Magdalena Lewy Boulet has been having the best year of her career. She finished 20th in the world cross country championships in her native Poland in March, then took second at the Rotterdam Marathon in April in a new PR of 2:26:22. Last month, she blew away the field at the USATF 20K National Championship in New Haven, Conn., winning in 1:01:41. The 2008 U.S. Olympian in the marathon turned 37 in August but has shown no signs of slowing down, thanks in part to a newfound love for supplemental training. She’s the top American in the stacked women’s field at this weekend’s Chicago Marathon, where she hopes to run in the 2:25 range or faster. We caught up with her last week as she was trying to stay busy during her taper.
How did your pre-marathon training go?
Lewy Boulet: I think I’m in better shape now than I have ever been. I finally put two cycles back-to-back that were very consistent. I feel really ready to go and I think I can run faster than I ran in the spring. The 20K went really well. It was in the middle of my marathon build-up. After that, it kind of slowly started to come together. I really needed that hard effort; it was also a good indicator of how fit I am.
What are your thoughts about racing in Chicago?
LB: I’ve never been to Chicago and never run the Chicago Marathon, so I’m really excited to have a chance to run there on that course with the fast field. This is really only my second time running on a pretty flat course. Rotterdam is pretty flat as well, so Chicago should be pretty comparable. I’m excited to be racing in the U.S. and not having to fly overseas. And I’m excited because I know Chicago has a large Polish population. I actually have an interview with some Polish media, so that’s exciting, too. But really I’m just looking forward to running fast.
Why have you been able to run so well in your late 30s?
LB: I think I finally figured it all out. It took a while to get all of the pieces to the puzzle together and figure out what works best for me. Once I quit my job [as an assistant coach at the University of California] last year, I’ve been able to focus only on running and being a mom for a full year. Especially in the last year, I have done what I’ve wanted to do for a long time, and a lot of that is just being able to training when I need to train. I think there is a lot more in me and I can continue to improve. The key is that I’ve been healthy for a while and have trained consistently for a while, and that’s what makes it fun.
Have you changed anything in your training?
LB: I don’t think my training has changed that drastically. I think I’ve been able to do a lot of other little things. I have invested a lot of time into getting stronger as an athlete. I think that has already supported the training that I’ve been doing, and I think I will benefit even more in the long run. I’ve been working with a physical therapist to improve my core strength and balance and doing a lot of exercises that support all of the mileage that I do. I think it helps eliminate some of the bumps in the road, so to speak, and helps me be healthier and more consistent with my training. It allows me to recover faster and feel a little bit more powerful in my workouts at the same time.
Did you just not have time for those things in the past?
LB: Not really. It’s all the little things that make a huge difference, from the strengthening exercises to taking naps to the stuff I just didn’t have time to do. I would do everything Jack [Daniels] would tell me to do running-wise, but that was about it. I would get it done whenever I could on my lunch break or at any hour of the day, but that was maybe not optimal to my training. But now there is a little bit more strategy to when and what I do versus just getting the minimum done.
Does that mean you’ve moved your treadmill out of the living room?
LB: I have it in the garage now. I moved it out and added a few more training toys, so I have a full training room in the garage now.
Are you still going to visit Flagstaff for altitude training even though Jack Daniels has moved to North Carolina?
LB: Yes, definitely. Jack is still my coach and is running the show from far away. The only thing that has changed is that when I go to Flagstaff for altitude training, he isn’t going to be around. That’s kind of a bummer, but I’ll be staying in his house and following his workouts.
Do you miss coaching college athletes?
LB: I miss coaching in college tremendously, but I definitely see the benefits of having quality time to train and not trying to squeeze in my training. And I’m still coaching a handful of athletes in the Bay Area Track Club. One of them is Chris Chavez, a former Cal runner who’s actually running Chicago, too. That’s exciting because we’ve both been training together and doing the same kind of preparation leading up to the race. I’m also coaching Jake Schmitt, who went to the University of Washington; Clara Peterson, who was at Duke; and Stephan Shay, who was at BYU.
What kind of time are you shooting for in Chicago?
LB: My husband [former elite 1500m runner Richie Boulet] has a marathon PR of 2:25:45, so I’ve got to get the family record. I know that sounds kind of funny, but that’s what I’m shooting for. I know there are some fast women there and if I can run the kind of race I think I can run — that I think I am trained to run, that’s the time I think I can run.
What are your thoughts about the 2012 U.S. Olympic trials marathon in Houston?
LB: The Olympic trials marathon is the main goal, the ultimate goal. After Chicago, that will become my main focus, even though I will run races between now and then. I really want to make the team again and get the chance to run in the Olympics. [She had to drop out of the marathon at about the 20K mark in the Beijing Olympics because of a knee injury.] I think the field this time around will be very, very competitive and it should take a pretty fast race to make the team. I look forward to giving it another shot and making the team, and if all goes well, I hope to have my redemption at the Olympics.
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