To train harder, Paige Higgins needed more rest.So she left her job as a fine-arts teacher at her alma mater, Denver Mullen High School, to become a full-time professional runner with McMillan Elite in Flagstaff. That gamble, made in June 2008, already is paying off.
Higgins will make her U.S. international debut Aug. 23, final day of the World Track Championships that begin Saturday in Berlin. She and former Arizona State All-American Desiree Davila are among five American women qualified for the marathon.
Higgins' goal is to break two hours, 30 minutes on a flat, criterium course, which would be a significant step on the road toward the 2012 London Olympics.
"That's a wall I need to break down," said Higgins, who ran a personal record two hours, 33 minutes, six seconds for eighth at the 2008 Chicago Marathon.
Davila was fifth (first American) at Chicago in her personal record, 2:31:33.
In Colorado, after her college career at Kansas ended in 2005, Higgins was getting in 110-mile training weeks, but her weekdays started at 4 a.m. so she could be at work by 7. She ran again at 3:30 p.m., a cycle that, combined with being a vegetarian, led to severe anemia and kept her out of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.
"A lot of people underestimate the benefit of rest," said Higgins, taking a cue from 2004 Olympic marathon bronze medalist Deena Kastor. "Resting in between workouts is the main thing, and a lot of people can't do that. It takes committing to the running lifestyle."
Higgins is up to 140 miles per week at higher altitude (7,000 feet) than in Denver and again a "full-time carnivore" to combat the anemia. The 27-year-old credits Greg McMillan - "He's a phenomenal coach" - and general support she's discovered in Flagstaff for her improvement despite arthroscopic knee surgery that kept her out of the Boston Marathon in April.
Oddly enough, given Flagstaff's 100-plus miles of trails, she admits to being a "terrible" trail runner and sticks more to the road. In addition to Higgins, Japan's Yoko Shibui and Norway's Kirsten Melkevik Otterbu trained for the World Championships marathon in Flagstaff.
Shibui, with a personal best of 2:19:41, is third fastest in the world this year (2:23:42) off a January win in Osaka. She told Japanese reporters that her rigorous training in Arizona "turned into crying practice every day. It was the first time I've ever cried like that." Otterbu will miss the race due to a foot injury.
Higgins, 2008 U.S. 25K champion, has a brother in the Army stationed in Afghanistan, so running for her country carries extra meaning. "I'm very patriotic," she said. "To think about giving it everything I have gives me chills. It's a phenomenal honor."
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