A few days ago, following the London Marathon, I was lucky enough to be able to ask some questions of Andrew Lemoncello. Andrew is moving from running 3,000 metre steeplechase to marathons and this was his debut - he’s one of the UK’s best runners, and is aiming for the 2012 Olympic marathon.
Here is a transcript of the interview:
Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer our questions and congratulations on your run last week – I really enjoyed watching the race, and following your build-up.
First, how is the recovery going? How long until you’re back in full training?
I feel great. I only ran a couple of times last week but am back running everyday now. My legs were never sore after the marathon so hopefully I can get back into full training fairly quickly.
You were disappointed with your run after the race. How do you feel about it a week on?
Still very disappointed but have just settled for using it as good experience. I want to take my disappointment with me through my training so that I can work even harder and do a lot better in my next marathon.
You mentioned in your post-race interview that your legs didn’t feel too bad. That must be a good sign that there is more in the tank?
I was training to run 4 mins quicker so I would have been really upset if my legs were really sore and I had run slow.
The most striking thing for me last week was how difficult a race London is for someone aiming around 2:10 – you were on your own from about 11 miles and the people falling off the lead group tended to drop out, so I guess you didn’t have anyone to aim at. Would you prefer to run your next race somewhere where you could be in the mix for the win?
I talked to my agent about that yesterday. We will aim for a marathon where there is something for the 2.08-2.10 runners. Chicago is supposed to be setting up a 2.10 group but also Eindhoven is looking good as there are lots of runners between 2.07 and 2.10.
Do you think the London organisers would be willing to do more to help you and the other British runners? It seems to me they could assemble a field which included not only the 2:05 guys but also more depth down to 2:12 or so, to create more of a race within a race, and have more pacers for a second group. Is this something you have talked to them about at all? Were you expecting more people around you? Or better pacing?
I have never talked to them about this issue. They do a great job so it’s not really my place to tell them what to do. I was expecting my pacemaker to be able to run at least halfway with me but he only managed to get to 10 miles before really slowing up (he was supposed to take me to 20 miles at 2.10.30 pace). I was upset about this but it was the pacer’s fault, not the organisers.
You’ve withdrawn from the European Championship marathon in the summer. What’s next? Amsterdam? Do you feel you have unfinished business at 10,000m?
I would like to run another 10,000m but I may focus on doing some road races during the summer. Last year I took the summer off of racing so I am eager to learn more about running on the roads.
You train with the Macmillan Elite group in Flagstaff Arizona. Could you tell us a bit about that? Is all your training in a group, or do you all do your own thing?
We all have a bunch of different aims but a lot of the time we are still able to get together for some good workouts. We do a lot of easy runs together.
There seem to be quite a few opportunities for runners in the States – there’s your group, the Hansons, the groups at Mammoth Lakes and in Portland. Do you think the UK would benefit from something similar? Why do you think there is nothing similar in the UK?
I’m sure it would benefit a lot of runners but its not as financially viable as it’s hard to get sponsors in the UK. I think UKA is trying to do that now with basing people in Loughborough and sending people to altitude to train.
These seem like good times for American distance running, with Hall, Ritzenhein, Tegenkamp, Rupp and Solinsky all running so well. Do you think there is something different about the American system that we in Britain could learn from?
A very professional and scientific set up where the athletes can concentrate on running hard and recovering properly. Remember that all the above mentioned athletes are making a lot of money so can afford to do that whereas there are only a handful of athletes in the UK over all the events that come close to what they make. They also have a great university system where they can develop as athletes and run hard every time they race. The depth is incredible at the moment with so many people running amazing times.
Having said that, with you and Mo Farah, and Chris Thompson’s fantastic run last night, this is the first time for a very long time that we have had 3 runners under 28 minutes for 10k. Do you think the British men are an upward curve too?
I hope so. That was one of the reasons I started my blog was so that other runners could see the kind of work that I do to run the times I do. I would love to know what Mo and Chris do to get as fast as they have also. I think sharing training information is very important to help with the development of other athletes. A lot of people are citing the fact that all the high school kids in the USA are finding out about how the professionals are training and doing those things themselves and becoming better athletes.
You are the fastest British 10,000m runner for a long time to move up to the marathon. You’re faster than Alister Hutton, Charlie Spedding, Hugh Jones, and Ron Hill, who all ran sub 2:10. Do those runners inspire you? Have any of them given you any advice?
Absolutely. Anyone faster than me is an inspiration. I haven’t talked to any of those guys but would love to get a chance to talk to them on how they transitioned from track running to marathons.
One thing I notice about the glory days of British running is that there were a lot more mustaches. Is this something you would be willing to consider?
Not a chance!
Andrew is sponsored by Mizuno.
Mike |