2005 USA OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Interview with Shalane Flanagan
Reported by Parker Morse

Shalane Flanagan. (Photo by Alison Wade/New York Road Runners)

The women's 5,000m might have been a high-powered, high-tension nail-biter as it was at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials, with many of the same players. Instead, Shalane Flanagan established a gap on the field before the second kilometer mark, a gap which expanded to as much as 12 seconds during the race, and which never closed. Flanagan won in 15:10.96.

Q: What led you to push so hard to win?
Shalane Flanagan: Not making the final [in Athens] was really disappointing to me. I'm excited to be healthy again; [though] the injury isn't completely gone. We haven't completely figured it out. It could potentially be tendonitis under my navicular bone, or I could possibly have an accessory navicular. We haven't really figured it out. We're trying to work on orthotics. I don't think I'm totally back to normal, it still bothers me a bit, but with a lot of massage, a lot of ice, and a lot of anti-inflammatories, it's been manageable, and I'm able to race on it. I'd like to be able to get my races in this summer and not aggravate it too much, then take some time off.

Q: Do you know it's not a stress fracture?
SF: Oh, it's definitely not a stress fracture.

Q: Any down time because of it?
SF: I had some down time this winter, and that's why the World Championships in cross didn't personally go as well as I'd like. I was able to contribute to a championship team, which sometimes is better than a personal goal.

Q: How much is it affecting your training?
SF: It's mixed. I wasn't able to train with my teammates as much as I would like to, because I was in the pool. That's something we're going to have to work on next year; they're peaking for NCAAs, and I'm peaking for the World Championships. We mix, and I sometimes run with the men, but it would be nice to have some solid trainers day in and day out. Hopefully we'll work on that this next year.

Q: Did you have any doubts about your conditioning?
SF: No, my workouts have been better than last year, which is really a surprise since my training has been hindered in the last year. I just knew I could only run as fit as I am, and I'll just have to leave it up to that. I definitely didn't think I'd walk away with the race as much as I did, I guess.

Q: Was the pace comfortable?
SF: Yeah, actually, towards the end of the summer, 70s are where I feel good, so 72s were really easy for me today. Hopefully 70s will be the goal. Each year, those quarters go ticking by a little bit faster. To break 15 would be great, I won't be happy until I do that.

Q: Did you make a conscious move to pull away?
SF: Did I? I think my coach said I threw in a 71 in there, but I don't even know where it was. I just try to run how I feel, I don't even worry about time, I just go with what feels good. So maybe [there was] a surge in there, but it wasn't planned. Nothing was planned; it was just a run-how-I-feel race.

Q: Any apprehension about being out there by yourself?
SF: Yes. I don't like being too far out; sometimes I get nervous that I'm out too fast and other people are being smarter than me. That happens a lot, I feel like. I was a little nervous, but I felt good, and I knew I was in control, that I wasn't doing anything too ridiculous or crazy.

Q: Does racing in spikes bother your foot?
SF: Probably. I don't do much training in spikes, so I don't know. I'm definitely going to have to take care of it after each race. It's any time I try to get up on my toes and off, my foot is bothered. It's manageable with ice and therapy.

Q: Does it cause any other problems further up your leg?
SF: Hopefully not. We haven't run into any problems.

Q: Your career as an open athlete has been pretty successful.
SF: I'm just trying to be patient. I'll take each win I can get. I just keep chipping away at the times.

Q: Compared to the Trials last year, you seem to be advancing year to year.
SF: I hope so. I hope there's more to come. Amazingly, my workouts are better than last year, and I've had half as much training. I really haven't gotten in much this year, compared to last year, in terms of consistency. Consistency is huge for me. That builds confidence. I leave the rest up to my coach, and hopefully he'll get me there.

Q: What do you think it will take to get to the final at the World Championships?
SF: I don't know. I'll run like I did tonight, and hopefully that will be enough. I'll just run as hard as I can.

(Interview conducted June 23, 2005.)