Posted: June 29, 2006

Athletics: Twenty Questions with Nicole Stevenson, 2:32 Marathoner

Background: Nicole Stevenson of Toronto ran a personal best marathon of 2:32:56 at the Houston Marathon in January placing second, the only non Russian among the top 5 women. She then went to Melbourne, Australia in March for the Commonwealth Games where she placed 11th in 2:41 in "the toughest marathon of my life".

Read her race report on the RunnersWeb.com. In October 2004 we did a "Twenty Questions" interview with Nicole. You can read that interview here: RunnersWeb.com.

Nicole winning the RunnersWeb5K.com Race for Women in Ottawa, June 24th - Photo: Rod MacIvor/Ottawa Citizen

Last Saturday (June 24, 2006) she came to Ottawa to run the inaugural RunnersWeb5K.com Race for Women which she won in 16:28. We caught up with Nicole for our "Twenty Questions" interview:

1. Runner's Web (RW): Tell us about your Women's 5K race in Ottawa. It was a smaller race - 202 finishers - than you are used to. You had been prepared to race against Emilie Mondor, one of only two Canadian women to have run under 15:00 for 5K - but she withdrew at the last minute when it was apparent that she had not recovered from an Achilles injury suffered in training. How did this change your race strategy?

Nicole Stevenson (NS): I was disappointed that Emilie was unable to race as I needed a challenge to gauge my fitness. But, as all runners have experienced, "stuff happens" and I think it was smart that Emilie chose not to race rather than taking a chance of furthering her injury. When I found out Emilie had withdrawn, I decided to stick with my original race plan: go out hard, pick it up mid-way and finish strong. Remember I'm a marathoner -- a 5km is like a sprint to me!

2. RW: Sara Dillabaugh surged just prior to the 1K mark, obviously going for the $100 "prime" for the leader at each K. Did you expect this? Did you find the first K split of 2:56 a bit fast even with the downhill start?

NS: What a surprise to see 2:56 on my watch at the 1st km! Sure we had started out fast, with some help from the downhill start, but then I realized I'd feel that fast split later in the race...and I did! I enjoyed the km split premium idea and hope it continues in future RunnersWeb 5K for Women events.

3. RW: You took the lead shortly after the K and gradually increased your lead to the finish. Was this your plan?

NS: My plan was to take it out fairly hard (but not sub-3:00!) and try to finish as close to 16:00 as possible. However, with the fast 1km and then running solo beyond that, it was difficult to maintain a proper pace. By 3km I had slowed considerably to 3:25 / km, which was certainly not part of the plan. I tried to convince myself that Emily (Tallen, 2nd place) was right on my shoulder to push me onwards. The result of 16:28 proved that I have more work to do to break 16:00 this year, but I'm confident I'll achieve that goal by national's in August.

4. RW: From my vantage point on the pace car (actually an SUV) you seemed to be working hard the whole way. Did you know what your lead was enroute?

NS: I try my best to not look back in races, but instead I pretend that the next runner is breathing down my neck so I don't let my guard down and ease up the pace. I was pretty sure I had a solid lead at the 3km mark, and I knew I was slowing, but I tried to keep pushing in order to run a decent time.

5. RW: Were you happy with your final time or were you expecting to run faster? Do you feel that you would have run faster if Emilie had been able to run?

NS: I was certainly hoping to run faster, close to 16:00. The very fast 1st km dampened that goal, but my strength should have carried me through. I'm sure that with more speed work over the next month I will achieve a sub-16:00 at national's in August (in Ottawa).

6. RW: I know that you had a 12 Noon flight to catch back to Toronto so you could get ready to fly to Halifax for work-related business? Did you make it on time?

NS: Actually, after all that rushing around (thanks for the lift to the hotel Sue!) when I arrived at the airport my flight was delayed until 1pm! But all worked out ok in the end. Halifax was a successful trip, but I'm definitely looking forward to the long weekend at home!

7. RW: You generally race against women who run full-time. Do you feel at a disadvantage because of this? Do you think you would run faster if you did not have a career.?

NS: If I truly thought I would run substantially faster by running full-time, then I would certainly do it. I don't use work as an excuse for not running fast - I am very pleased with what I've accomplished to-date and feel there is still room for faster times. I fear that I would actually run more slowly(!) if I didn't have a career -- if you can believe that! Idle time is not good for me as my motivation drops very low in all areas. I'm at my best when I have busy days and feel like I am contributing to my own personal growth and to business / community objectives. I guess I am unique because I do not know any other runners who have chosen this path. What can I say? Different strokes for different folks! I am very fortunate that my employer, Solvay Pharma, encourages my running.

8. RW: You ran a PB of 2:32:56 at the Houston Marathon in January. Did you feel that you were ready to run this time? Tell us about the race. The other four runners in the top five were all Russian. Did they work together as a team? Did you wish you could speak Russian?

NS: I feel like I've been ready to break 2:30 for two years, but I was pleased to run at least a PB! Houston was a great experience. The organizers treated us very well and the course was well-organized. I was intimidated to run with the group of Russians, but my fears were unwarranted. Each of us was going for the top prize that day. Understanding Russian wouldn't hurt though! Like the Kenyans for men, Russians are everywhere in women's elite marathons.

9. RW: You did a write-up on your Melbourne Commonwealth Games experience for the Runner's Web in which you described the marathon as the "toughest marathon of my life". How difficult was the recovery from this race? In hindsight could you have anything differently to prepare for a summer marathon in our winter?

NS: The Commonwealth Marathon was the "toughest race of my life" mainly because I'd run a personal best marathon just two months prior. At the Houston marathon, I still didn't know if I would be selected to compete in Melbourne, so that's why I ran both. A few weeks after Houston, I was notified of my selection to the team. Regardless of the timing, I am extremely grateful for the experience of competing at the Commonwealth Games. My only regret is that I wasn't better rested, but I made the best of the situation and gave the course everything I had in me that day. I'm still recovering! The Welsh girl ran in a heat chamber through the winter to help her get used to the heat. I was there 10 days before the race and felt pretty well-adjusted to the heat and time change.

10.RW: I understand that your fall racing plans include the New York City Marathon. Why have you picked this race over Chicago and others?

NS: I've run Chicago twice before and I've run the Toronto Waterfront Marathon a number of times. New York offers me a couple more weeks of preparation and a new course for my racing portfolio. I think Mary Wittenberg and David Monti are doing their utmost to improve elite running in North America and I appreciate their support. I've heard the crowd at NY is nearly deafening with enthusiasm, which always helps in the final miles. Also, a weekend in New York is always a great time!!

11.RW: Can you describe your training and racing plans for the rest of the summer leading up to New York.

NS: Through until August I will continue to focus on speed development, culminating with a 5,000m race at the National Track Champs in Ottawa over the August long weekend. After that, marathon training resumes with higher mileage and longer races through the fall until the New York marathon in early November. If I recover well, maybe I'll be able to race the National Cross Country, but it is too soon yet to tell.

12.RW: You ran your first marathon in 1999 - a self-coached 3:12 in Chicago. How has your training and racing evolved over the seven years since then?

NS: There is a good reason I now have a coach! I think one day I will be a decent coach to other athletes, but it is very difficult for someone to be self-coached. It is hard to remain objective when your mind is telling you to either rest too much or work too hard. So I learned after my first marathon that if I wanted to see where I could go in running, I would have to find someone to help me. Luckily I met Hugh Cameron a few years ago and I owe all of my recent running success to him.

13.RW: We're two years away from the Beijing Olympics. Do you think that Canada will send any marathoners to the 2008 Games? Has Athletics Canada realized that they made a mistake by not sending marathoners to Athens, especially after the IOC relaxed the standards because they wanted to increase participation in the country that started the marathon?

NS: The most important lesson I learned in 2004 is to work hard for what I want and control what I can. I had no control over the standards or how they were set. Did Canada make a mistake? Well, who knows? My philosophy is that athletes put enough pressure on themselves: they do not need any external pressures on where they should place and what colour medal they should win, if any. A country should be proud to send its top athletes to major Games, knowing that they will perform to the best of their ability and represent their country with pride -- but keeping in mind that this is sport and there are no guarantees. I do not agree that the Olympics is solely about winning gold medals. Only one person wins! I think we should strive to win but that should not be the be-all and end-all of going to Championships. I fear that if we keep winning as our #1 priority in sending athletes to Games, what I consider a discouraging stance, we will no longer produce athletes at all because of a cultured fear of failure. People will become afraid to even try! In future, my goal is to run fast -- I don't know what my limits are in terms of PB's. If I am fortunate enough to be selected for teams, I will represent my country with pride. If I am not selected, then I will continue to be a part of the sport and I will contribute to those who have helped me succeed.

14. RW: I assume that you watched the marathon coverage in Athens. Watching how difficult the course and weather was turning the event into a real race of attrition did you ever give thanks that you were not there competing under those conditions?

NS: Absolutely not. To this day I wish I had been given the chance to run in Athens.

15. RW: It seems that the bigger the marathon (and associated events) fields grow in Canada, the slower the Canadian content gets with some individual exceptions. Why do you think this is? Is it a case, as some have put it, that Canadians have become completers and not competitors?

NS: I haven't done this myself, but my guess is that if you broke down the statistics of the participants, you'd find that there are older people taking up marathons and fewer young athletes in the races. I think there is a place for people of all abilities at races, but the majority of runners are taking it up to improve their health and lifestyle and not to squeeze out every ounce of effort to achieve great performances. Finishing a marathon and racing a marathon are two entirely different objectives, and there is certainly room for both. just wish there were more racers because that is the only way we'll untap all the talent that must be out there.

16. RW: Most major marathons in Canada become a payday for Kenyans. Do you think the dominance of distance running by Kenyans has had a positive or negative effect on the development of Canadian runners?

NS: Competition is the only way to improve, so I can't see Kenyans having a negative effect on Canadian runners. Race directors want fast times, no matter where the runner lives, although I'm sure a race director would love to promote a local champion. We just need more Canadian kids to get involved in running / track and to pursue the sport beyond the university level. I think we lose a ton of talent each year after a runner finishes university because there isn't a place to turn for support to continue running competitively, so the athlete gets a job and does other 'normal' life things and running becomes more of a hobby and less of a life-pursuit.

17. RW: What changes could be made (by Athletics Canada, the provincial associations, race director, track clubs...) to boost the development of Canadian distance running?

NS: If I had the answer to this question, I would send it out in a press release! I think we have hard-working people in the associations at various levels, but they are stretched too thin. Our middle distance slew of runners hasn't been as strong as it currently is for decades. For long distance, typically the athletes are older and, as I mentioned above, we don't have a strong post-university program in place to keep these athletes competing at a high level, so they give in to regular life pressures of job, etc. The more other "life stuff' athletes take on, the less time and energy they have to devote to training and racing. I think that if we had more volunteer coaches like Hugh Cameron (and many others!), who instill passion and devotion to achievement in athletes, then athletes would have enough emotional support to keep running competitively. That at least would keep the runners emotionally tied to the sport, but they'd still have to deal with financial pressures.

18. RW: In 1984 Ottawa hosted the Olympic trials for the marathon leading to the best Canadian content marathon ever run in Canada including the emergence of Silvia Ruegger - who ran a world record debut for the women's marathon and set an Ottawa course record which lasted until this year. Would you support a single trials event for the marathon?

NS: If Canada had the depth, then I would support this initiative before major Games. Could you imagine a "Beijing Qualifier" where 5-10 (or more!) women were legitimately fighting for three (guaranteed) Olympic spots??? That would be amazing. Unfortunately we just don't have that kind of depth right now and the standards are beyond what anyone is running.

19. RW: The use of hired rabbits to pace both men and women in marathon races has become a standard practice. Do you think that this works in the best interest of the sport? Do you think that it is fair that Silvia Ruegger - for example ran a course record while racing without the use of male pacers, had her record broken by someone who was paced by rabbits whose job it was to run record pace to 30K and then drop out?

NS: Whether there are rabbits or not, the athlete still has to run the distance. I'm not sure if it's a question of fair or not. In Houston we didn't have rabbits and there was a pack of three of us until half-way, then I ran the second half alone except for passing a couple of guys - yet I still managed a PB. I think if you can get a rabbit, that may help you, but ultimately it's your race to run and the rabbit can only do so much to assist you.

Nicole chats with race announcer Lynne Bermel - Photo: RunnersWeb.com

20.RW: We've asked some serious questions above. Let's have a quick look at Nicole Stevenson, the non-runner:
i) Favourite movie: Valleygirl (don't laugh - it's good!)
ii) Favourite book Can't choose just one but I was hooked on Patricia Cornwell's series for a while
iii) Favourite meal: Almond butter & honey sandwich
iv) favourite drink: Blue Gatorade
v) I hate it when...plans don't work out
vi) I love it when...I'm surrounded by people I love
vii) The person in the world I admire most is: There are many but Molly Killingbeck is one
viii) If I could spend a week free in any place in the world it would be: Anywhere with my closest friends that has running trails
ix) I drive a: car
x) My favourite animal is: my cat Surfer (the other cat Sose a close second!)

RW: Thanks Nicole, good luck in the rest of your racing season and especially in the Big Apple. The last word to Nicole:

NS: Thanks Ken for the opportunity to share some of my views. Sorry if I offended anyone! Ken, you are doing a tremendous job to promote running and triathlon and I truly think you are making a difference in the athletic community. Thank you and keep it up & stay healthy!

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