Jen Rhines ran the 3000 this past weekend at the 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships, in Valencia, Spain, after her second-place 8:59.98 finish at the U.S. Championships on February 23. Unfortunately her time of 9:03.66 did not qualify her for the World Championship finals, but her goal was to gain racing experience in preparation for the 5000 at the Beijing Olympics. Rhines plans to run the 5000 at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials, and possibly the 10000 as well. If she qualifies, this will be the third time that Rhines, 33, represents the U.S. at the Olympic Games. In 2000, she ran the 10000 in Sydney, before switching to the marathon distance at the Athens 2004 Olympics. Many athletes move up in distance later in their careers, but Rhines is moving back to the track. Rhines has a 2:29:32 marathon personal best time, but it was not her favorite event. “It didn’t really click for me in the marathon,” she explained. “I enjoy the shorter distances.” Rhines started running as a sprinter in middle school. She then went to Liverpool High School, in Syracuse, New York, where she moved up to the 1500. Rhines won two state titles in the event. “I definitely enjoy running the mile,” she said. She continued to move up in distance when she went to Villanova University, where she was a five-time NCAA champion. Rhines was the national champion in the outdoor 5000 in 1994-1996, the indoor 5000 champion in 1995 and the 1994 NCAA cross country champion. She graduated from Villanova in 1996 with a degree in civil engineering. Rhines has personal records of 4:17.30 for the 1500, 8:46.09 for the 3000, 14:55.18 for the 5000 and 31:17.31 for the 10000. She hopes to break 14:50 in the 5000 this year. The reason she switched to marathons in the past was that she felt she did not have enough speed for anything else. Since then, Rhines discovered that her training was to blame. Now she runs less mileage (85-95 miles per week compared to 110-120), but focuses on quality workouts and improving her running mechanics. “I don’t think I thrived on the higher mileage,” Rhines said. “I always felt like I should have more speed.” With the help of her strength coach, Dennis Kline, Rhines has incorporated a weight lifting and core regimen that has improved with her speed. She said she especially enjoys 200 – 400 meter hill speed work as well to help with her explosive power. Rhines is coached by her husband, Terrence Mahon. She is a member of Team Running USA, in Mammoth Lakes, Calif. Her teammates are Deena Kastor, Kate O’Neill, Sara and Steve Slattery, Sara and Ryan Hall, Meb Keflezighi, Ian Dobson, Mike McKeeman, Dan Browne, Julia Lucas and Kassi Anderson. Growing up in New York, Rhines was not used to the high altitude of Mammoth Lakes (about 7900 feet) when she first moved there. “It took me a little longer [than most] to adapt to it,” she said. “It came together at the end of 2004 when I was more committed to altitude training.” Rhines and her team do not train at altitude all year, however. Recently the team has moved down to sea level, in San Diego, for the track season. According to the New York Road Runners, Rhines originally planned to run the NYRR Women’s Invitational 8K this Saturday, March 15, but she has withdrawn due to an illness. (Note: At the time of this interview - March 1 - Rhines said she was suffering from cold-like symptoms). To read Jen Rhines’s journal, visit http://www.nyrr.org/races/pro/usa_distance/jenrhines.asp *Photo from nyrr.org