Interview with Shayne Culpepper
by Scott Douglas

Shayne Culpepper wins the 3,000m title at the 2005 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships. (Photo by Alison Wade/New York Road Runners)

Shayne Culpepper is a two-time Olympian who won last year's Olympic Trials 5,000m. Also in 2004, she won a bronze medal at 3,000m at the World Indoor Track & Field Championships. She has won the national indoor title at 3,000m the last two years, and was the 2003 national cross country champion at 4K. In March, she was part of the U.S. team that took third place in the women's 4K at the World Cross Country Championships. Her PRs include 4:06.33 for 1,500m and 15:01.36 for 5,000m.

She is married to two-time Olympian Alan Culpepper. Their son, Cruz, was born in April 2002. They live in Lafayette, Colorado.

We spoke two days after Culpepper was part of a massive crash in the 1,500m at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon.

Fast-Women.com: Let's start with the immediate past, and then move on to better things. What happened at Pre?
Shayne Culpepper: I don't know exactly what happened to trip anyone up, but I think it was due to the field size and the rabbit slowing tremendously. We were, I think, 63-something at 400, which was good, she was supposed to go through in 64, but then her next 300 she did at 70-second pace. It all bunched up in the front, and with that number of people, that's a recipe for disaster.

FW: Before all that happened, did you think the field was too big?
SC: Yes. I was concerned earlier in the week when I saw the start list. I was really prepared for the race and had tapered for it. But when I saw the size of the field... It's not because any one athlete didn't deserve to be in there — every person in the race was a legitimate athlete. But there were just too many.

FW: Two days later, do you have any lingering effects?
SC: My back is pretty sore. I got a massage for it, so it feels better. I actually did a workout today, and my legs felt great. I normally wouldn't do a session on a Monday two days after a race, but it went great. So it's just some soreness in my back.

FW: Does what happened at Pre change anything for you coming up, in terms of race plans?
SC: Yes, it does. My plan was to run the 1,500 at nationals and in Helsinki. There aren't a lot of chances to run 4:05.80 in the US before nationals, so that's why the Pre meet was important. I'm confident that I can run that time, but with so few opportunities here in the US before nationals, it would be foolish to focus on the 1,500 without having that 'A' standard first. So now I'm focusing on the 5,000 at nationals. The problem with the 1,500 is that it puts you in the position where you have to win the race — no one else has the 'A' standard — and if something like what happened at Pre happens or if it comes down to a kick and you're second, then... So my plan is to run the 5,000 and then decide about the 1,500.

FW: What is the schedule like for doubling at nationals?
SC: [Laughs] I'll have to come back not 40 minutes after the 5,000 and run a 1,500 prelim. That's why, at this point, I'm focused completely on the 5K. I'll decide what to do about the 1,500 after that race.

FW: Does this change your training much, now that you're shooting for the 5K instead of the 1,500?
SC: Not drastically. Last year, my training was 100% focused on the 5K. This year, I was pointing for the 1,500, but it's not like I was doing things drastically different. Last year, maybe I would do five times 1K, whereas this year that workout might be four times 1K, then four times 400. I'm not concerned. It might be different if my training had been 100% focused on the 1,500 and then suddenly shifted back up to the 5K.

FW: Last year you won the Olympic Trials but then, you've said, were flat at the Olympics. What are you doing different this year to keep the same thing from happening at Helsinki?
SC: Actually, the bigger problem last year was getting my ['A' standard] qualifier so early. I ran 15:00 on, I think, April 30. I was so fit so early, and then was just holding on. By the time I got to the Olympics, I was tired. Right now, I'm in the shape that I was in, say, March of last year — I've shifted things back a few months. A couple of weeks ago it was kind of frustrating, because after a workout I would think, 'Last year at this point I was doing X, Y, Z.' But this is what I need to do.

FW: Assuming you make the team, what are your racing plans between nationals and Helsinki?
SC: Well, I need to figure out what I'm doing in Helsinki. I'm really just focused on nationals at this point. I'll really only solidify my plans once nationals are out of the way.

FW: Going into Athens last year, did you kind of know that you were past your peak?
SC: Not really, no. I was still doing good sessions. All my training was going great, and I was having great workouts, and a good taper. I think I didn't know until I went to the well how tired I was. It was so hot that night — around 90 degrees, and humid. Heat, I can deal with if it's dry heat, but add the humidity... I've had heatstroke before.

FW: So did you think, 'Well, my workouts are still good, I should try to race some more,' or did you know you were done for the year?
SC: I knew I was done. It's the Olympics — there's so much emotion tied up in it. You're in a training camp with all the other athletes, Alan was running the marathon a few days later... I knew I was done physically and emotionally. I was definitely ready to take a break.

FW: You're coached by Brad Hudson. By now, he has a lot of good runners, but you were the first big-name runner he coached. How did that come about?
SC: Well, the person who was my coach here, Jason Drake, took a job at Washington [State University]. Alan has always coached himself, and my first year back after having my son, I thought I would try a bit of that, coaching myself. I had a good year — 15:23, 4:09. But I knew deep down I was missing something. I was frustrated that I wasn't running up to my potential. At the end of that season, I started calling different coaches, and talked with my agent about who I might work with. I had ideas of what I wanted to implement, but I wanted to hear what other people thought I needed. Brad kind of approached me and gave a sales pitch. What he knew, what he talked about was convincing. And him being here in town was a big sell.

FW: What did he say you should be doing differently?
SC: Well, he kind of told me what I wanted to hear — weekly long intervals, more LT [lactate threshold] work, 2K repeats, things like that, and less emphasis on pure speedwork and a hard long run. It was convincing what he said about bringing my training together. He did have a lot of ideas — why don't we try this, why don't we try that? I figured, 'The first couple months, I'll do what he wants me to do and see how indoor goes, and then decide from there.' That went well, so here we are.

FW: What was the explanation for de-emphasizing the long run?
SC: For me personally, he just said to not really worry about the long run too much. I still do them during my base phase, but for my particular physiological make-up, too many long runs tend to play against me. Taking that out as something I do year-round really saved me as far as my fatigue level. I know a lot of people do them year-round, but for me, for whatever reason, it kills me. At first, listening to him on that one definitely took trust on my part.

FW: So what was the longest run you did in, say, May?
SC: 11 miles.

FW: Easy? Hard? What effort?
SC: Easy. The thing is, they're easier at the same pace than they used to be because my fitness is up. I start at maybe 7:00 pace, down to 6:40s, but that's easier than it used to be. It's the same heart rate, the same effort as an easy day.

FW: How often do you wear a heart rate monitor?
SC: Usually just for AT [anaerobic threshold], LT work, but occasionally on easy days to make sure I don't go too hard.

FW: Another interesting thing about your training is that you told me you don't do any core strength stuff or lifting or things like that. Why is that?
SC: I don't think I need it. Knock on wood, but I've had one plantar fasciitis injury in eight years. The only season I've ever missed since becoming a professional was to have Cruz. When I was growing up, I was a gymnast for 10 years, so I kind of have this muscle memory, this baseline strength. It's just one of my strengths as an athlete. So, in the afternoon I can do a second run or 25 minutes of pilates for the same level of fatigue. I think the run will help me more.

FW: I was going to ask you about the gymnastics, because after that you started running, but you've said you did like only 15 miles a week in high school. That seems kind of weird, that the work ethic from gymnastics didn't carry over right away into running.
SC: I was pretty tired by that time. I did gymnastics up through middle school, and it was pretty intense. I would come home from school, eat dinner at 5:00, leave for gymnastics practice, and not get home until 9:00. In high school I was more interested in enjoying my friends and my social life. I knew I was a good runner and athlete, but I was mostly interested in being with my friends.

FW: So was there a specific point you can recall when you decided to get more serious?
SC: I was good enough in high school, and then was at the University of Vermont for two years. Then I transferred to [the University of Colorado], and I was kind of shell shocked when I saw how hard they were training there. I was curious — I kind of wanted to try to see what would happen if I trained like that. I had good results soon after — I was a walk-on in cross country, and by the following February I was an All-American at the indoor 3K.

FW: How about the next step? When did you start thinking about running seriously after college and making it your profession?
SC: At the end of my senior year of college, I kind of had another step up. After NCAAs, I ran 4:10 [for 1,500m] at US outdoor nationals, and that was good enough to be able to take that next step of a professional career.

FW: How often do you run with others? Are the people who Brad Hudson coaches a group, or is it more like a bunch of people who happen to have the same coach?
SC: It's a bunch of people. I don't even know everyone who he coaches. There are two girls, Amy Manson and Molly Austin, I would do workouts with them back in January when I wasn't racing. But in the main part of the season, we never really do sessions together — it's more like we'll do the warm-up and cooldown together. That's still really helpful, though, just having other people on the track at the same time. But, no, I never really see Dathan [Ritzenhein] at practice, if that's what you mean.

FW: So your track workouts, those are by yourself?
SC: They are.

FW: Is that out of preference or necessity?
SC: Well, this year I had three or four workouts where guys were helping me. It's good in a way, because you can get pulled to running faster, but I kind of got tired. I've gotten better at it, at doing sessions by myself. But it would be nice to have some women to do them with.

FW: Is your coach there for your workouts?
SC: Yes, Brad comes to all of my workouts, which is great. On your own, with just you there, that can be tough. Having other people on the track at the same time and having him there is a huge help. It doesn't make you feel like a crazy person running around in circles.

FW: When I interviewed Alan before the Olympic Marathon Trials, he said how you two have a pretty regimented schedule because of your kid, and not the sort of thing where you sit around sipping coffee and think about starting the morning run eventually. Could you detail what a typical day for you two is?
SC: Alan has always slept a bit more, a bit later than me. I'm usually up by 7:00, and out the door by 8:00, as he and Cruz are getting up. By the time I'm back, he's ready to go. In the evening, I'll go at 3:30 or 4:00, then him. On Tuesdays and Fridays, when I typically have sessions, Cruz goes to preschool. In some ways, our schedule makes it easier to get out the door, because we don't have that extra time to procrastinate.

FW: What are Alan's plans for the rest of the year?
SC: After Boston, he took a break, and now he's getting back into it. His plan, if things fall into place, is to go to Europe at the end of the summer for some 5Ks, then shift to a marathon phase for a fall marathon. He's still pretty frustrated with his 5K PR. When I was running in the 15:20s and he'd run 13:20-something a hundred times, that was one thing. Now that he has seen the types of workouts I have done to have some success in the 5K, he recognizes where he can make changes to improve his own PR in the event. But coming back from Boston, a lot will depend on whether things fall into place without having to rush things.

FW: You two have talked about your faith in other interviews. Is that something that's separate from your running, or does it play a role in your running?
SC: For me, it plays a part in everything, in my whole life. It keeps you grounded and helps keep things in perspective. It helps me not get too wrapped up in running in circles around the track.

(Interview conducted June 6, 2005, and posted June 16, 2005.)