it together and ran 2:20:26. It was the B standard but I was in. Seven months later, I ran 2:19:00 at KBVCM (Key Bank Vermont City Marathon) all alone and got the A standard. My goal since 2002 was to make the 2008 trials, and I was finally going to realize that dream. Crossing the line in Chicago wasn't exactly celebratory. There were so many people running times right around 2:20 that it was a mad sprint to the finish. There was $1500 on the line for being in the top 25 Americans, and I was sprinting trying to pass as many people as possible coming down that stretch. I finished 25th American. In the KBVCM, I had no plans of running the A standard, but it kind of just happened. I had no idea what pace I was on until I saw the clock coming down the finishing stretch. I probably would have been 2:18:58 but I was celebrating the entire way in. It felt great to run under 2:20, knowing I could have gone faster.
Q: Could you describe your experience at the 2008 Trials where you finished in the top 20?
A:
My coach (Matt is coached by Ray Nelson) and I always have a sit down meeting a few days before the race. We had gone out and checked out the course in August, so I knew that it was a very challenging course against the country's best runners. My goal was to not finish last. He wrote my time down in an envelope and sealed it. He would tell me what it was after the race. He did tell me not to be scared to run faster than I thought I could, and to leave it all out there. The time in the envelope was 2:17:xx. He knows me better than I know myself. The trials experience in itself is worth all the training and heartbreak. They make you feel like you are the best runner in the world. Walking around the hotel, and going to meetings with guys who I had only seen on tv made me completely starstruck. I rode in an elevator with Ryan and Sara hall. I sat on the bus across the isle from Alan Culpepper. I had a nice chat with Sage Canaday. It was amazing. Once the gun went off on race day, I blocked all that out and focused on running my own race and running by feel. With so many up and down portions in Central park, I focused on maintaining the same effort. Downhill miles were faster and uphill miles were slower, but I was running consistently by effort. I had no idea what place I was in at any point of the race, or what my time was going to be. Just trying to move up from group to group, run the tangents as best as possible, and not let anyone break away from me. Steve Sundell (15th place) and Chris Raabe (16th place) were the only guys from my pack who broke away from me. I wish I had gone with them. The only guy who passed me was Clint Verran (18th place) and he passed me at 26 miles like I was standing still. Everyone else that I had started with once we entered Central Park finished behind me.
Q: What kept you motivated to keep training at a high level coming out of college and what drove you to return to running after dealing with your injuries? With work and the demands of the real world how have you been able to work running into a busy schedule?
A:
My coach and I are on the same page as far as training goes. We both like high mileage, long tough workouts, and not racing too often. We like to put all the eggs in one basket and focus on 2 marathons a year and race sparingly in between those marathons. He sends me a schedule at the beginning of the week and I give him feedback after every day's training. Having the schedule and a coach to answer to makes skipping runs tough. I figure it's not too hard to squeeze in two hours a day of training. Plus Jill is very understanding of my training. Not having kids helps too. I'm motivated to be the best I can be. I don't want to look back one day and say "I wonder what I could have run if..." When I finally give it up, I'm confident I'll be able to say I got the best out of myself that I could, and don't have to wonder "what if". Coming back after the injuries was tough. I had two knee surgeries over the course of three years, and retired about 100 times during those three years. I kept having setbacks that made me think I would never be able to train like I wanted to ever again. Really, it was the people around me (friends, family, PT's, chiro's,) that kept telling me that I wasn't done that got me to keep trying. By myself I think I would have been retired for five years now.
Q: What do you consider to be the number one key to success for post collegiate runners looking to continue their development and transition to the marathon?
A:
The key to success for post collegiate runners is not to give up. Money will come later in life and so will family. The best training in your life has a very short shelf life, and that expiration date is coming up fast. Once the ability to run your best is over, then you can move on to normal people things. People have always asked me if my running keeps me from being "normal". We're not normal. Competing at our level isn't normal. If it was, everyone would do it. You have to be willing to make sacrifices to achieve great things. In 2000 there were only a handful of people willing to do this, and our distance running in this country showed that. Now more and more people are willing to chase the dream, and we have the results to prove that it is working. The other thing is to find a coach who knows the marathon well, and find a training group to suffer with. Leading up to the trials, I had a group of five guys and one girl who I ran with at least twice a week. We did our workouts and long runs together. Having other people on the track who know EXACTLY how bad the workout you are doing hurts helps you tough it out week in and week out. Now, I train mostly by myself. I can't find a group to meet up with with runners of similar ability. I feel like my training is missing that one essential piece.
Q: Do you agree with the USATF's decision to tighten the qualifying standards for the 2016 Trials? Note - The USATF standard has been set to 2:18 for 2016, a drop from 2:20 in 2012.
A:
I do agree with the tightening of the standards. 2:15 is the IAAF standard, so it should be the standard all the qualifiers are aiming for. What's the point of going to the trials if you can't even make the Olympic team? That being said, 2:15 is pretty friggin tough to run, and I really need to step my game up AND have the race of my life just to make the trials now.
Q: Favorite race? Either favorite course or one individual race experience that stands out?
A:
Favorite race? As for marathons I would have to say my favorite marathon is the KBVCM. From fans, to course, to coordinators, they just do an excellent job of putting together an excellent race. The Trials might be my favorite race ever though. Just an experience that I will never forget, and hope to experience one more time.
Q: Favorite workout?
A:
My favorite workouts are the ones that are really tough, and I know will help me run a great race. 12 X 1 mile comes to mind as one that really sucks at the time, but in the long run is a great race. We've also done 10 miles at a comfortable pace, 10 miles at race pace, 5 miles at a comfortable pace, and the last mile all out. That's a tough one. We also do some dynamic surge (DS) workouts. Basically a workout like 3 mile, 2 mile, 1 mile on a track, but every 3rd lap is significantly faster than the others. For example, here's one from 10 days before this year's KBVCM:
3 miles w/ 400 m. DS every 3rd lap
78, 78, 72, 78 (5:09)
78, 72, 78, 78 (5:09)
72, 78, 78, 72 (5:00) = 15:18
800 rec.
2 miles w/ 400 m. DS every 3rd lap
78, 78, 70, 78 (5:04)
78, 70, 78, 78 (5:04) = 10:08
800 rec.
1 mile
73, 73, 67, 73 = 4:46
Great Blog Josh! Thanks for the plug, but I only qualified for the trials once. I hope to be able to say I was a 2 time qualifier in a few years
ReplyDeletenice blog man I am glad that you got back to your Lafayette sports reporter roots.
ReplyDelete