FW: I know that you have been focusing on base and strength the past few months and this is one of the reasons that you are currently focusing on the 10,000. What is the shortest distance you plan on doing in European competition this summer?
SS: I plan on doing 3Ks and 5Ks until European Championships and seeing how things go and then maybe doing some 1500s after that, maybe some low-key fifteens.

FW: Do you have specific goals going into tomorrow’s 10,000?
SS: I want to have a strong performance. I haven’t really placed in the top three yet at the US championships, so that’s a big goal. I’d also like to feel confident and feel like I ran a strong race. You always want to finish a race knowing that you couldn’t have given it anything more, so I just want to have a solid performance tomorrow.

FW: I have been dying to talk to you about your Bolder Boulder race because that was just a remarkable performance.
SS: It was really exciting for be being in Boulder for the past five years. I’ve always watched the race and I have always thought to myself that if I ever had the opportunity to run the race that I couldn’t pass it up. It’s almost like the Olympics for Boulder people because the community gets so involved in the race. I think there are about 40,000 people who run it. It’s neat because they have the citizens' race first and then they have the elite race afterwards so most of the people stay to watch the elites run and the stadium is just packed and you run through there three times. There’s also people all over the course cheering you on and it was neat that it was in my back yard, so you know a lot of the people who are out there cheering you on so that was definitely one of the most memorable wins that I have ever had. It was also a great feeling being that I am a CU alumnus and that I am part of the community here. It was amazing!

FW: Do you see yourself staying in Boulder for years to come?
SS: Steve and I both really like it. It’s a very runner-friendly community. Some people don’t really enjoy training at altitude, but I really like it. Steve and I really like our house too; we’re about 10 miles outside of Boulder now in Lafayette. There are a lot of trails out there too. I can definitely see myself staying there for a while.

We go down to Phoenix during the winter. If we had to stay in Boulder though the winter it would probably be a little hard with the snow and everything, so we usually try to get some warmer weather training done in Phoenix because my family’s from there.

FW: Do you and Steve design your own workouts or do you get additional guidance?
SS: My high school coach [Sabrina Robinson, formerly Peters] is actually advising me. She lives right outside of Boulder; she moved there a couple years ago. So when I graduated last year, I talked to her about coaching me again. She hasn’t been able to come to a lot of my workouts this year because she has had a very busy schedule, but we definitely plan on working closely together. I have a lot of input into my workouts, but we have a really good relationship because she has known me so well since high school. I’m trying to learn more about my training; I have learned so much this past year and it’s nice to have her input also because you can kind of overdo things if you are just doing it on your own. It’s been working pretty well this year and I look forward to continuing the relationship we have.

FW: That must be great to have someone from your past helping you out, someone who was when there when you first started running.
SS: It is so great to have her working with me because we were very good friends and I was lucky to have a coach who knew a lot about women’s running. She was an accomplished runner herself; she ran for ASU and adidas several years. She made the Olympic Trials in the marathon three or four times so she knows a lot about the sport and she knows me very well as a person.

FW: My final question for you is: If you could name your three favorite race experiences of all time, what would they be?
SS: The first big race experience would probably be winning the Pan-Ams as a junior when I was in high school. I won the 3K and that was my first international experience; it was my first really big win. It gave me the confidence to know that I am talented and that I could actually do something with the sport.

I’d probably say that winning the team cross country championships with CU in 2004 is one of the three also. Even though I didn’t have my best performance as an individual because I had been battling an injury, it was just awesome because our team had gone through so much that season and we weren’t expected to really do anything. It was my senior year and we had three seniors on the team. We had won both my freshman year and senior year so it was a nice way to finish my collegiate cross country career, having that win with the team. I also think it’s more accomplishing when you can win a title as a team.

The Bolder Boulder was definitely my third best running experience because it was just amazing finishing the race in the stadium with all those people cheering you on and barely getting to the line before the girl [Poland’s Dorota Gruca, who finished one second behind Slattery] caught me at the end. It was just great.

FW: Those are three very different experiences; thank you for sharing them. It was great speaking with you. I wish you lots of luck tomorrow.
SS: Thank you so much; I’m feeling inspired.

Editor's Update: Slattery performed impressively in the 10,000 meters at USATF nationals, placing second with a time of 32:29.97.

Interview conducted on June 21, 2006, and posted on June 22, 2006.