After a whirlwind 12-plus months of near-continuous high-level training and competition, Rupp, 23, is headed for some much-needed rest and downtime.
His preparation for the world meet was marred by a series of minor but nagging injuries during the past two months, a common result of a season with the intensity and length of his.
During a one-on-one interview during a treatment session for a sore groin three days after his 10,000 race in Berlin, Rupp said that his training this summer had not gone well and that he was a little disappointed in his race.
"It's been a long year for me. I had a great time doing all the NCAA stuff … but it took its toll on me," Rupp said. "With the injuries, my training hasn't been that great between the (U.S. and world) meets. … I lost a little bit there. I guess it all kind of caught up to me."
Despite his fatigue and suffering from the effects of dehydration during the race, Rupp moved up during the last two laps from 11th to eighth place — his best finish in three tries at the world championships and Olympics.
"We always fight hard to the finish," he said about how he was able to finish the race strong. "No matter how you feel or how bad things are going, you compete all the way through the line and never give up."
Rupp is concluding one of the most accomplished seasons in collegiate running history, with six NCAA individual and relay titles and two NCAA team titles in his senior season at the University of Oregon.
Now Rupp and his longtime coach, former Ducks running great Alberto Salazar, will turn their attention to the future.
"Next year is going to be a real important year.," Rupp said. "There's not a world championship meet, but it is going to set us up for 2011 (worlds) and 2012 (Olympics). It's going to be really important in terms of training and getting a lot of races in.
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