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Chad Johnson, at 26, has been running around the edges
of the big-time for a few years. Three years ago, he was 33rd in
the 12k at the 2000 cross country nationals in Greensboro, NC While
running for Hansons (Team USA Michigan). In 2001, he ran 13:41 for
5,000m and 1:04:46 for a half-marathon, scoring a USATF road championship
at 25k in 1:16:11 at the Fifth Third River Bank Run.
By
2002 Johnson had left Hansons and Michigan for Alberto Salazar's
Oregon Project and an "altitude house" near Portland, Oregon. That
year he PRed by a fraction of a second in the 5,000m at USATF Nationals,
finishing 8th in 13:41. This year he doubled in the 4k and 12k in
Houston, finishing 7th and just out of the team places in the short-course
race, then 6th in the long-course to make his first big U.S. team.
MensRacing.com spoke to Johnson after his second race in
Houston.
MensRacing.com: You were [just outside of the top six]
for quite a while today, and there were a lot of places moving around
in that race. How did you keep yourself in contention?
Chad Johnson: I just never
lost sight of them. I kept after them, even though I almost felt
worse in the third and fourth laps [than in the last two]. I wanted
to make the team so badly. I didn't want to worry about whether
someone else wasn't going to run, I just wanted to make it. I held
on as long as I could.
MR: When did you move in to the sixth position?
CJ: It wasn't until
the last lap. Robert Gary passed me again with about a [kilometer]
to go, but then I made a little gap on him before the finish because
I didn't want to get out-kicked on the homestretch.
MR: Has your training been focused on this meet?
CJ: Yes. I've been
focusing pretty much on this. I did some races getting ready for
this, but I really rested for this meet, and cut back on the mileage.
MR: Were you focused on the 12k, or was the 4k your primary
race?
CJ: I wasn't sure.
I'd never tried a 4k, so I thought I'd give that a shot. I thought
12k would be my stronger event, but I had to give them both a try.
I figured I could do it, because I double pretty well.
MR: Was the course better yesterday or today?
CJ: I think it was
a little easier to run on today. You could actually get your footing
once and a while. But it was still tough. It felt like a long 12k,
almost like a half-marathon. There were stretches where you'd feel
good, like on the backstretch you'd always feel good and relaxed.
Coming up the big hills, the big hills with the mud, I was stumbling
around after I got done coming up the hill. Each one of those hills
I thought was the last one.
MR: Did you do cross country specific training for the
meet?
CJ: Alberto had
us do a tough workout. He had us running 400m in soft dirt, and
then up a really steep 200m hill. It was straight up. Then we had
to finish with another 60m on the flat. Stuff like that really helped
us on this course.
MR: How long have you been training with that group?
CJ: A year and a
half now.
MR: Is it paying off?
CJ: Yeah, Alberto's
awesome. It's not even the workouts he gives us, it's that he makes
us believe in ourselves. He really believes so much that we're going
to run well that after a while I start to think I will. Especially
with a guy like him telling me.
MR: He seems to be a very enthusiastic spectator.
CJ: Yeah, he is.
He gets so much in to the program, it's so motivating, that we'd
do anything for him.
MR: Is he still doing all the experimental stuff?
CJ: Yeah. Some of
it doesn't work, some of it we think helps, he's just going to keep
bringing up new ideas and whatever we think works, we stick with.
MR: How about the altitude house?
CJ: I think we're
starting to figure it out. It's going to help, for sure, if it isn't
already helping. Alberto will have us prepared.
MR: What else is on your plate for the spring?
CJ: Some track stuff.
I'm going to run the NYRR 8k, and a couple of track races. Hopefully
I'll get out to Stanford and run a 10k.
MR: And now it looks like you're going to Switzerland.
CJ: Yeah.
MR: What have your track seasons been like before? What
are you looking for on the track?
CJ: [I'm concentrating
on the] 10k this year. I really want to break 28 minutes, that's
been a goal of mine for a while. If I can break 28, then I'll see
how I can do at the U.S. Championships. It's pretty tough to get
in there with Meb, Abdi and Alan in the 10k, but if I can get down
under 28.... And then maybe I'll try and marathon this fall.
(Interview conducted February 16, 2003)
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