Running 13:32 for 5000m after 7 weeks of training: Craig Mottram
Here are some highlights from the interview:
On heading to Europe, still un-fit after battling with the serious knee issue for months:
“I left for London on the 10th June , then we headed to St. Moritz on the 13th June. St. Moritz is at 1900 metres so we were pretty high and I was easily the least fit runner on the mountain. Then, about a week later, Nic thought he’d introduce a little quality into my running. So we went out and ran easily for 18 minutes, then Nic said to run roughly 2 kilometres around one side of the lake, working pretty hard without getting my heart-rate too high. So, I went out like a „bull at a gate’ despite not having run fast for a long time. I probably did the first kilometre in about 2.50 but the second kilometre was closer to 6 minutes. Nic actually jogged past me towards the end. Then we jogged about 10 minutes back to the track and Nic said that he wanted me to do five laps on the track, aiming for 70 – 72 seconds a lap. Anyway, I thought, hell Nic, seven months ago I could run 59 – 60 seconds a lap for five laps so this shouldn’t be too hard. My first lap was 70, then it went 74, slowing, slowing, then 91 seconds for the last lap. So I wasn’t very fit but one week later, I was able to do it, so it didn’t take me long to turn it around.”
Just a week later…
Although I did a 15 minute hard effort prior to going to the track, then I averaged 69 seconds a lap for the 2000 metres on the track. A lot can happen in a week.
On running 13:32 for 5000m, just 7 weeks into hard training in Belgium:
“Yes, that was a huge step forward. I hadn’t put spikes on previously and had probably only had three track sessions in the lead-up so, I was really pleased to run 13.32. A few days before the race, I asked Nic, “what do you think I can run?” because this was my last opportunity to get something out before the Paris World Athletic Championships. Anyway, Nic said, “if you run 14 minutes, that’s a good run, if you run 13.50, that’s a great run and if you run under 13.45, you’re a freak!” My training showed I was probably in 13.45 – 13.50 shape. Anyway, I had a perfect run and ended up having an excellent race. I didn’t run for about three days afterwards as my feet were blistered and torn apart from putting on spikes for the first time in ages. Then Keith Connor (Australian Track and Field Head Coach) gave me a call and said, “you’ve met the requirements, you can run in Paris.” But, one of the reasons for me doing that race was to have the option of saying that I didn’t want to run at the World Championships rather than being told that I couldn’t do it.”
Next up was a 7:51 3000m in Helsinki…
“That was not a bad race. I went over there with good friend and training partner, Adrian Blincoe (Ed. Adrian is one of New Zealand’s top middle-distance athletes and will feature in an upcoming newsletter). Adrian was really nervous before the race because he was in great shape at the time and had been smacking me up in training so he didn’t want me to beat him. However, I kept telling him that 3000 metres was my speciality but he did beat me that day. But 7.51 was alright – I was there until about 600 metres to go. When they kicked it down, I lacked the change of speed but I knew it wouldn’t take long to get that back.”
On running 13:21, just 2 weeks later in Belgium:
“That was post World Championships where I had been doing some of the SBS commentary with Nic. That was an interesting race because I knew it was going to be close so we planned to give it a great shot, hopefully get the time, then head home. But to just miss it was quite funny, actually. Maurie Plant has never worked so hard in all his life – he was in with the photo finish judges asking them to take a closer look at my finish time but they wouldn’t budge. But, that run gave me a huge amount of confidence as I knew I could get the time in the right race.”
Then a disappointing mile (4:05) but 2 days later, an Olympic A Qualifier for 5000m: 13:17…
“I had a disappointing mile in Rieti. El Guerrouj was having a World Record attempt and Buster was having the slowest mile attempt (Craig ran 4:05.80). I thought I might be able to run 3.57 or thereabouts, but that wasn’t to be. But then, two days later I came out and ran 13.17 which just goes to show that you don’t have to be super fast to run a good 5000 metres. A lot of people think you’ve got to be able to run 52 seconds a lap to be able to run 13.15 but that isn’t so. As long as you’re strong and have done the hard work, you can still run a solid 5 km.”
“In the 4:05 mile, I thought I could run 1.57 and 1.57, I would have been up there with a 3.54 but my 1.57 at 800 metres was as fast as I’d run for ages and I really sufered during the last two laps. Also, Rieti is at about 700 metres altitude so that made it tougher. My best 800m is 1.52 point something – I ran it in the second half of the Edmonton 1500 metres. I don’t like 800 metres – I just seem to have a bit of a phobia about them but it’s certainly one area where I hope to improve.”
On training around that time….
“We were doing lots of training in Bushy Park at 64 – 65 second per 400 pace but saying that, you still got to do some running at a faster pace so that 64 second pace feels comfortable. That’s one of the reasons Nic sent me to Rieti for the mile. Running 4 minutes for four laps would make 64 second pace over 5000 metres feel quite relaxed. We do a lot of things in training that mimics race situations. However, you can never beat the race environment and you can never train to the standard that you can race at. That’s one of the problems some athletes encounter – they train too hard and leave their best form on the training track rather than stepping up another gear in races. Better to train smart and just get many of the sessions done so the fitness levels accumulate slowly over time.”
