by Jeff BenjaminThis interview was done by Jeff Benjamin with Jordan Hasay, right after her fine 68:40 half marathon at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon (January 15, 2017). Jeff Benjamin asked RunBlogRun to thank manager Ricky Simms and of course, the one and only, Jordan Hasay.
Jordan Hasay, photo by PhotoRun.net
RBR # 1) This is an obvious one- but how are you feeling as you reflect back on your pretty stellar performance?
Jordan Hasay: “I am thankful and proud to have had a great race. The race was extra special as my dad, brother, and Aunt were all able to attend along with several other family friends and our assistant coach Pete (Julian), so I had a whole cheering section!”
RunBlogRun, # 2) Do you think the humidity played any factor?
Jordan Hasay: “I didn’t feel too warm! The race started early, 7am, which you would usually expect to be pretty chilly but it felt rather pleasant. So I wore a few less layers on warm ups, but other than that it really wasn’t bad. Luckily, I was in California for a lot of November/December and then was in Hawaii during Christmas and New Years so I had a bit of heat training as opposed to being in the Portland rain/snow for the whole build up.”
RunBlogrun, # 3) How and when did you decide to move up in distance and how much of a factor was Alberto Salazar (Jordan’s coach) in your decision?
Jordan Hasay: “After the Olympic Trials didn’t go as well as we had hoped for in the 5k and 10k, we decided to try out some marathon training in the fall. It was fun as it was a change of pace (longer tempos, longer long runs etc). Things went really well and that was indicated by a win at the US championships in the 10 miles. At that point, we decided to definitely aim for Houston and ultimately Boston.”
RunBlogRun, # 4) How important is it to not only have Alberto’s training methods guiding you but also picking his brain as one of the world’s greatest marathoners?
Jordan Hasay: “It has been great. I have a lot of confidence in the training Alberto gives me, especially for the marathon. because he’s been through it himself. It’s been fun to hear his advice and stories from his own career.”
RunBlogRun, # 5) What would you say were your most dramatic changes in training as you embark upon the 1/2 marathon & marathon? Any changes also in the weight room?
Jordan Hasay: “Just adding in longer tempos and longer long runs. I remember doing my first 20 mile long run in September and just jogging it hoping I would make it that far! I felt so proud for a whole week afterwards! Now, I’ve done 20 mile workouts at close to marathon pace that feel pretty easy, so it’s amazing to see how the body adjusts. Same thing with tempos. My mileage since joining Alberto has always been high, so that hasn’t really changed. Weights have also stayed fairly consistent and I’m in the gym 2-3 times per week depending on the cycle. Basically I don’t go on any schedule which I like. Some weeks it might be 7 day cycle, others 9, others 12! So we don’t really count mileage, just take recovery when I need to and go hard when I am fully recovered from the last hard effort. I’ve always liked this as I’m not a data person! I don’t wear any GPS watch and I let Alberto worry about splits…I just try to go run! “
RunBlogRun # 6) Will you be doing any indoor races in February/March?
Jordan Hasay: “No indoor races. I may do another longer race before Boston but it’s TBD.”
RunBlogRun, # 7) When Bill Rodgers ran his AR 2:09 in 1975 at Boston and Alberto ran his Sub-2:09 in 1982 there they had both come off high quality performances at a shorter distance close to the marathon. Rodgers had just competed in the World XC Champs netting a Bronze medal and Alberto ran the World XC earning a Silver medal and then ran a fantastic 10K vs Henry Rono at Hayward Field the week before Boston- Would that be something you’d be incorporating into your training prior to Boston?
Jordan Hasay: “For sure! We have definitely kept in some of the speed work I was doing before the marathon training. What’s nice is I don’t have to worry about being too sharp and I am lucky that I’ve had a background in the 1500 so I do have some natural speed hidden in there! “
RunBlogRun, # 8) Has any advice been given to you by Galen?
Jordan Hasay, : “It has been great for me to be able to observe and train alongside Galen as he prepared for the marathon trials and Olympic Games last year. Obviously his performances there are a huge inspiration to me, and this year since he’s racing Boston as well we are pretty much on the same training schedule which gives me a lot of confidence that I’ll be prepared for Boston.”
RunBlogRun, # 9) Without a doubt The Boston Marathon was a major goal for Alberto when he was competing- the lure of the tradition there led to him in that era covering his own travel and overnight expenses in an era when the event was still locked in amateurism. The amateurism is gone today, but does the race today give you feelings towards the history and tradition of the event as well?
Jordan Hasay: “Definitely. The main reason I chose to run Boston as my first marathon was due to the history. I feel that despite it being the furthest race I will have ever run, I’ll draw strength and inspiration every step from the entire city.”
RunBlogRun, # 10) Finally – You’ve had success and setbacks on all levels of XC, track and the Roads- what kind of advice would you give the young girl runner just starting out at the High School level?
Jordan Hasay: “My advice is to just have fun! What has always gotten me through both the ups and downs is the simple joy of going out for a run. Win or lose, you have to learn to enjoy the journey as ultimately this is the most important part.”
