Running Times: You placed 12th at the Gate River Run last year. This year you won it. What did you do differently in training this year?Mo Trafeh: This year I focused on the roads. Last year, I was training for the 1500 and the 5,000. I ran more mileage this year. I was having better workouts—longer workouts—like 1,000 or 2,000-meter repeats. I’m a lot stronger than I was last year and more experienced as far as training and racing goes.
Brad Hudson coaches you, correct?
MT: No. I am self-coached.
Did he ever coach you?
MT: No. I talked to him a couple of times. He gave me some friendly advice.
On the Marathon Performance Web site, it says he is your coach and agent. It also says you run for their team.
MT: I was surprised to see that, actually. I got a message from a guy on Facebook asking me for a picture to put on the Web site. And I gave him a few pictures. I thought he was going to do a little profile on me for Marathon Performance. Next thing I know it looks like they included me in the group as if I was one of his athletes. He doesn’t coach me or represent me. He’s my friend as far as Facebook goes, but nothing further than that.
If he asked to coach you and formally join his team, would you?
MT: To be honest, from my experience in college—after what happened--I cannot be coached anymore.
What happened at the University of Arizona?
MT: Well I did not have the results that I wanted to have. In high school I ran really, really fast times. I was better in high school than I was in college and that was because I did really good training. I was putting in the hard work and the mileage—whatever it took to be successful. [College] was a good experience. I made friends and everything, but as far as the running program goes, it was not made for me.
How did you learn to coach yourself?
MT: Let me tell you, since high school, I used to read a lot of books. I learned from the internet and from these books. I was coaching myself in high school when I ran 1:53 [800m], 3:49 [1500m], and 14:26 [5,000m]. All this was from doing my own training—not anybody else’s training. In college, I was training with a group. I was more mature; my body was more mature. But I wasn’t getting any more results, so I decided to go on my own and do my own training. And year after year, I started to get back to where I was—back to my potential and where I should be. I wish I could have gotten better at the 1500, but I have to run the roads to make the money. There isn’t that much money on the track.
You mentioned you’ve read books to learn about running. Which books did you read?
MT: I read the book by Sebastian Coe’s father, Peter Coe: Winning Running: Successful 800m & 1500m Racing and Training. I read Jack Daniels’ book and many articles online about training. I learned differing philosophies from coaches. I learned from other athletes. I trained with Khalid Khannouchi for three months. I lived with him for six weeks and learned a lot from him. There’s no secret; you just have to work really hard.
Do you train by yourself?
MT: I have training partners. I train with friends—with two or three guys. I like to be flexible in my training.
Your opening mile at the Gate River Run was 4:22. Was that your strategy all along---to shake things up right away?
MT: Yeah, I was planning to do that. With the training I was doing, I knew I could take it out like that and keep a fast pace. I was ready for a really fast race.
You ran the race alone. Were you ever afraid of getting reeled in by the pack?
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