Meb Keflezighi, the 2004 Olympic marathon silver medalist who set a career-best time of 2:09:21 at the Flora London Marathon in April (for ninth place), will run in the USA Men's Marathon Championships at the ING New York City Marathon on November 1. Keflezighi's 2009 performances include victories at the USA Half-Marathon in 1:01:25, USA Cross Country (he'd also won in 2001 and 2002), and the USA 7 Mile in 32:25. On October 4, he was victorious at the Rock 'n' Roll San Jose Half-Marathon in 1:01:00 and set an unofficial U.S. 20K record of 57:52 en route. Previously at the New York City Marathon, he was second in 2004 in 2:09:53 and third in 2005 in 2:09:56. He was third in Boston in 2006, again in 2:09:56. Keflezighi holds the American 10,000-meter record of 27:13.98 and has been the USA champion in the 10,000 three times. He has won the USA 15K six times. He was a four-time NCAA champion for UCLA after attending high school in San Diego. A father of two, Keflezighi is part of the Mammoth Track Club.
It's been a great year for you in general. You just came off this San Jose performance, with a 20K record en route. How did you feel right after that? Did you recover quickly and were you able to return to serious training right away?
Meb Keflezighi: Most definitely, in terms of recovering. That wasn't a 100 percent effort. I felt strong and comfortable the whole way. Obviously, we were hoping for a faster time, but the pacemaker we had went to about three miles, and he was supposed to go eight miles. It didn't happen. After about three miles, I passed the pacemaker. After that, it was all solo effort. It was a good time, and obviously, whenever you have a PR, you have to appreciate and be grateful for that. I am. I did recover fine from it. I did a 15-mile tempo run the Friday after the race. Things are going pretty good.
Are the hard runs done now? What's the toughest thing you've got to do before New York (Keflezighi was interviewed on Monday)?
MK: The hay is in the barn (laughs). Tomorrow I've got some mile repeats or 1Ks (kilometers), fast stuff, and on Wednesday, I'm going to go 15 miles. That's it. After that, just maintain, basically.
You mentioned having to go on your own in the race in San Jose. If the pace in New York City turned out to be slow, would you be someone who would try and dictate a faster early pace if it needed to be done? Last year, some of the American guys did that in Brooklyn.
MK: The field is such a loaded field, I think that would be a problem (to try and take over the lead). But there's no pacemaker, and it's going to be every man on his own, or maybe trying to help each other out. It depends on what part of the race it is. Obviously, I want to be feeling strong coming into Central Park. That's my goal. I have gotten there twice, in 2004 and 2005. That's where I need to be a factor - nothing before.
When you've run New York in the past, did you sort of have the attitude "let's just keep it together until we get onto First Avenue (in Manhattan, at about 16 miles) and that's when we start thinking of it as a race?"
MK: Yeah. When you get to First Avenue, people get excited. Obviously, Hendrick Ramaala is known for that. He'll throw in surges. The question is, is that going to happen again, or would I like to do other stuff to avoid that from happening. That's a strategy, obviously, that Terrence Mahon (the Mammoth Track Club coach) is mentioning. I'm reviewing the splits I've done in that past to see what I need to do. Consistency and even pace are the ways to elevate in that race. At the same time, you can't control what others can do.
Are you working with Ryan Hall a lot in preparation for this marathon?
MK: We have been working out. I wouldn't say a lot. Yesterday, we ran for an hour and a half together at a very good pace. He had some fartleks but I decided to sustain at the pace I was going. We definitely do easy runs together, here and there. We did one tempo run together early in the season, but we're on different programs. I'm kind of sticking to what has worked for me in the past.
What do you think of the assembly of American male marathoners in New York this time? It's probably the best in one place since the Olympic Trials. Does that make it a much more attractive race with extra meaning for you?
MK: 2007, the Trials, they said was the best ever assembled, potentially. Three guys ran away from them and went to Beijing. Unfortunately, I wasn't part of it. As a 33-year-old, you hope to be in the mix, especially after getting that silver medal. That didn't play in my favor. I finished eighth, and I'm a much better runner than that. The Trials were a bit of a disappointment, obviously, and I wasn't 100 percent, as the results showed. It was a similar thing to 2006. There was a strong field and I had food poisoning. I was looking at the results, and (Marilson Gomes) dos Santos won it in 2:09:58. The two times I ran there when I was in pretty good shape - I wouldn't say ideal shape - in 2004 and 2005, I was under that time (he ran 2:09:53 and 2:09:56, respectively). It was a disappointment, I thought "wow, this could have been the year." So I'm in excited for both the U.S. Championship and for the international field, what I could do in that mix.
You mentioned that you still think you have a marathon PR in you. New York City's not the easiest course in the world, but do you think it could happen on November 1?
MK: I wouldn't be surprised if it happened. There's no pacemaker in New York and it's a very challenging course, but my preparation was gone very well and it wouldn't surprise me if I get a PR in New York. It just depends on how the race unfolds and obviously the temperature and many other factors that could contribute to it. We'll know within two weeks, but I hope to run well and be competitive. It's exciting to see that I'm finally healthy.
Your injuries took a long time to heal and I think you're one of those elite runners who even thought his career was in peril. But obviously, now you can do a lot more training than you were able to do in 2007. Do think you're training now as hard as you were in 2004 and 2005?
MK: The first thing is to be healthy so you can train. If you can't be healthy, you get interrupted training and you're not going to see a consistent performance. This has been a rebuilding year for me. You probably read somewhere that I was ready to hang it up. It was very hard for me to walk. It was very hard to just stand up and put my feet through the pants, or switch from one side to the other of the bed (because of his hip). If you've been there, you think "maybe I should hang it up," if it's that painful. It took a year or a year and a half to rehab and get stronger. It's nice to be on this side of being healthy and able to train and hopefully I can consistently train and produce results.
Am I training the way I was in 2003 and 2004 and 2005?
It's been a great year for you in general. You just came off this San Jose performance, with a 20K record en route. How did you feel right after that? Did you recover quickly and were you able to return to serious training right away?
Meb Keflezighi: Most definitely, in terms of recovering. That wasn't a 100 percent effort. I felt strong and comfortable the whole way. Obviously, we were hoping for a faster time, but the pacemaker we had went to about three miles, and he was supposed to go eight miles. It didn't happen. After about three miles, I passed the pacemaker. After that, it was all solo effort. It was a good time, and obviously, whenever you have a PR, you have to appreciate and be grateful for that. I am. I did recover fine from it. I did a 15-mile tempo run the Friday after the race. Things are going pretty good.
Are the hard runs done now? What's the toughest thing you've got to do before New York (Keflezighi was interviewed on Monday)?
MK: The hay is in the barn (laughs). Tomorrow I've got some mile repeats or 1Ks (kilometers), fast stuff, and on Wednesday, I'm going to go 15 miles. That's it. After that, just maintain, basically.
You mentioned having to go on your own in the race in San Jose. If the pace in New York City turned out to be slow, would you be someone who would try and dictate a faster early pace if it needed to be done? Last year, some of the American guys did that in Brooklyn.
MK: The field is such a loaded field, I think that would be a problem (to try and take over the lead). But there's no pacemaker, and it's going to be every man on his own, or maybe trying to help each other out. It depends on what part of the race it is. Obviously, I want to be feeling strong coming into Central Park. That's my goal. I have gotten there twice, in 2004 and 2005. That's where I need to be a factor - nothing before.
When you've run New York in the past, did you sort of have the attitude "let's just keep it together until we get onto First Avenue (in Manhattan, at about 16 miles) and that's when we start thinking of it as a race?"
MK: Yeah. When you get to First Avenue, people get excited. Obviously, Hendrick Ramaala is known for that. He'll throw in surges. The question is, is that going to happen again, or would I like to do other stuff to avoid that from happening. That's a strategy, obviously, that Terrence Mahon (the Mammoth Track Club coach) is mentioning. I'm reviewing the splits I've done in that past to see what I need to do. Consistency and even pace are the ways to elevate in that race. At the same time, you can't control what others can do.
Are you working with Ryan Hall a lot in preparation for this marathon?
MK: We have been working out. I wouldn't say a lot. Yesterday, we ran for an hour and a half together at a very good pace. He had some fartleks but I decided to sustain at the pace I was going. We definitely do easy runs together, here and there. We did one tempo run together early in the season, but we're on different programs. I'm kind of sticking to what has worked for me in the past.
What do you think of the assembly of American male marathoners in New York this time? It's probably the best in one place since the Olympic Trials. Does that make it a much more attractive race with extra meaning for you?
MK: 2007, the Trials, they said was the best ever assembled, potentially. Three guys ran away from them and went to Beijing. Unfortunately, I wasn't part of it. As a 33-year-old, you hope to be in the mix, especially after getting that silver medal. That didn't play in my favor. I finished eighth, and I'm a much better runner than that. The Trials were a bit of a disappointment, obviously, and I wasn't 100 percent, as the results showed. It was a similar thing to 2006. There was a strong field and I had food poisoning. I was looking at the results, and (Marilson Gomes) dos Santos won it in 2:09:58. The two times I ran there when I was in pretty good shape - I wouldn't say ideal shape - in 2004 and 2005, I was under that time (he ran 2:09:53 and 2:09:56, respectively). It was a disappointment, I thought "wow, this could have been the year." So I'm in excited for both the U.S. Championship and for the international field, what I could do in that mix.
You mentioned that you still think you have a marathon PR in you. New York City's not the easiest course in the world, but do you think it could happen on November 1?
MK: I wouldn't be surprised if it happened. There's no pacemaker in New York and it's a very challenging course, but my preparation was gone very well and it wouldn't surprise me if I get a PR in New York. It just depends on how the race unfolds and obviously the temperature and many other factors that could contribute to it. We'll know within two weeks, but I hope to run well and be competitive. It's exciting to see that I'm finally healthy.
Your injuries took a long time to heal and I think you're one of those elite runners who even thought his career was in peril. But obviously, now you can do a lot more training than you were able to do in 2007. Do think you're training now as hard as you were in 2004 and 2005?
MK: The first thing is to be healthy so you can train. If you can't be healthy, you get interrupted training and you're not going to see a consistent performance. This has been a rebuilding year for me. You probably read somewhere that I was ready to hang it up. It was very hard for me to walk. It was very hard to just stand up and put my feet through the pants, or switch from one side to the other of the bed (because of his hip). If you've been there, you think "maybe I should hang it up," if it's that painful. It took a year or a year and a half to rehab and get stronger. It's nice to be on this side of being healthy and able to train and hopefully I can consistently train and produce results.
Am I training the way I was in 2003 and 2004 and 2005?
Most definitely. Most every workout has been as fast or faster than then. It's very encouraging, and I still believe there's more running and a PR ahead of me in the future. In 2012, and 2013, I still believe with the maturity and staying healthy and the experience, it'll start paying big dividends. I think the future is ahead of me in the longer distances.
The marathon is the glamour event, but you've been running half-marathons with some frequency now. The half-marathon seems to be a popular distance now. Do you like the half-marathon? It obviously doesn't take as much out of you as a marathon, but it's still a long distance test.
MK: Definitely, the half marathon is a great event. And you can go to work the next day! (laughs) Doing a marathon, it's a very grueling event. You can't even take another ten-minute jog or five-minute jog after a marathon. You're down for a week or so. With the half-marathon, I did a ten-mile run or 12-mile run the next day and intervals within five days. It (the half-marathon) is very popular and people recover much faster and still get up right afterward. But the accomplishment of finishing a marathon is huge and very satisfying.
We know you had and array of injuries, but can we pinpoint what it was that left you virtually unable to walk? Was that a hip problem?
MK: It was a hip problem. I had a fracture in the hip. We didn't know what it was until about 10 weeks after the Trials. But we did the MRI and definitely showed the fracture. It's easy to talk about it now, but at the time, I had to lift my leg with my hand to be able to switch from side to side when I was sleeping, and to put my pants on, I couldn't balance. I couldn't walk. I was crawling like a nine or ten-month old baby at the hotel. It took me five or seven minutes just to go from the living room to the bathroom. But things happen for a reason. God has blessed me to rejuvenate again.
You mentioned the training is going faster than in 2004 or 2005. Are there are elements or any overall philosophy that's changed in the training since those years?
MK: Well, we try to be a little bit smarter. I have my training logs from 1991 or 1992 and I keep track of what I do and I write comments about what I've learned from each marathon and about what's going on in my body. By now, we're trying to take the easy days easy and push the hard days hard. I'm getting my (physical) therapy, obviously. Terrence has also been working on me and showing me a few things that I need to do in terms of getting strong and balancing over the weaknesses.
There's a lot of talk about Ryan Hall and about Dathan Ritzenhein. You actually had a faster time than Dathan in the London Marathon. Do you ever feel that people overlook you when they talk about the big-deal marathoners in America right now?
MK: Ryan has a phenomenal time; 2:06:17 is eye-opening, and is his half-marathon. And Dathan just ran really well at the World half-marathon and put our flag on the podium (he was third). That's a huge accomplishment, and he has the American record in the 5K. I also have accomplishments in my own right. But I still believe there's a future ahead of me for running. I can't dwell on what the media can say or cannot say. I try to do the best that I can. After what I went through, I'm just trying to get the best of myself.
With all the struggle that you've had, when were you able to decide and resolve that you would want to keep going and competing until 2012?
MK: Right after the Trials, with the tragedy of Ryan Shay - I happened to sit with him on the bus to the starting line, and two hours later, he was gone - when I heard about his death after the finish, and I was on the ground and couldn't control myself. And may he live in heaven. But I didn't take care of myself right then. I didn't think about me. I was just thinking about Alicia (Ryan Shay's widow) and his family and things like that. I prayed about it. And then I wasn't even walking. I was calling to places, to get my bag or to get to bed. And my wife encouraged me. I had my UCLA degree, and we could change our route about how we were going to live and making a living. And we prayed about it, hard and strong. I still felt that my God-given talent wasn't tapped to the end yet. That's what kept me going...I took a serious rehab mode by going to Colorado Springs, and I was there from end of September to Thanksgiving (in 2008). From 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., I was running, rehabbing, icing, doing weights.
I was able to start running fast. My goal is 2012. I'm not in San Diego anymore. I used to go back and forth, but as of May 1, I'm here in Mammoth, long-term. This is part of rededicating myself again, and my wife's been very supportive. The altitude seems to be helping me to be competitive with the rest of the world.
The marathon is the glamour event, but you've been running half-marathons with some frequency now. The half-marathon seems to be a popular distance now. Do you like the half-marathon? It obviously doesn't take as much out of you as a marathon, but it's still a long distance test.
MK: Definitely, the half marathon is a great event. And you can go to work the next day! (laughs) Doing a marathon, it's a very grueling event. You can't even take another ten-minute jog or five-minute jog after a marathon. You're down for a week or so. With the half-marathon, I did a ten-mile run or 12-mile run the next day and intervals within five days. It (the half-marathon) is very popular and people recover much faster and still get up right afterward. But the accomplishment of finishing a marathon is huge and very satisfying.
We know you had and array of injuries, but can we pinpoint what it was that left you virtually unable to walk? Was that a hip problem?
MK: It was a hip problem. I had a fracture in the hip. We didn't know what it was until about 10 weeks after the Trials. But we did the MRI and definitely showed the fracture. It's easy to talk about it now, but at the time, I had to lift my leg with my hand to be able to switch from side to side when I was sleeping, and to put my pants on, I couldn't balance. I couldn't walk. I was crawling like a nine or ten-month old baby at the hotel. It took me five or seven minutes just to go from the living room to the bathroom. But things happen for a reason. God has blessed me to rejuvenate again.
You mentioned the training is going faster than in 2004 or 2005. Are there are elements or any overall philosophy that's changed in the training since those years?
MK: Well, we try to be a little bit smarter. I have my training logs from 1991 or 1992 and I keep track of what I do and I write comments about what I've learned from each marathon and about what's going on in my body. By now, we're trying to take the easy days easy and push the hard days hard. I'm getting my (physical) therapy, obviously. Terrence has also been working on me and showing me a few things that I need to do in terms of getting strong and balancing over the weaknesses.
There's a lot of talk about Ryan Hall and about Dathan Ritzenhein. You actually had a faster time than Dathan in the London Marathon. Do you ever feel that people overlook you when they talk about the big-deal marathoners in America right now?
MK: Ryan has a phenomenal time; 2:06:17 is eye-opening, and is his half-marathon. And Dathan just ran really well at the World half-marathon and put our flag on the podium (he was third). That's a huge accomplishment, and he has the American record in the 5K. I also have accomplishments in my own right. But I still believe there's a future ahead of me for running. I can't dwell on what the media can say or cannot say. I try to do the best that I can. After what I went through, I'm just trying to get the best of myself.
With all the struggle that you've had, when were you able to decide and resolve that you would want to keep going and competing until 2012?
MK: Right after the Trials, with the tragedy of Ryan Shay - I happened to sit with him on the bus to the starting line, and two hours later, he was gone - when I heard about his death after the finish, and I was on the ground and couldn't control myself. And may he live in heaven. But I didn't take care of myself right then. I didn't think about me. I was just thinking about Alicia (Ryan Shay's widow) and his family and things like that. I prayed about it. And then I wasn't even walking. I was calling to places, to get my bag or to get to bed. And my wife encouraged me. I had my UCLA degree, and we could change our route about how we were going to live and making a living. And we prayed about it, hard and strong. I still felt that my God-given talent wasn't tapped to the end yet. That's what kept me going...I took a serious rehab mode by going to Colorado Springs, and I was there from end of September to Thanksgiving (in 2008). From 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., I was running, rehabbing, icing, doing weights.
I was able to start running fast. My goal is 2012. I'm not in San Diego anymore. I used to go back and forth, but as of May 1, I'm here in Mammoth, long-term. This is part of rededicating myself again, and my wife's been very supportive. The altitude seems to be helping me to be competitive with the rest of the world.
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