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| Leonel Manzano was a member of the 2008 United States Olympic team which competed in Beijing, China and both the 2007 and 2009 U.S. World Championship teams which competed in Osaka, Japan and Berlin, Germany respectively. He finished 12th in the 1,500 meters in Berlin. Manzano became the eight fastest American in history in the mile at the 2010 London Grand Prix with his PR of 3:50.64. In the 1,500 meters Manzano finished second in the 2008 Olympic Trials, second at the 2010, 2009 and 2007 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, along with a third place finish in 2006. He competed for the University of Texas and is a nine-time All-American. Leo is a five-time NCAA champion (two-time indoor mile champion/two-time outdoor 1500m champion/distance medley relay), four-time NCAA Midwest Regional 1500m winner and 10-time Big 12 Champion (four-time indoor mile champion/three-time outdoor 1500m champion/three DMR). He helped the Longhorns set a World Record in the indoor distance medley relay (9:25.97). In 2008 he was named USTFCCCA Athlete of the Year and the Most Outstanding Performer at both the Texas and Penn Relays. Manzano is a six-time 4A Texas State High School champion at Marble Falls High School on the track at 800m (twice), 1,600m (twice), 3,200m (twice) and three-time state champion in cross country. His personal best times include: 800m – 1:44.56; 1,000m – 2:19.73; 1500m – 3:32.37 and mile – 3:50.64. A 2008 graduate of the University of Texas who majored in Spanish and Portuguese with a minor in business, Leo continues to live in Austin, Texas. He was kind enough to spend over an hour on the telephone in late September, 2010. |
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| GCR: | You just concluded a lengthy period of training and racing that stretches back to late last year. What are you doing now to recover mentally and physically and how much time off do you take? |
| LM | I’ve been at it since November of 2009 and I’m ready to just settle down and hang out for a few weeks. In November I’ll start up again. I’ll go three weeks without running and during the fourth week I’ll get back into it and slowly return to running. Everyone is different and for me I need a mental break to get away and to have a sense of freedom for a few weeks with nothing to think about or to worry about. I’m spending a little time in San Francisco right now with my teammate, Shannon Rowbury, before heading to Austin, Texas. |
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| GCR: | In 2010 you set personal bests at the mile in 3:50.64, 1,500 meters in 3:32.37 and 800 meters in 1:44.56 and were on the podium several times in major international races. Is there anything you did different in training before the season, in-season track sessions or mental focus that accounts for the fast times and competitiveness? |
| LM | I think it was a little bit of everything. It was my second year as a professional runner so I am more mature, experienced and enlightened as to the differences between being a student-athlete and a full-time runner. Also, with another year of full-time training my body has become accustomed to the entire training routine and more intense workouts. Mentally, some races where I hit low areas helped me to really think things out. I’ve been running for 11 years since summer in sixth grade and I do it because I love it and enjoy it. But now it is my job and since it turned into a job there are different stresses and expectations. In the back of my mind I put more pressure on myself and it was sometimes more stressful than fun. I was starting to think, ‘Am I still good, and am I still able to run?’ But the stress and expectations led me to change my mind set to, ‘What am I doing this for?’ It took me back to the basics that I’m doing this because I love it and enjoy it. Even though this is my job I have one of the coolest jobs in the world. Primarily I am running for me and because I love it. |
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| GCR: | In August you closed very fast for an impressive three second mile PR at the London Grand Prix meet and were a half second behind the winner. What was your strategy in that race, were you surprised about your 3:50.64 time and were you just trying to win coming down the final stretch? |
| LM | My overall goal in any race is that I want to win. I wasn’t very cognizant in London of how fast I was going but I wanted to have fun and compete to the best of my ability. When I enjoy the moment everything just seems to come together and it did that day. |
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| GCR: | Eight days later you scored your 1:44.56 800 meter PR in Berlin. Did your training indicate you were ready to race that fast and how was it being in the same race as David Rudisha when he raced his first World Record of 1:41.09? |
| LM | I hadn’t run too many 800 meter races during 2010, though I had previously raced a 1:45. My training wasn’t an indicator that I’d race that fast as I don’t do many ‘800 meter type’ workouts. I think the fastest I ever ran any 200s this year were in 26 or 27 as I didn’t do any track workouts with fast 200s with a big rest. I ran the race off of strength and somehow was able to race at 26 second 200 meter pace without sharpening 200 meter workouts at 24 or 25 second pace. I thought there was a lot of pressure as I don’t run the 800 meters that often and Rudisha is the best in the world. So my race plan was to do my best to make it a memorable and positive moment in my life. I went into the race and didn’t know how fast I’d go, but I knew I was really ready to run. Even though I didn’t win, I competed with the best, came in fourth place and was in a World Record race. |
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| GCR: | You came back five days after the Berlin race in Brussels to race your third PR in two weeks with 3:32.37 for 1,500 meters. Were these three outstanding races more due to the great competition, final track sharpening sessions, keen mental focus or a combination of all of these? |
| LM | I can’t explain why it came together in those three races, but a lot of it goes back to when I put in the many hours of altitude training during the spring in Mexico. We did running and strength training for four to six hours per day. It was a lot of time and effort. Coach Cook has this metaphor that training is kind of like putting money into an ATM. When you train you fill up the bank. Then when you race you withdraw what you put in. Back in March and April we put in a lot of effort and stocked up that ATM which allowed me to have plenty to withdraw in the late summer. |
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| GCR: | In late September you ran strong at the Fifth Avenue Mile but finished fifth and didn’t seem to have your patented kick after being in good position with a quarter mile to go. Was it just a case of the race being a bit too long after the European track season to be at a mental and physical peak? |
| LM | At that point my season had been very, very long. When I returned from Europe I was unsure if I was going to race the Fifth Avenue Mile. Once the decision was made to compete, I took a couple days off to give myself a mental and physical break. I was excited about the race, but it was also way late in the year. The race is amazing and even though my season had ended three weeks earlier I was still going to give it a go. I had some good workouts coming into it and looked at it as icing on the cake this year. I figured that whatever happened didn’t matter so much as it is so cool that they closed down the entire street. |
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| GCR: | Was it inspiring to hear that your teammate and friend, Shannon Rowbury, had won the women’s race before you toed the line? |
| LM | Amazingly, I didn’t even know that Shannon Rowbury had won the women’s race until after I ran as they either didn’t make an announcement or I was so focused on my race that I didn’t hear it. But it was great afterward to find out that she won. |
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| GCR: | It’s often said that we learn more from those tough days where things don’t go as hoped for versus our successes. What did you learn from sub-par races at the Prefontaine Classic and Monaco Herculis meets that propelled you to your string of top-notch performances later in the summer? |
| LM | I think we do learn much when the outcome isn’t as good as we hoped for – everyone is going to have some of those days. That is when I had to figure out for myself what works for me. The races where you are at your lowest point are tough as you are working hard but it isn’t happening. It does help me to appreciate the good races even more. It was a key to rebound from those races to build the good performances on top of each other. |
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| GCR: | Since the vast majority of high level international track and field competitions are held in Europe, what do you do as far as living facilities, nutrition, training partners and travel to make it as comfortable as possible? How was it during your first season of European competition? |
| LM | My first year in Europe was pretty tough as I was far away from my family. I was raised an hour from Austin so was close to home while I was in college. All my life I didn’t really stray too far from my home and my first year in Europe including training and racing was about five or six months away from home. That was forever for me as I hadn’t been away from home for anywhere near that long. The training was at another level also when I joined Coach Cook’s group. I remember training with Shannon Rowbury and Shalane Flanagan - and not just the running part of training. We were doing core work, crunches and other exercises and they seemed like superwomen. The training increase from college to professional is quite intense. Our bodies are very special and evolve over time. Even though in college I was a good runner, there was a big difference in my training last year and it ramped up even more this year. I’ve been putting in much more time and effort. |
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| GCR: | You are one of at least a half dozen Americans including Andrew Wheating, Lopez Lomong, Alan Webb, Bernard Lagat, A.J. Acosta and David Torrence that are leading a resurgence in the U.S. at 1,500 meters and the mile. Is this likely to yield some medals at upcoming World Championships and Olympic competitions and how hard will it be just to make the U.S. Olympic team? |
| LM | We have a phenomenal group of runners. I believe it is very feasible for us to score some medals – I don’t see why not. As to making the team, it will be very hard as we have so many runners in the top 25 in the world. With our competitiveness I believe we could bring track and field to another level in the U.S. and there could be another running craze. |
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| GCR: | If they go back to running the mile instead of the 1,500 meters at the NCAAs and U.S. Championships do you think this would generate more interest as the general public can relate and understand the significance of your 3:50 mile versus your 3:32 for 1,500 meters? |
| LM | I do think so because in the U.S. the mile is a primary event. I don’t see why USATF and the NCAA wouldn’t at least take it under consideration. Track and Field could be even more popular in our country if they brought back the mile as even non-track fans know about breaking a four minute mile. Since we don’t use the metric system in the U.S. it is hard for people to understand what 1,500 meters represents. Everywhere else they use the metric system so it wouldn’t be as big of a difference, but in the U.S. and everywhere around the world people can relate to the mile. |
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| GCR: | During the past five years at the U.S. Outdoor Championships you have placed third followed by four consecutive second place finishes. What does this say about your consistency and how important is it for you to win an outdoor 1,500 meter title? |
| LM | The U.S. Nationals are tough and it isn’t easy to be #1 and to win. My consistency goes to show that I have put in the work, time and effort to stay with the top group. Anyone who is in the top ten is working hard. But for me it is very important to win a U.S. Outdoor Championship. It will be extremely challenging but I’m ready to have fun with it, go with the flow and in 2011 and 2012 to compete to win. I’m definitely going to give it a go and if it turns out I win one then it will be cherished and if it doesn’t then it wasn’t meant to be. |
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| GCR: | Going back a few years, the first time I remember seeing you race was your freshman year at the NCAA Track and Field Championships when you surprised many people by winning the 1,500 meters. Did you feel confident before the race in your ability to win and how did the last lap and particularly the last 100 meters play into your hands? |
| LM | Coming into the race as a freshman I had no idea of how the race was going to go. I wanted to run fast, but wasn’t too knowledgeable about my opponents. I like to keep things simple so I didn’t know who many of the other runners were. I wanted to have fun and see how far I could go in the rounds. The next thing I knew I was in the final and racing the top guys. My strength was that I hate to lose. Towards mid-race I was in the middle of no-man’s land and then I started catching guys. Once I smelled blood I kept going. More guys were coming back to me and all of a sudden I was near the front. Then I started using more mental energy and had a feeling that I could win and that’s what I did. It would have been nice if my parents were there for that first NCAA win, but they usually just come out to races in the Austin area like the Texas Relays. |
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| GCR: | You were a five-time NCAA Champion and won many other races – do any of your other victories stand out as particularly memorable? |
| LM | After that win my freshman year in many ways other runners looked at me as the guy to beat. I had to try to stay on top of the hill as I had a bull’s eye on my back. One of the most memorable races was when my Texas teammates and I set a World Record in the distance medley as a collegiate foursome. |
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| GCR: | At Texas you won 10-time Big 12 Championships (four-time indoor mile champion, three-time outdoor 1500m champion and three DMR). How much emphasis was put on conference competition and did you have any fierce rivals? |
| LM | There was a huge emphasis put on the Big 12 Championships as everyone was trying to win. We always had a big battle with Nebraska and Oklahoma. Towards the end of my collegiate running Texas A and M got strong. We were gearing up for multiple championships and the focus on the conference was right up there with the NCAAs. In my conference Stephen Pifer was tough all around. He would take races out and try to wear me down. A real memorable race was my junior year when I got the baton behind in the DMR and had to run a very strong anchor leg. I was in sixth or seventh place and we ended up winning. |
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| GCR: | At Marble Falls (Texas) High School you were a nine-time Texas 4A champion at 800m (twice), 1,600m (twice), 3,200m (twice) and cross country (three times). What are some of your fondest memories as to racing fast, winning with a strong kick or beating opponents who had beaten you earlier? |
| LM | Rob Morrow was a very tough competitor my first couple of years in high school. He won the State cross country meet when I was a freshman and finished fourth. Then my sophomore year I beat him in cross country by less than ten seconds and by only a second, 4:16 to 4:17 in track. We finished one-two in both races. Another guy who I ran with in college at Texas was Jeff Cutrer. He always gave me a run for my money in high school in the 3,200 meters. My freshman and sophomore years, when I won both the 1,600 and 3,200 meters, he was always the guy that was toward the front and pushing the pace. Jeff would make sure I was hurting. That is what I remember about him. Rob and Jeff double-teamed me in the two long events. As a junior and senior when I won the 800 meters each year I was up toward the front of the pack. I remember Cesar Bueno up in the front group, and I think he took it out one year, but he ended up second behind me both times. I recall one other runner because of what happened in a race before the State meet. It was my freshman year and Brian Sullivan outkicked me in the 1,600 meters 4:15 to 4:16. That was significant as it is the only race in high school where I recall someone kicking to beat me. |
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| GCR: | What did you enjoy more in high school and college – track racing or cross country? |
| LM | In high school I enjoyed both of them. I had fun with track and field and cross country. In college it was a lot more work in cross country with the added distance which stretched it a bit longer than my best racing distances. Sometimes it felt like 10,000 meters was too far for me. |
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| GCR: | With your success at such a variety of distances throughout your running career is there one distance that is your favorite? |
| LM | I don’t have a favorite. I love the 800 meters, 1,500 meters and the mile. I like competing at all those distances. |
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| GCR: | Middle distance training is enhanced by a foundation of steady mileage. What was your typical training mileage in high school, college and now as a professional in your build up phases of the year? |
| LM | In high school I ran mainly out of a love of running and didn’t have an idea what real training was. My coaches had a better idea, but did a good job of holding me back. I only averaged 30 to 40 miles per week, with most weeks closer to 30 miles. We did more quality work than quantity which helped propel me into college as I wasn’t burned out or tired from overtraining. I still had more gas in the tank. In college my mileage doubled or tripled as I would run 60 to 70 miles per week and as much as 90 or 100 miles a week during cross country season. It was like I was playing around in high school and then got thrown in the mosh pit in college. Everyone is different in their ability to handle mileage and for me we have found out that 75 miles per week is too much. So in my buildup as a pro athlete when we train in the spring in Mexico I am running 60 to 70 miles each week. |
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| GCR: | What are some of your favorite training sessions to get you prepared for your most important meets of the season? |
| LM | I really enjoy 400s at race pace. I definitely get ‘down and dirty’ and do up to 10 or 12 of them. I might start out the first two around 60 seconds and work down to 55 seconds. Sometimes if I’m feeling good I hit the last one in 53 or 54. I take a rest break of two and a half to three minutes where I am jogging early in the workout and then walking and gasping for air later on (laughing). We do 800s and 1,000s for strength. We’ll also do ladders of 1,000, 800, 600, 400 and some 200s. |
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| GCR: | How did each of your coaches from Kyle Futrell and Coach Fletcher at Marble Falls High School, Joe Vigilante at Texas and now as a professional athlete under the guidance of John Cook and Ryan Ponsonby contribute to your success? What would you say are the major points you learned from them that helped you with the physical and mental aspects of training and racing? |
| LM | Coach Futrell and Fletcher were the guys that always had my best interests at heart. They saw I needed lower mileage and helped me to be my best as an individual rather than trying to fit me into a ‘one size fits all’ approach with higher mileage that many top runners were doing. I learned from them that it wasn’t just that a coach knew what to do technically, but that he was there for me and supported me. Coach ‘Vig’ had us work hard but he took care of us and was like a second father to me. He knew how to have us work hard without pushing us over the edge. One of his philosophies was that we shouldn’t just kill ourselves in a workout but should feel like we could do more. He encouraged us to have a great workout, but not to totally exhaust ourselves and affect the upcoming training. My pro coaches bring a lot to the table. Coach Cook is a friend of Coach ‘Vig’ and they shared a lot of information, while Ryan was one of my college teammates. Ryan and I decided to go to Coach Cook’s training camp in Mexico. Ryan went to be a coach while I went to be an athlete. Coach Cook is like a running dictionary. He is the brains of the operation and Ryan is the enforcer. Ryan is on top of things and ensures we are doing what we are supposed to be doing. He is very dedicated and always on time or there early. Ryan is now designing some of the workouts and doing more in this area. |
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| GCR: | Is there more of an emphasis since you turned professional on being healthy through increased attention to nutrition, sleep, massage and chiropractic care? |
| LM | We do a lot of preventative treatment such as massage, chiropractic care and various exercises. I’m not a big fan of ice baths, but use them when my legs are very sore. |
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| GCR: | Just as your coaches help with your success as a runner, how important is it to be part of the training group of high-level runners with whom you currently train? |
| LM | It’s a big part of my success. It would be difficult to train like I do and race well if I was alone. If I had to coach myself and do everything else it wouldn’t work. It is helpful to have my own little village to help me compete as an Olympic athlete. |
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| GCR: | Who are some of your favorite competitors either for their toughness or help in taking you to another level? |
| LM | All of the guys I compete against help me to compete stronger. When I look at the Kenyan runners, they are just so intense. Every time they step onto the track I know they will bring it and it won’t be easy to beat them. They help me increase my intensity as I want to be able to compete with them. Those are the guys I’m looking at. |
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| GCR: | Your family moved from Mexico to Texas when you were four years old and you have dual citizenship. What were the factors in your choosing to compete for the United States? |
| LM | The U.S. is my home, I grew up in the U.S. and I went to school in the U.S. So many people that helped me along the way are from the U.S. I felt that I had to compete for my home and my country. That doesn’t mean that I have forgotten about my roots as my family is from Mexico, but I am a Mexican-American and America is my home. |
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| GCR: | Athletes are often looked up to as role models by those who share similar characteristics. Do you find that due to your heritage and small stature of five feet five inches and less than 125 pounds that you are a role model for Mexican Americans and for children with modest physiques looking for a sport in which to excel? |
| LM | I believe that I am a role model for both people of my heritage and my size. When I talk to kids many of them are already as tall as me. I encourage them by saying something such as, ‘I can do it and so can you, and not just in running but in whatever you want to do in life.’ I encourage people to do something they enjoy, have a passion for and love because if they follow that they can go very far. I had some challenges because other guys are so tall that they look like goliaths, but my success shows others that it is possible for them too. Many smaller stature runners have had success like Josiah Thugwane from South Africa who was a couple inches shorter than me, weighed about 100 pounds and won the 1996 Olympic Marathon in Atlanta. I’m like a monster next to him! (Laughing again) |
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| GCR: | Many athletes who excel come from humble beginnings and hard-working families where much is expected and their family offers great encouragement. How did your upbringing form your character and make you into the runner and the man you are today? |
| LM | If you could take a look at my grandfather and my dad, they are just incredible working men. My dad is very dedicated at work and rarely misses a day. He has to be hurting so bad that he can’t walk or he’s at work. He gets up at 5:15 in the morning and has been working 11 to 12 hour days at the same quarry for over 20 years. He is a very committed man and sometimes he even works on the weekends. Maybe the dedication I have in running stems from his example. I come from an agricultural-based community and my grandparents were farmers of corn and other crops. So, my family is a hard-working group and I don’t mind working hard in life and in running. |
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| GCR: | How exciting has it been for your parents as you were the first in your family to earn a high school diploma and college degree, to watch you outstanding running success and to go to the Beijing Olympics to watch you compete? |
| LM | In my parents’ view I think it may have been something that was only a dream with the things I have achieved. My dad and mom had an education only to third or fourth grade so when my sister and I graduated from high school it was a big deal to them. When I received a scholarship to attend the University of Texas and graduated from college it was unreal for them. It was awesome that my parents got to see me run in the Olympics because they rarely travelled out of state to see me race. It meant a lot to me to have them in Beijing and after my racing we did some touring to the Great Wall and other sights. |
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| GCR: | This year there wasn’t a major championship, but you seem to be coming into your prime years for the World Championships in 2011 and 2013 that sandwich the 2012 London Olympics. How do you feel about your preparation and what are your goals in terms of times and medals? |
| LM | Last year was a World Championship year and I learned how to run tactically against the top runners in the world. There was a big learning curve and it was a great learning experience for me. This year since there wasn’t a major championship it was more about running fast and I had to learn how to do that in rabbited races. There was another learning curve for that type of racing, but then I figured it out also. Now I feel like I’m going into the next few Championship years with a lot of experience under my belt. I know what it is to race tactically and I know what it is to race fast. I feel that in 2011 and 2012, God willing, I am going in very well prepared. I do have time goals I’d like to achieve. I’d like to break 3:50 in the mile and 3:30 in the 1,500 meters. If I have the opportunity to run the 800 meters again I want to go 1:43. As far as the World Championship and Olympic races, they are usually about strategy and don’t go out fast. But I would definitely like to be on the podium. That is my goal – whether it is Gold, Silver or Bronze I will be extremely happy. Of course the ultimate goal is an Olympic Gold medal and it isn’t out of the question for me. A runner never knows what will happen as every race is different, but I will be prepared for and expect anything. |
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| GCR: | With your racing results at both 1,500 meters and 800 meters, if the time schedule allows will you consider doubling at the World Championships or the Olympics? |
| LM | I haven’t really thought about that, but if my body and mind are both prepared, I don’t see why not. As I grow older and more mature my body will be able to handle those kinds of races where you are constantly going through rounds. With the type of training I’m doing, I am getting stronger and will be more able to handle the rounds and save mental focus for the finals. |
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| GCR: | Some top middle distance runners, including Eamonn Coghlan, Bernard Lagat and Hicham El Guerroug have moved up and been very successful at 5,000 meters. Do you see this as a possibility maybe five years down the road? |
| LM | That is something else I haven’t really thought about, but I would like to do one or two 5,000 meter races next year to get an idea of what kind of times I’m capable of running. Concentrating on it as a racing distance hasn’t crossed my mind. There would be a lot more work, time and effort in my training to move up in distance and it won’t be considered any time soon, but it is always a possibility after London and looking toward the 2016 Olympics. |
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| GCR: | Running is your sport, but it is also a job that only can last so long due to the limiting factors of aging. Have you given any thought to whether you would like to be involved in the sport as a coach, television announcer or in some other fashion once your competitive days have ended? |
| LM | I’ve thought about remaining in the sport in some way or fashion and coaching is an area I’ve thought about. I haven’t considered broadcasting though it would be of possible interest. I majored in college in Spanish and Portuguese with a minor in business. |
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| GCR: | That could prove helpful in a few years since the 2016 Olympics are being held in a country where they speak Portuguese. Could you possibly look into working with the NBC broadcasting team? |
| LM | That is a very good thought. I took a couple years of Portuguese classes and can understand and speak it fairly well. You’re giving me some things to think about for the future. |
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| GCR: | Are there any major lessons you have learned during your life from growing up in a new country and learning a new language, coming from humble beginnings, the discipline of running and huge racing success that you would like to share with my readers? |
| LM | One of the biggest things that running and racing has taught me is to always be positive. Life is like a race and you learn a lot during life just like during a race. Sometimes when times get tough in life you may feel like giving up and sometimes in a race you are tired and want to slow down. But you have to talk to yourself and stay motivated to push through when it isn’t easy. Of final importance is to have fun with what you are doing. |
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| | Inside Stuff |
| Hobbies/Interests | I really enjoy having an aquarium. At one point I had about a 90 gallon tank. I liked watching the fish grow; fishing; I like growing plants both indoors and outside |
| Nicknames | When I was younger – ‘Rico Suave;’ a recent one is ‘Leo the Lion’ |
| Favorite movies | ‘The Matrix’; Epic movies like ‘The Gladiator,’ ‘Braveheart’ and ‘Alexander’ |
| Favorite TV shows | ‘Entourage’ and a new show, ‘Breaking Bad,’ about a high school teacher that becomes a drug dealer |
| What TV reality show would you like to be on | That’s a pretty hard question, but ‘Survivor’ would be fun |
| Favorite music | I listen to everything, but primarily country music and Latin-based music; a favorite band is ‘Kings of Leon’ |
| Favorite books | ‘The Outliers’ by Malcolm Gladwell |
| First car | I drove a 1984 Pontiac in high school – it was called the ‘silver bullet’ but there was nothing silver about it! Pieces were falling off and if I got the speed up to 55 the steering wheel would start shaking. It was definitely a beater! The ‘silver bullet’ met its end and then I got a Ford Ranger truck which I drove for a while |
| Current car | A silver F150 Ford Truck that I call ‘the real silver bullet.’ I’m a truck guy! I’m from Texas! Maybe I need to get connected with the right people so Ford can sponsor me (laughing) |
| Family | My mom and dad, Jesus and Maria Lourdes, have been married for 27 years. I turned 26 on September 12th so they hadn’t been married too long when I was born. I have two sisters, Laura and Lulu, and a brother, Jesus |
| Pets | At this point it is too hard to take care of pets because of my schedule and travel. I like dogs and, as I mentioned, fish, but I had to give away my fish because I couldn’t care for them |
| Favorite breakfast | I love fruit and I can’t start my day without coffee. I keep it pretty simple usually with coffee, fruit and yogurt |
| Favorite meal | Basil chicken pasta |
| Favorite beverages | I know this is going to sound bad for a runner, but I love Coke! |
| First running memory | Running against my grandfather. I used to race him and he always won. But one time he broke his leg, so I challenged him to a race and beat him. He had a broken leg, but I still won! |
| Running heroes | When I was growing up I looked up to Alan Webb – he was the guy. I never thought I’d be running against him when I was a young high school runner and he ran 3:53. I really admire Billy Mills – I met him once and he is a great guy with an incredible story |
| Greatest running moment | It’s been a culmination of many things, but my NCAA victories as a freshman and senior and then making the Olympic team stand out as my top three moments |
| Childhood dreams | I didn’t think about being a runner. I wanted to be an astronaut or a scientist |
| Funny memory | In high school there was a bit of a rivalry between the girls and guys cross country teams. The girls had done something to us so we needed to get back at them. At the hotel we short-sheeted their beds, put coffee grounds in the sheets and then saran wrapped their toilets |
| Embarrassing moment | I was in middle school or had just started high school and my family went out to dinner at Pizza Hut. Another family happened to sit across from us and they had a girl about my age who was really cute. We were playing some kind of ‘eye game’ and I wanted to go up to her and say ‘hi.’ We were near the game room, so I figured I’d go to the game room first. So I got up and was walking toward the game room, looking at her and smiling and I walked into the door frame smashing my face right into it. Then I staggered into the game room, stayed in there and didn’t leave because I was so embarrassed |
| Favorite places to travel | I love Europe with its variety of places and different types of people. I can definitely see myself going back, though not to one particular place |
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