FW: Just barely? It still counts, right?
AM: [laughs] Yeah, supposedly. “It’s still a PR.”

FW: You opened your outdoor track season at the KU Relays, and you doubled there.
AM: My times weren’t very fast. [Mortimer won the 5000 meters in 16:17.17, and was second in the 1500 meters in 4:22.68.]

FW: Why did you decide to run the 3000 meters and not the 1500 meters at the adidas Classic?
AM: Originally we were hoping to get me into the Pre meet, but they didn’t let me into the “A” race there. Also, I wanted to do some over-distance work. Last year, we [Mortimer and her coach, John Mortimer, no relation] did more 5Ks and 3Ks during the season, and I think it helps in the 1500, because the 1500 is so short. It helps make me feel a lot stronger over the 1500 meters.

FW: I was curious about that, since the last time Fast-Women.com spoke with you, your mileage was around 50 to 60 a week, which is a little low compared to the other women you race against, but it seemed to be working for you. Are there other things that you think work for you that might appear out of the norm for the women you compete against?
AM: Hmm. [pauses] I’m trying to think of what else might be different. That’s a good question. I think that’s probably about it. Other than that, I think I do most of the same basic stuff as everyone else.

FW: Do you do a lot of weight work and form work and drills? Things like that?
AM: I do try to weight lift twice a week. I also like to do push-ups and stuff because my posture is really bad, especially with [studying at] school. I do a little bit of drill work, but not a heavy amount.

FW: Have you finished with graduate school?
AM: Actually, it’s been kind of a mess. I was almost finished last fall, and I was going to take my last class in July. When I got third at U.S. nationals in June, though, I decided to go to Europe and try to get the “A” standard. I had to put my class off, and it’s only offered in the summer, so I just blew off the whole year, and I’m taking it right now.

FW: Oh, wow, and here I was going to ask about all of this down time you suddenly have, and whether you wonder what you are going to do with yourself, but now that’s obviously not an issue.
AM: It’s been a nice distraction this time of year, though. It’s a little stressful being in school again after being out all year, but it’s also been nice to have something else to worry about other than running.

FW: Do you think you’re going to continue on as an assistant coach at Boston College next year?
AM: I’m not sure what I’m doing next year, actually. I’m probably going to leave Boston at the end of the summer.

FW: Do you have any ideas about where you’d like to go? Can you picture yourself being a full-time athlete?
AM: I kind of did that this year, and I don’t think it’s the best situation for me, because I tend to worry a lot. I just felt kind of bored this year, because all I did was run. Once I started taking this class again, I realized how much I loved school and how much I need some mental stimulation, too. I’ll try to find a part-time job wherever I end up next year, something that can fit in nicely with my training.

FW: There seem to be two different types of athletes. There are those who are enamored with the group training camps, with their more regimented training environment, where the athletes can work together and push each other in a relatively self-contained atmosphere. Then there are the athletes who need all sorts of other things in their lives in order to find balance, to take their minds off of just running and to not allow the sport to be singular a focus.
AM: Yeah, I definitely agree. I wish I could be the other type, but I can’t. It might be because my mileage is lower, too. I just sit around twiddling my thumbs for most of the day.

FW: You have three years of assistant coaching behind you now. Looking back at your college career, what are some of the things you wish you’d known then that you know now?
AM: One thing I like to tell the girls a lot now is how, when you’re in college, you worry a lot about a lot of silly things. Like, for example, I worried about staying lean all year. I worried more about my body then. I work with my body more now, rather than against it. Now, if I gain some weight in the fall, I know that’s normal for me, and I’ll lose it for spring. I don’t stress about that kind of stuff as much. I guess that’s the biggest thing. I tell everyone not to worry quite so much about running. I’m struggling with it a little bit.

FW: How much focus feels like too much pressure, and how much focus is necessary to do your best?
AM: That’s something I seem to have some trouble with. At one point, I was so focused on my running. I used to put more pressure on myself to perform well at every meet. It becomes your whole life, and so if it’s going wrong, it’s really frustrating. You sort of lose a sense of perspective on it.

FW: Well, it seems like whatever you’ve been doing so far has worked out really well for you. Your progression has been strong. I know you said earlier that your life might be changing a bit, things like where you’ll be living after you finish school, but I was wondering if you and your coach, John Mortimer, have sat down and mapped out a plan leading up to 2008 and the Olympic Trials, and how structured it is at this point.
AM: Actually, I’m not coached by John anymore.

FW: Have you decided on who’s going to be coaching you, and what you’re going to do next?
AM: No, right now I’m just trying to get through this season, just take care of the rest of the season and decide from there.

FW: If you finish in the top three again at nationals, but just miss the World “A” standard, which is what happened last year, will you be able to go to Europe again and try to get a qualifier?
AM: I’m done with my classes in June, and after that I plan on going to Europe just to get some experience racing over there and try and get the “A” standard.

FW: A lot of your peers have recently been able to cross over from collegiate athletics to post-collegiate training and racing. In the past, it has seemed as though the U.S. has had a lot of problems retaining really good female runners who take a shot at continuing on as professional runners after college. Do you think this has just been a cyclical phenomenon, or, based on your own experience and from talking with people you used to race against, is there something else going on?
AM: My guess would be that it’s become much more of a financial option for people to continue. You’ve got a lot more training groups going on than a couple of years ago, and also the contracts from the shoe companies are getting a little better. It’s easier for people to make it work.

Editor's Update: Amy Mortimer placed seventh in the USATF championship 1500 meters, with a time of 4:13.44.

Interview conducted on June 18, 2006, and posted on June 23, 2006.