Interview with Michelle Lilienthal
By Shannon Martin

Michelle Lilienthal running the 2006 Boston Marathon. Photo By: Alison Wade/New York Road Runners

Michelle Lilienthal, 24, currently a graduate student at Drexel University and a member of the Philadelphia Track Club, ran an impressive 2006 BAA Boston Marathon. She placed 16th overall and was the second American female finisher. Lilienthal ran Boston in a time of 2:40:23, which qualified her for the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Lilienthal is from Iowa City; she was a Foot Locker finalist in high school. Prior to moving to Philadelphia for graduate school, Lilienthal attended the University of Wisconsin where she ran track and cross country. Her personal bests include 4:34 in the 1500 meters, 9:35 in the 3000 meters and 16:45 in the 5K. Boston was Lilienthal’s second marathon. She ran the 2005 Philadelphia Marathon in 2:49:22,finishing third.

Fast-women.com caught up with the jovial and extremely busy Lilienthal at the Drexel athletic department, where she works as an assistant in the sports information department. Lilienthal is earning her masters degree in higher education administration and hopes to work as an administrator in an athletic department.

Fast-Women.com: Congratulations on your awesome finish at Boston! Were you surprised?
Michelle Lilienthal: I was very surprised.

FW: What was your goal time?
ML: My goal time was actually 2:47, because that is the Olympic Trials qualifying time.

FW: Well, you certainly surpassed that goal. You ran the Philadelphia Marathon in 2:49:22 last fall, so you improved your time by nine minutes! When did you decide to start competing in marathons?
ML: Honestly, all of this is new to me. I ran in a few road races, 5Ks and 10Ks in the fall, and I decided to jump in the Philadelphia Half-Marathon in September. I wanted to run the half-marathon just to gauge what my fitness level was like. I just jumped in the race and bandit ran [she didn’t register]. I ran decently, about 1:20 in the half-marathon, so I thought why not try the Philadelphia Marathon?

I didn’t change anything the couple months before the Philadelphia Marathon; I just continued to run base miles every day. The Olympic Trials didn’t even cross my mind; I had no idea that the mark was remotely feasible. All I knew was that I wanted to try and run it under three hours.

FW: So, after finishing third in the Philadelphia Marathon with a fast time, did you decide at that point that you wanted to take marathon training seriously and run Boston?
ML: Shortly after the Philly Marathon, I decided that I would train for Boston. I learned what the Olympic Trial time was so I decided to make that my goal.

FW: When did you become involved with the Philly Track Club?
ML: After I finished the Philly Marathon, I got an e-mail from their recruiter, Tom Haxton, telling me about their team. At first, I was skeptical; I was nervous that the atmosphere was going to be too intense for what I was looking for at the time. Tom e-mailed me in the midst of finals, so I put the decision on hold.

When I came back from Christmas break, I got in touch with some of the girls in the Philly Track Club and decided to join. It’s been nice. I was training by myself. Now, I have people to run with and I am really enjoying the company and camaraderie. So, I run a couple times a week with them and still run a few times a week on my own.

FW: What was your weekly mileage like as you were training for Boston?
ML: I was running about 80 miles a week. Looking back on my training, I think I should have been running 80 miles a week for longer than a couple months to really be competitive. I did one long run every other week, usually 16 miles, and 12 miles on the in between weeks. I did run 18 miles once. I did two hill workouts in an attempt to prepare for the Boston course, but I mainly did tempo runs and fartleks. I also ran a few 5K and 10K road races as tune-ups.

FW: So, do you consider the marathon your event now? Now that you are on the Philly Track team, do you see yourself competing on the track again, as you did in high school and college?
ML: I do consider the marathon my event now, though I really enjoy running 5K and 10K road races, which I still plan on doing. I don’t see myself competing on the track anytime soon. I don’t want to race on the track without doing any speed workouts, but maybe in the future. Right now I am enjoying road racing, so I’ll stick to the roads for now.

FW: I can understand that. Let’s talk about how you first became involved in running. Was it a family influence?
ML: Well, nobody in my family ran. My father is the one who suggested that I try running. I was a volleyball player, basically, because that’s what some of my friends played. Because of my short, scrawny frame, my dad thought that running would be more appropriate for me.

I joined the cross country team my sophomore year in high school. There were 100 boys and 100 girls on the team, so I thought even if I hate running, it will probably be fun with all of these people. Needless to say I enjoyed it; I have been running ever since.

FW: Do you have any running role models?
ML: When I was at Wisconsin, there were always elite runners around because they trained with our coach, Peter Tegen. So, I looked up to those women, and still do. Kathy Butler, Suzy Favor Hamilton, Sarah Schwald, and Jenelle Deatherage all trained in Madison, and it was amazing to watch them in workouts and races.

FW: Well, you must feel great after Boston! How has it been getting back into the swing of things with school and work?
ML: I have really been on an emotional high since Boston. The week has been crazy because I’ve been trying to return phone calls and e-mails on top of catching up with school and work. Also, it’s the beginning of the spring quarter at Drexel, so I have been trying to not fall behind with class work already.

FW: So, what marathon can we all look forward to seeing you run next?
ML: You know, I hadn’t even thought about it until people started asking me that after Boston. I may run Chicago, Twin Cities or possibly Philadelphia again. I really don’t know. One of my best friends and teammates from Wisconsin lives in Holland; I may even go there and run a marathon. It all depends on my schedule with school and work next fall.

Interview conducted on April 21, 2006, and posted on April 25, 2006.