Thursday, September 16, 2010

Stephanie Rothstein: "I am running Houston Marathon. We're going after some big things there."

Courtesy of Runner's World's Peter Gambaccini
Stephanie Rothstein, 26, of the Flagstaff-based McMillan Elite was second in the USA 20K in New Haven, Connecticut on Labor Day in 1:08:26. Rothstein, along with her boyfriend Ben Bruce, will represent the U.S. in the World Half Marathon Championships in Nanning, China on October 16. Earlier this year, Rothstein, who is coached by Greg McMillan, was third in the six-mile Wharf to Wharf race from Santa Cruz to Capitola (CA) in 31:43. She has bests of 33:08 for 10,000 meters, 1:13:19 for the half marathon, and 2:40:07 for her one and only marathon, a fifth place at Twin Cities in 2008. She set 5000 and 10,000-meter school records at the University of California-Santa Barbara and was a Big West Conference Female Track Athlete of the Year. Rothstein was fifth in the 10000 at the 2007 NCAA Championships and won the 10,000 at the 2006 NACAC Games. She was 12th in the 10,000 at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials. Rothstein has been part of U.S. teams at the Chiba and Yokohama Ekidens in Japan. She was a 2009 RRCA Roads Scholar.

Your USA 20K seems like the performance of your career up to this point. Had things been going very positively for you for awhile, enough so that you had reason to believe something very good was going to happen to you there?
Stephanie Rothstein: I did think that. I moved to Flagstaff this April. We figured a lot of things out. Starting from this summer, it was pretty much myself, Greg, and my boyfriend Ben (Bruce) who kind of knew the shape I was in. They knew what I was before I was hurt for the last two years, and so it was like our secret going in. We knew something big was possible. No one else did, I think that's all that matters, that you believe that.

Were there specific things you'd do in training that gave you that confidence?
SR: Definitely. When I got here (to Flagstaff), I was doing quite a bit of steady states, which are long runs at your aerobic threshold. We did a marker workout that put myself in the feel that "you can run with anyone." That was what we learned from those.

Before that, you'd been in Eugene, Oregon. What made you decide to make the move?
SR: Since I had been injured for the last two and a half years, we tried to figure out what was going wrong. My running career was almost over. I was on the verge of quitting because we couldn't figure stuff out. And then I started to see some doctors up in Portland at the beginning of this year, and I told myself that if the stuff that I had been doing there worked and I got a glimmer of hope that I was possibly going to be able to come back, I knew I had to make a big change in order to get my career back on track. I really tried to figure out how I could do it by staying in Eugene because, to be honest, I didn't want to leave my boyfriend. But I had known Greg (McMillan) since college. He kind of recruited me out of college (for McMillan Elite) but I chose to go up to Eugene and work with Brad Hudson. So deep down, I always knew this (Flagstaff) was probably the right place for me and Greg was the right coach, and so I just said "it's now or never."

Was your most recent serious injury a sacrum fracture?
SR: Yeah, that was almost a nail in the coffin to the last two and a half years. I had just had constant nagging hamstring injuries, glute problems. No matter what I would do, I would never recover. I would take weeks off at a time and then try and run. I tried to cross-train. And I just felt sick all the time, and my iron was really low. We had no idea why. And that's when, after seeing these doctors in Portland, they led me to take a couple of tests and I figured out the gluten intolerance and the Celiac disease.

Besides the intestinal problems, that causes overall weakness by leaching nutrients out of your system, doesn't it?
SR: Exactly. It's an auto-immune disease, so it attacks your immune system. So pretty much what was happening was malnutrition. No matter what I ate, I wouldn't absorb anything from it. That's why my iron always stayed low. Overall, you just don't recover, because you're not absorbing B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, all that stuff.

To replace what you're supposed to avoid, what things do you make a real point of including in your diet at this point?
SR: The easiest thing to do with a gluten-free diet is just to eat natural. It's what they call the outside of the supermarket, the perimeter. I eat a ton of red meat. I mean, I probably eat red meat five or six times a week. And chicken, vegetables. Rice is kind of my substitute for wheat. And then fruits, nuts – like almond butters, nut butters, avocados, olive oils. And then substituting for wheat stuff, I buy brown rice bread because I still love bread. They have gluten-free oats, they have gluten -free cereals. So there really are a ton of options out there. It's just about being creative.

At the USA 20K, did Magalena Lewy Boulet sort of make it her own race, and were you and a few others competing for second place?
SR: Pretty much what happened is it was more of a slower tactical race. We went through the mile at 5:30. Last year, she went through in 5:08, so it was a totally different race. I think it put a lot more people in it. We had a big pack of women until five or six miles, and then it dwindled down. And then it was pretty much Magda and I up front kind of pushing from 10k up to eight miles. And I believe at eight is when she made a pretty strong move, and that's where she gapped me. She negative split the last 10k, which is really good on that course. And then I stayed in second to the finish.

And on the basis of this performance, you find you're going to the World Half Marathon in Nanning, China on October 16.
SR: Yes. That was a big goal. And my boyfriend, we just found out, just qualified as well, so that's a double bonus. He was sixth place in the 20k, he ran an amazing race.

Ben made the U.S. team for World Cross Country.
SR: Yes. But he's a steeplechaser!

Does he ever say "hey, Stephanie, why don't you try the steeplechase?"
SR: No, he does not, because if you saw me run, you'd know I couldn't jump over a hurdle to save my life. I have a lower stride, definitely.

So you have four weeks of serious work before the World Half.
SR: I have two races in-between, actually. I'm running the Cow Harbor 10K in two weeks on Northport on Long Island. And then Tufts, the women's 10K (the USA Championships). I actually did that in 2007. That was my first big professional roadrace after college. I was seventh. That's when I was like "I know I can be one of the top Americans one day," and then it was two years down at the bottom. That's kind of why this (20k) performance wasn't so surprising to me. I always knew it was in there.

Looking toward 2012, are you thinking of yourself more as a 10,000-meter person or will you do the marathon soon?
SR: The marathon, definitely. I am running – I don't know if Greg wants me to tell you this – I am running Houston (in January). We're going after some big things there.

Big things would be – lows 2:30s, or whatever?
SR: Something fast. Possibly better. We kind of think if I can try and run under 72:00 at World Half, that would be a good indicator of what's possible in Houston.

Had altitude been much a part of your training before moving to Flagstaff?
SR: This is the first long stint I've been at it, yeah. It's hard to say; obviously you could say "yes, it's working," because I'm running better than I have in three years. But there are a lot of elements. I have a new coach. Greg is awesome. I found out about the gluten stuff. I came to altitude. There are a lot of factors. I'll tell you, it (altitude) forces you to train smarter and more conservative. The biggest challenge is just recovery. But yeah, I'm enjoying it thus far.

Do you have a job other than running?
SR: Oh, no. I'm just running. But it's funny. It just takes up your whole day. You get up, you eat breakfast, you have a workout, you ice bath, take a nap, eat lunch. Then we have core this afternoon, like circuit training. Then after that I have another run, then I have massage, then dinner. I feel really bad; I'm not really busy, but I am. That's just living the life.

The only thing I do have time for, with one of my best friends, Lauren Fleshman (the 2010 USATF 5000-meter champ) is we have this energy bar company. It's called Picky Bars. Both her and I were on the same road together for the last two years. We were actually cross-training together and we were just down in the dumps and we had no idea what to do, and we didn't know if we were coming back. We needed to do something, so she tinkered around with making these gluten and dairy-free bars. So, long story short, people liked them. We started selling them. First it's been word of mouth, just to people in Eugene, to people we know. And now that I'm here (in Flagstaff), I'm going to go to the local stores here and coffee shops and do all that stuff – once I get a little less busy with running.

And it's spelled "Picky?"
SR: Yep, Picky. Because the idea is that sometimes when you're eating a bar you think "man, I wish this had more peanut butter, or more chocolate, or no walnuts." Well, you can be picky, and we'll make them however you want.

Watching Lauren's success, you must be happy for that, too.
SR: Oh my gosh. When she won the race (the USATF Championships 5000), I was just bawling. I mean, it was ridiculous. I was in the stands in Des Moines and people were like "is this girl okay?" And I was like "you don't understand. I'm the only person who knew what that girl went through for the last few years, 'cause I was right next to her." The next thing she (Fleshman) said to me was "now it's your turn." And I'm like "oops. Sorry I got second (in the USA 20K)."

Well, that's a good first step.
SR: I think so.

Well, you're leading a transformed life, compared to a year ago. Suddenly, it's from the depths of despair to "hey, look at me, I'm second in the USA 20K and I'm going to Nanning." That must be an amazing feeling.
SR: It is. It's affirmation or confirmation to never give up. Honestly, I was on the elliptical or on the bike or in the pool and I just kept believing that I could get back. So many people do it. Reading Meb's (Keflezighi's) story, he did it. He couldn't get out of bed (a hip injury had left him unable to even walk). That's exactly how I was, but nobody knew about it but me. It's very rewarding to know that all the sacrifices are worth it.
 
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