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Ryan Foster Interview - 'a fearless competitor'
Ryan Foster had an incredible NCAA Championships over 800m. Over the three rounds he ran his three fastest times ever, culminating in a 1:46 in the semi finals, where he was the second fastest qualifier. Every round, Ryan seemed to step up to the next level when it counted, and was consistently one of the fastest qualifiers for the following round. In the final he gave it a gutsy stab, and was in contention for the win with 100m to go. Ryan will be a serious force over 800m in the next few years. Runner's Tribe caught up with Ryan after his great NCAA performances.
Runners's Tribe:You went into the NCAAs as a 1:48 runner and came out a 1:46 runner. Were you expecting to run those kinds of times? Did you know you were in that kind of form?
Ryan Foster: After the race I was standing with Coach Gondak and someone asked him if that was expected and he said "No." I had been telling my friends in the week leading up that I thought I could run a 1.47, so I was confident that given the right conditions that I could do that. When I saw 1.46 on the board, I was stunned. It was such a large leap forward that I'm still a little in disbelief. I think I need to watch the race and time it myself just to make sure it wasn't a malfunction!
RT: Run us through the Champs - what did you think after your 1:47 in the first round? What were your thoughts going into the next round?
RF: I got very lucky over the weekend to repeatedly draw Jones from LSU. He goes out quick and in the first round he blew out the first 200m and gave me someone to follow around. I remember making a conscious decision at the cut in to get out and after him and it resulted in the 1.47. I knew that he was in my semi also and chances were he'd try the same tactic, so when he did I was mentally prepared for that fast pace. The whole weekend for me was about being competitive and putting myself in races to see what I could achieve. Coach drilled two things into me, firstly, NCAA's was an amazing opportunity for me to perform and secondly, work hard that 3rd 200m.
RT: You then busted out a 1:46 in the semis. Did you expect to back up that well? What were you thinking for the finals?
RF: I have backed up well all season so if anything I was more confident of making it through to the final than I was from the heat to the semi. I lost my spikes after the heat so I was thinking about that mostly, and in a way it helped me to not over think the race. It was a very simple equation, I just had to go out and compete and that's what I did, and it worked pretty well. I carried the same mentality into the final of making sure I'm in the race and being a fearless competitor.
RT: The finals didn't go as well, what happened?
RF: On paper it doesn't look like an amazing result. Ranked 3rd, finished 8th, there is an argument maybe that I underperformed. I'd take the flipside of that and say that I had been over-performing for two races straight (maybe not over-performing, but at least reaching a new level). If you watch the race over again, I make a great move with 250m left to run and go straight up the inside. With 120m left to run I think I even move into the lead. I just ran out of legs in that final stretch, and that early push probably cost me in the end. I'm immensely proud of myself that I ran for the win when it would have been very easy to sit back and be mid-field the whole race. As Ricky Bobby says "If you're not first you're last" and in that final I was always going to take a shot at winning, maybe at the expense of a better finishing position.
RT: Were you happy with the NCAA Champs overall?
RF: Extremely. It was surreal. In four days, I basically validated and gave meaning to the sacrifices of the last five years. It was one of the most satisfying things I've ever achieved.
RT: So what are the goals now? Are you going to have anymore races before next season, or take some down time?
RF: I'm all done for the year. We're shutting down the shop. I'm heading back to Australia for two weeks and then I come back to start my pre-season and take summer classes. As far as I know, my next race will be indoors sometime in December or January. The goal is to continue building on this season.
RT: Does having a 1:46 under your belt change your goals?
RF: Not a whole lot. It has given me a world of confidence that what I always dreamed about is a possibility. I have spent my entire running career with people drilling it into me that I can be world-class. For a long while there I doubted myself, but when I did I always had people around me to remind me that I was talented and hard working and that that was a combination for success. I remember when I was 15 I had been going to see Max for maybe a few months. At the time I was just running to get fit for hockey. He took me aside one day and told me that if I gave up that weak girl sport I could be a damn good runner. It wasn't very politically correct, but it was some advice that set me on the road to being a world-class athlete. I've lived every day since with that goal and I'll keep chasing it as long as I can.
RT: What about later into the future, what's the long term goals?
RF: London 2012. NCAA champion. National record holder. I want it all!
RT: How have you found the college experience so far? What's the training and setup like?
RF: Coming to Penn State is one of the best things I have done. The team has (not including me) two 1.48 guys, a 1.49 guy, and a bunch of guys at 1.50-52. We're a pretty tight group and we work hard together when it's required, and we have a lot of fun when we can. I train very differently to how I did back home. The focus is on quality workouts and quality recovery. I'm not ashamed to say that at Penn State I don't run anywhere near as hard. I run smarter. It also helps that we are fully equipped with training facilities, gear, medical, and some very good trails.
RT: Can you give us a typical weeks training for you?
RF: When I came to Penn State I actually decided not to keep a running log. It's another good decision I made. I used to write down every single thing. For three years I think I had only one blank day that wasn't filled in. I threw it away because I found that I was competing with workouts from the past. Instead of running to how I felt on the day, I would push to always be improving on past workouts. It wasn't a healthy way to train so now I just let Coach deal with that side of things, and I just run on the faith that he knows what he's doing. I can give a basic weekly outline though and it looks something like this:
Day 1: Recovery Day - very light.
Day 2: 40-50min @ 6min mile pace or there abouts
Day 3: Workout, often pyramids, usually finish with something fast.
Day 4: 40-50min @ 6min mile pace or there abouts
Day 5: 40-50min @ 6min mile pace or there abouts
Day 6: Workout
Day 7: Long run.
Depending on the season those runs might be shorter or longer. In addition to this I do some lifting and core work as well as strides and after some of the runs a few 150's or 200's.
RT: Thanks Ryan! Great to chat with you! All the best.
© 2009 The Runner's Tribe, all rights reserved. Published Sunday June 21, 2009
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