Speaking with Joan Benoit Samuelson

NEW YORK -- As the ING New York City Marathon celebrates its 40th running, the calendar year also offers another significant milestone, the 25th anniversary of Joan Benoit Samuelson's groundbreaking victory in the first Olympic women's marathon at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. Samuelson spoke to a group of reporters at Tavern on the Green about her race plan for Sunday, her motivation, what has kept her running competitively all these years, and what issues outside of running she is most passionate about.

When we spoke before, the one goal here is obviously to break the age group record here which is 2:52, I think?

I believe the age group. I'm not sure if it's 2:52 or 2:53 for the New York City Marathon. I have the 50‑plus (record) from the Trials. But New York's a difficult course, so we'll see what happens.

Do you feel like if the record is 2:53 that it is within range?

I don't know. I'm not even going there. I put a lot of pressure on myself before the Trials to break that 2:50 barrier, that 50‑plus. This is more about celebrating 25 years since the Olympic run, and the 40th Anniversary of the New York City Marathon. To me the celebration is to get to the starting line.

Will you be starting with the elite runners?

No. I will be starting with the masses.

Who is going to pace you?

I'm going to the starting line and whoever decides to run with me or whoever I decide to catch.

What was your most recent race?

I ran the half marathon at the Nike Women's Marathon two weekends ago, but I ran with someone. My last serious efforts were the Tufts 10K in Boston on Columbus Day Monday, and that wasd 36:29, and then a 1:22 half marathon in Toronto.

Could you talk a little bit about your training now and how you have moderated that over the years?

My training has dropped off. The amount of mileage I've been carrying has dropped off considerably in the last several years, basically, since I became a mother. Often times I put my career in two segments -‑ B.C. and A.D. ‑- before children and after diapers. The difference being that I used to plan my day around my running and now I plan my running around my day. So obviously priorities shifted. The children are both off in college now. So the nest is empty, and I don't think that's been reason to increase my mileage, but I've been carrying around 80 miles for the last ‑‑ since I really decided to run New York ‑‑ between 70 and 80 miles. That's the most I've carried in a long time. And I've done a lot of travel. Since the end of September I've been to Tokyo, Toronto, Chicago, San Francisco, and Boston, so I've maybe carried that mileage through all that travel.

I'm sure you've been asked this many times, but what keeps you running and why?

Passion. There's always a goal out there. I mean whether it's an age-group goal or a goal that ‑‑ I mean, it's really about, you know joie de vivre for the sport, you know. Running has been part of my life for so many years. It's like I never used to drink coffee. Now, I drink coffee. I think that's been a performance enhancer for me. Chocolate is good as well.

Why have you made that change?

I guess because I'm getting older. I would liken it to people who need coffee. I don't need coffee in the morning, I like coffee in the morning. But I need a run in the morning to sort of get my day going as far as trying to schedule the events of the day and prioritize what's important to accomplish in the course of the day or the week.

Is that when you do your running, in the morning?

Most of the time, yes.

Why do you think it is that most people at your level when their young tend to stop racing when they get older?

I think they burn out. To me, the key has been balance. I've never focused solely on my running. I've always had something else going. I've never subscribed to nutritional supplements and I think that's because I eat a well-balanced diet, which includes chocolate. That holds throughout my life. I have a lot of different interests. I try to accomplish more in a day than most people, but that's all part of the equation in order to have a balance in my life.

Do you think because you've never over done it you're able to keep doing it now?

It's just a part of my day. 'Okay, I've had my cup of coffee now.' For me, it is actually my run because I don't brew coffee at home but if I'm on the road I'll have a cup. I can't get my day going without coffee but I can get my day going without a run, but my day is a lot brighter if I run.

Other than the knee problem before the Trials have you avoided the impact-related problems that a lot of runners get?

I had those Achilles problems and right now I've been dealing with a hamstring. I've been dealing with it since the spring and I can't seem to shake it and that's bothersome. I guess I need something to keep myself from getting too confident, and I feel that with every step. I've lost power in the leg on many long runs and usually it's restored within a mile or two. I'm hoping that if it goes again on Sunday that it will bounce back with an altered stride or something. But it's part of the aging process. As far as impact-related problems, I've been lucky. I don't have osteoporosis and they say that impact sort of combats that disease.

Do you think that's good luck or have you taken particular precautions?

I've just tried to balance everything I do in my life.

After you had your kids, you had a back problem that caused an imbalance and your leg sometimes went weak. Have you outgrown it?

I don't know if any woman who gives birth outgrows the pevic issues associated with a pregnancy. Again, it's a balancing act and I've been able to compensate. I compensated for the knee before the Olympic Trials and I've compensated for the Achilles, I've compensated for the pelvic issues and I think that's part of the hamstring issue. I've been plagued with hamstring issues since the children were born. Sometimes I go through periods where it's not an issue and sometimes I go through periods where it is. Right now, it's a bit of an issue. But if you ask any marathoner, they'll tell you that they're dealing with some issue. It's the nature of the sport.

Do you do therapy and get physio?

I get massage and, up until last week, I try to swim in the ocean after my runs because that really helps me to loosen up. Just the simple art of kicking, more specifically the breaststroke. And that's been great. But right now, the water is a little bit too cold and I can't be bothered to get in the car and drive to a swimming pool. That's why I run, because it's so accessible. I can do it anywhere, anytime. I can't be bothered with health clubs and going to facilities where you can recreate. That defeats the whole purpose of what it is I do.

Have you had much analysis done on your stride over the years?

Oh yes. It's just unorthodox. People know who it is when I'm out there running.

Has anybody said your stride could be more efficient?

Yes, especially many years ago. I'm sort of out to pasture, so to speak, now so people don't say much. I'm not going to set any records.

When you get to the start line now, what demands to you place on yourself mentally as opposed to when you were younger?

I'm trying not to place any demands on myself here. It's a celebratory occasion and I'm going to try to enjoy it. I've never really been able to enjoy the sights during a marathon, not that I'm going to be looking up periscope over the course. I'm just going to enjoy the fans and the runners who are running with me and we'll see what happens. I just got an e-mail from a friend who ran the Marine Corps Marathon and she said, 'What a gift it is to be able to get out there and run at our ages.' And it's true, especially the age-group runners who come and go. So many of those people aren't able to run. Some of it is by choice, some of it is by injury, some of it is because their passions have changed.

Do you still have a few thoughts every now and then about politics and are you advising your senators on the upcoming health care vote?

I have spent a little time in Washington. I'm very proud of the main leadership right now. It's been suggested, but I don't think so.

When you're in Washington, what are you doing?

You know, I have been down on behalf of physical fitness and environmental issues. You know, to me, running is pure sport. And I think sustainability of health and wellness is directly linked to sustainability of natural resources in the environment. And I think runners can make that perfectly clear through their passions and what they do on a daily basis. I've logged close to 140,000 miles during my career, and I feel as though I've been a human barometer of the climate change. And I can see the changes, whether it's in the ambient air qualities, whether it's in runoff. I see these changes, and they are changing. And, you know, anything I can do to bring attention to the fact that we all need to make changes in our daily lives, our professional lives, our corporate lives, our family lives to curb climate change is something I feel like I can talk about and be passionate about.

You know, we've been afforded in our generation wonderful opportunities and we've left our mark in some good ways and some negative ways. And, you know, my husband and I have two children who will be taking the reins for the next generation. You know, it's not the races I've left behind that I've won or where I've set records, it's my commitment to making this planet sustainable and as environmentally sound as it can possibly be for the next generations. Just being able to go out and run in Central Park this morning, being able to run around the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

I mean, these green spaces and these clean air spaces are very important. When I was running around the Imperial Palace they had the no smoking signs because that is the one place you can go, and they were stenciled on the sidewalks where people can go and recreate, and that's important. I found Tokyo much more livable this past trip than I did several years ago. You know, it was hard to go out for a run. So people are getting it. And people understand what we need to do. It's just ‑‑ it's so timely right now. I think people are slowly, slowly realizing that we have a finite period of time to turn this around. And if we don't, and I would hope that runners understand this and can help, help with the movement to slow it down faster than the general public thinks it needs to be slowed down.

What active role are you playing in this effort?

I'm not really playing an active role. I'm just, you know, if I'm asked to go someplace to speak on behalf of the greener environment or green planet, I welcome that opportunity. I've founded a race in my hometown, and we're working with athletes for a fit planet to make it as green as we possibly can. I know New York's doing the same thing. Most road racers are because they understand the connection. And I think if our sport can lead in this direction and with this program of making events greener...and I know most of the stadiums and venues for the big professional sports are implementing all sorts of different procedures with green teams and things like that. I think that's very important. It brings awareness of the issues and problems to a population of people who might not look at it seriously.

Forty years after the dawn of the running movement, what re your feelings about the fact that almost three-quarters of the American population is obese?

That's a huge problem. I can't tell you how many times I get on an airplane and the armrests are already pushed up because the people beside me are already spilling over into my space. But it is an issue. I was driving home from Logan Airport a week ago and there was this backlog of traffic in the breakdown lane and I couldn't understand what was happening. And someone said, 'Oh, that's that new restaurant that opened called Sonic.' I hadn't even heard of it but it's this place where everything is supersized, and that's a compelling-enough draw to get cars to line up to get in the door.

With all the budget cuts now in public schools, PE is one of the first programs to go. Obesity is a huge issue and it starts with edutcation. If only we could open up our state parks and state recreational areas to people on food stamps to get them to understand the correlation between healthy eating and exercise and physical activity and things like that. It's not just nutrition, it's physical activity. So to exclude people from an opportunity to participate in some pursuit is not in our best interests as a country. We have a lot to be proud of, but to see the costs associated with obesity and diabetes, especially in the generation that we want to inherit a healthy planet, it just doesn't make sense. That's why I said earlier that the two are inextricably linked.

Could you talk about Paula Radcliffe, what makes her great, and what you admire about her?

Her steadfastness to the sport. I mean, she's, you know, she's obviously passionate about the sport. She wants to see how far she can push herself. I mean, there are many similarities. You know, she's still looking at time ‑‑ and I'm looking at time as well ‑‑ but she's looking at world record times, and world best times for the year, et cetera. I'm looking at how close can I get X‑number of years out to the times that I was running in my heyday. So I admire her qualities, her tenacity, her passion for the sport, her commitment to the sport. And she, certainly, I think helped in the resurgence of domestic running in our country ‑‑ as far as providing inspiration for the American women who are coming up through the ranks today.

Should she win in London 2012 would that mean as much to Great Britain as your victory did here in 1984?

Oh, I would think so. That would be great if she could do that. I don't know if she will ever run another 2:15, but I think she is certainly capable of winning an Olympic marathon.