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Shalane Flanagan reacts to her record-setting performance January 27 at the 2007 Reebok Boston Indoor Games.

Interview with Shalane Flanagan

Posted on January 31, 2007, Interview conducted January 31, 2007

Reported by Alison Wade

Shalane Flanagan ran the race of her career last Saturday at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games, hanging with world record holder and Olympic champion Meseret Defar for most of their 3,000m duel. Defar ultimately outlasted Flanagan 8:30.31 to 8:33.25, but Flanagan's 21-second PR broke Regina Jacobs' American record of 8:39.14 by nearly six seconds. It was Flanagan's first track race—and second race, period—since August of 2005. Flanagan underwent surgery in April of 2006 for the foot injury that had kept her out of competition since the 2005 IAAF World Track & Field Championships.

A native of Marblehead, Massachusetts, Flanagan was a three-time NCAA champion for the University of North Carolina (2002 and 2003 cross country, 2003 indoor 3,000m). Though she considers this past weekend's performance to be her true professional debut, Flanagan has won three USA titles (4k cross country in 2004 and 2005, 2005 outdoor 5,000m) and represented the U.S. in the 5,000m at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. She will next compete at the USA Cross Country Championships in Boulder, Colorado on February 10.

Flanagan, 25, spoke with reporters via teleconference four days after her record run. 

On how she felt in her 3,000m race at the 2007 Reebok Boston Indoor Games, and how she feels four days later:
I think I'm still kind of on a high from this past weekend. I literally couldn't even sleep the night after my race. Having gone through a tough year-and-a-half, [these are] the kind of races that you try to treasure. I was trying to embrace it because for a year-and-a-half, I didn't really have anything to show for my hard work, so it was just nice to have something pay off in a race like that. Just being at home, it was, for me, a magical night, just being surrounded by people I love and that care about me. I'm just happy I was able to put together a great performance. I've been working hard and to have it come together and perform the way I want to is really nice.

The race itself, I felt, was pretty flawless except for there was maybe one tactical move [which] I kind of regret now. With about 500 meters to go, I kind of challenged Defar and I was feeling really good, but my coach was yelling at me to not get too greedy and to stay back and stay patient. Within that one second when I kind of hesitated, I kind of lost all my momentum to challenge her. I think in hindsight we both agree that I should just trust my own judgment when I'm out there. I think with the Ethiopians you can't necessarily play their game. For me, personally, my strength is to go from kind of far out; I can't really wait for the last 200 because they do have really stellar kicks, especially Defar. My speed hasn't been developed quite to the level that hers has, so I think it would have been advantageous had I really gone with 500 to go. I think she was actually really, looking back, kind of panicked that I was there; I think she just thought...it was going to be kind of easy for her. I think just having me on her shoulder really made her nervous. It's not that she's not fit—I think she's fitter than [I am]—but just mentally, she wasn't expecting anyone with her.

Overall, though, I'm really, really, really, really happy, and I even think there's some room for improvement. I think it's really exciting; this has made me reevaluate some of the goals that I have for the rest of my career. This is kind of, in my mind, a debut for me as a professional. I don't think I've really been training the way I could have been. I just didn't know any better, I feel like I was really naive. Like I said, this is my professional debut; I'm finally training like the rest of my competitors.

On her goals for the USA Cross Country Championships:
Just to stick my nose in there. I know that Deena [Kastor] has committed to running, [as have] a variety of other really fantastic women. I think that Deena has really set the bar for what the rest of us need to be achieving, so I would definitely say that Deena's got to be considered the favorite. I'd just like to see how close I can get to Deena and if I can hang in tough with her, I'll be really pumped.

On her level of surprise with her performance and the career-changing aspect of her 8:33.25 3,000m:
I think my training in the past year-and-a-half has changed drastically. I'm just more committed than ever. I've changed my lifestyle and running is more of a priority for me now. I feel like it was almost like a hobby [before]. It's not that I wasn't dedicated, but I really feel like I've now really stepped it up and it's just a whole new confidence level for me. I just have full faith in my training, whereas before, I'd kind of get on the line and wonder if I really belonged. I didn't really know if I'd worked hard enough to belong there, and now I feel like I know I'm working hard enough to belong there.

On the ways in which her training and lifestyle have changed between 2004 and now:
I've changed coaches and I've moved out to Portland, Oregon. I feel like I'm just a overall better athlete; I feel a lot stronger. We do a lot of core strength, a lot of drills, focusing on being really efficient. I've [also] bumped up my mileage a little bit. In college, the [highest mileage] I'd peak out at was 70 and now we do a three-week cycle where we go 60, to 70, to close to 80 [miles per week], so that's quality for me. I've never run that consistent kind of mileage. Along with the consistent mileage, we do strides almost every day after a run now. I think for me, just kind of training those muscles to be fast has been a huge advantage instead of [before] when I literally would just go run and I didn't do anything else. I lifted a little bit but nothing really serious. Now I'm doing all the other little things that I think are starting to make a big difference. It's just a new stimulus to my body.

On how the fact that her coach, John Cook, is based in Florida and she's based in Oregon works out:
Well, we're actually going to be reevaluating that. I was working with another coach out in Oregon, but my husband [former UNC runner Steve Edwards] and I have been kind of homesick this year. We feel like we've adapted to the program and we believe that now it might be more conducive to us happiness-wise to be closer to family and home. I think we're going to be moving back to North Carolina—we still have a home there—and so we're looking into that. We're potentially trying to get another coach to be somewhere in the area to be a little more hands-on. Coach Cook is a really good administrator but he's getting to the age where he kind of wants to be maybe not quite as hands-on and do a little less travel. So I think we're looking for someone else to help us out in North Carolina.

On whether or not this is a recent decision:
Yeah, it's very recent.

On whether she doubted her ability to make a comeback while she was out with her foot injury:
You know, I knew that I was doing everything possible to try and get back. It was really just up to my foot. I feel that if I had not found the right doctor, I don't know if I'd still be running. When I told therapists what went on with my surgery, they were really amazed that I am running so soon and so quickly, so I really have to credit my great, great support system. It wasn't just my coaches; I had a lot of great therapists that I got to work with this year, and obviously a really good surgeon [Dr. Amol Saxena in Palo Alto, California].

After surgery, I would look at my foot and it was so mangled-looking that I thought, 'How am I even going to walk, let alone run on this foot?' So to have it come full circle and to be able to run on an indoor track—I thought maybe I'd never be able to run indoors or cross country again, just because of the torque and the beating that it gets from those two sports. I feel really, really lucky that it went as well as it did. I think my patience, and holding out on finding the right doctor, was pretty essential.

On any recurring effects that she feels from the surgery, or the possibility of re-injuring her foot:
I've been trying to eliminate that. Before I could walk, we were doing exercises and drills just to strengthen my foot, and even my whole body. I think a lot of people forget that you almost have to prepare your body to start running again. So between preparing my body and my foot for running again, we did a really good job of covering our bases and trying not to re-injure it. There's always that possibility and I'm going to have to, for the rest of my life probably, do some maintenance on my foot. I try to see a physical therapist at least once a week, if I can fit it in with training and traveling. My doctor said my foot will probably never be the same; my scar is actually pretty big and it can get irritated at times. I even had to tape my foot for the race because I have orthotics now and I don't really have orthotics yet for my spikes, so I've had to do some fancy taping. I was really pleased to find that after the race, it really wasn't even that sore, so it must mean that we're doing a good job with strengthening.

On her foot injury:
I was just born with this extra bone right near my navicular, and it was starting to tear on my post-tibial tendon. As a result, I was getting pain and I could barely push off, for about a year, I could barely use my big toe.

On whether she was able to speak to Meseret Defar after their 3,000m showdown:
No, I don't think she was feeling so well afterwards. I remember going back towards the media and she was just sprawled out on the ground. I think one of her friends or teammates was trying to talk to her and I don't think she was feeling very well. I also don't know how much English she knows.

On her racing plans:
The goal has been more [aimed at] cross. I was just hoping to sharpen [in Boston], get a race in, kind of get the jitters out and shake off some rust. [Boston] may be the highlight; I don't know how well cross will go. Hopefully I'll recover pretty well; I've come down with a nasty cold, so hopefully I can recover quickly. The goal has been more cross country than anything, but it's nice to have some early rewards like this one.

On her experience training at altitude:
I did a quick stint, for like three weeks, in Mammoth this summer, but that's not really substantial training. I haven't done any [substantial training at altitude] at all. I'm just hoping to rely on my overall fitness to kind of get me through. Luckily, in the past, I've never really had much of a problem adapting to altitude. I'm not going to go up early to try to adapt, I'm just going to get in Thursday night, race, and get out. I don't know what to expect. Hopefully I'll just probably be pretty conservative for the first part, just to see how I feel.

Her thoughts on the return to one race at the USA Cross Country Championships and the World Championships, and whether or not she will go to Mombasa if she makes the team:
I'm really excited about the single race; it gives us the opportunity to have all of the great competitors together and really test [ourselves] in one great race. In terms of Worlds, I've been planning on it. I'm going to just consult a few people who I really trust, and a few doctors, and just play out all of the possible negatives, and just make sure I'm well-prepared for those possible negatives. As of right now, I don't see why I wouldn't go. I think I'm really fit and I'd like to test myself against the rest of the world. Hopefully we can gather a nice team. I don't know how many people who qualify are actually going to end up going, but I would like to encourage a lot of people to go if they make it.

On her focus during the outdoor track season:
Mainly the 5k. I would like to try to get as many 'A' standards as I can this spring. It's always nice to have a fallback for the Olympic Trials if things don't go the way you planned. I would love to get in a really great 15[00] and a 5k, and then, if the opportunity presents itself, get in a 10k as well.

On whether she's training with her former UNC teammate Erin Donohue, or anyone else:
Yeah, Erin and I are actually down here together in Arizona right now; we're in the Scottsdale area. She's come down with a minor calf injury so ironically, we have not worked out yet together but she's been a great [part of my] support system and friend to have around. It's just nice to have that social aspect. We have a few friends who go to [Arizona State University] so we've been able to get together with them for some easy runs. But the majority of my workouts this year have actually been with my husband. He's been a great help in the majority of my workouts.

On whether or not she'll take a shot at the 5,000m American record outdoors:
Oh, absolutely. I think there's actually a bunch of women who can take a shot at it this spring. I think we're all very motivated to break that record. I think that's one that a lot of people are shooting for and I think whoever happens to get it first, we all would be very excited to see that one fall.

On breaking records set by athletes who later tested positive for banned substances:
You're right on the money. I think there's an undertone. I've talked to multiple 5,000 meter women in the US and whoever breaks it, I think we're all going to be extremely happy for her. I think it's great to take down those kind of records, and do it with athletes that are doing it the right way.

On whether or not she's had the opportunity to talk to three-time World Cross Country Champion and Olympic medalist Lynn Jennings, also a former Massachusetts high school star who resides in Portland, Oregon:
No, I've actually thought about it, because she is such a great role model. It would have been nice to use her as a resource; she has a great wealth of knowledge, but I don't want to push myself on someone who maybe has moved on, past track, and maybe doesn't want to be giving advice.

She's been a great role model for me. Like I said, in high school, if I was within a couple of seconds of some of her records, I knew things could be good.

On her return to the Reggie Lewis Center, one day after the Reebok Boston Indoor Games:
I was told that I'd be inducted into the Massachusetts Hall of Fame, and their induction ceremony was going to be this week. I didn't feel like hanging around in the Boston weather to train for a few more days, so I opted to set up something different. They were able to allow me to come back on Sunday, during one of the high school meets, and they presented me with a trophy and performed the induction. Afterwards, I was able to talk to some of the kids and sign some posters that they had left over from the meet. I was really honored. It's always nice to feel that you're appreciated back home, and that they still remember you. I felt really fortunate and very lucky to be back. It was kind of nice to go back to the track the next day and just kind of re-live a little bit of what had gone on. It was a nice closing to the weekend.