Illinois is a state known for distance running. Every year former Illinois high school standouts come up big on the national and international stage, and as of late, in the marathon, no athlete has come up bigger than Justin Young. The former Peoria native is one of the best marathoners in the United States, running 2:13:52 at the Rotterdam Marathon in 2008, which earned him a spot on this year’s U.S. squad for the World Championships, which take place in a week and a half. See what Young had to say about his current training, international racing, life as a pro and how he’s progressed since high school.U.S. Distance Runner (USDR): How’s training going leading up to the World Championships? What have you been doing to prepare yourself for the Berlin course?
Justin Young (JY): Training has been one day at a time. Everything I’ve wanted to do for this training segment I’ve done, but it has been a challenge – there’s no doubt about that. The heat and strangely the humidity in Boulder this summer has slowed some of my workouts, but it’s good preparation for what the conditions will likely be in Berlin. Instead of doing 5:00-5:02 mile tempos they have been 5:04-5:05 – so nothing dramatically different, but different nonetheless. The course in Berlin is completely flat. It’s a 10k loop, which we do 4 times, then add on a quick 2k at the the end. I haven’t training specifically on hills for this marathon – I’ve kept it flat and fast, hoping to create a good rhythm at a bit more intense pace.
USDR: Have you done anything differently this time around in your training compared to marathon build ups in the past?
JY: We’ve done a few things different this time around. Not that I felt the training for Tokyo needed changing – but we always like to try new things, push the limits a bit; I guess the idea is to get out of your comfort zone, since it’s quite easy to get in a rut in your training, especially if something seems to work – just because it worked before doesn’t mean it will work again. The biggest change for this marathon was what I did before I started the training segment. Lots of shorter, quicker intervals – and a series of shorter races that I wouldn’t ordinarily do leading into a spring marathon.
The timing of Berlin allowed me to keep my miles low (around 110) each week and focus a bit on developing some speed (everyone still out-kicked me at Peachtree, however). In terms of training specifics, we did a couple track workouts, like 35×400 in 67 avg. off a minute rest. Another workout was 20 miles in the morning at sub 6 minute pace, then 10 miles in the evening with a 6 mile tempo (avg. 4:59) built into the middle. But we kept the regular long runs, longer tempos, and higher mileage. Scott wanted to keep the miles a little lower, but I was stubborn and insisted on 130-140’s. It’s amazing how different and more difficult that kind of mileage can be in 90 degree temperatures as opposed to 30-40 degree, as it was leading into Tokyo.
USDR: You’ve raced internationally a few times. Do you feel that experience will help you heading into your race in Berlin?
JY: For some reason I feel that my experience racing international marathons is kind of like a secret weapon. I just feel like I’ve been through the fire, so to speak. Racing an international marathon is very unique; more unique than simply going overseas to race a 10k or half marathon – only because the marathon requires such specific preparation and the build-up is so intense. If you fly overseas and race a 10k and it goes poorly – no big deal, you can just try again in a few weeks. But if you fly overseas to race a marathon, and it’s windy or something goes poorly, you have to live with that result for 6 months. You have to live with it every run after that and it can be devastating. Tokyo showed me I can face certain obstacles and overcome them. The language barriers; the funny foods; the weird beds. All that is magnified 100% when your trying to prepare to race a marathon and I think I’ve learned how to handle these things.
USDR: You were a good runner in high school, but have kept progressing through college and the professional ranks. What advice might you have for a high school runner who’s good right now, but dreams of being great and running competitively in college and beyond?
JY: The best advice I could give a younger runner is to persevere. Don’t let a bad race discourage you. Running is a very difficult sport – it’s physically challenging, yes. But the hardest part, in my opinion, is learning how to cope with failure. If you really want to find out who you are as a runner, you’ll have to learn how to refocus after a race goes poorly – and not let it destroy your confidence and determination.
When I think about one of the most pivotal races in my career I think about my senior year cross-country state championships. I was running great all season, losing only twice – my times were competitive state-wide, and I had a good shot at a top 5 finish. I ended up finishing 25th, and was simply devastated. I went home and just broke down and was completely discouraged. The colleges that were recruiting me had no interest after that race. But I ended up getting so pissed off that it recharged my focus and trained harder than ever. When I got to Butler my freshman year I destroyed everyone who beat me that day at State; my times improved dramatically. Sometimes failure is exactly what you need, I guess.
USDR: Every runner I talk to describes being a pro runner as part of a bigger community, where many of you talk to each other, hang out when you can and just understand the lifestyle it takes to be successful at a high level. Would you agree with this? Could you shed some life into life as a pro runner?
JY: I guess my life as a “pro” runner is different than others. I do enjoy the community of runners – when I travel to races I get to hang out with old friends, like Brian Sell who I trained with a year at Hanson’s (at least until he retires – which according to him is going to happen any second). It’s certainly nice to talk to people who go through the same weird daily struggle like I do each day. But in general I keep to myself; I don’t hang out much with any group of runners outside of races or events; I don’t travel to different training locations, like many people seem to do. I just focus on being consistent each day in training. For me, running has never been a social thing – it has never been a way to meet friends. I’ve made friends along the way, but it hasn’t been something that I thrive off. I guess I’m a bit of a loner. I just put in hard training, day after day, and see where that takes me.
Thanks for this to usdistancerunner.com!
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