One Of Canada's Best - Reid Coolsaet - Will Make His Return To Racing With Eye Towards World Championship Marathon
Chris Moulton, Speed River T&F
April 22, 2009
Reid Coolsaet will make his long awaited return to competitive running
Sunday at the Billy Taylor 15k in Guelph, Ontario. Coolsaet has missed
the last year with two major injuries the first of which, a nerve
injury, forced him to miss the 2008 Olympic Games and the most recent a
fractured foot, caused him to miss the 2008 AGSI Canadian Cross Country
Championships. The four time Canadian 5000 Meter Champion will use the
race as a tune up for his marathon debut which will take place May 24th
in Ottawa at the Ottawa Marathon. The Ottawa Marathon will serve as the
selection race for the Canadian team at the 2009 Berlin World
Championships. Coolsaet posted a few comments about his decision on his
blog.
Why run a marathon?
RC: My cross-training volume has been high since the beginning of the
year and that type of training is physiologically closer to Marathon
training than 5000m training. Also, my tempo runs and longer intervals
are at a higher level relative to my track workouts right now.
The standard for the marathon to make the World Championships (2hours
18 minutes) is easier relative to the track times (13:20 for 5km and
27:47 for 10km). The reality is that Ive never run a marathon before,
so although it is theoretically easier there will not be anything easy
about it.
I have been interested in running a marathon for the past couple of
years and with the possibility of Canada sending a full marathon team
this year to Worlds it seems like a good time to take a crack at it.
Even if it doesnt go well I know the training and experience will
help me down the road in later marathons.
Why not just train until June and by then your track times should be better?
RC: Ive never had a layoff as big as I have in this past year, so
either way there are going to be some unknown variables. Its also
still possible to run fast on the track come July if I run the marathon
on May 24th (the last day to qualify for the World Championships on the
track is July 26th).
Did you decide to run a marathon after watching Boston on Monday?
RC: No, I had been thinking of this for a while but I didnt think Dave
(Scott-Thomas, Coolsaet's Coach) was going to go for it so I didnt
mention it. It turns out Dave had been thinking about it as well when
looking over my training and when he brought it up a couple of weeks
ago I was all over it. I just needed to make sure I could handle the
longer stuff and then commit before I bothered telling people.
Why do a marathon so soon?
RC: The last day to qualify for the 2009 World Championships is May
24th in the marathon. Waiting until later is not an option for the
marathon.
Why run a marathon when you wont have the optimal preparation?
RC: In an ideal world I would of had a longer training block for the
marathon however, I am also not trying to run as fast as I would with
an ideal build-up. My 5000m and 10 000m times rank me in the top 4 in
the All-Time Canadian rankings, to break into the top four for the
marathon I would have to run 2:11:15. Im not aiming to go that fast
on this outing.
What are some of the challenges you will face in running the marathon?
RC: The first of course is 42.2km Ive never run that long. So far I
have a 35km run under my belt and with 4.5 weeks remaining Ill have
one more long effort this weekend.
Figuring out what to drink and eat during the event and practicing
taking it in while running 3:12/km. Thankfully, Dr. Trent
Stellingwerff has been advising me on what to take and when to take it.
Ill practice taking in fuel on the run this weekend at the Billy
Taylor road race. Ive also been practicing, a little, already with
gels and water bottles.
Im going to have to get used to running on pavement. So far the
majority of my mileage has been on soft surfaces. Ill have to train
more on the roads to get my legs used to the impact.
Reid Coolsaet's Bio
Hometown: Hamilton, ON
Birthdate: July 29, 1979
University: University of Guelph '03
Coach: Dave Scott-Thomas
Agent: Chris Layne
