På VM i Riga nästa helg är det inte bara halvamaratondistansen som ska springas utan även 5 km samt engelska milen.
En av favoriterna är den amerikanska mästaren Sam Prakel som har lite mer krut i påkarna än undertecknad och hoppas på nya framgångar.
Next weekend you are coming to Riga for the first mile World Champs. Have you got your eyes set on gold?
I’m really looking forward to competing in the first edition of the World Road Mile Championships. It looks like there will be a competitive field, but yes, I will try my best to win and bring home the gold.
You are the (pending on ratification) world mile record holder on the road with the time of 4:01:21. Is that a time you are hoping to beat in Riga?
It will almost certainly take a world record to win in Riga, so I am hoping to beat my time of 4:01. Running on the roads is a little different than running on the track because it is harder to gauge your effort, but if I run to my potential, I should run well under 4 minutes.
As a record holder and current US Champ you are a fast guy. What kind training philosphy do you have?
I don’t really have a specific training philosophy. If you look at my workouts, nothing would probably seem that impressive. However, it is the consistent work week after week that gets me in good shape. I just try my best to run decent volume while staying healthy. Most of my training is aerobic, and every week or two I’ll have a higher intensity session on the track. My biggest philosophy is just listening to my body and making sure I recover when I’m tired. It sounds simple, but it is hard to do sometimes when my job is to run!
After Riga, is there any more races lined up this year or is it back to base training?
Riga will be my last race for the year. I’ve been racing pretty consistently since January, so it’s been a long year. I’ll take a break after Riga and get married on October 7 and then get back to base training after that.
2024, Olympic year. Will you be there?
That’s the goal! I was 4th this year at the US Championships in the 1500, and I will be looking to improve on that performance and finish in the top 3 at the US Olympic Trials next year to make Team USA.
Last but least, could you share a great 1500/mile work you use building up to Riga?
My last workout on the track was 2xmile- 4:45, 4:36, and 2×600, 400, 300, 200- 1:35, 61, 43, 27, 1:26, 55, 39, 25.
Age- 28
Sponsor- adidas
Personal records:
Mile- 3:50.94
Road mile- 3:58.07
1500 m- 3:34.63
3000 m- 7:46.06
