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A Junior at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, Tom
McArdle recently finished third in the 10,000m at the NCAA Track
and Field Championship meet in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Going into
the meet McArdle had the fastest qualifying time, a 28:18.21 run
at the Mt. Sac Relays, but faced tough competition in reigning NCAA
Cross Country Champion Boaz Cheboiywo of Eastern Michigan and 2001
10,000m champion Ryan Shay of Notre Dame. McArdle wound up third,
running 29:10.18 on a warm and humid Louisiana night. We caught
up with McArdle shortly after he completed his finals, as he was
preparing to run the 5,000 at the USA Outdoor Track & Field
Championships in Palo Alto, CA on June 22.
Mensracing.com: You seemed surprised by
your race at Mt. Sac, have you been able to come to any conclusions
as to where that race came from?
Tom
McArdle: I was surprised by that performance, I had only
done three real track sessions before the race and had not really
tapered so did not think I would be very sharp. I guess I always
forget what a large base of workouts and mileage I am working on.
Many of my best races have come after relatively few track sessions
and not far removed from my heavy mileage period. I think a high-mileage
guy like myself often feels a bit lethargic when I bring my mileage
too far down. So I would say the Mt. Sac race was the product of
eight months of uninterrupted hard training rather any specific
session.
Did
you feel like you had spent yourself with that effort, or did you
have anything left? Could you have gone any faster?
I definitely think I could have and will go faster. Everyone gets
a bit afraid in a 10k when your split is way faster (14:04 for me)
than you thought you could run. Now that I have got 28:18 under
my belt, I can work from there. Nobody runs 27:00 on their first
try. I think had I been a bit more aggressive at the end, I could
have cut some time off. I only managed to finish in 66 (seconds)
for the last lap.
You
seem to feel you don't finish that well, is that something that
you have focused on (improving) in training, or are you content
with running a fast pace for the whole race and holding that to
the finish? Do you think the fact that most of your races this year
have been extraordinarily fast or run in adverse conditions may
have contributed to your slower finishing speed?
I have never been much of a finisher. I am not content lacking a
strong finishing kick, since to be a great championship runner one
needs to be able to close. But I think finishing hard is just a
product of fitness. When a race is really easy for me I have lots
left to finish. Right now, in many of the competitive races I run,
I have to fight hard just stay near the front. As I improve, hopefully
these races will become easier and I will be able to start finishing
much faster. I don't think many of the African runners are that
fast, but they are just in such good shape that they have lots left
to close with.
Going
into NCAAs you must have been expecting one of two things -- either
a slow, tactical race, or Boaz (Cheboiywo) hammering from the front,
similar to cross country nationals. How did you prepare yourself
for those scenarios?
I am normally a smart racer and figured I knew the capabilities
of everyone in the field. I decided to try to play it cool until
someone made a break, at which point I would try to cover and then
hope to make my move in the last two miles.
Did
you feel going into the race that it might be a race for second
place, or did you feel you could run with Boaz, even if he was shooting
for sub-28, especially if the conditions had been better?
No, I am a realistic person and after cross season I was aware that
Boaz may well be in 27:30 shape. I was in no way giving him the
race, but I knew I needed to be patient in the heat [and avoid going]
too hard too early. Boaz ran 28:29 off of only a month of training,
so I figured he may well be ready to roll by NCAAs.
Did
your strategy change once you got down to Baton Rouge and experienced
the heat and humidity?
No, the weather was no surprise to me when I arrived. I figured
it would suck and it did.
On
your web site you said that you were unable to help Ryan Shay out
with pacing, did he express any animosity towards you due to that?
It seemed in the post race reports he might have been a bit irritated
and felt that he was "used" during the race.
Ryan is a good guy and I am sure there were no hard feelings. I
told him afterwards that if I had passed him I probably would have
slowed the pace, which would not have helped either of us. It was
not the ideal circumstances for either of us, but at some point
you've got to do what is best for yourself in championship races.
Were
you happy with your race at NCAAs or were you disappointed in not
being able to stick with Shay the last 500 or so? Or with Boaz and
challenge for the win?
I was disappointed. I ran neither well nor boldly. I don't think
on my best day I could have beat Boaz, who ran a phenomenal race
considering the circumstances. I was more disappointed to not give
Ryan a better race. I was definitely capable of running better than
I did, but so it goes.
Were
there other runners that experienced the same cramping problems
that you had?
I am not really sure. Ryan told me after the race that he tightened
up a lot in his back. I think a lot of guys struggled quite a bit
out there so I am sure I was not alone in my struggles with cramps.
Are
you guessing that was due to the heat?
Seems to make the most sense. I have many theories but each one
relates back to the heat in some way. It is just tough weather for
distance running; people are bound to have problems.
Did
you decide not to double in the 5k because you're planning on running
the USATF meet later this month?
That is right. I have a lot of difficulty recovering from 10Ks.
My calves get really sore from running mostly on my toes for that
distance. After Mt. Sac I could not get back to track workouts for
two weeks. So I figured running a 5k two days after the 10k would
pretty much finish me and I wanted to run USATFs.
What
are your goals for the USATF meet? You're planning on running the
5k, correct?
I have decided to run the 5k at the USATFs. I don't think at this
point in the season I can lower my 10k PR and think I can in the
5k. As for USATFs, I am just hoping to play into the race at the
front. After NCAAs I am hoping to run an aggressive race and really
take on the big boys.
You
are a year away from graduating, do you have any plans for your
running career after college?
I will head wherever I think has the best group of guys for me to
train with. I would like to run full-time for a bit. I guess it
is pretty wide open at the moment, hopefully there will be some
sponsorship offers for me. I don't think I need much, I am not looking
to get rich through running. I just want to be able to live and
train.
What
are your thoughts on post-collegiate opportunities for distance
runners in the USA these days?
I don't think Americans appreciate how lucky we really are. I think
there is lots of support for distance athletes available. I am happy
to see so many new programs offering support to athletes in some
way. It seems that if one is capable of producing solid race performances
on the national level, support will follow.
Is
a shoe contract enough, or do you need other support such as training
partners, facilities, and coaching?
Everything helps but nothing is essential. Having good coaches and
training partners, I would say, is important but you can do it by
yourself, it's just often harder and not as enjoyable. Shoe contracts
really help since it is not easy to hold down a full-time job and
train. However, one must not rely on the support to be there at
all times, what is most important is just how hard one is willing
to train.
Do
you feel that U.S. distance running is bridging the gap with the
rest of the world, mainly the African countries?
We have a lot of good young runners in the U.S. I think we will
close the gap in the future. I know I do not intend on losing to
the African runners my entire career and I believe other guys feel
the same way.
Do
you think having foreign athletes in the NCAA system allows you
to prepare for meeting them in the professional ranks?
I
am a advocate of foreign athletes in the NCAA. It is good to have
a more global perspective on distance running, which allowing foreigners
provides. The foreign runners I have met are a lot of fun to talk
with. They also bring with them fresh ideas on training that we
need in the United States.
There
is a lot of talk about whether or not Alan Webb should turn pro
or stay in college. Do you think that college runners are over-raced
with conference championships, etc.? Is it too taxing to have to
peak three times a year while you are still developing? Or do you
feel the college system is the best way for U.S. athletes to progress?
I think that over-racing and being forced to peak too often is a
problem for many college athletes. But I still think the NCAA is
a good system for developing distance runners in the U.S. If one
has a good coach and is disciplined in one's week-to-week training,
one can overcome the shortcomings of the NCAA system.
How
do you feel about the NCAA regional qualifying system, similar to
cross country qualifying, that will supposedly be implemented next
spring?
I like the current selection process, it rewards people for running
fast times and encourages athletes to be aggressive in their races.
I am sad to see the system change.
You
mention on your web site that you frequent running-related web sites
and that you post on the message boards, do you feel that the information
provided there is valid and it's a good way to talk running, or
do you feel that things are blown out of proportion on message boards?
I have always enjoyed running-related sites since I am kind of dork
like that. I like to stay really up-to-date in the track world,
I look to other people's success to inspire me. As far as message
boards, I have been know to read them, I don't really post except
for one special thread on your site. Most of it is trash but humorous,
I guess I am just a sucker for gossip and trash talk. We all have
our weaknesses.
Last
question. Who is Dave Chalmers and what is that thread on the mensracing.com
message board all about?
Nobody really knows exactly who or what Chalmers is. However, he
was recently implicated in the power blackout that occurred in the
guest room of my house this month. I would offer the advice that
if confronted with Chalmers, do not feed him. It is much like feeding
bears in national parks. If fed once they will keep coming back
for more.
Ryan
Crislip is a freelance writer living in Portland, Oregon.
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