Interviews with Jason Hubbard and Peter De La Cerda

by Ryan Milner

See also: Post-race interview with Jason Hubbard

Peter De La Cerda competes at the 2003 New Haven Road Race. (Both photos by Alison Wade/New York Road Runners)

Jason Hubbard competes at the 2004 CVS/pharmacy Downtown 5K.

Ryan Milner sat down with Peter De La Cerda and Jason Hubbard before the USA 10K Championships [which were held on November 6 at the Food World Senior Bowl Charity Run] to discuss their upcoming race. De La Cerda was an 11-time All-American at Adams State College and a 5,000m NCAA DII indoor national champion. He's a two-time Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier (2000 and 2004), and was the runner-up at the 2000 Trials. In 2002, he was USA Half-Marathon Champion, and in 2003, he won the USA Mountain Running title.

Jason Hubbard was an 11-time NCAA DII All-American for Adams State in cross country and track, with championships in the 5,000m in 1998 and 1999. Hubbard has earned top-10 and 25 U.S. and world rankings in both the 5,000m and 10,000m. He participated in the 10,000m final at this year's U.S. Olympic Trials. Most recently, he was among the top U.S. finishers at the USA 5K Championships, and was chosen to represent the U.S. at the North American Relay Championships.

Ryan Milner: How has your training progressed, and what is a typical week or two of training like for you?
Peter De La Cerda: For the last four weeks, I've been running about 80-90 miles a week, doing one speed-work session, a tempo run, and one long run. Getting in faster races to develop some lost leg speed is a priority this season. It's an important aspect of marathon training that I've neglected. Having guys like Jason and Matt Levassiur to train with keeps me honest. My strength is endurance based while they have a lot of leg speed. We compliment each other's weaknesses.

Jason Hubbard: My training's been going well, especially through the month of October. Typically I run around 90-110 miles a week. Some workouts may consist of 9 x 3 minutes at race pace, 4 x 8 minutes at race pace, or a tempo type run. It really depends on [what races I have coming up]. For this weekend's race I prepared with some faster 8 x 2 minute surges to get the turnover going. Sundays are always a longer run from 16-20 miles around 6:00 pace.

RM: Peter, when coming back from your injury (Peter had surgery to repair a running-induced double hernia) did you take a look at past training and specifically modify anything so that in the future the same injury won't recur?
PD: No, I don't think I have changed my running routine. I have realized I do need to let my body recover and not push hard every day. I have also learned that I need to take better care of myself, such as getting massages, stretching, and icing aches and pains as soon as they occur. It has taken a long time for me to feel good again. I think I had been running with the hernia for over a year before I got it diagnosed correctly. Doctors or [physical therapists] would tell me that it was a groin pull or something like that, but finally when it started to protrude outward is when I realized it was something more than a groin injury. I thought maybe I had pounded my body too much and now old age was setting in [laughs]. My biomechanics need to be fine-tuned again, and I am working on that with plyometrics and just doing strides to get some good form back. My form was never the prettiest, but for a while there, I was not feeling fluid because the hernia was making me run awkwardly which caused a lot of overuse of other muscles, which in turn contributed to pain in my lower back and hips especially. I honestly am feeling good again and running pain-free finally, so I am hoping for good things down the road.

RM: Jason, [Adams State coach Damon] Martin began to coach you in January of 2004. You mentioned that you've been responding well to the workouts, what's different now compared to your past training?
JH: Well, since I came back and started to run under Coach Martin, things have changed. I realized after talking to him that I have to do everything right, from eating, sleeping, and listening fully to what he has to say. Over all the years, his approach to my training has worked, but with the incorporation of the other factors that I needed to work on, my running will be far ahead of anything that I would have expected.

RM: Looking at the success of Adams State runners, past and present, does it make you feel you were/are a part of something very special here in Alamosa?
PD: At Adams State College, we were always taught to believe in being the best we could make ourselves. That meant not settling for mediocrity. Having that implanted made it hard not to be anything but the best. To me, it's special being a part of an elite group of college runners that had this tradition of getting every ounce of talent out of each individual. It makes each individual feel a sense of pride knowing they were, and are, a part of this running family that has developed over time.

JH: Being a part of a team that has a winning history is something that I never had before coming to Adams State, so it was a big boost to my career to be around teams that won.

RM: You both have had success with running. What attracted you to this sport?
PD: I think running is a great spiritual opening that has helped me in life. I probably didn't realize it at first, but I have learned how my faith, running, and life are so much connected. My faith has helped me persevere in my running and life. When things are bad in running or life, I remember things from Catholic school about helping others and [that] your reward will be greater, or carrying your cross because life is not a bed of roses and in the end, bad times always bring about a stronger individual or a greater lesson to be learned.

JH: I ran a race to show someone who talked a lot about [himself a lot] that [he wasn't] all that good, and I have continued [to run] ever since.

RM: What do you feel has been the highlight or moment in running (or life) that you are most proud of?
PD: There are so many great moments that I could share with you. To name a few, I am proud of the 1994 Adams State team [which earned a perfect score at nationals] when my brother was on the team. As a post-collegiate runner, it would have to be almost making the Olympic Marathon Team, and having my wife, two-year-old, and my parents there to enjoy the moment with me. Other highlights would just be the process of training day in and day out, sharing those experiences, and learning from my faith how to be a better runner and a better person.

JH: Winning my first national title in the 5,000 at DII track nationals in 1998. Coach Martin took me from a 15:05 5,000m runner to a 13:53 runner in the four months that led up to winning that title.

RM: Peter, speaking of the Olympic Trials, do you have another one in you?
PD: I would love to run at the trials again, but I've been running for 20 years now and I'm going to take it season by season and see how my body responds.

RM: Can you give me some individuals or circumstances that have made the above mentioned moments possible?
PD: Of course I always have to thank God for the gift he has given me. I am also thankful for the people that I have been surrounded by, like my parents who encouraged me from the beginning of my high school career. My wife and kids who get neglected sometimes because of all the training I do, but have stuck it out. All of the coaches I've had down the line who have taught me something, but even more so Coach [Joe] Vigil, who has taught me so much — not just in running but life also. There are so many training partners and friends throughout the country who have helped me, [and I'm grateful to them].

JH: The only reason I ran the Olympic Trials is because my wife said, 'Get your running together!' I said the only way I could do that [would be] to move from Colorado Springs to Alamosa and have Coach Martin train me. So Sandie is the main reason I run now. I have also seen tremendous support from the community here [in Alamosa]. Local sponsors such as the Geoffrey Zaragoza Memorial Fund, the High Altitude Challenge, San Luis Federal Bank, and Bresnan Communications have really helped me get my career back on track and [gotten me] fired up to run again. Last, I need to thank Peter [De La Cerda] for acting as my agent. Without his help I wouldn't have been able to run these bigger races.

RM: Peter, you mentioned Coach Vigil. It must be a major confidence booster to have him as your coach after the success his runners had in this year's Olympics.
PD: Yes it is. Coach has always said that if athletes with great talent and a great work ethic will follow his program, it will produce great results. I'm proud of what Meb [Keflezighi], Deena [Kastor], and Coach Vigil were able to accomplish. I didn't necessarily have the most talent, but he got all out of me that there was. This wouldn't have happened without him. In order to be successful, an athlete needs a great coach.

RM: What are your goals for this weekend, and what are your future race plans?
PD: I would like a top-10 finish, and to run 29:30. The field this year is wide open, there are no clear-cut favorites. Whoever feels good could walk away with it. Jason especially has a realistic chance to win. He has been training well and now he has to turn all that training into a great race.

JH: I would like to run 28:30 and finish in the top five. I've primarily been a track guy. In the future, I would like to move some of my PRs to the road and become a better all-around runner. I would also like to run more USA Championship races, and qualify for the Chiba Ekiden team.

RM: Peter, Jason referred to you as his agent. How did this come about, and being an agent what do you feel about the opportunities for post-collegiate runners in the U.S.? Do you think that there is enough support from corporate sponsors and others to stimulate a successful post-collegiate running boom?
PD: I never really thought of myself as an agent. I was just trying to help area runners get into races during the period of time that I was injured. They began to jokingly call me their agent and it progressed from there. I think that right now, in the U.S. professional scene, we have an upswing in performances. We have some really good participation and talent coming up from the ground level... But if you want the positives to continue, we have to find incentives and help from sponsors. I believe shoe sponsors and other corporate sponsors could help tremendously. Guys could get a little contract out of college, or guys who are improving out of college [could get financial help from a sponsor,] allowing them to train full time and make some progress. The resources are out there, sponsors just need to become a little more generous and help out the young guys and not just a few of the top guys. [They need to] take a chance on some of these guys that have had some success in college, but don't the big times yet.

That was one of my problems. I think if I had been helped out financially a little, right out of college or a year or two down the line, I could have focused on training more and [would have had to] race two or three times a month to justify all the running. Instead it was not until 2000 when New Balance and PowerBar decided to help me out. Someone like Jason has done well to lower his PRs, but the rewards are minimal if at all. He has no shoe sponsor, so he has to buy all his equipment. When you have to start pulling money out of your own pocket, you start to question whether you should pursue running or go get a 9-5 job. I did question it many times when I was out of college, but luckily, I stuck it out and had some success. So if people want to see U.S. running flourish, they have to take care of more athletes, the ones at the top as well as the ones that are up and coming.

RM: Is acting as an agent for runners something you see yourself pursuing further?
PD: Definitely. The sport of running has meant so much to me, and had done so much for me. I would like to give something back. Some guys out of college are a little lost, going out on their own. In college, the coach sets all the workouts, calls all the race directors, and sets up all the travel arrangements. When runners out of college don't have any guidance, they sometimes get a little lost or they don't know who or how to contact certain races, so I hope I can help some of these runners who want to give professional running a shot.

As an athlete and agent, a subject that I feel needs addressed is the problem of performance-enhancing drugs. It's discouraging to hear of athletes who cheat this way, tainting our sport. There are many clean athletes trying to achieve their goals through hard work and dedication, while others try and take shortcuts. These individuals who think using performance-enhancing drugs to get faster or stronger than their competition deserve no respect at any level of competition. This has stolen the innocence of competition and fair play from all sports.

[Interview posted November 19, 2004.]