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Anthony Famiglietti finished second in the steeplechase in 8:20.49.
Daniel Lincoln won the race in 8:17.27.
Q:
So how did it go today?
Anthony Famiglietti:
I was pretty flat today. I was hoping somebody would take the pace
and push it out, because I wasn't feeling good. I kind of had a
feeling that I was a little flat after how I felt in the prelims.
When you go out slow like that, it's really hard to hurdle. I like
to hurdle at a faster pace. I trained through this week. I didn't
ease up on my mileage this week, and workouts I didn't ease up at
all. So basically, I was pushing through this meet to win and make
the team, and then run a big personal best there [in Helsinki].
I thought for sure I could get under 8:20 pretty easily, but the
way I ran, it just didn't work out. I knew Daniel was still pretty
strong, but you can never be aware, fully, of what's going on with
everybody the way things are set up.
I
thought I could pretty much train through the meet without too much
trouble with qualification, but I knew that first place wasn't a
sure thing, locked in, if I was going to do that.
Q:
You say you felt flat from the start, but it looked like all of
you guys were forcing the pace.
AF:
Yeah, I was so happy when Robert Gary took the pace. I said, 'All
right, I'll sit behind him.' Then he dropped out. I knew he was
hurt, but I was frustrated because I knew I was going to get stuck
in the lead and have to keep the pace going. These guys were kicking
my heels like crazy, and I was moving back and forth to try to not
get knocked over at the hurdles.
Q:
It looked like you were going to the outside of your lane a lot.
AF:
I was doing that because Daniel's just a big guy, you know. If he
clips the back of my foot coming over a hurdle, it's all over. I
still have a lot of issues after falling in the Olympics. Finishing
the race can be a lot more important than winning it when you're
not feeling 100%.
Q:
When the race was down to the two of you, what were you thinking?
AF:
With four laps to go, I was supposed to take over and start controlling
the race. I knew I could do it, but it just didn't happen. With
three laps to go, a typical place to go in the steeplechase, I put
the hammer down, and strung it out, but the hammer wasn't there.
So I thought, '800 to go, two laps to go, you do that for a workout.'
So I put the hammer down with two laps to go. I knew this would
be me and someone else, and it was Daniel. And I said, 'I've got
to take off with everything I've got.' Daniel moved going in to
the water jump, and I thought I had the wheels to stay with him,
and outkick him, but I was just flat. There wasn't anything I could
do about it, I was just flat.
I
have a great kick, right now, too. I'm so disappointed to lose that
way, when you have the speed but you just can't use it. It's one
of those things that happens when you're a runner, and you've got
to deal with it, you know? You take the hard knocks and move on.
Q:
From here to Helsinki, what happens?
AF:
I'm going to Flagstaff, Arizona, to the Center for Altitude Training.
They're going to set me up with a place to live at the university
there. I'll be there for four weeks, and then I'll go down to Helsinki
with about a week and a half to two weeks to go. I'll work on my
turnover a little bit with some workouts there. Then I'll try to
go under 8:15 or 8:10, whatever it takes to make the final. Then,
try to get the top five or a medal. Rather than try to go to Europe
and race myself into shape, I'll try to do it this way.
Q:
Will you have anyone to train with in Flagstaff?
AF:
Basically, just me. There's different guys up there at different
times. But the way that I'm going to be training, it's just going
to be me. This will be my sixth time up there. Last time I came
down straight into the Ohio State Invite, and I ran 8:20 there.
(Interview
conducted June 25, 2005)
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Anthony
Famiglietti.
(Photo by Alison Wade/New York Road Runners)
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