FW: Is there a specific track event or road race that you are preparing for in the future and coordinating your training around?
NA: Well, I’m still up in the air about track. I may consider running at the national championships. Right now, I’m mostly focusing on Freihofer’s, the Mini, and Steamboat [Steamboat Classic 4-Mile in Peoria, Illinois, on June 17]. My main goal is to run a solid, fast marathon this fall and then focus on the 5k and 10k in 2007.

FW: That’s certainly a great goal. Have you decided which marathon you are going to run in the fall?
NA: No, I haven’t. It really depends on which marathon will have me and where I think I can run my best. I guess we just need to decide which race would set me up the best for the winter and for my ultimate goal of the 2008 Olympics trials; it may be that I need a flat course or I may need a more challenging course. Each marathon has its pros, you know, so it depends on which pros will most fit my needs.

FW: You’ve competed at many different distances, from the 1500 to the marathon! What’s your favorite distance to run?
NA: That’s a good question and a tough one too. It’s funny because I don’t really think I have a favorite. When you’re having a good race then of course you’d say, for example “Oh I love the 5K,” but if it’s going bad say in a 10,000-meter race on the track it can be so miserable and you may vow to never run one again, but somehow you always come back.

I like the challenge of the marathon. I’ll like it even more if I can work out how to run it [laughs]! Of course I love the 1500-meter; it was my distance in college, but I always knew that I didn’t have the leg speed to be good enough on the national or world stage. Anyhow…sorry for the long answer on this one.

FW: Do you have any runner heroes, heroines, or role models?
NA: I do. Some are friends like Colleen De Reuck and Elva Dryer. Then, there’s Libby Hickman, who was such an awesome competitor, and, of course, Deena [Kastor]. I also look up to Kerryn McCann from Australia who just ran a gutsy marathon at the Commonwealth Games. Not only are they great runners, but also they’re nice people and have always been that way as long as I’ve been in the running world. To them, it doesn’t matter who you are or what you have done; they always take the time to say hi and offer any advice you may need. They are great role models for the up-and-coming girls on the circuit.

FW: How does it feel to be a professional runner yourself?
NA: It’s the best; it’s so great because you have a job that you absolutely love. It’s also great for Michael and I because we can train together, on easy days of course. It’s nice to wake up every day and go to a job you love.

Some people think that professional runners have it easy though because we get to run for a living. It’s really not easy, though. We have to train no matter what. We have to work though injuries, bad weather, freezing ice baths, you name it, and that is not always easy. We have to make money doing this, so we have to put a lot of effort into it, but I wouldn’t change it for the world!

FW: When you were in college, did you foresee yourself becoming a professional runner?
NA: Well, when I first went to college, it didn’t occur to me. I honestly didn’t know that people “ran” for a living. I went to a Division II school so most of us didn’t even know much about college running! But then after seeing Elva [Dryer], who went to my college, sign with Nike, I started to see that it was a true possibility.

Right after college, I moved to Albuquerque and trained there and then eventually made my way back here to Colorado. At first, I didn’t know how far I could take it. You know, it doesn’t happen over night. It took me seven years to get to where I am now and I still don’t think I’ve “made it” yet.

I still have a lot of work to do. I am comfortable saying that I am a professional runner, but I still don’t consider myself totally professional until I move up in my field a bit. I don’t consider myself elite-elite, you know? I guess it’s just a personal thing. You set certain goals for yourself and until I reach those goals, for example making Worlds, and of course the Olympics, then maybe I can say that I am what people consider an elite athlete.

FW: You’re surely elite in my eyes, but I do know what you mean. How long do you see yourself running professionally? Is that something you have ever thought about and talked with Michael about?
NA: Yes we have thought about it and neither of us has put a date on how long we will continue to run. We both feel that as long as we’re running well and our bodies hold up, we’d like to continue to run.

FW: That’s a great attitude to have. You and Mike have been together a long time. Where did you originally meet? I’m sure it had something to do with the track!
NA: We met at college. He’s from New Zealand and was there on a scholarship.

FW: And you’ve been running together ever since! Where is he these days?
NA: Right now he’s training in London getting ready to run the 10K in Hengelo. He has four track races over there and then he’ll come home.

FW: Are the two of you separated a lot with your different races?
NA: Yes we are and it stinks, but I guess it comes with the job, right? We talk and text all the time, which helps.

FW: Do you train with anybody when Michael is away, or do you train by yourself?
NA: I have quite a few women I can run with out here; Amy Manson meets me quite a lot and sometimes Colleen De Reuck when she and I can get on the same schedule. When Mike’s Australian friends are here training, they will meet me a few times for warm-ups or easy runs. We all may have different areas of focus when we get together to train, but it’s always nice to have someone to run with, so no, I’m not always alone!

FW: You went to the Commonwealth Games this winter; how long did you stay there and did you train there?
NA: Michael was competing, so we stayed there for one week in Melbourne and three weeks in New Zealand. There is a great park where Mike is from that is great for training so we always enjoy going back. It was actually used in the movie The Last Samurai.

FW:Really? That’s interesting. Do you prefer running at sea level or altitude?
NA: I always seem to train better being at altitude. I feel stronger and seem to have better races when I’m up high! I’ve tried sea level training for long periods and seem to get flat and tired so we just stick to what works for now.

FW: It’s hot there now, right?
NA: It is! It’s already in the nineties.

FW: Whoa that must be rough!
NA: It is, but you just have to get used to it, because so many races happen in the summer and are not only hot, but also humid. It’s just a bit early for the heat right now.

FW: That is true; hopefully the weather will be picture perfect here when you come out for Freihofer’s and the Mini. Anything else you’d like to add?
NA: Just a thank you to Mary Wittenburg and New York Road Runners for all of the great work that you do.

Interview conducted on May 22, 2006, and posted on June 2, 2006.