For this week's Friday Focus we caught up with Peter Callahan after his mile win at the FloTrack Throwdown. We asked him a few questions about his training and expectations for his future.
Congrats on your win at the FloTrack Throwdown. Can you take us through the day and how you liked the event?
The Throwdown was an incredible event. The fans, the coverage, and the level of competition made it one of the best meets I've been a part of. I've been to Eugene a few times, but have never been able to spend much time in Portland, and was really impressed with the city as a whole. I hope to be back next year.
After an easy shakeout in the morning, the day of the race was mainly spent trying to lay low and recover for the night-time competition. Having traveled straight from Europe, I was working with a 9-hour jet lag, and the goal of the day was to feel fresh at the start.
Take us through the actual race and how it played out.
I haven't raced a full mile in a several years, so starting into the turn (instead of down the straight like a 1500) had me a little nervous about finding the rail after the gun. We got off the line cleanly, though, and once we settled in, I just tried to stay calm and roll with the pack. I know I can finish well when I maintain contact with the front, so my mantra in recent weeks has been: "NO GAPS!" There were a few surges when the pace slowed, and I tried to stay focused, cover the moves, and hold a good position without wasting energy getting boxed in. Things started to heat up as we entered the last lap, and I wanted to be patient. The pace quickened down the back straight, and I worked to stay relaxed as others began to play their cards. With about 150 to go, the time felt right to make my push for home and I took the lead. Down the final stretch, my focus was on the finish, maintaining good form, and staying light on my feet. It felt incredible to break the tape!
How has it been like switching between 3 coaches in the past 6 years?
Especially in a sport where consistency is so important, transitions can be pretty tough. I had three different head coaches in three years: two during my final years at Princeton and then a whole new setup in New Mexico. I was really lucky, though, and am so grateful for how my time with each of them panned out. Starting with my high school coach Patrick McHugh, to Steve Dolan and Jason Vigilante at Princeton, and finally Joe Franklin at NM, every coach shaped me in different ways as an athlete and as a competitor. They each emphasize slightly different components of training, and bring unique perspectives to the process that I would have otherwise missed out on. While the transition periods might have been difficult at first, I am certainly a better athlete today for having worked with each one of them.
How has your summer been running post-collegiately?
Fun but weird. During a collegiate season, not only is your travel and racing schedule planned out for you, but you have a support group of teammates and coaches there with you the whole way. Post-collegiately, many of those support networks fall away, and I'm still getting used to managing last-minute trips for competition. It's kind of nice to be rid of NCAA regulations though: I'm pretty excited to finally take home the cheese platter from my local turkey trot if I win this year.
Describe your fondest race memory.
This would have to be winning the NCAA Championship DMR with the team for Princeton. There's something special about running a relay with teammates you've been training with for years; accomplishing something together on a big stage is something I'll never forget.
If you had a day off from your everyday responsibilities, describe how you would spend it.
Well without school I'm not sure what my responsibilities look like at the moment, but if I had none, my plans would almost certainly involve having a dog. I would name him Tuck. Giving him back at the end of the day might be impossible, but I'd cross that bridge...
Other than that, I'd go for a run on some soft trails, eat everything I normally avoid while racing, try kitesurfing/squirrel suiting/motorcycling/heliskiing without fear of injury, and have a huge BBQ with closest friends.
Describe your favorite workout.
"Broken Ks"
500 (300 jog), 300 (200 jog), 200 (500 jog) repeat.
What drew you to race at the first ever FloTrack Throwdown?
I heard Ronda Rousey would be there. She wasn't.
Tell us about your favorite memory with one of your current or past training partners.
Not easy, but if I limit it to training situations, moments from the summer before junior year stand out as some favorites. About 20 teammates and I rented a pair of houses in Park City, Utah for the summer where we trained at altitude, played a lot of Kan Jam, went to MLS soccer games, and cooked huge meals. Most of the guys were able to find jobs in town, and it was great way to spend a summer.
Dinner with 3 (living or dead) who and why?
Not sure how the conversation would flow here, but I don't think you can go wrong with these three:
Jesus (Because it's Jesus)
Emma Watson (Ronda stood me up once already)
Milu (You didn't specify people, so I'm guessing dogs count. We had this guy for 16 years, and it'd be great to see him again. Plus, he loved dinner.)
Take us through your average daily routine?
Well I don't know if I have a daily routine yet. Everything from training, to summer jobs, to sleeping used to be structured around school, but this fall will be the first time I don't have to report for preseason (and the classes that inevitably follow) since football in middle school. I've been basically living out of my suitcase this summer, but once things settle down this fall I'll get to work developing a new routine. Ito give you a sense of what the past year looked like though, this is how normal days played out in Albuquerque:
-Get up and meet team for practice at 8:00 AM
-Come home and do group core with my British roommates/teammates while they blast terrible English rap songs. (see "German Whip" by Meridian Dan...)
-Big breakfast of eggs, spinach and oatmeal
-Play with our pet hamster
-Procrastinate about taking a shower
-Pack lunch of sandwich, carrots, yogurt and fruit
-Bike through Albuquerque to class
-Meet with thesis advisor (I did my project on geothermal energy policy)
-Go to work at Heart & Sole Sports (A local running store)
-Eat late lunch at the store
-Go to the campus pool from work for swim/aqua jog
-Evening lift at rec center
-Meet roommates back home for dinner of chicken, rice, beans, pesto and salad
-Watch shark tank while dinner's cooking
-Pretend to play the guitar while annoying my roommates with bad chords
-Do some reading and research
-Early bed
What is your cross training regimen?
I typically run 5-6 days a week, so cross training is a huge part of my program. I used to hate it, but I mix things up with biking, swimming, and aqua-jogging, and podcasts on underwater headphones make life much better in the pool. I find that it's a great way to work on overall athleticism, supplement my fitness, prevent injury, and flush things out after hard track sessions.
What is your main goal for the rest of the 2015 year?
Get sponsored! Then hopefully set things up for a great 2016.
What is it like balancing life, training and racing?
As mentioned above, my life balance is about to be very different without school this upcoming year, but I'm excited to let training and racing take on a larger role. I hope to run full-time, but am someone who needs to stay busy. The erratic racing schedule complicates things, but I plan on working part-time, reading more books, volunteering, and/or picking up a few new hobbies to give me some structure.
I feel like running at Princeton was a crash course in figuring out how to juggle multiple things at once; I'm confident I'll have no problem adjusting to post-collegiate life.
If you could give one piece of advice to any runner, what would it be and why?
Don't be afraid to break the mold of what your training is "supposed" to look like. You and those around you might need different regimens to excel, and it's worth listening to your body to find what works best for you. One of my best friends and old teammates, Donn Cabral, finds great success after spending months around 110 miles per week. While we focus on different events, and I do plan on increasing my mileage after these past couple years of healthy training, I will still be running a fraction of the miles Donn runs, and supplement my training in other ways. Different athletes need different approaches to succeed, and not worrying about the "norm" to work on your specific strengths and weaknesses can make a big difference.
What does racing/training look like for you in the next 6 months?
Without a sponsorship, everything is still up in the air at this point. Whatever happens (and wherever I end up living) I'll be training hard in preparation for a big year in 2016. I'd love to get another chance at a fast mile/1500m this summer when people get back from Beijing, but nothing is set in stone yet. Other than that, I'd love to hit some fast times this winter and mainly focus on building for the spring!
